Louse Canyon Geographic Management Area Standards of Rangeland Health Evaluation

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Louse Canyon Geographic Management Area Standards of Rangeland Health Evaluation Vale District Office 100 Oregon Street Vale, Oregon 97918-9630 http://www.or.blm.gov/Vale/ IN REPLY REFER TO: 1601, LCGMA November 6, 2003 Dear Interested Public: I am pleased to present the Louse Canyon Geographic Management Area (LCGMA) Evaluation for your review and consideration. This document summarizes the results of the LCGMA rangeland health assessment and evaluation, and presents recommendations to address the assessment findings. This document ends the assessment and evaluation phase, and outlines a range of alternatives for upcoming NEPA analysis. The decisions that can be expected to flow from the NEPA analysis are activity level decisions, rather than land use level decisions, which may be implemented in accordance with and subject to the guiding land use plan – the Southeastern Oregon Resource Management Plan and Final EIS. We would appreciate your comments. We are particularly interested in your views on the range of alternatives and preferred alternative recommended. The team has worked diligently to involve the public and include a range of alternatives for analysis that reflect the input received thus far. Of course there have been some recommendations that are outside the scope of the LCGMA Evaluation which are not addressed here in. We are anxious to begin the NEPA analysis, but first we want to give the interested public the opportunity to comment on the range of alternatives proposed. If you would like to comment, please do so in writing. Address your comments to the Jordan Field Manager, Vale District BLM at the address on the letterhead above. To be considered, your comments must be received in this office by January 1, 2004. Sincerely, Jerry L. Taylor Field Office Manager Jordan Resource Area U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Vale District Office Jordan Resource Area 100 Oregon Street Vale, Oregon 97918 Fall2002 LOUSE CANYON GEOGRAPHIC MANAGEMENT AREA STANDARDS OF RANGELAND HEALTH EVALUATION Rangelands north of Toppin Butte, Malheur County, Oregon Table of Contents Executive Summary Chapter 1 - Background • Describes the origin and definitions of Oregon/Washington Standards of Rangeland Health • Describes Geographic Management Areas (GMA’s) and how they are used as the land base for ecosystem management that is adaptive under the direction of the Southeastern Oregon Resource Management Plan (SEORMP) • Describes public scoping, issues identified, and information meetings • Describes rangeland health evaluation criteria used by BLM Chapter 2 – LCGMA Environment and Resources Description • Existing environment and assessment results Chapter 3 –LCGMA Rangeland Health Determinations • Summary of resource conditions observed in specific pastures within grazing allotments; determinations show BLM conclusions on conformance of resource conditions to Oregon/Washington BLM Standards and Guides (S&G’s) and criteria specified in the SEORMP. Chapter 4 – LCGMA Evaluation Recommendations Chapter 5 – LCGMA Activity Level Objectives • Reasonable, attainable, and measurable resource management objectives Chapter 6 – Proposed Management Alternatives for LCGMA • Potential options for BLM resolution of resource conflicts Supporting Information • Appendices • Tables • Maps • Graphs • References Information on compact disk (CD) • Field data collection forms and digital images taken at each assessment area are organized by grazing allotment and pasture. i Chapter 1 – Background Table of Contents for Supporting Information Appendix A - Fundamentals of Rangeland Health Appendix B - OR/WA BLM Standards and Indicators for Rangeland Health Appendix C - Ecosystem Management (SEORMP, Chapter 3, pp 141-151) Appendix D - Adaptive Management (SEORMP, Chapter 3, pp 141-151) Appendix E – Calculations of Big Game Forage Demand Appendix F - Public Scoping Information Appendix G – Upland Wildlife Habitat Field Measurements Appendix H – Common and Scientific Names for Plants and Animals Appendix I – Riparian/Wetland Areas and Assessment Methods Appendix J – Landscape Appearance Photo Series Appendix K – Interim Grazing Monitoring Photos Table 1 – Reference (Baseline) Sites Used for Range Health Assessments Table 2 - Allotment Seasons of Use, Active Preferences, Objectives Table 3 - Allotment Actual Use, Utilizations, and Ownership Table 4 - Riparian Proper Functioning Condition Summary Table 5 – Wildlife Habitat - Sagebrush Cover Class Summary Table 6 – Range Improvement Project Summary Table 7 –Interim Grazing Management Use Dates (Beginning in 2002) Table 8 – Riparian Trend Indicators (SEORMP, Volume 2, page 42) Table 9 – Shrub Cover Canopy Classes (SEORMP, Appendix F) Table 10 –Alternative I—Livestock Stocking Levels Calculation Graph 1 - Comparison