DOCSLIB.ORG

Deer Creek Mine Closure Water Pipeline Updated Wildlife Resources Report Table of Contents

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Deer Creek Mine Closure Water Pipeline Updated Wildlife Resources Report Table of Contents DEER CREEK MINE CLOSURE WATER PIPELINE UPDATED WILDLIFE RESOURCES REPORT Reviewed by: � Date �� k::V"t-- Dana Truman, Wildlife Biologist; BLM 1 2017 Deer Creek Mine Closure Water Pipeline Updated Wildlife Resources Report Table of Contents INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................... 1 Project Location ........................................................................................................................ 1 Summary of the Proposed Action ............................................................................................ 1 Proposed Project Area/Existing Environment ....................................................................... 2 Description of the Alternatives................................................................................................. 4 EVALUATED SPECIES INFORMATION ................................................................................. 4 Sensitive Plant, Wildlife and Fish Species ............................................................................... 4 Management Indicator Species ................................................................................................ 4 Migratory Birds ......................................................................................................................... 5 ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ................................................................................................. 7 SPECIES DESCRIPTIONS AND ANALYSIS OF EFFECTS ................................................... 8 Management Indicator Species ................................................................................................ 8 Migratory Birds ....................................................................................................................... 19 Gray Vireo, Juniper Titmouse, Pinyon Jay, and Virginia’s Warbler ................................ 19 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................................ 19 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this Wildlife Resources Report is to review the potential impacts of the Deer Creek Mine Closure Water Pipeline Project on species identified as Management Indicator Species (MIS) by the Manti-La Sal National Forest (USDA, Forest Service 1986); and priority migratory bird species identified by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Birds of Conservation Concern (BOCC), DWR Wildlife Action Plan (WAP) (Wildlife Action Plan Joint Team 2015), and the Partners in Flight Land Bird Conservation Plan (Rosenberg et al. 2016) The USDA, Forest Service has developed policy regarding the designation of sensitive plant and animal species (FSM 2670.32). A sensitive species is defined (FSM 2670.5) as those plant and animal species identified by the Regional Forester for which population viability is a concern as evidenced by: 1) significant current or predicted downward trends in population numbers or density or 2) significant current or predicted downward trends in habitat capability that would reduce a species' existing distribution. The Biological Evaluation is an analysis of which sensitive species may occur in the project area and whether any impacts on these species or their habitat are anticipated which will adversely affect their viability. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Project Location The project area is located in Rilda and Huntington Canyons, about 10 miles west of Huntington in Emery County, Utah (see Map 1 in Appendix A). The project area is within T.16 S; R. 7 E; sections: 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 25, 35, and 36. Summary of the Proposed Action The proposed project includes construction of 5.6 miles of a 10-inch HDPE gravity flow water pipeline from the Deer Creek Mine 1st Right Portals to raw water ponds at Huntington Power Plant; only 1.8 miles would cross National Forest System lands. The pipeline would be constructed within the rights-of-way for Emery County Road #306 and State Route 31 (SR-31). The proposed permanent right-of-way width is 12 feet centered on the pipeline; an additional 20 feet of temporary right-of-way on the outer edge of the permanent right-of-way (away from the roadway) would allow for construction of the pipeline. The total acreage of disturbance on National Forest is estimated to be 7.0 acres. Up to 1.7 acres of the temporary disturbance would occur beyond the Emery County Road #306 right-of-way across National Forest System lands. The pipeline will include a shut-off valve at the mine entrance to prevent leaks on National Forest System lands. The trench for the pipeline would be excavated with a trenching machine or track hoe excavator. Topsoil and subsoil would be segregated and stockpiled separately adjacent to the trench. After the pipeline is installed, the stockpiled subsoil would be used to backfill the trench, and the topsoil would be replaced on the surface and graded to pre-disturbance contours. 