2009-08-24_PERMIT FILE - C1994082

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• Small Mammals end Songbirds. In the short term, the primary impact of mining at Yoest will be to remove habitat end displace numerous songbirds and small mammals. Baseline studies showed that the habitat with the greatest avian end mammal diversity at Yoast is bottomland. Sagebrush habitat exhibited the lowest diversity. Mountain brush and aspen bird and mammal communities were intermediate in richness. Mining will not affect much bottomland, so the wealthiest habitat will not be greatly impacted. In the long term, habitat alteration will be the primary impact on bird and small mammal communities. Mining and reclamation will replace mountain brush and aspen with ~~ predominantly grass-forb-shrub dominated habitats. The structural diversity of reclaimed habitats will be lower than those of mountain brush and aspen. This will cause reduction in avian species diversity on some mined areas. The same will probably be true for small mammals. This impact will be offset by the substantially increased spatial habitat diversity due to the alterations of native habitat in reclaimed areas. Soecies of Ili gh Federal or State Interest. Only two Federally or State listed threatened, endangered, or candidate wildlife species were found to occur in the vicinity of the Yoast • permit area (Tab 11). These were the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse and the greater sandhill crane. The sharp-tailed grouse is considered endangered by the State of Colorado and is a candidate for federal listing. The impact assessment for this species was discussed in the Game Bird section of this tab. The greater sandhill crane is considered endangered by the State of Colorado. Potential impacts to this species are discussed below. The Yoast permit area, including the haul road corridor, is included within the overall range of the greeter sandhill crane (Tab 11). There are no known sandhill crane nesting areas within or proximate to [he permit area. The nearest nesting area is approximately one mile west of the haul road portion of the permit area. Thus, no direct or indirect impacts to breeding habitat will occur as a result of the Yoast Mine. During baseline studies, wildlife biologists observed greeter sandhill cranes loafing and feeding in agricultural fields, improved pasture, end bottomlands in the vicinity of the haul road corridor portion of the permit area (Tab 11). By the time the lowland areas dried out in late spring, most of the birds had dispersed. One pair was observed • regularly along a drainage approximately 0.25 miles northeast of the permit area in Section 9, but nesting was not documented. It appears that suitable loafing and feeding habitat exi sts east end west of the permit area (i.e., haul road corridor). 7 Revised 06/18/95