Environmental Assessment

Transcription

1 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service May 2009 Environmental Assessment Powder River Campground Decommissioning Powder River Ranger District, Bighorn National Forest Johnson and Washakie Counties, Wyoming For Information Contact: Brian Boden 1415 Fort Street Buffalo, WY

2 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion. age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC or call (202) (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

3 Table of Contents Summary... i Introduction...1 Document Structure... 1 Background... 1 Purpose & Need for Action... 2 Proposed Action... 2 Decision Framework... 3 Public Involvement... 3 Issues... 3 Comparison of Alternatives, including the Proposed Action...4 Alternatives... 4 Mitigation Measures Common to All Alternatives... 5 Comparison of Alternatives... 5 Environmental Consequences...5 Consultation and Coordination...7

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5 SUMMARY The Powder River Ranger District of the Bighorn National Forest proposes to decommission three campgrounds. The District also proposes to retain fishing access along Tensleep Creek. The campgrounds are located along the southern portion of the Bighorn National Forest, along the Highway 16 corridor. More specifically, the three sites are located as follows: Crazy Woman Campground is located at the end of FR 470 along Highway 16 and Crazy Woman Creek. T 49N, R 84W, Section 36. Bull Creek Campground is located off the southeast corner of Meadowlark Lake, just off of Highway 16. T 49N, R 86W, Section 33. Tensleep Campground is located 1.5 miles up from the bottom of Forest Road (FR) 018 within Tensleep canyon. T 48N, R 87W, Section 34. This action is needed because environmental damage is occurring and the existing improvements are not being maintained to Forest Service or Americans with Disability Act (ADA) accessibility standards. The proposed action would remove improvements and close the campgrounds to public use while retaining fishing access to Tensleep Creek. In addition to the proposed action, the Forest Service also evaluated the No Action alternative. Based upon the effects of the alternatives, the responsible official will decide: Whether or not to decommission Crazy Woman, Tensleep Creek, and Bull Creek campgrounds. If the campgrounds are decommissioned, whether or not fishing access is retained at Tensleep Creek. i

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7 INTRODUCTION Document Structure The Forest Service has prepared this Environmental Assessment in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other relevant federal and state laws and regulations. This Environmental Assessment discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts that would result from the proposed action and alternatives. The document is organized into four parts: Introduction: The section includes information on the history of the project proposal, the purpose of and need for the project, and the agency s proposal for achieving that purpose and need. This section also details how the Forest Service informed the public of the proposal and how the public responded. Comparison of Alternatives, including the Proposed Action: This section provides a more detailed description of the agency s proposed action as well as alternative methods for achieving the stated purpose. These alternatives were developed based on significant issues raised by the public and other agencies. This discussion also includes possible mitigation measures. Finally, this section provides a summary table of the environmental consequences associated with each alternative. Environmental Consequences: This section describes the environmental effects of implementing the proposed action and other alternatives. This analysis is organized by environmental component. Within each section, the affected environment is described first, followed by the effects of the No Action Alternative that provides a baseline for evaluation and comparison of the other alternatives that follow. Agencies and Persons Consulted: This section provides a list of preparers and agencies consulted during the development of the environmental assessment. Appendices: The appendices provide more detailed information to support the analyses presented in the environmental assessment. Additional documentation, including more detailed analyses of project-area resources, may be found in the project planning record located at the Powder River Ranger District Office in Buffalo, Wyoming. Background The Powder River Range District completed a Recreation Facilities Analysis (RFA) May of The RFA was completed to assist the Forest in management of its developed recreation facilities. The Forest Service is responsible for the management of its developed facilities in a manner that is environmentally sound and provides safe recreation facilities for the public. The Recreation Facilities Analysis (RFA) process was conducted to define the proposed action for management of forest recreation sites in order to meet future needs and align with goals and objectives of the Forest Plan. The fundamental premise of the program of work was to create an inventory of all facilities based on standard criteria. Sites were evaluated and ranked based in part on amount of recreation use, financial efficiency, and environmental and community sustainability. 1

