2017-10-05_PERMIT FILE - M2017049 (41)

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l� - U ao o . Transit Mix Concrete Co. rodents and midsized predators such as coyote, bobcat, red fox, weasel and badger. The project area also provides nesting and forage habitat for raptor species. The project area has been identified by CPW within elk summer and winter range and within a landscape that provides migration corridors on ridges and in drainages. The project area is also within black bear summer and fall concentration area, black bear human conflict area, and mountain lion overall range and human conflict area. The most important big game habitat within the project area is winter range, because most deer and elk herds in the state are limited by the quality and quantity of winter range. The most important winter range in the project area is in the lower elevations, in open shrublands, especially on south-facing slopes where browse shrubs are most abundant and most accessible during periods of deep snow. The important winter range areas north of the creek will remain undisturbed. The area to be mined does not include areas of elk and deer winter range because most of the area is dense forest cover on north facing slopes and higher elevation. This reclamation plan was specifically designed to provide elk, deer, and wild turkey habitat that exceeds and improves upon the quality of the existing conditions. This approach addresses concerns previously expressed by the MLRB regarding impacts to wildlife and habitat by specifically protecting such habitat and encouraging development of habitat for wild turkey and other wildlife. The project area is within CPW's Elk Data Analysis Unit (DAU) E-23, the Eleven Mile Herd. This unit is broken up into Game Management Units (GMU). The project area is within GMU-59. A map of DAU E-23, including GMU-59 is included in Figure E-1. To manage the state's big game populations, CPW uses a "management by objective" approach. Big game populations are managed to achieve population objective ranges and sex ratio ranges established for DAUs (Grigg 2012). "A 'Data Analysis Unit' or `DAU' is the geographic area that represents the year- around range of a big game herd and delineates the seasonal ranges of a specific herd while keeping interchange with adjacent herds to a minimum... The purpose of a DAU plan is to provide a system or process which will integrate the plans and intentions of CPW with the concerns and ideas of land management agencies and interested publics in determining how a big game herd in a specific geographic area, DAU, should be managed." (Grigg 2012). The E-23 DAU plan describes elk distribution stating that"Elk are distributed throughout the DAU, though are most abundant in GMUs 59, 511, and 581. Some seasonal migrations occur within the DAU, with many elk using the higher elevation areas near Pikes Peak during the summer and fall months, then dropping to lower elevations during winter and spring... During summer, elk often utilize the aspen and alpine habitats at higher elevations where forage is abundant and temperatures are cooler. During winter, elk can often be found on the south facing slopes within the Phantom Canyon and Beaver Creek drainages in GMU 59 or feeding near the towns of Hitch Rack Ranch Quarry Permit Application October 3,2017 E-14