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Natural Resources Assessment <br />P125 Gravel Mine - Southwest of State Highway 66 and County Road 17 <br />Weld County, Colorado <br /> <br />ERO Project #24-180 20 <br />ERO Resources Corporation <br />the planning phase of project proposals to assess and develop site-specific recommendations based on <br />preexisting conditions. <br />Other Wildlife <br />The project area provides habitat for a variety of small mammals such as cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus <br />sp.), deer mice (Peromyscus sp.), voles (Microtus sp.), and pocket gophers (Geomyidea sp.). Additionally, <br />the on-site wetlands and the nearby riparian corridors of St. Vrain Creek and the unnamed tributary to <br />St. Vrain Creek provide foraging, sheltering, and dispersal habitat components for numerous species. <br />Carnivores such as coyote (Canis latrans), raccoon (Procyon lotor), red fox, grey fox (Urocyon <br />cinereoargenteus), and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) are also likely to occur in the project area. <br />These species are typically observed in open grasslands and close to riparian corridors. None of these <br />species were observed during the 2024 site visit. <br />As with any human development, wildlife species sensitive to human disturbance are likely to decline in <br />abundance or abandon the area, while other wildlife species adapted to development are likely to <br />increase in abundance. Species likely to increase include red fox, raccoon, and great horned owl. Overall, <br />surrounding and continuing development contributes to a decline in the number and diversity of wildlife <br />species nearby and to a change in species composition to favor species that adapt better to human <br />disturbance. <br />References <br />Ackerfield, Jennifer. 2015. Flora of Colorado. First Edition. Fort Worth, Texas: Botanical Research <br />Institute of Texas. <br />Andrews, R., and R. Righter. 1992. Colorado Birds: A Reference to Their Distribution and Habitat. Denver, <br />Colorado: Denver Museum of Nature & Science Press. <br />Beane, R.D., and Kristin Salamack. 2021. “Personal Communication between Ron Beane (ERO) and <br />Kristin Salamack (Colorado Department of Transportation / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <br />Liaison).” <br />Brinson, Mark M. 1993. “A Hydrogeomorphic Classification of Wetlands.” Wetlands Research Program <br />Technical Report WRP-DE-4. Vicksburg, Mississippi: Army Engineers Waterways Experiment <br />Station. <br />Buehler, D. A. 2000. “Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus), Version 2.0.” In The Birds of North America. <br />Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.506. <br />Colorado Bird Atlas Partnership. 2016. The Second Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas. Denver, CO. <br />https://cobreedingbirdatlasii.org/. <br />Colorado Department of Transportation. 2011. “Section 240, Protection of Migratory Birds.” <br />https://www.codot.gov/programs/environmental/wildlife/guidelines/BirdspecCDOTbio.pdf/vie <br />w. <br />Colorado Natural Heritage Program. 2024. “Colorado’s Conservation Data Explorer (CODEX).” <br />https://codex.cnhp.colostate.edu/.