8 DRAFT TEMPLATE Environmental Assessment Facilities mentioned in this project analysis were ranked at the low end of the spectrum using the above evaluation criteria. Purpose & Need for Action The purpose of these actions is to implement the 2008 RFA. This action is needed, because the campgrounds are too close to water, have historic low use levels, and have high maintenance costs. This action responds to the goals and objectives outlined in the 2005 Revised Forest Plan (Forest Plan), and helps move the project area towards desired conditions described in that plan (Ch.1, pgs ). There is currently a need to bring all developed recreation facilities up to American with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. Each of the three facilities currently does not meet ADA accessibility standards and would need extensive reconstruction to bring the developed sites up to standard. All three campgrounds have developments that are within 100 feet of the water influence zones (WIZ) of North Fork Crazy Woman Creek, Tensleep Creek, or Bull Creek which does not meet the guidelines for the protection of riparian areas and wetlands as defined in Chapter 1, page 1-26 of the Forest Plan. The WIZ is the riparian ecosystem characterized by distinct wetland vegetation (Winters et al. 2003) that are located within approximately 100 feet horizontally from either edge of all perennial and intermittent streams, and from the shores of lakes and other still water bodies. It includes adjacent, unstable and highly erodible soil. Activity within the WIZ can potentially cause watershed degradation to the riparian areas and aquatic value of the streams. The campgrounds are located in areas that preclude expansion of the developments away from the WIZ due to topographic constraints and / or road locations. The developments at sites have not been maintained to standard and due to their current conditions, would be prohibitively expensive to bring up to standard. The Tensleep Campground is a popular area to fish Tensleep Creek. There continues to be a need to provide environmentally sound parking for the public to access the creek for fishing. Proposed Action The actions proposed to meeting the purpose and need includes: Crazy Woman campground- Decommisioning will include removal of all related structures such as toilet, campfire rings, tables, and other associated materials. Roadways, campsites, spurs, and turnaround may be mechanically scarified and recontoured then revegetated with an approved seed mix. Existing parking area and turnaround on road 470 will be retained for fisher access. Bull Creek campground- Decommisioning will include removal of all related structures such as toilet, campfire rings, tables, and other associated materials. 2

9 Any mechanical disturbance that takes place will be contoured and revegetated with an approved seed mix if needed. Tensleep Creek campground- Decommisioning will include removal of all related structures such as toilet, campfire rings, tables, and other associated materials. Campsites and spurs will be mechanically ripped and restored to its original contour then revegetated with an approved seed mix. A turnaround and parking area will be retained within the campground for fisher access. Timing of the actual decommisioning will be based on budget and resource availability, all three campgrounds may not be decomissioned in the same year. However, decommisioning will take place no later than the summer of Decision Framework Given the purpose and need, the deciding official reviews the proposed action and the other alternatives in order to make the following decisions: Whether or not to decommission Crazy Woman, Tensleep Creek, and Bull Creek campgrounds in the manner outlined above. Whether or not to provide fishing access at Tensleep Creek. Public Involvement The proposal was listed in the Schedule of Proposed Actions April The proposal was provided to the public and other agencies for comment through legal notice in the Forest s paper of record, the Casper Star-Tribune. The notice was published February 12, 2009; comments were requested by March 15, Issues Comments were received by one member of the public. The interdisplinary team identified one issue: 1. Tensleep and Leigh Creek campgrounds normally have vacant campsites and are in closer proximity to local communities than other campgrounds on the district. Limiting the number of camping sites in the Tensleep Canyon area may force local recreationists to compete for vacant sites in other campgrounds or have to camp in areas other than a developed campground. Based on scoping, no significant issues arose that would warrant consideration of additional alternatives. However, the one comment received suggested that the number of quality camp sites may be limited in the Tensleep Canyon area as a result of closing Tensleep Creek campground. The District has proposed to reconstruct and incorporate lost campsites from Tensleep Creek campground into Leigh Creek campground due to its 3

