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roads will be placed, it is reasonable to assume that the proportion of loss of habitat associated <br />with this activity is equal to the proportion of such habitat within the lease modification area <br />(83.5%), or a total disturbance of 63 acres. However, it is possible that the entirety of the surface <br />disturbance will occur within suitable habitat, for a total direct loss of 75 acres of habitat. <br />The roads and well pads will result in complete loss of habitat within the footprint of same (pads <br />of approximately 1 acre in size and road widths averaging 30') for the life of the project. After <br />the mining is complete, these areas will be re-contoured and revegetated with grasses and forbs <br />for erosion control in the short term, and are expected to revegetate to types consistent with their <br />pre -disturbance condition in the long term. This project will therefore not remove habitat <br />permanently from the landscape, but will remove it in the short- and mid-term, certainly within <br />lifetimes of both lynx and their primary prey. <br />Lease stipulations will mitigate impacts due to creation of roads and pads within the area, winter <br />access, and vegetative changes. The stipulations are shown in section III of this analysis and their <br />application to specific Forest Plan objectives and guidelines for human uses project such as the <br />proposed action are indicated in Appendix 1. <br />Cumulative (NEPA) Effects <br />A new habitat model is being proposed for the GMUG. Under that model, this project would <br />alter 75 acres of the 22,614 (assumes no currently unsuitable) acres of lynx habitat within the <br />LAU (0.3%). Added to the 125 acres (0.5%) of habitat impacted under previous and ongoing <br />actions, this would result in 0.8% of the suitable habitat in the LAU being rendered unsuitable. <br />Although future subsidence in not expected to affect surface vegetation, a worst case analysis <br />would assume that all acres of habitat within the lease mod would be impacted by subsidence. In <br />this event, a total of 1436 acres of suitable habitat (proposed habitat model) (6.4%) within the <br />LAU will be lost in the short term but would be expected to regenerate. <br />At this time, no acres of the lynx habitat within this LAU are typed as currently unsuitable. <br />However, previous and ongoing minerals activities within this LAU have been determined to <br />render unsuitable 125 acres of habitat within the LAU (0.5%) (USFWS 2007). These changes <br />(road prisms and MDW pads) are beneath the resolution of the R2VEG layer and do not show up <br />on it. <br />Sunset Lease Modification Biological Assessment 13 <br />