USDA Department of. Dear Interested Party:

Transcription

1 United States USDA Department of??7:75 iil llll Agriculture Forest Service Mesa Ranger District 5140 E. Ingram Street Mesa, AZ Phone: Fax: File Code: 2240 Date: May 16, 2014 Dear Interested Party: The Mesa Ranger District on the Tonto National Forest is proposing three livestock water developments on the Millsite grazing allotment. These developments will be funded in part by the Natural Resource Conservation Services' (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). These projects consist of pumping water from two existing windmills and a private well, to three new water storage tanks, then conveying the water via high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe to two new troughs. The purpose of these projects is to provide reliable and additional water sources to improve livestock distribution, protect riparian areas, and increase water availability for wildlife on the allotment. All of the proposed developments are within Management Area (MA) 3I as identified in the Tonto National Forest Land Management Plan (LMP). Emphasis: Manage for a variety of renewable natural resources with primary emphasis on improvement of wildlife habitat, livestock forage production, and dispersed recreation. Watersheds will be maintained so as to improve them to a satisfactory or better condition. Improve and manage the included riparian areas (as defined by FSM 2526) to benefit riparian dependent resources (LMP pg. 112). Management Prescriptions Manage suitable rangelands at Level D: Management seeks to optimize production and utilization of forage allocated for livestock use consistent with maintaining the environment and providing for multiple use of the range. From all existing range and livestock management technology, practices may be selected and used to develop cost effective methods for achieving improved forage supplies and uniform livestock distribution and forage use. Cultural practices such as brush control, type conversion, fertilization, site preparation and seeding of improved forage species may be used to improve quality and quantity of forage. Cultural practices may be combined with fencing Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper

2 .. and water developments to implement complex grazing systems and management methods (pg. 243). Full descriptions and mapped locations of the proposed actions are enclosed with this letter for your review. A biological evaluation, management indicator species analysis, and migratory bird analysis will be conducted to determine the projects effects on threatened, endangered, and/or sensitive wildlife and plant species known to occur or have habitat within the area. Additionally, the project locations have been surveyed for archaeological potential, and the survey reports will be sent to the Forest Archaeologist for review and approval. At this time, we are asking you, as an interested or affected party, to review the proposed action. If you have information you feel the Forest Service may not be aware of, especially any extraordinary circumstances, regarding the proposed action, please send these in writing on or before June 2, 2014 to: Kelly Kessler, 5140 E. Ingram St., Mesa, AZ 85205, or to comments-south westem-tonto-mesa@fs. fed. us. When submitting coitiiµents, please keep them specific to this proposal only. Comments which are not specific to the project and project area will be deemed outside the scope of the analysis and will not be considered. If you are including references, citations, or additional information to be considered for this project, please specify exactly how the material relates to the project. Also indicate exactly what part of the material you would like us to consider (such as page or figure number). Comments received in response to this scoping notice, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record on this project and will be available for public inspection. Electronic comments must show name and address of submitter. Sincerely, :x~ District Ranger 2

3 Figure 2. Millsite Allotment Pasture Map Legend flillsite Pasb.Jres D e...- Ton~ 11.ff t::.j Catb:rJl.~ P1.ublle' "'i~tts... ~Qittl:J~~ He fttpir;;bjre : D JF Rm;.ct:1Pa:::sbln:.11i.tn:1~ Feb.I~ D N:lc'""1.2.lna - :ilbt P :i! CJ ~!S nmt~ =.>::tw-e D :obu <'J!:ll:re --'!"'" _ Im 'h c-.:.dttur; Pi:a:tur-.~~:.. :::-'11o.~-,-.- ~: ;.\:.:.~~-!' ,.,.. : >. : : _.-~ :~-.... ~ ~>.~...;.: _ _. ~ :, ',. - 4

4 Figure 1. Millsite Allotment Location Map Tonto National Forest ~ \. :=:========:=Ii Mesa Ranger District '..,-----' us~o 3

5 Noble Storage, Pipeline, and Trough Project The proposed project is located within the Bear Tank pasture, which encompasses roughly 4,939 acres of Sonoran Desert scrub biotic community, primarily in the Arizona Upland Subdivision. Principal perennial plants within the unit include; yellow paloverde, saguaro, cholla, prickly pear, flattop buckwheat, Wright's buckwheat, range ratany, jojoba, calliandra, triangle leaf bursage, brittlebush, bush muhly, three-awn species, side-oats grama, and cane beard grass. There are a number of dirt stock tanks and a couple of undeveloped springs within I - 2 miles from the proposed new trough location; however, during periods of below average precipitation, the dirt tanks are often an unreliable source of water, leading livestock to rely on the springs for water. The addition of a storage tank and a new trough, fed by an existing well, will aid in livestock distribution within the pasture, and provide wildlife with a dependable water source during periods of drought. The new improvement will also reduce spring use by livestock. Project Location: TIS RI IE Sections 24 and 25, TIS Rl2E Section 19. Project Description: This project will consist of adding a new 3,000 gallon storage tank to an existing windmill (Noble). Water from the storage tank will be gravity fed through approximately.75 miles of 1 inch HDPE pipe to a new 600 gallon trough which will be located in the uplands just east of FR The pipeline will be laid above ground, except at road crossings, where it will be buried. All materials will be transported using existing roads and trails. The trough will be equipped with approved wildlife escape ramps. During periods of average/above average precipitation, when nearby dirt stock tanks are holding water, water to the new trough may be shut off. 5

