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Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement I Federal Coal Lease Modifications COC -1362 & COC -67232 <br />Habitat Description and Habitat in Project <br />Species Scientific Name Requirements Area? <br />Uinta Basin Hookless Sclerocactus glaucus Coarse rocky soils above the current No <br />Cactus flood plains of the Colorado, Gunnison, <br />and Green River drainages in western <br />Colorado and northeastern Utah Not <br />known or expected to occur on the <br />Paonia RD. <br />`Habitat not present, but consultation has occurred Wth USFWS regarding depletions associated with RFMP for post -leasing activities <br />(June 16, 2010; ES/CO: FS/GMUG/Paonia RD; TAILS 65413-2010F-109) based on GMUG's PBO for depletion (ES/GJ-6-CO-99-F- <br />033-CP062). This is a complicated consultation history because it also relies on the umbrella Final Gunnison River Basin <br />Programmatic BO (ES/ GJ-6-09OF-001 and Tails 65413-2009-F-0004) which has included all prior consultations in the basin and <br />associated recovery goals the most recent assessment of which had been finalized on December 20, 2016 Information specific to <br />this project can be found in project record and description of the recovery is in Appendix J in response #8419-49. <br />3.10.1 Canada lynx <br />The Forest Service vegetation database (R2Veg) data as of 04 Feb 2010 was used in this analysis to <br />describe existing vegetation and habitats within the project area. Sudden Aspen Decline (SAD) is <br />impacting mature aspen stands across the district, and declining stands have been identified in the <br />immediate project area and across the analysis area. The current state of these stands is not reflected <br />in R2Veg due to the rapid change in vegetation condition. It is anticipated that additional aspen stands <br />will decline in 2010 and beyond, and that the affected aspen stands may constitute a much larger portion <br />of the analysis area than they do currently. <br />3.10.1.1 Methodology <br />Using the Southern Rockies Lynx Amendment (SLRA) Implementation Guide, Habitat Mapping section, <br />the following model was developed for the West Elk Lease Modification project: <br />• Using the R2Veg vegetation GIS database as of 04 Feb 2010 (the time of analysis), the area of <br />the existing Mount Gunnison LAU was selected, then buffered out 400 meters. The overall layer <br />was then clipped to this geographic area to facilitate calculations while insuring that the LAU was <br />fully covered. <br />Polygons were selected by Cover—Type attributes. Primary habitat included spruce -fir (TSF) <br />polygons, as well as aspen (TAA) polygons containing greater than or equal to 5% conifer (PIEN <br />and/or ABLA). Secondary habitat included the remaining aspen polygons (containing less than <br />5% conifer) and riparian willow (SWI) polygons. <br />All primary habitat polygons were selected. A 300 meter buffer was applied to this selection. All <br />secondary habitat within this buffer was then added to the primary habitat and was used as the <br />final habitat delineated within the LAU. This was clipped to the original LAU boundary to <br />determine final habitat quantity within the LAU, and to the lease modification polygons to <br />determine the habitat within those areas. These values were used the analysis. <br />The final GMUG LAU boundary adjustments / delineations had not been done at the time of the analysis, <br />so the original boundary was still in effect and was therefore used. Consultation with USFWS was done <br />specifically on this analysis (June 16, 2010; ES/CO: FS/GMUG/Paonia RD; TAILS 65413-2010F-109). <br />The final GMUG habitat model (later in 2010) closely followed the above process (although conducted <br />with the full forest level data set and including other habitat types that occur elsewhere on the Forest, <br />such as lodgepole pine). However, the process for including secondary habitat in the final selection did <br />186 <br />