Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Topic Alternative 1 – No Action
Sensitive, Threatened,
and Endangered
Species
• No additional impacts to
sensitive, threatened and
endangered species with the no
action alternative.
• Wildlife mortality; habitat loss,
degradation, and fragmentation;
and displacement would not
occur.
• Exposure to radionuclides in the
environment from past mining
projects would occur, but
additional radionuclide
contamination would not occur.
• Adverse effects to sensitive,
threatened, and endangered
species would be minor,
possible, long term, and medium
in extent, and slight in
precedence.
Alternative 2 – Proposed Action
(Two-shaft alternative)
• Conversion and development of wildlife
habitat during mine operations could result
in changes in the prey base of bats.
• Habitat loss and disturbance could impact
roosting sites for some bat species and
cause some bat species to avoid the area.
• Direct bat mortality could also occur.
• Overall adverse effects to listed bats would
be long term, minor to moderate in
magnitude, and medium in extent.
• After reclamation, populations of listed bat
species expected to return in a few years to
pre-mine levels.
• Possible temporary, direct and indirect
adverse effects to onsite Gunnison’s
prairie dogs from a variety of mine related
activities.
• Population recovery of the Gunnison’s
prairie dog expected after reclamation.
• For duration of mining, possible direct or
indirect adverse impacts to other State
listed species, including the red fox,
ringtail, western spotted skunk, peregrine
falcon, loggerhead shrike, and gray vireo;
recovery of each likely after reclamation.
• Overall impacts would be direct and
indirect, short term and long term,
localized, minor to moderate, probable,
and of slight precedence or uniqueness.
• In sum, impacts to special status wildlife
would be less than significant.
Chapter 2. Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action
Alternative 3 – One-shaft
Alternative
• Impacts to sensitive, threatened, and
endangered species would be similar, but
likely less than, impacts under alternative 2
because of the reduction in the project
footprint and disturbed acreage.
• Because fewer habitats and less acreage
would be altered and developed, overall
adverse effects to sensitive, threatened, and
endangered species are expected to be less
except to migratory birds.
• Adverse effects to migratory birds are
expected to be long term, minor to
moderate in magnitude, and medium in
extent, probable to possible and slight to
moderate in precedence.
• Once mining activities have ceased and
reclamation has occurred, populations of
any special status species which now occur
within the permit area are likely to return
to their pre-mine levels over a period of
years as habitats are restored.
• In conclusion, impacts on special status
species would be less than significant.
• Cumulative impacts on special status
species of all reasonably foreseeable
actions would likely be minor to
moderately adverse but not significant.
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 69