U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT MEDFORD DISTRICT 3040 Biddle Rd. Medford OR 97504 CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION DOCUMENTATION AND DECISION RECORD Fritillaria gentneri and Calochortus persistens Population Augmentation NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-OR-M000-2017-0010-CX A. Description of the Proposed Action The BLM proposes to augment existing populations and create new populations of two Special Status lily species, Gentner’s fritillary (Fritillaria gentneri) and Siskiyou mariposa lily (Calochortus persistens), both endemic to the Klamath-Siskiyou Region. Gentner’s fritillary is federally listed as Endangered. Siskiyou mariposa lily is a Bureau Sensitive species that was removed from the federal Candidate list in 2015. Gentner’s fritillary The BLM proposes to implement the Recovery Plan for Fritillaria gentneri (Gentner’s fritillary) (USFWS 2003) by augmenting existing populations and creating new populations within the species’ known range on the Medford District. Clonal bulblets would be harvested, cultivated, and out-planted each year by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and BLM. Bulblet harvesting would involve digging up mature parent bulbs, detaching the clonal bulblets, and then replanting the parent bulb in its original location. Bulblets would be collected from large populations (> 20 flowering plants) that appear vigorous, based on annual monitoring. Bulblets would then be planted in flats under shade-houses and tended for 3-4 years until reaching suitable size for out-planting. ODA and BLM botanists would select sites for planting by locating the most suitable habitat and the most protected sites within each recovery unit. Typical habitat includes oak woodlands and savannas, chaparral, and edges of dry, mixed hardwood-conifer forest stands. A majority of bulbs would be planted within designated Fritillaria Management Areas (FMAs) and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs). The number of bulbs to be out-planted each year would range from 2,000 to 10,000, depending on the success of bulb cultivation and the selection of suitable planting areas. Bulbs would be planted in the fall of each year in marked and mapped plots. The number and distribution of plots would vary depending on the number of bulbs to be planted and the extent of suitable habitat within a site. Hand tools and augers would be used to plant bulbs at the appropriate soil depth, which ranges from 5 to 10 inches, depending on bulb size. Plots would be monitored every 1-3 years to assess out-planting success and threats. Fritillaria gentneri and Calochortus persistens Population Augmentation 1 Siskiyou mariposa lily The BLM proposes to implement the Calochortus persistens (Siskiyou mariposa lily) Conservation Agreement (USFWS et al. 2014) by conducting bulb out-planting trials in suitable habitat at up to six locations in the Ashland Field Office. The agreement calls for development of seed germination and cultivation techniques, and designing guidelines for the “potential introduction of off-site plant material into currently occupied areas or for establishing new wild- land populations.” Through the Proposed Action, the BLM would investigate the efficacy of out-planting techniques in order to inform potential creation of new populations. ODA has previously collected seed from populations on the Klamath National Forest to investigate germination rates and cultivation techniques. Consequently, approximately 200 young plants growing in flats are available for out-planting trials. ODA and BLM botanists would plant these bulbs at various depths (4-10 inches) in marked plots and revisit each plot annually to count survivors and assess their health. If successful, additional plantings may occur in the future. B. Location and Land Use Allocation Gentner’s fritillary The project would be on BLM-managed lands located within the Medford District, within the known range of Gentner’s fritillary. Planting sites would primarily be in FMAs (Figure 1), but may also be located in Congressionally Reserved Lands, National Conservation Lands, Riparian Reserves, and District-defined Reserves, including ACECs and areas identified as unsuitable for timber production in the Timber Productivity Capability Classification. Table 1. Designated Fritillaria Management Areas on the Medford District BLM Fritillary Management Area Acres Recovery Unit (FMA) Bald Mountain 281 Unit 1 Cobleigh Road 1,097 Unit 3 Dakubetede 1,953 Unit 1 Dutch Oven 668 Unit 4 Jacksonville Woodlands 106 Unit 1 North River Road 336 Unit 3 Pickett Creek 390 Unit 2 Pilot Rock 1,752 Unit 4 Fritillaria gentneri and Calochortus persistens Population Augmentation 2 Figure 1. Location of eight Fritillaria Management Areas on the Medford District