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Shell Beach Island Restoration Environmental Assessment

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Shell Beach Island Restoration Environmental Assessment United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Date: 04/22/2015 Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-CA-C050-2017-0001-EA (Previously DOI-BLM-CA-C05000-2015-13) Shell Beach Island Restoration, Phase 1 Location: Shell Beach Island, California Coastal National Monument, Sonoma County U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office 2550 North State Street Ukiah, CA 95482 Phone: (707) 468-4000 FAX: (707) 468-4027 Shell Beach Island Restoration DOI-BLM-CA-C050-2017-0001-EA Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Need Statement .............................................................................................................. 1 Conformance with BLM Land Use Plans and other Programmatic Environmental Documents ...................................................................................................................... 5 Tiering to Other Existing Environmental Documents ................................................... 5 Relationships to Statutes, Regulations, Policy, and Guidance ....................................... 5 Chapter 2 - Proposed Action and No-Action Alternatives ............................................ 7 Alternative A (Preferred) ............................................................................................... 7 Alternative B – No Action ........................................................................................... 11 Chapter 3 – Affected Environment ............................................................................... 11 1. Air Quality ............................................................................................................ 11 2. Vegetation ............................................................................................................ 12 3. Wildlife ................................................................................................................. 13 4. Cultural Resources ............................................................................................... 13 5. Recreation ............................................................................................................. 15 6. Soil ........................................................................................................................ 16 7. Visual Resource Management .............................................................................. 16 Chapter 4 Environmental Impacts ................................................................................ 16 1. Air Quality ............................................................................................................ 16 2. Vegetation ............................................................................................................ 17 3. Wildlife ................................................................................................................. 17 4. Cultural Resources: .............................................................................................. 18 5. Recreation ............................................................................................................. 19 6. Soils ...................................................................................................................... 19 7. Visual Resource Management .............................................................................. 20 Residual Effects: .......................................................................................................... 20 Cumulative Effects: ...................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 5 Consultation and Coordination ................................................................... 22 Persons, Groups, and Agencies Consulted: .................................................................. 22 Summary of Public Participation: ................................................................................. 22 References ........................................................................................................................ 22 ii Shell Beach Island Restoration DOI-BLM-CA-C050-2017-0001-EA Chapter 1 - Introduction Introduction The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ukiah Field Office and the California Coastal National Monument (CCNM) are planning to restore the natural conditions of offshore islands that provide habitat for sensitive wildlife species and native vegetation while securing cultural resources in their archaeological context. Research conducted on behalf of the BLM by The Sea Ranch Stewardship Task Force (hereafter the Task Force) has documented increased human use and disturbance of the CCNM’s Shell Beach Island in Sonoma County, California, resulting in impairment to the population of Blasdale’s Bent Grass (Agrostis blasdalei), a BLM Special Status Species, and to cultural resources on the island. The purpose of the proposed restoration is to augment the population of Blasdale’s Bent Grass, restore native vegetation, reduce the effects of past and future human disturbance, and protect cultural resources. Figure 1 shows an aerial photograph of the restoration site and its surroundings. Figure 1: Aerial Photograph of Shell Beach Island and its Surroundings TSRA Parking Lot Shell Beach Shell Beach Island TSRA = The Sea Ranch Association Need Statement Presidential Proclamation 7264 (The White House 2000) established the CCNM and mandates that the BLM manage “irreplaceable scientific values vital to protecting the fragile ecosystems of the California coastline…” One irreplaceable scientific value is the only known offshore population of Blasdale’s Bent Grass on Shell Beach Island, Sonoma County, a grass species endemic to California that is accorded special status and protection by the State of California. The grass is a CNPS Rare Plant Rank 1B.2 species 1 Shell Beach Island Restoration DOI-BLM-CA-C050-2017-0001-EA and is thus considered “fairly endangered” in California, with 20-80% of its occurrences threatened and a moderate degree and immediacy of threat. The grass is ranked as “imperiled” with a threat designation of “threatened” (S2.2) on the State Special Plants list and “imperiled” on the Global list (G2). Although not formally listed as endangered, threatened or rare by the federal government or the State of California, Blasdale’s Bent Grass meets the criteria for formal listing. The need for ecological restoration of the grass on Shell Beach Island stems principally from unnatural stressors affecting soil and vegetation. Multiple non-native plant species and human trampling are resulting in loss of plant cover and increased soil erosion. Previous efforts by The Sea Ranch Task Force to dissuade people from climbing onto Shell Beach Island have not been wholly successful. Native vegetation cover is less than expected and in need of recovery. The proposed restoration meets the three goals of the CCNM as stated in the California Coastal National Monument Resource Management Plan (BLM 2005) (hereafter RMP) as follows: · Protect the geological formations and the habitat that they provide for biological resources of the CCNM. · Protect the scenic and cultural values associated with the CCNM. · Coordinate planning and management activities with the numerous jurisdictions on and adjacent to the CCNM and use the CCNM to help enhance cooperative and collaborative initiatives and partnerships with a variety of communities, agencies, organizations, academic institutions, the public, and other stakeholders. The proposed restoration addresses primarily an RMP objective for vegetation: · OJ-VEG-2 Restore the quality and integrity of native vegetation where it has been determined to be impaired as a result of human activities or non-native invasive species. Related RMP objectives are also addressed through the proposed restoration: · OJ-GEO-2 Restore the quality and integrity of [geologic and soil] resources to natural conditions where they have been impaired as a result of human activity. · OJ-WILD-2 Restore habitat that has been adversely affected by human activity or non-native invasive species. · OJ-CUL-1 Protect NRHP-eligible and potentially eligible cultural resources from human-caused disturbance and destruction when appropriate. · OJ-VRM-1 Manage all monument lands as Visual Resources Management (VRM) Class I, except where safety requirements for navigational aid visibility would conflict with this objective. 2 Shell Beach Island Restoration DOI-BLM-CA-C050-2017-0001-EA The proposed restoration intends to repair past human damage from trampling sensitive native vegetation on Shell Beach Island and to reduce future human damage. Additionally, the restoration will eliminate or greatly reduce the vegetation cover occupied by non-native species. The BLM and the Task Force have jointly developed a restoration plan, attached to this document as Appendix A. Management activities established in the RMP to accomplish objectives provide guidance as follows: · MA-VEG-1 Criteria for Management. Documentation that harm to a listed plant species is occurring will be an overriding criterion for implementing management action. As an initial step in RMP implementation, additional criteria will be developed for identifying the plant species and communities
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