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• amphibians occupying principle habitats on and adjacent to the Seneca II-W permit area and <br />tie across haul road, and to determine distributions and relative abundance of these <br />species where possible. <br />Methodology <br />General. A literature review and consultation with Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) <br />and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) personnel were conducted during the 1974, 1979, <br />and 1982 study periods to obtain all available wildlife information pertinent to the <br />Seneca II-W study area. In addition, the CDOW's Wildlife Resources Information System <br />(wildlife inventory maps) were reviewed in 1979 and 1981 for important wildlife related <br />information. <br />Big Game. A number of methods were employed during the 1974, 1979, and 1982 studies to <br />determine the occurrence, relative abundance, and habitat affinity of big game species on <br />and near the Seneca II-W permit area. These survey methods are discussed below: <br />• Aerial Surveys. Aerial censusi ng of big game species, including elk (Cervus canadensi s) <br />and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), in the Seneca Il-W area was conducted on two <br />consecutive days in January and March of 1979. These flights were initiated during the <br />early morning hours of January 30 and 31 and March 14 and 15. A 41.0 square mile area <br />which included the Seneca II-W permit was covered by flying in a fixed-wing Cessna 210 <br />aircraft eleven north-south oriented transects, each seven miles long and separated at <br />0.5 mile intervals. A standard flight speed of 80 to 85 mph and an altitude of 150 to 300 <br />feet above ground level was maintained throughout the census. All observations made by <br />the pilot and two observers were recorded. Animals were classified according to species <br />and when possible, according to age and sex. <br />An additional seven transects covering approximately 13.5 square miles were flown in an <br />east west orientation over the tie-across haul road located five miles north of the Seneca <br />II-W permit area. These censuses were also conducted during the mornings of January 30 <br />and 31 and March 14 and 15, 1979. Census methodologies were the same as previously <br />discussed except for transect orientation. Herd locations as recorded on January 30 and <br />March 15, 1979 are depicted on Exhibit 11-1. <br />• Crcund Surveys. Ground surveys or strip censuses were utilized in 1974 to determine big <br />7 <br />