BEAVER CREEK RESORT MCCOY PARK TERRAIN DEVELOPMENT BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION MIGRATORY BIRD REPORT SPECIES OF LOCAL CONCERN REPORT Eagle County, Colorado September 6, 2018 Prepared For: Vail Resorts & USDA Forest Service White River National Forest Eagle / Holy Cross Ranger District Prepared By: WESTERN BIONOMICS INC. Natural Resource Management Services 31040 Willow Lane, Steamboat Springs, Colorado 80487 970-846-8223 McCoy Park Terrain Development Biological Evaluation Migratory Bird Evaluation SOLC Report TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 1 2. ALTERNATIVES .............................................................................................................................................. 1 2.1 ALTERNATIVE 1 – NO ACTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 2.2 ALTERNATIVE 2 – PROPOSED ACTION ................................................................................................................. 3 2.2.1 Terrain ................................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2.2 Chairlifts ................................................................................................................................................ 5 2.2.3 Snowmaking ........................................................................................................................................... 5 2.2.4 Skier Services ......................................................................................................................................... 5 2.2.5 Ski Patrol Facilities ............................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.6 Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing Trails ..................................................................................... 6 2.2.7 Construction, Maintenance, and Utility Access ..................................................................................... 6 2.3 DISTURBANCE ACREAGE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 7 2.4 PROJECT PURPOSE AND NEED ............................................................................................................................ 11 2.5 ANALYSIS AREA ................................................................................................................................................ 12 2.6 TIERING ............................................................................................................................................................. 12 2.7 PROJECT DESIGN CRITERIA ................................................................................................................................ 12 3. ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE FOR THE SPECIES EVALUATED .................................................... 14 3.1 PROJECT AREA VEGETATION BASELINE ............................................................................................................ 14 3.2 OPERATIONS BASELINE ..................................................................................................................................... 15 3.3 PRE-FIELD REVIEW AND FIELD SURVEYS .......................................................................................................... 15 3.4 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ......................................................................................... 16 3.5 FOREST SERVICE MANUAL CONSISTENCY ......................................................................................................... 16 3.6 FOREST PLAN CONSISTENCY ............................................................................................................................. 1 7 4. TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE .......................................................................................................................... 19 4.1 BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION FOR SENSITIVE TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE SPECIES .................................................... 19 4.1.1 Sensitive Wildlife Species Considered for Analysis ............................................................................. 19 4.1.2 Species Eliminated from Detailed Analysis ......................................................................................... 23 4.1.3 Sensitive Species Accounts ................................................................................................................... 24 4.1.4 Direct and Indirect Impacts of Alternative 1 - No Action .................................................................... 24 4.1.5 Direct and Indirect Impacts of Alternative 2 - The Action Alternative ................................................ 24 4.1.6 Cumulative Impact Analysis ................................................................................................................ 31 4.1.7 Sensitive Species’ Determinations ....................................................................................................... 33 4.2 SPECIES OF LOCAL CONCERN EVALUATION ....................................................................................................... 38 4.2.1 Elk ........................................................................................................................................................ 38 4.3 MIGRATORY BIRDS ............................................................................................................................................ 44 4.3.1 Baseline Conditions ............................................................................................................................. 44 4.3.2 Direct and Indirect Impacts ................................................................................................................. 45 4.3.3 Cumulative Impacts ............................................................................................................................. 46 4.3.4 Determination ...................................................................................................................................... 46 5. AQUATIC SPECIES ....................................................................................................................................... 47 5.1 FOREST PLAN CONSISTENCY ............................................................................................................................. 4 7 5.1.1 Colorado River Cutthroat Trout .......................................................................................................... 47 5.1.2 Boreal Toad and Leopard Frog ........................................................................................................... 47 5.2 BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION FOR SENSITIVE AQUATIC SPECIES ........................................................................... 49 5.2.1 Environmental Baseline ....................................................................................................................... 50 5.2.2 Direct, Indirect, and Cumulative Impacts ............................................................................................ 51 5.2.3 Determinations .................................................................................................................................... 51 6. LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................................................................... 53 WESTERN BIONOMICS INC. Natural Resource Management Services i McCoy Park Terrain Development Biological Evaluation Migratory Bird Evaluation SOLC Report LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF IMPACTS BY DISTURBANCE TYPE .................................................................... 7 TABLE 2. SUMMARY OF IMPACTS BY VEGETATION COVER TYPE ........................................................ 9 TABLE 3. IMPACTS BY DISTURBANCE TYPE AND VEGETATION COVER TYPE .................................. 9 TABLE 4. PROJECT DESIGN CRITERIA .......................................................................................................... 12 TABLE 5. SENSITIVE WILDLIFE SPECIES AND RATIONALE FOR ELIMINATION. ............................... 19 TABLE 6. IMPACTS TO SENSITIVE SPECIES BY PROJECT ........................................................................ 25 TABLE 7. SENSITIVE WILDLIFE SPECIES DETERMINATION SUMMARY .............................................. 36 TABLE 8. USFWS BIRDS OF CONSERVATION CONCERN ......................................................................... 44 TABLE 9. SENSITIVE AQUATIC SPECIES AND DETERMINATION SUMMARY. .................................... 49 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. BEAVER CREEK RESORT VICINITY MAP ..................................................................................... 2 FIGURE 2. PROPOSED ACTION ........................................................................................................................... 4 FIGURE 3. PROJECT AREA VEGETATION COVER TYPES ............................................................................. 8 FIGURE 4. ACREAGE BY VEGETATION COVER TYPES IN MCCOY PARK PROJECT AREA ................ 14 FIGURE 5. MCCOY PARK ELK PRODUCTION RANGE ................................................................................