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Environmental Assessment -Mexican Spotted Owl Critical Habitat Designation January, 2001 ESA that aid in protecting the habitat of listed species until populations have recovered and threats have been minimized so [hat the species can be removed from [he list of threatened and endangered species. Critical habitat designation is intended to assist in achieving long-term protection and recovery of Mexican spotted owls and the ecosystems upon which they depend, by subjecting areas designated as critical habitat to section 7(a)(2) of the Act, thereby requiring consultation for Federal actions that may affect these areas in order to avoid destruction or adverse modification of this habitat. Further explanation of critical habitat and its implementation is provided below. 1.2 Background The Mexican spotted owl Strix occidentalis lucida) is one of three subspecies of spotted owl occurring in the United States; the other two are the northern spotted owl L. o. caurina and the California spotted owl (5. o. occidentalisl. The Mexican spotted owl is distinguished from the California and northern subspecies chiefly by geographic distribution and plumage. The Mexican spotted owl is mottled in appearance with irregular white and brown spots on its abdomen, back, and head. The spots of the Mexican spotted owl are larger and more numerous than in the other two subspecies, giving it a lighter appearance. The Mexican spotted owl has the largest geographic range of the three subspecies. The range extends north from Aguascalientes, Mexico, through the mountains of Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas, to the canyons of Utah and Colorado, and the Front Range of central Colorado. Much remains unknown about the species' distribution in Mexico, where much of the owl's range has not been surveyed. The owl occupies a fragmented distribution throughout its United States range, corresponding to the availability of forested mountains and canyons, and in some cases, rocky Canyonlands. Although there are no estimates of the owl's historical population size, its historical range and present distribution are thought to be similar. According to the Recovery Plan for the Mexican Spotted Owl (United States Department of Interior 1995) (Recovery Plan), 91 percent of owls known to exist in the United States between 1990 and f 993 occurred on land administered by the U.S. Forest Service (FS); therefore, the primary administrator of lands supporting owls in the United Slates is the FS. These numbers are based upon preliminary surveys that were focused on National Forests in the southwest. Nevertheless, most owls have been found within Region 3 of the FS, which includes 1 1 National Forests in New Mexico and Arizona. FS Regions 2 and 4, including two National Forests in Colorado and three in Utah, support fewer owls. The range of the owl is divided into 11 Recovery Units (RU), 5 in Mexico and 6 in the United States, as identified in the Recovery Plan. The Recovery Plan also identifies recovery criteria and provides distribution, abundance, and density estimates by RU. Of the RUs in the United S[a[es, the Upper Gila Mountains RU, located in the central portion of the species' U.S. range in central Arizona and west-central New