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WILDLIFE RESOURCES ASSESSMENT <br />MORTON LAKES PROPERTY <br />WELD COUNTY, COLORADO <br />• <br />area is heavily disturbed by agriculture and contains no active prairie dog colonies, <br />eagles would likely be attracted to the project area primarily by the presence of fish and <br />waterfowl on Big Dry Creek and the presence of large trees for perching. The majority <br />of cottonwood trees along Big Dry Creek are outside of the proposed mine footprint. <br />These trees would continue to provide perching habitat for eagles and other raptor <br />species. <br />The proposed project would likely reduce eagle perching over the short term in areas <br />near the active mine stage, but adequate perch sites would be available in areas not <br />actively mined. Thus, the proposed project would not likely adversely affect the bald <br />eagle and no action is necessary. <br />Western Burrowing Owl <br />Species Background <br />The western burrowing owl (burr-owing owl) is a small migrant owl listed by the State <br />of Colorado as a threatened species and federally protected under the MBTA. Primary <br />threats to the burrowing owl include habitat loss and fragmentation, anthropogenic <br />sources of mortality such as vehicular collisions, and loss of wintering grounds, largely in <br />Mexico (McDonald et al. 2004). <br />Potential Habitat and Possible Effects <br />In general, burrowing owls are found in grasslands with vegetation less than 4 inches <br />high and a relatively large proportion of bare ground (Gillihan and Hutchings 2000). In <br />Colorado, burrowing owls are usually associated with black-tailed prairie dog colonies <br />(Kingery 1998; Andrews and Righter 1992). More than 70 percent of sightings reported <br />by Colorado Breeding Bird Atlasers were in prairie dog colonies (Kingery 1998). <br />Burrowing owls usually arrive on their breeding grounds around mid-March to early <br />April and remain until September (Haug and Oliphant 1990). Burrowing owls are <br />present in Colorado between March 1 and October 31, with breeding from mid-April to <br />early/mid-August (Andrews and Righter 1992; Kingery 1998). The CDOW suggests <br />conducting burrowing owl clearance surveys in prairie dog towns that are subject to <br />poisoning and/or construction projects between March 1 and October 31. No prairie dog <br />• <br />IRO <br />13 Resources <br />Corporation