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West Elk Mine
<br />Goshawks remain in the area in winter, and may occur periodically in the permit area
<br />outside of the nesting season.
<br />Olive-sided flycatchers are neo-tropical migrants nesting in coniferous forests and
<br />woodlands with adequate snags, often near water (Altman and Sallabanks, 2000). This
<br />species nests in the North Fork watershed (Kingery, 1998), and probably occurs in the
<br />permit area as summer breeders and spring and fall migrants.
<br />Lewis's woodpeckers are yearlong residents in Colorado that migrate attitudinally,
<br />common up to 7,000 feet and rarer at higher elevations (Andrews and Righter, 1992). Nest
<br />sites are usually in riparian cottonwood woodlands (I{ingery, 1998). Lewis's woodpeckers
<br />winter in areas of abundant mast, such as oak woodlands or agricultural areas. Lewis's
<br />woodpeckers nest in the North Fork watershed (Kingery, 1998) and may breed or winter in
<br />the permit area in lower riparian forests in open stands of narrowleaf cottonwood and
<br />conifers with abundant snags.
<br />Purple martins are neotropical migrants, in Colorado nesting in edges of aspen stands,
<br />usually near water. Purple martins breed in the North Fork watershed (Kingery, 1998),
<br />and may nest in the permit area.
<br />Tiger salamanders are found in virtually all non-flowing aquatic habitats in Colorado
<br />(Hammerson, 1999). They prefer mud-bottomed ponds, lakes, and reservoirs for breeding
<br />and larval stages, and adult tiger salamanders occur on land in dense vegetation or under
<br />debris, sometimes a considerable distance from water. Tiger salamanders occur in the
<br />North Fork Gunnison River watershed (Hammerson, 1999), and populations have been
<br />identified in the permit area (Wang, 2002). According to the USFS, (Jim Lefever, USFS,
<br />personal communication, 2004), the tiger salamander is no longer on the sensitive species
<br />list.
<br />Northern leopard frogs occur in the North Fork Gunnison River downstream from the
<br />permit area (Hammerson, 1999), typically in ponds and still water areas but sometimes in
<br />intermittent streams (A. Wang, USFS, personal communication 2003).
<br />Spotted bats occur in widely scattered locations from low desert to montane coniferous
<br />forests usually below 8,000 feet elevation (Watkins, 1977). Spotted bats are apparently rare
<br />in Colorado (Fitzgerald et al., 1994; Armstrong et al., 1984), with only a few records from
<br />canyon country of Montezuma and Moffat counties. Canyons and cliffs provide important
<br />roosting sites, especially near riparian areas. Spotted bats are not known to occur in the
<br />permit area, but cliffs may provide suitable roosting habitat for spotted bats.
<br />Townsend's big-eared bats occur in most of Colorado and the West, normally below 9,6D0 feet in
<br />elevation (Fitzgerald et al., 1994; Armstrong et al., 1984). Roosting colonies aze in caves,
<br />mineshafts, and other man-made structures. The species forages over most habitat types except
<br />dense coniferous forests (Armstrong et al., 1984). Suitable roost and maternity sites are not
<br />present within the permit azea, and it is unlikely that this species occurs as a local resident.
<br />•
<br />2.04-180 Revised November 2004 PRl0
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