Mulberry River Watershed Improvement and Access Project Draft Environmental Assessment
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Draft Environmental United States Department of Assessment Agriculture Mulberry River Watershed Improvement and Access Project Ozark-St. Francis National Forest Boston Mountain Ranger District Main Division Franklin County Arkansas Responsible Official William Dunk District Ranger Boston Mountain Ranger District For Information Contact: Boston Mountain Ranger District 1803 North 18th St Ozark, AR 72949 Forest Service August 2016 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. 2 Mulberry River Watershed Improvement and Access Project Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................5 DOCUMENT STRUCTURE......................................................................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 6 NEED FOR ACTION................................................................................................................... 8 MANAGEMENT DIRECTION ..................................................................................................... 9 DECISION FRAMEWORK ........................................................................................................ 15 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AND ISSUES .................................................................................. 15 OBJECTION OPPORTUNITIES .............................................................................................. 16 2.0 ALTERNATIVES ...........................................................................................18 ALTERNATIVE 1 – PROPOSED ACTION .............................................................................. 18 ALTERNATIVE 2 – NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE .............................................................. 27 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES .................................................................................................31 TRANSPORTATION AND ACCESS ......................................................................................... 31 OUTSTANDINGLY REMARKABLE VALUES ........................................................................... 42 Recreation ............................................................................................................................ 42 Smallmouth Bass Fishery ................................................................................................... 44 OTHER RIVER VALUES .......................................................................................................... 46 Scenic values ....................................................................................................................... 46 Free-Flowing Condition ...................................................................................................... 47 Water Quality ...................................................................................................................... 48 Soils, watershed, in-stream conditions and riparian corridor ...................................... 51 OTHER BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ....................................................................................... 53 Neotropical Migratory Birds: ............................................................................................. 54 Management Indicator Species (MIS): ........................................................................... 54 OTHER SOCIAL RESOURCES ................................................................................................ 67 Human Health and Safety ................................................................................................. 67 HERITAGE RESOURCES ......................................................................................................... 69 4.0 COMPARISON OF PROJECT ANALYSIS TO MANAGEMENT GOALS ....................................................................................................................72 5.0 CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION .............................................74 6.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................75 7.0 APPENDICIES ..............................................................................................82 3 Mulberry River Watershed Improvement and Access Project LISTS OF FIGURES AND TABLES TABLES Table 1. Resource Elements, Existing Condition, Desired Future Condition, and Proposed Action 14 Table 2.Summary of Road Actions in Project Area 27 Table 3. MIS Species, Habitat Requirements and Population Trends 55 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1. Mulberry River Watershed Improvement and Access Project Vicinity Map 7 Figure 2. Big Eddy Access 21 Figure 3. Bibb’s Access 22 Figure 4. Coon Foot Access 23 Figure 5. Spirits Access 24 Figure 6. Blevin’s Access 25 Figure 7. Shoe Access 26 Figure 8. Transportation Network of the Project Area from 2015 Motor Vehicle Use Map. 33 Figure 9. Existing user-created parking area at Blevin’s Access Site in December 2012. 34 Figure 10. Illegal OHV use within the channel of the Mulberry River at Blevin’s Access near Spirits Creek 35 Figure 11. View from the Mulberry River of Coon Foot Access site in December 2012. 36 Figure 12. Coon Foot Access near turnoff from Royal Oak Road at FSR 95758C facing west in December 2012. 36 Figure 13. Channelized road leading to Mulberry River at Bibb’s Access Site (March 2013). 37 Figure 14. Road at Bibb’s Access looking north on FDR 95758D in December 2012. 38 Figure 15. Parking Area at Bibb’s Access in December 2012. 38 Figure 16. Mulberry River at Big Eddy (2010). 39 Figure 17. Access Road into Big Eddy, looking toward Shore’s Lake Road. 40 Figure 18. Dispersed camping site at Big Eddy. 40 Figure 19. Disturbed area and unauthorized opening at Big Eddy (2011). 41 Figure 20.Channelized section of corridor downstream of Big Eddy probably created in the 1920s for agriculture. 51 4 Mulberry River Watershed Improvement and Access Project 1.0 INTRODUCTION DOCUMENT STRUCTURE This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, January 1, 1970) and other relevant federal and state laws and regulations. The EA discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts that would result from the proposed action, and alternative to the proposed action. The document is organized into six sections: 1.0: Introduction: This section includes detailed information about the purpose and need for the project, an overview of the Forest Service’s proposal that addresses the purpose and need, and a summary of the public involvement process. 2.0: Comparison of Alternatives: This section describes the proposed action alternative in detail and provides alternatives to the proposal. The section also includes design criteria, or mitigation measures that are taken to reduce or prevent potential adverse effects of an action. 3.0: Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences: In this section the potential environmental impacts of each of the alternatives are examined. The section is organized by the environmental resource being examined. Throughout the Environmental Assessment there are references to project area and analysis area. • Project area is the area where work would be performed such as the locations for the proposed river access sites. • Analysis area describes the area of influence of an activity for a particular resource. This varies depending on the resource being discussed. For example, the analysis area for aquatic species effects analysis would include the waters within the project area as well as the waters downstream