Appendix J Wildlife Reports To: Linda Cope, Wyoming Game and Fish Department From: Kim Chapman & Genesis Mickel, Applied Ecological Services Date: June 14, 2017 Re: Memo on new surveys requested by Wyoming Game & Fish Department _____________________________________________________________________________________ AES biologists have been collecting baseline biological data and recording incidental observations for the Boswell Springs Wind Project between 2011 and 2016 in consultation with Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). During a Project meeting on May 26, 2017 and follow-up letter dated June 5, 2017, staff at the WGFD requested targeted surveys for four species of interest to better assess their presence or absence in the Project area. The four species are black-footed ferret, swift fox, mountain plover, and long-billed curlew. The purpose of this memo is to summarize the survey methodology presented and accepted by WGFD on a June 12, 2017 conference call. 1. White-tailed prairie dog activity areas. Incidental sightings or evidence for black-footed ferret, swift fox, and mountain plover, have been isolated to areas identified as high-density for prairie dog burrows. As a result, the first task is to refine the mapping of the prairie dog colonies and field verify the high- activity areas. The resulting high-activity areas will then be used to survey for presence or absence of these species. Prairie dog burrow densities were originally mapped in the Project area from aerial photos, which were then ground-truthed along transects. The resulting map indicated areas of burrows at high, moderate, and low densities, but did not pinpoint the areas where prairie dogs were most active. In all but one of the areas mapped as high-density burrow areas, we have observed subareas of higher prairie dog activity. We have seen little to no activity in areas mapped as moderate- and low-density for burrows. We propose conducting an additional field visit to survey all previously mapped high-density burrow areas to observe prairie dogs at a distance and map where they are active. These observations will then be used to revise the original boundaries delineating the high-density areas and identify the high-activity areas. High-density areas with little to no activity will be retained in the GIS output, but reclassified to distinguish from areas with field-verified high-activity. Based on past field experience in the area over the last two years, the high-activity areas are expected to be nearly entirely located inside the previously mapped high-density burrow areas. High-density burrow areas are oriented east to west across the site, on level ground to the north and south of the main stream system. In addition, an area south of the southern line of high-density burrows may also be a high-activity prairie dog area. The boundaries of high-activity areas will be mapped and used in conducting the surveys for black-footed ferret, swift fox, and mountain plover. It is anticipated that the acreage of high-activity prairie dog areas will be about 3,000 acres. 2. Black-footed ferret. Black footed-ferret (BFF) diggings were discovered in the southwest corner of the permit area on Dec. 8, 2016. No sign was discovered during subsequent winter surveys, but conditions were less suitable than at other visits due to the lack of new snow and strong winds. Night-time spotlighting for BFF will be conducted in areas field-verified as high-activity prairie dog areas, following the protocol of the WGFD “Handbook of Biological Techniques” (August 2007, revised 2013). The acreage covered by each survey session will depend on the boundaries of the high-activity areas and the topography along the survey route. Each spotlighting session will take place over three consecutive nights, spanning nearly the entire night, and cover about 600 acres each. Five spotlighting sessions of three consecutive nights each are expected to cover the 3,000 anticipated acres of high-activity prairie dog areas. If the high-activity areas cover much more than 3,000 acres, an additional survey session will be carried out. The surveys will be completed between late July and the end of September. 3. Swift fox. Swift foxes are known to inhabit and den within the site. The “Handbook of Biological Techniques”, states that spotlight surveying is an effective method for detecting individuals and dens in locations where swift fox are known or suspected to occur. Since it is already known that swift fox are present, spotlight surveys should be used instead of cameras to determine individual denning sites. At Boswell Springs, swift fox have always been observed in the high-density burrow areas, which overlap the preferred habitat of the black-footed ferret. Fox surveys will be conducted for four hours beginning at dusk and for three consecutive nights, on two occasions. This survey period coincides with and will be conducted at the same time as the ferret spotlighting surveys. The two species are distinguishable by the color of their eye shine. 