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Dry Meadow, comprising one percent of the study area which is dominated by various shrub
<br /> species such as snowberry, Douglas rabbitbrush, and Gambel oak; 11) Barren Terrain,
<br /> comprising less than one percent of the study area which was identified by no apparent
<br /> vegetation cover; 12) Chained Area, comprising less than one percent of the study area, is so
<br /> named because the area has been mechanically treated by chaining to remove tall shrub
<br /> species and has been trenched along the contours and planted to ponderosa pine; 13)
<br /> Reservoir, comprising less than one percent of the study area and includes Beaver Reservoir
<br /> and Minnesota Reservoir; 14) Residential, comprising less than one percent of the study area
<br /> and includes the town of Somerset; 15) Industrial, comprising less than one percent of the
<br /> study area which includes the Somerset Mine, the Bear No. 3 Mine, railroad sidings, and
<br /> mine vents; and 16) Agricultural, comprising less than one percent of the study area.
<br /> In a 1994 Environmental Analysis (EA) produced by the Uncompahgre Basin Resource Area
<br /> of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on the Jumbo Mountain coal lease, one plant
<br /> species, the Grand Mesa penstemon (Penstenron ntensorum, a Federal category 2 species)
<br /> was noted as having the potential to occur in the area. The EA further required a threatened
<br /> and endangered plant survey prior to any surface disturbance. As no surface disturbance is
<br /> proposed within the Jumbo Mountain lease area, the survey has not been completed.
<br /> Additional and updated vegetation information was collected and submitted with the Apache
<br /> Rocks Permit Revision.
<br /> The two vegetation types that occur within the area to be affected by surface facilities are a
<br /> dry meadow type and a moist, mixed shrub type.
<br /> Fish and Wildlife - Rule 2.04.11
<br /> Numerous wildlife species inhabit the general area. The most predominant are mule deer,
<br /> American elk, and black bear. Other species include: coyotes, long-tailed weasels, desert
<br /> cottontails, snowshoe hare, beaver, raccoon, Red squirrel, woodrat, ringtails, yellow
<br /> marmots, ermine, skunk, muskrat, badger, porcupine, bobcat, white-tailed jackrabbit,
<br /> marten, mink, red fox, grey fox, spotted skunk, deer mouse, long-tailed vole,
<br /> golden-mantled ground squirrel, chipmunk, red-backed vole, rock squirrel, western jumping
<br /> mouse, masked shrew, wandering shrew, various songbirds, upland gamebirds, waterfowl,
<br /> and raptors.
<br /> There is no designated critical habitat on the study area. However, the Fish and Wildlife
<br /> Service has proposed 2,094 river miles of the Colorado River and its tributaries as critical
<br /> habitat for the Colorado Squawfish, Razorback sucker, Humpback chub, and Bonytail chub.
<br /> These species, on the Federal and State candidate and listed species, have the potential of
<br /> occurring on the study area, or could be affected by a lease and subsequent coal
<br /> development. None of the fishes occur on the study area, or in the North Fork of the
<br /> Gunnison River.
<br /> The Colorado Division of Wildlife has established a corridor along the North Fork of the
<br /> Gunnison River for use by the bald eagle (Holiaeetus leucocephalus), which is a common
<br /> winter visitor to Colorado. BLM inventories conducted in 1978 through 1980, and
<br /> monitoring flights conducted through 1985, did not locate any roost or nest sites, or areas of
<br /> winter concentration on or near the study area. The possibility exists for nesting to occur
<br /> along the North Fork of the Gunnison River.
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