2013-05-01_PERMIT FILE - C1981028A

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The most recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife threatened and endangered species list for Weld County (October 10, 2006) includes: S ecies Scientific Name Status Bald ea le Haliaeetus leucoce halus T I Black-footed ferret Mustela ni i es E Colorado butterfly plant Gaura neomexicana ssp. colorandensis T Interior least tern Sterna antillarum athalassos E Mexicans otted owl Strix occidentalis T Pallid slur eon Sca hirhynchus albus E Pi in ]over Charadrius melodus T Preble's meadow 'um in mouse Za us hudsonius reblei T Ute ladies'-tresses orchid S iranrhes diluvialis T Whoo in crane Grus americans E Bald Eagle Bald eagles utilize large old growth cottonwoods along rivers and lakes for perching, hunting, roosting, and nesting. The major food source for bald eagles along the Front Range and eastern plains of Colorado is prairie dogs (based on analysis of remains in nests), waterfowl, and fish in that order. No prairie dogs colonies or mature cottonwood trees along waterways aze present within or • adjacent to the Keenesburg Mine, therefore there is no potential for impacts to bald eagles from the proj ect. Black-footed Ferret The black footed-ferret only remains outside captivity in experimental populations, none of which is located within the project site or adjacent areas. Colorado Butterfly Plant The Colorado butterfly plant is a federally listed, threatened plant species known to occur in Colorado. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Colorado Butterfly Plant, the butterfly plant is known to occur in Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. The Colorado butterfly plant is found at elevations of 5000 to 6000 feet in stream deposited soils on level or slightly sloping floodplains and drainage bottoms. Most populations aze found in low depressions or along bends in wide, active, meandering stream channels a short distance upslope of the active channel, and may occur at the base of alluvial ridges at the interface between riparian meadows and drier grasslands (USFWS, • 2006). As none of this habitat is present at the Keenesburg Mine, there is no potential for impacts to the Colorado butterfly plant. 96 10106