Laserfiche WebLink
2.04.11 Fish and Wildlife Resources Information <br />• During the fall of 1981, the Colorado Division of Wildlife was contacted <br />and requested for an update on wildlife impacts associated with the Bear <br />Mine. A copy of the letter from the Colorado Division of Wildlife <br />concerning she impacts associated with the Bear Coal Mine are found as <br />Exhibit 10, November 19, 1980 Letter from Mr. Rick Sherman of the <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife. <br />Information on fish and wildlife in the permit and adjacent areas was <br />obtained primarily from existing sources, such as the final report on <br />Ecological Studies (1977), and the Big Game Aerial Survey (1978) for the <br />ARCO Mt. Gunnison Coal Project, available through the BLM District <br />Office in Montrose, Colorado. Data provided by the Colorado Division of <br />Wildlife, published references to Colorado Wildlife (Bailey and <br />Niedrach, 1975), Birds of Colorado, Denver: Museum of Natural History; <br />Lechleitner (1969), Wild Mammals of Colorado, Pruett Publishing Company, <br />• Armstrong (1972), Distribution of Mammals in Colorado; and the West <br />Central Colorado Environmental Impact Statement, were used in preparing <br />this permit application. <br />The fish and wildlife of the region encompassing the permit area and <br />adjacent areas form a varied complex of various mammals, birds, fish, <br />amphibians, reptiles, and insects. A number of environmental factors <br />such as soils, vegetation, climate, influence of distribution, <br />composition, and population of fauna within the region influence fish <br />and wildlife populations. While several smaller species of animals are <br />closely tied with two particular habitats, larger ones range over the <br />region and may be found in different habitats depending on climatic <br />conditions and the season of the year. <br />Only three of the ten species classified as big game by the Colorado <br />Division of Wildlife are located within the region in substantial <br />numbers. These three species are mule deer, elk, and black bear. <br />• Cougar, or mountain lion, have been observed in the area in the past, <br />but their numbers are limited due to the extended territorial nature of <br />2.04-44 <br />