PERMFILE112211 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Low numbers of bald eagles winter along the North Fork of the Gunnison • River. Waterfowl, fish, and carrion are the primary food available to bald eagles. Roosting sites are found in large cottonwoods and other large dead snags or rock outcrops along riparian areas. Amphibians and Reptiles One species of the order Caudata (the tiger salamander) and nine spe- Gies of the order Salienta (toads and frogs) are found in the region. Twenty-two members of the order Iquamata (lizards and snakes) are present, including eleven snakes and eleven lizards. One subspecies, the midget faded rattlesnake, is also found in the region and is significant because of its limited distribution and scarcity in Colorado. This species has not been observed on the permit area. Only two species of Cheloria (turtles) are thought to occur peripherally in the region: the common snapping • turtle and the western fox turtle. The following section describes the herpetofauna of the nearby Mt. Gunnison Project (ARCO) which should have similar species represented. Herpetofauna "The number of herpetofauna species and their abundance are low in the study area. Only three species were observed during the investigations. Reptiles and amphibians are ectotherms which depend primarily upon external (environ- mental) sources of heat to maintain their body temperature. They receive their heat through conduction from the environ- ment. Any environmental factor that effectively reduces the amount of heat that herpetofauna receive would limit their abundance and distribution (Porter 1972). Such factors in the study area would include high elevation and the accom- panying lower temperature regime, and a topography generally characterized by steep canyon walls and narrow canyon floors. Lizards appear to dominate the area of investiga- tion. The Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) was C7 2.04-62