Laserfiche WebLink
�AV BI4-Logic <br /> inc <br /> Natural Resource Consultants <br /> SUMMARY <br /> Transit Mix Concrete Company(Transit Mix)proposes to develop a granite quarry on the Hitch Rack <br /> Ranch property(Ranch)in rural El Paso County, Colorado. The development of the quarry would take <br /> place within habitat for the Mexican spotted owl(MSO),which is listed as threatened under the U.S. <br /> Endangered Species Act. This MSO Habitat Assessment evaluates the extent and quality of MSO habitat <br /> on the Ranch,to aid in assessment of potential effects of the project to MSO. <br /> We defined a study area of 536 acres in Section 16 in the northwest part of the Ranch where rugged <br /> terrain and forests of mixed conifer and pine/oak could provide MSO habitat. We used existing <br /> vegetation mapping and field observations to assess MSO habitat based on vegetation type,terrain, <br /> presence of water, and other factors. We found that no MSO breeding habitat occurs on the Ranch, <br /> because of a lack of suitable nest sites and summer day-roost sites in vertical cliffs in narrow, sheer- <br /> walled canyons. The canyon of Little Turkey Creek on the Ranch and its tributaries do not provide <br /> suitable nesting habitat. <br /> To assess the value of mixed conifer and pine/oak forest stands on the Ranch for MSO foraging habitat, <br /> we measured forest stand characteristics identified as important to MSO by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife <br /> Service(FWS)MSO Recovery Plan(FWS 2012a). In 10 randomly selected 0.1-acre sample plots we <br /> measured tree density, basal area by size class, snags(standing dead trees), and cover of other vegetation <br /> and woody debris. The forest stands in the study area are uniformly young, estimated at less than 100 <br /> years, and are significantly below recommendations for abundance of large trees. The stands lack live <br /> trees 18 inches diameter or larger, large snags 12 inches or larger diameter, and large fallen logs and large <br /> volumes of woody debris important for abundance of small mammal prey. <br /> Because of the lack of breeding habitat,MSO are not expected to breed on the Ranch, supported by a lack <br /> of detections of MSO during protocol surveys in the breeding season in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Foraging <br /> habitat exists on the Ranch,connected to more extensive MSO habitat in the region, and MSO could <br /> occur on the Ranch in summer as unmated transient or dispersing birds, or in winter when MSO typically <br /> migrate to lower elevations. <br /> PURPOSE AND NEED <br /> The U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service(FWS)has listed the Mexican spotted owl as a threatened species <br /> under the U.S. Endangered Species Act(FWS 1993), and designated critical habitat in 2004 that includes <br /> portions of Colorado(FWS 2004). The Hitch Rack Ranch lies within a unit of critical habitat for MSO <br /> (Figures 1 and 2). A working group of FWS biologists, federal land management agency staff,and other <br /> stakeholders completed a revised MSO Recovery Plan(FWS 2012a). <br /> Although the Hitch Rack Ranch lies within a critical habitat unit, critical habitat designation for MSO <br /> only applies to federal lands(FWS 2004). However,MSO occur in the region of the Front Range where <br /> the project is located and to comply with the U.S. Endangered Species Act,potential effects of the project <br /> on MSO must be evaluated and addressed. In 2015,2016, and 2017,BIO-Logic Inc. (BIO-Logic) <br /> completed surveys of the Ranch for MSO, following FWS protocol(FWS 2012b). No MSO were <br /> — --- ---------------- <br /> 3 <br />