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• as often associated with man-made features (culverts, cabin founda- <br />b ons) as with natural rock dens. <br />One coyote (Canis latrans) and one red fox (Vu1DeS vul es) were <br />seen at Yoast. Canid scat was regularly found along trails and roads <br />in all habitats. The majority of sign appeared (by size) to be that <br />of coyote rather than fox. One black bear (Ursus amerlcanus) was <br />encountered during raptor nest searches. The individual was flushed <br />from mountain brush habitat on a high ridge southwest of the proposed <br />permit area in NE/4 SW/4, Section 30. One other large carnivore known <br />to occur in the area, though not observed during this study, is the <br />cougar (Fells concolor). An individual was sighted on the permit area <br />in 1992 during the vegetation baseline study (D. Buckner, person. <br />comm.). <br />• Red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) were observed twice; once <br />in wooded bottomland, and once in aspen. This species is most common- <br />1y associated with coniferous habitats, so would not be expected to be <br />common in the Yoast area. <br />The only other mammals directly observed at Yoast were bats. One <br />evening in July, small bats were observed foraging over open bottom- <br />land meadows. Bats in flight cannot be readily identified, and no <br />capture effort was undertaken to determine the species present. <br />Mammals identified by sign alone included the badger (Taxidea <br />taxus), beaver (Castor canadensis), and skunk. Fresh badger burrows <br />and diggings were infrequently observed at lower elevations on and <br />near Yoast. Beaver dams and lodges were noted on Grassy Creek, which <br />runs along the southeast edge of the permit area. On occasion, the <br />unmistakable odor of skunks was detected around old buildings on the <br />47 <br />