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4 ~ 29 <br />4.3.8 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES <br />The peregrine falcon could occur within the boundaries of the lease area. No sightings <br />were made during field trips, however, and we know of no reports of these birds for the <br />immediate area. It is possible that the peregrine falcon could be present for brief periods during <br />migration, and lt is possible that this species nests among the rimrock habitat which is <br />widespread in the area. <br />The bald eagle, a recently designated endangered species, is likely to occur within the <br />boundaries of the lease area, especially for brief periods during the winter period. None were <br />observed within the lease boundaries during the field trips (one observation of a bald eagle was <br />made approximately 3 KM (5 miles) east of the town of Loma, Colorado, during January, 1978). <br />Bald eagles wintering along the Colorado River in western Colorado will frequently hunt in areas <br />ecologically similar to the habitat found within the lease area, although their preferred habitat in <br />this region is along the riparian zone of the Colorado River. <br />Black•footed ferrets are unlikely to occur within the lease area, since there are no prairie <br />dogs or large populations of ground squirrels to provide suitable food source. <br />• According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the greater sandhill crane (a State designated <br />endangered species) is seen on occasion approximately 20 miles south of the lease area near <br />the Colorado River. Although this species could occur within the lease area for brief periods <br />during its migration, this seems unlikely because of the lack of suitable sandhill crane habitat in <br />the immediate area. <br />4.3.9 SITE UTILIZATION <br />Riparian areas in and near the lease site constitute the most important wildlife habitat of the <br />area. Considerable degradation to these areas has occurred historically due to diverse causes <br />over a number of years in conjunction with agricultural uses of the area. Those areas that have <br />open water and a dense stand of vegetation are the most important. Locally significant <br />displacement of small game and avian wildlife would occur is they were eliminated or <br />substantially disturbed. Rimrock and pinyon•juniper woodlands are also important habitats for big <br />game and raptorial birds; however, the vast aerial extent of these habitats in the lease area <br />• substantially reduce the significance of habitat alteration on a small scale. <br />M~ Volume 1 4 ~ 29 ~ 96 <br />