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Expanded Survey Area <br />• A complete listing of all wildlife observations made during the aerial survey is given in <br />Appendix I. Big game observations are also illustrated on Exhibit 1. A total of 679 elk <br />(7.6 /mil) in 38 herds were seen during the survey. Three herds of mule deer (24 animals) <br />were also observed. Additional animals recorded included: nine sharp-tailed grouse, three <br />coyotes (Canis latrans), three bobcats (Lytix rufusJ, two golden eagles, and one bald eagle <br />{Haliaeetus leucocephalus). <br />Elk occurred as lone individuals and in herds of as many as 137 animals; average herd <br />size was 17.9 animals. Elk were widely distributed over the area, but were notably absent <br />from the north-central and southeast edge of the area; elk were sparse in the southwest and <br />extreme northwest corners of the area (Exhibit 1). The predominant habitat types in those <br />portions of the survey area, except in the southwest, are agricultural fields and flat grasslands. <br />Three herds were observed on the Seneca II permit area, two herds were seen on Yoast, and no <br />elk were recorded on the Seneca II-W permit area. <br />Ninety-eight percent of the elk seen (668) were in mountain brush habitat. A few elk <br />• were also seen in sagebrush-grassland (7) and reclaimed grassland (4). <br />PRES has surveyed the expanded area seven times: in December 1994, each January <br />from 1995 through 1998, and in February 1999 and 2000. The very low density recorded <br />during the December 1994 survey {Figure 1) was probably due to poor ground conditions <br />(patchy snow cover) and the use of a fixed-wing aircraft for the survey. Both of those factors <br />affected the observers' ability to detect animals and resulted in under counting. Considerably <br />more elk were seen a month later, January 1995, when the area was surveyed from a <br />helicopter. Observed elk density in January 1996 was substantially greater than the densities <br />recorded during previous surveys. Snowfall from the onset of winter through January 1996 <br />was considerably greater than in other years. Excessive snow probably pushed more animals <br />out of the higher elevations of the Williams Fork Mountains and north into the survey area in <br />January 1996. Both snowpack and elk density were relatively low during surveys in 1997, <br />1999, and 2000. Although snow fall was also minimal during winter 1997-1998, the density of <br />elk in the area during January 1998 was the second highest ever observed. <br />• <br />2000 Seneca li Mine Wildlife Monitoring Page 4 <br />