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Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement I Federal Coal LeaseModifications COC-1362 & COC-67232 <br />not use a simple distance buffer of the primary habitat as described in the SRLA implementation guide. <br />The final model used a 300 meter buffer, but included entire vegetation polygons of secondary habitat if <br />the geometric centroid of the polygon was within the 300 meter buffer distance, and excluded polygons <br />whose geometric centroid was further than 300 meters from the edge of a primary habitat polygon. This <br />process was used to insure that the polygons used in the habitat model matched, spatially, with habitat <br />polygons in the original vegetation layer, and were not bisected by the buffering distance clipping that I <br />used in my model. <br />This or any model is used to plan and to estimate impacts from projects. Actual impacts to habitat are <br />determined during or after disturbance and are measured on the ground at that time and reported to the <br />USFWS as required. Habitat may be modeled but may turn out to not actually be suitable. <br />In 2016, using the habitat model developed in 2010, USFWS consultation occurred forest -wide for <br />vegetation treatments and road construction which established conservation thresholds consistent with <br />the SLRA for all of the LAUs. The 2016 consultation (ES/L-6-CO-08-F-024-GH016; TAILS 06E24100- <br />2016 -F-132: Bundle 65413-2009-B-2008) includes the lease modification area in the June 16, 2010, a <br />consultation on for this project. <br />3.10.1.2 Affected Environment <br />The analysis area for the Biological Assessment is the Mount Gunnison Lynx Analysis Unit (LAU). Other <br />scales of analysis may be used for other species. Existing Canada lynx habitat conditions at two potential <br />analysis scales (Lease modifications area and LAU) is shown in Table 3-27. Acreages within the lease <br />modification area in this analysis (1718.9) are slightly less than in the proposed action (1720 acres) <br />provided through the BLM office (1721) and represent differences in mapping versus information provided <br />from outside the agency. <br />The acreage of the LAU has been reduced from the original consultation, and now, comprises 37,995 <br />acres (Table 3-27). Updates to this section of the SEIS have occurred to reflect the 2016 consultation <br />acreage. <br />Environmental Baseline <br />The Canada Lynx was listed as threatened in March 2000. In August 2004, the Second Edition of the <br />Canada Lynx Conservation Assessment and Strategy (LCAS) was released, to provide a consistent and <br />effective approach to conserve Canada lynx on federal lands. The Canada Lynx Conservation Agreement <br />(USDA FS, 2005) identifies the Science Report (Ruggiero et al. 2000) and the LCAS (Ruediger et al. <br />2000) as including the best available science on habitat and conservation measures. Both of these <br />documents, along with local information were to be used for project analyses <br />Following release of the LCAS, the Forest mapped lynx analysis units (LAUs) and habitat within them, <br />based on Regional direction. Habitat was mapped based on existing vegetation information, including <br />vegetation type, canopy closure and size of trees. Areas outside of mapped LAUs are not considered to <br />be lynx habitat, even though they may contain habitat components or stand similar to those within LAUs. <br />In 2008, the Southern Rockies Lynx Management Direction Record of Decision (SRLA) was published, <br />which supersedes the LCAS, and that direction was incorporated into the GMUG Forest Plan. Lynx <br />habitat was remapped according to this direction, and used for this analysis. LAUs on the GMUG and <br />neighboring forests were remapped in conjunction with USFWS in 2010-2011 to better align with lynx <br />home range sizes and to remove lower elevation non -habitat. <br />The GMUG Forest Plan includes direction about limiting the amount of currently unsuitable habitat within <br />a LAU to less than 30%. Currently, <1% of lynx habitat within the LAU is unsuitable. The lease <br />modifications and affected surrounding private and parent leases are within the Mount Gunnison LAU, <br />and potential impacts of the project to lynx are limited to that LAU. Existing conditions of the Mount <br />187 <br />