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Draft Environmental Impact Statement High Uintas Wilderness – Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Habitat Enhancement

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Draft Environmental Impact Statement High Uintas Wilderness – Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Habitat Enhancement United States Department of Agriculture DRAFT Environmental Forest Service Impact Statement November 2013 High Uintas Wilderness – Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Habitat Enhancement Roosevelt/Duchesne Ranger District, Ashley National Forest Duchesne County, Utah 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. Draft Environmental Impact Statement High Uintas Wilderness – Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Habitat Enhancement High Uintas Wilderness – Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Habitat Enhancement Draft Environmental Impact Statement Duchesne County, Utah Lead Agency: USDA Forest Service Cooperating Agencies: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Responsible Official: Nora Rasure, Regional Forester R4 For Information Contact: Ron Brunson, Fisheries Biologist Roosevelt/Duchesne Ranger District, Ashley National Forest (435) 781- 5202 Abstract: The Ashley National Forest, in cooperation with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (collectively referred to hereafter as the Agencies), proposes to enhance habitat for native Colorado River cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki pleuriticus) in selected headwater basins in the High Uintas Wilderness on the Roosevelt/Duchesne Ranger District of the Ashley National Forest (Proposed Action). The objective of the Proposed Action is to re-establish populations of Colorado River cutthroat trout (CRCT) in selected headwater basins free from competing and hybridizing nonnative trout species. This is an important step toward meeting the Conservation Strategy goal to assure the long-term viability of CRCT throughout their historic range and is an effort toward meeting the objective to secure and enhance conservation populations by removing nonnative fish species. This Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) considers two alternatives; the No Action alternative and the Proposed Action alternative. The Proposed Action and preferred alternative would use the piscicide rotenone to remove competing and hybridizing nonnative fish from selected headwater streams and lakes. The primary fish species to be removed are brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and hybridized and nonnative cutthroat trout (Onchorhynchus clarki spp.). However, all fish species would be removed as a result of the treatment. Rotenone would be neutralized using potassium permanganate at or below a migration barrier downstream of the areas targeted for treatment. Approximately one year following the last treatment of the selected basin, CRCT would be restocked. Chapter 2 presents a detailed description of the Proposed Action and alternatives. i High Uintas Wilderness – Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Habitat Enhancement Draft Environmental Impact Statement Reviewers should provide the Forest Service with their comments during the review period of the DEIS. This will enable the Forest Service to analyze and respond to the comments at one time and to use information acquired in the preparation of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), thus avoiding undue delay in the decision making process. Reviewers have an obligation to structure their participation in the National Environmental Policy Act process so that it is meaningful and alerts the agency to the reviewers’ positions and contentions. Environmental objections that could have been raised at the draft stage may be waived if not raised until after completion of the FEIS. Comments on the DEIS should be specific and should address the adequacy of the statement and the merits of the alternatives discussed (40 CFR 1503.3). How to comment and timeframe: Written, facsimile, hand-delivered, and electronic comments concerning this proposal will be accepted for 45 days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability (NOA) of this DEIS in the Federal Register. The publication date of the NOA in the Federal Register is the exclusive means for calculating the comment period for a proposed action documented in a DEIS. Those wishing to comment should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any other source. On March 27, 2013, a final rule revising 36 CFR Part 218 (pre-decisional objection procedures) was published in the Federal Register and became effective upon that publication date. Only those who submit timely and specific written comments regarding the proposed project during a public comment period established by the responsible official are eligible to file an objection. Submit written comments to the responsible official c/o the Ashley National Forest at the following address: Kristy Groves Duchesne Ranger District P. O. Box 981 85 West Main Duchesne, Utah 84021 The office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Electronic comments should contain High Uintas Wilderness – CRCT in the subject line and may be submitted in common formats such as an email message, portable document format (.pdf), plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), Word (.doc or .docx), or hypertext markup language (.html) to: [email protected]. Comments must have an identifiable name attached or verification of identity will be required. A scanned signature may serve as verification on electronic comments. ii Draft Environmental Impact Statement High Uintas Wilderness – Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Habitat Enhancement SUMMARY The Ashley National Forest, in cooperation with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, proposes to treat selected waters within the High Uintas Wilderness with rotenone to remove nonnative fish species and enhance habitat for native Colorado River cutthroat trout (CRCT). The area affected by the proposal includes selected lakes and streams in headwater basins within the Rock Creek, Lake Fork and Yellowstone River drainages. These areas are generally characterized as high elevation, alpine meadows. A larger portion of areas proposed for treatment occur near or above timberline. This action would help ensure the continued viability of CRCT populations within the High Uintas Wilderness by removing competing and hybridizing nonnative fish species. A Conservation Strategy for Colorado River cutthroat trout has been developed by cooperating State and Federal agencies in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. The Forest Service and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources are parties to this Conservation Strategy and Agreement. The removal of nonnative fish to restore and enhance habitat for CRCT populations is identified as a major activity to meet Strategy objectives. Headwater basins within the High Uintas Wilderness have long been identified as target areas for enhancing habitat for CRCT by removing competing and hybridizing nonnative trout species. Brook trout populations within the Rock Creek, Lake Fork River and Yellowstone River drainages continue to expand into cutthroat trout habitat and are replacing cutthroat trout populations through competition within these headwater drainage basins. This Draft Environmental Impact Statement considers two alternatives including the No Action and Proposed Action alternatives. Major conclusions include: . The use of rotenone to remove fish would result in short-term impacts to aquatic macroinvertebrate populations. The use of rotenone to remove fish may result in long-term impacts to more sensitive macroinvertebrate populations within treatment areas but is not expected to contribute to a negative trend in macroinvertebrate populations on the Ashley National Forest. The use of rotenone to remove fish may impact individual amphibians but is not expected to contribute to a negative trend in amphibian populations of the Ashley National Forest. There would be localized impacts to fishing opportunities for approximately four years between the time period of the initial rotenone treatment and approximately two years following the last treatment of the selected waters. Based upon the analysis of the alternatives, the responsible official will decide whether to allow the use of rotenone to remove nonnative fish species within selected waters in the High Uintas Wilderness of the Ashley National Forest. The responsible official will also make the decision whether to allow the use of mechanized and/or motorized equipment in the wilderness to disperse and neutralize rotenone. iii High Uintas Wilderness – Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Habitat Enhancement Draft Environmental Impact Statement Table of Contents Summary ....................................................................................................................... iii Chapter 1. Purpose of and Need for Action ................................................................
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