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Falls Creek Falls Trailhead Upgrade

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Falls Creek Falls Trailhead Upgrade Decision Notice and FONSI Falls Creek Falls Trailhead Upgrade Falls Creek Falls Trailhead Upgrade Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact USDA Forest Service Mt. Adams Ranger District Gifford Pinchot National Forest Skamania County, Washington Sections 20 and 21, T5N, R7E, Willamette Meridian Decision and Reasons for the Decision Background The Falls Creek Falls Trailhead and the adjacent Falls Creek Trailhead are some of the most popular trailheads for day use on the Mt. Adams Ranger District. The trailheads are located at the end of Forest Service Road 3062 and 3062-057. These roads are accessed from the Wind River Highway (Highway 30), about 10 miles north of Stabler, Washington and are located due east of the Trapper Creek Wilderness. In the summer months, parking is inadequate for the heavy use of these trails. Users heading to Falls Creek Falls park along Forest Road 3062-057 causing congestion, damage to roadside vegetation and roadside foot traffic. This mix of foot traffic, moving vehicles and parked cars is a safety concern and is inconvenient for recreational users. With a reconfigured parking area at the Falls Creek Falls Trailhead the safety risk is reduced. Currently, hikers in spring and fall have no access to toilet facilities. Hikers utilize the shrubs at the trailhead causing concentrations of human waste and toilet paper which is as much a sanitation hazard as it is unsightly. In the summer months rental toilet units are purchased by the Forest Service providing simple facilities for the peak season. With a reconfigured parking area, sanitation facilities would be improved with a new vault toilet. The Mount Adams Ranger District on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest prepared an environmental assessment (EA) to analyze a proposal that would improve the user experience at the Falls Creek Falls Trailhead. The proposed action is to expand the Falls Creek Falls Trailhead to allow for more parking while decommissioning and rehabilitating the nearby Falls Creek Trailhead. The Falls Creek Trail (Trail #152) would be extended to tie into the consolidated trailhead. Portions of the existing connector trail (informally referred to as 152B) would be rehabilitated. Both trails would be accessed from the same reconfigured trailhead. There would be no change in type of use for any of group who typically use the trails and trailheads. Page 1 Decision Notice and FONSI Falls Creek Falls Trailhead Upgrade Decision Based upon my review of the environmental analysis, and comments I have received from the public and other agencies, I have decided to implement the proposed action (Alternative B) as described in the EA because it best meets the purpose and need described in the environmental analysis. My decision will expand the Falls Creek Falls Trailhead to allow for more parking and decommission and rehabilitate Falls Creek Trailhead. To facilitate the trailhead consolidation, the decision includes: Increasing parking at the Falls Creek Falls Trailhead (Site B on Figure 1) from 15 to 50 sites. This will involve clearing vegetation on about one-sixth of an acre. Trees that have commercial value (approximately 100 Douglas-fir trees smaller than 14 inches in diameter) will be put up for bid in a small timber sale. Installing a vault toilet at the Falls Creek Falls Trailhead (Site B). Decommissioning and revegetating the Falls Creek Trailhead including the parking area and old ford/stream crossing site on Falls Creek (Site A). This will involve using an excavator or similar equipment to decompact the hardened surfaces, importing excavated soil, mulching and seeding the area, and planting with a mix of species including Douglas-fir, western red cedar, and western hemlock seedlings at an eight foot by eight foot spacing. Decommissioning the last 0.25 miles of Forest Road 3062 which accesses and ends at the Falls Creek Trailhead (Site A). The same decompacting and revegetation described above will be applied to the road surface. Extending the Falls Creek Trail (Trail #152) from where it crosses Falls Creek south-east to the newly expanded Falls Creek Falls Trailhead (Site B). This extension will utilize a portion of the creekside trail (informally referred to as 152B) and allow for equestrian access to the Falls Creek Trail. The extension will be open to horses, mountain bikers, and hikers. Two small trees that are smaller than 4 inches in diameter, and about 20 saplings and brush smaller than 3 inches in diameter will need to be cut to construct the trail extension. Decommissioning the remaining creekside trail that will not be used for the extension of Trail 152 because of its unsuitability for equestrian use. This will involve blocking the trail ingress and egress with on site debris, mounding soil and re-naturalizing areas with logs and organic debris and “ice-berging” (burial of rocks except for sharp tips), creating an irregular surface. The trailheads will be closed for a period of time to allow for tree removal, parking lot expansion and vault toilet installation. Page 2 Decision Notice and FONSI Falls Creek Falls Trailhead Upgrade The following mitigation measures will apply to the project: 1) No in-stream work will be performed, and no heavy equipment will cross Falls Creek. 