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RULE 2 PERMITS <br />2.04.11(1- 3)Fish and Wildlife Resources Information <br />The objectives of this section are to use the most current existing information pertaining to the Collom <br />permit expansion area to: <br />1) Characterize the fish and wildlife resources and associated habitat types in the Collom permit <br />expansion area, and <br />2) Assess the potential for impacts to special status fish and wildlife species, including Federally and <br />State Threatened and Endangered species, and State and BLM species of special concern. <br />These objectives comply with Rule 2.04.11 of the CDRMS regulations, which is the basis for this section. <br />In addition, the information provided in this section provides a foundation for determining any fish and <br />wildlife mitigation measures that may be necessary for inclusion under Rule 2.05. <br />Specific tasks that will be addressed in order to meet the objectives of this section include: <br />• Identify the fish and wildlife species known to occur or potentially occur in the Collom permit <br />expansion area, and describe the general habitat types available in the area; <br />• Estimate numbers of wildlife species of high interest in or near the expansion area, including mule <br />deer, elk, raptors, greater sage - grouse, and Columbian sharp- tailed grouse; <br />• Identify and discuss habitat for wildlife species of high interest, including unique habitat features of <br />high value (e.g., water features, cliffs, trees), important seasonal ranges, and migration corridors; <br />• Evaluate the potential for occurrences of special status species and determine if designated critical <br />habitats exist in the Collom permit expansion area; <br />• Assess the potential distribution of special status fish and wildlife species and other species of high <br />interest. <br />The sources used to compile the information in this section on fish and wildlife resources are provided in <br />Section 2.03.3(7). <br />Volume 1 presents the Colowyo permit information on fish and wildlife resources relative to the existing <br />mine area and surrounding areas. The region around the original Colowyo permit area was surveyed for <br />big game (e.g., elk, mule deer), small mammals, and breeding birds to provide both site - specific and <br />regional information on these resources. Volume 1 provides the results of these surveys, as well as a list <br />of all the fish and wildlife species known to occur or that may potentially occur in the area. <br />A general assessment of potential wildlife species and their habitat associations in the Collom permit <br />expansion area is given below. Any available GIS data depicting wildlife habitat were acquired from the <br />Colorado Division of Wildlife's (CDOW) Natural Diversity Information Source (NDIS) website. <br />In addition to these general assessments, data from surveys conducted for wildlife species of high interest <br />within the Collom permit expansion area are also summarized below. The most current information on <br />mule deer and elk populations in the region was acquired from Jon, Wangnild and Darby Finley, biologists <br />at the Meeker office of CDOW. In addition, Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. conducted wildlife surveys <br />from 2006 to 2008, and results from the 2006, 2007 surveyr� are discussed below. The original reports by <br />Collom — Rule 2, Page 78 Revision Date: 9/28/11 <br />Revision No.: PR -03 <br />