Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences This chapter summarizes the physical, biological, social, and economic environments on the Coconino National Forest and the effects of implementing each alternative on that environment. It also presents the scientific and analytical basis for the comparison of alternatives presented in the “Alternatives” chapter. Recreation Introduction This section focuses on the impact of changes to motorized use on the Forest to those who depend on or prefer access and recreation in areas not accessible by main routes on the Forest. In some instances, designation of motorized use or access would result in a positive impact on forest users, while this same change may result in a negative impact to forest users with different preferences (Albritton and Stein 2007). Since forest visitor satisfaction is largely perception- based, this analysis focuses on how changes in motorized use will affect three main elements that are integral to the experience of forest visitors: forest access, motorized recreation opportunities, and user conflict. Methodology for Analysis Estimates of recreation use are derived from the national visitor use monitoring surveys done on the Forest in 2005 (USDA Forest Service 2009). These inventories are conducted for all national forests on a 5-year cycle that started for the Forest in 2000. The national visitor use monitoring data does not explicitly explore all aspects of motorized recreation on the national forest but does provide some basic information for motorized use. This report also draws from other sources of data about motorized use on National Forest System lands in Arizona. A 2003 inventory of off highway vehicle (OHV) use statewide by county, conducted by Arizona State University resulted in two reports (Silberman 2003 and Arizona State Parks 2003) that provide more focused information defining OHV trends within the state of Arizona and indirectly on the national forests in the state. Recreation Setting – Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) The Coconino National Forest manages for a multitude of recreational experiences by designating areas according to the recreation opportunity spectrum. The recreation opportunity spectrum addresses the appropriateness, frequency and duration of human sounds and sights within the forest by considering the probability or prevalence of human sounds and sights o in discretely defined settings. Recreation opportunity spectrum classifications are based on the magnitude and nature of this human influence. The recreation opportunity spectrum divides the Forest into the following setting classes: primitive, semi-primitive nonmotorized; semi-primitive motorized; roaded natural; rural; and urban areas. More information about recreation opportunity spectrum classifications and analysis methodologies can be found in the Recreation specialist report. Final Environmental Impact Statement - Travel Management on the Coconino National Forest 29 Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences Existing Conditions General Recreation Trends – Over the last several decades the number of people participating in outdoor activities has been increasing. Between 2000 and 2007, the number of people participating in outdoor activities throughout the nation increased by 4.4 percent (Cordell 2008). Overall, the data on recreation trends tell us that the total amount of outdoor recreation has increased through 2007, but that nature-based recreational activities may have actually decreased when looking at a per capita basis. This data illustrates two distinct, yet opposite trends that are occurring at the national scale. There is no comparable data source to determine whether these trends are occurring at the local scale of the Coconino National Forest. Recreation Trends on the Coconino National Forest – Recreation use of the Forest has grown rapidly over the last two decades commensurate with the growth of the population in the southwest region. Data collected from 2005 shows that the Forest is host to about 4.6 million visitors a year (USDA Forest Service 2009, p. 7). Almost half of these visits are to developed parts of the forest such as campgrounds, Snowbowl ski area, or highly developed day use sites such as Bell Rock, Lake Mary, or Grasshopper Point (USDA Forest Service 2009, p. 7). Visitors to these sites only depend on access via main roads. None of these visits would be affected by changes made in the Coconino Travel Management EIS decision, regardless of which alternative is chosen. For most Forest visitors, the use of a motor vehicle is an integral part of their time spent on the Forest. Access to and within the Forest will likely define the location, experience, and opportunities for those who visit the forest. Almost all activities one could pursue on a national forest involve driving on forest roads. Whether it is to access a trailhead or ski area, collect firewood, or just for the pleasure of driving, motor vehicle use generally has a major influence on where and how the public uses public land. Different uses, however, vary in their dependence on forest roads and differ in the type of route being used. For example, OHV use depends not only on major roads to access trailheads, but also can include the use of many unmaintained routes, trails, and often open country where there is no established route. In fact, studies show that common OHV user preferences include less-populated routes with challenging terrain (Albritton and Stein 2007; Snyder et al. 2008), which also means that these routes are the less maintained level 2 and level 1 roads or unauthorized trails and off-road use. As a result of the different types of uses on the Forest, demand for motor vehicle use can be categorized between those uses that almost entirely depend on main forest routes (maintenance levels 3, 4, 5) and those activities that are more likely to depend on back-country (less maintained level 2 and level 1 routes). For the purposes of this analysis, we assumed that activities including fishing, camping, hiking, viewing natural features or historic and prehistoric sites, and other common recreational activities would primarily depend on major forest roads for access to trailheads, water play access sites, campgrounds, campsites, and other developed and undeveloped recreational opportunities. We also assumed that OHV use primarily depends on less maintained roads and unofficial and official trails, but also uses main Forest roads to access these areas. Activities such as driving for pleasure, relaxing, hunting, firewood collection, and others are not as easy to categorize as they are highly dependent on an individual’s preferences and are assumed to generally use both main Forest routes and backcountry routes. 30 Final Environmental Impact Statement - Travel Management on the Coconino National Forest Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences Figure 2. Recreation activities on the Coconino National Forest (CNF), primary purpose vs. participation visits (USDA Forest Service 2009) The rise in motorized activity over the past two decades represents a rapid change in one factor affecting forest recreation settings; the prevalence of motorized activities and the evidence of such activities that threaten to diminish user expectations for, and enjoyment of, more primitive setting attributes in some areas of the Forest. The continued rise in motorized activity in the more primitive settings threatens to disrupt and displace, or at least to diminish, the experiences sought by many forest users. Many motorized users are attracted by opportunities for solitude, challenge, and risk on the Forest just as many nonmotorized users are. Presently there are ample opportunities across the Forest for such setting attributes for all users. However, the proliferation of motorized use has tended to diminish solitude opportunities for nonmotorized users in some areas. For example, there are numerous accounts (from Travel Management Rule public meetings, and responses to the original proposed action) of hunters who favor quiet stalking, or “still” hunting techniques being disrupted by the arrival of motorized vehicles in areas the hunter had accessed on foot or by horseback. Final Environmental Impact Statement - Travel Management on the Coconino National Forest 31 Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences These accounts are supported by a 2005 study by the Arizona Game and Fish Department found that 54 percent of survey participants identified “OHV disruption” as a barrier to participation in hunting (Arizona Game and Fish Department 2005). If one compares national visitor use monitoring data from all northern and central Arizona national forests, it appears that the Coconino is not only one of the more popular forests, but serves a particular niche, which is that it is heavily used by non-local visitors (greater than 50 miles from the Forest) for nonmotorized recreational purposes. The Coconino National Forest received approximately three times the use of the Apache-Sitgreaves and the Prescott National Forests and 22 times the use of the Kaibab National Forest. Additionally, the Coconino National Forest includes the highest amount of nonmotorized recreational use, which may be negatively impacted by motorized uses. To quantify the amount of nonmotorized use that could be negatively affected by motorized use on each forest, the percent of users participating

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