Laserfiche WebLink
usually remained within a 0.8 km radius of the nest <br />site... <br />Sheep occasionally use the fringe of the .aspen <br />stands where cranes are frequently observed. One <br />rancher in the Hahn's Peak Basin area observed <br />"cranes will not remain in Beaver Creek Park when <br />the sheep are being grazed". The noise and the <br />number of sheep sometimes present in California <br />Park were observed to disturb some of the cranes <br />enough to cause them to move to the next drainage. <br />In 1976 one pair of cranes were never located again <br />after they moved from an area into which sheep had. <br />been moved. In another instance, a group of 11 to <br />15 cranes which stayed almost exclusively on the <br />open sagebrush ridges in California Park, abandoned <br />this site for a short period of time and moved to a <br />site 0.8 km away when a band of 1,000 sheep moved <br />into the area. The birds returned to the site <br />after the sheep were removed. <br />Cattle appear to have. less effect on crane <br />behavior, and the two species were found feeding <br />quietly together. A pair with one chick fed i.n a <br />meadow for 4 weeks with cattle grazing the same <br />area. The two species often fed within 7 m of each <br />other. Cattle grazing the California Park area <br />after the hatching of the ch"icks have little <br />adverse effect on the cranes..." (pp 198-201). <br />Of the five factors listed by Bieniasz (1979) that threaten <br />the crane population in Routt County, three are applicable <br />to Twentymile Park: (1) haul roads; (2) grazing; and (3) <br />coal development. A sixth factor, grain farming which <br />increases forage for. the. cranes, also increases damage <br />claims du,e to cranes. This could result in pressure to <br />remove cranes from certain areas. <br />STUDY AREA <br />The study area covered about 23 square miles (T6N, R86W, <br />sections 32-34; TSN, R86W, sections 2-11 and 14-23). <br />Elevation ranged from 6642 ft. near fish Creek to 7000 ft. <br />5 <br />