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eh <br />ESPEY, HUSTON & ASSOCIATES, INC. <br />• <br />3.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION <br />3.1 OVERVIEW <br />The NCC mine plan azea covers a small portion of the extensive wildlife <br />habitat found on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. According to the most <br />recent publication on wildlife distribution in this section of Colorado, 67 mammal <br />species (Bissell, 1978), 217 bird species (Kingery and Graul, 1978) and 19 reptile and <br />amphibian species (Langlois, 1978) could possibly occur on the mine plan and <br />adjacent azeas. Four threatened or endangered mammal species and four threatened <br />or endangered bird species (Torres et al., 1978) aze also possible residents of the <br />azea but none were observed during this study. The following pazagraphs identify <br />resident species and define their abundance and distribution on the mine plan azea <br />during 1979-1980. <br />• <br />3.2 WII,DLIFE HABITATS <br />The mine plan azea is surrounded by a variety of wildlife habitats ranging <br />from coniferous forest to the east (the White River and Routt National Forests), <br />sagebrush flats to the north (Axial Basin), a pinon-juniper forest to the west (the <br />Danforth and Gray hills) and ripazian and agricultural lands to the south (the White <br />River Drainage Basin). The mine site itself includes five habitat types. Ripazian- <br />sage habitat occurs along Curtis Creek Canyon where Northern No. 2 (P-Seam) Mine <br />and Northern No. 3 (J-Seam) Mine portals will be located. A mountain meadow and <br />pond habitat covers a small basin to the north of the canyon; also small fingers of <br />meadow occur by the Northern No. 1 (FF-Seam) Mine portal and connect to two <br />small meadows north and northeast of the portal. Mountain shrub, a mixture of oak <br />and serviceberry, covers the steep slopes above the canyon and is the predominant <br />upland habitat in the azea. Pockets of aspen aze found on the north-facing slopes <br />south of the Northern No. 1 (FF-Seam) Mine portal and west of the Rienau No. 2 <br />r 1 <br />L <br />L-13 <br />