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AW <br /> W B10-Logic <br /> Natural Resource Consultants <br /> SUMMARY <br /> Transit Mix Concrete Co.(Transit Mix)is proposing to develop a granite quarry on the Hitch Rack Ranch <br /> property in rural El Paso County,Colorado. A quarry site and new access road across the Ranch will be <br /> developed. As part of environmental due diligence,in June 2016 a nesting raptor survey was conducted <br /> of the quarry site and access road,including all Hitch Rack Ranch lands within '/z mile of the quarry site <br /> and access road. <br /> No active raptor nests were detected. Six inactive raptor nests were found,four in the quarry site area and <br /> two in the south half of the Ranch. Several raptors were observed including Cooper's hawks and red- <br /> tailed hawks. Suitable raptor nesting habitat on the Ranch is primarily in taller forest stands of mixed <br /> conifer,ponderosa pine,and cottonwood riparian stands. Cliff-nesting habitat is marginal for raptors <br /> because of the small size of the rock outcrops and the lack of suitable ledges and overhangs. <br /> PURPOSE AND NEED <br /> As part of environmental due diligence for project planning and permitting,Transit Mix hired BIO-Logic, <br /> Inc. (BIO-Logic)to conduct a nesting raptor survey of the project area. Raptors are protected under the <br /> Migratory Bird Treaty Act and eagles are further protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection <br /> Act. These federal laws prohibit killing or harming raptors, including knowingly interfering with <br /> reproduction. Raptors can be sensitive to human disturbance during the nesting period and may abandon <br /> nests if disturbance is excessive. Identifying active raptor nest sites on the Ranch will facilitate the <br /> identification of potential impacts to raptors and allow for the development of mitigation measures if <br /> needed. <br /> PROJECT AND SITE DESCRIPTION <br /> The Hitch Rack Ranch is privately owned and encompasses about 1,522 acres. The survey area lies <br /> within the Mount Big Chief and Cheyenne Mountain U.S. Geological Survey(USGS)7.5 minute <br /> quadrangles,in Township 16 S, Range 67 W, Sections 15, 16,21,22 and 27. Elevation ranges from <br /> 6,520 to 7,480 feet in the survey area. The proposed quarry site is on the north side of the Ranch where <br /> Little Turkey Creek passes through the foothills of the Front Range. The proposed access road to the <br /> quarry leads from the eastern boundary of the property west and then north to the quarry site(Appendix <br /> A, Figure 1). <br /> Terrain and raptor habitats vary considerably from north to south. In the proposed quarry site,Little <br /> Turkey Creek flows southeast from its source near Green Mountain in the Pike National Forest. The <br /> north side of the drainage is dominated by steep,generally south-and southwest-facing slopes that form a <br /> ridge separating Little Turkey Creek from Deadman Gulch. Rock outcrops are common on the slope in <br /> this area. The area south of Little Turkey Creek ascends gradually to the south and southwest and is <br /> characterized by numerous well-defined intermittent drainages separated by steep ridges. Springs and <br /> seeps are present in several of the drainages. The general aspect in this area is north and northeast,with <br /> variation along the intermittent drainages. Vegetation communities in this area are dominated by mixed <br />