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<br />Memorandum <br />To: Bill Clark <br />From: Chuck Woodward ~ yf/ <br />Date: 10 -10-94 <br />Subject: Cyprus Empire Coal Request <br />The area where this exploratory drilling and seismic operation is <br />proposed is inhabited by deer, elk, and antelope on a year around <br />basis. This activity should not significantly impact these <br />species during the summer and fall although there is a lot of <br />deer and elk that migrate through this area in the fall. However, <br />quite a few deer and several hundred elk depend on this area for <br />winter forage. The large Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) <br />fields in this area are especially important to the elk. <br />The amount of impact will depend on the severity of the winter <br />and the amount of disturbance. If a small portion of the project <br />area is worked at a time there should be minimal impact, but if <br />the operation covers a large amount of the area the impact could <br />be considerable. It could not only displace deer and elk into <br />less desirable habitat but could also increase the amount of game <br />damage for which the DOW may be liable. <br />The Yampa River corridor is used by many raptors for nesting <br />activity. The most significant of which is an active bald eagle <br />nest. The River corridor is also used by a number of wintering <br />bald eagles. It is recommended that the exploration activity <br />allow a 1/4 mile buffer zone along the Yampa River and all raptor <br />nests during the winter and spring months. <br />A significant number of ducks and geese also nest and raise young <br />on this section of the river. A few Sandhill Cranes, a state <br />listed threatened species, stage and nest in the Yampa River <br />corridor. The 1/4 mile buffer should give them adequate <br />protection during the nesting season. <br />cc: Dan Prenzlow <br />