ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Leadbetter Coastal Dune Habitat Restoration Leadbetter Point State Park August 2016

I. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION

Proposed Action: The purpose of the Leadbetter Coastal Dune Habitat Restoration project is to restore 3 miles of coastal dune habitat on the western shoreline of the Leadbetter Point State Park (State Park) and the Seashore Conservation Area (SCA) shown in Figure 1.

Purpose of and Need for the Proposed Action: Leadbetter Point is one of the northernmost breeding sites and is the largest and most significant western snowy plover (WSPL) nesting area in Washington. The proposed action site contains critical habitat for both WSPL and streaked horned lark (STHL) shown in Figure 2.

Leadbetter Point is part of a network of ocean beach habitat along the Pacific Coast from southern Washington to Baja, California. These ocean beaches were once characterized by large sparsely vegetated areas of open sand that constantly changed as dunes shifted, stabilized or eroded away as shown in Photo 1. WSPL and STHL rely heavily on these coastal dune habitat areas for food, shelter, and raising their young. Substantial loss of habitat from industrial, urban, and recreational development has resulted in population declines of these two species. Development of these areas has also contributed to the encroachment of exotic vegetation.

In 1896 efforts began to stabilize the sand along the coast by planting nonnative European beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria) on areas extending from northern California to southern Washington. In the late 1930’s and early 1940’s nonnative American beachgrass (A. breviligulata) was planted on the Clatsop peninsula in Oregon. The mild climate allowed these two nonnative beach grasses to establish easily and spread rapidly. Over the next three decades, American beachgrass had spread up to the southwest Washington coast including within Leadbetter Point.

Once American and European beachgrass became established and naturalized it changed the dune morphology, filling in the dunes behind the sand spit. Consequently the vegetation line has moved westward and the vegetation-to-water distance has decreased resulting in a narrower beach. European and American beachgrass spreads through strong vertical and horizontal rhizomes creating a wall of vegetation that traps blowing sand (Photo 2). This has resulted in an artificially high foredune with steep slopes as well as displacement of native plants and invertebrates.

Fire suppression has accelerated succession from herbaceous beachgrass, to shrub, to pioneer lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) or climax Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) forest. The shrub species are often comprised of nonnative Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) and common gorse (Ulex europaeus).

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The Leadbetter Point Unit of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) lies adjacent to the 1,698-acre State Park, forming a contiguous landscape-level conservation area that allows for large-scale beach restoration. These lands will create a high quality, functional landscape on the northern end of the Long Beach Peninsula totaling approximately 4,100 acres of beach and dune habitats, wetlands, and forestland that dramatically increase long term ecological integrity and connectivity within the area. Restoration of coastal dune and beach habitats will both increase the suitability of existing WSPL and STHL habitats (decrease fragmentation, edge effects, and nest predation) and dramatically increase the total amount of available nesting habitat over time (USFWS 2011). Restoring the natural coastal dune habitat will prevent the displacement of pink sandverbena (Abronia umbellata) and other rare native dune plants like yellow sandverbena (Abronia latifolia), gray beach pea (Lathyrus japonicas), and beach morning glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) that are found along the sparsely vegetated dunes.

In 2002, the Refuge began restoration of the beach habitat to aid recovery of WSPL and STHL populations. The target of this restoration work was to remove nonnative beachgrass; invasive or undesirable plants that out-compete native vegetation, alter the dune ecosystem, and form dense stands that reduce the amount and quality habitat essential for native plants and wildlife.

In 2012, State Park partnered with the Refuge to restore beach habitat on the western portion of Leadbetter State Park and SCA to expand restoration efforts outside of the Refuge boundary. The same restoration activities successfully used on Refuge lands are being conducted on the State Park and SCA. By 2015, 25.6 acres of beach dune habitat had been restored on State Park and SCA lands. During the 2015 summer nest monitoring and surveys effort, WSPL and STHL were observed within the Park restoration area. Upon completion of this project, approximately 60 acres of State Park and SCA coastal dune habitat will have been restored.

WSPL population counts, breeding surveys, nest searches and monitoring activities on State Park and SCA are conducted by Federal and Washington State personnel and trained volunteers following approved protocols (USFWS 2007). STHL surveys are completed following Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) protocols (WDFW 2016). Surveys and monitoring efforts will provide comprehensive information on the primary threats that limit a more healthy WSPL population and how the species responds to management efforts to increase population size and distribution. The location of WSPL and STHL nest found in 2015 are shown in Figure 3.

Decisions to be Made: Refuge will use the Environmental Assessment (EA) as a basis for determining whether the Proposed Action constitutes a major Federal or State action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, or would result in a finding of No Significant Impact.

Issue Identification: The Refuge previously consulted the public to complete the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental

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Impact Statement (USFWS 2011), which vetted the following objectives with respect to the Proposed Action:

1) Restore historic coastal dune habitats. 2) Remove nonnative invasive plants. 3) Promote the recovery of federally threatened and as well as Federal candidate and State- listed species. 4) Partner with private landowners, state agencies, and nongovernmental organizations.

