Laserfiche WebLink
A copy of the results from the survey maybe obtained from the CDOW at (303) 291-7133. The raptor <br />survey determined that there aze currently multiple nesting territories for several raptor species which <br />overlap along the entire length of the study site on Coal Creek. American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, <br />Swainson's Hawk, Northern Harrier, and Great Horned Owls were observed and several active nest <br />sights were documented throughout the riparian corridor surveyed along Coal Creek <br />In addition to the raptor species surveyed, the Division of Wildlife would expect to find a variety of <br />passerine birds, small ground-dwelling mammals, raccoons, red fox, coyotes, great blue herons, <br />pronghorn, and deer in the area. Many species of birds including hawks, eagles, and owls utilize <br />cottonwood trees for nesting purposes as well as for roosting and hunting perches. <br />The cottonwood-willow riparian corridor along Coal Creek provides some of the most species-diverse <br />wildlife habitat found below 6,000 feet of elevation in Colorado. One half of Colorado's birds are <br />permanent or part-time residents of this type of riparian ecosystem. While riparian areas cover only 3 <br />percent of the total landmass in Colorado, they provide habitat to over 90 percent of the state's wildlife <br />at some phase in life. <br />Less than a dozen young (< 5 yeazs) cottonwood trees were observed throughout the entire 7-mile long <br />study site. Brent Bibles commented that the cottonwood-willow gallery along Coal Creek consists of an <br />oid age class of trees that may not have regenerated much since World War II potentially due to heavy <br />grazing by cattle and mining activities. We at DOW have been told that a federal study indicated that <br />there are areas adjacent to current sand mining activity where dead stands of cottonwoods occur from <br />the lowering of the water table resulting from mining operations. <br />Leafy Spurge and other noxious weeds currently infest the azea surveyed along Coal Creek and little to <br />no species of snowberry, willow, and other shrubs occur as under story along the riparian corridor. A <br />healthy understory is vital to wildlife as a source of cover, food, and concealment. <br />Current mining practices have left multiple open pits and large mounds of disturbed soil which are <br />covered with weedy species of noxious weeds in the uplands and adjacent to Coal Creek. <br />The Division of Wildlife recommends that the Schmidt Construction Company grades these mounds of <br />mined soil and fills in the open pits to match the original natural topogaphy as close as possible. <br />CDOW requests that all the soil in the entire disturbed area be re-seeded with native short grass species <br />in order to promote biodiversity and prevent soil erosion. In areas where re-seeding will occur, re- <br />vegetation with native species of grasses, forbs, and shrubs should be utilized in accordance with State <br />Land Boazd's environmental consultant for reclamation efforts. <br />The Division of Wildlife recommends that the Schmidt Construction Company plant sapling <br />cottonwoods (Populus deltoides) throughout Coal Creek in Sections 11, 12, 13, 14, 24, and 25 and <br />especially where the sand mining operations have killed off entire stands of mature cottonwood trees <br />throughout the riparian corridor. <br />The Division of Wildlife recognizes the Coal Creek riparian comdor in the Lowry Bombing Range as a <br />site with unlimited potential for wildlife and wildlife habitat in Arapahoe County, Colorado. In a <br />metropolitan area where development and urban encroachment occur at an unprecedented rate, it is rare <br />to find a relatively undisturbed natural area with such invaluable resources in close proximity to urban <br />development. <br />Thank you again for the opportunity to comment on the Release Request Consideration of the Schmidt <br />Construction Company on Coal Creek. Please do not hesitate to contact us again about ways to continue <br />