2) There would be sediment catchments (i.e. hay bales, silt fences) in place along the parking lot’s perimeter that lies adjacent to Falls Creek during all ground-disturbing activities in order to intercept any fine sediment before it reaches the creek. The USFS hydrologist and/or the USFS fish biologist will determine the location of these sediment catchments, but they will be at least placed at the stream/parking lot edge where equipment has forded the stream in the past. These sediment catchments will be checked and cleaned (silt rinsed from the bales/fencing onto the forest floor away from any waterbody) at least once a week during, and immediately upon completion of, the parking lot decommissioning activities. 3) Decompaction activities done near Falls Creek will be done by hand, using small machinery (eg., small Bobcat), and/or by situating an excavator away from the streambanks and using its 25-30 foot extensible arm to reach the trail and make small depressions and mounds on its surface. 4) Prior to project work, place straw bales or erosion fencing at key points of potential sediment travel to Falls Creek. Adjust the location of these features as needed to maintain their effectiveness throughout the project. The objective is to intercept and slow down movement of surface water runoff to encourage filtering and deposition of fine sediments before they reach Falls Creek. 5) Scarify, plant and place boulders on the south side of the old driveway that crosses Falls Creek. Also plant the north side of the stream where the driveway is still evident. The objectives are to accelerate revegetation and tree growth in this area, to reduce erosion from the driveway surface, and to obstruct any vehicular access. 6) Mulch all disturbed surfaces immediately after equipment has completed work there. The objective is to limit erosion from the disturbed soil surface from splash erosion and overland flows. 7) Seed and plant all disturbed areas as soon as practical following project work. The objective is to establish desired plant species before invasives occupy the site, and to begin development of forest cover in the riparian areas. 8) Scatter all excess tree limbs and other organic debris on disturbed areas following work. The objective is to add roughness and organic litter to the decompacted surface that will help slow the movement of any overland water flows, and provide microclimate, organic materials and nutrients for newly planted vegetation. Placement of forest debris on the decompacted surface will also help discourage use of off road vehicles on the newly planted area. 9) Construct effective closures of the decommissioned trail, road and parking lot. The objective is to ensure no subsequent vehicular access occurs on the newly decompacted and revegetated surface. 10) To prevent the introduction of noxious weeds into the project area, all heavy equipment, or other off- road equipment used in the project is to be cleaned to remove soil, seeds, Page 3 Decision Notice and FONSI Falls Creek Falls Trailhead Upgrade vegetative matter or other debris that could contain seeds. Cleaning should be done before entering National Forest Lands, and when equipment moves from or between project sites or areas known to be infested into other areas, infested or otherwise. Cleaning of the equipment may include pressure washing. An inspection will be required to ensure that equipment is clean before work can begin. (Equipment cleaning clause Wo- C6.35) (Standard 2, Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Program Record of Decision, 2005). 11) Inspect active gravel, fill, sand stockpiles, quarry sites, and borrow material for invasive plants before use and transport. Treat or require treatment of infested sources before any use of pit material. Use only gravel, fill, sand, and rock that is judged to be weed free by District or Forest weed specialists (Standard 7, Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Program Record of Decision, 2005). 12) Use weed-free straw and mulch for all projects, conducted or authorized by the Forest Service, on National Forest System Lands (Standard 3, Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Program Record of Decision, 2005). 13) Native plant materials are the first choice in re-vegetation for restoration and rehabilitation where timely natural regeneration of the native plant community is not likely to occur. For re-vegetation of the decommissioned road and parking area, utilize locally adapted native plant materials (seed and trees) (Standard 13, Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Program Record of Decision, 2005). 14) Treat invasive plant infestations along roadsides for ½ mile adjacent to the project prior to project commencement.
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