§ 8.4.3. Wildlife habitat database.

Wildlife habitat information is intended for general planning purposes as an indicator of areas where further study may be necessary. The following sources will be used to identify areas that might contain important wildlife habitat areas:

A.

Colorado Division of Wildlife habitat maps for Larimer County.

Procedures for mapping important wildlife habitat: Data on wildlife populations and natural communities are continually updated, and as a result, procedures for mapping important wildlife habitat may change as data and understanding improve. Maps of important wildlife habitat identify areas that deserve more study on the ground. They do not predict animal distributions.

Currently, important wildlife habitat is mapped based on two types of data: field observations of sensitive and economically important species and characteristics of vegetation believed to promote biological diversity.

Maps based on field observations of species:

1.

Elk severe winter range, elk migration routes, bighorn sheep lambing areas, mule deer winter concentration areas and mule deer migration routes. Definitions of these areas and procedures for mapping them are available from the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

2.

Activity areas of threatened and endangered species based on field data provided by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Observations are also mapped of imperiled species and natural communities provided by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program.

Maps based on vegetative cover are derived from satellite images and field surveys to locate:

1.

Rare vegetation types. These are believed to promote biological diversity by providing unusual plant cover and associated animal populations. Rare vegetation includes wetlands, water bodies, perennial riparian zones, riparian deciduous forest, aspen, lowland riparian forest and foothills riparian forest.

2.

High neighborhood species richness. These are maps that identify potential hotspots of animal and plant diversity. These hotspots are areas of the landscape that are estimated to support a greater number of species than 95 percent of the remaining area of the county.

Maps of important wildlife habitat are composites of these four sources of data.

B.

Colorado Natural Heritage Program maps dated December 1996, or as amended; and

C.

Other information and maps as the planning director may identify in cooperation with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, such as wildlife maps produced by cities within Larimer County.