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in the northern part of the buffer zone, as an area of special <br /> environmental concern (Melany Zgabay pers. comm.). <br /> 2. Fort St. Vrain Nuclear Generating Station- The current management <br /> policy allows for continued leasing of the 2300-acre buffer zone around <br /> the station for grazing and agricultural activities. Natural gas exploration, <br /> hunting, and recreational activities are not prohibited, but these activities <br /> have occurred at only low levels historically (Ted Borst pers. comm.). <br /> 3. City of Boulder Open Space: Tracy Collins parcel- The Tracy Collins <br /> parcel is leased and managed for summer grazing in the spirit of <br /> preserving agricultural heritage and promoting ecologically sound <br /> agriculture (Mark Gershman pers. comm.). <br /> 4. City of Boulder Open Space: VanVleet parcel-The VanVleet parcel is <br /> leased for agricultural purposes, namely as a hayfield and winter pasture, <br /> in the same spirit as above (Mark Gershman pers. comm.). <br /> D. Future land use <br /> 1. Rocky Flats Plant-The future state of the Rocky Flats plant is unknown, <br /> as planning appears to be in a perpetual state of flux. The U.S. <br /> Department of Energy is planning on having the plant fully <br /> decommissioned and decontaminated sometime in the future. There is <br /> discussion of opening the land to economic development(Melany Zgabay <br /> pers. comm.). <br /> 2. Fort St. Vrain Nuclear Generating Station- In the next ten years or so, <br /> the Public Service Co. is planning to convert its plant from nuclear <br /> generation to a natural gas fired plant. They plan to continue operations <br /> and current land management policies,during the conversion process(Ted <br /> Borst pers comm.). <br /> 3. City of Boulder Open Space: Tracy Collins parcel- The City of <br /> Boulder Open Space Department is planning on maintaining its current <br /> land management policy on the Tracy Collins parcel, unless other Open <br /> Space goals become more important (Mark Gershman pers. comm.). <br /> 4. City of Boulder Open Space: VanVleet parcel- Same as above, but for <br /> the VanVleet parcel (Mario Gershman pers. comm.). <br /> 14. Evidence of threats to survival <br /> A.Present or threatened destruction,modification,or curtailment of habitat or range <br /> 1. Past threats- Assuming the affinity of Z. h. preblei for moist lowland <br /> habitat consisting of dense, grassy vegetation, it is reasonable to assume <br /> that much of the landscape of the western Colorado Piedmont, well <br /> northward into Wyoming, consisted of such habitat before the turn of the <br /> century. The advent of agriculture, with the conversion of moist <br /> grasslands into commercial,monocultural farmlands,probably eliminated <br /> a fair amount of viable habitat for this subspecies. The summer grazing <br /> of livestock in moist meadow and riparian habitats has probably played <br /> a significant role in reducing the amount of viable habitat for this <br /> subspecies. The development of irrigation systems to shunt water to <br /> farmlands, and away from other lands, may have left certain pockets of <br /> lands in a drier, unsuitable condition. Alternatively, irrigation may have <br /> also produced viable habitat where dikes and/or canals were constructed <br /> through dry,upland areas. It is more likely,however,that the inadvertent <br /> Fi SR 5m y <br /> Pi o ECS.I= <br /> Mush'1d IVYi ^� <br />