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L <br />in the Nucla study area (Map 11 -2, Appendix A). An extensive burrow by <br />burrow sParCh for black- footed ferrets and their sign (e.g., trenching <br />and scats) was conducted in late May, 1979. A total of 123 burrows encom- <br />passing approximately 16 acres were systematically searched. No black - <br />footed ferrets or their sign were observed on the study area. <br />The gray wolf formerly occurred overmuch of the United States. Due to <br />widespread habitat destruction and human harassment, the gray wolf in <br />Colorado is limited to a few captive individuals (1X1, n.d.) . No gray <br />. wolves have been reported in this area of Colorado. <br />A number of whooping cranes have been hatched and raised by sandhill crane <br />foster parents in USFWS experimental program at Gray's lake National Wild- <br />life Refuge, southeast Idaho. This is an ongoing program at Gray's Lake <br />and the USFWS placed approximately 20 whooping crane eggs in sandhill <br />crane nests in the spring of 1979; 6 have survived to date (personal cosm- <br />unication, 1979, Mr. Philip Lehenbauer, USFWS). Since some of the whooping <br />cranes raised in this experimental program have remained associated with <br />their foster parents, suitable habitat within the range of greater sandhill <br />cranes must also be considered potential whooping crane summer habitat. <br />Although no greater sandhill crane habitat exists on the Nucla study area, <br />the Miguel River Valley about 8 miles west of the study area may be used for <br />migration. However, to date, no whooping cranes have been reported with <br />greater sandhill cranes in this area of Colorado. <br />IMPORTANT WILDLIFE HABITAT <br />For the purposes of this study, important wildlife habitat can be defined <br />by two criteria: habitat critical to the support of important wildlife <br />species (i.e., threatened or endangered animals or other vertebrates prot- <br />ected by state or federal law and certain game animals) and habitats <br />offering both environmental and vegetative situations which contribute <br />to maximun wildlife diversity for the region . , The mule deer and the ri n ;r- <br />necked pheasant are the only important sper:ies that occur near the study <br />-69- <br />JUN 1 i ¶9aQ <br />