1 The pipeline would be buried with at least 5 feet of cover, except at the crossings of Huntington Creek; the pipeline would be attached to an existing bridge and diversion structure at each crossing. The pipeline would not be buried at these locations. Air vents and Carsonite posts would be installed approximately every 1,000 feet along the alignment; these features would be about 4 feet high, but would be colored to be visually unobtrusive from the roadway. A tracer wire and a fiber optic conduit would also be buried with the pipeline. The conduit would allow for installation of a telecommunications cable in the future without requiring excavation of the entire length of line. Directional drilling would be applied to install the pipeline under Emery County Road #306, SR- 31, and Bear Canyon Road; these drilling locations are on private or BLM-administered land. A stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) and spill prevention and response plan (SPRP) would be prepared and implemented to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act during construction. Construction is anticipated to take 2 to 3 months. Disturbed areas will be reclaimed upon project completion. After construction, PacifiCorp would maintain the right-of-way and allow the pipeline to operate continuously. If the power plant were to shut down, continuing water treatment would be required at the plant if compliance with water quality standards could not be met. The pipeline would be intended to be permanent; if the pipeline were decommissioned, it would be left in the ground to avoid further ground disturbance. Proposed Project Area/Existing Environment The project area includes the proposed 32 ft. pipeline right-of-way and extends one-half (0.5) linear mile for potential noise disturbance impacts. This includes riparian vegetation adjacent to Huntington Creek, cliff habitat through both canyons, and some vegetation on slopes within Rilda Canyon. Most areas of direct disturbance have been previously disturbed by roadways or utilities. The total project area where the construction activities would occur, encompasses approximately 21.83 acres at the bottom of Rilda and Huntington Canyons. The project area is within the High Plateaus of Utah physiographic subdivision of the Colorado Plateau. More specifically, the project area is located in Rilda and Huntington Canyons, on the east side of the Wasatch Plateau. Elevation of the proposed project is between 6,500 and 7,800 feet above sea level. The vegetation within the project area varies along the proposed pipeline corridor, as a result of topography, elevation, and geology. Nine vegetation cover types exist within the proposed project area, according to SWReGAP data (USGS 2004). Three main cover types comprise ninety-five percent of the vegetation; Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland (17.45 acres), Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland (2.4 acres), and Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Shrubland (.83 acres) (USGS 2004). Descriptions of the main vegetation cover types found within the project area are listed below. These descriptions were derived from the SWReGAP definitions of each vegetation cover type (USGS 2004). Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland The Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland vegetation type comprises approximately 80 percent of the project area. This ecological system occurs in dry mountains and foothills of the Colorado Plateau region including the Western Slope of Colorado to the Wasatch Range, south 2 to the Mogollon Rim of Arizona and east into the northwestern corner of New Mexico. It is typically found at lower elevations ranging from 4,900 to 8,000 ft. These woodlands occur on warm, dry sites on mountain slopes, mesas, plateaus, and ridges. Severe climatic events occurring during the growing season, such as frosts and drought, are thought to limit the distribution of pinyon-juniper woodlands to relatively narrow altitudinal belts on mountainsides. Soils supporting this system vary in texture ranging from stony, cobbly, gravelly sandy loams to clay loam or clay. Pinyon pine and/or Utah juniper dominate the tree canopy. In the southern portion of the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) and hybrids of juniper may dominate or codominate the tree canopy. Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) may codominate or replace Utah juniper at higher
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Merging Science and Management in a Rapidly Changing World: Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean (Q
    Preliminary Assessment of Species Richness and Avian Community Dynamics in the Madrean Sky Islands, Arizona Jamie S. Sanderlin, William M. Block, Joseph L. Ganey, and Jose M. Iniguez U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Flagstaff, Arizona Abstract—The Sky Island mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona contain a unique and rich avifaunal community, including many Neotropical migratory species whose northern breeding range extends to these mountains along with many species typical of similar habitats throughout western North America. Understand- ing ecological factors that influence species richness and biological diversity of both resident and migratory species is important for conservation of this unique bird assemblage. We used a 5-year data set to evaluate avian species distribution across montane habitat types within the Santa Rita, Santa Catalina, Huachuca, Chiricahua, and Pinaleño Mountains. Using point-count data from spring-summer breeding seasons, we de- scribe avian diversity and community dynamics. We use a Bayesian hierarchical model to describe occupancy as a function of vegetative cover type and mountain range latitude, and detection probability as a function of species heterogeneity and sampling effort. By identifying important habitat correlates for avian species, these results can help guide management decisions to minimize loss of key habitats and guide restoration efforts in response to disturbance events in the Madrean Archipelago. Introduction We studied occupancy and cover type associations of forest birds across montane vegetative cover types in the Santa Rita, Santa The Sky Island mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona, USA, Catalina, Huachuca, Chiricahua, and Pinaleño Mountains of south- contain a unique and rich avifaunal community.
