Western Klamath Restoration Partnership: Somes Bar Integrated Fire Management Project Lower Middle Klamath River Watershed
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BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION For Threatened, Endangered, Proposed, and Sensitive Anadromous Fish Species That may be affected by: Western Klamath Restoration Partnership: Somes Bar Integrated Fire Management Project Lower Middle Klamath River Watershed * Ukonom Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest and Orleans Ranger District of the Six Rivers National Forest Klamath Province Humboldt and Siskiyou County, California April 20, 2018 Prepared by: _______________________ Date: April 20, 2018 LeRoy Cyr District Fisheries Biologist Reviewed by: ______________________ Date: April 20, 2018 Karen Kenfield Forest Level I Coordinator *Note: The Ukonom Ranger District is administratively managed by the Six Rivers National Forest. Somes Bar Integrated Fire Management Project – Fisheries BA/BE – April 2018 PROJECT NAME: Somes Bar Integrated Fire Management Project ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS: Klamath National Forest - Ukonom Ranger District and Six Rivers National Forest - Orleans Ranger District ANALYSIS WATERSHEDS: 4th field scale - Middle Klamath River: 984,709 acres 6th field scale - Ti Creek: 13,623 acres 6th field scale - Reynolds Creek: 34,611 acres 6th field scale - Boise Creek: 31,343 acres WATERSHED ANALYSES: Ishi-Pishi/Ukonom Ecosystem Analysis (USDA 1998) NEPA Documentation: Somes Bar Integrated Fire Management Project EA Expected signature date: May 2018 ESA LISTED SPECIES CONSIDERED: Southern Oregon/Northern California Coasts Coho salmon ESU (Oncorhynchus kisutch) ESA CRITICAL HABITAT: Southern Oregon/Northern California Coasts Coho salmon CH ESA DETERMINATIONS: The project may affect, not likely to adversely affect Southern Oregon/Northern California Coasts coho or their designated Critical Habitat. ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT (EFH): The project may affect, not likely to adversely affect Chinook and Coho Salmon Essential Fish Habitat. Sensitive Species: Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Upper Klamath & Trinity Rivers ESU Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Klamath Mountains Province DPS Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) Klamath River lamprey (Entosphenus similis) Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) Western Brook lamprey (Lampetra richardsoni) California Floater (Anodonta californiensis) Pristine Springsnail (Pristinicola hemphilli) Chace juga (Juga chacei) Sensitive Species Determinations: This project may impact individuals but will not lead to a trend towards listing for UKTR Chinook salmon, KMP steelhead trout, as well as, Pacific and Klamath River lampreys. This project will have no effect on Cutthroat Trout, Western Brook Lamprey, California Floater, Pristine Springsnail, or Chace Juga. Table of Contents I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 Background ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Landscape Character ....................................................................................................................... 1 Legal locations of project area: ....................................................................................................... 2 Map of Project Area Overview ................................................................................................... 3 Threatened, Endangered, Proposed and Forest Service Sensitive Species ..................................... 4 ESA- Listed: Threatened............................................................................................................. 4 Forest Service Sensitive Anadromous Salmonids ...................................................................... 5 Non-Salmonid Forest Service Aquatic Sensitive Species .......................................................... 5 II. Consultation to Date .................................................................................................................... 5 III. Management Direction .............................................................................................................. 6 Action Area ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Map of 6th Field Hydrologic Units .............................................................................................. 8 Map of Fish Distribution, Roads and Water Drafting sites ...................................................... 10 IV. Description of the Proposed Action ........................................................................................ 11 Summary of Proposed Actions ..................................................................................................... 11 Summary Table of Proposed Actions ....................................................................................... 12 Treatment/Prescription Descriptions – Numbers on Maps ....................................................... 14 Coho Distribution on maps ....................................................................................................... 14 Proposed Action ............................................................................................................................ 23 Riparian Reserves ..................................................................................................................... 23 Treatment Prescription Descriptions ......................................................................................... 25 Mechanical treatment of fuels ................................................................................................... 25 Manual Treatment of Fuels ....................................................................................................... 34 Burning and Prescribed Fire ..................................................................................................... 35 Strategic Fire Control Features ................................................................................................. 36 Connected Actions .................................................................................................................... 39 Wet Weather Operation Standards ............................................................................................ 49 Project Monitoring .................................................................................................................... 49 Project Implementation ............................................................................................................. 49 V. Existing Environment ................................................................................................................ 51 Species Accounts ........................................................................................................................... 51 Somes Bar Integrated Fire Management Project – Fisheries BA/BE – April 2018 Fish Distribution in the Action Area.............................................................................................. 56 VI. Literature Review ..................................................................................................................... 59 Thinning .................................................................................................................................... 59 Roads, Landings and Hauling ................................................................................................... 59 Prescribed Fire .......................................................................................................................... 60 Pile Burning .............................................................................................................................. 60 Water Drafting .......................................................................................................................... 61 Definitions................................................................................................................................. 62 Direct Effects to Coho Salmon from Somes Bar Project............................................................... 63 Indirect Effects Analysis Framework - Habitat ............................................................................ 63 Summary of Project Element Effects to Indicators ................................................................... 66 Indirect Effects Analysis Framework - Exposure and Response .................................................. 67 Indirect Effects of Project on Habitat ............................................................................................ 67 Water Quality - Chemical Contamination Indicator ................................................................. 67 Turbidity and Substrate Indicators ............................................................................................ 69 Exposure and Response Analysis ................................................................................................. 74 Indirect Effects of Sediment-Turbidity to SONCC Coho ......................................................... 74 Effects to Critical Habitat ............................................................................................................. 75 Aggregated Federal Effects ....................................................................................................... 76 ESA Cumulative Effects ..........................................................................................................