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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 4 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Environmental Consequences PAGE 4-85 disturbance during nesting and brood-rearing periods, increased human activity, introduction and spread of noxious weeds, and injury or mortality due to collision with construction equipment. RDFs that would be implemented include closing access roads not required for ongoing maintenance activities, reseeding disturbed areas, implementing a noxious weed control plan, adherence to reasonable speed limits, and employing seasonal restrictions and buffers to avoid nesting long-billed curlews. Impact levels are expected to include 3.2 miles of moderate and 9.3 miles of low impacts for long-billed curlews. Five burrowing owl nests were documented within one mile of Route Segment 1b in 2000. While these particular nests are not likely to have persisted to the present, they demonstrate potential for burrowing owls to nest within one mile of Route Segment 1b. Potential impacts would occur from disturbance during construction activities or from injury or mortality from vehicle strikes or interactions with other equipment used during construction. Additional impacts to burrowing owls could occur from the mechanical disturbance or crushing of burrows. Noise from construction equipment and general construction activities could disturb and displace individuals on a short-term basis with little impact. Long-term impacts would be related to loss of foraging habitat, reduction in preferred habitat for prey species, and disturbance or mortality from vehicle strikes or interactions with other equipment used for maintenance. If an occupied burrowing owl nesting site is found within 0.25 mile of the proposed route segment’s ROW, a seasonal restriction on construction would be enacted from March to August within the 0.25-mile buffer. Additional RDFs to reduce impact on burrowing owls are described in Sections 4.3.3.1 and 4.3.3.2. Impact levels to burrowing owl are expected to be moderate for 3.5 miles and low for 9.0 miles. The west edge of the Rattlesnake Elk Winter Range Regular Concentration area is approximately 0.3 mile east of Route Segment 1b. RDFs to minimize impacts to elk will include a seasonal restriction on construction. No construction is anticipated to occur within the winter range area. If construction does occur within elk winter range, seasonal restrictions would be adhered to (Section 2.3). No identifiable impacts are anticipated for elk for Route Segment 1b. Black-tailed jackrabbit have been documented with a half mile of a 1.7-mile long section of Route Segment 1b. Potential impacts include a reduction and degradation of habitat, disturbance and displacement from habitats, increase in predation from avian predators, increased human activity, introduction and spread of noxious weeds, and injury or mortality due to collision with construction equipment. RDFs to address the impacts are described in Sections 4.3.3.1 and 4.3.3.2. Impact levels to black-tailed jackrabbits are expected to be moderate for 1.7 miles and low for 10.8 miles. All habitat disturbance associated with Route Segment 1b is within the Regularly Occupied Habitat MU for Sage-Grouse. Construction activities would disturb less than one percent of Regularly Occupied Habitat (Table 4.3-7). Anticipated ground disturbance includes 28.4 acres of suitable Sage-Grouse habitat, 24.2 acres of marginal habitat, and 5.2 acres of unsuitable habitat (Table 4.3-8). RDFs are anticipated to be effective at reducing impacts to Sage-Grouse habitat (refer to Sections 4.3.3.1 and 4.3.3.2). The scale of disturbance and degradation to Sage-Grouse habitat is anticipated be low for 6.2 miles and moderate for 6.3 miles. Existing perching, roosting and nesting sites are available along Route Segment 1b from buildings, trees, and fences associated with developed areas and existing distribution and transmission lines. Construction of Route Segment 1b would require approximately 89 new structures; approximately 85 (96 percent) of these new structures would be located greater than 0.25 mile from an existing transmission line (Table 4.3-5). Seventy-three percent of the Route Segment 1b ROW corridor is within the estimated Sage-Grouse population range and 18 percent of the ROW corridor is within the core population range (Figure 3.3-4).