2013-03-05_REVISION - C1981010 (2)

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The Greater sage - grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is the largest grouse in North America. Males often weigh in excess of 4 -5 pounds and hens weigh in at 2 -3 pounds. On the ground and in flight they appear almost black, and their long pointed tail is approximately half the length of their body. Both sexes have narrow, pointed tail feathers, feathering to the base of the toes, and a variegated pattern of grayish brown, buff and black on the upper parts, with paler flanks and a diffuse black pattern on the abdomen. Adult males have blackish -brown throat feathers which are separated by a narrow band of white from a dark V- shaped pattern on the neck. White breast feathers conceal 2 large, skin sacs (used in courtship displays) which are yellow -green in color. Males also have yellow eyecombs (obvious in the spring during courtship displays). Female sage grouse lack the specialized structures used for courtship displays but generally resemble males in coloration. However, in comparison to males, their throats are buffy with blackish markings and the lower throat and breast are barred which presents a blackish -brown appearance. Immature birds (less than 1 yr. of age) can be distinguished from adults by their light yellowish green toes (adults have dark green toes). The birds are found at elevations ranging from 4,000 to over 9,000 feet and are highly dependent on sagebrush for cover and food. Experimental population Black- footed ferret The Black- footed ferret, (Mustela nigripes), is 18 to 24 inches long, including a 5 to 6 inch tail. It weighs only one - and -a -half to two - and -a -half pounds, with males slightly larger than females. The black- footed ferret is well adapted to its prairie environment. Its color and markings blend so well with grassland soils and plants that it is hard to detect until it moves. It is a slender, wiry animal with a black face mask, black feet, and a black- tipped tail. The rest of its short, sleek fur is a yellow -buff color, lighter on the belly and nearly white on the forehead, muzzle, and throat. It has short legs with large front paws and claws developed for digging. The ferret's large ears and eyes suggest it has acute hearing and sight, but smell is probably its most important sense for hunting prey underground in the dark. The species occupies grassland plains in close association with prairie dog colonies at elevations of less than 10,500 feet above mean sea level. The black- footed ferret preys on prairie dogs primarily and uses their burrows for shelter and denning. Determinations of Effect Based on the above information OSM has determined that mining and reclamation operations associated with the Trapper Mine permit renewal, the renewal will have the following effects: Bonytail chub (Gila elegans) • due to the occurrence of Bonytail chub in the Yampa River, which the project area's annual water depletion of the Yampa River is estimated at 150.2 acre - feet /year, Trapper Mine Inc. mining activities may affect, is likely to adversely affect the Bonytail chub Humpback chub (Gila cypha) Page 8