2024-01-31_REVISION - M1977344 (26)

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Tech Memo Subject 1 DRAFT for review purposes only. Use of contents on this sheet is subject to the limitations specified at the beginning of thi s document. Red Creek Quarry_WildlifeReport 20230907 Introduction This Technical Memorandum (TM) describes the wildlife observed within the Red Creek Quarry (RCQ) Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary, located within Pueblo and Fremont Counties Colorado, from August 8- 10, 2023. This survey is in support of the Colorado State Division of Reclamation and Mining Safety (DRMS) permit. Section 1: Project Description Mining operations at the RCQ property are planned to include quarry operations starting in the northwest corner of the six-section site, a crushing plant at the northwest corner, and a conveyance belt to transport the material via the 7-mile corridor to the Portland Plant. The RCQ mining operations will provide material to the cement plant located at 3500 State Hwy 120, east of Florence, Colorado. Activities at the RCQ include surface mining, preliminary material sizing, material conveyance from the quarry to the cement plant and reclamation. The purpose of this TM is to provide information on the wildlife present within the RCQ project as part of the amendment to the Bear Creek Quarry (BCQ) permit amendment application Exhibit H. Hwy 96 access road parcel will be used within the existing improved road width of 40 ft. This road is currently used by the prop- erty owner and therefore the presence of the gravel road greatly diminishes potential wildlife habitat. Section 2: Project Location The Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary is located within Pueblo and Fremont counties, Colorado. There are three parcels within the Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary including the six-section Red Creek Quarry area, material transport and access corridor (MTAC), and Hwy 96 access road (Figure 1). 2.1 Ecosystem Setting The Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary is located within the Great Plains Ecoregion of North America and is within the Piedmont Plains and Tablelands of the Southwestern Tablelands (Chapman et. al, 2006). The Southwestern Tablelands flank the High Plains with red hued canyons, mesas, badlands, and dissected river breaks. Unlike most adjacent Great Plains ecological regions, little of the Southwestern Tablelands is in cropland. Much of this region is in sub-humid grassland and semiarid range land. The Piedmont Plains and Tablelands is a vast area of irregular and dissected plains underlain by shale and sandstone. Precipitation varies from 10 to 16 inches, with the lowest amounts found along the Arkansas River between Pueblo and Las Animas. Land use is mostly rangeland. Irrigated agriculture occurs along the Arkansas River, and dryland farming is found primarily in the north half of the region. The Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary is near the western limit of the Piedmont Plains and Table- lands, west of the Pueblo Reservoir and generally south of the Arkansas River. The distance between the Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary and the Arkansas River ranges between 0.5 and 4 miles. The Mining Permit and Affected Area Boundary is within the shortgrass prairie ecosystem. Large-scale eco- logical processes such as climate, fire, and grazing by large animals exert strong influences in this ecosys- tem. Consequently, the short grasses that dominate this ecosystem have evolved to be extremely tolerant of drought and grazing. Typical vegetation found within this region include buffalograss, blue grama, western wheatgrass, galleta, alkali sacaton, sand dropseed, sideoats grama, and yucca.