Laserfiche WebLink
di BIO-Logic <br /> Natural Resource Consukants <br /> conifer forest composed of Douglas fir,ponderosa pine,and white fir. Small areas are dominated by <br /> ponderosa pine with an understory of Gambel oak. Mountain shrub and pinyon juniper woodland <br /> communities are present primarily on east and southeast-facing slopes to the north of Little Turkey Creek. <br /> Narrow-leaf cottonwood and aspen occur in small numbers along Little Turkey Creek. <br /> Where the foothills give way to the Piedmont in the central and southern portions of the Ranch,there are <br /> a number of rocky hills with flat areas between. Grasslands occur in the flat areas and pinyon juniper <br /> woodland and mountain shrubland grow on the hills. Little Turkey Creek flows across the east side of the <br /> Ranch in this area. Several unnamed intermittent streams flow through the southern half of the Ranch. A <br /> number of ponds have been developed along these drainages and an irrigation ditch that flows from Little <br /> Turkey Creek. The streams and ponds support mostly mature cottonwood and ponderosa pine with an <br /> understory of red-osier dogwood,willow,alder and a variety of grass and forb species. Many of the <br /> cottonwoods along Little Turkey Creek and the intermittent streams have died in recent years. <br /> In general, suitable raptor nesting habitat in the survey area is located in the mixed conifer forest found in <br /> the quarry site,in ponderosa pine woodland,and in tall cottonwoods associated with streams and ponds. <br /> Cliff-nesting habitat is unremarkable on the property,consisting primarily of small cliffs with few <br /> overhangs and ledges. <br /> METHODS <br /> The raptor survey was completed on June 7 and 9,2016 by Jim Le Fevre of BIO-Logic. The survey was <br /> on all Hitch Rack Ranch land within'/z mile of the quarry site and the proposed access road(Figure 1). <br /> Weather was favorable with sunny to partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low-to mid-80s. Prior <br /> to the survey,aerial photos of the Ranch were studied to determine potential locations to visit. Areas <br /> identified included mixed conifer and ponderosa pine stands,riparian corridors,and all rock outcrops. <br /> In the quarry site area,the biologist walked along roadless drainages and ridges visually searching for <br /> raptors and nests,and played recorded Cooper's hawk vocalizations with a speaker-equipped game caller <br /> at intervals of 200-250 meters(see calling station locations in Figure 1)to aid in detecting raptors in areas <br /> of heavy forest cover. The survey was done by vehicle along existing access roads in Little Turkey Creek <br /> and Deadman Gulch,with stops every 200-250 meters for visual inspection and broadcast calling. In the <br /> south part of the Ranch in the area of the proposed access road,a walk-trough survey with visual <br /> inspection was done;broadcast calls were not played because of the open terrain. The survey in this part <br /> of the Ranch was focused on suitable raptor nesting habitats including riparian corridors and ponds with <br /> tall cottonwoods, ponderosa pine stands,and individual larger trees. Two rock outcrops were examined <br /> for potential nests and nest sites. <br /> RESULTS <br /> Raptors observed include:one adult male Cooper's hawk perched near the top of a ridge on the north side <br /> of Little Turkey Creek;a turkey vulture roosting on a rock outcrop on the north side of an intermittent <br />