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H-23 <br />• that are incompletely fenced. Horse migration has been observed over <br />the Cathedral Bluffs, thereby allowing the possibility of breeding <br />between the Douglas Creek herd and the Piceance Basin herd. Second, <br />seasonal factors influence the migration of the horses on their range. <br />During the winter months, the horses concentrate on windswept and south <br />facing slopes where the forage is more readily available. During the <br />summer months, horses must concentrate near water sources. The most <br />important water sources in the Piceance Basin area are Yellow Creek, <br />Stake Springs, BoxE~lder Creek, Corral Gulch, Duck Creek, and Spring <br />Creek. These water sources are important because they are perennial <br />sources of water; during the summer season many of the intermittant <br />sources dry up. There are an additional 19 developed springs and 37 <br />reservoirs within the White River Planning Area (BLM 1984b). <br />Wild horses must compete with livestock, as well as with the elk and <br />large mule deer herds far forage. Increased energy development in the <br />Piceance Basin resulting from the oil and gas and the oil shale indus- <br />• tries have forced the horses to increase their range. Consequently, <br />they are currently found in areas outside of their recognized range as <br />delineated by the Wild and Free-Roaming Norse and Burro Act of 1971 <br />iBLM 1984b). <br />Although several of the important sources of water are near the pro- <br />posed project area, few horses have been observed on the lease area. <br />During the monthly aerial surveys conducted from August 1980 through <br />July 1981, eight sightings of horses or horse groups were made. The <br />horse groups ranged in size from one to seven animals, with most of the <br />groups consisting oi` 3-4 horses. Most of the horses were observed in <br />the large area of sagebrush habitat about 2-3 km east of the confluence <br />of Yellow Creek and Stake Springs. Observations of the horses during <br />the 1980-1982 study indicated that the horses preferred the open <br /> <br />THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS TRADE SECRETS AND PRIVILEGED, CONFIDENTIAL AND <br />PROPRIETARY COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, GEOLOGICAL AND GEOPHYSICAL DATA AND ~ , <br />INFORMATION. PURSUANT TO LAW,THOSE PORTIONS MARKED"CONFIDENTIAL" ~V ~ ~~ Q <br />MAY NOT BE DISCLGSE D, COPIED OR MADE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION. n i ,~ <br />