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Although sightings were not very numerous, the Yoast area is <br />believed to support a fair number of blue grouse, at least in spring • <br />and summer. The modest number of sightings was likely due to the <br />generally solitary habits of the birds and the impenetrable density of <br />much of the habitat. No blue grouse or blue grouse sign was observed <br />in winter or early spring. Birds probably move off of Yoast to higher <br />elevations in winter, to habitats with coniferous trees, which are an <br />important winter food source (JOhnsgard 1973). <br />Sase Grouse <br />Sage grouse general range, production, and brood areas mapped by <br />WRIS (CROW 1993) overlap somewhat less than 150 acres of the proposed <br />Yoast Mine permit area in Section 8. Sage grouse general range and <br />production areas overlap approximately 80 acres of the wildlife study <br />area in Section 16. The entire three-mile-long haul road corridor is • <br />within sage grouse general range. Approximately 2.5 miles of the <br />length passes through mapped production area, and 1.75 miles is within <br />mapped brood area. <br />The nearest known active lek is in NE/4 NE/4, Section 6, approxi- <br />mately one mile north of the permit area and over 0.5 mile west of the <br />haul road corridor (SG-1, Exhibit 11-1). In recent years, activity <br />checks at this lek have shown attendance of approximately one to two <br />dozen birds, with a high count of 26 in 1989 (J. Haskins, person. <br />comm.). <br />No sage grouse or sage grouse sign was observed during the base- <br />line study, but the area's population is currently at a low point. <br />Sage grouse production in the region was poor in 199t and 1992 (Braun • <br />24 <br />