WTPD Conservation Assessment - Endangered Species & Wetlands ...

percent change in occupied habitat was 19.8% (n = 2, range = -10.8% to 30.6%); and for the
single site sampled at a 12 year interval annual percent change was 17.8%. Site locations and
changes in occupied habitat are described below.
Huntington-- In 1994 within a project area of 250 km 2 (97 mi 2 ), an Environmental
Assessment was completed on a proposed coalbed methane project near Price (Intermountain
Ecosystems 1994). The project area extended south of Helper to Huntington, west to Hiawatha
and east to Elmo and Wellington (Figure 9). In 1994, 2,352 ha (5,813 ac) were located and
mapped. In 2002, the area was resurveyed resulting in 795 ha (1,964 ac) of occupied habitat
(Seglund 2002).
Buckhorn and Woodside-- Mapped habitat within these two areas extended south of
Huntington to Interstate 70 along US State Highway 10, east to US State Highway 6 (Figure 9).
Cedar Creek Associates (1986) located and mapped 3,555 ha (8,784 ac) within these two areas.
In 2002, the areas was resurveyed resulting in 3,908 ha (9,656 ac) of occupied habitat (Seglund
2002).
Crescent Junction-- Mapped habitat within this area extended along Interstate 70 just east
of Thompson Springs and west of Green River in Emery and Grand counties (Figure 10). Cedar
Creek Associates (1986) located and mapped 4,089 ha (10,103 ac) within this area. In 2002, the
area was resurveyed resulting in 3,973 ha (9,817 ac) of occupied habitat (Seglund 2002).
Cisco Desert-- Between July 1985 and February 1986, mapping and estimation of burrow
densities for white-tailed prairie dogs was undertaken by UDWR (Boschen 1986) in an area
encompassed by the Book Cliffs, Arches National Park and the Colorado River (Figure 10).
Surveys resulted in 16,729 ha (41,336 ac) being located and mapped. A majority of the colonies
contained an average of 2 to 10 active burrows per ha (4.94 -9.88 per ac). Only 499 ha
(1,233 ac) had greater than 20 active burrows per ha (49.4 per ac).
In August of 1991 and 1992, the Cisco Desert complex was revisited to estimate
white-tailed prairie dog density (Boschen 1991, 1992). This area was reevaluated because
white-tailed prairie dogs appeared to have declined after the mapping in 1985/86. Random line
transects were placed within portions of the 1985/86 mapped colonies and the number of
white-tailed prairie dogs observed while driving transects was recorded. From 1991 to 1992
there was a marked increase (360%) in the number of white-tailed prairie dogs detected along
transects. In the 1991 surveys, a mean of 67 white-tailed prairie dogs was recorded per colony
(12 colonies transected) with densities along transects ranging from 0 to 278 white-tailed prairie
dogs. In 1992, a mean of 452 white-tailed prairie dogs was counted per colony (8 colonies
transected) with a range of 14 to 1,297 animals recorded.
In 1997 and 2001, black-footed ferret habitat surveys (Biggins et al. 1989, 1993) were
completed in the 1985/86 mapped areas of the Cisco Desert. In 1997, 11,182 ha (27,630 ac)
(67% of the complex) were sampled with 55.7% or 6,228 ha (15,389 ac) rated as good
black-footed ferret habitat. A total of 2,322 active and 2,609 inactive burrows were counted
along transects resulting in a white-tailed prairie dog population estimate for the entire complex
of 50,089 (4.84 prairie dogs per ha [12 per ac]). In 2001, a total of 5,451 ha (13,469 ac) (33% of
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