2005-02-10_REVISION - M1978314 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Grouse." With this finding, the USFWS began a full status review to determine whether to list the Greater Sage-Grouse as threatened or endangered. 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-Grouse habitat in southem Routt County. Critical habitats found on and immediately adjacent to the proposed project include breeding habitat and production areas (leks/strutting grounds, prelaying habitat, nesting habitat, early brood-rearing habitat, 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 are restricted to sagebrush rangelands throughout Western North America and aze found nowhere else in the world. Greater Sage-Grouse are declining across much of their range, and locally the CDOW has seen Greater Sage-Grouse populations in southern Routt County decline over the past 30 years. On September 1, 2004, the Northern Eagle/southem 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 federal wildlife and land management agencies. There has been significant local involvement on this plan and signatures supporting this plan include several South Routt landowners (including property owners adjacent to the proposed pit), Routt County officials, and CDOW staff. Additional infom~ation on sage grouse biology and on the recommendations of the Northern Eagle/South Routt Greater Sage-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-collar study ofsage-grouse in southem Routt and Northem Eagle Counties. 2004 data shows that the locations for many of the radio- collaredbirds concentrated within one mile of the proposed site throughout the breeding and production season indicating [he importance of [his area for Greater Sage-Grouse. Additionally, prior to this radio- collaz study, little was known of winter habitat in the Toponas area. The radioed birds were consistently found on Five Pines Mesa and in Egeria Pazk. The study has highlighted the importance this area has in providing year-round sage-grouse habitat. CDOW lek monitoring and WRIS data show that the proposed King Mountain Sand & Gravel Mine is located towazds the center of the critical Greater Sage-Grouse production areas on Five Pines Mesa. POTENTIAL IMPACTS: GENERAL COMMENTS: The petitioner is proposing a large increase in pit size and production. The proposed activity will result in habitat loss and reduced habitat value in the mined area. This loss and reduction in value will also likely 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 near the proposed project. For example, most species including elk and mule deer will likely adapt to the disturbance created by the proposed activity by dispersing to adjacent habitats. However, the proposed pit expansion will likely 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 will 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 Grouse and Greater Sage- Grouse, we are most concerned with impacts of the proposed operation to Greater Sage-Grouse.