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<br />• The pipeline corridor passes through different mule deer habitat types. All of the <br />pipeline corridor in Rio Blanco County is classified as either winter range or severe <br />winter range (BLM 1994). Severe winter range is generally located close to the <br />Piceance Creek floodplain and in tributary valleys and is encountered near the <br />Piceance Site as described above. Summer range areas are restricted to the higher <br />elevation ridgetops along Barnes Ridge at the extreme northern end of Garfield <br />County (BLM 1994). Farther south, the Parachute Creek valley contains additional <br />winter concentration areas and severe winter range (CDOW 1998a). <br />The preferred Parachute Site itself is an existing, inactive industrial site that does <br />not contain any significant mule deer habitat. <br />7.7.2 Raptors <br />A variety of raptors are found in and near the project area throughout the year. <br />Common breeding residents include the golden eagle, red-tailed hawk, and Cooper's <br />hawk, while the sharp-shinned hawk and goshawk are considered relatively rare <br />breeding residents. Rough-legged hawks and bald eagles forage in open vegetation <br />types throughout the Piceance Creek Basin during the winter months (BLM 1982). <br />Breeding raptors generally construct or return to established nest sites in mid- <br />February to early April, lay their eggs in March or April, and occupy the nest until <br />• the chicks fledge between early June and mid-August. <br />The BLM Sodium Leases FEA reported nesting use by golden eagles and red-tailed <br />hawks within or near the Piceance Site (BLM 1982). The nests were located on cliffs <br />and rock outcrops overlooking Piceance Creek. The FEA also predicted that <br />Cooper's hawk and possibly sharp-shinned hawk and goshawk nest in the pinyon- <br />juniper woodlands at the Piceance Site. <br />The BLM conducted a survey of breeding raptor occurrence within part of the <br />Piceance Site during the spring of 1995 and found no activity or evidence of past <br />raptor use in those areas (BLM 1995). The BLM conducted a second raptor nesting <br />survey of other portions of the Piceance Site during June 1996 to evaluate potential <br />disturbance to nesting raptors, particularly Cooper's hawk and goshawk. The 1996 <br />raptor nesting survey concentrated on the drilling sites and new access roads <br />proposed by American Soda under its exploration plan. No active raptor nests were <br />located in the 1996 survey. However, the BLM reported that, based on the presence <br />of a long-eared owl nest and an unidentified accipiter nest, both used the previous <br />year, and on hearing long-eared owls and observing Cooper's hawks during the <br />survey, there appears to be some nesting activity in the area (BLM 1996b). <br />In 1998, in consultation with the BLM, American Soda designed a raptor survey of <br />the majority of the Piceance Site, an area of approximately 3,750 acres (Steigers 1998, <br />• BLM 1998e). The 1998 Piceance Site raptor survey study area is shown in Figure 7-20. <br />The survey provided 100 percent coverage of the survey area except for areas <br />Amencan Soda, L.L.P. 7_38 <br />Commercial Mine Plan <br />August lA, 1998 <br />