2020-12-08_REVISION - M2008078 (23)

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C West Farm Pit Expansion Project Site Threatened-Endangered Species and General Wildlife Screening Any water related project conducted in the Arkansas River Basin that has a federal nexus; such as federal funding or a federal permit (i.e., Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 Permit), is subject to ESA Section 7 Consultation with the USFWS. The consultation is a mandate for water depletion projects that may affect threatened and endangered species that rely on the Arkansas River. • The survey area does not contain the specific habitat characteristics necessary to support the species listed above.These species and/or critical habitat is not present within the survey area.The project is assumed to be a industrial development supplied by existing municipal water supply and would have no effect on these listed species, their habitats, or proposed or designated critical habitat. Species Potentially within Range The following federally listed threatened and endangered species are identified to occur or historically occur within Prowers County(USFWS 2020). The survey area is located within the potential known range for these species to occur. Further analysis was conducted to determine if the species or habitat has the potential to exist within the survey area considering site-specific conditions and characteristics. A brief explanation is provided as to the species life cycle, habitat requirements and potential occurrence within the survey area.The survey area is not within designated critical habitat of any federally listed species. Common Name Scientific Name Status* Determination Black-footed ferret Mustela nigripes FE NOT LIKELY TO EFFECT Least tern Sterna antillarum FE NOT LIKELY TO EFFECT Piping plover Charadrius melodus FT NOT LIKELY TO EFFECT *Status key: FT—Federally listed as threatened FE—Federally listed as endangered BLACK-FOOTED FERRET(MUSTELA NIGRIPES) On March 11, 1967 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule to list the Black-footed ferret as a federally endangered species and grandfathered into the ESA in 1973. Black-footed ferret habitat was historically throughout the Great Plains, mountain basins, and semi-arid grasslands of North America wherever prairie dog colonies occurred. To date, around 350 black-footed ferrets are found in the wild within the Great Plains,Canada,and Mexico.The black-footed ferret(BFF)(Mustela nigripes)is a medium- sized mustelid (a member of the weasel family).The BFF is the only ferret species native to the Americas. Its historical range spanned much of western North America's intermountain and prairie grasslands, extending from Canada to Mexico. Historically, BFF habitat coincided with habitats of black-tailed prairie dog (C. ludovicionus), Gunnison's prairie dog (C. gunnisoni), and white-tailed prairie dog (C. leucurus). Prairie dogs make up more than 90%of the BFF's diet. BFF's are limited to open habitat,the same habitat used by prairie dogs:grasslands,steppe,and shrub steppe. It depends largely on prairie dogs:ferrets prey on prairie dogs and utilize their burrows for shelter and denning (Hillman and Clark, 1980). It has been estimated that about 40-60 hectares of prairie dog colony are needed to support one ferret (Belant and Biggins 2008). BFF's once numbered in the tens of thousands, but due to a combination of human-induced threats they were believed to be extinct twice in the 20th century. As of 2015, BFFs have been reintroduced in the wild at 24 sites across 8 states, Canada, and Mexico. Black-footed ferrets depend exclusively on prairie dog burrows for shelter. They have been reintroduced in the wild across 8 states. The mating season for black-footed ferret is March to April and litter size is typically 3-5 kits. In Colorado, reintroductions of the black-footed ferret began in the northwest part of 9