2008-03-04_GENERAL DOCUMENTS - M2004009

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Env/ronm~nt~/ Fr tngln~ering February 27, 2008 FZEC~IVE® e.nv/rcnmenta/ Support for:. Mr. Rob Laird Asphalt Specialties 1.0100 Dallas St. Henderson, CO 80640-8491 -MAR 0 4 2008 Division of ~teclamation, Mining and Safety Re: Bald Eagle Roosting Study at Turnpike Mining Resource Dear Mr. Laird: • Transportat/an • Land Dsvs/upmant • MINng • Industry - This letter presents the results, of a study to determine if a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) communal wir;.ter roost site is present at the Turnpike Mining Resource Site in Weld County, Colorado. As described below, Weiland, Inc. found no evidence _ that abald eagle communal winter roost site is present on the Turnpike Mining Resource Site. - Communal winter roost sites are used by, several bald eagles on a nightly basis during the winter (Steenhoff, 197$;. 1~1ost definitions of roost sites state that they should be used . continuously for, at least iwo weeks to be considered a roost site. The winter~season. is defined as November 15 through 1l~iarch 1 c (Craig, 2002). Winter communal roost sites are usually large trees in areas that are protected from the wind (Steen_hoff, 1978). Eagles tend to leave communal w inter roost sites in the morning at first light and return to. them in the evening just as it is getting dark. The methodology described below is based on this information. There are tln-ee large cottonwood (Populus deltoides) trees on the Turnpike Mining Resource site. None of the three trees are sheltered from the wind. Two of the trees are approximately 1400 ft north ~f the gate and just east of the entrance road. The third is adjacent to'the property boundary oast and slightly south of the first two (Figure 1). This third tree is adjacent.to property owned by the Shell family. Bald eagles have been observed in each to these trees during the day. Other trees on the site are not large enough to qualify as bald Eagle communal winter roost sites. All three trees can be viewed from the entrance to the site from State Highway 52. Methods Weiland, Inc.'s biologist visited the site om a weekly basis from December 11, 2006 through. March 8, 2007. If bald eagles were observed, and were still present when the observer concluded observations for the day, the observer returned within two days to determine whether the trees were being used on a nightly basis. The first visit was early in the. morning. Subsequent visits were in the evening. Evening visits were preferred -because it was easier to tell if a bald eagle or other raptor was r~0 r?ox 1921, Lyons CO 80540 - ' ph 303-823-0951 fax 303-823-0958