Environmental Assessment and Draft Land Protection Plan for The
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Environmental Assessment and Draft Land Protection Plan Proposed Dakota Grassland Conservation Area North Dakota, South Dakota June 2011 Prepared by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service North Dakota Wetland Management Districts South Dakota Wetland Management Districts Region 6, Mountain-Prairie Region Division of Refuge Planning 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300 Lakewood, Colorado 80228 303 /236 8145 CITATION U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2011. Environmental Assessment and Draft Land Protection Plan: Proposed Dakota Grassland Con- servation Area. Lakewood, Colorado: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Mountain–Prairie Region. 129 p. Contents Summary ....................................................................................... V Abbreviations .................................................................................... VII ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (EA) EA Chapter 1—Purpose and Need for Action ...................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................. 1 Proposed Project Area .......................................................................... 2 Proposed Action .............................................................................. 4 Purpose and Need for Proposed Action .............................................................. 5 Decisions to Be Made .......................................................................... 5 Issues Identified and Selected for Analysis ........................................................... 6 Related Actions and Activities .................................................................... 6 National Wildlife Refuge System and Authorities ...................................................... 8 EA Chapter 2—Alternatives ..................................................................... 11 Alternative A (No Action) ........................................................................ 11 Alternative B (Proposed Action) ................................................................... 12 Alternatives Considered but Not Studied ............................................................ 12 EA Chapter 3—Affected Environment ............................................................. 15 Physical Environment. 15 Biological Environment ......................................................................... 18 Cultural Resources ............................................................................ 27 Socioeconomic Environment ..................................................................... 29 EA Chapter 4—Environmental Consequences ..................................................... 31 Effects on the Physical Environment ................................................................ 31 Effects on the Biological Environment ............................................................... 32 Effects on Cultural Resources .................................................................... 35 Effects on the Socioeconomic Environment ........................................................... 35 Unavoidable Adverse Impacts .................................................................... 37 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitments of Resources ................................................. 37 Short-Term versus Long-Term Productivity ............................................................ 37 Cumulative Impacts ............................................................................ 38 EA Chapter 5—Coordination and Environmental Review ............................................ 41 Agency Coordination ........................................................................... 41 Contaminants and Hazardous Materials ............................................................. 41 National Environmental Policy Act ................................................................. 41 Strategic Habitat Conservation ................................................................... 42 Landscape Conservation Cooperatives .............................................................. 45 EA Glossary ................................................................................... 47 EA Appendixes A–Requests for Use or Modification of Easement Properties .......................................... 49 B–Public Scoping Report ....................................................................... 79 C–List of Preparers ........................................................................... 89 D–Species Lists .............................................................................. 91 IV EA and Draft LPP—Proposed Dakota Grassland Conservation Area EA Bibliography ................................................................................ 107 EA Figures 1. Map of the Prairie Pothole Region of North America ............................................... 2 2. Map of the boundary of the proposed Dakota Grassland Conservation Area ............................ 3 3. Map of ecoregions in the proposed Dakota Grassland Conservation Area .............................. 16 4. Map of the North American breeding ranges of 27 grassland birds ................................... 26 5. Graphic of the elements of strategic habitat conservation .......................................... 42 6. Chart of evaluation criteria for acquiring wetland conservation easements ............................. 43 7. Chart of evaluation criteria for acquiring grassland conservation easements ........................... 44 8. Graph of percentage of public scoping comments, by category, about the proposed Dakota Grassland Conservation Area .......................................................................... 84 EA Table 1. Priority bird species of the Prairie Pothole Region ................................................. 23 DRAFT LAND PROTECTION PLAN (LPP) Draft LPP Chapter 1—Introduction and Project Description ......................................... 111 Priorities and Objectives ........................................................................ 112 Ecosystem Management and Landscape Conservation .................................................. 112 Strategic Habitat Conservation ................................................................... 114 Threats to and Status of the Resources ............................................................. 117 Draft LPP Chapter 2—Proposed Action and Alternatives ............................................ 119 Easement Terms and Requirements ................................................................ 119 Project Costs ................................................................................. 120 Protection Alternatives ......................................................................... 121 Acquisition Funding Alternatives .................................................................. 124 Draft LPP Chapter 3—Coordination ............................................................... 129 Sociocultural Considerations ..................................................................... 129 Draft LPP Figures A. Map of the boundary of the proposed Dakota Grassland Conservation Area ............................ 113 B. Graphic of the elements of strategic habitat conservation .......................................... 114 C. Chart of evaluation criteria for acquiring wetland conservation easements ............................. 125 D. Chart of evaluation criteria for acquiring grassland conservation easements ........................... 126 Draft LPP Table A. Priority bird species of the Prairie Pothole Region ................................................. 115 Summary The first part of this volume is an environmental Although one of the most altered, the Prairie assessment, documenting the purpose, issues, al- Pothole Region is one of the most important, migra- ternatives, and analysis for the proposed Dakota tory bird habitats in the Western Hemisphere with Grassland Conservation Area. The draft land pro- its ability to produce and sustain tremendous num- tection plan presents an overview of the Service’s bers of waterfowl. The large-scale change in land proposed management approach to wildlife and as- use is rapidly expanding into the remaining quality sociated habitats, easement priorities, public uses, habitat for breeding birds. At the current rate of interagency coordination, public outreach, and other grassland conversion, an estimated one-half of the operations. remaining native prairie in the Prairie Pothole Re- The uniqueness of the proposed Dakota Grass- gion will be converted to other uses in only 34 years. land Conservation Area lies in the millions of depressional wetlands that constitute one of the richest wetland systems on Earth—the Prairie Pot- hole Region. The prairie potholes and surround- Proposed Dakota Grassland ing grasslands are highly productive and support a Conservation Area myriad of wetland and grassland birds along with large numbers of spring and fall migrants. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to establish the Dakota Grassland Conservation Area in the eastern parts of North Dakota and South The Prairie Pothole Region Dakota, which cover all counties north and east of the Missouri River except those in the existing Da- Once vast grassland, the Prairie Pothole Region is kota Tallgrass Prairie Wildlife Management Area. now largely an agricultural system dominated by The Service would conserve wetland and grassland cropland