Feral Pig Damage Control Project EA
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
United States Department of Environmental Assessment Agriculture Feral Pig Damage Control Project Forest Service on Cleveland National Forest March 2013 and Bureau of Land Management Lands Lead Agency: USDA Forest Service Cleveland National Forest 10845 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 200 San Diego, CA 92127-2107 Cooperating Agency: Bureau of Land Management Palm Springs – South Coast Field Office 1201 Bird Center Drive Palm Springs, CA 92262 San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties, California CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1.1 Document Structure The Cleveland National Forest (CNF) has prepared the Feral Pig Damage Control Project Environmental Assessment in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other relevant federal laws and regulations. This environmental assessment discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental effects that would result from the proposed action and alternatives. The document is organized into the following parts: Chapter 1: Introduction. This chapter includes the background information on project area, the purpose and need for the project, and a description of the proposed action. This chapter also details how the public was informed of the proposal and how the public responded. Chapter 2: Alternatives. This chapter provides a more detailed description of the proposed action as well as any alternative methods for achieving the stated purpose that may have been developed based on significant issues raised by the public and other government agencies during the scoping period. This chapter includes possible mitigation measures. Chapter 3: Environmental Consequences. This chapter describes the affected environment for each resource, as well as the environmental effects of implementing the proposed action and any other alternatives. Chapter 4: Agencies and Persons Consulted. This section provides a list of preparers and agencies consulted during the development of the environmental assessment. Appendices. The appendices provide more detailed information to support the analyses presented in the environmental assessment. Additional documentation, including more detailed analyses of project-area resources, may be found in the project planning record located at the Cleveland National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 10845 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92127. 1.2 Lead and Cooperating Agency Roles The proposed action involves activities on National Forest System lands administered by USDA Forest Service, Cleveland National Forest, activities on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Palm Springs - South Coast and El Centro Field Offices, and on the Capitan Grande Indian reservation for actions funded or undertaken by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The Forest Service has been designated the lead Federal agency for preparation of this environmental assessment. As the lead agency, the Forest Service assumes responsibility for coordinating the environmental analysis with the BLM and soliciting cooperation and input from other Federal, Tribal, State or local agencies with jurisdiction by law or special expertise on environmental issues that should be addressed in the environmental analysis. As a cooperating agency, the BLM provided technical support and agency specific expertise in preparation of this environmental assessment. The BIA was consulted and provided pertinent data for tribal lands and technical review. 1.3 Cooperation with State and Local Agencies Concurrent with the NEPA environmental analysis for feral pig damage control on Federal lands, State and local agencies in San Diego County are undertaking an environmental analysis on a similar proposed action for feral pig damage control on lands under their jurisdiction according to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The State of California Department of Parks and Recreation has been designated the lead agency for the CEQA analysis. The proposed actions and alternatives under the CEQA and NEPA analysis have been developed with interagency cooperation and cross participation in inter-disciplinary teams between the Federal and the State and local agencies. 1.4 Background Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are a non-native and invasive species to California and North America. Populations of feral pigs are the result of either escaped or released domestic livestock, European wild boars or a hybridization of the two. Environmental and agricultural damage from feral pigs across the United States has become a substantial problem nation-wide and has been widely documented in scientific literature and media reports. Recently the financial cost of feral pig damage to the environment and agriculture was estimated conservatively at $1.5 billion annually nationwide (West et al. 2009). As a result, several feral pig eradication and control efforts have been accomplished or are underway across the country. The magnitude of the feral pig problem is well illustrated by the volume of information on feral pig damage and feral pig control efforts available online with a simple search of the internet. Until recently, feral pig populations on the CNF and surrounding areas have been very low (a few individuals) or non-existent. Over the past several years, however, feral pigs have been introduced by people, either intentionally or inadvertently, and populations have recently become established in several areas of the CNF. A map showing the proposed project area and locations with evidence of feral pig occupancy on the CNF and surrounding lands is depicted in Appendix A. Currently, there is not documentation of feral pig populations on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in San Diego or southern Riverside counties, but feral pigs are expected to continue to expand their range and are likely to spread onto BLM lands. The Capitan Grande Indian Reservation is completely encircled by CNF lands where feral pig activity has been reported. It was Environmental Assessment Feral Pig Damage Control Project, Page 2 added to the analysis due to its critical location for conducting a successful feral pig damage control program. The Forest Service and the BLM are participants in the Inter-Governmental Group on Feral Pig Impacts. This group has developed Principles of Understanding to work together to address feral pig impacts in San Diego County and to develop an “all-lands” approach to dealing with the feral pig population. This group has established a “Working Group” where key participants from multiple agencies in the area have come together to share knowledge and develop strategies for dealing with the feral pig population in the County across jurisdictional boundaries (see section 2.6). Feral pig populations have been growing in San Diego County in recent years as expected for the early phase of an introduction (SDNHM 2010 ). Survey results suggest that the feral pig population in San Diego County remains isolated from populations to the north in Riverside and Los Angeles Counties and to the south in Baja Mexico (SDNHM 2010). Due to this isolation, it is still possible to eradicate the feral pig population in the County. However, the goals of this project are to minimize damage to natural and cultural resources. So, while eradication is preferable and may be possible, controlling and reducing feral pig populations in San Diego County will meet project goals. Trapping efforts have occurred in San Diego County on private lands. These efforts have resulted in notable decreases to feral pig damage in certain areas. For example, trapping occurred on Vista Irrigation District lands near Lake Henshaw in 2011. There was a notable decrease in feral pig sign on Palomar Mountain following the trapping effort. Feral pig damage has also been reduced in the Upper San Diego River, most likely due to trapping efforts on adjacent private ranchlands and organized hunts organized by the Barona tribe on Capitan Grande Indian Reservation. These efforts demonstrate that a desirable decrease in feral pig damage can occur as the result of actions to reduce pig populations. Currently, recreational hunting of feral pigs is legal in California with a valid California hunting license and feral pig game tag. The hunting season for feral pigs is year round and there is no limit to the number of tags a hunter can purchase. Hunting is allowed on all Forest Service and BLM lands in the project area with minor exceptions. Despite significant hunter interest and activity on public lands, recreational hunting alone has not resulted in control or stabilization of feral pig population growth in San Diego County. Furthermore, a literature review revealed no known locations in the United States where feral pig recreational hunting alone has controlled feral pig populations. Environmental Assessment Feral Pig Damage Control Project, Page 3 1.5 Affected Environment and Project Area The proposed Feral Pig Management Program project area encompasses over 600,000 acres, including a significant portion of central San Diego County within the foothill and mountain zone, portions of southern Riverside County, and Forest Service lands within the Santa Ana Mountains of northwestern San Diego, Orange and southwestern Riverside Counties. Because of the size of the project area and its extensive geographical range, general habitat types or vegetation communities within the project area are diverse and include; sage scrub, chaparral, grassland, wetlands, riparian, oak woodland, mixed forest, desert scrub and desert wash. Proposed project activities