Oregon Badlands Wilderness Management Plan and Environmental Assessment

Table ofContents Table of Contents........................................................................................................................... ii List of Maps ...................................................................................... .. .................................... ................ ............ .. 1 Draft Oregon Badlands Wilderness Management Plan ........................................................... 2 Scope of the Wilderness Management Plan ........................................................ ............................ 2 lntroduction................................................................................................................................... 2 National Wilderness Management Goals ........................................................................................ 2 Natural and Cultural Context .................................. ............................................... .... ..................... 3 Issues .......................................................................................................................................... 10 Wilderness Management Objectives. .............................................. ; ............................................. 11 Wilderness Management Actions ................................................................................................. 11 Monitoring •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•.•.•.•••••••••••••.•.•••••••••••.•••.•.•.•••.•••••••.•••• 24 Plan Evaluation ............................................................................................................................ 25 Appendix A ......................................................................................................................................................... 26 Appendix B: Oregon Badlands Wilderness M onitoring Plan ........................................ .............................. ...... 28 Table 1. Oregon Badlands Wilderness Monitoring Schedule .......................................................... 30 Oregon Badlands Wilderness Management Plan Environmental Assessment ........................ 33 Chapter 1 Introduction...................................................................................................... 34 Proposed Action. ................ ............................ ............ .................................................................. 34 Purpose and Need ........................................................................................................................ 34 Consultation and Coordination ....... ............. .......................................... .................................... ........................ 35 Issues ............................................................................................................................................................. ..... 35 Chapter 2 Alternatives ...................................................................................................... 37 Management Common to All Alternatives .................................................................................... 37 Table 2. Compar ison of Alternatives. .............................................................. .......... ....... ........................... ....... 40 Alternative 1, No Action, Continue Present Management................ .............................................. 42 Alternative 2, Proposed Action ............................................................... ...................................... 46 Alternative 3, Human Activity Most Present ................................................................................. 54 Alternative 4, Human Activity Least Present ............... .................................................................. 60 Project Design Features ................................................................................................................ 64 Alternatives considered but eliminated from detailed analysis ...................................................... 64 Conformance............................................................................................................ ........ .. ..... .... ....................... 65 Chapter 3 Affected Environment ....................................................................................... 66 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 66 Location and Background ......................................... ......................... ................................................................. 66 Chapter 4 Environmental Effects .......................................................................................... 70 Introduction:................................................................................. ............................................... 70 Alternative 1, No Action -Continue present management .............................................................72 Alternative 2, Proposed Action ..................................................................................................... 75 Alternative 3, Human Impacts Most Evident Long-Term ................................................................ 78 Alternative 4, Human Impacts Least Evident Long-Term ................................................................ 81 Cumulative effects ...............................................................................................................84 Chapter 5 Preparers and Reviewers ................................................................................... 87 References ........................................................................................................................... 88 Appendix A: Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009...................................................... 90 Appendix B: Fence standards .................................................................................................. ...95 Appendix C: Wilderness fire management guidelines .................................................................96 iii List of Maps Map 1. Oregon Badlands Wilderness Vicinity......................................................................... ................ ! Map 2. Alternative 1: livestock Grazing and W ildlife lmprovements............................................... 43 Map 3. Alternative 1: Access, Trail Systems and Trailheads................................ : ...............................44 Map 4. Alternative 2: Livestock Grazing and Wildlife lmprovements........... ....................................49 Map 5. Alternative 2: Access, Trail System and Trailheads ................................................................ .so Map 6. Alternative 2: Northern Access, Tra il System and Trailheads... .......................................... ... 51 Map 7. Alternatives 2 & 4: Routes Proposed for Restoration............................................................ 52 Map 8. Alternative 3: Access, Tra il Systems and Trailheads....................... ......................................... 56 Map 9: Alternative 3: Livestock Grazing and Wildlife lmprovements .................................... .......... 57 Map 10: Alternative 3: Southern Access, Trail Systems and Trailheads........................................... 58 Map 11. Alternative 4: livestock Grazing and Wildlife lmprovements............................................. 61 Map 12. Alternative 4: Access, Trail Systems and Trailheads..............................................................62 1 Draft Oregon Badlands • The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009, Public Wilderness Management Law No. 111-11, Section 1701 (March Plan 30, 2009) (Appendix A). • Wilderness Act of1964. • Code ofFederal Regulations 43 Parts Scope ofthe Wilderness 6300 (Management of Designated Wilderness Areas). Management Plan • BLM Manual 6340 (Management of This plan provides the primary guidance for Designated Wilderness Areas). the Oregon Badlands Wilderness (OBW), a • BLM Manual8561 (Wilderness unit oftheNational Landscape Management Plans). Conservation System managed by the • Upper Deschutes Record of Decision Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The and Resource Management Plan plan also addresses actions outside the USDI 2005). wilderness area, including wilderness access, trailheads, and interpretive and educational information provided to the public. This wilderness management plan is an implementation-level plan that provides a set of decisions outlining management of 29,301 acres of public land within the OBW. The plan t) identifies the conditions and opportunities that will be managed within the wilderness; 2) creates specific guidance for managing the resources and activities existing in the wilderness; and, 3) preserves the area's wilderness characteristics cumulatively identified as untrammeled quality, outstanding opportunities for Figure 1. Upended lava. solitude or a primitive form ofrecreation, "pahoehoe~ ' undeveloped character, and naturalness and primeval character. The first part ofthe wilderness plan is a comprehensive description of the wilderness situation and proposed management. The second part is an environmental assessment (EA), which fully describes and analyzes the proposed wilderness management plan and three other alternative management options. The plan is consistent with

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