BLM. Fritillaria gentneri and Calochortus persistens Population Augmentation 3 Siskiyou mariposa lily The project would be on BLM-managed lands located within the Medford District, Ashland Field Office, within the species’ suitable habitat, which is restricted to rocky, acidic, well- drained soils, rock outcrops, and talus above 4,000 feet. Amsberry et al. (2016) identified six priority sites that have good to moderate habitat suitability and access for long-term monitoring (Figure 2). Figure 2. Location of six proposed Siskiyou mariposa lily outplanting trials on the Medford District BLM. Fritillaria gentneri and Calochortus persistens Population Augmentation 4 C. Need / Rationale for the Proposed Action Gentner’s fritillary Gentner’s fritillary is a perennial lily that was federally listed as endangered on December 10, 1999. A recovery plan for this species was signed on July 12, 2003. According to the recovery plan, each of the four recovery units (RUs) must include at least 1,000 flowering plants for a minimum of 15 years in order to consider this plant for delisting (USFWS 2003). The Proposed Action would contribute to meeting Recovery Actions 2.43 and 2.44, which are to augment and monitor populations with the objective of reaching a minimum number of flowering plants annually for each of four recovery units. Reaching these goals would allow for down-listing and eventually delisting of this species. The BLM has annually monitored 57 of the approximately 200 sites known to occur on the district (Table 2). Currently, only RU4 is close to meeting recovery criteria (Pacific Crest Consulting 2016). The other three RUs will require substantial increases in flowering plants in order to meet the requirement for 1,000 flowering plants. This plant is not known to reproduce via seed and is, instead, entirely reliant on asexual reproduction. ODA has demonstrated that out-planting bulbs grown ex situ is an effective method for increasing population size for this species (Metzler et al. 2016). Through this project, the BLM and ODA would continue to refine techniques and monitor the long-term success of this approach. Table 2. Mean number of flowering plants at Fritillaria gentneri sites, 2008-2015, per Recovery Unit. Number Mean flowering Recovery Unit of sites plants/year1 RU 1 – Jacksonville and Applegate Valley 27 334 RU 2 – Grants Pass Field Office 1 0 RU 3 – Butte Falls Field Office 17 27 RU 4 – Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument 12 873 1 Does not include flowering plants from outplanted bulbs. Siskiyou Mariposa Lily The only extant population of this species in Oregon is located on the Medford District; however, only one to five plants have ever been observed, with no evidence of seedling establishment. The probability of this population persisting is low without augmentation. In the Conservation Agreement, all partners, including the BLM, agreed to maintain population levels at stable or increasing levels. The proposed action would investigate and refine out-planting techniques so that future operational-scale out-planting efforts would have improved chances of creating stable persistent populations. Fritillaria gentneri and Calochortus persistens Population Augmentation 5 D. Project Design Features Annual out-planting locations will be shared in advance with Field Office Archaeologists for site clearance. If cultural artifacts are observed within harvesting or planting sites or unearthed during planting, work would be stopped until a BLM archeologist has reviewed the site. To avoid injury to existing Gentner’s fritillary and other Bureau sensitive plant species, bulbs will not be planted within known patches of special status plants. The BLM will check for the location of federal mining claims and contact the mining claimant if a planting site is located on the claim. E. Plan Conformance The proposed action is in conformance with the following plans: Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement for Western Oregon (FEIS 2016) Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan for Southwestern Oregon (USDI- BLM 2016a) Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan for Northwestern and Coastal Oregon (USDI-BLM 2016b) Cascade Siskiyou National Monument Management Plan (FEIS, 2005; ROD/RMP, 2008) Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: Management of Port-Orford- Cedar in Southwest Oregon (FSEIS, 2004 and ROD, 2004); and Medford District Integrated Weed Management Plan Environmental Assessment (1998) and tiered to the Northwest Area Noxious Weed Control Program (EIS, 1985) The proposed action is also in conformance with the direction given for the management of public lands in the Medford District by the Oregon and California Lands Act of 1937, Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Endangered