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North Hebgen Multi Restoration Project Aquatics Report

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North Hebgen Multi Restoration Project Aquatics Report North Hebgen Multi Restoration Project Aquatics Report (Including Fish, Amphibians and Mussels) Prepared by: Bruce Roberts West Zone Fisheries Biologist for: Hebgen Lake Ranger District Custer Gallatin National Forest November 30, 2015 updated 3/2016 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) Aquatics Report North Hebgen Multiple Resource Project Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Issues ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Resource Indicators and Measures .......................................................................................... 3 Regulatory Framework ............................................................................................................... 3 Gallatin Forest Plan ................................................................................................................. 3 Forest Service Policy ............................................................................................................... 6 The Biological Evaluation within will address westslope cutthroat trout, western toad, plains spadefoot, and western pearlshell mussel. ............................................................................... 7 Federal Law ............................................................................................................................. 7 Executive Orders ..................................................................................................................... 7 Other Policies .......................................................................................................................... 7 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 8 Affected Environment ................................................................................................................. 9 Existing Condition ................................................................................................................... 9 Environmental Consequences ................................................................................................... 23 Alternative 1 – No Action ..................................................................................................... 23 Project Design Features, Mitigation, Monitoring Common to Action Alternatives .............. 25 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ........................................................................................... 26 Alternative 3 .......................................................................................................................... 30 Alternative 4 .......................................................................................................................... 31 Compliance with Forest Plan and Other Relevant Laws, Regulations, Policies and Plans and Other Disclosures .................................................................................................................. 45 Comparison of Alternatives ................................................................................................... 46 Biological Evaluation ............................................................................................................ 47 Literature Cited ...................................................................................................................... 48 Witzel, L.D., and H.R. MacCrimmon. 1981. Role of Gravel Substrate on Ova Survival and Alevin Emergence of Rainbow Trout, Salmo gairdneri. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 59:629- ................................................................................................................................... 51 Tables Table 1. Aquatic resource indicators and measures for assessing effects ...................................... 3 Table 2. Substrate sediment and sediment delivery by Forest stream category. ............................ 5 Table 3. Site macroinvertebrate information and data from along Little Tepee Creek and unnamed tributary to Tepee Creek (Reference Site) including Taxa Richness, MDEQ’s MMI Index, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Tricoptera (EPT) taxa richness, percentage EPT, Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI) and Percent Fine Sediment Biotic Index (% FSBI). See Table 4 for relative level of impairment for each of the indices...................................................... 18 Table 4. Summary of metric results between the unnamed tributary to Tepee Creek (TC) and Little Tepee Creek (LTC). Red line is the level of impairment based on MDEQ’s MMI Index only. ....................................................................................................................................... 19 Table 5. Comparison of habitat attributes collected from along Little Tepee Creek within the proposed project area and an unnamed tributary to Tepee Creek within the Madison Inventoried Roadless Area (Reference) outside the proposed project area. .......................... 19 Table 6. Summary of analysis areas dropped from further discussion. ........................................ 23 Table 7. Baseline conditions for instream spawning sediment and embryo survival for Red Canyon, Little Tepee and Tepee Creek analysis areas. ......................................................... 24 i Aquatics Report North Hebgen Multiple Resource Project Table 8. Baseline conditions for Alternative 1 and projected changes from Alternative 2 for instream spawning sediment and embryo survival for Red Canyon, Little Tepee and Tepee Creek analysis areas. ............................................................................................................. 27 Table 9. Baseline conditions for Alternative 1 and projected changes from Alternative 3 for instream spawning sediment and embryo survival for Red Canyon, Little Tepee and Tepee Creel analysis areas. .............................................................................................................. 30 Table 10. Baseline conditions for Alternative 1 and projected changes from Alternative 4 for instream spawning sediment and embryo survival for Red Canyon, Little Tepee and Tepee Creel analysis areas. .............................................................................................................. 31 Table 11. Baseline conditions for Alternative 1 and a summary projected changes from all action alternatives for instream spawning sediment and embryo survival for Red Canyon, Little Tepee and Tepee Creel analysis areas. * = doesn’t meet Travel Management Plan standard M-4. ....................................................................................................................................... 46 Figures Figure 1. North Hebgen Multiple Resource project area and seven analysis areas for fisheries, amphibians and western pearlshell mussel. ........................................................................... 11 Figure 2. Sediment deposition along the unnamed ephemeral drainage from previous treatments located above an unharvested and undisturbed timber stand. Black dashed lines depict areas of deposits. ............................................................................................................................. 12 Figure 3. 2007 photos of the 1959 earthquake fault along Red Canyon Creek with the very distinct red soils that Red Canyon Creek is named after. ...................................................... 13 Figure 4. Map of Little Tepee Creek and Tepee Creek comparison reaches................................ 16 Figure 5. Representative pictures of upper Little Tepee Creek ................................................... 17 Figure 6. Representative pictures of unnamed tributary to Tepee Creek (unroaded reference reach). .................................................................................................................................... 17 ii Aquatics Report North Hebgen Multiple Resource Project Introduction This report addresses the potential effects of the proposed North Hebgen Multiple Resource Project on aquatic resources (fish, amphibian and mussels) within the project area. Affected environment descriptions and environmental analyses are based on general reviews of the project area, site-specific field reviews, fish and amphibian habitat surveys, fish and amphibian population surveys, and sediment delivery modeling. This analysis addresses standard aquatic resource issues identified for vegetation manipulation projects and those identified by public scoping that have the potential to affect populations and habitats these populations are dependent upon. Issues Vegetation manipulation and associated treatment activities, including construction of temporary roads, hauling,
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