Modified Idaho Roadless Rule USDA Forest Service Regions 1 and 4
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Biological Opinion and Conference Opinion for the Modified Idaho Roadless Rule USDA Forest Service Regions 1 and 4 14420-2008-F-0586 September 2008 - Snake River Fish and Wildlife Office - Boise, Idaho TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 12 A. Background 12 B. Previous Consultations Involving Idaho Roadless Areas 12 C. Consultation History 14 D. Purpose and Organization of this Biological Opinion 21 CHAPTER II: DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION 24 A. Action Area 24 B. Purpose and Need of the Proposed Action 25 C. Proposed Action 25 D. Time Frames, Scope and Applicability for the Proposed Action 37 E. Administrative Corrections 38 F. Modifications 38 G. Applicability of Previous Consultations to Proposed Action 39 H. Relationship of Existing Forest Plans to Proposed Action 39 I. Assumptions Pertaining to the Proposed Action 41 CHAPTER III. BULL TROUT 46 A. Status of the Species 46 1. Listing History 46 2. Description of the Species 47 3. Life History and Habitat Requirements 47 4. Population Dynamics 48 5. Distribution 50 6. Previously Consulted-on Effects 53 7. Conservation Needs 54 8. Critical Habitat 54 B. Environmental Baseline: 55 1. Status of the Species in the Action Area 55 2. Factors Affecting the Species in the Action Area 56 C. Effects of the Proposed Action 59 D. Cumulative Effects 68 E. Conclusion 69 F. Incidental Take Statement 70 1. Amount or Extent of the Take 70 2. Effect of the Take 70 3. Reasonable and Prudent Measures and Terms and Conditions 70 G. Conservation Recommendations 70 CHAPTER IV: SELKIRK MOUNTAINS WOODLAND CARIBOU 72 A. Status of the Species 72 1. Listing History 72 2. Description of the Species 72 3. Life History and Habitat Requirements 73 ii 4. Status and Distribution 75 5. Factors Influencing the Current Condition of Caribou 78 6. Previously Consulted-on Effects to the Caribou within the Action Area 82 7. Conservation Needs 84 8. Recovery Plan 84 9. Critical Habitat 84 B. Environmental Baseline: 84 1. Status of the Species in the Action Area 84 2. Factors Affecting the Species in the Action Area 91 C. Effects of the Proposed Action 93 1. General Discussion of Effects 94 2. Applicable IPNF LRMP Components for Caribou 97 3. Implications of the MIRR Themes on Caribou 100 4. Species Response to the Proposed Action 107 D. Cumulative Effects 109 E. Conclusion 109 F. Incidental Take Statement 110 G. Conservation Recommendations 110 CHAPTER V: GRIZZLY BEAR 112 A. Status of the Species 112 1. Listing History 112 2. Description of the Species 112 3. Life History and Habitat Requirements 113 4. Historic and Current Distribution 115 5. Critical Habitat 140 B. Environmental Baseline: 140 1. Status of the Species in the Action Area 140 2. Factors Affecting the Species Environment in the Action Area 142 C. Effects of the Proposed Action 143 D. Cumulative Effects 150 E. Conclusion 150 F. Incidental Take Statement 151 G. Conservation Recommendations 151 CHAPTER VI: GRAY WOLF 152 A. Status of the Species 153 1. Listing History 153 2. Description of the Species 154 3. Life History and Habitat Requirements 155 4. Population Dynamics 155 5. Historic and Current Distribution 156 6. Previously Consulted-on Effects 159 7. Conservation Needs 160 8. Critical Habitat 160 B. Environmental Baseline: 161 iii 1. Status of the Species in the Action Area 161 2. Factors Affecting the Species in the Action Area 164 C. Effects of the Proposed Action 166 D. Cumulative Effects 169 E. Conclusion 170 F. Incidental Take Statement 171 1. Amount or Extent of the Take 171 2. Effect of the Take 171 3. Reasonable and Prudent Measures and Terms and Conditions 171 G. Conservation Recommendations 172 CHAPTER VII: CANADA LYNX 173 A. Status of the Species 173 1. Listing History 173 2. Description of the Species 173 3. Life History and Habitat Requirements 173 4. Population Dynamics 174 5. Historic and Current Distribution 175 6. Previously Consulted-on Effects 176 7. Conservation Needs 178 8. Critical Habitat 178 B. Environmental Baseline: 179 1. Status of the Species in the Action Area 179 2. Factors affecting the Species in the Action Area 179 C. Effects of the Proposed Action 184 D. Cumulative Effects 188 E. Conclusion 189 F. Incidental Take Statement 191 1. Amount or Extent of the Take 191 2. Effect of the Take 192 3. Reasonable and Prudent Measures and Terms and Conditions 192 G. Conservation Recommendations 193 CHAPTER VIII: PROPOSED CRITICAL HABITAT FOR CANADA LYNX 193 (Conference Opinion) A. History of Proposed Revised Designated Critical Habitat for Canada Lynx 193 B. Description of the Proposed Critical Habitat for Canada Lynx 193 C. Environmental Baseline: 194 1. Primary Constituent Elements for Proposed Critical Habitat 194 2. Factors Affecting Proposed Critical Habitat in the Action Area 195 D. Effects of the Proposed Action 197 E. Cumulative