on the south aspect of Mount Vernon on the road and on the 

 ridge between Mount Vernon and Spar Peak, If the south adit 

 were activated or the south side road were used regularly, 

 blue grouse may receive increased poaching and hunting 

 pressure. 



Shorebirds 



Mine developments which may adversely alter or diminish 

 breeding and feeding habitat of shorebirds on the study area 

 involve the tailing impoundment , tailing pipeline and return 

 water system. Spotted sandpipers and killdeers were recorded 

 using the mudflats along a pond at the tailing impoundment 

 site. Common snipe and gulls may also use this area although 

 they were not noted specifically at this site. Shorebirds 

 may incur impacts similar to those which could be expected 

 for waterfowl. 



Other Birds 



Mine facilities will occur in TSHE/CLUN and THPL/OPHO 

 habitat types in which 45 of the 69 bird species in this 

 category were observed. Birds occurring at the mine facility 

 sites will initially be displaced, but most birds, because 

 of their territorial behavior, will not allow settling of 

 displaced birds in saturated habitats, so this "floating" 

 component is predisposed to very high mortality rates 

 (Klimstra et al . 1979). The mountain bluebird, for example, 

 is a relatively unadaptable species because it has special- 

 ized nesting requirements. Several pair of nesting blue- 

 birds were documented at the site of the tailing impoundment. 

 Power (1966) notes that mountain bluebirds have "highly 

 specialized nesting requirements which has produced a rela- 

 tively unadaptable species whose population has declined as 

 a result of environmental changes of recent decades". 



Amphibians and Reptiles 



The relatively rare tailed frog was located in Stanley 

 Creek in the immediate vicinity of a proposed mine adit. 

 Water removals from Stanley Creek, erosion from mine patios, 

 mine water discharges, or creek alterations during the course 

 of mine developments would adversely affect this species in 

 this area. Tree frogs were found at the tailing impoundment 

 site and will be lost from this area. 



RECOMMENDATIONS 



Recommendations are the intended product of baseline 

 wildlife inventories. Technically, this wildlife inventory 

 investigation was conducted to fulfill the intent of the 

 Montana Environmental Policy Act which is to: 



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