    [Show full text]
  • Stories of the Sky Islands: Exhibit Development Resource Guide for Biology and Geology at Chiricahua National Monument and Coronado National Memorial
    Stories of the Sky Islands: Exhibit Development Resource Guide for Biology and Geology at Chiricahua National Monument and Coronado National Memorial Prepared for the National Park Service under terms of Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit Agreement H1200-05-0003 Task Agreement J8680090020 Prepared by Adam M. Hudson,1 J. Jesse Minor,2,3 Erin E. Posthumus4 In cooperation with the Arizona State Museum The University of Arizona Tucson, AZ Beth Grindell, Principal Investigator May 17, 2013 1: Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona ([email protected]) 2: School of Geography and Development, University of Arizona ([email protected]) 3: Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona 4: School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona ([email protected]) Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................3 Beth Grindell, Ph.D. Ch. 1: Current research and information for exhibit development on the geology of Chiricahua National Monument and Coronado National Memorial, Southeast Arizona, USA..................................................................................................................................... 5 Adam M. Hudson, M.S. Section 1: Geologic Time and the Geologic Time Scale ..................................................5 Section 2: Plate Tectonic Evolution and Geologic History of Southeast Arizona .........11 Section 3: Park-specific Geologic History – Chiricahua
    [Show full text]
  • DRAFT SUPPLEMENTAL SPECIAL-STATUS SPECIES SCREENING ANALYSIS Kirkland High Quality Pozzolan Mining and Reclamation Plan of Operations
    DRAFT SUPPLEMENTAL SPECIAL-STATUS SPECIES SCREENING ANALYSIS Kirkland High Quality Pozzolan Mining and Reclamation Plan of Operations Prepared for: U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, Hassayampa Field Office 21605 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85027 AZA 37212 May 4, 2018 WestLand Resources, Inc. 4001 E. Paradise Falls Drive Tucson, Arizona 85712 5202069585 Kirkland High Quality Pozzolan Draft Supplemental Special-Status Mining and Reclamation Plan of Operations Species Screening Analysis TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ...................................................................................... 1 2. METHODS ................................................................................................................................................ 1 3. RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................... 3 4. REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 31 TABLES Table 1. Bureau of Land Management Phoenix District Sensitive Species Potential to Occur Screening Analysis Table 2. Arizona Species of Greatest Conservation Need Potential to Occur Screening Analysis Table 3. Migratory Bird Potential to Occur Screening Analysis APPENDICES Appendix A. Bureau of Land Management, Arizona – Bureau Sensitive Species List (February 2017) Appendix B. Arizona Game and Fish Department Environmental
    [Show full text]
  • Landbird Monitoring in the Northern Colorado Plateau Network 2012 Field Season
    National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Landbird Monitoring in the Northern Colorado Plateau Network 2012 Field Season Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR—2013/765 ON THE COVER Clockwise from top: Zion National Park, by Chris White (used with permission); American wigeons (©Robert Shantz); black-chinned hummingbird (©Robert Shantz). Landbird Monitoring in the Northern Colorado Plateau Network 2012 Field Season Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR—2013/765 Prepared by Matthew F. McLaren J. A. Blakesley Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory P.O. Box 1232 Brighton, CO 80603 Editing and Design Alice Wondrak Biel Northern Colorado Plateau Network National Park Service P.O. Box 848 Moab, UT 84532 June 2013 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and oth- ers in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Technical Report Series is used to disseminate results of scientific studies in the physical, biological, and social sciences for both the advancement of science and the achievement of the National Park Service mission. The series provides contributors with a forum for displaying comprehensive data that are often deleted from journals because of page limitations. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the in- tended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner.
