NEPA--Environmental Assessment
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Revised Environmental United States Department of Agriculture Assessment Forest Service Continued Maintenance of Open Lands September 21, 2007 Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area Trigg and Lyon Counties, Kentucky Stewart County, Tennessee For Information Contact: Steve Bloemer 100 Van Morgan Drive, Golden Pond, KY 42211 270-924-2069 [email protected] www.lbl.org Responsible Official: William Lisowsky The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individuals income is derived from any public assistance program. (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 to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Environmental Assessment Continued Maintenance of Open Lands Table of Contents Summary .........................................................................................................................2 1.1 Background ...........................................................................................................................3 1.2 Purpose and Need for Action ................................................................................................4 1.3 Proposed Action ....................................................................................................................5 1.4 Decision Framework .............................................................................................................5 1.5 Public Involvement ...............................................................................................................5 1.6 Issues and Concerns ..............................................................................................................6 2.0 Alternatives, including the Proposed Action .........................................................9 2.1 Alternatives Analyzed in Detail ............................................................................................9 2.2 Comparison of Alternatives ................................................................................................12 2.3 Design Criteria Common to All Action Alternatives ....................................................15 2.4 Alternatives Not Analyzed in Detail ...................................................................................16 3.0 Environmental Consequences ..............................................................................20 3.1 Vegetation Resources ..........................................................................................................20 3.2 Soil and Water Resources ...................................................................................................36 3.3 Air Resources ......................................................................................................................54 3.4 Wildlife Resources ..............................................................................................................62 3.5 Recreation and Environmental Education Resources .......................................................110 3.6 Heritage Resources ...........................................................................................................118 3.7 Economic and Social Resources .......................................................................................123 4.0 Consultation and Coordination ...........................................................................137 5.0 References, Acronyms, and Glossary ................................................................140 5.1 References .........................................................................................................................140 5.2 Acronyms ..........................................................................................................................174 5.3 Glossary ............................................................................................................................176 6.0 Appendices ...........................................................................................................186 6.1 Vegetation Resources Appendix .......................................................................................186 6.2 Soil and Water Resources .................................................................................................222 6.3 Air Resources ....................................................................................................................229 6.4 Wildlife Resources ............................................................................................................232 6.5 Recreation and Environmental Education Resources .......................................................233 6.6 Heritage Resources ...........................................................................................................233 6.7 Social and Economic Resources .......................................................................................237 6.8 Prescribed Fire Resources .................................................................................................244 6.9 Pesticides Risk Analysis ...................................................................................................251 6.10 Maps ................................................................................................................................276 Environmental Assessment Continued Maintenance of Open Lands SUMMARY The Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Continued Maintenance of Open Lands was originally signed on April 30, 2007. However, on July 20, 2007 the project decision was voluntarily withdrawn for further analysis. This Revised Environmental Assessment (EA) is now the EA of record for the Continued Maintenance of Open Lands at Land Between The Lakes. Open lands have been a feature on the landscape of Land Between The Lakes (LBL) since before LBL’s establishment in 1963. Since LBL’s establishment, open lands have been managed to provide for the orderly growth and development of desirable stages of early plant succession, to meet wildlife habitat needs, and to provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and environmental education (EE). Three alternatives are evaluated in this revised environmental assessment (EA) for the continued maintenance of approximately 6,610 acres of open lands in the General Forest prescription areas of LBL: Alternative 1, the No Action - Open lands in the General Forest prescription areas would no longer be maintained. Alternative 2, the Proposed Action - Open lands would continue to be maintained, and adjustments made to meet the goals, objectives, standards, and desired conditions as described in the 2004 Land and Resource Management Plan (Area Plan) for LBL. Alternative 3, Eliminate Traditional Row Crops and Substantially Decreased Use of Pesticides - Open lands would continue to be maintained, but croplands would be converted to grasslands and wildlife plantings, and pesticides would not be used to manage invasive species in riparian corridors. The Forest Service proposes to continue maintaining LBL’s open lands using a variety of management tools to achieve the desired conditions described in the 2004 Land and Resource Management Plan (Area Plan, pp. 28-29); “Open lands, which include cultivated fields, wildlife plantings, maintained grasslands, and hay fields, are dispersed across the landscape. In open lands, visitors may observe a diversity of wildlife such as white-tailed deer, bobcat, and coyote; many migrant and resident bird species such as red-tailed hawk, bald eagle, Eastern bluebird, Northern bobwhite, and neotropical songbirds. Open lands consist of traditional row crops, hay fields, wildlife plantings, old fields, and ecological restoration areas. The ecological restoration areas have a dominance of native short warm season grasses, such as little bluestem and broomsedge; native tall warm season grasses, such as big bluestem, switchgrass, and Indian grass; or, a mosaic of short and tall grasses with a native forb and legume composition. Visitors may observe portions of traditional row crops remaining in fields after harvest for wildlife. Access to these areas consists of public roads, administrative roads, hiking trails, horse trails, and bike trails. Visitors enjoy a diverse pastoral 2 landscape, set against the backdrop of naturally appearing forested landscapes. These openings vary in size and shape, generally resulting from traditional cultural land use patterns; some exhibiting geometric straight-edged shapes, and others following natural landforms and watercourses.” Under Alternative 2, the Proposed Action, 6,610 acres of open lands would continue to be maintained in the General Forest prescription area, including 2,980 acres of cultivated land and 3,630 acres of grasslands. Approximately 430 acres of presently cultivated lands