Laserfiche WebLink
,,...,,g tl~e area, but .based on incidental sightings in 1978 and 1979, the proposed <br />mine plan area does provide some suitable habitat. Broods were sighted in 1978 <br />and 1979 by Trapper environmental personnel to the west of the mining and recta- <br />. manor. activities. <br />One strutting ground, the "High Mesa" strutting ground, was reported by F.ogers <br />(1964). However, this lek vas where the Colorado-Ute power plant is new located <br />and was abandoned in about 1974-197: (Braun, 1980). No other leks are known to <br />occur in the area. <br />Sharp-tailed Grouse: <br />Sharp-Cailed gro•ase are residents within the mine plan area. They prefer habi- <br />tats of mountain shrub interspersed with grassy areas. This species inhabits <br />areas where gra^,s is dominant or sub-dominant with light interspersion of <br />shrubs, wheat, and Crees CRogers, 1969; Ecology Consultants, Inc., 1972). Little <br />information is available on the population densities of the sharp-tailed grouse <br />within the mine plan area or adjacent areas. Ecology Consultants, Inc., 01972) <br />estimated a population of 100 birds within the proposed mine plan area. This was <br />probably a high estimate based on the few incidental sightings made each year <br />. since 1977 by mine personnel and other Literature on sharp-tail grouse densities. <br />Spring density of sharp-tailed grouse in the best habitats of Moffat and Routt <br />Counties is known to be as high as 11.6 birds per square mile in favorable years, <br />but probably averages closer to seven per square mile CRogers, 1969). Habitat is <br />restricted in the region, thus birds Found in the proposed mine plan area repre- <br />sent a significant population. <br />In Colorado, Moffat County is second to Routt County in numbers of sharp-tailed <br />grouse (Rogers, 1969). Four dancing grounds, ancestral locations where each <br />spring male sharp-tails gather to display and attract females, are known to exist <br />in Moffat County south of Craig. All four of these are at considerable distance <br />from the mining area. <br />4.0 Summary and Conclusions <br />Where areas are disturbed that have population limiting habitat for important <br />species of wildlife, a reclamation program should be designed to minimize impacts <br />• <br />-20- <br />