Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Land Protection Plan Niobrara Confluence and Ponca Bluffs Conservation Areas Nebraska and South Dakota March 2013 Prepared by National Park Service Missouri National Recreational River 508 East 2nd Street Yankton, South Dakota 57078 605 / 665 0209 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6, Mountain–Prairie Region Division of Refuge Planning 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300 Lakewood, Colorado 80228 303 / 236 8145 CITATION U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service. 2013. Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Land Protection Plan—Niobrara Confluence and Ponca Bluffs Conservation Areas, Nebraska and South Dakota. Lakewood, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Mountain–Prairie Region. 200 p. Abstract Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Land Protection Plan Niobrara Confluence and Ponca Bluffs Conservation Area, Nebraska and South Dakota Type of Action: Administrative Lead Agencies: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service Responsible Officials: Noreen Walsh, Regional Director, Region 6, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Michael Reynolds, Regional Director, Midwest Region, National Park Service This draft environmental impact statement and conservation action because they keep the land in land protection plan identifies the purpose and need private ownership and on local tax bases. The pro- for a joint conservation effort along the Missouri posed action (alternative C) for the Niobrara Conflu- River in northeast Nebraska and southeast South ence Conservation Area sets forth a conservation Dakota and describes and evaluates four alternative goal of 80,000 acres, with 64,000 acres of that goal plans for managing wildlife, habitat, recreational being acquired through easements. For the Ponca access, and protection of historic sites. This process Bluffs Conservation Area, the proposed action sets has involved the development of a vision, goals, objec- forth a goal of 60,000 acres, with 48,000 acres being tives, and strategies that meet the legal directives of conserved through conservation easements. the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and The alternatives considered were developed using National Park Service (NPS) and has considered the a prioritization matrix that included: input of interested groups and the public. Under the no-action alternative (alternative A), ■■ important habitats for Federal trust species the proposed conservation areas would not be estab- (bald eagles, least terns, piping plovers, and lished and FWS and NPS would continue to operate pallid sturgeon); as under current conditions—that is, continuing to manage the Missouri River and portions of the Nio- ■■ areas that are important for overall river brara River and Verdigre Creek as the Missouri health and functionality (confluences, histor- National Recreational River. FWS would continue to ical floodplain, and large islands); work with private landowners on restoration efforts with no option for conservation easements or fee-title ■■ areas in which to improve or maintain rec- acquisition. reational access sites to the Missouri River; Alternatives B–D evaluate a range of conserva- tion goals that include a mix of 80 percent conserva- ■■ historically significant sites; tion easements and 20 percent fee-title acquisition. Conservation easements are the preferred method of ■■ areas with high-quality scenic attributes. Commenting: Comments are due 60 days after the notice of availability of this document is published in the Federal Register. Com- ments should be mailed to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Attention: Nick Kaczor, Division of Refuge Planning, 134 Union Boulevard, Suite 300, Lakewood, CO 80228. Comments can also be submitted online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/niob-ponca or by email to [email protected]. All comments received from the public and interested groups will be placed in the administrative record for this planning process. Comments will be made available for inspection by the public, and copies may also be provided to the public. For further information, contact Nick Kaczor at 303 / 236 4387. Cooperating Agencies: Nebraska Natural Resources Conservation Service; South Dakota Natural Resource Conservation Service; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Nebraska Game and Parks Commission; South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks. Contents Abbreviations .................................................................................... XV Environmental Impact Statement ChAPTER 1—Introduction ...................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose and Need for Action ................................................................ 3 Proposed Project Areas ......................................................................... 3 1.2 Decision to be Made ....................................................................... 4 1.3 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Refuge System ...................................... 4 1.4 The National Park Service and the Wild and Scenic Rivers System .............................. 5 1.5 Contributions to National and Regional Plans ................................................. 6 Landscape Conservation Cooperatives .............................................................. 6 The State of Nebraska Natural Legacy Project ........................................................ 6 The State of South Dakota Wildlife Action Plan ....................................................... 6 Natural Resources Conservation Service—Wetlands Reserve Program ...................................... 7 Species Recovery Plans ......................................................................... 7 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—Master Water Control Manual ............................................ 7 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge Complex Comprehensive Conservation Plan ...... 7 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, Mountain–Prairie Region Strategic Plan, Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Prairie Pothole Focus Areas .............................................. 8 National Park Service—General Management Plans, Missouri National Recreational River ....................... 8 North American Waterfowl Management Plan ........................................................ 8 National Fish Habitat Partnership Action Plan ......................................................... 8 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—Missouri River Recovery Program .......................................... 9 Missouri River Ecosystem Recovery Plan ............................................................ 9 Migratory Bird Program ......................................................................... 9 The Nature Conservancy Ecoregional Portfolio ........................................................ 9 Nebraska Surface Water Quality Standards (Title 117) ................................................... 9 South Dakota Antidegradation of Waters of the State (74:51:01:34) ......................................... 10 1.6 Planning Process .......................................................................... 10 Subsequent Planning Activities ................................................................... 10 1.7 Public Involvement ......................................................................... 10 Cooperating Agencies .......................................................................... 12 Tribal Coordination ............................................................................ 12 Involvement of Interested Groups and the Public ...................................................... 13 1.8 Scope of the Document ..................................................................... 13 Decision Area ................................................................................ 13 Analysis Area ................................................................................ 13 1.9 Significant Issues to Address ................................................................ 13 Local Economies and Tourism (Socioeconomics) ....................................................... 13 Partnerships and Collaboration ................................................................... 13 Ecological and River Functionality ................................................................. 15 Cultural Resources ............................................................................ 15 vi Draft EIS and LPP—Niobrara Confluence and Ponca Bluffs Conservation Areas, Nebraska and South Dakota Recreational Opportunities ...................................................................... 15 Wildlife, Fisheries, and Their Habitats .............................................................. 16 1.10 Issues Not Addressed ...................................................................... 16 Modification of Missouri River Water Flows and Authorized Purposes ....................................... 16 Use of Emergent Sandbar Habitats along the Missouri River .............................................. 17 Designation of Missouri National Recreational River .................................................... 17 Placement and Approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline .................................................... 17 ChAPTER 2—history, Vision, and Goals ........................................................ 19 2.1 A Portrait of the Missouri