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1 <br /> Review of the Wildlife, Vegetation, and Reclamation Exhibits in the Application for a <br /> Quarry Permit by Transit Mix on the Hitch Rack Ranch <br /> James H. Enderson 17 March 2016 <br /> Below are comments that point to errors or other issues dealing with animals, plants, and <br /> the post-digging aftermath. These concerns are based on my familiarity with the region <br /> acquired in nearly 40 years of teaching field courses in zoology, botany, and ecology at <br /> Colorado College. My ongoing research involves raptors, work that has caused me to <br /> travel extensively in rugged drainages statewide. I own a cabin on land in Eagles Nest. <br /> In the Wildlife, Vegetation, and Reclamation portions of the Application, various topics <br /> appear more than once. Further, some of these topics are mentioned again in the analysis <br /> by an outside consulting firm. My comments below appear generally in the order they <br /> were encountered in the text. I did not trespass when gathering information for this <br /> review, but remained on the legal easement to and from my property on Eagles Nest. <br /> ANIMALS <br /> 1. The statement that"turkeys are not common in the mining area" is contrary to <br /> my experience. They are especially common there, and perhaps roost in the tall <br /> cottonwoods, and loiter in daytime in the adjacent dense forest. <br /> 2. Peregrines nest nearly two miles from the property. No mention is made of <br /> prairie falcons that have nested about one mile both NE and S from the property. <br /> 3. The paper mentions the drainages as corridors for elk, but then ignores the <br /> significance of Little Turkey Creek(LTC). The mine site is commonly used by elk, <br /> except perhaps in mid-summer. The site offers excellent forage. Elk are not limited to <br /> "higher elevations". Deer are present year-around because of prime forage available. <br /> 4. Spotted Owls probably use the area; in the mid-1990s I saw one in summer in <br /> lower Rock Creek four miles NNE, and tracked another by aircraft centered about 8 miles <br /> south. They are easily overlooked by ground surveys, especially outside the breeding <br /> period. The riparian habitat in the western one-half of the proposed mine site is ideal with <br /> diverse old-age timber. <br /> 5. The pre-mining forest would not be available to wildlife in"50 to 80" years. If <br /> wildfire were involved, recovery might occur that quickly. But removal of substrate, <br /> even with attempts to replace "topsoil", makes recovery extremely long-term. The Castle <br /> Concrete quarry north of Queens Canyon graphically bares that out. Many attempts to <br />