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Wildlife Information
<br />EXHIBIT H
<br />To evaluate potential wildlife habitat impacts from the proposed operation, information was
<br />gathered from the Natural Diversity Information Source (NDIS) as well as the ERO Resources
<br />Corporation report, Biological Report Flatirons Property — City of Greeley, Weld County,
<br />Colorado (November 2011). The NDIS combines plant and animal abundance data from the
<br />Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) and other Colorado natural resource agencies to be used
<br />for land -use analyses and decisions. The CDOW was also contacted directly in 1987, and at that
<br />time, supplied comments pertaining to wildlife species and habitat.
<br />The proposed amendment area is an existing mine site with additional mining activities on
<br />adjacent properties. The site contains a mixture of open water, riparian, wetland, and upland
<br />habitats consisting of native and introduced vegetation. Upland areas consist primarily of
<br />revegetated areas previously disturbed by mining while stands of cottonwood, willow, and other
<br />riparian and wetland vegetation are found along the Cache la Poudre River and lake shorelines.
<br />There are no known federally threatened, endangered, or candidate species within the proposed
<br />site boundary. Federally threatened, endangered, or candidate species that could potentially be
<br />found in Weld County or that could potentially be affected by projects in Weld County include
<br />the Preble's meadow jumping mouse, interior least tern, Mexican piping plover, whooping crane,
<br />pallid sturgeon, Colorado butterfly plant, Ute ladies'- tresses orchid, and the western prairie
<br />fringed orchid. Of these species, suitable habitat exists only for the Ute ladies'- tresses orchid.
<br />Although the riparian corridor along the Poudre River and the wetlands around the gravel pits
<br />have the potential to support a population of these orchids, no Ute ladies'- tresses orchids have
<br />been observed or documented within the proposed site boundary.
<br />Colorado state threatened, endangered, and species of concern that could potentially be found in
<br />Weld County or that could potentially be affected by projects in Weld County include the black -
<br />tailed prairie dog, Northern river otter, swift fox, American peregrine falcon, bald eagle,
<br />ferruginous hawk, greater sandhill crane, long - billed curlew, mountain plover, Western
<br />burrowing owl, Western snowy plover, plains minnow, suckermouth minnow, brassy minnow,
<br />common shiner, Iowa darter, stonecat, common garter snake, and Northern leopard frog. For
<br />many of these species, potentially suitable habitat does not exist within the proposed amendment
<br />area.
<br />Potentially suitable habitat does exist within the proposed amendment area for mammal and bird
<br />species such as, the black- tailed prairie dog, Northern river otter, bald eagle, mountain plover,
<br />and Western burrowing owl. River otters have historically been observed on the Cache la Poudre
<br />river upstream of the City of Greeley, but river otters have not been observed at the proposed site
<br />and neither have black - tailed prairie dogs or their burrows. No potential raptor nests were found
<br />in or near the project area. The only exception could be wintering or year -round roosting /feeding
<br />bald eagles. However, there are no known nest sites within the proposed amendment area. Some
<br />inactive songbird nests were observed in small trees near the ponds in the project area. The
<br />Greeley 25'" Avenue Site
<br />DRMS 112 Permit Amendment Application Page 23
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