2007-07-01_REVISION - C1980007 (2)

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Table 4 MANAGEMENT INDICATOR SPECIES Project Name: Mountain Coal Company E-Seam Project Baseline Wildlife Surveys Species Status Habitat Present Species Present Terrestrial vertebrates: Elk MIS Yes Yes bert's Squirrel MIS No No American marten MIS Yes Yes Northern goshawk MIS Yes Yes erriam's Wild Turkey MIS Yes Yes Red-naped sapsucker MIS Yes Yes [Brewer's sparrow MIS No No Common trout MIS No No 1. Common trout include Colorado River cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, brook trout and brown trout. DETERMINATION OF EFFECTS AND RATIONALE ' Elk: Elk populations within the analysis area move seasonally to and from higher to lower elevation habitat. Shifts in distribution and habitat use patterns occur as a result of elevational migration in response to snow cover. However, observations of elk during ' this and other studies indicate that a few elk probably remain in the area year around. Although cows with calves were observed, no elk production areas were specifically identified in the project area. These cows and calves were observed in aspen and mountain shrub in the Dry Fork and Deep Creek drainages. There are several hundred acres in the area elk could use for calving habitat. There are also large expanses of suitable calving habitat at higher elevations in the forest. An unknown number of acres of habitat will be disturbed by road and well site construction. Habitat in this area is aspen and mountain shrub of which there are several thousand acres. When considering total amount of year around habitat in the area available to elk, loss of very small amount of habitat means there is little chance elk will be adversely affected by the project. In addition, the area already receives a high amount of human activity from early summer through late fall. Thus, elk in the area have habituated to the presence of vehicular and human activity and the noise associated with both. 26