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Environmental Assessment ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMUNICATION SITE United States Department of Agriculture DUFFIELD PENINSULA, BARANOF ISLAND, ALASKA Forest Service Alaska Region Tongass National Forest R10-MB-754 Sitka Ranger District Sitka, Alaska November 2012 Prepared by: United States Forest Service United States Coast Guard Sitka Ranger District Commanding Officer 204 Siginaka Way USCG Rescue 21 PRO Alaska Sitka, Alaska 99835 100 Savikko Road 907-747-4225 Douglas, Alaska 99824 907-463-2958 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (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) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT U.S. COAST GUARD SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMUNICATION SITE DUFFIELD PENINSULA, BARANOF ISLAND, ALASKA TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1.0 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Scope of Environmental Analysis 3 1.3 Proposed Action 4 1.4 Purpose and Need 5 1.5 Forest Service Management Direction 6 1.6 Public Involvement 7 2.0 ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION 7 2.1 Issues 7 2.2 Alternative 1 (No Action) 8 2.3 Alternative 2 (Proposed Action) 8 2.4 Project Best Management Practices and Management Measures 17 2.5 Alternative Sites Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Analysis 19 2.6 Comparison of Alternatives 24 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 26 3.1 General Site Description 26 3.2 Public Health and Safety 26 3.3 Recreation Use 27 3.4 Scenery 28 3.5 Air Quality 32 3.6 Noise 33 3.7 Floodplains 35 3.8 Water Resources and Water Quality 35 3.9 Wetlands and Vegetation 36 3.10 Fish and Wildlife 38 3.11 Threatened and Endangered Species 42 3.12 Historical, Archaeological, or Cultural Resources 44 3.13 Socioeconomics 45 3.14 Environmental Justice 46 DUFFIELD PENINSULA SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMUNICATION SITE Page i ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 3.15 Hazardous Material and Waste Management 47 3.16 Roadless Resource 48 3.17 Subsistence 49 3.18 Cumulative Effects 50 4.0 PREPARERS, CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION 52 5.0 REFERENCES CITED 54 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1-1 Proposed Locations for Rescue 21Communication and Mobilization Sites, Duffield Peninsula, Baranof Island, Alaska 2 Figure 2-1 Coverage Map of Proposed Duffield Peninsula Communication Site 9 Figure 2-2 Proposed Site Plan Drawing 10 Figure 2-3 Typical Small Wind Generator Installation 12 Figure 2-4 Existing AT&T Communication Link Facility, Mud Bay, Kruzof Island, Alaska 13 Figure 2-6 Proposed Helicopter Flight Routes from Goose Cove or Rodman Bay Staging Areas 15 Figure 2-7 Typical Temporary Camp Site 16 Figure 2-8 Coverage Map of Eliminated Moore Mountain Alternate Site 20 Figure 2-9 Coverage Map of Eliminated Upper Kruzof Alternate Site 21 Figure 2-10 Coverage Map of Eliminated Rodman Bay Alternate Site 22 Figure 2-11 Coverage Map of Eliminated Steelhead Alternate Site 23 Figure 3-1 Similar Communication Facility, Distant View 31 LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1. Comparison of Alternative Effects 24 Table 3-1. Tongass National Forest R-10 Plant Species 37 Table 3-2. Demographic Characteristics 46 Table 3-3. List of Cumulative Actions in the Project Area 51 LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A U.S. COAST GUARD ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT COVER PAGE APPENDIX B U.S. FOREST SERVICE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES APPLICABLE TO THE PROPOSED ACTION APPENDIX C GEOTECHNICAL REPORT Page ii DUFFIELD PENINSULA SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMUNICATION SITE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT APPENDIX D SITE PHOTOGRAPHS APPENDIX E NOISE TERMINOLOGY, DESCRIPTORS, AND TEST RESULTS DUFFIELD PENINSULA SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMUNICATION SITE Page iii ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT List of Acronyms AASHTO American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials ADCRA Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs ADEC Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation ADF&G Alaska Department of Fish & Game AFSC Alaska Fisheries Science Center ANILCA Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act BA Boat Anchorage BLM Bureau of Land Management BMP Best Management Practice CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CFR Code of Federal Regulations CIS Community Information Summaries Clarus Clarus Technologies, LLC dB decibels dBA A-weighted decibels DPS Distinct population segment DSC Digital Selective Calling EA Environmental Assessment EIS Environmental Impact Statement EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ESA Endangered Species Act FAA Federal Aviation Administration FEMA Federal Emergency Management Administration FHWA Federal Highway Administration FLPMA Federal Land Policy and Management Act FONSI Finding of No Significant Impact Forest Plan Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Service 2008a) Forest Service U.S.D.A. Forest Service FSH Forest Service Handbook FSM Forest Service Manual GPS Global-Positioning System Hz Hertz IRA Inventoried Roadless Area kW Kilowatt Ldn Day-night sound level Leq Equivalent sound level LUD Land Use Designation MIS Management Indicator Species mph Miles per hour NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards NDRS National Distress and Response System NEPA National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 NFS National Forest System NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NPS National Park Service NSF National Science Foundation OHA Alaska Office of History and Archaeology Page iv DUFFIELD PENINSULA SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMUNICATION SITE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT List of Acronyms (continued) R21 Rescue 21 RF Radio frequency SAGE SAGE Systems Technologies, LLC SAR Search and rescue SHPO State Historic Preservation Office SIO Scenic Integrity Objective SOPA Schedule of Proposed Actions SPCC Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure SPEA Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment SUA Saltwater Use Area UHF Ultra-high frequency Unified Unified Soil Classification System URS URS Corporation USCG U.S. Coast Guard USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture USF&WS U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service USGS U.S. Geological Survey VHF Very-high frequency VPR Visual Priority Route DUFFIELD PENINSULA SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMUNICATION SITE Page v ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 1.0 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION 1.1 Introduction The Proposed Action consists of Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Forest Service) designation and authorization of a new communication site, and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) construction, operation, and maintenance of a search and rescue (SAR) communication facility within the Tongass National Forest on the Duffield Peninsula on Baranof Island in the City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska (see Figure 1-1). The proposed USCG project is part of the National Distress and Response System (NDRS) Modernization Project, now called Rescue 21 (R21), and would provide SAR service to portions of Peril Strait and Sergius Narrows not currently served by existing SAR communication facilities. The proposed R21 facility would provide support for very-high frequency (VHF) communication (including Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and National Weather Service broadcasts), ultra-high frequency (UHF) antennas, and microwave communications in order to provide radio signal in the Peril Strait area. The proposed facility would occupy less than 1/2 acre and consist of a communication tower, communication hut, generator hut, propane fuel tanks, solar array, helicopter pad, and all necessary electronic equipment. Rescue 21 is the Coast Guard’s advanced command and control communications system and was created to better locate mariners in distress and to save lives and property at sea and on navigable rivers. Rescue 21 allows the USCG to more accurately identify the location of callers in distress using DSC radio transmissions, thereby significantly reducing search time. The R21 Alaska program is designed to provide an integrated emergency communication system extending 20 nautical miles from the shoreline with the following services: Monitoring of distress calls from vessels (MAYDAY); Improvement in communications for other operational missions, including search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, maritime pollution prevention and response, and homeland security/national defense; and Support for U.S. compliance with international treaties including DSC capability in Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, in accordance with the International Maritime Organization of Life at Sea Convention. These services would be accomplished by the following actions: Reducing coverage gaps in the current VHF system; Increasing channel capacity, which would allow for simultaneous communications on multiple channels (including VHF Channel 16); Having DSC capability that would quickly provide a vessel’s name, exact location, nature of distress, and other vital information when used in conjunction with an integrated global positioning system (GPS) receiver
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