Camp Lick Project Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA) Appendix E Past, Ongoing, and Reasonably Foreseeable Actions

Transcription

1 Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA) Appendix E Past, Ongoing, and Reasonably Foreseeable Actions Blue Mountain Ranger District Malheur National Forest

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3 Table of Contents Past, Ongoing, and Reasonably Foreseeable Actions... 1 Cumulative Effects... 1 Past and Present Actions... 1 Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions... 1 Tables Table E-1. Past and present activities around the Camp Lick used for the cumulative effects analysis... 2 Table E-2. Reasonably foreseeable future actions authorized under the Malheur National Forest Aquatic Restoration Decision within the Camp Lick... 6 i

4 Past, Ongoing, and Reasonably Foreseeable Actions This section lists the various past, ongoing, and reasonably foreseeable actions that were considered for the cumulative effects analysis for the. Cumulative Effects A cumulative effect is the impact to the environment resulting from the incremental impact of the action when added to effects from other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions. Other actions are considered regardless of what agency or person undertakes these other actions and regardless of land ownership on which the other actions occur (40 CFR ). An individual action when considered alone may not have a significant effect, but when its effects are considered in sum with the effects of other actions, the effects may be significant. Cumulative effects were assessed for this project in terms of how the alternatives would add to the past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions (Table E-1 and Table E-2). Existing conditions described under each resources section reflect the cumulative effects of past and present activities that have occurred in this area. Each resource section identifies specific past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions listed in Table E-1 and Table E-2 with a discernible effect on a particular resource as reflect in the existing condition. Past and Present Actions The environmental analysis required under the National Environmental Policy Act is forward looking in that it focuses on the potential impacts of the proposed action that an agency is considering. Thus, review of past actions is required to the extent that this review informs agency decision making regarding the proposed action (Council on Environmental Quality Memorandum, Guidance on the Consideration of past Actions in Cumulative Effects Analysis, Forest Service National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Regulations (36 CFR 220.5(F)) (July 24, 2008). Specific past actions considered in the affected environment and cumulative effects analysis are summarized below. The past action summary is not necessarily exhaustive, as records may not exist for all past activities by project. This is particularly true for those actions that predate the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act in Nonetheless, the effects of such past actions are accounted for in the assessment of the existing condition, as the current condition assessment necessarily reflects any relevant impact of such actions. Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions Each resource section describes any cumulative effect from the present and reasonably foreseeable future actions listed in this section. The reasonably foreseeable future actions overlap in time and location and may have environmental effects. The incremental effect of the action, when added to the proposed activities, was analyzed. Detailed descriptions of each present and future action are listed here and are referenced in each resource section. The foreseeable future actions for which the s proposed activities may have cumulative effect are those listed on the Malheur National Forest s Schedule of Proposed Actions or have been identified as potential projects authorized under the Aquatic Restoration Decision. The Malheur National Forest initiated an Aquatic Restoration Environment Assessment (EA) in January 2014, and the decision notice and finding of no significant impact (DN/FONSI) was signed in September This decision authorized activities that are consistent with the 17 aquatic restoration categories described in that decision to be implemented following review of the activity with a Project Implementation Checklist to ensure the activity is consistent with the analysis and is within the criteria of 1

5 the Aquatic Restoration Decision. The interdisciplinary team has identified some potential future project that may occur under the Aquatic Restoration Decision within the Camp Lick (see Table E-2). Table E-1. Past and present activities around the Camp Lick used for the cumulative effects analysis Activity name Timeframe Location Activity description Past timber harvest 1860s to 2000s Throughout Substantial timber harvesting that facilitated the removal of the large ponderosa pine, western white pine, western larch, and Douglas-fir in the Camp Lick began in the 1930s with the Oregon Lumber Company. Oregon Lumber Company moved west and north into cat skidding and truck hauling in the early 1940s. Approximately 14,500 acres (approximately 36 percent) of the Camp Lick were formerly owned and managed by the Oregon, Donover, and Edward Hines Lumber Companies. These lands were acquired in a land exchange by the Malheur National Forest from the Oregon Lumber Company in the 1940s, from the Donover Company in 1971, and from the Edward Hines Lumber Company in It can be assumed that these lands were actively managed with timber harvest both before and after this exchange. After the acquisition of this property in the 1940s and 1950s, harvest was primarily done by the use of the Keen s Vigor Classes (O Hara et al. 2010). Overstory removal and regeneration harvests in this area started in the 1970s and continued through the 1990s. Timber sales in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s included Arch, Bear Wallow, Beech, Big Culvert, Boggy, Camp Powell, Choice, Cogo, Dunston, Eager, Foxy Wick, Hall, Hay, Huck, Keeney, Lance, Lick, Moon, Nest, Pond, Sulphur Creek, Time, Trail Creek, and Twin Bench. Ongoing treatment of designated fuel breaks created adjacent to County Road 18. Approximately 1,200 acres were commercially thinned and 1,600 acres were non-commercially thinned. Prescribed burning along this corridor is ongoing. Ongoing precommercial thinning and handpiling on approximately 3,640 acres within the. The thinning is within plantations from previously harvested units of a variety of timber sales. These timber sales are listed above under past timber harvest. Thinning is to a variable density and will increase growth and vigor of the residual stand. All thinning and piling is by hand. County Road 18 Healthy Forest Restoration Act Project 2010 to ongoing Adjacent to and overlapping the southwestern project boundary Plantation maintenance 2002 to ongoing Throughout the 2