    [Show full text]
  • Species Risk Assessment
    Ecological Sustainability Analysis of the Kaibab National Forest: Species Diversity Report Ver. 1.2 Prepared by: Mikele Painter and Valerie Stein Foster Kaibab National Forest For: Kaibab National Forest Plan Revision Analysis 22 December 2008 SpeciesDiversity-Report-ver-1.2.doc 22 December 2008 Table of Contents Table of Contents............................................................................................................................. i Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1 PART I: Species Diversity.............................................................................................................. 1 Species List ................................................................................................................................. 1 Criteria .................................................................................................................................... 2 Assessment Sources................................................................................................................ 3 Screening Results.................................................................................................................... 4 Habitat Associations and Initial Species Groups........................................................................ 8 Species associated with ecosystem diversity characteristics of terrestrial vegetation or aquatic systems ......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Desert Birding in Arizona with a Focus on Urban Birds
    Desert Birding in Arizona With a Focus on Urban Birds By Doris Evans Illustrations by Doris Evans and Kim Duffek A Curriculum Guide for Elementary Grades Tucson Audubon Society Urban Biology Program Funded by: Arizona Game & Fish Department Heritage Fund Grant Tucson Water Tucson Audubon Society Desert Birding in Arizona With a Focus on Urban Birds By Doris Evans Illustrations by Doris Evans and Kim Duffek A Curriculum Guide for Elementary Grades Tucson Audubon Society Urban Biology Program Funded by: Arizona Game & Fish Department Heritage Fund Grant Tucson Water Tucson Audubon Society Tucson Audubon Society Urban Biology Education Program Urban Birding is the third of several projected curriculum guides in Tucson Audubon Society’s Urban Biology Education Program. The goal of the program is to provide educators with information and curriculum tools for teaching biological and ecological concepts to their students through the studies of the wildlife that share their urban neighborhoods and schoolyards. This project was funded by an Arizona Game and Fish Department Heritage Fund Grant, Tucson Water, and Tucson Audubon Society. Copyright 2001 All rights reserved Tucson Audubon Society Arizona Game and Fish Department 300 East University Boulevard, Suite 120 2221 West Greenway Road Tucson, Arizona 85705-7849 Phoenix, Arizona 85023 Urban Birding Curriculum Guide Page Table of Contents Acknowledgements i Preface ii Section An Introduction to the Lessons One Why study birds? 1 Overview of the lessons and sections Lesson What’s That Bird? 3 One
    [Show full text]
  • Juniper (Plain) Titmouse (Baeolophus Ridgwayi)
    June 2007 Juniper (Plain) Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi) INDICATOR SPECIES HABITAT The plain titmouse is an indicator species for piñon-juniper (PJ) canopies (USDA 1986a, p. 97). Until 1997 the taxa was regarded as a single species (Parus inornatus). The taxa were split into two separate species; oak titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus) and juniper titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi). The oak titmouse is found in the oak woodlands of the Pacific and is not found in New Mexico (Cicero 2000). The juniper titmouse inhabits juniper and piñon-juniper woodlands of the intermountain region (id.). Further discussion in this document will call the species juniper titmouse, however, it is the same species identified as an indicator species in 1986 (USDA 1986a, p. 97). The juniper titmouse is a resident of deciduous or mixed woodlands, favoring oak and piñon- juniper (Ehrlich et al. 1988). The titmouse usually nests in natural cavities or old woodpecker holes primarily in oak trees, but it is capable of excavating its own cavity in rotted wood. The species feeds mainly on large seeds from piñon pine and juniper, as well as, acorns (Christman 2001), insects, and occasional fruits, and is also a bark gleaner (Cicero 2000; Scott et al. 1977; Scott and Patton 1989). As a cavity nester, large, older senescent trees are an important habitat feature (Pavlacky and Anderson 2001). Potential Habitat Distribution Based on the 2003 GIS vegetation cover data, the Carson National Forest currently supports approximately 355,409 acres of piñon-juniper habitat (USDA 2003a). As displayed on Map 1, potential habitat for the juniper titmouse on the Carson National Forest is abundant and well distributed across the Forest.
