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snowshoe hare activity and for presence of lynx tracks. This area is dominated by aspen on with <br />pockets of spruce/fir. At other locations oak/mountain shrub is found and Ponderosa pine on The <br />Pines Mesa. Throughout this area snowshoe hare tracks were very limited with only a few being <br />encountered in areas where there was a spruce/fir component. Lynx tracks were not encountered <br />in this area. The only predator tracks encountered in the this were those of coyotes and they were <br />very limited. The lack of evidence of prey activity in the area was probably the reason predator <br />activity was so low. <br />Of interest during this study was the use patterns of coyotes in the area. For a number of years <br />many have held the position that coyotes will use packed snowmobile trails to gain access into <br />lynx habitat. Even though this area lacks both the habitat conditions and prey base to attract lynx <br />it was observed that coyotes rarely followed snowmobile trails. Because the same snowmobile <br />routes were used over a period of months during this study there was the opportunity to collect <br />data on the amount of coyote use of these trails. It was found that in most cases coyotes crossed <br />the packed trail at right angles or if they did follow the trail it was only for a short distance. Data <br />show that coyotes used the packed trails less than 5% of the time. <br />POTENTIAL EFFECTS AND RATIONALE <br />The project is located within the Mount Gunnison Lynx Analysis Unit (LAU). None of the <br />proposed roads or drill sites are located in areas that are mapped as suitable lynx denning or <br />wintering habitat by the USFS. There are existing or reclaimed roads in or adjacent to spruce-fir <br />stands along Deep Creek and the Dry Fork of Minnesota Creek. <br />Lynx habitat mapping found in the E-Seam Methane Drainage FEIS shows the project area as <br />having considerable acreages of other habitat (Figure 3). Most of the areas mapped as other are <br />aspen stands found in drainages. Data collected during the 2007-2008 winter surveys shows that <br />aspen stands are being used very little by snowshoe hares. During three years of tracks surveys <br />conducted by Monarch on Grand Mesa (Unpublished data) it was found that snowshoe hare track <br />numbers were always low in aspen habitat. <br />No Canada lynx occurrence has been formally documented within the proposed project area. <br />There is always the possibility that lynx could move through the project area, but the lack of <br />suitable habitat probably precludes this from happening. Foraging habitat is comprised of early <br />successional forest stands with high densities of shrubs and seedlings for prey species such as <br />snowshoe hare. Habitat within the project area is primarily Gambel oak/mountain shrub and <br />aspen. Within these habitat types an adequate suitable prey base for lynx is lacking. The large <br />areas of Gambel oak have not been mapped as suitable lynx habitat by the USFS. Some of the <br />larger aspen stands at higher elevations have been mapped as other habitat, but data collected <br />during this study showed that an adequate prey base is lacking in these areas. The small pockets <br />of spruce-fir in the drainages do not provide conditions suitable for denning and very limited <br />winter habitat. There are large expanses of spruce-fir at higher elevations around the base of <br />Mount Gunnison that may provide suitable denning conditions. However, these areas are <br />16