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WILDLIFE RESOURCES ASSESSMENT <br />DUCAWORTH PIT, WELD COUN'i7, COLORADO <br />Burrowing Ow/ (Athene cunicularia) <br />The burrowing owl is a state threatened species. Federal and state laws, including the <br />Migratory Bird Treaty Act, prohibit the killing of burrowing owls. Inadvertent killing of <br />burrowing owls could occur during prairie dog poisoning, construction, or earth moving <br />projects. In an effort to avoid accidental killing of owls, the Colorado Division of <br />Wildlife has drafted suggestions for conducting clearance surveys in areas subject to <br />poisoning and/or construction projects during the period from March 1 through October <br />31. The project area contains 7.75 acres of prairie dogs and potential burrowing owl <br />habitat. No burorowing owls were observed during the three-hour field reconnaissance <br />and a through check of all prairie dog burrows did not detect any sign (droppings, prey <br />remains, regurgitated pellets) indicating the presence of burrowing owls. Although no <br />owls were detected on the project site, ERO recommends that any soil disturbance or <br />removal of prairie dogs be conducted between October 31 and March I . If prairie dog <br />towns are disturbed during the March 1 to October 31 timeframe, CDOW will require <br />formal surveys for burrowing owls just prior to any habitat disturbing activities. <br />Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) <br />The mountain plover is a state species of special concern. This species nests <br />primarily in short grass prairie sites used historically by prairie dogs, bison and <br />pronghorn. Typically plovers nest in areas that maintain approximately 30 percent bare <br />ground and aze often found in disturbed habitats, burned prairie, fallow agricultural fields <br />and prairie dog colonies. This species avoids vegetation greater than 6 inches in height <br />and hillsides or steeper slopes. No mountain plover or potential habitat for mountain <br />plover was identified during site reconnaissance surveys. Grassland and pasture <br />vegetation on the site is generally greater than 6 inches in height and the area contains <br />very little of the baze ground component preferred by breeding mountain plover (Knopf <br />1996). A review of 1999 aerial photography of the project site found no evidence of <br />prairie dogs indicating that the prairie dogs have just recently occupied the site. Because <br />of the low density of prairie dogs and the recent colonization and expansion of the town, <br />vegetation height exceeds the habitat preference of plovers even within the prairie dog <br />town. <br />7 ERO <br />Resoarres <br />[orpomlion <br />