2006-06-12_REVISION - M1978314 (3)

Home Browse Search

Grouse." With this fording, the USFWS began a full status review to detemine whether to list the Greater Sage-Grouse as threatened or cndangeed. Regional biologists have concluded the sage grouse does not warrant listing at this time. The King Mountain Sand & Gravel Mine is located within the heart of some of the last remaining quality Greater Sage-Grousehabitat in southern Routt County. Critical habitats found on and immediately adjacent to the proposed project include breeding habitat and production areas (leks/strvtting grounds, prelaying habitat, nesting habitat, early brood-rearing habits; and summer late brood-rearing habitat), summer range, transition range and winter range. The proposed site and the associated disturbance zone are located entirely within these high use critical sage-grouse habitats. Greater Sage-Grouse aze restricted to sagebrush rangelands throughout Western North America and are found nowhere else in the world. Greater Sage-Grouse are declining across much of their range, and locally the CROW has seen Greater Sage-Grouse populations in southern Routt County decline over the past 30 years. On Septembe 1, 2004, the Narthem EaglelSouthem Routt Greater Sage-Grouse Work. Group completed a conservation plan with sage-grouse and sage-grouse habitat conservation and protection in mind. This plan was the result of collaborative effort involving private landowners and private industry as well as state and fedora] wildlife sad land management agencies. There has been significant local involvement on this plan and signatures supporting this play include several South Routt landowners (including property owners adjacent to the proposed pit), Routt County officials, and CROW staff. Additional information ort sage grouse biology and on the recommendations of the Northern Eagle/South Routt Greater Sagc-grouse Work Group is found in their Conservation Plan. Please contact our Steamboat Springs office for a copy of this Plan. Tn the fall of 2003, the CDOW collaborated with the BLM to initiate aradio-collaz study ofsage-grouse in Southern Routt and Narthem Eagle Counties. 2004 data shows that the locations for marry of the radio- collared birds concentrated within one mile of the proposed site throughout the breeding and production season indicating the importance of this area for Greats Sage-Grouse. Additionally, prior to this radio- collaz study, little was known of winter habitat in the Toportas area. The radioed birds were consistently found on Five Pines Mesa and in Egcria Park. The study has highlighted the importance this area has in providing year-round sage-grouse habitat. CROW lek monitoring and WRIS data show that the proposed King Mountain Sand 8c Gravel Mine is located towards the center of the critical Create Sage-Grouse production areas on Five Pines Mesa. POTENTIAL IlviPACTS: GENERAL COMMENTS: The petitioner is proposing a large increase in pit size and production. The proposed activity will result in habitat toss and reduced habitat value in the mimed area. This loss and reduction in value will also lr7cely. extend to those habitats located in close proximity to and within the created disturbance zone of the proposed operation. The increase in scale of operation will result in habitat fragmentation in this area. However, we feel that on a landscape scale the proposed activity is not likely to result in long-term negative impacts for the majority of wildlife species found neaz the proposed project. For example, most species including elk and mule deer will lr7cely adapt to the disturbance created by the proposed activity by dispersing to adjacent habitats. However, the proposed pit expansion will ]tkely result in significant impacts to grouse populations and their habitat. The activity proposed by King Mountain Sand & Gravel Mine will result in the loss of valuable sage-grouse and sharp-tailed grouse habitat located on the property. The proposed operations wiU also likely result in reduced habitat value and potential habitat loss for critical Greater Sage-Grouse and Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse habitats located close to and within the created disturbance zone of the proposed operation. While impacts will occur to both Columbian Sharp-tailed Crrouse and Greater Sago- Grouse, we are most concerned with impacts of the proposed operation to Greater Sage-Crrouse.