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Biological Resource Review <br /> Black Mountain Sands, LLC <br /> 1.0 INTRODUCTION ' <br /> Black Mountain Sand, LLC (BMS), has retained TRC Environmental Corporation (TRC) to complete a <br /> desktop Biological Resource Review for BMS's proposed sand mine (Project), in Weld County, near the <br /> towns of Roggins and Wiggins, CO. The Project Study Area encompasses, 3,069 acres and is shown in the <br /> attached Figure 1. TRC conducted a desktop-level biological resource review to determine biological <br /> resources potentially affected in the Study Area, where adequate information exists, potential effects of <br /> the Project on these resources, and any additional information needed to determine potential effects to <br /> these resources. <br /> 2.0 VEGETATION RESOURCES <br /> Based on 2011 National Land Cover Data,the grassland/herbaceous vegetation cover type encompasses <br /> 2,972 acres of the Study Area, with the remainder consisting of 8 acres of Shrub/Scrub and 89 acres of <br /> developed area (Figure 1). Based on review of aerial photography,the study area is heavily grazed, and is <br /> likely to be dominated by introduced, non-native perennial grasses and forbs such as crested wheatgrass <br /> (Agropyron cristatum), smooth brome (Bromus inermis), Kentucky bluegrass (Poo pratensis), knapweed <br /> (Centaurea sp.), Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula), pepperweed (Lepidium <br /> sp.), and sweetclover (Meliliotus sp.). Native species such as big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), purple <br /> three-awn(Aristida purpurea), blue grama(Bouteloua gracilis),western wheatgrass(Pascopyrum smithii), <br /> little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus), and needle-and- <br /> thread (Hesperostipa comata) may also occur in the grassland/herbaceous community, and snakeweed <br /> (Gutierrezia sarothroe)yucca (Yucca elata), rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseoso), and big sagebrush <br /> (Artemesia tridentata) may occur in the Shrub/Scrub vegetation community. <br /> 3.0 SPECIAL STATUS SPECIES <br /> 3.1 FEDERALLY LISTED SPECIES <br /> The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) Report <br /> (Appendix B) identified nine federally listed species which could be potentially affected as a result of <br /> Project implementation (USFWS 2018).Table 1 summarizes each federally listed species, its listing status, <br /> and its potential to occur within the Study Area. Although critical habitat has been designated for several <br /> of the federally listed species discussed in Table 1,the Study Area is outside of all designated and proposed <br /> critical habitats. <br /> L TRC Page 12 <br />