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1 Black-Cootcd Fertet Report Dove Flats Project <br />a ferret had been present and moving above ground since snowfall terminated, it would have <br />' been detected. <br />5.2 NOCTURNAL SURVEYS <br />' On August 7-10, 1994, survey crews spent 71 hours, 59 minutes (29 hrs., 43 min. in vehicles <br />and 42 hrs., 16 min. on foot) searching 1,212.0 acres of mostly active prairie dog habitat in <br />' Dowe Flats for black-footed ferrets. Table 1 summarizes survey coverage. The 3 survey <br />areas, which encompass the entire study area, were each surveyed 12-17 times over the 3 <br />night survey period, totalling 381.59 miles (256.48 miles in vehicles and 125,11 miles on foot). <br />' Pedestrian and vehicular transect coverage for survey areas 1,2, and 3, totalled 87.55 miles, <br />177.75 miles, and 116.29 miles, respectively. Figure 4 illustrates general survey routes <br />' through the prairie dog distribution. No evidence of black-footed ferrets was detected. <br />' Although survey coverage was oriented toward a 1,212 acre prairie dog distribution mapped <br />on April 1, 1994, active towns probably totalled < 800 acres as a result of plague, first <br />detected in the valley in April, 1994. Between April 1 and May 23, the overall prairie dog <br />' distribution had been reduced 171.0 acres by plague, with a more drastic reduction of prairie <br />dog numbers. Virtually all prairie dogs in survey area 1 had been killed by plague at the <br />' time of the ferret surveys. <br />' A mean survey coverage statistic was derived by dividing total survey time by the acreage <br />of prairie dog habitat surveyed. At 1,212 acres of prairie dog towns, survey coverage <br />averaged 5.9 hours/ 100 acres of prairie dog habitat (( 72 hrs./ 1,212 ac.) x 100). <br />Based on this survey coverage, it is highly probable that if any ferrets were present within <br />' Dowe Flats at the time of the surveys, they would have been detected. It is, therefore, <br />concluded that black-footed ferrets were not present in Dowe Flats during August 7-10, <br />' 1994. Furthermore, since Dowe Flats represents the largest block of prairie dog habitat in <br />this general area, and since any ferrets present in this general area should have been drawn <br />' to this substantial prey base, the apparent absence of ferrets in Dowe Flats suggests that <br />they are also absent in the surrounding area. <br /> <br />r~ <br />L <br />1 <br />During surveys, weather was fair and typical for the time of year. Temperatures at the <br />beginning and end of surveys ranged from 70-52°F. Skies were clear or mostly clear on the <br />first and third nights. With the exception of 3 brief (i.e., 1-2 min. each), light showers on <br />Western Ecosystems, Inc ]Q November, 1994 <br />