OCR Text |
Show Wildlife ( 1) General Significant local impacts would occur on wildlife populations inhabiting the areas in and adjacent to Unit development sites. It is difficult to realistically relate the importance of the local impacts on game populations to the status of the populations at the broader State or regional level. Complicating the problem of evaluating the broad significance of local impacts are the facts that the Bonneville Unit effect on wildlife is but on of many that are presently exerting pressure upon the wildlife resource and that compreheasive quantitative and qualitative assessments of total available wildlife habitat have not yet been completed. 20> 122 However, in order to picture the relationship of the Unit to the Statewide situation, some habitat comparisons are made in this evaluation of environmental impacts. The adverse wildlife impacts attributable to the Bonneville Unit would be primarily associated with loss of habitat resulting from inundation, drainage of marshlands, reduced streamflows, and interference with established migration patterns. Table C- 21 presents a summary of the estimated impacts of the Unit upon wildlife habitat. Except for elk, the affected wildlife populations would experience an overall loss of habitat. It is very important to distinguish between summer and winter habitat because it: is the quantity and quality of winter habitat that usually determines the capacity of an area to produce and sustain wildlife populations. Losses of summer habitat are not as critical because animal populations are usually better able to adapt to such losses without suffering a reduction in productivity. This habitat differentiation does not apply to waterfowl whose use of marshlands is mainly seasonal. ( 2) Mantua Is and Birds Table C- 21 indicates that sage grouse, deer, moose, pheasants and waterfowl would experience 352 |