Final Environmental Impact Statement

Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 3
Species
Black and white warbler
(Mniotilta varia)
Northern long-eared myotis
(Myotis septentrionalis)
Small-footed myotis
(Myotis ciliolabrum)
Long-eared myotis
(Myotis evotis)
Long-legged myotis
(Myotis volans)
Northern flying squirrel
(Glaucomys sabrinus)
Meadow jumping mouse
(Zapus hudsonius
campestris)
Mountain goat
(Oreamnos americanus)
Bighorn sheep
(Ovis canadensis)
58
Species
Present?
(Y/N)
Habitat
Present?
(Y/N)
Include in
NEPA
document?
(Y/N)
NO NO NO
NO YES YES
NO YES YES
NO YES YES
NO YES YES
NO YES YES
YES YES YES
YES YES YES
NO NO NO
Rationale for not carrying
species forward into the
NEPA document
(Anderson 2002).
This area lacks the lower elevation
bur oak woodlands and associated
edges that is typical habitat for this
species in the Black Hills (Beason
et al. 2006)
The Rocky Mountain bighorn
sheep is a R2 sensitive species and
is analyzed in the Wildlife BA/BE.
Atlantis Fritillary (SOLC)
The Atlantis fritillary is an endemic butterfly of the Black Hills and is restricted to
Custer, Lawrence, and Pennington counties. It prefers wet meadows and moist canyons
(Marrone 2002). Recent surveys indicate species presence appears to be correlated with
spruce, flowing water and relatively high elevation (Reiser & Spomer 2005).
Due to the restricted nature of the Atlantis fritillary’s distribution in the Black Hills,
development or management activities within suitable habitats pose a risk to long-term
persistence. Much of the fritillary’s habitat is privately owned. Surveys conducted in
2005 throughout the forest identified 20 sites with Atlantis fritillary. Of these 20 sites,
only three were known to have Atlantis fritillary presence prior to this survey. Although
the species may be more common than previously thought, it still has a limited range and
appears tied to permanent montane wetlands in the Black Hills. Habitat consisted of a
wet area along the riparian corridor with some spruce present (Reiser & Spomer 2005).
No surveys were conducted within the project area; however, there were observations of
this species within the project area (French Creek and Tenderfoot).
Tawny Crescent (SOLC)
The tawny crescent is found in open meadows, stream bottoms, roads, trails, and riparian
woodlands (Stefanich 2001). It is also found in mesic forest corridors across an ecotone
between mixed-grass meadows or prairie grasslands to adjacent woodlands (Royer &