Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
Common Name
(Scientific name)
Gray vireo
(Vireo vicinior)
Least tern
(Sterna antillarum)
Costa’s hummingbird
(Calypte costae)
Spotted bat
(Euderma maculatum)
Zuni bluehead sucker
(Catostomus discobolus
yarrowi)
State
Status
Source: NMDGF2006-2009; RHR, 2009d
State Status E Endangered T Threatened
Potential to
Occur in
Permit Area**
Habitat Description
T K – migrant Thorn scrub, oak-juniper woodland, piñonjuniper,
dry chaparral, mesquite and riparian
willow habitats.
E NP Marine or estuarine shores, or on sandbar islands
in large rivers. Prefers area free from humans and
predators.
T NS Desert scrub, chaparral, thornscrub, tropical
deciduous forest, and suburban areas.
Mammals
T S Highly variable habitats from coniferous forest to
desert scrub. Found in piñon-juniper woodland,
grasslands, and shrublands (NatureServe, 2010a).
Fish
E NP Often inhabits swift water areas in mountain
streams and smaller tributaries to large rivers
(nursery habitat).
Presence** K Known, documented observation within the permit area.
S Habitat suitable and species could occur within the permit area.
NS Habitat suitable but species is not suspected to occur within the permit area.
NP Habitat not present and species unlikely to occur within the permit area.
Three State listed threatened and endangered species have the potential to occur within the permit
area: the gray vireo, American peregrine falcon, and spotted bat. The gray vireo was documented
onsite; however, this species was likely misidentified during surveys. While the American
peregrine falcon and the spotted bat were not documented on the permit area during surveys,
suitable habitat is present and these species could occur within the permit area.
The spotted bat is not known to occur within the permit area and was not observed during
surveys, though suitable habitat for this species does exist within the permit area. Habitat of the
spotted bat varies and includes bare rocks, cliffs, deserts, grassland/herbaceous vegetation,
shrubland/chaparral vegetation, and woodland-conifer vegetation (NatureServe, 2010a). In New
Mexico, the spotted bat is typically found in conifer forests in northern New Mexico (RHR,
2009d). Overall population abundance is unknown, but the bat has been found very rarely in
collections. Threats to the spotted bat could include habitat destruction, collection of bats by
humans, and the use of pesticides (NatureServe, 2010a).
The American peregrine falcon prefers to nest in cliffs, mountains, open forested regions, and
human population centers. Terrestrial habitat includes cliffs, deserts, shrubland/chaparral, tundra,
urban, and conifer, hardwood, and mixed woodlands. The peregrine falcon is a year-round
resident and local breeder in New Mexico. This species also migrates across the State from more
northern breeding areas in the United States and Canada. The peregrine falcon winters along the
216 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest