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North Fork Nooksack Access and Travel Management Project Environmental Assessment

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North Fork Nooksack Access and Travel Management Project Environmental Assessment United States Department of Agriculture North Fork Nooksack Access and Travel Management Project Environmental Assessment Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Mt. Baker Forest Service National Forest Ranger District July 2016 For More Information Contact: Mt. Baker Ranger District 810 State Route 20 Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 360-856-5700 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720- 2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632- 9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. Environmental Analysis Upper North Fork Nooksack ATM Contents 1.0 Purpose and Need ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Document Structure ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 Background ......................................................................................................................................... 2 1.4 Location of the Proposed Project Area ............................................................................................... 2 1.5 Current Situation ................................................................................................................................. 4 Project Changes Following the Initial Scoping Letter .......................................................................... 4 Roads .................................................................................................................................................... 8 Funding ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Resource Risks .................................................................................................................................... 10 1.6 Purpose and Need for the Proposal ................................................................................................... 13 1.7 Proposed Action ............................................................................................................................... 13 1.8 Decision Framework ......................................................................................................................... 19 1.9 Relationship to the Forest Plan and Other Documents ..................................................................... 19 Land Allocations ................................................................................................................................. 20 Watershed Analyses Findings ............................................................................................................. 23 1.10 Relevant Land and Resource Management Plan Direction ............................................................ 23 Forest Management Goals and Forest-Wide Standards and Guidelines ............................................. 23 Aquatic Conservation Strategy ........................................................................................................... 24 1.11 Issues .............................................................................................................................................. 29 1.11.1. Funding ................................................................................................................................... 29 1.11.2. Natural Resource Protection ................................................................................................... 30 1.11.3 Access ...................................................................................................................................... 30 1.11.4. Climate Change ....................................................................................................................... 31 1.12 Maps, Acres, and Funding Precision .............................................................................................. 31 2.0 Alternatives ........................................................................................................................................... 32 2.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 32 2.2 Alternatives Considered, but not Further Analyzed ......................................................................... 32 2.2.1 Climate Change Alternative ....................................................................................................... 32 2.2.2 Improving Maintenance Levels or Increasing the Existing Road System Alternative .............. 32 2.2.3 Converting Roads to Trails Alternative ..................................................................................... 32 2.3 Alternatives Considered in Detail ..................................................................................................... 33 2.3.1 Alternative A – No Action ......................................................................................................... 33 2.3.2 Alternative B – Proposed Action ............................................................................................... 37 2.3.3 Alternative C .............................................................................................................................. 39 2.4 Assumptions ..................................................................................................................................... 44 2.5 Project Design Criteria ..................................................................................................................... 46 2.5.1 Botany ........................................................................................................................................ 46 2.5.2 Heritage and Cultural Resources ................................................................................................ 46 2.5.3 Recreation .................................................................................................................................. 47 2.5.4 Soil, Water, and Fisheries .......................................................................................................... 47 2.5.5 Wildlife ...................................................................................................................................... 48 2.6 Comparison of Alternatives .............................................................................................................. 49 3.0 Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences ................................................................... 50 3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 50 3.2 The Physical and Biological Environment ....................................................................................... 50 3.2.1 Botany ........................................................................................................................................ 50 3.2.2 Fisheries ..................................................................................................................................... 58 i Environmental Analysis Upper North Fork Nooksack ATM 3.2.3 Hydrology and Soils .................................................................................................................. 65 3.2.4 Forest Vegetation ....................................................................................................................... 80 3.2.5 Wildlife .....................................................................................................................................
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