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• <br /> 1.0 Introduction • <br /> This report presents an evaluation of existing wildlife use and wildlife habitat conditions <br /> on the North Hang's Ranch parcel (the "Property") located approximately Y2 mile <br /> southwest of Silt,Colorado along the Colorado River. The 72.8-acre parcel is located in <br /> Section 9,Township 6 South, Range 92 West, in unincorporated Garfield County(Figure <br /> 1). The following analysis addresses significant wildlife uses currently occurring on the <br /> Property, and evaluates the condition and functional values of the various habitat types <br /> found on the site. The report further addresses potential short-and long-term effects of <br /> the proposed action on the identified wildlife resources, including specific evaluations for <br /> species of concern. <br /> 2.0 Proposed Action <br /> II <br /> The project sponsor has proposed a surface extraction operation to mine sand and gravel <br /> resources on the Property. Operations would be conducted in phases,with portions of the <br /> Property being extracted sequentially. The actual timeline will vary depending on market <br /> demand for the gravel resources,but it is currently anticipated that all mining would be <br /> completed within a 10-year period, with operations commencing no sooner than 2026. <br /> It is anticipated that a number of mitigation measures would be implemented to create a <br /> variety of wildlife habitats upon completion of mining, and a detailed mitigation plan will <br /> be prepared as part of the permit approval process. <br /> 3.0 Methods <br /> The wildlife assessment presented herein was based on the following: <br /> a) A review of the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP)database for <br /> Garfield County. <br /> b) A review of the NatureServe Explorer database for Garfield County <br /> c) A review of current Colorado Parks and Wildlife(CPW)Natural Diversity <br /> Information Source (NDIS) species distribution maps. <br /> d) A review of Natural Resource Conservation Service(NRCS) soils data. <br /> e) Field surveys of the Property. <br /> 0 The author's extensive field experience with a variety of wildlife and habitat- <br /> related matters in this region. <br /> 3 <br />