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• CML1tB -Exhibit H Wildlife Information Page 8 big game-vehicle collisions are infrequent. The movement corridor south of the proposed mine is sufficiently wide through unrestricted habitats to allow for continued movements. Disturbances to deer in this corridor will occur primarily from nonmine-related activities and are not expected to force deer south onto Highway 66. After mining and reclamation, Dowe Flats would support much more valuable seasonal big game habitats than what aze now present. Diverse landforms will support a variety of native vegetation types (e.g., grasslands, shrublands, herbaceous and shrubby wetlands, thickets and groves of trees) seasonally important to big game and other wildlife groups (see reclamation plan}. Buffering landforms, cover, forage, and additional water sources will not only facilitate and enhance movements and winter range values, but also provide suitable fawning, transitional, and summer habitats. It is likely that the post-mining community would support a resident deer herd. It is recommended that some form of hunting be permitted within the permit azea to facilitate deer and habitat management. • Other Wildlife Gros Other wildlife groups, including small mammals, nongame birds, waterfowl and shorebirds, terrestrial predators, raptors, and fish, will experience minor impacts during mining, but will significantly benefit from the highly productive habitats that are created following mining. Although mitigation and enhancement measures will focus on the needs of raptors and big game, post-mining conditions and opportunities will be exploited by other wildlife groups, greatly improving present levels of wildlife diversity and abundance. In addition to previously mentioned mitigation measures, landforms (e.g., convoluted ridges, incised valleys, creeks, ponds, cliffs, islands, and gently rolling topography) will be created that support a diversity of vegetation types and a correspondingly rich wildlife community. Components within these landforms will include grasslands, shrublands, herbaceous and shrubby wetlands, thickets and groves of trees, nesting cliffs/drop-offs for fisheries, spawning beds, artificial reefs, meandering creeks, waterfowl nesting/roosting islands, and diving and dabbling duck foraging areas. The goal of reclamation within the former mine pits is to create an ecological community and setting similar to that of White Rocks along Boulder Creek, • considered to support one of the most diverse and unique wildlife habitats in Boulder County.