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ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ______________________________ RESOLUTION PRE-FEASIBILITY ACTIVITIES PLAN OF OPERATIONS May 2010 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Printed on recycled paper Digital copies are available for download from the Tonto National Forest website. If printing a copy, please consider the environment and use recycled paper. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................... v 1. PROJECT SCOPE .............................................................................................................................1-1 1.1. Organization of the Environmental Assessment ....................................................................1-1 1.2. Project Background and History ............................................................................................1-2 1.3. Purpose and Need for Action .................................................................................................1-4 1.4. Scope of the Federal Action...................................................................................................1-5 1.5. Decision Framework............................................................................................................1-14 1.6. Public Involvement ..............................................................................................................1-15 1.7. Issue Development...............................................................................................................1-16 1.8. Changes Between the Pre-decisional EA and the Final EA.................................................1-18 2. COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................................2-1 2.1. Alternatives Considered in Detail in this EA.........................................................................2-1 2.1.1. Alternative 1 – No Action........................................................................................2-1 2.1.2. Alternative 2 – The Proposed Action.......................................................................2-2 2.1.3. Alternative 3 – North OF-2 Exploration Drill Site ................................................2-30 2.1.4. Alternative 4 – West Access Route 4a and Drill Site Locations 4E and 4W.........2-30 2.1.5. Alternative 5 – West Access Route 4b and Drill Site Locations 4E and 4W.........2-31 2.2. Alternatives Considered but Eliminated ..............................................................................2-32 2.3. Mitigation and Monitoring Measures...................................................................................2-34 2.4. Comparison of Alternatives .................................................................................................2-41 3. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ...........................3-1 3.1. Air Quality (Issue 1)...............................................................................................................3-1 3.1.1. Affected Environment..............................................................................................3-1 3.1.2. Environmental Consequences: Direct and Indirect Effects......................................3-3 3.2. Erosion and Sedimentation (Issue 2)......................................................................................3-9 3.2.1. Affected Environment..............................................................................................3-9 3.2.2. Environmental Consequences: Direct and Indirect Effects....................................3-10 3.3. Wildlife (Issue 3) .................................................................................................................3-13 3.3.1. Affected Environment............................................................................................3-13 3.3.2. Environmental Consequences: Direct and Indirect Effects....................................3-17 3.4. Endangered Species and Arizona Hedgehog Cactus (Issue 4).............................................3-26 3.4.1. Affected Environment............................................................................................3-26 3.4.2. Environmental Consequences: Direct and Indirect Effects....................................3-29 3.5. Recreational Activities In and Around Oak Flat (Issue 5) ...................................................3-36 3.5.1. Affected Environment............................................................................................3-36 3.5.2. Environmental Consequences: Direct and Indirect Effects....................................3-41 3.6. Safety (Issue 6).....................................................................................................................3-49 3.6.1. Affected Environment............................................................................................3-49 3.6.2. Environmental Consequences: Direct and Indirect Effects....................................3-50 Tonto National Forest i Resolution Pre-feasibility Activities Plan of Operations Environmental Assessment 3.7. Conflicts with the Oak Flat Withdrawal Area (Issue 7).......................................................3-53 3.7.1. Affected Environment............................................................................................3-53 3.7.2. Environmental Consequences: Direct and Indirect Effects....................................3-54 3.8. Travel Management (Issue 8)...............................................................................................3-56 3.8.1. Affected Environment............................................................................................3-56 3.8.2. Environmental Consequences: Direct and Indirect Effects....................................3-56 3.9. Cultural Resources (Issue 9) ................................................................................................3-58 3.9.1. Affected Environment............................................................................................3-58 3.9.2. Environmental Consequences: Direct and Indirect Effects....................................3-62 3.10. Native American Religious Practices (Issue 10)..................................................................3-65 3.10.1. Affected Environment............................................................................................3-65 3.10.2. Environmental Consequences: Direct and Indirect Effects....................................3-65 3.11. Cumulative Effects...............................................................................................................3-68 3.11.1. Context: Past, Present and Reasonably Foreseeable Future Actions .....................3-68 3.11.2. Air Quality (Issue 1) ..............................................................................................3-68 3.11.3. Erosion and Sedimentation (Issue 2)......................................................................3-77 3.11.4. Wildlife (Issue 3) ...................................................................................................3-78 3.11.5. Arizona Hedgehog Cactus (Issue 4).......................................................................3-80 3.11.6. Recreational Activities In and Around Oak Flat (Issue 5).....................................3-81 3.11.7. Safety (Issue 6) ......................................................................................................3-83 3.11.8. Conflicts with the Oak Flat Withdrawal Area (Issue 7).........................................3-84 3.11.9. Travel Management (Issue 8) ................................................................................3-85 3.11.10. Cultural Resources (Issue 9) ..................................................................................3-85 3.11.11. Native American Religious Practices (Issue 10)....................................................3-87 4. CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION...................................................................................4-1 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................................... Ref-1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS.................................................................................................................... Glos-1 LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1 Estimated New Disturbance Area for Pre-feasibility Activities on National Forest System Lands...................................................................................................................2-3 Table 2-2 Pre-feasibility Activities Proposed Duration and Authorization Period..........................2-4 Table 2-3 Estimated Disturbance Area for New