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8.8.2 Wildlife • Section 7 consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) related to the 1982 Environmental Assessment for the Sodium Preference Lease Application found that sodium development in the Piceance Creek Basin would not affect the bald eagle or other threatened or endangered wildlife species (BLM 1982). More recently, the BLM's environmental assessment for the exploration plan concluded that the proposed action would have "no conceivable" effects on bald eagles or their habitat in the vicinity of the Piceance Site, and the BLM's environmental assessment for the experimental test mine plan made no mention at all of threatened and endangered wildlife species (BLM 1996a, BLM 1997b). Bald eagles are only occasional risers of the project area. It is American Soda's assessment that in the absence of fish communities or suitable perching or roosting sites in the immediate vicinity, there is little potential for adverse effects on bald eagles from any activity proposed under the commercial mine plan, including the presence of the evaporation ponds (Steigers 1997c). The BLM will conduct Section 7 threatened and endangered species consultation with the FWS for activities proposed under the commercial mine plan. As indicated in Section 7.9.2, the pipeline corridor passes through a number of • geographical sections that have been documented to be the locations of wildlife species considered by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program to be "vulnerable" within Colorado even though they are "demonstrabiy secure globally" (see Figure 7- 26). Potential impacts to these wildlife species will be assessed in consultation with the BLM on asite-specific basis based on final pipeline routing and specific known species site locations. 8.8.3 Fish Both the Piceance Creek Site and the Parachute Creek Site are within the Upper Colorado River Basin. Four federally listed fish species could potentially be affected by project water uses that alter flow volume or timing (i.e., depletion) to the Upper Colorado River system. As described in Section 7.9.3, the listed fish species include the Colorado squawfish (Ptychocheilus Lucius), humpback chub (Gila cypha), bonytail chub (Gila elegans), and razorback sucker (Xyrn>~chen texanus). Groundwater and surface water withdrawals can result in tangible depletions of downgradient surface waters, which could contribute to cumulative downstream flow depletions and corresponding cumulative adverse affects on downstream fisheries values. It is anticipated that commercial mining operations at the Yankee Gulch Project will use existing water rights to allow process water to be taken from the Colorado River via an existing intake located in the river near the town of Parachute. The water rights may also allow the water to be withdrawn from existing water wells in the American Soda, LL.P. 8_2'7 Commeraal Mine Plan August ]6, 1996