North Fork Crooked River Management Plan
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U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management FINAL Prineville District U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Ochoco National Forest April 1993 North Fork Crooked River Management Plan As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resourc.es, prote<:ting our fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places. and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is In the best interest of all our people. The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communitiesc ancHor people who five ih Island Territories under U.S. administration. BLM/OR/WA/PL-93/17 + 1792 March 19, 1993 Dear River Enthusiast, Thank you for your help, cooperation, and support during the river planning process for the North Fork of the Crooked River. Your concern and contribution to the planning process has helped produce a plan that will guide management along the river corridor for at least ten years. We feel this plan will improve all resource values along the river, especially water quality, streamside vegetation, and scenic values. Enclosed are three documents. First is the Decision Record which explains the decisions made in the river plan for the Bureau of Land Management administered land. Second is a Decision Notice which explains the decisions affecting the Ochoco National Forest administered land. And finally, you will find the North Fork Croo~ed River Final River Management Plan. This plan contains guidelines for future river management by both agencies, project lists and monitoring guidelines, as well as severfd appendices. If you have questions regarding tt:,e River Plan, Decision Record, or Decision Notice contact either Sue Kocis (447-9530) for Forest Service related questions or SuZan Meiners (447-8770) for Bureau of Land Management related questions. '? ~d~ THOMAS A. SCHMIDT Central Oregon Resource Area Ma Forest Supervisor Prineville District Ochoco National Forest Bureau of Land Management Decision Record and Finding of No Significant Impact North Fork crooked Wild and Scenic River Management Plan Prineville, Oregon USDI, Bureau of Land Management, Prineville District DECISION: It is the decision of the Bureau of Land Management to adopt the Preferred Alternative (Alternative 4) and its associated management plan as described in the Draft North Fork Crooked River Management Plan and Environmental Assessment (NFCRMP/EA - August 1992). This decision incorporates by reference all management actions under the Preferred Alternative and Management Actions Common to All Alternatives (MACTA's). Some management actions were modified to reflect new information and public comments received during the public review period of the Draft NFCRMP/EA. This decision also incorporates, by reference, mitigating measures identified in the Draft NFCRMP/EA. RATIONALE: The Preferred Alternative and MACTA's were chosen as the best management alternative scenario because together they offer the widest range of beneficial uses of the environment without degradation and provide the greatest overall protection and enhancement of the river corridors outstandingly remarkable and significant resource values. All management actions are in conformance with the Brothers/La Pine Resource Management Plan, and satisfy requirements of the Omnibus Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1988 and the National Environmental Policy Act. MONITORING: Monitoring of the river management plan has been addressed in the accompanying document. This monitoring plan is incorporated by reference into this decision. FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT: The Bureau of Land Management (Prineville District) has analyzed various alternatives for managing the North Fork Crooked Wild and Scenic River corridor. The alternatives and associated analysis are described in the Draft NFCRMP /EA; which was made available for public review on September 21, 1992. This Draft document is available for review at the BLM, Prineville District Office and the Ochoco National Forest Supervisor's Office. The options for management direction identified in the Draft NFCRMP /EA, hereby incorporated by reference, will assure that no significant impacts will occur to the human environment. Under the four alternatives analyzed, significant impacts on quality of the human environment will not occur based on, but not limited to, the following considerations: Analysis indicated no significant impacts on society as a whole, the affected region, the affected interests, or the locality. Public health or safety will not be significantly affected. The federal lands within the legal river corridor boundary will remain in federal ownership under all alternatives. This will ensure protection of riparian resources (floodplain/wetland). The alternatives are not part of any other action having the potential for cumulatively significant impacts to the important and relevant resource values in the planning area. Cultural resources on, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places will not be adversely affected, nor would Native American religious sites. The alternatives will not significantly affect endangered or threatened species or their habitat determined to be critical under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The alternatives do not violate federal, state or local legal requirements for environmental protection, nor are there any known inconsistencies with officially approved or adopted federal, state, tribal, or local resource plans, policies or programs. Adverse impacts identified are minimal. Continued resource monitoring will ensure that no significant adverse impacts occur. As needed, appropriate management actions will be instituted to protect outstandingly remarkable values (scenic, recreation, wildlife, botanic, and riparian), important natural and cultural resources, and impacts to threatened or endangered species habitat. on the basis of the information contained in the Draft NFCRMP/EA and all other information available as summarized above, it is the determination of the Bureau of Land Management that none of the four alternatives constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. Therefore, an environmental impact statement is unnecessary and will not be prepared. I recommend adoption of the North Fork Crooked Wild and Scenic River Management Plan/EA. Date outdoor Recreation Planner Bureau of Land Management Date ~ · Supervisory Outdoor Recreation Planner Bureau of Land Management Manager Approval: I approve the North Fork Crooked Wild and Scenic River Management Plan/EA decisions as recommended. This document meets the requirement for agency decision,, making as provided in 40 CFR 1505. y R. C sgriff e Date Central O e gon Resource Area Bureau of Land Management Appeals Process Within 30 days of the receipt of this decision, you have the right to protest to the Prineville District Manager and thereafter appeal to the Board of Land Appeals, Office of the Secretary, in accordance with the regulations of 43 Code of Federal Regulations 4.400. The Protest to the District Manager must be filed in writing in the Prineville District Office of the Bureau of Land Management. If no protests or appeals are filed, this decision will become effective and be implemented in 30 days. DECISION NOTICE and FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT North Fork Crooked River Wild and Scenic Rivers Environmental Assessment Crook County, Oregon USDA Forest SeNice, Ochoco National Forest Prineville, Oregon INTRODUCTION In 1988, Congress designated 34.2 miles of the North Fork Crooked River as a wild and scenic river under the Oregon Omnibus Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The river is located in central Oregon approximately 40 miles from Prineville, Oregon as shown on Map 2. The Environmental Assessment (EA) for the North Fork Crooked River Management Plan documents the results of the analysis of alternatives for managing the designated segments of the river, including the effects of each alternative. The EA and Management Plan were a result of joint planning efforts between the Bureau of Land Management, Prineville District; the U.S. Forest Service, Ochoco National Forest; and many state and local agencies and publics. The EA is available at the Ochoco National Forest Supervisor's Office in Prineville, Oregon. This Decision Notice establishes the river boundaries to be recommended to the U.S. Congress and adopts a plan for the management of the area within those boundaries. The management plan is designated to protect and enhance the river's outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreation, wildlife (bald eagles), and botanical (riparian habitat in Segment 5) values. It also protects and enhances significant botanical values (Ca/achonus longebarbatus var. peckii, and old growth ponderosa pine) and potentially significant fisheries values (wild rainbow/redband trout). The Plan describes the conditions which need to be achieved and/or maintained in order to protect the river's values, and prescribes standards and guidelines to govern activities within the boundaries that could affect the river's values. It also establishes a program for monitoring activities within the area to ensure that management direction