Heber Allotment Environmental Assessment
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United States Department of Agriculture Heber Allotment Draft Environmental Assessment Apache-Sitgreaves Black Mesa Forest Service National Forests Ranger District May 2015 For More Information Contact: Kendell Hughes, Rangeland Management Specialist Black Mesa Ranger District 2748 Hwy 260 Overgaard, AZ 85933 Phone: 928-535-7300 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 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Environmental Assessment Contents Chapter 1 - Project Overview & Need for the Project .............................................................................3 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................3 Allotment Area Description & Background..............................................................................................3 Purpose and Need for Action ....................................................................................................................6 Proposed Action ........................................................................................................................................6 Apache-Sitgreaves Forest Plan Consistency .............................................................................................6 Decision Framework .................................................................................................................................6 Public Involvement ...................................................................................................................................7 Issues…………………………………………………………………………………………………….7 Chapter 2 - Alternatives .............................................................................................................................9 Alternatives Considered But Eliminated from Detailed Study .................................................................9 Alternatives Considered In Detail .............................................................................................................9 Alternative 1: No Action/No Grazing ....................................................................................................9 Alternative 2: Proposed Action .............................................................................................................9 Summary .................................................................................................................................................17 Chapter 3 - Affected Environment & Environmental Impacts of the Alternatives ............................18 Range & Vegetation ................................................................................................................................18 Watershed & Soils ...................................................................................................................................28 Wildlife ...................................................................................................................................................44 Fire & Fuels………………………………………………………………………………………...…104 Cultural Resources……………………………………………………………………………………106 Economic & Social…………………………………………………………………………………...108 Noxious Weeds……………………………………………………………………………………….111 Chapter 4 - Consultation and Coordination .........................................................................................111 All Documents Cited in the EA .................................................................................................................115 Appendix A- Project Design and Best Management Practices .................................................................123 Appendix B – Cumulative Effects Table ...................................................................................................128 i Heber Allotment Document Structure The Forest Service has prepared this Environmental Assessment in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other relevant federal and state laws and regulations. This Environmental Assessment discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts that would result from the proposed action and alternatives. The document is organized into four parts: Introduction: This section includes information on the history of the project proposal, the purpose and need for the project, and the agency’s proposal for achieving that purpose and need. This section also details how the Forest Service informed the public of the proposal and how the public responded. Comparison of Alternatives, including the Proposed Action: This section provides a more detailed description of the agency’s proposed action as well as alternative methods for achieving the stated purpose. Environmental Consequences: This section describes the environmental effects of implementing the proposed action and other alternatives. This analysis is organized by resource area (i.e. wildlife, soils, etc.). Within each section, the affected environment is described first, followed by the effects of the No Action Alternative that provides a baseline for evaluation and comparison of alternative 2. Agencies and Persons Consulted: This section provides a list of preparers and agencies consulted during the development of the environmental assessment. Additional documentation, including more detailed analyses of project-area resources, may be found in the project planning record located at the Black Mesa Ranger District Office in Overgaard, AZ. ii Environmental Assessment Chapter 1 Project Overview & Need for the Project Introduction Analysis of the effects of livestock grazing under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 is mandated by the Range Rescission Act of 1995 (P.L. 104-19) for all allotments where grazing occurs. Other laws governing grazing and use of public lands indicate Congressional intent to allow grazing on suitable lands where consistent with other multiple use goals and objectives for management of those lands (Multiple Use and Sustained Yield act of 1960, Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, National Forest Management Act of 1976). Forest Service policy also indicates intent of the agency to make forage producing suitable land available for grazing to qualified livestock operators consistent with land management plans (FSM 2203.1, 36 CFR 22.2 (c)). Following these laws and regulations and the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Land Management Plan (USDA 1987), an interdisciplinary team of resource specialists developed this site-specific environmental assessment analyzing the effects of a proposed action of authorizing livestock grazing, maintaining and installing improvements, and restoring grassland and savanna as well as a no grazing alternative, as required by Forest Service Handbook 2209.92.31, that would not authorize livestock grazing on the Heber Allotment. Allotment Area Description & Background The Heber Allotment is located on the Black Mesa Ranger District, Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests (ASNFs) (Figure 1). The allotment covers approximately 157,000 acres and surrounds the community of Heber/Overgaard on the north, east, and south sides extending from the Fort Apache Indian reservation boundary on the south boundary to the forest boundary on the north. The allotment is composed of 12 main pastures: Gentry, Bunger and Phoenix Park, which lie south of State Highway 260, and Nelson, Halter Cross, Oil Well, North Ancient, South Ancient, Red Knoll, Mud Tank, Squaw, and Bigler, located north of State Highway 260 (Figure 2). Elevations on the allotment range from approximately 6,000 ft. on the northern end of the allotment to 7,700 ft. on the southern end. Topography on the allotment is generally flat with small rolling hills and a few steep canyons on a small amount of acreage near the southwestern boundary of the allotment. Vegetation types on the allotment include mainly ponderosa pine type in the southern portion of the allotment and pinon- juniper woodland, savanna, and grassland types in the northern portion. The last planning effort for the allotment occurred in 1989 with the development of a Range Management Plan (RMP). At that time, the allotment consisted of nine pastures and was approximately 135,000 acres. A neighboring allotment has since been incorporated, adding additional acres and pastures, forming the Heber Allotment as it currently exists. The allotment has been identified as suitable for livestock grazing in the ASNFs Forest Plan and is currently authorized for 5430 Animal Unit Months (AUMs) under a permit for 905 head of cattle (cow/calf) for six months from May