Draft Habitat Management Plan Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park Proposed Expansion Area
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DRAFT HABITAT MANAGEMENT PLAN MOUNT SPOKANE SKI AND SNOWBOARD PARK PROPOSED EXPANSION AREA P REPARED FOR: Mount Spokane 2000 29500 N. Mount Spokane Drive Mead, WA 99021 Contact: Brad McQuarrie 509-238-2220 P REPARED BY: ICF International 317 SW Alder Street, Suite 200 Portland, OR 97205 Contact: Daniel W. (Bill) Baber, Ph.D. 503-525-6167 ICF Project No. 00353.13 March 2014 ICF International. 2014. Habitat Management Plan: Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park Proposed Expansion Area. March. (ICF 00353.13) Portland, OR. Prepared for Mount Spokane 2000, Mead, WA. Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park Mount Spokane 2000 Proposed Expansion Area Contents List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... ii List of Appendices.................................................................................................................................. iv List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... iv 1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Professional Qualifications ..................................................................................................... 1 3.0 Project Location and Description ............................................................................................ 2 4.0 Project Background ................................................................................................................ 5 5.0 Existing Conditions ................................................................................................................. 7 5.1 Habitat .................................................................................................................................... 7 5.2 Rare Plants ........................................................................................................................... 10 5.3 Wildlife ................................................................................................................................. 10 5.4 Priority Habitats and Species ............................................................................................... 19 6.0 HMP Field Studies ................................................................................................................ 21 6.1 Northern Goshawk ............................................................................................................... 22 6.2 Tree Coring ........................................................................................................................... 24 6.3 Wetland Delineation ............................................................................................................ 30 7.0 Impacts to Wildlife Species and their Habitats ...................................................................... 32 7.1 General Wildlife Effects ........................................................................................................ 32 7.2 Focal Wildlife Species, Including Priority Species ................................................................ 34 7.3 Federally Listed Species ....................................................................................................... 54 7.4 Priority Habitats ................................................................................................................... 58 8.0 Mitigation and Enhancement Measures................................................................................ 62 8.1 Construction-Related Measures .......................................................................................... 62 8.2 Operation-Related Measures ............................................................................................... 67 8.3 Conceptual Mitigation Strategies ......................................................................................... 70 9.0 References ........................................................................................................................... 73 Habitat Management Plan March 2014 i ICF 00353.13 Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park Mount Spokane 2000 Proposed Expansion Area Tables Table 1. Clearing and Other Assumptions for the Ski Lift, Utility Lines and Ski Trails. ............................ 5 Table 2. Primary Plant Associations Identified within the Expansion Area. ........................................... 8 Table 3. Conservation Status of the 21 Focal Species Identified for Mount Spokane State Park. .......... 11 Table 4. Suitable Habitat Estimates for the 21 Focal Species in the Expansion Area. ........................... 12 Table 5. Estimated Age of Trees Cored from the Expansion Area. ...................................................... 24 Table 6. Characteristics of the Delineated Wetlands in the Expansion Area. ...................................... 31 Table 7. Characteristics of the Delineated Streams in the Expansion Area. ........................................ 32 Table 8. Summary of Potential Impacts by Recreation Type on the 21 Focal Species........................... 37 Table 9. Potential Impacts to Plant Associations/Wildlife Habitats within the Expansion Area ........... 40 Table 10. Estimated Change in Suitable Habitat for the 21 Focal Species in the Expansion Area under As- built Conditions. ................................................................................................................. 44 Table 11. Proposed Project Encroachment into Wetlands, Stream, and Associated Buffers ................ 59 Figures Report Figures Follow Section 9.0 - References Figure 1. Site Location Figure 2. Existing Conditions Figure 3. Proposed Conditions Figure 4. Plant Associations Map Figure 5. Priority Habitats and Species Mapped by WDFW Figure 6. ICF Focal Species Observations Figure 7. Potential Priority Habitats Not Mapped by WDFW Figure 8. Northern Goshawk Broadcast Acoustical Survey Map Figure 9. Northern Goshawk Intensive Search Survey Map Figure 10. Tree Coring Sites Figure 11. Age Distributions Derived from Cored Trees Figure 12. Wetland Delineation and Stream Map Showing CAO Buffers Figure 13. Vegetation Clearing and Grading Impacts to Plant Associations/Wildlife Habitats Figure 14. Wetland, Stream Channel, and Riparian Buffer Encroachments Habitat Management Plan March 2014 ii ICF 00353.13 Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park Mount Spokane 2000 Proposed Expansion Area Appendices Appendix A. Qualifications and Certifications of Daniel W. Baber, Pablo Herrera and Lori Anderson Appendix B. Expansion Area Vegetation Polygon Data (Morrison and Wooten 2010) Appendix C. Maps of Focal Species Habitat in the Expansion Area under Existing Conditions and As-Built Conditions Appendix D. Expansion Area Wetland Delineation Report (ICF 2013) Habitat Management Plan March 2014 iii ICF 00353.13 Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park Mount Spokane 2000 Proposed Expansion Area Acronyms and Abbreviations BA Biological Assessment CAO Critical Areas Ordinance CFR Code of Federal Regulations dbh Diameter at Breast Height Department Spokane County Building and Planning Department DHS Lynx diurnal security habitat EA Environmental Assessment ESA U.S. Endangered Species Act HMP Habitat Management Plan FEIS Final Environmental Impact Statement ICF ICF International IPM Integrated Pest Management Plan LCS Land Classification System MFP Master Facilities Plan MSSSP Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park NEPA National Environmental Policy Act PASEA Potential Alpine Ski Expansion Area PHS Washington State Priority Habitats and Species SCC Spokane County Code SEIS Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement SEPA Washington State Environmental Policy Act SWPPP Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans TES Towey Ecological Services TWS The Wildlife Society U.S. United States USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USGS U.S. Geological Survey WDFW Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Washington State Parks Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Habitat Management Plan March 2014 iv ICF 00353.13 Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park Mount Spokane 2000 Proposed Expansion Area 1.0 Introduction ICF International (ICF) was retained by Mount Spokane 2000 (MS 2000) to prepare a habitat management plan (HMP) for a proposed ski area expansion site (expansion area) at Mount Spokane State Park in Spokane County, Washington (Figure 1). The purpose of the HMP is provide baseline environmental data to support regulatory agencies (e.g., Spokane County) with their evaluation of the proposed project’s impacts on Washington State Priority Habitats and Species (PHS), and identify where there is a need for mitigation to protect these sensitive state resources. An HMP is prepared for regulated uses considered within fish and wildlife conservations areas, or within ¼ mile of a non-game priority species, if the regulatory agency determines the proposed action is likely to have a significant on priority habitats or species. This HMP is also intended to address questions raised by the Spokane County Hearing Examiner during the April 9, 2013 appeal hearing that led to the revocation of the project’s Timber Harvest Permit and Administrative Decision under the Spokane County Critical