6 Activity name Timeframe Location Activity description Fire suppression 1910 to present 1910 Fire Northwest corner of the planning area Non-native invasive plant treatments Malheur National Forest Site- Specific Invasive Plants Treatment Record of Decision implementation In the recent past wildfires were actively suppressed leading to a buildup of ground fuels and overstocked stands. Because of current uncharacteristic fire behavior, all fires are being actively suppressed to reduce the chance of other major stand replacement fires. The planning are has averaged approximately 5 fire starts per year over the last 25 years. The average fire size is approximately 1.1 acres; only 13 starts were greater than 1 acre in size, the majority of starts were less than a quarter acre in size. Fire starts are scattered evenly throughout the. The Summit fire burned within 1.5 miles of the northeast corner of the in Approximately 13,600 acre fire that burned approximately 800 acres of area within the northwest corner of the Camp Lick. Ongoing Non-native invasive plant treatments on National Forest System lands have been done primarily by hand pulling, mechanical cutting (weed whacking), and grubbing; however, some biological controls were introduced in the 1990s to ongoing Treatment of known and newly discovered non-native invasive plants potentially using herbicide, manual, mechanical, biological and/or cultural treatments. Historical grazing 1880 to 1940 Much of the Camp Lick was historically agricultural private land and/or used extensively by Civilian Conservation Corps crews during the 1930s to 1940s for the conservation and development of natural resources. The area was intensively grazed during these years, including sheep in the 1800s and early 1900s. After the 1930s the U.S. Forest Service established grazing regulations. Past grazing 1940s to 1990s Grazing area (allotments) were created by dividing the land with fences, stocking rates, seasons of use, and standards for allowable utilization of the resource were created. 3

7 Activity name Timeframe Location Activity description Present grazing Developed recreation Dispersed camping Hiker/Horse/OHV/ bicycle trails Cross-country offhighway vehicle (OHV) use Transportation activities (maintenance, construction, decommissioning) Travel Management Plan 1990s to present Ongoing maintenance Ongoing use Ongoing maintenance Ongoing Lower Camp Creek Campground Throughout Throughout The Balance allotment has 9 cow/calf pairs grazed per season on 363 acres. 9% (33 acres) of the allotment is within the. The Camp Creek allotment has 50 cow/calf pairs grazed per season on 723 aces. 50% (365 acres) of the allotment is within the. The Long Creek allotment has 967 cow/calf pairs grazed per season on 49,652 acres. 69% (34,409 acres) of the allotment is within the. The Slide Creek allotment has 777 cow/calf pairs grazed per season on 25,554 acres. 12% (2,946 acres) of the allotment is within the. Less the 3% of the following allotment s acres are within the : Lower Middle Fork, Dixie, Roundtop, and John Day allotments. The Lower Camp Creek Campground includes a developed fee campground with developed campsites, picnic tables, and a vault toilet. There are 46 recorded dispersed campsites in the. Approximately 1.5 miles of trails, including the Arch Rock trail, which is approximately 0.5 miles in length in the center of the, and the Lake Butte trail, which is approximately 1 mile in length on the western edge of the. Cross-country OHV use occurs throughout the. Ongoing Forest Service road (FSR) maintenance: blading FSR 36 (annually) and FSR 3640, 3620, 3645, 3650, 3660, 3670, 3675, 2045 (every other year). FSR 3620 was repaved in 2009 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Reasonably foreseeable future activity Firewood cutting Ongoing Across the Special Use Permit Special Use Permit Special Use Permit Special Use Permit Ongoing T. 10 S., R. 32 E., sec. 25, 27, & T. 10 S., R. 33 E., sec , 30. Ongoing T. 10 S., R. 33 E., sec. 19. Ongoing T. 10 S., R. 32 E., sec. 25. Ongoing T. 10 S., R. 33 E., sec. 19. The Malheur National Forest is required to develop a new vehicle use plan that would restrict cross-country travel by motorized vehicles to only specifically designated roads and trails. Use is generally late spring through late fall along open roads. Linear right-of-way for buried telephone line. Linear right-of-way for electrical power line. Spring development. Stream gauge. 4

