2020-12-08_REVISION - M2008078 (23)

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ERC West Farm Pit Expansion Project Site Threatened-Endangered Species and General Wildlife Screening 1.0 INTRODUCTION Ecological Resource Consultants, Inc. (ERC) has prepared this report at the request of the property engineer,J&T Consulting, Inc.The approximately 957-acre property referred to herein as the West Farm Pit Expansion Project site (survey area) is located east of the municipality of Lamar, Prowers County, Colorado. The survey area consists of three separate units (Areas 1 through 3).The survey area is under consideration for potential future land use changes which will likely alter a majority of the current survey area landscape;therefore,this report has been prepared to specifically identify potential federal and state listed threatened and endangered species and/or habitat that could exist on or immediately surrounding the survey area. In addition,this report provides a cursory screening of general wildlife use characteristics and existing vegetation community types. This report has been prepared in accordance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Colorado Statute Title 33. 2.0 GENERAL SURVEY AREA DESCRIPTION The survey area is located in the Outlet Willow Creek watershed (WBD 110200091405) north of County Road (CR) HH 8/10 for area 1, north of County Road HH5 and 11 for area 2,and north of County Road HH5 and 12 for area 3 in Prowers County. More specifically,the survey area for Area 1 is located in the following four sections: Section 28, 29, 32 and 33, Township 22 South, Range 46 West; Area 2 is located in the following six sections: Section 26, 27, 28, 33, 34, and 35, Township 22 South, Range 46 West; Area 3 is located in the following three sections: Section 26, 35, and 36,Township 22 South, Range 46 West. To access the survey area from downtown Lamar, take Highway 50 east for 3.35 miles and turn north onto County Road 11.The survey areas can be accessed from CR HH5.The survey area is currently undeveloped and consists of agricultural fields(e.g., center pivot irrigation and irrigated bottomland). The survey area is predominately upland herbaceous agricultural land. Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 for a location map and a U.S. Geological Survey(USGS)topographic map of the survey areas. The entire survey area comprises approximately 957 acres and has an average elevation of 3,600 feet above mean sea level. The survey area consists of upland agricultural lands. South of the survey area includes Highway 50 and private homes and agricultural land. The USGS topographic map shows the Lamar canal directly to the south of Area 1,two man-made wastewater ponds to the north of Area 2, and the Arkansas River to the east of Area 3. The primary land use class/vegetation community within the survey area is Cultivated Cropland (Comer et al. 2003) (refer to Figure 3). However, this community is considered a degraded community and does not contain significant natural vegetation communities. A summary of the habitat type is provided as follows. Cultivated Cropland Cultivated cropland comprises land in row crops or close-grown crops and also other cultivated cropland, for example, hay land or pastureland that is in a rotation with row or close-grown crops.The cultivated cropland community generally comprises approximately 50%ground cover within the survey area mainly consisting of harvested alfalfa (Medicago sativa) intermixed with yellow foxtail (Setaria pumila), smooth brome (Bromus inermis), and ruderal herbaceous species such as kochia (Bassia scoparia), prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola), field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa), Russian thistle (Salsola kali), and curly dock(Rumex crispus). 1