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• total of 67 mammalian species could conceivably occur in the study area. The occurrence of 21 <br />species is confirmed for the New Horizon 2 area and the immediate vicinity. This total excludes <br />bats (Order Chiroptera) for which no positive identifications were made. These 21 species <br />represent four orders and ten families of mammals. <br />The results of the spring small mammal trapping survey are presented in Table 2.04.11-3. The <br />undisturbed pinyon-juniper/sagebrush rocky bluff supported the most diverse small mamma( <br />fauna. The agricultural area (Line No. 3) was also relatively diverse. The rangeland habitat had <br />the lowest diversity value and the lowest capture rate. The orchard site with only 16 trap nights <br />had the highest capture rate. A total of five species were found during this trapping period. Two <br />of these, the Colorado chipmunk and white-throated woodrat were found only on the undisturbed <br />pinyon-juniper/sagebrush bluff. The pinyon mouse and house mouse were found only during the <br />spring. <br />The fall small mammal trapping results are presented in Table 2.04.11-4. The agricultural area <br />(Line No. 8) had the greatest diversity and capture rate. The rangeland, as in the spring, again <br />had the lowest diversity and capture rate. The western harvest mouse, deer mouse, and long- <br />tailed vole were found during both survey periods. <br />• Mule deer was the only large mammal species observed in the study area. The number of deer <br />observed per day in the study area and immediate vicinity varied from zero to 15 with a mean <br />daily observation rate of 5.63 (st. dev. = 9.95; n [observation days] = 22). Most observations <br />made in the daylight hours were in the willow component of the swales, in old orchards, and in <br />rangeland habitats. In the early evenings and mornings, deer were occasionally observed <br />foraging in irrigated pastures and meadows. Observational records indicate that deer are <br />present in the study area all year. Deer move into the San Miguel Valley in winter from <br />neighboring plateaus (R. Arant pers. comm.), but winter observations indicate no notable <br />concentrations in the study area at that time. <br />Elk winter in the San Miguel River Valley, having descended from adjacent plateaus and <br />mountains. Elk are occasionally seen in the Nucla area (R. Arant pers. comm.). No elk or elk <br />sign was observed in the New Horizon 2 study area during the course of conducting baseline <br />studies. <br />The muskrat, raccoon, striped skunk, and coyote are the furbearing mammals that were <br />confirmed in the New Horizon 2 study area. The red fox and the long-tailed weasel were <br />. reported at the New Horizon 1 Mine in 1980 (Peabody Tab 11, Wildlife Baseline Report - Nucla <br />(REVISED 6/27/01) 2.04.11-13 <br />