2023-01-10_PERMIT FILE - M2023001 (22)

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ERC Fairmeadows 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 representative, J&T Consulting, Inc. The approximately 86.0-acre property referred to herein as the Fairmeadows Site (survey area) is located in Greeley, Weld County, Colorado. 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 approximately 0.13 miles east of the intersection of East 8th Street and Weld County Road 43 in Greeley, Weld County, Colorado in the Outlet Cache la Poudre River watershed (HUC 101900071008). More specifically, the survey area is located in Section 3, Township 5 North, Range 65 West, in Weld County (latitude 40.426512° north, longitude-104.652948°west). From the intersection of Interstate 25 and US-34,the survey area can be accessed by heading east on US-34 E for approximately 16.0 miles until reaching US-85 N. Turn on to US-85 N and continue for 2.3 miles until reaching East 8th Street. Take East 8th Street east for 1.2 mile until reaching the survey area to the northeast.The survey area is predominately upland agricultural land and home sites. Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 for a location map and a US Geological Survey(USGS)topographic map of the survey area. The survey area is situated within the Great Plains ecoregion (Bailey 1976)at an approximate elevation of 4,630 feet above mean sea level (AMSQ. The survey area is comprised mainly of an agricultural field, previously disturbed ruderal herbaceous uplands, and home sites in the northern portion of the survey area. The vicinity of the survey area is comprised of agricultural land to the north, west, and east, and industrial development to the south.A dirt road follows the western, northern,and eastern boundary of the agricultural field and leads to the home sites in the northern portion of the survey area.A small patch of reed canarygrass(Phalaris arundinacea), occurs in a depression in the northwest corner of the survey area.The landscape within the survey area is predominantly characterized as the Ruderal Smooth Brome Grassland and Cropland Fallow Field ecological systems(NatureServe 2022). Ruderal Crested Wheatgrass Grassland The Ruderal Crested Wheatgrass Grassland occurs in a wide variety of human-disturbed habitats, including highway rights-of-way,jeep trails,etc.The type is also widely planted for revegetating disturbed land, pasture and hay fields, and has escaped into a variety of habitats, including prairie, riparian grasslands, and mesic mountain meadows (NatureServe 2022). This vegetation community across the survey area is dominated by non-native ruderal herbaceous species such as cheatgrass(Bromus tectorum), crested wheatgrass(Agropyron cristaum),and slender wheatgrass(Elymus trachycaulus),intermixed with a variety of other ruderal herbaceous species. Vegetative cover across this community generally comprises 25-65%of the ground cover. Cropland Fallow Field The Cropland Fallow Field community is broadly characterized as agricultural and developed vegetation. Agricultural vegetation includes a wide variety of growth forms,often with distinctive cultural forms(e.g., 1