BIOLOGICAL BASELINE REPORT HYCROFT MINE PHASE II EXPANSION PROJECT Prepared for: Hycroft Mining Corporation 9790 Gateway Drive Reno, Nevada 89521 Prepared by: Stantec Consulting Services Inc. 6995 Sierra Center Parkway Reno, Nevada 89511 Stantec Project Number 203703039 January 22, 2018 Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 SURVEY AREAS ....................................................................................................... 2 2.0 SOILS .............................................................................................................................. 3 3.0 VEGETATION .................................................................................................................. 5 3.1 AGENCY CONSULTATION .................................................................................... 5 3.2 HABITAT EVALUATION ........................................................................................... 5 3.3 FIELD SURVEY METHODOLOGY ............................................................................ 7 3.3.1 Vegetation Community Mapping and Floristic Inventory .................. 8 3.3.2 Noxious, Invasive, and Non-Native Species .......................................... 8 3.3.3 Special Status Plant Species Survey ....................................................... 9 3.3.4 Host Plants of BLM Sensitive Butterfly Species ....................................... 9 3.4 FIELD SURVEY RESULTS ......................................................................................... 10 3.4.1 Vegetation Community Mapping and Floristic Inventory ................ 10 3.4.2 Noxious, Invasive, and Non-Native Species ........................................ 14 3.4.3 Special Status Plant Species Survey ..................................................... 14 3.4.4 Host Plants of BLM Sensitive Butterfly Species ..................................... 14 4.0 WILDLIFE ....................................................................................................................... 16 4.1 AGENCY CONSULTATION .................................................................................. 16 4.2 HABITAT EVALUATION ......................................................................................... 16 4.3 FIELD SURVEY METHODOLOGY .......................................................................... 19 4.3.1 General Wildlife and Game Species ................................................... 24 4.3.2 Migratory Birds ......................................................................................... 24 4.3.3 Golden Eagle Nest Surveys ................................................................... 25 4.3.4 Western Burrowing Owl .......................................................................... 26 4.3.5 Winter Raptor Surveys ............................................................................ 28 4.3.6 Greater Sage-Grouse ............................................................................ 28 4.3.7 Pygmy Rabbit Survey ............................................................................. 33 4.3.8 Bats ........................................................................................................... 34 4.3.9 Preble’s Shrew ......................................................................................... 35 4.3.10 Pale and Dark Kangaroo Mouse .......................................................... 36 4.3.11 Springsnails ............................................................................................... 37 4.4 FIELD SURVEY RESULTS ......................................................................................... 37 4.4.1 General Wildlife and Game Species ................................................... 37 4.4.2 Migratory Birds ......................................................................................... 37 4.4.3 Raptors ..................................................................................................... 41 4.4.3.1 Golden Eagle and other Raptors ....................................... 41 4.4.3.2 Western Burrowing Owl ........................................................ 43 4.4.4 Greater Sage-Grouse ............................................................................ 46 4.4.5 Pygmy Rabbit Survey Results ................................................................. 49 4.4.6 Bats ........................................................................................................... 49 4.4.7 Small Mammal Trapping ........................................................................ 52 4.4.8 Springsnails ............................................................................................... 53 Biological Baseline Report – Hycroft Mine Phase II Expansion Project January 2018 Hycroft Mining Corporation i 4.4.9 Additional Special Status Species Observed ..................................... 53 5.0 SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... 55 5.1 2012 ...................................................................................................................... 55 5.2 2014 ...................................................................................................................... 55 5.3 2015 ...................................................................................................................... 56 5.4 2016 ...................................................................................................................... 57 6.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 58 TABLES Table 1 Legal Description of the Biological Survey Area .............................................. 2 Table 2 Vegetation Baseline Surveys Completed ......................................................... 7 Table 3 Vegetation Communities in the Survey Area ................................................. 10 Table 4 Wildlife Species with the Potential to Occur ................................................... 18 Table 5 Wildlife Baseline Surveys Completed ............................................................... 20 Table 6 Vegetation Communities and Third Order Cover Types Correlation .......... 30 Table 7 Ecological Sites and Third Order Cover Types Correlation ........................... 31 Table 8 Pale and Dark Kangaroo Mouse Potential Habitat Soil Units ....................... 36 Table 9 2012 Point Count Migratory Bird Transect 1 .................................................... 38 Table 10 2012 Point Count Migratory Bird Transect 2 .................................................... 39 Table 11 2016 Point Count South Riparian Transect ...................................................... 40 Table 12 2016 Point Count Transect Stock Tank ............................................................. 41 Table 13 Raptor Nests Recorded in 2012 ....................................................................... 41 Table 14 Western Burrowing Owl Burrows Identified in 2012......................................... 43 Table 15 Western Burrowing Owl Burrows Identified in 2014......................................... 43 Table 16 2016 Incidental Locations of Western Burrowing Owl ................................... 45 Table 17 Averaged Vegetation Data for H-1 Form by Third Order Cover Type ........ 46 Table 18 2014 Seasonal Habitat Suitability Summary .................................................... 47 Table 19 Bat Detector Locations ...................................................................................... 50 Table 20 Acoustic Survey Results ...................................................................................... 51 Table 21 Number of Calls for Each Species Detected................................................ 52 FIGURES Figure 1 Project Location Figure 2 Survey Areas Figure 3 Soils Figure 4A Vegetation Communities North Half Figure 4B Vegetation Communities South Half Figure 5 Sensitive Plant and Noxious Weed Occurrences Figure 6 Buckwheat Species Observed- Potential Butterfly Habitat Figure 7 Greater Sage-grouse Habitat Categorization Figure 8 Avian Point Count Surveys Figure 9A Combined Raptor Nesting Surveys Figure 9B Combined Golden Eagle Nesting Surveys Biological Baseline Report – Hycroft Mine Phase II Expansion Project January 2018 Hycroft Mining Corporation ii Figure 10 Western Burrowing Owl Survey Figure 11 Greater Sage-grouse Winter Habitat Survey & HAF Figure 12 Pygmy Rabbit Survey Figure 13 NDOM Hazard Sites Figure 14a Bat Acoustic Detector Locations Figure 14b Bat Acoustic Detector Locations Figure 15 Pale and Dark Kangaroo Mouse & Preble’s Shrew Trapping Locations Figure 16 Spring Sites APPENDICES Appendix A 2012 & 2016 Agency Response Letters Appendix B HE Sensitive Species HE Migratory Birds Appendix C Observed Plant and Wildlife Species List Appendix D Special Status Plant Data Forms Appendix E Common Buckwheat Occurrences Appendix F Great Basin Bird Observatory Bird Survey Protocols and 2012 & 2016 Field Survey Forms Appendix G Western Burrowing Owl Field Survey Forms Appendix H Greater Sage-grouse Survey Protocols, Survey Form, and Ecological Site Description Sheets Appendix I HAF Field Survey Forms and Data Summary Appendix J HAF Habitat Suitability Matrix Forms Appendix K Greater Sage-grouse Field Survey Forms Appendix