II. ALTERNATIVES, INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION

No Action: Under the No Action alternative, the State Park would maintain current management of dune habitat. This would result in continued decline of existing coastal dune habitat, change in dune morphology and filling-in of the dunes behind the sand spit south of the Refuge. As a result, previously restored areas will become reinfested; the vegetation-to- water line will continue to decrease; native plants will be displaced; foredunes will remain artificially high; and there will be accelerated succession from herbaceous beachgrass, to shrub, to pioneer lodgepole pine or climax Sitka spruce forest. The invasive nonnative beachgrasses will continue to spread, eliminating food, shelter and nesting habitat for SNPL and STHL and would outcompete and eventually displace native plant species. This alternative does not meet the management goals, objectives and/or responsibilities outlined in the management plans of the State Park or the Refuge Management Plans, the Recovery Plan for the Pacific Coast Population of the Western Snowy Plover, or the Streaked Horned Lark Action Plan.

Proposed Action: The Proposed Action would use integrated pest management (e.g., aerial herbicide application) to treat and remove invasive nonnative plants on 3 miles of State Park and SCA coastal dune habitat. The area to be sprayed with approved herbicides will be marked with flagging tape and mapped using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to ensure that only the target plant species and area are treated. The coordinates of the mapped spray area will be given to the contractor to upload into the onboard computer system. Refuge staff will be located at the staging area and treatment site to monitor aerial application and to ensure that the area is temporarily closed to public access. Dozers will be used to remove dead vegetation and redistribute material from the artificially high dunes. This will be followed by disking or rototilling newly cleared areas, as well as areas with resprouting grasses. If available, heat-cleaned oyster shell hash may be used to help stabilize open areas of sand and provide camouflage for nesting WSPL. Areas where oystershell was previously spread will be harrowed to bring the shell to the surface and preserve sand stabilization and camouflage.

Restoration of the natural processes of the coastal sand dunes will help maintain the sparsely vegetated system that provides essential breeding, foraging and nesting habitat for WSPL and STHL. These efforts will help to increase and maintain a wider vegetation-to-water distance, protect rare native plants from displacement, and eliminate invasive nonnative plants. This will also reduce the rate of succession from herbaceous beachgrass to shrub, to pioneer or climax Sitka spruce forest. The WSPL Recovery Plan (USFWS 2007) and the Streaked

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Horned Lark Action Plan (USFWS 2015) has identified habitat restoration, enhancement and protection as essential in the recovery of this federally threatened species. The Willapa National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan and State Park Long Beach Area Parks Management Plan (Washington 2009) have identified the importance of protecting, restoring and enhancing this habitat. These efforts will also help in the recovery of the STHL.

Refuge and Washington State biologists and trained volunteers will conduct population counts within State Park lands to determine the presence and abundance of SNPL at occupied, historic, and potentially suitable sites throughout the species’ range. WSPL breeding counts scheduled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office are conducted between late May and early June, and a winter count occurs in January. All counts are conducted in one careful pass through each site. Regular Refuge surveys extend from mid-March until the end of September. Snowy plover surveyors follow Service approved protocols of Elliot-Smith and Haig (USFWS 2007), which are designed to promote caution and avoid or minimize negative impacts to snowy plovers. WSPL nest surveys are conducted throughout the breeding season. Each nest discovered is photographed, the location recorded using a handheld GPS unit and the number of eggs and the development of the embryo are used to estimate nest initiation and potential hatch date. The nests are then rechecked every three to four days until the eggs hatch, after which the nests are monitored weekly from a distant viewpoint. All the monitor’s footprints are obliterated within a minimum of 10 meters of the nest while departing the area.

Streaked horned lark breeding surveys, nest searching, and monitoring activities follow similar methods to those used for snowy plovers, but cover a smaller area and are less intensive with regards to post-hatch surveillance. Nests are occasionally discovered during adult breeding surveys but are usually found opportunistically while searching for snowy plover nests. When nests are located, and incubation is initiated, the status of the nest is monitored once weekly until hatching. Currently, post-hatch success is tracked as time allows, but is often incidental to snowy plover surveys. Possible future monitoring of nest success in relationship to nest predator management may be implemented. Survey methods would be similar to those used to monitor snowy plover nest success.

III. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

Biological Environment: Historically, Leadbetter Point consisted of low hummock sand dune formations, characterized by large areas of open sand, formed by sparsely vegetated native dune plant species. Coastal marine and wind processes worked to maintain native plant communities in early successional stages on the outer prism of the beach. This dune system provided essential food, shelter and nesting habitat for WSPL and STHL. Native plants are adapted to this continually changing ecosystem of blowing and drifting sand.

There were ten federally threatened or endangered species listed for Pacific County, Washington that were considered for this Environmental Assessment:

• Bull trout (and bull trout critical habitat)

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• Eulachon (southern Distinct Population Segment) • Green sturgeon (southern Distinct Population Segment) • Marbled murrelet (and marbled murrelet critical habitat) • Northern spotted owl (and northern spotted owl critical habitat) • Oregon silverspot butterfly • Short-tailed albatross • Streaked horned lark (and streaked horned lark critical habitat) • Western snowy plover pacific coastal population (and western snowy plover critical habitat) • Yellowed-billed cuckoo

The proposed project area does not have appropriate habitat for bull trout, green sturgeon, eulachon, marbled murrelet, northern spotted owl, Oregon silverspot butterfly, short-tailed albatross, or yellow-billed cuckoo; therefore, no impacts are anticipated for these species and they will not be discussed further in this document.