10 DRAFT TEMPLATE Environmental Assessment potential for expansion. The extent of this proposal would be evaluated in a separate analysis process. COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION This chapter describes and compares the alternatives considered. This section also presents the alternatives in comparative form, sharply defining the differences and providing a clear basis for choice among options by the decision maker and the public. Alternatives Alternative 1 No Action Under the No Action alternative, current management plans and actions would continue to guide the management of these facilities. Recreation facility site conditions would continue to decline due to significant deferred maintenance costs with limited income due to low occupancy rates. Potential for any facility reconstruction to expand or accommodate future needs would continue to be limited due to location. These facilities would continue to be out of compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility standards. Facility locations would remain within 100 feet of water influence zones, thus continue to be out of compliance with the Forest Plan. Sedimentation would continue to accumulate into water influence zones due to the close proximity of the site locations, having some negative impact on adjacent watershed and fisheries. Alternative 2 The Proposed Action Alternative 2 is the proposed action as outlined in the Scoping Document and includes the following RFA goals: Reduce backlog maintenance at recreation facilities district-wide by being fically responsible with limited recreation budgets. Operate and maintain recreation sites to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and health and safety standards. Gain compliance with Forest Plan standards and guidelines for resource protection. This alternative is the result of the completion of the 2008 RFA in which these developed campgrounds were listed for decommissioning due in part to their close proximity to water, low historic use, and high maintenance costs. 4

11 Design Features Due to potential effects from the decommissioning, design features were developed to ease some of the potential impacts. Any disturbed areas will be monitored and treated for Canada thistle or other noxious weeds until native vegetation re-establishes. Re-seed all bare ground with approved seed mix within 5 days of disturbance. Comparison of Alternatives This section provides a summary of the effects of implementing each alternative. Information in this section is focused on activities and effects where different levels of effects or outputs can be distinguished quantitatively or qualitatively among alternatives. As previously mentioned, the Recreation Facilities Analysis (RFA) process completed in 2008, was conducted to define the proposed action for management of forest recreation sites in order to meet future needs and align with goals and objectives of the Forest Plan. The fundamental premise of the program of work was to create an inventory of all facilities based on standard criteria. Sites were evaluated and ranked based in part on amount of recreation use, financial efficiency, and environmental and community sustainability. Facilities mentioned in this project analysis were ranked at the low end of the spectrum using the above evaluation criteria. The RFA results are to be used as a guideline to display the tasks needed over the next 5 years to bring the Forest s recreation infrastructure up to standard and into alignment with the resources available to operate and maintain them to standard. Thus the purpose and need for this project is based on the results of the RFA. Alternative 1 (no action) would not meet the purpose and need for this project or the RFA as all facilities would continue to be located within the Water Influence Zone (WIZ), would continue to be out of compliance with the Forest Plan and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility standards and would continue to be financially unstable. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES This section summarizes the physical, biological, social and economic environments of the affected project area and the potential changes to those environments due to implementation of the alternatives. It also presents the scientific and analytical basis for the comparison of alternatives. 5

