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,~ <br />Claremont Engineering ~pany <br />To: L. C. Bender <br />Via: R. T. Chew ~`~'~ <br />From: A. M. Rusk~:~tj, ~~~' <br />l.. <br />Subject: Falcons in Smith Gulch <br />. ,.~-,. r•,..,.~..• <br />• ~- I <br />_-i " /_. <br />October 21, 1975 <br />As you requested Friday, I checked with Bill Wirtz to find out what he <br />has been able to learn about [he falcon situation in Smith Gulch. He <br />leas not yet obtained another opinion. He expects to have an answer <br />for me by the end oL this week. <br />For the record, let me note the gist of John LJondoleck's opinion. <br />Wondoleck presented a paper on endangered species at the Oil Shale <br />Environmental Symposium in Golden on October 10. Wondoleck said that <br />falcons do not necessarily use the same nest from season to season. <br />Also, falcons will abandon one nest and build another within a season <br />' if they are unhappy with the first, providing the change is made before <br />egg-laying. He indicated that falcons are disturbed by machine noise, <br />e.g. continual airplanes and earth moving equipment. They will avoid <br />nesting near such noise, say within a ha1F mile. <br />It thus appears that we need not be put off by the presence of a falcon <br />nest in Smith Gulch. If there is already activity that would disturb <br />a pair about to nest, they will nest elsewhere. Thus, we must only be <br />careful not to i~titiate disturbing activity during [he time between egg- <br />laying and the time the young leave the nest. This, I suppose, is a <br />I~~•riod of 60 to 90 days, in the spring. Either start the disturbance <br />before and continue i[ through the nesting period or wait till it is <br />over to do so. But don't start it in the middle! <br />I will report Bill lJirtz's findings as soon as possible. <br />AMR:cmn <br />cc: B. Lukens <br />R. D. Ridley <br />~_~ <br />%' -r ~ ,.~~ ~ o <br />1.~ <br />~.: Jva, <br />,., <br />~: ~/n <br />i <br />C .' <br />