PERMFILE56045

• Permit No: M1999005
• IBM Index Class Name: Permit File
• Doc Date: 3/26/1999
• From: DOW
• To: DMG
• Media Type: D
• Archive: No

`~ Bi11AOwe 8 Govemo~ • III I II I II I II IIII III • REFER TO
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES `Qy0$~O
DIVISION OF WILDLIFE
AN EOWL OPPORNNnY EMPLOYER ~~
John W. Mumma, Director O
saeo arq~Stlway ~' OF
Denver, COloratlo 80218-t000
telephone: [phone] ~ For Wildlife-
For People
Ed T. Gorman µ~D~IVED 11 March 1999
Habitat Biologist
Colorado Division of Wildlife ~pR 2 6 199g
1204 East Olive _.S 6 C,eolo9'1
Lamaz, C0 81052 r „,,, .••° °
James C. Stevens
Senior Environmental Protection Specialist
Division of Minerals and Geology
1313 Sherman St., Room 215
Denver, CO 80203
Jim:
The Colorado Division of Wildlife has recieved notification of the proposed mining operation, Permit No.
M-99-005, filed by All Rite Paving and Redi-Mix of La Junta. As always the CDOW appreciates the
opportunity to review and comment on mining activities such as this. The CDOW has been in contact
with Ed Kite of All Rite Paving, and conducted a site tour on March 5, 1999. Included in this site visit
were La Junta District Wildlife Manager Jim Schreivogel, Mr. Kite, and myself. Mr. Kite was very
helpfiil in our comprehension of the specifics of the mining plan, several of which aze of interest and
concern to wildlife interests. The Division's comments and wildlife recommendations are as follows:
The mining operations will result in the creation of a lazge lake located at the north end of the
area included within the permit boundary. The CDOW expects no adverse impacts to accrue to
wildlife species from the creation of the lake, indeed, the lake should provide excellent habitat for
a variety of waterfowl species and shorebirds. The CDOW suggests that several wildlife
improvements could be made to ensure the quality of the lake, including:
1. Inclusion of a 5 acre island composed of pebbly, gravelly substrate. The creation of such an
island could possibly be used by federally threatenned and endangered piping plovers and least
terns, respectively, which do occur in the general area. Creation of secure nesting sites is
a key to the recovery of these species, for which this project shows excellent potential. In
particular, the Division beleives that least terns aze most likely to use this island, whereby the
island should be built using a pebbly substrate approximately 3/4 of an inch in diameter. The
island should be centrally placed in the lake, and surrounded by fairly deep water to m;n;m;~r the
possibilitites of terrestrial mammal predation on nests.
2. The Division suggests the lake could be sloped at a minimum of 6:1 to a distance of 30 feet
from the shoreline. Doing so will result in shallow water habitats that dabbling ducks prefer for
DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, Grog Wakher, Emeulile Director
WILDLIFE COMMISSION: Chuck LeAris, Chair • Mark LeValley, Vice-Chair • Bernard L Black, Secretory,
Rids Erretrom, Mernbor • Philip James, Mertbur • Marianna Reftapwlos, Mr>trtber • Amold Salazar, Member • Robert Shoemaker, Member