4. Mountain plover. Mountain plover has been observed on the site during the breeding season, but no nests have been located. Of the five mountain plover sightings in the 2011-2016 period, two were during the migration period (April), two during the egg incubation period (May 20-June 7), and one during the chick-rearing period (June 20-July 7). Suitable habitat is primarily in areas with prairie dog high-density burrows and high-activity. Surveys will be conducted following WGFD protocol. This involves driving a survey route, stopping the vehicle, walking around the vehicle at a distance of 20 feet, then getting back into the vehicle and scanning at a distance in all directions around the vehicle for 3 minutes. If a plover is present, it will be flushed from its nest by the walking surveyor, then return to the nest after the surveyor gets back in the vehicle as plovers do not flush at moving vehicles. Chicks are also highly visible in the latter survey period. The protocol does not specify a distance between each survey point; we will place points 400 meters apart in suitable habitat, making the scanned area around vehicles approximately 200 meters. Surveys for the chick-rearing period must be complete by July 7. Because two raptor surveys are already scheduled for late June and early July, it will be possible to conduct two mountain plover surveys in the chick-rearing period. These will be completed on the same site visits as raptor surveys, but be conducted at a different time than and separate from the raptor surveys. 5. Long Billed Curlew. Long-billed curlew had been observed (or potential evidence observed) incidentally by AES biologists between 2011 and 2016. After additional discussion via teleconference and confirmed via e-mail dated June 12, 2017, WGFD agreed that no surveys for curlew were needed as Boswell Springs Additional Surveys 2017 (AES 15-0285) 2 evidence was limited to only a single observation in the early April migration period in 2016 despite extensive, multi-year avian point count surveys conducted at the site. Boswell Springs Additional Surveys 2017 (AES 15-0285) 3 1116 Albin St. (307) 742-3506 Laramie, WY 82072 Email: [email protected] www.realwestconsulting.com DATE: Original: January 5, 2016 Update: February 1, 2017 PREPARED BY: Amber Travsky Real West Natural Resource Consulting 1116 Albin St. Laramie, WY 82072 PREPARED FOR: Kim Chapman and Genesis Mickel Applied Ecological Services 21938 Mushtown Road Prior Lake, MN 55372 SUBJECT: Boswell Springs Wind Farm Incidental Observations DISCUSSION: Incidental observations of wildlife were noted during all visits to the project area from 2010 through 2016. Incidental observation occurred both outside and within the times and locations for scheduled quantitative surveys. The results are presented below. Amphibian and Reptiles Observations of suitable habitat for amphibians were made by walking wetland perimeters, conducting flushing surveys of emergent vegetation and occasionally dip-netting the open water and submerged vegetation. Reptile surveys consisted of searching rock outcrop areas and making general observations while traversing the site for other surveys. There are nine ponds and wetland areas within the permit area, as identified in the 2011 site report (AES 2011)1. Of these, sites A3 and A7 are the same reservoir. Site A2 is a borrow ditch that typically creates a small pond/wetland area that holds water well into the late summer. The sites are identified on the map presented at the end of this report (Figure A). This map was used 1 Applied Ecological Services (AES). 2011. Assessment of Wind Energy and Wildlife Interactions at Boswell Springs Wind Farm. Prepared for Paul Martin, Intermountain Wind, Boulder, CO. REAL WEST Page 2 _______________________________________________________________________________ for the site report in 2011 and the site identifiers are the same as those used in the previous surveys. The results of the surveys are presented in Table 1. Boreal chorus frogs were plentiful and common on the permit area. In addition to the perennial water sources listed, boreal chorus frogs were also found in areas of temporary ponding and even in borrow ditches that retained water into the spring. No additional dip netting was conducted in 2016 although the ponds were occasionally visited and the shorelines walked. No additional species were observed while boreal chorus frogs were either seen or heard at all listed locations. Two reptile species were observed on the site: a prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) observed by Tim Banks on 09/01/2015 and a greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) observed by Amber Travsky on 07/13/2016. Table 1. Results of surveys of wetland ponds and stream within the permit area.