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" UNPFE. TATES DEPARTMENT OF THE . 7ERIOR <br /> • FISH AND WHALIFE SERVICE <br /> ECOLOGICAL SERVICES ..o <br /> Western Colorado Office aa��ananaa� <br /> • 529 251h Road, Suite B-113 rN i <br /> Grand Junction, CO 81SOS-6199 b 8,3/D <br /> Phone: (303) 243-2778 FAX (303)245-69)13�� RE-CE1VfLT <br /> 1 <br /> IN REPLY REFER TO: <br /> ES/CO:BLM-Uncompahgre Basin RA APR 16 lj .. <br /> 65412 GJ <br /> ll/ April 14, 1993 L Use A � <br /> eT emorandum <br /> V o: Area Manager, Bureau of Land Management, Uncompahgre Basin <br /> Resource Area, Montrose, Colorado <br /> From: Assistant Colorado State Supervisor, Fish and Wildlife Service, <br /> Ecological Services, Grand Junction, Colorado <br /> Subject: Mountain Coal Company Coal Lease Application <br /> This responds to your April 1 , 1993, request for a list of species that may <br /> occur within the area of influence of the proposal by Mountain Coal Company to <br /> develop a coal lease on Federal mineral estates located in Delta and Gunnison <br /> counties, Colorado. The list of federally listed and candidate species you <br /> • have provided is nearly identical to the list we recently provided to the <br /> Paonia Ranger District for a similar proposal by Mountain Coal Company on <br /> Forest Service lands. We are providing the following list of federally listed <br /> and candidate species, some biological background for each of the species, and <br /> several issues regarding compliance with the Endangered Species Act. <br /> Federally Listed Species <br /> Colorado squawfish Ptychocheilus Lucius <br /> Humpback chub Gila cypha <br /> Bonytail chub Gila eleaans <br /> Razorback sucker Xvrauchen texanus <br /> Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucoceohalus <br /> None of the above federally listed fish species occur within the project area. <br /> However, the Fish and Wildlife Service believes that major causes for the <br /> decline of the Colorado squawfish, humpback chub, bonytail chub, and razorback <br /> sucker, include the effect of impoundments and associated water depletion from <br /> the Colorado River and its tributaries. Consequently, the water use for all <br /> activities associated with the project should be identified, and evaluated to <br /> determine whether such a depletion will occur. Any individual or combination <br /> of water uses associated with the coal exploration proposal causing a net <br /> depletion of water from the upper Colorado River basin will be considered by <br /> the Service a negative impact to the federally listed fish. With such a <br /> finding, the Service will expect the Forest Service to conclude "may affect" <br /> • to these fish species, and request formal consultation with this office, as <br /> required by the Endangered Species Act. Your calculation of the net depletion <br /> should consider the entire life of the project, and be reported as the average <br /> annual depletion in acre-feet. <br />