Environmental Assessment
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Central Cascades Wilderness Strategies Project United States Department of Agriculture Final Environmental Assessment Forest Service Crescent, Sisters, and Bend/Ft. Rock Ranger Districts of the Deschutes National November 2018 Forest; McKenzie River, Detroit, and Middle Fork Ranger Districts of the Willamette National Forest Deschutes, Jefferson, Klamath, Lane, Linn, and Marion Counties, Oregon In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. 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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender Central Cascades Wilderness Management Project Environmental Assessment Table of Content Chapter 1 – Purpose and Need for Action ................................................................................... 3 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Current Condition and Trends ............................................................................................................. 5 Purpose and Need for Action .............................................................................................................. 9 Regulatory and Planning Framework ................................................................................................ 10 Proposed Action ............................................................................................................................... 11 Public Involvement and Issues .......................................................................................................... 12 Decision to be Made ......................................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 2 - Alternatives ............................................................................................................18 Description of Alternatives ............................................................................................................... 18 Comparison of the Alternatives Considered in Detail ......................................................................... 25 Alternatives Not Analyzed in Detail ................................................................................................... 31 Chapter 3 – Environmental Consequences .................................................................................32 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 32 Key Issue #1: Recreation Experience - Potential for Displacement ..................................................... 37 Key Issue #2: Recreation Experience – Loss of Opportunity & Spontaneity ........................................ 57 Other Recreation Effects ................................................................................................................... 60 Wilderness Character ....................................................................................................................... 65 Aquatic Resources: Hydrology and Fisheries ..................................................................................... 75 Wildlife: Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Terrestrial Species ................................................. 86 Botany (Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Species) and Invasive Plants .................................. 106 Soils ............................................................................................................................................... 120 Cultural Resources .......................................................................................................................... 124 Other Disclosures ........................................................................................................................... 127 Chapter 4 – Consultation and Coordination ............................................................................. 129 Interdisciplinary Team .................................................................................................................... 129 Agencies and Persons Consulted ..................................................................................................... 129 References ..................................................................................................................................... 132 Appendices ............................................................................................................................. 140 Appendix A – Wilderness Recreation Spectrum Class Definitions and Standards from Forest Plan .... 141 Appendix B – Alternative Maps ....................................................................................................... 146 1 Central Cascades Wilderness Management Project Environmental Assessment Appendix C –Trailhead and Zone Visitor Use Objectives and 2016 Use Charts ................................... 164 Appendix D - Monitoring and Adaptive Management ...................................................................... 197 Appendix E – Wilderness Character Analysis Tables ......................................................................... 204 Appendix F – Consideration of Public Comments ............................................................................. 224 Figure 1: Vicinity of project area in Oregon. 2 Central Cascades Wilderness Management Project Environmental Assessment Chapter 1 – Purpose and Need for Action Introduction This environmental assessment (EA) documents consideration of five alternative strategies for managing increasing recreation use within wilderness areas on the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests, all designed to reduce recreation-related impacts to the wilderness resource. The geographic scope of this project includes five wilderness areas in the central Cascade Range of Oregon, totaling about 536,368 acres: Mount Jefferson Wilderness, Three Sisters Wilderness, Mount Washington Wilderness, and Diamond Peak Wilderness are co-managed by the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests; Waldo Lake Wilderness is managed entirely by the Willamette National Forest (see Figure 1 and Figure 2). These wilderness areas provide a great diversity of outdoor recreation opportunities; however, they continue to face increasing recreational demands that can degrade natural resources and impact the wilderness experience. The wilderness areas of the Central Cascades in Oregon were legislated in 1964, 1968 and 1984: • Mount Washington Wilderness, Three Sisters Wilderness, and Diamond Peak Wilderness- Designated by Public Law 88-577- Wilderness Act of 1964. • Mount Jefferson Wilderness- Designated by Public Law 90-548 in 1968. • Waldo Lake Wilderness designated and additions made to Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington and Three Sisters- Public Law 98-328, Oregon Wilderness Act of 1984. As part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, Congressionally-designated wilderness areas are special places accorded a very high level of protection. The Wilderness Act sets wilderness apart from other public lands and establishes a mission objective for the agency to preserve wilderness character. Planning Background Comprehensive planning for visitor use management in the Central Cascades Wilderness areas through the NEPA process has not occurred since the early 1990s. A 1991 Decision Notice authorized the creation of a self-issue permit system across the Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, and Three Sisters Wilderness Areas. The permit was intended to improve education of visitors and to collect data on numbers of visitors and the types and areas of use. Wilderness permits are currently required from Memorial Day until October 31st. The 1991 NEPA process and decision also initiated