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No onsite investigations were conducted of the proposed project area. The following information is <br />excerpted from the COC 60941 Coal Lease Application EA (1997), and generally describes the <br />project area. <br />"The general project area consists of pasture and mountain shrub type vegetation along <br />with pinon-juniper. The most prominent shrubs include Gambel oak ( uercus ym elii), <br />Mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus), and Utah serviceberry (Amelanchier <br />utahensis). Other important shrubs include Antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), <br />Squaw -apple (Peraphyllum ramosissimum), and Green ephedra (Ephedra viridis). <br />Scattered pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) and Utah juniper (Juniperus utahensis) occur on the <br />more xeric sites, while scattered ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and Douglas fir <br />(Pseudotsuga menziesii) occur on the more mesic sites. Important species in the <br />understory include bluegrass (Loa Mp.), western wheatgrass (A&ropyron smithii), <br />bottlebrush squirreltail (Sitanion hystrix), yucca (Yucca baccata), and milkvetch <br />(Astragalus spp.). <br />Portions of the project area have undergone various vegetation treatments including chaining, <br />burning, and herbicide application. <br />WILDLIFE <br />The project area is diverse in wildlife habitats. Although the project area is primarily <br />composed of the mountain shrub type vegetative community, portions are also covered by <br />pinon-juniper and pasture types as well. The project area is located in important winter range for <br />deer and elk. <br />THREATENED/ENDANGERED SPECIES <br />In following the guidelines of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, a search was made <br />for threatened, endangered, or sensitive (TES) plant species in the project area. No federal TES <br />species are known to exist in the project area. <br />According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Ecological Services Office in Grand <br />Junction, Colorado, 3 TES and 1 candidate plant species have the potential to occur in La Plata <br />County. Knowlton's cactus (Pediocactus knowltonii) and Mancos milkvetch (Astragalus <br />humillimus) are listed endangered species. Mesa Verde cactus (Sclerocactus mesa -verde) is listed <br />threatened, and Sleeping Ute milkvetch (Astragalus tortipes) is a candidate species for listing. <br />No Knowlton's cactus, Mesa Verde cactus, Mancos milkvetch, Sleeping Ute milkvetch, or any other <br />sensitive flora species are known to occur on the lands above the proposed project area. <br />Additionally, based on previous biological descriptions of the project area, no habitat exists for any <br />14 <br />