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H-18 <br />• <br />owls. Because large raptors commonly return to a site after a year or <br />two, these birds may nest on the sodium lease tracts during some years and <br />not in others. <br />Sage Grouse <br />Sage grouse is an important gamebird in northwestern Colorado. Although <br />sage grouse may winter sporadically on portions of the sodium lease area, <br />no leks are known to occur within the project area or the sodium lease <br />area (LGL 1981, ECI 1976, BLM and CDOW 1977). A known historic lek was <br />located near the oil shale Tract C-a airstrip. This lek has reportedly <br />been abandoned (LGL 1981). <br />Sage grouse do not appear to be a frequent or common inhabitant within the <br />proposed project area. Neither sage grouse nor sage grouse sign were <br />• observed in the project area during the June 1984 spring sage grouse <br />survey. During the approximately ten man-day visit to the project area in <br />July 1984, no sage grouse or sage grouse sign were observed. Furthermore, <br />few sage grouse sightings were made during the 1980-1981 study (LGL <br />1981). In April, one male grouse flushed and flew across the sagebrush <br />flat on 84 Mesa, 1.75 miles NNE of the junction of Yellow Creek and Stake <br />Springs Draw. Some sage grouse sign was found on the sagebrush flat 1.25 <br />miles SE of the junction of Yellow Creek and State Springs Draw. One <br />grouse was flushed near this site in midwinter during the course of other <br />work (LGL 1981). This area is reportedly near a sage grouse winter <br />concentration area (BLM and CDOW 1977). <br />In February <br />observed for <br />the vicinity <br />possible that <br />the sodium 1 <br />• because only <br />1984, a number of sage grouse--up to 35 birds--were <br />a period of about one week, near Ryan Gulch Road in <br />of the proposed access road (Clark 1984). Thus, it is <br />some sage grouse winter on the southwestern portion of <br />ease area between Yellow Creek and Ryan Gulch. However, <br />one grouse and little grouse sign were seen during the <br />THIS DOCUMENT COIJTAINS TRADE SECRETS AND PRIVILEGED, CONFIDENTIAL AND <br />INFORMATION, PURSUANT TO LAW,THOSE PORTIONS MARKED "CONFIDENTIAL" <br />PMAYRNOT BE DISCLOSED, COPIED OR MADE AVAILIA9LE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION AN~aaK 3 of 9 <br />