6 .. Figure 3. Noble Project Location Map. l3. /... '. ~~ :..,......,~.. :')_..,_....; ~, 1. Uoble Storage and Pipeline Project t<o:jelwilldmlll 1 "=:I NobelTrougll ::,1 6

7 Scale Storage Tank Project The proposed project is located within the Hewitt pasture, which consists of approximately 5,278 acres of Sonoran Desert scrub biotic community, primarily in the Arizona Upland Subdivision. Principal perennial plants within the unit include; yellow paloverde, saguaro, cholla, prickly pear, flattop buckwheat, Wright's buckwheat, range ratany, jojoba, calliandra, triangle leaf bursage, brittlebush, bush muhly, three-awn species, side-oats grama, and cane beard grass. There are a number of dirt stock tanks within 1-2 miles from the proposed new storage tank location; however, during periods of below average precipitation, the dirt tanks are often an unreliable source of water. The addition of a storage tank fed by an existing water source, will aid in livestock distribution within the pasture, and provide wildlife with a dependable water source during periods of drought. Project Location: TlS Rl le Sections 33, 34, 35. Project Description: This project includes the addition of approximately 2 miles of 1 inch HDPE pipe to convey water from the Millsite allotment headquarters, private property, west to a new 3,000 gallon storage tank to be located within the existing corrals at Hewitt Station Windmill. The water table is now below the depth of the existing well; therefore, the existing windmill is no longer functional. The pipeline will come from the permittee' s private property, be laid beneath the FR357 roadbed, and the follow the railroad tracks above ground until just west of FR3454, where it will head downhill toward FR357. The pipe will again be buried beneath the roadbed, and connect to the new storage tank. 7

8 Figure 4. Scale Storage Tank Project Scale Storage Tank ( ) E:xisitng,~{efl Seate S!orage Tarik / --Road Proposed Pipelire A /... I : :._,. 8

9 Trailhead Trough Project The proposed project is located in the Woodbury and Cottonwood pastures consisting of roughly 7,414 and 8,369 acres respectively. The Woodbury pasture is in a transition zone between upper. Sonoran Desert scrub and semi-desert grassland vegetation, and as such, greater species diversity is present within this pasture. Dominant browse vegetation includes; Wright's buckwheat, jojoba, calliandra, and deerweed. Perennial grass species include; sideoats grama, wolftail, three-awn species, Arizona cottontop, cane beardgrass, slender grama, bush muhly, Boer's lovegrass, and Lehmann' s lovegrass. The Cottonwood pasture consists of upper Sonoran desert scrub and semidesert grassland species including; mesquite, blue and foothills paloverde, desert hackberry, jojoba, wolfberry, catclaw acacia, calliandra, range ratany, Wright's buckwheat, buckhorn and chain fruit cholla, curly mesquite, three-awn species, and to a lesser extent slender and sideoats grama, and cane beardgrass. There are a number of dirt stock tanks within 1-2 miles from the proposed new storage tank location; however, during periods of below average precipitation, the dirt tanks are often an unreliable source of water. The addition of a new storage tank and trough, fed by an existing water source, will aid in livestock distribution within the pasture, and provide wildlife with a dependable water source during periods of drought. Project Location: TlN Rl le Section 22. Project Description: This project consists of pumping water from an existing windmill (Woodbury), through roughly.5 miles of new 1 inch HDPE pipe to a new 3,000 gallon storage tank located in the uplands south of the windmill. From the tank, water will then be gravity fed to a new 600 gallon trough to be located on the existing Trailhead stock tank embankment. The pipeline will follow Forest Trail # 106 and be laid above ground except where it crosses the trail above the Woodbury!railhead parking area; where it will be buried approximately 6 inches deep. The permittee will provide the labor. The trough will be equipped with approved wildlife escape ramps. During periods of average/above average precipitation, when the Trailhead tank is holding water, water to the new trough may be shut off. 9

10 -. Figure 5. Trailhead Trough Project... : 10