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Coal Methane Drainage Projee!- Panelr 16-24 Wert E!k Mine • PaRe 3-22 single most important areas for wildlife. This alternative removes this habitat for approximately 30 years. Constmction of road in the WIZ in Box Canyon and the East Fork of Sylvester Gulch would compromise these areas effectiveness as wildlife habitat for the project duration and as long as it takes for restoration of pre-disturbance conditions. The 9 proposed drill pads and 1.2 miles of associated road construction in these narrow valleys would affect riparian habitat values in essentially the entire drainage. Negative effects would be most pronounced for breeding bird species. ATV access for administrative use in Box Canyon (0.9 miles), Upper Deep Creek (0.5 miles), and the East Fork of Sylvester Gulch (0.3 miles) for MDW and ground water monitoring, would compromise the recovery of these areas to natural conditions and increase the potential for unauthorized ATV access. Project-related water use may adversely affect the Colorado River endangered fish species. Water withdrawals related to the project for drilling, dust control, and road construction have been estimated to be 7.1 acre-feet per year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers any depletion to the Upper Colorado River Basin as potentially contributing to impacts on the endangered fish species. The USFS will comply with the reasonable and prudent alternatives issued in the Intra-Service Biological Opinion on Mazch 5, 1995 to mitigate water depletion. The potential effects of the proposed action on bald eagles and wintering habitat along the North Fork Gunnison River would be limited to increased water use and mine dewatering. The estimated water withdrawal needs for this project is 7.1 acre-feet per year. The duration of this impact would be 7 years. Water withdrawal associated with this project represents a relatively small depletion in flow in the North Fork Gunnison River. There aze approximately 48 acres of suitable willow riparian habitat for the southwest willow flycatcher within the project area. Surface disturbances associated with the project would not directly affect this azea. The Minnesota Creek Dry Fork road (FR 711), however, parallels the area and an increase in traffic on this road may increase sediment into the area, reducing or compromising existing willow habitat. Sediment and dust control measures on this section of road would reduce these effects. The smaller pockets of aspen habitat adjacent to oak typical of the project area aze not preferred goshawk nesting habitat. Coopers' hawks, red-tail hawks, sharp shinned hawks, and great-horned owls do, however, utilize this type of aspen habitat for nesting. Nest sites of forest-associated raptors would be impacted by direct loss or indirectly by adjacent human disturbance during the nesting season. Clearing of trees, especially aspen would also result in the loss of snags that provide possible cavity nest sites for purple martin and hairy woodpecker. Snags also represent potential preferred perch sites for the olive-sided flycatcher at forest edges. Clearing of cottonwoods in lower drainage areas would result in loss of Lewis' woodpecker nesting habitat. There would be no disturbance of important habitats for the Townsend's big-eazed bat, and spotted bat. Caves, old mines, and areas of rock outcrop suitable Eor roost, hibernation, or maternity sites for these species would not be affected by the proposed surface disturbances. Due to the lack of large blocks of suitable denning and winter foraging habitat, use of the project area by Canada lynx would be limited to occasional transitory animals. Project implementation would not result in losses of denning or winter foraging habitat or fragment blocks of suitable lynx habitat. The forested and woodland riparian areas of drainages in the project area may provide travel cover linking low elevation areas to higher elevation lynx habitat of the West Elk Wilderness azea. The drilling and monitoring activities proposed may slighdy alter movement patterns of transitory animals but are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of this species. Environmental Atrarment YSY'Pl.Ilw~u. 4YG/E.r/Orfl3/Q03EI UIFS /5/o.a