of wildlife use in crested wheatgrass grasslands and big sagebrush shrublands Graph 2 - Greater sage-grouse leks in Malheur and Jordan Resource Area GMA’s References Map 1 – GMA’s in Jordan Resource Area Map 2 – Grazing Allotments and Pastures Map 3 – Painted Relief, Interior Columbia Basin Management Plan Area Map 4 – Vegetation Types in LCGMA (OAESIS data) Map 5 – Rangeland Health Upland Assessment Sites Map 6 – Rangeland Ecological Condition (OAESIS data) Map 7 – Streams and Proper Functioning Condition Ratings Map 8 – Springs/Seeps and Proper Functioning Condition Ratings Map 9 – Perennial and Fish-bearing Stream Reaches Map 10 – Precipitation Isobars Map 11 – Wilderness Study Areas and Wild and Scenic Rivers Map 12 – Greater Sage-Grouse Lek Locations Map 13 – Altered Vegetation Communities Map 14 – General Soils Map 15 –Alternative I Map 16 –Alternative III Map 17 –Alternative IV ii Chapter 1 – Background Executive Summary This document is an Oregon/Washington Standards of Rangeland Health evaluation for Louse Canyon Geographic Management Area (LCGMA), Jordan Resource Area (JRA), Vale District, Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Resource conditions are described for nearly 523,000 acres of public land. The evaluation pertains to Louse Canyon, Campbell, Anderson, Star Valley Community, Quinn, and Little Owyhee BLM grazing allotments and is based on an interdisciplinary team (ID) field assessment conducted during the summer of 2000. Field data gathered support the following general observations about LCGMA: • With some localized exceptions, native uplands support healthy, diverse plant communities that have been grazed at conservative stocking levels and at times of the year that allow for rangeland processes to function properly. Water sources for livestock grazing administration are limited in both distribution and abundance for much of the unit. • Soil compaction resulting from historic grazing use near former homestead areas is probably still influencing the productivity of lower elevation rangelands. Evidence of accelerated soil erosion is generally absent in upland areas. • Riparian and wetland habitats that have been grazed during summer and fall (hot season) for the last several decades are in need of grazing season adjustments in order to attain range health standards. Most riparian and wetland areas with perennial water sources are Functioning at Risk, and accelerated erosion is ongoing in certain stream reaches. Key vegetation components necessary to support proper functioning riparian systems are still present in most areas • Seedings and brush control projects have influenced about 43,000 acres (approximately 8%) of LCGMA. Starvation Seeding is the only monotypic (pure grassland habitat with little or no shrub cover) rangeland type present. Substantial sagebrush recolonization has taken place in most treatment areas. • More than 96% of all sagebrush steppe communities are complex shrubland habitat types capable of supporting greater sage-grouse and other animals that use sagebrush habitats. Habitat connectivity is excellent and fragmentation from fires and other historic treatments is proportionally low. • Bald eagles (winter residents) are the only federally listed vertebrate occupying LCGMA. There are no federal or state listed plants or invertebrates present. • LCGMA currently supports few noxious and invasive upland plant species. Whitetop invasions are present on the main stem of the Owyhee River and along primary access roads at the present time. iii Chapter 1 – Background Chapter 1 – Background A. History and Process for Assessing Rangeland Health Standards Subsequent to the approval of revised BLM grazing regulations in 1995, BLM State Directors were assigned the task of developing state level rangeland health standards (Title 43 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 4180.2). The process of developing standards and defining standard indicators was conducted in consultation with BLM Resource Advisory Councils (RAC’s). The purpose for setting standards and identifying their indicators was to provide BLM with a rational basis for determining whether current management is meeting the Fundamentals of Rangeland Health as described under 43 CFR 4180.1. See Appendix A, Fundamentals of Rangeland Health, for a description of objectives and principles underlying rangeland health standards. On August 12, 1997, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt approved the Oregon/Washington BLM Standards and Guides (S&G’s) for Rangeland Health. BLM field offices in Oregon/Washington were subsequently directed to conduct assessments and then use that assessment information to craft range health evaluations in relation to the state standards. These sequential actions were therefore used to implement 43 CFR 4180.1 and .2. In order to accomplish this assessment and evaluation
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