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the piketninnow, potential habitat for stacker would be miles downstream and potential <br /> impact would be indirect. <br /> • Uncompahgre fritillary butterfly: the butterfly inhabits patches of snow willow above <br /> 13,000 feet . 'i'lie upper limit of the affected lands is below 9,500 feet; therefore potential <br /> habitat is not present. <br /> • Blacic-footed ferret: the ferret inhabits the prairie region and depends extensively on <br /> colonies of prairie clogs10 as they live in the burrows made by prairie clogs and use prairie <br /> dogs for food. Prairie dog colonies are not present on or near the Affected Lands. <br /> • Canada lynx: within colder climate coniferous forests, lynx are most likely to persist in <br /> areas that receive deep snow and have high-density populations of snowshoe hares,the <br /> principal prey of lynx)1. These lynxes are highly mobile and occupy large home ranges <br /> within a variety of habitats and are solitary with territories that exclude same sex/age in- <br /> dividuals, they tend to avoid human activity 12. The affected lands are potentially part <br /> of the home range of I to 2 Canada lynx. The San Juan National Forest comprises the <br /> core of Colorado's Lynx Recovery areal. <br /> Direct and Indirect Impacts of Proposed Mining Operation on Wildlife <br /> Direct impact on wildlife and their habitat clue to renewed training activity on this property will <br /> be minimal. Notable impacts may result frotn: <br /> • Development of a former tailings impoundment (abandoned approximately 30 years pri- <br /> or) into a about I-acre augmentation pond at the Idaho Operational Area. This will pro- <br /> vide a new fresh water source in this area. A natural seep is close by providing fresh <br /> water. <br /> • Grading existing access roads will temporarily disrupt small wildlife adjacent to the <br /> roads. <br /> • Development of five Operational Areas, less than I acre aerial extent each, may displace <br /> small local wildlife. However, these areas are former mine sites with limited and previ- <br /> ously disturbed habitat. <br /> • Mining and milling operations will be underground; therefore the most notable direct, <br /> long-term impact will be increased traffic on the access road: <br /> o twice a day by commuting mine personnel (ten or fewer total personnel) <br /> o approximately once per week haul truck for stockpiled ore and processed mine <br /> rock <br /> • Exploration roads and drill pads will temporarily disturb less than one acre of habitat per <br /> each drill site. Eleven sites are planned and will be performed sequentially with each <br /> lit tu:/++'++'w.butterflyrecovery.ore/s{,ecies }rofileshincomi ingre fritillary/available 2010-07-20. <br /> 10 U.S.Fish and N1'ildlife Service. 1988.Black-footed Ferret Recovery Plan.U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service,Den- <br /> ver,Colorado 154 pp. <br /> 11 htt ://n ecos.f+vs.eo I§peciesPrpjile%pratile/sneciesi'roGleaction?sncode-A07 available 2010-07-20. <br /> 12 http/hvww fs fed.us/database/feis/animals/►Italnmal/Ivea/all.html available 2010-07-28. <br /> 4 <br />