Laserfiche WebLink
treatments discussed earlier should help draw the animals away from the revege- <br /> tated areas. In addition, the seeding of shrubs between clumps or strips of <br /> mature shrubs may be delayed until an area of at least 200 contiguous acres are <br /> ready for seeding. This will dilute the impact of wildlife use and promote the <br /> survival potential of shrubs. Plummer et al. (1968) reported that if 500 or <br /> more acres were reseeded at a time on big. game range in Utah that the use was <br /> sufficiently diluted to allow plants to establish. For the Trapper "mine, it <br /> would take too long for 500 contiguous acres to become available. Moreover, s ome <br /> protection will be afforded seedlings during critical use periods by the s now <br /> that generally accumulates on the north facing slope on which Trapper Mine is <br /> located. Therefore, the 200 acre criteria in combination with improvements to <br /> draw animals away from newly revegetated areas is considered a reasonable s ite <br /> specific compromise. <br />If however, depredation of newly revegetated areas becomes too severe, deer and <br />elk restrictive fencing or repellents will be considered to protect the critical <br />revegetated areas. Before implementation of these measures, plans and informa- <br />tion will be provided to the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Division for consul- <br />tation, <br />Watering Sites <br />As mining progresses, stockwater ponds currently established within the mining <br />area will be destroyed. These ponds coupled with a few springs and seeps are <br />important watering areas for deer and elk during the summer and fall months. <br />Reestablishment of stockwater ponds is discussed in Section 4.2.2 of the applica- <br />tion while reestablishment of springs and seeps is discussed in Section 4.8. <br />Sediment control ponds, which are in existence during the mining operation, pro- <br />vide new and useful interim watering sites for animals during mining. <br />4.6.2.2 Game Birds <br />Sage Grouse <br />The sage grouse (Centrocercus uronhasianus) population within the mine plan is <br />0111 0 relatively small with no strutting grounds located within the mine plan area <br />(Section 2.4). Sage grouse will suffer some loss of. habitat due to mining and <br />4-158 21982