Draft Environmental Assessment and Land Protection for the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area
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Draft Environmental Assessment and Land Protection Plan Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area Kansas April 2010 Prepared by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge 530 West Maple Avenue Hartford, Kansas 66854 620/392 5553 and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mountain-Prairie Region Division of Refuge Planning Branch of Land Protection Planning 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300 Denver, Colorado 80228 303/236 4345 In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service policy, an environmental assessment and land protection plan have been prepared to analyze the effects of establishing the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area in eastern Kansas. Both documents, which stand alone, are contained within this volume. The environmental assessment analyzes the environmental effects of establishing the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area. The land protection plan describes the priorities for purchasing 1,100,000 acres of easements within the proposed project boundary. Note: Information contained in the maps within these documents is approximate and does not represent a legal survey. Ownership information may not be complete. Abbreviations FHLCA Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area KDWP Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks PFW Partners for Fish and Wildlife program Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Draft Environmental Assessment Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area Kansas April 2010 Prepared by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge 530 West Maple Avenue Hartford, Kansas 66854 620/392 5553 and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mountain-Prairie Region Division of Refuge Planning Branch of Land Protection Planning 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300 Denver, Colorado 80228 303/236 4345 Contents Chapter 1. Purpose of and Need for Action ............................................................................................... 1 Proposed Action ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Project Area .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Purpose of and Need for Proposed Action ................................................................................................ 5 Decisions to be Made ................................................................................................................................... 6 Issues Identified and Selected for Analysis .............................................................................................. 6 Biological Issues ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Socioeconomic Issues ............................................................................................................................. 6 Issues Not Selected for Detailed Analysis .......................................................................................... 6 National Wildlife Refuge System and Authorities .................................................................................. 7 Related Actions and Activities ................................................................................................................... 7 Habitat Protection and Easement Acquisition Process .......................................................................... 8 Chapter 2. Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action ....................................................................... 9 Alternative A. No Action ............................................................................................................................. 9 Alternative B. Proposed Action.................................................................................................................. 9 Alternatives Considered but not Studied ................................................................................................. 10 Voluntary Landowner Zoning .............................................................................................................. 10 County Zoning ........................................................................................................................................ 10 Expansion of Project .............................................................................................................................. 10 Chapter 3. Affected Environment ...................................................................................................... 11 Biological Environment ............................................................................................................................... 11 Climate ..................................................................................................................................................... 11 Climate Change ....................................................................................................................................... 11 Adaptation, Mitigation, and Engagement .......................................................................................... 12 Geologic Resources .................................................................................................................................. 12 Habitat ...................................................................................................................................................... 13 Wildlife ..................................................................................................................................................... 17 Cultural Resources ....................................................................................................................................... 19 Socioeconomic Environment ....................................................................................................................... 19 Landownership ........................................................................................................................................ 20 Property Tax ............................................................................................................................................ 20 Public Use and Wildlife-dependent Recreational Activities ............................................................ 20 Chapter 4. Environmental Consequences .................................................................................................. 21 Effects on the Biological Environment ...................................................................................................... 21 Effects on the Socioeconomic Environment ............................................................................................. 25 Unavoidable Adverse Impacts.................................................................................................................... 28 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitments of Resources ................................................................... 28 Short-term Use versus Long-term Productivity ..................................................................................... 28 Cumulative Impacts ..................................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 5. Coordination and Environmental Review ............................................................................. 31 Agency Coordination .................................................................................................................................... 31 Contaminants and Hazardous Materials ................................................................................................... 31 National Environmental Policy Act ........................................................................................................... 31 Strategic Habitat Conservation and Landscape Conservation Cooperatives ..................................... 32 Distribution and Availability ...................................................................................................................... 34 Appendix A—List of Preparers and Reviewers ....................................................................................... 35 Appendix B—List of Plants and Animals .................................................................................................. 37 Bibliography ...................................................................................................................................................... 75 Figures 1—Historical tallgrass prairie distribution ............................................................................................... 1 2—Project and land cover map for the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area ................................... 4 3—Land cover map for the Flint Hills Legacy Conservation Area ...................................................... 16 4— Relative native and restored benefits of ecosystem goods and services ....................................... 27 Chapter 1 — Purpose of and Need for Action “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.” —Aldo Leopold The lands east of the Rocky Mountains were once a vast sea of grass extending as far east as the deciduous forests of Kentucky and Ohio. The eastern third of this vast grassland