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chance occurrence as none of the habitat at this site is considered uali habitat for an of these <br />~ q ~ y <br />species. This is a very dry location with no neazby water thus, eliminating the possibility of <br />amphibians occurring at this site. Potential impacts to fisheries would not be a concern at these <br />sites. <br />Raptors <br />There are two possible azeas that raptors could use for nesting within 1/2 mile of the roads and <br />drill sites: the Dove Ponderosa pine plantation and cliffs in nearby drainages. The plantation was <br />surveyed for raptor nesting activity, but no nests were located. The young age class of the trees, <br />height and spacing make this azea less than optimum as raptor nesting habitat. Rock outcrops in <br />Hubbard Creek, Dove Gulch and Sheep Corral drainages were all checked for nesting activity, but <br />no nest sites were located. <br />Gob Hole GVB-D-8-C and Access Road Habitat Survey <br />This site is located in the bottom of a drainage adjacent to riparian habitat. Because of the <br />location habitat conditions are different here than at any other site surveyed. Also, portions of the <br />access road both above and below the site parallel the riparian area. There aze a few aspens <br />within the riparian azea that are part of a larger stand extending to the top of the hill south of the <br />site. There is a shrub understory comprised primarily of serviceberry, alder and mountain maple. <br />There are dense stands of both grasses and forbs along the drainage. <br />_ ` In addition to the riparian habitat there is a small spring fed pond approximately 200 yards up <br />drainage from the drill site. This pond does provide suitable habitat for amphibians during the wet <br />season, but the spring may not pmduce enough water during the dry months to maintain the <br />impoundment. If the pond does remain at least partially full it could provide suitable habitat for <br />amplibians and also serve as a water source for other wildlife. <br />The Iazge aspen stand on the north facing slope is old with even aged trees extending to 70+ feet <br />in height. There is an understory of shrubs with alder and mountain maple being the most common <br />species. l:n some moist azeas stands of these shrubs aze very dense. The openness and location of <br />the stand does not appear to provide suitable nesting habitat for species such as accipiters. There <br />aze a number of dead snags within the stand which would provide a number of suitable locations <br />for cavity nesting birds. During all surveys there was an abundance of activity within the stand by <br />woodpeckers and it must be assumed they are taking advantage of the available nest sites. There <br />was one tree near the road where a northern flicker was observed in the hole on one occasion. <br />However, there was no activity observed at this nest site on subsequent surveys. <br />Potential impacts to the. riparian habitat from road construction aze expected to be minimal as this <br />_ is an old road comdor and will only require minor cleanup work. Properly done there both the <br />road and site can be constructed with minimal impacts to important components within the <br />riparian community. <br />9 <br />