Physical Environment: State Park is characterized by beachfront backed by low to moderately tall vegetated dunes and shore pine forest. The Refuge lies to the north and provides largely barren sand and to the east Willapa Bay. Invasive, nonnative beachgrasses planted to stabilize dune communities have changed dune morphology and native plant communities. These invasive plants have become monotypic meadows. Fire suppression has accelerated succession from beach grasses to forbs to shorepine.

Social Environment: The site of the Proposed Action encompasses coastal dunes along the outer 3 miles of ocean beach within State Park and SCA lands. Both the State Park and Refuge lands are undeveloped except for a parking lot located at the end of Stackpole Road that provides public parking and access to hiking trails that connect Willapa Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The nearest private residences are 0.07 miles east and 0.34 miles south of the Park as shown in Figure 1.

IV. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES

No Action Alternative:

Biological Environment Under the No Action Alternative, the coastal dune habitat would remain fragmented with an increased potential of nonnative plants reinfesting the restored areas eliminating foraging, nesting and shelter for WSPL and STHL. This alternative would contradict the goals described in the Snowy Plover Recovery Plan, Refuge’s CCP/EIS (USFWS 2011), and numerous other ecological plans.

Physical Environment Under the No Action Alternative, habitat essential to WSPL and STHL will remain limited impeding recovery efforts; nonnative plants will continue to spread re-infesting previously restored areas; and the vegetation-to-water distance will become narrower.

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Social Environment Under the No Action Alternative, the loss of habitat would reduce and/eliminate habitat used by WSPL, STHL and other wildlife, thereby reducing the quality of public use activities.

Proposed Action:

Biological Environment In the short term, the Proposed Action would result in restoring open sparsely vegetated dune habitat expanding and enhancing available breeding, nesting and foraging habitat for WSPL and STHL. Removal of the invasive fields of beachgrass and other nonnative plants will restore the natural processes that slow succession of the coastal dune habitat. This will help to broaden the vegetation-to-waterline distance, expanding and enhancing breeding and nesting habitat used by WSPL and STHL and helping in the recovery of these species. The project will protect native plants from being displaced and reduce competition for resources. Disturbance to WSPL, STHL and other resident wildlife may occur during survey and monitoring activities. Survey and monitoring protocols have been established to minimize this disturbance and to reduce the chance that predators could key in on WSPL nests and chicks.

Physical Environment Under the Proposed Action the mechanical removal of Ammophila spp. and other invasive species will be accomplished using dozers, followed by disking or rototilling of newly cleared areas and areas with resprouting grasses. Placement of heat-cleaned oyster shell hash and harrowing of existing oyster shell may be conducted within the habitat restoration area. Supervised hand pulling of resprouted beachgrass around established native vegetation is usually accomplished by using volunteers, youth crews and/or contractors. Annual maintenance of resprouted beachgrass will be conducted using low-volume, low-pressure ATV mounted and tractor-rigged boom spray systems, as well as backpack sprayers during spring and autumn.

The proposed action will result in temporary impacts to ~150 acres of coastal dune habitat. However, upon completion a total of ~500 acres of coastal dune habitat along 7 miles of coast will be restored providing nesting, rearing and foraging for WSPL and STHL. Removal of nonnative plants will reduce competition for resources and prevent native plants from being displaced. Restored natural processes will help to maintain the open sparsely vegetated characteristic of this ecosystem. Aerial treatment of the restoration site will occur between mid-September and mid-October. Mechanical removal of dead vegetation will be conducted between November and March. Annual maintenance will be conducted using low volume, low pressure ATV mounted and tractor-rigged boom spray systems, as well as backpack sprayers occurs during favorable weather in spring or autumn.

Social Environment In the short term, the Proposed Action would result in the temporary closure of Refuge and State Park trails and along the outer beaches while aerial application of herbicide is occurring. Once the project is completed the area will provide better quality wildlife dependent recreation for the general public.

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V. AGENCIES AND PERSONS CONSULTED:

• Friends of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge • Pacific County • Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe • The Nature Conservancy • Washington Department of Ecology • Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife • Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office

VI. REFERENCES

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2007. Recovery plan for the Pacific Coast population of the western snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus), In 2 volumes. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento, California. 751pp.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2011. Willapa National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, In 2 Volumes. Ilwaco, WA.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2015. Streaked horned lark action plan

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. 2009. Long Beach Area Parks Management Plan.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. 2016. Streaked Horned Lark Occupancy and Abundance Survey Protocols and Strategies.

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Photo 1. Leadbetter before Ammophila

Photo 2. Ammophila filled the once sparsely vegetated coastal dune habitat of Leadbetter Point.

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