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r~ <br />Revised 04/20/90 <br />Section 780.16 Continued. <br />"have not adjusted, artd doubtlessly will not adjust, their life <br />processes to fit a pattern of land use which eliminates or seriously <br />disturbs large tracts of sage brush-grass type in any of their <br />seasonal ranges" and that "the fate of sage grouse,... will be <br />dependent upon the degree of maintenance and preservation afforded <br />the vast tracks of sage lands in the west". (Carr, 1967:1 and 2, <br />26). However, in 1972 Klebenow presented convincing data to support <br />the proposition that sage grouse populations do not correlate to the <br />available sagebrush. Similarly, Beck in his sage grouse research <br />in North Park concluded that although 32% of the sagebrush lands in <br />North Park had been altered from 1957 to 1975, "there was no evidence <br />that the gross quantity of sagebrush available for sage grouse was <br />limiting". (Beck, 1975:45) In addition, Beck concluded that sage <br />• grouse wintering habitats are "determined by snow accumulation rather <br />than affinity for specific areas." (Beck, 1975:35) <br />Because of the inconclusive nature of present sage grouse research, <br />it is difficult to state with confidence what the anticipated impacts <br />of the proposed mining operation will be. On the one hand, as <br />discussed in Section 779.20, the dramatic increase in sage grouse <br />populations in the Kerr Mine Area vicinity since 1975, when mining <br />activities began to increase, suggests that coal mining activities <br />may have a positive impact on sage grouse populations in the area. <br />On the other hand, the proposed expansion of mining into the Kerr <br />North Area could have a negative impact on sage grouse breeding and <br />wintering activities in the area. <br /> <br />780-43 <br />