Elk Creek Watershed Restoration Project
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Biological Evaluation Including Survey and Manage, Migratory Bird / Landbirds report, Management Indicator Species, and Coarse Woody Debris United States Elk Creek Watershed Department of Agriculture Forest Restoration Project Service Pacific Northwest Umpqua National Forest Region Douglas County, Oregon January 2017 For more information, contact: Andre M. Silva- 541-825-3100 Tiller District Wildlife Biologist Tiller Ranger District 27812 Tiller Trail Hwy Tiller Oregon, 97484 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 individual's 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, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 2 Printed on recycled paper in January, 2017. TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 3 LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................ 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. 6 PROJECT DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................................................. 8 LOCATION.................................................................................................................................................. 8 PROPOSED ACTION ................................................................................................................................... 9 Alternative 1 -- No Action ......................................................................................................................... 9 Alternative 2 -- Proposed Action ......................................................................................................... 9 Connected and Similar Actions .......................................................................................................... 12 GRAY WOLF – Canis lupus ........................................................................................................................... 13 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES ................................................................................................. 13 FISHER – Pekania pennanti ......................................................................................................................... 18 NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL – Strix occidentalis caurina .............................................................................. 18 Stouts Creek Fire and Impacts to Spotted Owl Habitat .......................................................................... 20 REVISED RECOVERY PLAN CONSISTENCY .................................................................................................... 24 NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE-...................................................................................................................... 25 ACTION ALTERNATIVE - PROPOSED ACTION- ......................................................................................... 25 DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS TO NORTHERN SPOTTED OWLS AND THEIR HABITAT ......................... 25 IMPACTS TO NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL PREY SPECIES AND THEIR HABITAT ........................................ 29 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS- NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL AND THEIR HABITAT ............................................. 31 EFFECT DETERMINATION –NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL AND THEIR HABITAT ........................................ 32 2012 CRITICAL HABITAT – NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL ............................................................................... 32 DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS – 2012 CRITICAL HABITAT, NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL ....................... 33 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS – 2012 CRITICAL HABITAT, NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL ..................................... 36 EFFECT DETERMINATION – 2012 CRITICAL HABITAT, NORTHERN SPOTTED OWL ................................. 36 SPECIES ACCOUNTS AND DETERMINATIONS .............................................................................................. 37 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS – ALL EVALUATED SENSITIVE SPECIES .............................................................. 54 SURVEY AND MANAGE ................................................................................................................................ 55 MIGRATORY BIRD/ LANDBIRD ANALYSIS .................................................................................................... 60 MANAGEMENT INDICATOR SPECIES ........................................................................................................... 64 COARSE WOODY DEBRIS ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................ 73 SIGNATURES ................................................................................................................................................ 80 LITERATURE CITED: ................................................................................................................................. 81 3 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Federally listed and Forest Sensitive Species Considered in this Biological Evaluation and Effect Determination ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Table 2 Regional Forester (R6) Sensitive Species as of July 21, 2015 for the Umpqua National Forest..... 14 Table 3 Threatened and Sensitive species evaluated and those which are omitted from further analysis. .................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Table 4 Impacts to Spotted Owl Habitat from the Stouts Creek Fire within the Action Area. ................... 20 Table 5 Northern Spotted Owl existing condition of owl sites (.2 mile nest patch, .5 mile core use area, 1.2 mile home range) by habitat acres within the action area. Include acres recently modified due to Stouts Creek Fire. ........................................................................................................................................ 22 Table 6 Critical Habitat Unit KLE-1, acres within District, Action Area, and analysis Area ......................... 33 Table 7 Critical Habitat Unit KLE-2, acres within District, Action Area, and analysis Area ......................... 33 Table 8 Critical Habitat Unit KLE-4, acres within District, Action Area, and analysis Area ......................... 33 Table 9 Commercial Units, available 2011 Settlement Agreement Exemptions, Pre-Disturbance Survey Disclosure for Protocol Surveys for Terrestrial Mollusks and The Red Tree Vole. ..................................... 56 Table 10 Forest conditions and associated habitat attributes and focal species for landbird conservation in coniferous forests of western Oregon and Washington ......................................................................... 62 Table 11 List of the Umpqua National Forests Management Indicator Species (MIS). .............................. 64 Table 12 Primary cavity nester trends as determined from monitoring data from local BBS routes. (Data available through 2013) .............................................................................................................................. 67 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Action Area, Elk Creek 5th Field Watershed, Owl Sites with Spatial Scales, Proposed Actions, Distribution of Critical Habitat, and Stouts Creek Fire perimeter. ............................................................. 21 Figure 2 Elk Creek 5th Field Watershed, habitat altering components of the proposed action, Critical Habitat Distribution, and LUAs of the Northwest Forest Plan. NOTICE: north east portion of the analysis area is where the majority of NRF downgrading would occur. .................................................................. 28 Figure 3 North American breeding bird survey routes on or near the Umpqua NF. The analysis are is located at the northern edge of the Sams Valley route. ............................................................................ 66 Figure 4 Total number of elk observed during annual monitoring (1984-2013) on the Evans Creek Wildlife Management Unit. ........................................................................................................................ 70 Figure 5 Total number of elk observed during annual monitoring (1992-2013) on the Evans Creek WMU on the Umpqua National