Effects 199 F. Conclusion 199 G. Conservation Recommendations 200 H. Closing Statement 200 iv CHAPTER IX: NORTHERN IDAHO GROUND SQUIRREL 202 A. Status of the Species 202 1. Listing History 202 2. Description of the Species 202 3. Life History and Habitat Requirements 202 4. Population Dynamics 203 5. Historic and Current Distribution 204 6. Previously Consulted-on Effects 207 7. Conservation Needs 207 8. Critical Habitat 208 B. Environmental Baseline: 208 1. Status of the Species in the Action Area 208 2. Factors affecting the Species in the Action Area 209 C. Effects of the Proposed Action 214 D. Cumulative Effects 218 E. Conclusion 219 F. Incidental Take Statement 219 1. Amount or Extent of the Take 220 2. Effect of the Take 220 3. Reasonable and Prudent Measures and Terms and Conditions 220 G. Conservation Recommendations 220 CHAPTER X: MACFARLANE’S FOUR-O’-CLOCK 222 A. Status of the Species 222 1. Listing History 222 2. Description of the Species 222 3. Life History and Habitat Requirements 222 4. Population Dynamics 223 5. Historic and Current Distribution 224 6. Conservation Needs 227 7. Critical Habitat 228 B. Environmental Baseline: 228 1. Status of the Species in the Action Area 228 2. Factors affecting the Species in the Action Area 228 C. Effects of the Proposed Action 230 D. Cumulative Effects 231 E. Conclusion 231 F. Incidental Take Statement 231 1. Amount or Extent of the Take 231 2. Effect of the Take 232 3. Reasonable and Prudent Measures and Terms and Conditions 232 G. Conservation Recommendations 232 CHAPTER XI: UTE LADIES’ TRESSES 234 A. Status of the Species 234 1. Listing History 234 v 2. Description of the Species 234 3. Life History and Habitat Requirements 234 4. Population Dynamics 236 5. Historic and Current Distribution 237 6. Critical Habitat 237 B. Environmental Baseline: 238 1. Status of the Species in the Action Area 238 2. Factors affecting the Species in the Action Area 238 C. Effects of the Proposed Action 239 D. Cumulative Effects 240 E. Conclusion 240 F. Incidental Take Statement 241 1. Amount or Extent of the Take 241 2. Effect of the Take 241 3. Reasonable and Prudent Measures and Terms and Conditions 241 G. Conservation Recommendations 241 CHAPTER XII: REINITIATION-CLOSING STATEMENT 243 LITERATURE CITED 244 APPENDIX A. Biological Opinion for INFISH and PACFISH (excerpt) 283 APPENDIX B. Letter from Idaho Panhandle Forest regarding Woodland Caribou 307 APPENDIX C. Letter from Idaho Panhandle Forest regarding Grizzly Bear 309 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of Idaho Roadless Areas 26 Figure 2. Overlap of Idaho Roadless Areas with Community Protection Zones 29 Figure 3. Overlap of Idaho Roadless Areas with Community Water Supply 30 Systems, Ground and Surface Waters Figure 4. GFRG where road construction/reconstruction is allowed to access 35 unleased phosphate deposits Figure 5. Historic and current range of mountain caribou in British Columbia 76 and the U.S. Figure 6. Overlap between the caribou recovery area and Idaho roadless areas 77 Figure 7. Primary and secondary caribou movement corridors in northern 90 Idaho Figure 8. Present grizzly bear ecosystems in the conterminous 48 States, 1990 116 Figure 9. Grizzly bear analysis areas outside the CYRZ 121 Figure 10. Grizzly bear core habitat, bear management units (BMUs), and 141 Idaho Roadless Areas in the Selkirk and Cabinet-Yaak Ecosystems Figure 11. Northern Rocky Mountain Gray Wolf recovery areas depicting 154 endangered and experimental, non-essential status of gray wolves Figure 12. Distribution of documented and suspected wolf packs, other 157 documented groups, and public wolf reports in Idaho, 2007 vi Figure 13. Northern Rocky Mountain population trends by State, 2007- 2008 159 Figure 14. Wolf pack activity and observations in the Panhandle Region, 2007 162 Figure 15. Proposed designated critical habitat for lynx in the Northern Rocky 195 Mountain Unit Figure 16. Proposed designated critical habitat for lynx in the Northern Rocky 196 Mountain Unit in Idaho Roadless Areas Figure 17. Current Distribution of NIDGS 205 Figure 18. Probable Historic Distribution of NIDGS 206 Figure 19. Overlap of MIRR Themes with NIDGS Probable Historic 210 Distribution and Known Populations Figure 20. Distribution of MIMA in portions of the Snake, Salmon, and Imnaha 225 river canyons in Wallowa County in northeastern Oregon, and adjacent Idaho County in Idaho LIST OF TABLES Table 1. List of Threatened, Endangered, Proposed, and Candidate (TEPC) Species and Proposed Critical Habitat Considered in this Biological Opinion; including their Listing Status, Critical Habitat Status, and Effects Determination. 13 Table 2. Acres of Roadless Area by Forest. 24 Table 3. Projected Timber Cutting – MIRR. 42 Table 4. Projected Road Construction/Reconstruction – MIRR. 43 Table 5. Miles of Road Within Idaho Roadless Areas by National Forest. 44 Table 6. Bull Trout Baseline Information (Modified Table IV-16 form BA).