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Past and Present Condition of Range and Wildlife <br /> Resources in Coal Basin <br /> Coal Creek Basin has provided very good wildlife habitat throughout the <br /> 1900's. Habitats have been diverse, with mountain grassland, aspen, <br /> conifer, and oak vegetation abundant and in good juxtaposition with each <br /> other. Some riparian and alpine vegetation also contriubte to habitat <br /> diversity. While mining activity in the area over the past three decades <br /> has altered very little physical habitat, it has caused disturbance and <br /> displacement of some wildlife species which are particularly sensitive <br /> to human activities. Populations of elk, turkey, goshawk and deer are <br /> probably lower now than they would be if active mining were not occuring. <br /> Little historical information, and no quantitative data on historical <br /> wildlife population sizes, exist for Forest lands in the Coal Creek Basin. <br /> In general , the Crystal River area has seen the elk population steadily <br /> increase over the past several decades. Deer populations increased drama- <br /> tically in the 1950's through the mid-1960's, then declined, and are now <br /> increasing slowly. <br /> Termination of mining operations can have two general positive impacts on <br /> wildlife. Abandoned portals, roads, and staging areas can be put into <br /> primary production, and provide the physical habitat useful to many wild- <br /> life species. This would be a very small , but significant, increase in <br /> available habitat. The other, more important, impact can be a very sig- <br /> nificant reduction in human-related activity in Coal Basin. Such improved <br /> solitude conditions would permit increases of sensitive wildlife species ' <br /> populations. <br /> Range conditions have always been good in Coal Basin, except for areas of <br /> high natural erosion, and some small over-grazed areas dating to the early <br /> 1940's. Corrective management has improved range conditions since 1945, <br /> and present stocking levels are one-fourth lower than at that time. With <br /> management, range quality should improve in the future, but as a result of <br /> natural succession grasslands in Coal Basin are very slowly converting to <br /> aspen and conifer forests, therefore reducing the quantity of grassland <br /> range. <br /> II 34 <br /> - <br />