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Signed: <br />Background <br />Big Game Habitat and Seasonal Use Assessment <br />for the <br />Farmer Girl Mineral Exploration Project <br />Craig Grother <br />Wildlife Biologist <br />Energy Fuels Resources Company has obtained a permit from the Bureau of Land <br />Management to conduct exploration activities on public lands within the Farmer Girl <br />project area in portions of T48N, R18W, Section 22, NMPM in Montrose County <br />Colorado. The permit includes several conditions on their drilling operations including a <br />seasonal restriction to protect wintering big game animals: "Big Game winter timing <br />restrictions, December 1 — April 30. No activity is allowed during this period ". <br />Energy Fuels Resources Company is interested in requesting a waiver on the Big Game <br />winter timing restriction. This assessment provides information on big game seasonal <br />use patterns associated with the Farmer Girl project area for the BLM to consider in <br />evaluating this request. <br />Big Game Species and Seasons of Use <br />Several species of big game occupy habitats in and around the project area. The primary <br />species of concern are mule deer and elk. There are no desert bighorn sheep in or around <br />the project area. To determine seasonal use patterns and sensitive use areas in and around <br />the project area I reviewed available information on the Natural Diversity Information <br />System (NDIS) website maintained by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. The NDIS <br />website includes maps of species distribution and seasonal activity areas for most wildlife <br />species in Colorado. For Big Game species this includes their overall range, migration <br />routes, summer activities, winter activities, and other activities such as calving, fawning, <br />and lambing areas. I reviewed the maps of winter activities to determine the location of <br />severe winter range and winter concentration areas. This information is current as of <br />2009. <br />I also contacted Kevin Duckett, the local District Wildlife Manager, and Brad Banulis, <br />Terrestrial Wildlife Biologist for the Montrose Service Center of Colorado Parks and <br />Wildlife to validate the information on the NDIS website and obtain any other <br />information they may have on this area. Kevin told me that he was involved in the NDIS <br />mapping and was completely comfortable with what is shown there. Brad also told me <br />the mapping was updated in 2011 but there were no changes in this area. In addition, I <br />went to the project area with representatives of Energy Fuels Resources Company on <br />January 27, 2012 to look for signs of current big game use. <br />1 <br />Date: 1/29/12 <br />