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INTRODUCTION <br />At the request of Halliburton, WestWater Engineering (WWE) conducted a biological <br />survey on a portion of the Halliburton property near Cameo in Mesa County <br />GENERAL PROJECT AND HABITAT DESCRIPTION <br />The property is located along the Colorado River near the Cameo power plant. The site <br />was an active coal handling facility from 1978 to 1999 and has been in active reclamation <br />since 1999. Halliburton recently purchased the property from Snowcap Coal Company <br />and is constructing storage facilities at the site. <br />Wildlife, wetlands, and weeds were evaluated in 2009 by Walsh Environmental Scientists <br />and Engineers, LLC (2009), and WestWater Engineering (2009a, 2009b, 2009c). In <br />2010, WWE concentrated on an area of natural vegetation located in the southeast corner <br />of the site (Figure 1). This area once contained settling ponds but is now a cottonwood <br />grove with a wetland on the southwest end. <br />METHODS <br />This latest evaluation was conducted March 25, 2010. WWE biologists determined <br />species diversity and estimated proportion of cover by native plant species versus exotics. <br />Wildlife use was estimated by noting tracks, scats, and other sign. Randomly selected <br />cottonwood trees were measured to determine trunk diameter at breast height (DBH) in <br />order to estimate age distribution of the stand. <br />Biologists also checked the status of Cooper's Hawk nest at the site (cover photo). The <br />nest was first observed by WWE April 27, 2009, during a wetland delineation of the <br />property. There were no signs of activity near this nest at that time. As part of a <br />biosurvey for Halliburton, Walsh Environmental Scientists and Engineers, LLC, reported <br />on the Iocation of this nest June 9 -10, 2009, but made no determination as to its status. <br />WWE biologists, at the request of Halliburton, surveyed this nest July 15, 2009 to <br />ascertain its status and to determine how it could be affected by planned activities at the <br />site. WWE concluded that the nest had not been active in 2009, but agreed to conduct <br />annual monitoring. US Fish and Wildlife Service concurred. <br />RESULTS <br />Total tree cover at the site, as digitized from a recent aerial photo, is 2.75 ac. Rio Grande <br />cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. wislizenii) makes up approximately 85 percent of <br />the tree cover at the site. The exotic species Siberian elm (Ubnus purnila) and Russian <br />olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) make up the remainder. <br />Trunk diameter measurements show that the cottonwood stand is composed of several <br />age classes with regular regeneration (photo 1). DBH ranges from 0.1 to 1.7 ft. with most <br />trunks measuring 0.8 -0.10 ft. Height of the largest trees is approximately 60 ft. <br />WestWater Engineering Pagel of 8 April 2010 <br />