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MOUNTAIN COAL COMPANY DRILL SITE SST-1 EXPLORATION LICENSE WILDLIFE HABITAT EVALUATIONS AND INVENTORY FOR T&E, SENSITIVE AND MANAGEMENT INDICATOR SPECIES INTRODUCTION This is a continuation of work associated with exploration drilling programs that have been going on for several years. Information included in this report was gathered during surveys conducted from mid-May through early June 2004. Even though the SST-1 drill site and access road is on property owned by Mountain Coal Company, it was close enough to National Forest System (NFS) Lands to potentially have an effect. Therefore, the surrounding NFS lands were surveyed along with the private property. Information requirements and methodologies were established during consultations with USFS biologists during previous studies. These same methodologies have been used in subsequent years for other drilling programs, and include, assessment of habitat conditions and wildlife presence at each proposed drill site and along each road corridor. Wildlife surveys were conducted for a radius of 400 feet around each site and 400 feet either side of proposed road corridors. Emphasis was placed on T&E, Sensitive and Management Indicator Species (NIIS). In addition to these surveys, suitable raptor nesting habitat within a 1/4 mile radius of each drill site or road corridor was checked for both active and inactive nests. However, in those cases where ridgelines or stands of trees created visual barriers, raptor surveys were only conducted in suitable habitat found on the drill site/access road side of the ridge or stand of trees. There are also instances where other features created suitable visual barriers that affected distances from drill sites or roads that were surveyed. The site and access road was surveyed for: (1) habitat type and condition, (2) raptor nesting activity, (3) presence of T&E, sensitive and management indicator species, (4) other bird species of interest and (5) activities of other • wildlife.