2016-08-29_PERMIT FILE - C1981035A ‎(13)‎

• Permit No: C1981035A
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 8/29/2016
• Doc Name: Fish and Wildlife Information
• Section_Exhibit Name: KII Appendix 08
• Media Type: D
• Archive: Yes

Wetlands
No wetlands, surface waters, or potential jurisdictional waters of the U.S. were identified in the project
areas.
General Wildlife
Visual observations of wildlife species at the project areas were minimal. Most observations consisted of
scat and tracks. Table 3 lists the wildlife observations made during the surveys.
Table 3. Wildlife Observations at the GCC Proposed Drill Hole Sites in La Plata County, Colorado,
on February 26 -27, 2014
Common Name Scientific Name Si n
Birds
Amencan robin
Turdus mi ratonus
I Audible
Bushtit
Psaltri arus mimmus
Visual, audible
Mountain chickadee
Poecde gambeh
Visual, audible
Northern flicker
Cola tes auratus
Audible
White- breasted nuthatch
Sitta carohnensis
Audible
Mammals
Black bear
Ursus amencanus
Scat
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
Scat
Cottontail rabbit
S Ivila us s .
Scat
Coyote
Canis latrans
Scat
Elk
Cervus canadensis
Scat, tracks
Mule deer
Odocoileus hemionus
Scat, tracks
Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Scat
Woodrat
Neotoma s .
Scat
Invertebrates
Spider Class Arachnida Visual
Special Status Species
Of the 41 species listed for the state of Colorado by the USFWS, only eight have the potential to occur in
La Plata County. These species are Schmoll's milkvetch (Astragalus schmolliae), Mexican spotted owl
(Strix occidentalis lucida), southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus), yellow - billed
cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), razorback sucker
(Xyrauchen texanus), New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudonius luteus), and North
American wolverine (Gulo gulo luccus). Schmoll's milkvetch is strictly endemic to Chapin Mesa in Mesa
Verde National Park and does not occur in the project areas.9 The project areas lack suitable habitat
features for the other seven listed species. The USFWS list of threatened, endangered, proposed, and
candidate species for La Plata County is provided in Appendix A.
Of the 67 special status species listed by the State of Colorado, only six have the potential to occur in La
Plata County: burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis), American peregrine
falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum), bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Townsend's big -eared bat
(Corynorhinus townsendii pallescens), and Botta's pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae rubidus). The
project areas lack suitable habitat elements for the breeding of any of these listed raptors. No potential
hibernacula for Townsend's big -eared bat were located in the project areas. No gopher mounds were
observed within the project areas. Table 4 lists the special status species for the State of Colorado.
In 2007, the CPW mapped ranges and migration corridors for species of concern and economic value.
These maps indicated that the project area is 1) winter range for bald eagle, 2) overall range for black bear
9 Heil, K.D., S.L. O'Kane, Jr., L.M. Reeves, and A. Clifford. 2013. Flora of the Four Corners Region — Vascular Plants of the
San Juan River Drainage. St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press.
Technical Memorandum / SWCA Project No. 28487 7
April 11, 2014 King II Appendix 8 (5 )