Laserfiche WebLink
<br />• w III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII <br />999 <br />CYCC <br />Colorado Yampa Coal Company 29588 Routt County Road #27, Oak Creek, CO 80467 • (303) 879-3800 <br />December E, 1985 <br />Mr. Davidrl~.le: <br />President-. <br />Colorado Mining-Association <br />410 Denver Hfiltnrt Office Building <br />1515 Cleveland: Place <br />Denver, Calbrado; 80202 <br />Re: Nomtrtati~on of Colorado Yampa Coal Company <br />For Special Pro,iect~Award <br />Dear Mr. C'oTe:. <br />FOR YOUR <br />INFORMATION <br />Colorado Mining Association <br />This letter is to nominate Colorado Yampa Coal Company (CYCC) for the Special <br />Projects Award. The project, for which our Company is being nominated is the <br />Company's 'Elk Calving Behavior Study." The purpose of the study is to moni- <br />tor elk calving: behavior in connection with habitat disturbance resulting from <br />surface coal mining activities. This is being done as mitigation to minimize <br />habitat disturbance in mining areas where elk have traditionally calved. The <br />study will document how elk respond to this type of disturbance, giving fur- <br />ther insight into herd and habitat management. In order to accomplish this, <br />three specific objectives were defined: (1) determine if productivity of elk <br />is changed as they are displaced from a traditional calving area; (2) deter- <br />mine what fidelity they exhibit to calving areas; and (3) describe the <br />physical and vegetational characteristics of elk calving areas. <br />The above objectives were accomplished by initiating a live-trapping and <br />tagging program. During the past 5 years CYCC has trapped over 300 elk. <br />Sixty-four elk were collared with radio transmitters, and the others received <br />conventional collars and/or ear tags. Monitoring of these elk during the past <br />5 years by use of ground and aerial surveys hds yielded over 4,000 locations. <br />The locations have been mapped on topographic and vegetation maps for each <br />individual radio transmittered elk. From these maps valuable information was <br />gathered with regard to fidelity to calving home ranges, habitat utilization <br />and selection patterns, and response to mining activity. In addition, heli- <br />copter surveys were conducted annually on 3 surface mines and 3 control sites <br />to obtain cow:calf ratios to determine if there were any differences in <br />productivity, <br />The analysis indicates that although <br />area each summer, they probably do not <br />When statistical analyses were used <br />fidelity between elk using mine areas <br />ferences •were found. There has been <br />arebas. ;In fact,. when sufficient Cov <br />range arxivtity ,Centers fpr elk using <br />elk normally return to the same general <br />calve in the exact same spot each year. <br />to compare calving home range size and <br />and control areas, no significant dif- <br />no evidence that elk are abandoning mine <br />er is present, 20X of all calving home <br />mine area are within 1/4 mile of active <br />