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CHAPTERTHREE nttecttld Environment <br />this lek is uncleaz since lekking males have decreased from 10 to 3. A recent kr~apweed <br />(Centaurea spp.) invasion resulted in the aerial application of herbicides, removing all forb and <br />broadleaf plants along the pipeline and some adjacent periphery vegetation further reducing the <br />viability of the lek site. Recent radiotagging research on this population shows hat male sage <br />grouse at these leks disperse up to 13.6 miles (22 km). <br />Amphibians and Reptiles. Three sensitive species, are known to occur in the Project Area. <br />Western yellow-bellied racer inhabits semi-desert shrublands, agricultural azeas, and lowland <br />riparian azeas in westem Colorado, including the Pazachute Creek Valley (Hamrnerson 1986). <br />Great Basin spadefoot toad inhabits pinyon-juniper woodland, sagebrush, and semi-desert <br />grasslands, usually in or near dry rocky slopes or canyons. It has been recorded in the Piceance <br />Creek and Pazachute Creek Valleys and may be widely distributed throughout the study azea, <br />including all groject facilities. Northern leopazd frog occurs throughout Colorado on the banks <br />and shallow waters of permanent water bodies, irrigation ditches, and wet meadows. <br />Fish. Three sensitive fish species occur in the Colorado and White Rivers, downstream of the <br />Project Area: flannehnouth sucker, bluehead sucker and roundtail chub. The Colorado River <br />cutthroat trout occurs in headwaters within the study area. Hybrid populations of Colorado <br />cutthroat trout occur in the upper portions of the East Middle Fork and East Fork of Parachute <br />Creek and three of their tributaries (Young et al. 1996). These populations aze 7 miles or more <br />above the pipeline corridor crossings of the Middle Fork and East Fork. The CDOW believes <br />that individuals from this population may occur along the entire length of the Pa~•achute Creek <br />Valley, including the pipeline corridor crossings (Broderick 1998). Other known populations of <br />the Colorado River cutthroat trout are located in Trapper Creek and Northwater (:reek (TSS, <br />R95 W) 4 miles or more east of the proposed pipeline corridor and well upstream from Parachute <br />Creek (Colorado Natural Heritage Program 1998). This trout is endemic to the Upper Colorado <br />River Basin. <br />Ferruginous hawk may occur on migration but do not nest in the Project Area. Their <br />distribution in northwest Colorado lazgely coincides with white-tailed prairie dog towns (BLM <br />1994), which are absent from the study area. <br />Northern goshawk typically use mature forests and lazger trees for nesting habitats in both <br />conifer and aspen stands. The USFWS has concluded that it is a forest habitat generalist and <br />would use a variety of habitats to meet its life history needs (USFWS 1998b). Although they aze <br />raze neaz the project site, they do occur with some regularity. Since 1981 BLM biologists have <br />located three active nests in pinyon-juniper woodlands within 4 to 6 miles of the project site <br />between 6,500 and 6,700 feet elevation (Hollowed 1998). <br />White-faced ibis is a rare to common spring migrant in northwest Colorado, a ra~•e fall migrant, <br />and a very raze nonbreeding summer resident in western valleys. lts habitat is wet meadows, <br />mazsh edges, and reservoir shorelines. They are most likely to occur along Piceance and <br />Parachute creeks, along the pipeline corridor. White-faced ibis regulazly migrate through the <br />Piceance Basin, with the highest number of individuals occurring in the spring (Hollowed 1998). <br />Other birds. Several birds aze rare migrants in western Colorado. Black tern may occur razely <br />during migration at reservoirs and lakes (Andrews and Righter 1992). There aze many spring <br />records at Rio Blanco Lake (BLM 1994). Western snowy plover is a very raze migrant, which <br />3-42 Threatened and Endangered Species <br />