    [Show full text]
  • Life History Account for Juniper Titmouse
    California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System California Department of Fish and Wildlife California Interagency Wildlife Task Group JUNIPER TITMOUSE Baeolophus ridgewayi Family: PARIDAE Order: PASSERIFORMES Class: AVES B552 Written by: T. Kucera DISTRIBUTION, ABUNDANCE, AND SEASONALITY Former plain titmouse was recently split into the juniper titmouse and the oak titmouse (B. inornatus) and placed in the genus Baeolophus (Cicero 1996, Slikas et al. 1996, AOU 1997). A common resident in a variety of habitats, but primarily associated with pinyon-juniper, juniper, and desert riparian habitats from northeastern California through the Great Basin to the eastern Mojave (Grinnell and Miller 1944, McCaskie et al. 1979, Garrett and Dunn 1981). A narrow contact zone between the juniper titmouse and the oak titmouse, which inhabits oak and oak-pine habitats in cismontane California, occurs on the Modoc Plateau (Cicero 1996). SPECIFIC HABITAT REQUIREMENTS Feeding: Probably similar to the oak titmouse, which eats insects and spiders, berries, and some seeds. Forages on foliage, twigs, branches, trunks, and occasionally on ground. Gleans, hammers hard seeds, chips at bark, and sometimes hovers (Hertz et al. 1976, Wagner 1981). Cover: Cover provided mostly by juniper and/or pinyon woodlands. Also finds cover in riparian habitats. Roosts in cavity in tree or snag. Reproduction: Builds nest of grass, moss, mud, hair, feathers, and fur (Harrison 1978) in woodpecker hole, natural cavity, or nest box. Sometimes partially excavates own cavity. Nests up to 10 m (32 ft) above ground, but usually lower (Bent 1946). Often breeds near water. Water: Little information, but the closely related oak titmouse drank occasionally in summer in a coastal California oak woodland (Williams and Koenig 1980).
    [Show full text]
  • Nestwatch Digest: 2018 Nesting Season
    NestWatch Digest NESTING SEASON 2018 FOCUS ON CITIZEN SCIENCE • VOLUME 15, NO. 1 NO. 15, VOLUME FOCUS ON CITIZEN SCIENCE • All thanks to you! very year when writing the annual report, I am over- whelmed by how many nests, eggs, and nestlings were Emonitored by citizen scientists like you—and it just keeps increasing! Thanks to your efforts, scientists were able to publish two new research studies in 2018, and we fulfilled six new requests for data from external researchers. We achieved our highest-ever number of reported nests in 2018: 25,607, and added 13 new species to the database! We also published our Thinking Outside the (Nest) Box cur- riculum (see back page for details). If you’re an educator, con- sider requesting a free copy for your 5th–8th grade classroom. In 2018 we also implemented “notifications” in the mobile app to help remind you about your upcoming nest checks. We hope that Aimee Benoit by American Robin these friendly reminders will increase the data quality and vol- Focus on Citizen Science is a publication high- ume. We also bulk-uploaded 806 nest attempts in 2018, an in- lighting the contributions of citizen scientists. crease from 2017. This issue, NestWatch Digest, is brought to you by NestWatch, a research and education project of The 2018 season was phenomenal, but I’m beyond excited for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The NestWatch new things coming in 2019! We have a new way to participate project is made possible by the efforts and support without ever finding a nest (see page 3 for details), and we have of thousands of citizen scientists.
    [Show full text]
  • Glossary Note: in General, Terms Have Been Defined As They Apply to Birds
    Glossary Note: In general, terms have been defined as they apply to birds. Nevertheless, many terms (especially those naming basic ana- tomical structures or biological principles) apply to a range of living things beyond birds. In most cases, terms that apply only to birds are noted as such. Most terms that are bolded in the text of the Handbook of Bird Biology appear here. Numbers in brackets following each entry give the primary pages on which the term is defined. Please note that this glossary is also available on the Internet at <www.birds.cornell.edu/homestudy>. aerodynamic valve: A vortex-like movement of air within the air A tubes of each avian lung, at the junction between the mesobron- abdominal air sacs: A pair of air sacs in the abdominal region chus and the first secondary bronchus; it prevents the backflow of birds that may have connections into the bones of the pelvis of air into the mesobronchus by forcing the incoming air along and femur; their position within the abdominal cavity may shift the mesobronchus and into the posterior air sacs. [4·102] during the day to maintain the bird’s streamlined shape during African barbets: A family (Lybiidae, 42 species) of small, color- digestion and egg laying. [4·101] ful, stocky African birds with large, sometimes serrated, beaks; abducent nerve: The sixth cranial nerve; it stimulates a muscle they dig their nest cavities in trees, earthen banks, or termite of the eyeball and two skeletal muscles that move the nictitating nests. [1·85] membrane across the eyeball.
