2006-12-18_REVISION - M1978314 (3)

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King Mountain Sand and Gravel Mine Ecological Resources Assessment Page IS moister habitats, including Tame Pasture, Riparian Shrubland and Graminoid Wetlands (Connelly et al. 2000). There is a well known lek approximately 1/4 mile to the northwest of the Project site. CDOW has also mapped much of the Property as a brooding area, which is habitat that female grouse and young of the year disperse into after leaving the nest site. This species is confirmed as occurring on the property. The sharp-tailed grouse inhabits Mixed Montane Shrubland with abundant Gambel oak and serviceberry which provide winter shelter and forage. These habitats are interspersed with Sagebrush Shrubland where sharp-tailed grouse display on leks atop knolls and ridges (Andrews and Righter 1992, Kingery 1998). The Project site is south of the occupied range of this species, and there is very little Mixed Montane Shrubland present on the property. The CDOW letter of February 9, 2005 states that the Project site is located within winter range and overall range for this species, and is near the edge of the largest production complex in southern Routt County. Substantiating maps could not be found in the NDIS site, and since the Mired Montane Shrubland habitat is poorly developed on the property, [he probability of occurrence is considered low. In the spring and fall greater sandhill cranes migrate through the area and they are confirmed summer breeders in riparian habitat and flooded irrigated hayland farther north in western Routt County. In the fall Graminoid Wetland and Tame Pasture habitats are staging areas for the sandhill cranes as they flock in preparation to migrate south (Andrews and Righter 1992, Kingery 1998). The species has a low to moderate probability of occurrence on the Project site; mostly as an infrequent migrant, although it likely migrates overhead on a regular basis. Northern river otters live in streams and wetlands situated within wetland/aquatic and riparian and sagebrush Shrubland habitats. They mainly feed on fish and crustaceans. River otters were re-introduced into southern Routt County on the Yampa River (Fitzgerald et al. 1994). There is a low probability of occurrence along Egeria Creek, on a rather sporadic, infrequent basis. 5.4 Colorado Natural Heritage Program A records search for the Property was conducted by the report preparer of the online Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) data base for threatened, endangered, and sensitive animal species, or Potential Conservations Areas (PCA's) that are based upon these resources (CNHP 2005). No Element Occurrence Records for these resources have been documented on the Property. The three PCA's described above in Section 4.5, Cabin Creek PCA, Sunnyside Creek PCA and Stifel Creek PCA, are not based upon wildlife resources. CNHP ranks the sagebrush vole (Lemmiscus curtatus) as GS/S1, globally secure and critically imperiled in Colorado (NatureServe 2006). This species is found in sagebrush habitats in northwest and north central Colorado. The Project site is at the southern edge of the range of this species. They have not been well documented in [he state and are considered uncommon, which may be due to a lack of systematic research (Fitzgerald et al. 1994). The probability of occurrence on the Project site is moderate in the Sagebrush Shrubland.