United States Department of Agriculture Mt. Elden / Dry Lakes Hills Recreation Planning Project Scoping Proposed Action Forest Service Coconino National Forest August 2020 Mt. Elden / Dry Lake Hills Recreation Planning Project Scoping Proposed Action For More Information Contact: Christine Handler Team Leader Phone: 559-920-2188 Email: [email protected] 1 Mt. Elden / Dry Lake Hills Recreation Planning Project Scoping Proposed Action Project Background The Mt. Elden/Dry Lake Hills (MEDL) area is located directly north of Flagstaff, Arizona (figure 1). Largely because of its proximity to Flagstaff and the appealing diversity of forest topography and vegetation, it is the most popular and heavily used recreation area on the Flagstaff Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest. The area provides thousands of forest visitors opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors, including hiking, mountain biking, riding horse, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing or rock climbing. Adjacent property owners walk this area daily and the project area borders the City of Flagstaff’s ‘Buffalo Park,’ which serves as one of the primary gateways into the Coconino National Forest from Flagstaff. The original MEDL trail system was dedicated in 1987. There are eight trailheads providing access to 14 designated National Forest System trails, including portions of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, Flagstaff Loop Trail, and the historic Beale Wagon Trail. The Little Elden Springs Horse Camp is adjacent to Forest Service Road 556 providing access to the trail system for equestrians staying at the campground. There are numerous organized recreation events which utilize trails and trailheads, some of which have been issued annual special-use permits for over a decade. The Mt. Elden Environmental Study Area was established in the mid-seventies. The Environmental Study Area is a 400-acre parcel of land established as a study site and bird sanctuary for the purpose of environmental education. As part of the Environmental Study Area, there are four designated trails that provide interpretive opportunities for students and the public. Use of the Environmental Study Area for education has varied over the years, and has been utilized infrequently for this purpose in recent years.. In addition, Elden Pueblo Interpretive Site, which is located off Highway 89, was established to provide opportunities for education and involvement in the science of archaeology. Trail improvements have recently been implemented. Since the early 2000s much of Schultz Creek Trail was relocated out of the drainage in sustainable side-slope locations; this work is still incomplete, and efforts continue today. Following the 2010 Schultz Fire, Little Bear trail was completely rebuilt. Beginning in 2018 Little Elden and Heart trails were relocated to sustainable locations in a large reroute effort, this work was recently completed in 2020. In addition to the 2010 Schultz Fire, other forest management activities and wildfires have greatly changed the MEDL area. In 2012 City of Flagstaff voters approved a bond to treat the forest in an effort to reduce the risk of uncharacteristic wildfire which could have large negative effects on the City. The Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project began in earnest in 2017 and has included timber harvesting and thinning activities on steep slopes as well as helicopter and steep slope logging. Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project projects are expected to continue for the next 3 to 5 years within the MEDL area. While the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project included protections for recreational resources, these activities have resulted in some temporary disturbances. Construction of temporary logging roads and log landings have greatly changed the landscape in the area. In July of 2019, aggressive firefighting efforts contained Museum Fire at nearly 2,000 acres in the MEDL area. There were 8.75 miles of Forest System trails as well as numerous unauthorized trails and routes in the Museum Fire burned area. Most of these trails burned in low severity, but about 22% (2 miles) of trail burned in moderate or high severity through steep terrain. Trail damage is ongoing. In addition to trail damage Mount Elden Lookout Road (FR 557) and the Oldham Trailhead (accesses the West Elden climbing site) were greatly compromised 1 Mt. Elden / Dry Lake Hills Recreation Planning Project Scoping Proposed Action The number of tourists to Flagstaff and Northern Arizona tourism has increased over the last several years, leading to a steady increase in recreational use in this area. This increased use is taxing the current trail system and associated facilities. Indicators of overuse include deteriorating condition of system trails, development of unauthorized trails, and increased concerns for impacts to natural resources such as wildlife, watershed and soil conditions, recreational experiences, and vegetation. Previous Planning Efforts In 2013, the Flagstaff Ranger District proposed the original Mt. Elden/Dry Lake Hills Recreation Planning Project which included trail construction, reconstruction, and decommissioning; trailhead consolidation; special uses authorizations; and a hanglider site. We solicited public comments for the Project scoping period from October 31 through November 30, 2013. We mailed and emailed a scoping letter containing a project overview and link to the website to a mailing list of interested parties including: Federally-recognized tribes, relevant local governmental organizations, those who owned property in or near the project area, and those who have previously indicated an interest in this type of project on the Coconino National Forest. We also hosted public information meetings in the local community to share information about the project. We received hundreds of comments in response to the scoping period for this project. Unfortunately, as we began reviewing feedback received from the public, the decision was made to put the project on hold due to the district’s workload related to Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project and other priorities. However, in 2019, we began working with stakeholders to shift focus back to the recreational needs in this area and work with stakeholders to address the numerous competing interests and requests we heard about from the scoping period in 2013. Launched in late 2017, the Flagstaff Trail Initiative (FTI) began engaging a diverse mix of public and nonprofit organizations to develop a cross-jurisdictional Flagstaff Regional Trail Strategy with the purpose of improving the quality, connectivity and community support for a sustainable trail system around the Flagstaff region that balances the demand for recreation with the community’s vision for conservation, development, and health. Beginning in 2019, FTI convened a community collaborative called the Mount Elden Dry Lake Working Group. This small group included individuals from broad and diverse interests, they each represented a user group or special interest organization including hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers, equestrians, trail construction professionals, conservation groups, and local municipal (City/County) government representatives. The working group worked for a year to develop a set of recommendation for recreation and trail management in the project area. These recommendations were presented to the Forest Service in the spring of 2020 and can be found on the Flagstaff Trail Initiative website at (http://flagstafftrailsinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Final-MEDL- recommendations-May-2020.pdf). The working group’s recommendations balanced protecting wildlife habitat, environmental resources, and sensitive places while providing broad opportunities for diverse recreational experiences for the community and beyond. In response to the input we received from comments in 2013, the work of the Mount Elden Dry Lake Hills Working Group, and changed conditions in the project area, we have updated the proposed MEDL Recreation Planning Project and are now seeking additional public input. Purpose and Need The purpose of the MEDL Recreation Planning project is to develop a premier trail system while responding to ongoing negative impacts from unsustainable recreation on forest resources. Our goal is to 2 Mt. Elden / Dry Lake Hills Recreation Planning Project Scoping Proposed Action manage the trail system to improve quality of life for users and support a healthy, happy, and strong community. The desired condition is a trail system that provides diverse opportunities for recreation activities, and a safe and positive experience for everyone. Need: achieve desired conditions and management goals Relevant desired conditions for the Mt. Elden-Dry Lake Hills management area in the Coconino National Forest Land and Resources Management Plan (Forest Plan) are: • The trail system is designed to be sustainable while balancing user experiences and impacts. • Throughout this area, trailheads provide access to motorized and non-motorized trails. • The Mount Elden/Dry Lake Hills Trail System offers a variety of trail experiences for nonmotorized recreation. • The Mount Elden Environmental Study Area provides interpretive and environmental educational opportunities for students, residents, and forest visitors consistent with other resource desired conditions. Non-motorized trails associated with the Mount Elden Environmental Study Area provide dispersed day-use and safe access. (Forest Plan, page 139) The Forest Plan also limits outfitter-guide and