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cultivate many grasslands, so the potential habitat of burrowing owls has been reduced. They do, however, occupy and are restricted to the grass habitat in the proposed disposal site. They will be at least temporarily impacted as disposal occurs. Reclamation will be simultaneous with disposal as tracts are utilized and reclaimed at the same time. The habitat affinities of three prime mammalian species are of concern: prairie dogs, bobcats and pronghorn. Prairie dogs utilize several habitats in the area of potential impact, but are in significant abundance in only one. Prairie dog populations are estimated at 290 per hectare in the grass habitat in the proposed disposal site. These high populations are sufficient to support populations of predators, including black-footed ferrets, if any are present. Additionally, they provide habitat for burrowing owls. Although there are substantial prairie dog populations to the north or into Moffat County, disposal must and will be done carefully and systematically. Only necessary acres will be disturbed at a time and reclamation will be simultaneous with new area utilization. This will serve and restore the critical grass habitat as long and as soon as possible. Bobcats are ubiquitous in a variety of habitats throughout the United States and cannot be delimited to a specific habitat type. In the area of concem they seemed only to occupy the ledges along the White River and the rocky pinyon-juniper habitat along the western border of the lease. This restricted habitat occupation is not, however, due to habitat preference nor to ability to occupy other habitats. It is likely due to extensive predator control in the livestock area and high pelt prices. The proposed actions will not alter nor create problems with their habitat but will create problems for the bobcat. The perturbation • value of 5 is based on increased accessibility, more people in the area and hunting pressure associated with such. Pronghorn populations are reduced over much of their range that includes grass and sagebrush habitats of the western United States. On the proposed site of the coal mine and its associated facilities, pronghorns are located only on the northern and eastern boundaries of the coal mine, the waste disposal site, and the Utah side of the coal transportation corridor. They occupy the grass habitat in greater numbers (0.1-0.5 per hectare). Although there is little of their habitat that will be seriously impacted and there is sufficient for the population levels, concern must be given to the disposal area and the coal conveyor to guarantee they do not interrupt habitat utilization. The coal conveyor was constructed to allow adequate passage of pronghorn to facilitate near normal habitat utilization. The disposal site is proposed where it may obstruct a natural antelope passage from range to the north of the site to a permanent water source at Cactus Reservoir. Disposal and reclamation will be simultaneous and on sufficiently small land areas to allow pronghorn access to this water source. Should the antelope refuse to continue using Cactus Reservoir, a permanent water source will be provided in their northern range. BME believes perturbation to this specie will be minimal since pronghorn antelopes have been sighted on the refuse piles and frequently use the sediment ponds for a water source. Mine Permit Renewal #3 (Rev. 8/99) IV-47 ~.~..