    [Show full text]
  • The Klamath Bird
    The Klamath Bird Newsletter of the Klamath Bird Observatory, Fall 2018 KBO Science Applied Removal of the Klamath River Dams— Birds Informing the Forest Restoration Design An Amazing Opportunity for Study for South Fork Stillaguamish Vegetation By Sarah Rockwell, Research Biologist Project Removal of the Klamath River dams, expected to begin in 2020 or By Jaime Stephens, Science Director 2021, represents the most extensive dam removal and river Klamath Bird Observatory has partnered with the Stillaguamish Tribe restoration project in United States history. It presents an amazing of Indians, Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, and Puget Sound Bird opportunity to study the ecological effects of large-scale dam removal, Observatory to form a technical advisory team which is working side which are not currently well-understood. Elimination of the four dams by side with the Regional Forest Service Avian Conservation Program would allow salmon to return to 300 miles of upstream spawning Manager and USDA Forest Service Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National habitat for the first time in decades. Forest staff to inform forest restoration planning. Collectively, this team has integrated focal species needs into planning for the South Fork Stillaguamish Vegetation Project and designed a robust monitoring strategy to measure ecological outcomes. Continued Page 4—Birds Inform KBO’s 2018 Annual Appeal By Shannon Rio, Board President In this season of thankful giving, we acknowledge with gratitude the bounty of life that the earth gives us. It is Iron Gate Reservoir on the Klamath River © KBO. truly a time worthy of ceremony around gratitude for food and friendship and family. Salmon are important to the health of our forests—they carry marine nutrients to terrestrial systems when they swim up rivers to spawn and To complement this holiday season, die.
    [Show full text]
  • Juniper Titmouse Baeolophus Ridgwayi
    Juniper Titmouse Baeolophus ridgwayi Aves — Passeriformes — Paridae CONSERVATION STATUS / CLASSIFICATION Rangewide: Secure (G5) Statewide: Imperiled (S2) ESA: No status USFS: Region 1: No status; Region 4: No status BLM: No status IDFG: Protected nongame BASIS FOR INCLUSION Habitat threats and declining population trends in Idaho. TAXONOMY The juniper titmouse was formerly considered conspecific with the oak titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus), with the name plain titmouse (Parus inornatus). However, due to genetic distinctions and because they differ in voice, morphology, coloration, and ecology, the species complex was reclassified as 2 sibling species in the Genus Baeolophus in 1997 (Cicero 1996). No subspecies are recognized, but northern birds are typically larger in body and bill size and grayer in plumage than southern birds (Cicero 1996). DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE The juniper titmouse is resident in mid-elevation woodlands of the intermountain west and southwestern U.S. and extreme northern Mexico. It ranges from south-central Oregon and northeastern California, south through much of Nevada, northern and eastern Arizona and northeastern Sonora, Mexico and east through most of Utah, southern Idaho, extreme southwest Wyoming, western and southern Colorado, northern and western New Mexico, and extreme west Texas and Oklahoma (Cicero 1996, Biota Information System of New Mexico 2004). Because of the scattered nature of its preferred habitat (juniper and piñon-juniper woodlands – see below), the species occurs in scattered locations throughout this range. The abundance of this species is highest in southern Utah, northern Arizona and central New Mexico and decreases outward from these core areas. In Idaho, the juniper titmouse occurs irregularly in the southwest and is resident in the southeast (Stephens and Sturts 1997).
    [Show full text]