2010-11-16_PERMIT FILE - C1996083A (27)

Home Browse Search

I • J.E. Stover & Associates, Inc December 6, 2006 Page 4 Impact Evaluations The following is an impact evaluation for three species determined to potentially occur within the mine boundary area (bald eagle, Canada lynx, and boreal toad) and four endangered fish species whose downstream critical habitat is affected by water depletions in the North Fork River drainage (bonytail, humpback chub, razorback sucker, and Colorado pikeminnow). Other species listed in Table 1 but not evaluated here were eliminated based on lack of suitable habitat within the mine permit boundary or because their known ranges are documented to lie well outside the mine boundary or its immediate vicinity. Bald eaale The bald eagle was listed as endangered in the conterminous U.S. by USFWS in 1967. Loss of habitat, shooting for feathers, and widespread use of the pesticide DDT are all thought to have contributed to the decline of this species; only 417 pairs were surveyed in the conterminous U.S. in 1963,14 down from several hundred thousand before the arrival of Europeans on this continent. Since domestic use of DDT was banned in 1972, bald eagle populations have increased dramatically, Heady doubling every 8 years. Approximately 6,500 pairs of bald eagles were recorded in the conterminous U.S. in 2000. In 2001, 45 resident pairs were recorded in Colorado, up from 11 pairs in 1990.14 The bald eagle was down-listed to threatened in 1995 at Federal Register 60(133):35999-36010, and proposed for de-listing in 1999 at Federal Register 64(128):36453-36464. On February 16, 2006, USFWS reopened the public comment period on • delisting the bald eagle in the lower 48 states at Federal Register 71(32):8238-8251 and indicated that the bald eagle is considered recovered. No critical habitat has been designated for bald eagles. Bald eagles prefer coastal areas, rivers, or lakeshores with tall diurnal perches. In Colorado, bald eagles are rare summer breeders and common winter residents primarily in mountain parks and western river valleys.t5 During the night, wintering bald eagles roost in tall trees, or occasionally, cliffs,16 up to 20 miles from foraging areas." Bald eagles may select night roosts that offer protection from winter winds and where thermoclines provide warmer temperatures than foraging areas."''s In daytime, eagles make foraging flights from night roosts, alighting on the ground to capture prey or feed on carrion and frequently resting in tall trees or, less commonly, on manmade structures. Fidelity to night roosts is low." The south third of the Bowie #2 mine permit area lies within bald eagle winter foraging range and a bald eagle winter concentration area mapped by CDOW in the North Fork River corridor. A CDOW- mapped bald eagle roost site exists within a quarter mile east of the mine boundary, in the North Fork River bottom. Bald eagles may forage for rodents across the open agricultural fields and fragmented shrublands of the south portion of the mine permit area. The southern extents of the mine permit area features rimrock ledges and several tall cottonwoods that may provide attractive hunting roosts or roosts for bald eagles. However, given the high-quality habitat available to bald "Monarch and Associates & Michael Ward Outdoors. 2004. Iron Point Gukh 2004 expbration license: wildlife habitat evaluations and inventory for T&E species, sensitive species and management intlicator species. Prepared for Bowie Resources LTD. "USFWS. 2006. Population data for the bald eagle. Available at htlD~l/midwest.fws.govleaglel. Accessed March 3. 's Andrews, R. and R. Righter. 1992. Colorado Birds. Denver: Denver Museum of Natural History. 442 pp. 'e Buehler, D. A. 2000. Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). In The Birds of North America, No. 506 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Acatlemy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, antl the American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. • " Moynahan, Brendan (BLM Grand Junction Field Office Wildlife Biologist). 2006. Personal communication with Dawn Reeder (Rare Earth Science, LLC), March 8. ® Rare Earth Science, LLC