Draft Environmental Assessment Sandy Sanders Wma Gun Range Greer County, Oklahoma
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DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT SANDY SANDERS WMA GUN RANGE GREER COUNTY, OKLAHOMA Prepared for: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program – USFWS Region 2 PO Box 1306 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103 Prepared by: Enercon Services 1601 Northwest Expressway Oklahoma City, OK 73118 (405) 722-7693 January 2020 Table of Contents 1.0 introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Project Summary ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Authority ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.3 Background .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.5 Project Purpose ........................................................................................................................ 2 1.6 Project Need ............................................................................................................................ 2 1.7 Decisions to be Made ............................................................................................................... 2 2.0 Alternatives ................................................................................................................................. 3 2.1 No Action Alternative ............................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Alternative 1 (Preferred Alternative) ........................................................................................ 3 2.3 Alternatives Eliminated From Consideration............................................................................. 4 3.0 Affected Environment and environmental consequences ............................................................. 4 3.1 Physical Environment ............................................................................................................... 5 3.1.1 Topography and Soils ....................................................................................................... 5 3.2 Water Resources ...................................................................................................................... 7 3.2.1 Wetlands and Surface Water Features .............................................................................. 7 3.2.2 Surface Water Quality ...................................................................................................... 8 3.2.3 Floodplains ..................................................................................................................... 10 3.2.4 Groundwater .................................................................................................................. 11 3.3 Biological Resources ............................................................................................................... 12 3.3.1 Vegetative Communities and Structure .......................................................................... 12 3.3.2 Federally Listed Threatened and Endangered Species ..................................................... 13 3.2.3 Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife ...................................................................................... 15 3.2.4 Migratory Birds and Eagles ............................................................................................. 17 3.4 Cultural Resources ................................................................................................................. 18 3.5 Socioeconomics ..................................................................................................................... 20 3.5.1 Population and Socioeconomic Characteristics ............................................................... 20 3.5.2 Employment and Income ................................................................................................ 20 3.6 Air Quality .............................................................................................................................. 22 3.7 Noise ..................................................................................................................................... 23 3.8 Recreation ............................................................................................................................. 25 3.9 Visual Resources .................................................................................................................... 25 3.10 Health and Human Safety ....................................................................................................... 26 3.11 Hazardous Materials .............................................................................................................. 27 3.12 Cumulative Impacts................................................................................................................ 29 3.12.1 Relevant Past, Present, and Reasonably Foreseeable Actions ......................................... 29 4.0 mitigation Measures .................................................................................................................. 29 5.0 List of Preparers ......................................................................................................................... 32 6.0 List of Agencies Consulted .......................................................................................................... 32 7.0 Literature Cited .......................................................................................................................... 33 List of Tables Table 1. Soils Mapped within the Project Study Area .............................................................................. 5 Table 2: Federally list threatened and endangered species listed within Greer County, Oklahoma. ....... 13 Table 3: Birds of Conservation Concern that May Occur Within the Project Area .................................. 18 Table 4: Population Characteristics ........................................................................................................ 20 Table 5: Employment and Income ......................................................................................................... 21 Table 6. Sound pressure levels of firearms measured at 10 meters from the muzzle downrange.1 ........ 24 Figures Figure 1: Vicinity Map Figure 2: Proposed Project Service Area Figure 3: Project Site Map Figure 4: Soil Survey Map Figure 5: Topographic Map Figure 6: NWI Map Figure 7: FEMA Floodplain Map Figure 8: Maximum Sound Pressure Relative to Site Boundary Appendices Appendix A – Local, State, and Federal Agency Correspondence Appendix B - USFWS IPaC Report Appendix C – Representative Site Photos 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Summary The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) proposes to construct a shooting range at Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Greer County, Oklahoma. The proposed project will be located on a parcel located within Section 31, Township 7 North, Range 24 West; GPS location: N 35.033137°, W -99.767246° (Figure 1). Development of the proposed range is part of a collaborative effort between ODWC and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to provide new recreational opportunities on public lands within the state of Oklahoma. Grant funding for the range will be provided through the USFWS Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) Program. This federal grant program provides funds to state fish and wildlife agencies for projects to restore, conserve, manage, and enhance wild birds and mammals and their habitats. Projects also include providing public use and access to wildlife resources, hunter education, and development and management of ranges. The program is authorized by the Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson) of 1937. The WMA, owned by ODWC, is in Greer County, 26 miles northwest of Mangum and 26 miles southwest of Sayre. The WMA covers 29,766 acres (ODWC 2019). The proposed shooting range will be located east of County Road (CR) NS1800, approximately 1 mile north of the intersection of CR NS1800 and CR EW1380. 1.2 Authority The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (Public Law 91-190) requires all federal agencies to address the environmental impacts of any major federal action on the natural and human environment. Procedures for complying with NEPA that apply to all federal agencies are contained in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Parts 1500 through 1508. Implementing regulations that apply specifically to USFWS are described in the Department of the Interior National Environmental Policy Act Procedures (43 CFR 46) and the Draft NEPA - Policy and Responsibilities (550 FW 1) and Compliance Guidance (550 FW 2). The primary intent of NEPA is to ensure that environmental information is considered in decisions on federal actions and that the information be made available to the public. To comply with NEPA and related environmental laws and regulations, the USFWS must thoroughly consider the potential environmental effects of its decisions regarding approval of project funding and avoid and minimize adverse environmental effects to the extent practicable. 1.3 Background Hunting is a very important part of Oklahoma’s economy and is a tradition for many Oklahomans. Prior to 2016, target practice