12 DRAFT TEMPLATE Environmental Assessment Affected Environment The project area consists of three campgrounds on the Powder River Ranger District; Crazy Woman, Tensleep Creek, and Bull Creek campgrounds. All three of the facilities were constructed between 30 to 50 years ago and were designed with short spurs (<25 ) for tent camping or small pickup bed campers. The sites were designed to accommodate vehicles of that time period versus those of today. Each of the facilities is within 100 feet from water and is located in such an area as to limit any potential for upgrade to accomidate future needs due to topographical features or roads. Bull Creek campground has been closed for over 4 years due to hazard trees being present which causes safety concerns for the public. contains 10 sites less than 25 feet in length. is located within ¾ mile from Lake view campground (an open campground that is not proposed for closure). Does not meet Forest Plan standards or ADA accessibility requirements. Tensleep Creek campground contains 10 sites less than 35 feet in length low historic use is located within ¾ mile from Leigh Creek campground (an open campground that is not proposed for closure) does not meet Forest Plan standards or ADA accessibility requirements. Crazy Woman campground contains 6 sites less than 25 feet in length. does not meet Forest Plan standards or ADA accessibility requirements. camp spurs back up to the North Fork Crazy Woman Creek and are within 100 feet of the WIZ. Watershed/Soils/Riparian/Fisheries Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences The three recreation sites are all within 100 feet of water influence zones, North Fork Crazy Woman Creek, Tensleep Creek, and Bull Creek respectively and do not meet guidelines for the protection of riparian areas and wetlands, established in the Watershed Conservation Practices Handbook (WCPH). Removal of these sites will help meet design criteria outlined in the WCPH for soil and watershed improvement. There will be short term affects to soil and watershed condition during reclamation, but overall conditions will be improved for the long-term. It is not known what specific impacts these sites have had on the fisheries resources, but it is assumed that any reduction in the amount of disturbed area and the potential for fine sediment production would provide some improvement in habitat quality. Direct fishing access would still be provided at the Crazy Woman site and that activity would continue 6

13 to affect populations. Although vehicle access is provided at the Crazy Woman site, fishing may continue to occur near the other sites from walk in traffic. Summary of Other Law, Regulation and Policy The following table summarizes the resource conditions and findings relative to the project area resources, and summarizes consistency with other laws and regulations required by this type of action. Resource Condition Federally listed threatened or endangered species or designated critical habitat, species proposed for Federal listing or proposed critical habitat, or Forest Service sensitive species Flood plains, wetlands, or municipal watersheds. Congressionally designated areas, such as wilderness, wilderness study areas, or national recreation areas. Inventoried roadless areas. Research natural areas American Indians and Alaska Native religious or cultural sites Archaeological sites, or historic properties or areas Applicability to the Project There are no known TES plant or wildlife species that will be adversely affected by the proposed actions The project will not affect the viability of any native or desired non-native wildlife species, and viability determinations made in the Revised Forest Plan would not be changed by this project. The project will result in no net loss of wetlands or alter the current floodplain. Refer to watershed specialist comments. The project is not located within a wilderness, wilderness study area, or national recreation area, nor adjacent to them. The project is not located within an inventoried roadless area as determined by the 2005 inventory for the Revised Forest Plan. In addition, neither the project area, nor the proposed disturbances, would be in an area identified as roadless within the Roadless Area Conservation Rule definition of roadless (2001). The project is not located within or adjacent to a research natural area. Tribal consultation was provided through the opportunity to review the EA, and through the NEPA Quarterly report. Any concerns raised would be addressed prior to final project authorization. Class 3 surveys for archaeological resources were completed for this project (see project record). No sites eligible for listing were discovered. Should any resources be found during implementation, SHPO would be consulted via the District archaeologist. CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION The Forest Service consulted the following individuals, Federal, state and local agencies, tribes and non-forest Service persons during the development of this environmental assessment: Public involvement is paramount to the NEPA process. The Recreation Facilities Analysis project (RFA) proposal was provided to the public for involvement through several venues from December 2007 through March

14 DRAFT TEMPLATE Environmental Assessment District and Supervisor s Office employees were presented the project January All involved County Commissioners were originally contacted in March of 2007 with a follow up in December In addition, media stories and open house meetings were hosted for all communities involved in February Public involvement for this implementation proposal of the RFA was provided to the public for comment beginning in 2009 with the formal initiation of the scoping letter published in the Casper Star Tribune on February 12, The notice of availability of this EA was made via a public notice in the Casper Star Tribune in May 2009, and mailed to parties submitting comments on the project proposal, and posted on the Forest s website. 8