8 Activity name Timeframe Location Activity description Other uses Ongoing T. 10 S., R. 32 E., sec. 25. Irrigation ditch. Historical mining Past There is in evidence of historical mining taking place in the Camp Lick. It is possible some low level prospecting took place but there are no sites recorded documenting any prospecting. Mining claims (varies from year to year) Riparian vegetation planting Log weir and boulder modification Riparian vegetation planting Fish Passage Restoration Large and coarse wood placement Beaver habitat restoration Ongoing Across the where lands are open to mineral entry Lower and Upper Camp Creeks Current claim activity within the project boundary includes one lode claim filed in Activity was limited to excavation of a single pit. There have been no signs of access to the pit since excavation in Lode claims are usually parallelogram shaped with the longer side lines parallel to the vein or lode. They are limited by stature to a maximum of 1,500 feet in length along the vein or lode and 300 feet on either side. Present activity is mostly limited to assay work and minor claim work. No large commercial operations are active at this time. Riparian planting in lower 13 miles of Camp Creek. Riparian species planted include willow, cottonwood, and chokecherry and were caged Camp Creek Removal of over 230 log weirs that created juvenile fish barriers, stream widening and channel confinement, restoring juvenile fish passage to 6.1 miles of stream Camp Creek Riparian planting in reaches 1, 3, 4, and 5 of Camp Creek. Riparian species planted include willow and cottonwood, none were caged fish barrier culverts have been removed and replaced with Aquatic Organism Passage structures opening access to 17 miles of historical and critical habitat. Large wood was added to locations with culvert replacements Large and coarse wood has been placed throughout the as identified in the Watershed Restoration Action Plan. Most wood added has been within the vicinity of log weirs being removed, fish passage culverts being replaced or where beaver dam analogues were placed Camp Creek reaches 8 and 9 70 beaver dam analogues were placed over 4 miles. In addition, 88 large wood jams, 65 small wood jams, 8 post vanes, and 7 rock vanes were placed. Cottonwoods and willows were planted and many of the riparian plants were fenced. Forty-five log weirs were removed. As stated above, the interdisciplinary team has identified some potential future projects that may occur under the Aquatic Restoration Decision within the Camp Lick. A project implementation checklist will be used to ensure each activity is consistent with the analysis and project design criteria in the Aquatic Restoration EA and Decision. Pre-project notification will be posted at least 30 days prior to implementation of the activity on the Malheur National Forest s web site at Post-project notification will also be posted on this website. This webpage is designed to provide information about aquatic restoration activities on the Malheur National Forest and provides baseline information for planning documentation (NEPA) and 5

9 associated consultation. The webpage will also provide an annual list of projects to be implemented by each Ranger District. Pre-project notification is the time for individuals and organizations interested in specific aquatic restoration projects to contact the project lead with questions or suggestions related to implementation of that project. Table E- 2 is a summary of potential projects authorized under the Aquatic Restoration Decision that may occur in the Camp Lick to allow the interdisciplinary team to analyze the cumulative effects from these reasonably foreseeable future actions. Table E-2. Reasonably foreseeable future actions authorized under the Malheur National Forest Aquatic Restoration Decision within the Camp Lick Aquatic Activity Name Location Activity Description Fish passage restoration Large wood placement Legacy structure removal Channel Reconstruction/ Relocation Off and side channel habitat restoration Removal of existing berms and levees Off-channel livestock watering facilities Replacement or removal of approximately 12 culverts in the Lower and Upper Camp Creek subwatersheds. Plug and backfill abandon irrigation ditch on Camp Creek. Camp Creek Large and coarse wood will be placed along approximately 12 miles of stream. A majority of these trees would come from upland tipping units or from the outer edge of a RHCA. Wood may be placed with beaver dam analogue and railroad grade segment removal. Camp Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Whiskey Creek, Lick Creek Cottonwood Creek, Camp Creek Coxie Meadow, Bear Wallow Meadow, Whiskey Meadow Camp Creek Removal of channel spanning log weirs that remain. Removal of boulders and rip rap on Cottonwood Creek s alluvial fan to restore floodplain connectivity. Realign Cottonwood Creek s stream channel on the alluvial fan to its historical pattern, also removes fish passage barriers. Realign Camp Creek within portions that have been straightened or constrained by historical railroad grade. Reconnect historical floodplain by removing off channel fill to improve groundwater recharge. Remove segments of former railroad grade that constrains floodplain as a levee. Maintain stockponds and spring developments and develop new springs. Road erosion control Decommission approximately 15.3 miles of closed in Lick Creek, Upper and Lower Camp Creek subwatersheds. Riparian vegetation planting Beaver habitat restoration Camp Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Coxie, East Fork Camp Creek, Eagle Creek Camp Creek, East Fork Camp Creek, Lick Creek, Coxie Creek, Cottonwood Creek Plant riparian hardwoods (willow, cottonwood, dogwood, and aspen) and sedge plugs along approximately 22 miles of stream. Restore beaver habitat along approximately 20 miles of stream. Beaver dam analogues and bioengineering techniques would restore processes and functions for increasing beaver habitat. 6