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CHAPTERTHREE Parachute Site There aze no wetlands at the Parachute Site (Steigers 1998a). A representative of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted a site inspection on October ] 6, 1998, and verified the wetland boundary delineations in the Project Area. The j~irisdictional determination was documented in a letter to Steigers Corporation, dated October 29, ] 998. 3.10 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES 3.10.1 Wildlife Species Special status species known to occw in the study azea are listed in Table 3.10-1, along with their status and potential for occurrence in the study area. The study area for threaten~:d and endangered wildlife species includes the Project Area, a study buffer zone of 5 to ]0 miles around project facilities, and rivers downstream of project facilities. Federal Endangered or Threatened Species Bald eagles occw in the Piceance Basin from October to March as winter residents and migrants. Foraging eagles are regularly encountered in the Piceance Creek Basin during thE; winter months, but their foraging activities appear to be widely dispersed and wholly opportunistic. Areas of concentrated use are closely associated with larger creeks, especially Piceance Creek. Bald eagles tend to use traditional communal roosts located in matwe trees, but no winter roost sites aze known from the study area. No nesting has been reported neaz the Piceance Site. Fow to six pairs nest on a regular basis in the White River Valley, in addition to a nesting pair located in the West Parachute Creek drainage (Hollowed 1998). The Parachute Site and all of the pipeline route south of MP 34 aze in bald eagle winter range (CDOW 1998). Peregrine falcons may occw anywhere in the study area during migration. Although there are no reports of peregrine falcons nesting in the Piceance Basin or Pazachute Creek, pairs have been observed dwing the summer months, suggesting that nesting may be occurring. One pair of peregrine falcons was seen along Piceance Creek in the spring of 1998, from Alksdi Flats to the mouth of Willow Creek, a distance of about 17 miles. It is unlikely that these birds would nest at the mouth of Horse Draw, and more appropriate habitat is available at other locations (Hollowed 1998). There may also be an unknown eyrie in the West Fork of Parachute Creek (BLM 1998d), and all of the project facilities in Garfield County aze considered to be within foraging habitat (CDOW 1998). Small numbers of whooping crane may accompany sandhill cranes which migrate through the study area. Small groups of sandhill cranes (2-30) occasionally stop in irrigated meadows, broad drainage bottoms, and reservoir margins. Cranes are most likely to occur at the pipeline crossings of Piceance Creek and aze unlikely to occw on the Piceance or Parachute Sites. Fish. Waters of the Project Area aze tributary to the Upper Colorado River, which has several endangered fish species: the Colorado squawfish, humpback chub, razorback sucker, and bonytail chub. Designated critical habitat for Colorado squawfish and razorback sucker occws in the Colorado River from Rifle downstream, including the confluence with Parachude Creek. Affected Environment -40 Wetlands