1980-06-11_PERMIT FILE - C1981008A

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in the Nucla study area (Map 11-2, Appendix A) . An extensive burrow by burrow search for black-footed ferrets and their sign (e.g. , trenching and scats) was conducted in late May, 1979. A total of 123 burrows encom- passing approximately 16 acres were systematically searched. No black- footed ferrets or their sign were observed on the study area. The gray wolf formerly occurred over much of the United States. Due to widespread habitat destruction and human harassment, the gray wolf in Colorado is limited to a few captive individuals (DOW, n.d.) . No gray wolves have been reported in this area of Colorado. A number of whooping cranes have been hatched and raised by sandhill crane foster parents in USFWS experimental program at Gray's Lake National Wild- life Refuge, southeast Idaho. This is an ongoing program at Gray's Lake and the USFWS placed approximately 20 whooping crane eggs in sandhill crane nests in the spring of 1979; 6 have survived to date (personal comm- unication, 1979, Mr. Philip Lehenbauer, USFWS) . Since some of the whooping cranes raised in this experirwntal program have remained associated with their foster rarents, suitable habitat within the range of greater sandhill cranes must also be considered potential whooping crane sum-er habitat. Although no greater sandhill crane habitat exists on the Nucla study area, the Miguel River Valley about 8 miles west of the study area may be used for migration. However, to date, no whooping cranes have been reported with greater sandhill cranes in this area of Colorado. IMPORTANT WILDLIFE HABITAT For the purposes of this study, important wildlife habitat can be defined by two criteria: habitat critical to the support of important wildlife species (i.e. , threatened or endangered animals or other vertebrates prot- ected by state or federal law and certain gam animals) and habitats offering both environmental and vegetative situations which contribute to maximum wildlife diversity for the region. The mile deer and the rinr- necked pheasant are the only irrportlant species that occur near the study -49- J U M 1 1 1980