2013-03-05_REVISION - C1981010 (2)

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The mean annual temperature in Craig is 43 ° F, with recorded extremes of -45 ° F and100 ° F. Winds are predominantly from the west but are locally modified by topographic features. The growing season for the area in the vicinity of Craig averages 77 frost -free days. Snowfall (snow and sleet) averages 66.5 inches in Craig and usually ranges from 33 to 77 inches. The normal annual precipitation recorded for Craig, Colorado approximates 13.5 inches. Land uses in the area are rangeland, wildlife habitat and agriculture. Cattle and sheep are grazed in the Williams Fork Mountains and on the toe slopes of the mountains in the spring and fall. Dry land wheat is cultivated in favorable areas on the colluvial toe slopes of the Williams Fork Mountains. Native hay and some dry land wheat are cultivated on the soils of the Yampa and Williams Fork River valleys. The area provides habitat and migration routes for antelope, elk and mule deer. Raptors, several species of game birds, and numerous smaller mammals are found in the Williams Fork Mountains and surrounding areas. Bald eagles and golden eagles have been documented in the area, but sightings are scarce. Species - Specific Information OSM queried the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Information, Planning, and Conservation System web page for a list of potential federally- endangered, threatened, candidate species and species of concern that may be found in Moffat County, Colorado and the project area. Endangered species included the Humpback chub (Gila cypha), Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), Bonytail chub (Gila elegans), and Razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus). Threatened species included the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida), and Ute ladies'- tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis). Candidate species included the North American wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus), Yellow - billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) and Greater sage - grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). The experimental population includes the Black - Footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). The Trapper Mine permit renewal may have the ability to potentially affect these identified species. Endangered Bonytail chub The Bonytail chub (Gila elegans), is a highly streamlined fish, dark on top, light below, often very dark in clear waters and pale in turbid waters. Fins are dusky with yellow pigment near base, preferring eddies and pools, not swift currents. The Bonytail chub has a concave skull arching into a nuchal hump predorsally with a long and slender snout that does not overhang the upper lip. Scales often minute or absent from chest, stomach. Adults of seven years of age can be 14 inches long and weigh more than one pound. Found historically throughout the Colorado River Drainage however, in recent years Bonytail chub have only been taken from the Green River in Utah and lakes Havasu and Mohave. Humpback chub The Humpback chub (Gila cypha), is a streamlined minnow with a concave skull and a prominent nuchal hump at the occiput, the back end of head marked by a line separating Page 4