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[he upper reaches of the Williams Fork Plountains and in Foutt and L.•hite River Llational Forests. In the fall elk move dorm to areas typified by the mine plan area where they spend the winter months. • Summer elk use of flee affected area is iow as indicated by pellet group counts (Table 1). The majority of use is in [he mountain shrub cor~uunity which is found predomir~ateiy in t}re eastern portion of the proposed mine plan area. The U.S. 1"ish and Wildlife Se: vice (1978) indicate= that tiie eastern portion of the mine plan area m.i-ght be us:~ci by elk for calving. Czlvin~ surveys were con- ducted by Trapper Llir.e environmc-ntal personnel to evaluate this possibility. Survey flights were flown in late May and early June of 1980 and 1981. No calves were sighted within the proposed mine plan area on any of the flights. The majority of elk sightings were well east of the proposed mine plan area, in the Buck Peak, Holderness, and Smuin Gulch area. Results of the calving surveys indicate that calving activity did not occur within the mine plan area in 1980 and 1981. Seidel (1977) found that in west central Colorado elk calve on south or east facing slopes of rolling hillocks, aspen benches, where there is a dense understory of snowberry or chokecherry and within 200 yards of water. £11: were found to utilize the "edge" effect for calving. This specific habitat type does • no[ occur with any significance within the mine plan area but is very evident in the Buck Peak, Holderness and Smuin Gulch area, approximately 3 miles east of the proposed mine plan area. As a further check to ascertain the presence of elk calving within the proposed mine plan area, a survey was made on foot on May 28, 1980, in the areas approximating the habitat criteria described by Seidel (1977) to try Co locate any calving beds. No beds or evidence of beds were located during this survey. Moreover, very little fresh elk sign was observed in the areas surveyed. Seidel (1977) postulated that the key criteria for elk calving areas consisted of a location free of snow, proximal to winter range, spring migration routes and available water. This criteria does apply in a Limited degree to the east por- tion of the mine plan area and specifically to areas to the south of the proposed mine plan area. However, the data collected in 1980 and 1981 indicate that there is little, if any, elk calving occurring on the mine plan area or adjacent areas. • -18-