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4 - 22 <br />• 4.3 WILDLIFE INVENTORY <br />4.3.1 INTRODUCTION <br />The objectives of wildlife investigations were to characterize the vertebrate fauna which <br />inhabit the lease areas. The study areas selected, both for general observations and for <br />quantitative sampling, were carefully chosen in order to adequately represent the variations <br />expected to occur among the distinct habitats which are present. <br />Emphasis was given to the more important species of the area, based on the <br />economic/recreational (game species), esthetic, or ecological (food chain) criteria. Habitat <br />designations and nomenclature generally follow the class cations developed for vegetation <br />studies. Information was also taken directly from the Final West-Central Colorado Coal EIS, to <br />which input was provided by the Department of Wildlife and the Office of Surface Mining. Related <br />maps contained in the EIS are included in Appendix I. <br />4.3.2 LARGE MAMMALS <br />Mule deer are the most abundant large mammal within the mine plan area. Black bear and <br />mountain lion may be present in the lease block area, but none were observed. Signs of elk <br />• were observed at higher elevations, and it is possible that some elk occur within the mine plan <br />area at certain times of the year. <br />Very few deer were observed during the summer field season. During the fall, however, <br />approximately ten deer could be seen on any given day, with most observed during the evenings <br />feeding in the hay meadows south of the permit area. Larger numbers of deer were observed <br />during winter, which is to be expected since increasing snow and cold weather tend to move <br />deer to lower elevation in this geographic region. During the spring field season, efforts will be <br />made to characterize deer use of those agricultural meadows in the area to the south of the <br />permit area which support early spring grasses. <br />It is apparent that the general pattem of deer migrational movement in the mine plan and <br />adjacent areas is one of deer moving down to lower elevations in the fall and returning to higher <br />elevations in spring. Dispersed upslope and downslope movements undoubtedly occur over <br />wide areas. No evidence was found for mass movements along a narrow migrational route. <br />This is a typical migratory pattem for mule deer inhabiting areas of similar ecology and <br />topography, and is confirmed in Volume 2 of the West-Central Colorado Coal EIS. <br />M~ Volume 1 4 - 29 - 96 <br />