2018-08-20_REVISION - C1980007

• Permit No: C1980007
• IBM Index Class Name: Revision
• Doc Date: 8/20/2018
• From: DRMS
• To: Wild Earth Guardians
• Type & Sequence: PR15
• Email Name: LDS
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

The project area is at 8000 to 9800 feet of elevation.
VI. Environmental Baseline
Canada lynx
The Canada Lynx was listed as threatened in March 2000. In August 2004, the Second Edition of
the Canada Lynx Conservation Assessment and Strategy (LCAS) was released, to provide a
consistent and effective approach to conserve Canada lynx on federal lands. The Canada Lynx
Conservation Agreement (USDA 2005) identifies the Science Report (Ruggiero et al. 2000) and
the LCAS (Ruediger et al. 2000) as including the best available science on habitat and
conservation measures. Both of these documents, along with local information were to be used
for project analyses.
Following release of the LCAS, the Forest mapped lynx analysis units (LAUs) and habitat within
them, based on Regional direction. Habitat was mapped based on existing vegetation information,
including vegetation type, canopy closure and size of trees. Areas outside of LAUs are not
considered to be lynx habitat, even though they may contain habitat components or stands similar
to those within LAUs. The GMUG Forest Plan includes direction about limiting the amount of
currently unsuitable habitat within a LAU to less than 30%.. Currently, 0.5% of lynx habitat
within the LAU is unsuitable. The project is within the Mount Gunnison LAU, and potential
impacts of the project to lynx are limited to that LAU. Existing conditions of the Mount
Gunnison LAU are displayed in Table 4.
Table 4. Mount Gunnison Lynx Analysis Unit Existing Condition (rounded to
nearest acre)
LAU Name
Total
Acreage
Suitable
Habitat
Acres Currently
Unsuitable Habitat
(% of lynx habitat)
Acres Non
Habitat (% of
LAU)
Mount Gunnison LAU
47904
22614
0 (0)*
25290 (52.8)
Previous Actions*
125(0.5%)
Lease Modification Area
1718
1436
0
282
Reasonably Foreseeable Actions
(surface acres affected)
75
<75
*Previous mining -related loss of habitat is beneath the scale of R2VEG and does not show up
in the current GIS information.
Lynx breed in March and April in the north, and kittens are born in May and June in the Yukon
(Ruediger et al. 2000). Den surveys in May and June 2005 in Colorado found kittens in the dens
at that time (CDOW 2005a.) All of the 2005 dens were scattered throughout the high elevation
Sunset Lease Modification Biological Assessment 10