Baboquivari Peak Wilderness and Coyote Mountains Wilderness Wilderness Management Plan Environmental Assessment and Decision Record October 2012 Drawing by: Carlos Ponce The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for the balanced management of the public lands and resources and their various values so that they are considered in a combination that will best serve the needs of the American people. Management is based upon the principles of multiple use and sustained yield, a combination of uses that takes into account the long-term needs of future generations for renewable and nonrenewable resources. These resources include recreation, range, timber, minerals, watershed, fish and wildlife, wilderness and natural, scenic, scientific and cultural values. Cover Photo: A view of Baboquivari Peak Wilderness. All photographs in this document were taken within the Baboquivari Peak Wilderness and Coyote Mountains Wilderness. Final Baboquivari Peak Wilderness and Coyote Mountains Wilderness Wilderness Management Plan, Environmental Assessment, and Decision Record U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Pima County, Arizona Environmental Assessment No. AZ-420-2008-047 October 2012 Table of Contents Plan Summary.................................................................................................................................................... 6 Part I – Introduction.......................................................................................................................................... 8 Baboquivari Peak Wilderness Map.................................................................................................................. 10 Coyote Mountains Wilderness Map................................................................................................................. 11 Part II – Wilderness Overview (General Setting)........................................................................................... 12 Part III – General Management Situation (Affected Environment)............................................................. 16 Table 1 – Grazing Allotments in Baboquivari Peak Wilderness and Coyote Mountains Wilderness....... 17 Table 2 – Grazing Allotment and Existing Range Improvement Summary................................................ 18 Baboquivari Peak Wilderness Grazing Allotments Map.............................................................................. .. 19 Coyote Mountains Wilderness Grazing Allotments Map.............................................................................. 20 Table 3 – Water Resources............................................................................................................................... 23 Part IV – National Wilderness Management Goals....................................................................................... 28 Part V – Issues................................................................................................................................................... 29 Part VI – Wilderness Management Strategy.................................................................................................. 34 Part VII – Wilderness Management (Proposed Action)............................................................................... 35 Part VIII – The “No Action” Alternative........................................................................................................ 40 Part IX – Environmental Consequences......................................................................................................... 41 Part X – Plan Evaluation.................................................................................................................................. 45 Part XI – Plan Implementation Schedule....................................................................................................... 46 Part XII – Consultation and Coordination..................................................................................................... 47 Glossary............................................................................................................................................................. 75 Bibliography....................................................................................................................................................... 77 Appendix A – Planning and Scoping................................................................................................................. 78 Appendix B – Soil Survey................................................................................................................................... 80 Appendix C – Special Status Species.................................................................................................................. 82 Appendix D – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Assessment Concurrence Letter for Draft Baboquivari Peak Wilderness and Coyote Mountains Wilderness - Wilderness Management Plan …. 83 Appendix E – Access …...................................................................................................................................... 91 Appendix F – Fire Management Plan.................................................................................................................. 92 Appendix G – Operating Guidance for Wildland Fire Suppression.................................................................... 95 Appendix H – Sky Islands.................................................................................................................................... 96 Appendix I – Minimum Requirements Decision Guide....................................................................................... 97 Appendix J – Arizona Standards for Rangeland Health....................................................................................... 98 Appendix K – Excerpts from Wilderness Management Final Rule..................................................................... 100 Appendix L – Cultural Resource Management Policy......................................................................................... 101 Appendix M – Cultural Resources Inventory....................................................................................................... 106 Appendix N – Summary of Phoenix RMP Decisions.......................................................................................... 108 Plan Summary This plan covers the management of the Baboquivari Ensuring the Minimum Requirements Peak Wilderness and Coyote Mountains Wilderness, Decision Guide (MRDG) is used. units of the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS). Baboquivari Peak Wilderness Improving recognition of the wilderness boundaries. (2,065 acres) and Coyote Mountains Wilderness (5,080 acres) are located in southern Arizona, Eliminating vehicle intrusions in wilderness. approximately 45 miles southwest of metropolitan Tucson in Pima County. A mix of state and private Repairing, maintaining or removing properties, as well as Buenos Aires National Wildlife wilderness allotment boundary, or pasture Refuge, borders the wilderness areas on the east and fences, and/or range improvements and the Tohono O’odham Nation borders them on the developments, according to the guidance found in BLM Grazing Regulations 43 CFR west. 4310. BLM policy requires the development of a Inventorying and evaluating abandoned mine management plan that will: features for human and ecological hazards as well as for habitat and historical/cultural Protect wilderness character and values, values. Mitigate abandoned mine hazards Provide for visitor use and enjoyment, utilizing the appropriate “minimum tool” Require the “Minimum Tool” to accomplish while preserving to the extent possible, habitat resource objectives inside wilderness, and and historical/cultural values and minimizing visual impacts. Allow for special provisions as provided by legislation. Inventorying and evaluating water resources. Four primary objectives of this wilderness Coordinating with other agencies to achieve management plan are established: mutual healthy land goals, including wildlife, habitat and desired vegetation goals. 1. Preserve wilderness values by maintaining or enhancing natural conditions throughout the Managing wildland fire. wilderness areas, including ecosystem structure and function, visual appearances and Securing year-round administrative wilderness opportunities for solitude, and primitive and access. unconfined recreation. Adequately monitoring health of the land and wilderness character. 2. Protecting and preserving natural features associated with cultural and spiritual values. Monitoring for and removing unwanted exotic or noxious plant or animal species. 3. Providing for dispersed recreation use and wilderness preservation by maintaining Promoting wilderness use ethics. appropriate trailhead signage, trail Minimizing human impacts in wilderness maintenance, and regular BLM, or other throughout the life of the plan. authorized, wilderness patrol. Assigning BLM staff or contract realty 4. Maintaining or improving ecological condition services to secure legal public access; of plant communities, while allowing for a range of natural variability. Coordinating with appropriate land owners. Specific actions to be implemented to achieve the Ensuring that the recommendation to pursue objectives of this plan include: legal access to both wilderness areas is 6 included in a future