2024-01-31_REVISION - M1977344 (22)

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Portland Limestone Quarries (M-1977-344) Permit Amendment-02 Holcim US Inc, 3500 Highway 120, Florence, CO 81226 Revised pursuant to preliminary adequacy review November 20, 2023 Phone (719) 288-1443 www.holcim.us 100 2.8 Exhibit H: Wildlife Information (Rule 6.4.8) Wildlife information was obtained for the proposed permit area from two wildlife database sources: Colorado’s Conservation Data Explorer (CODEX) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC). CODEX includes a 1-mile buffer area around the subject area. The IPaC requested search area of interest was larger than actual parcels and extends the area of interest to include migration paths, for example, since species move and change location based on seasons. The proposed permit area was surveyed for wildlife habitat, presence and evidence of presence from August 8-10, 2023. The Technical Memo is provided in its entirety in Appendix 4.8. Three IPaC reports were generated for areas that included the Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary on July 20, 2023. The following species listed under the Endangered Species Act were identified as potentially being in the area: • Gray wolf, Canis lupus – Endangered • Eastern Black Rail, Laterallus jamaicensis ssp jamaicensis - Threatened • Greenback Cutthroat Trout, Oncoryhnchus clarkia stomias – Threatened • Monarch Butterfly, Danaus plexippus – Candidate No critical habitats for any listed species occur in the area. Both Bald and Golden eagles are listed as potentially being within the area, but neither are listed federally as a Bird of Conservation Concern. Three CODEX reports were requested for the Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary. One report is for RCQ, where the mining will take place, and the others are for the MTAC. CODEX lists species that have a regulatory status that have been confirmed as documented to occur within one mile of a project area as well as potential species based on models, range maps and unconfirmed records. A CODEX Project Review Report was produced on July 20, 2023 and the following species were identified by CODEX as documented within a mile of the Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary: • Bald Eagle – Special Concern • Southern redbelly dace – State endangered Species with a status of State endangered, threatened or a species of special concern identified as potentially occurring within the Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary by CODEX include: • Black-footed ferret – State endangered • Burrowing owl - State threatened • Mountain plover – Special concern • Black-tailed prairie dog - special concern • Colorado checkered whiptail – special concern None of the species identified as being federally or state listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern were observed within the Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary. The absence of observation does not guarantee a species is not present, however. Therefore, each of those species is discussed below relative to its potential for being present within the Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary. 2.8.1 Gray wolf The USFWS states in the IPaC report that gray wolves would only be present in Colorado as lone, dispersing wolves. Colorado is completely outside of the current range map for gray wolves (USFWS 2023a. The likelihood of gray wolves being present within the Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary is very low.