Laserfiche WebLink
• <br />• <br />• <br />5) During maintenance of roads established patches of noxious weeds will be <br />avoided to reduce the spread down the road corridor and potentially into none <br />disturbed land. <br />Cumulative Impacts - Within the watershed the proposed coal exploration would impact <br />a very small acreage that would be reclaimed quickly. Although the exploration may contribute <br />to the incremental spread of noxious and invasive plant species, with mitigation in place, it is not <br />expected to be a major contributor to the spread of these noxious and invasive species. <br />No Action Alternative - There would be no coal exploration activity and, therefore, no <br />impact on the distribution and abundance of noxious and invasive non-native species. <br />Finding on the Public Land Health Standard for plant and animal communities <br />(partial, see also Wildlife, Aquatic; Wildlife, Terrestrial; and Vegetation): With the implementation of <br />mitigating measures, BLM lands in the exploration license area would continue to meet Land <br />Health Standard 3. <br />THREATENED, ENDANGERED, AND SENSITIVE SPECIES (includes a finding on Standard 4) <br />Affected Environment: Affected Environment: There have been some minor changes in <br />the Threatened and Endangered species list since the 2005 Spruce Stomp EA. For this analysis <br />the species for listed by the USFWS for Delta County (USFWS 2010a) and the Uncompahgre <br />Field Office list of Special Status Species (BLM 2010b) were used to develop the list shown in <br />Table 8. <br />Greenback cutthroat trout have been found in the West Fork of Terror Creek, the East Fork of <br />Terror Creek, and the upstream portion of Terror Creek. The species has been documented on <br />USFS, BLM and private lands. There are an estimated 151 to 400 greenback cutthroat trout per <br />mile within the reaches sampled by USFS (Carrillo 2010). There is no designated Critical <br />Habitat for this species. <br />The Endangered Colorado River fish are not present on site, but water depletions associated with <br />proposed CEL activities could cause off-site impacts to the endangered fish and their critical <br />habitat in the lower Gunnison River and Colorado River (USFWS 1994). <br />USFS Sensitive Species: The description of USFS Sensitive Species present on the proposed <br />project area remains the same as described in the 2005 Spruce Stomp EA. <br />BLM Sensitive Species: The Uncompahgre Field Office utilizes the Sensitive Species list <br />shown in Table 9 (BLM 2010b). <br />Table 8: Endangered, Threatened, and Candidate Species; Uncompahgre Field Office <br />CUn1mdu Name T Scientific xmc <br />`Status <br />Presence in the analysis nA ea <br />Black-footed ferret Mustela ni i es E, SE No suitable habitat on the license tract. <br />Canada lynx Lynx canadensis T, SE Present on Grand Mesa, may be present on the <br />license tractsporadically. <br />Mexicanspotted owl Strix occidental, T, ST Not resent, no suitable habitat <br />DOI-BLM-CO-5050-2010- 0017 EA <br />Page 22 of 43 <br />May 2010