United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-UT-C030-2012-0015-EA December, 2012 St. George Field Office Eagle Crags Trailhead Improvements Canaan Mountain Wilderness Area Location: T42S R10W Sec. 7 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management St. George Field Office 345 East Riverside Drive St. George, Utah 84790 Phone: (435) 688-3200 Fax: (435) 688-3252 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 PURPOSE AND NEED .........................................................................................5 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................5 1.2 Background ................................................................................................6 1.3 Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action .............................................8 1.3.1 Purpose for the Proposed Action ..................................................8 1.3.2 Need for the Proposed Action .......................................................8 1.4 Conformance with BLM Land Use Plan .................................................8 1.5 Relationships to Statutes, Regulations and Other Plans ........................8 1.6 Identification of Issues ...............................................................................9 1.6.1 Public Involvement ........................................................................9 1.6.2 Resources Dismissed from Additional Analysis ..........................9 1.6.3 Resources Carried Forward for Analysis ....................................9 1.6.3.1 Fish and Wildlife Excluding USFW Designated Species ........................................................................................9 1.6.3.2 Migratory Birds ...........................................................9 1.6.3.3 Threatened, Endangered or Candidate Animal Species ........................................................................................9 1.6.3.4 Vegetation Excluding USFW Designated Species .....9 1.6.3.5 Recreation .....................................................................9 1.7 Summary ...................................................................................................10 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES .............................................................11 2.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................11 2.2 Alternative A – Proposed Action ............................................................11 2.3 Alternative B – No Action .......................................................................16 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ..........................................................................17 3.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................17 3.2 General Setting .........................................................................................17 3.3 Resources/Issues Brought Forward for Analysis ..................................19 3.3.1 Fish and Wildlife Excluding USFW Designated Species ..........19 3.3.2 Migratory Birds ...........................................................................19 3.3.3 Threatened, Endangered or Candidate Animal Species ..........19 3.3.4 Vegetation Excluding USFW Designated Species .....................20 3.3.5 Recreation .....................................................................................21 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ........................................................................22 4.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................22 4.2 Direct and Indirect Impacts ....................................................................22 4.2.1 Alternative A – Proposed Action ................................................23 4.2.1.1 Fish and Wildlife Excluding USFW Designated Species ......................................................................................23 4.2.1.2 Migratory Birds .........................................................23 Environmental Assessment Canaan Mountain Wilderness Area, Eagle Crags Trailhead Improvements Page 2 4.2.1.3 Threatened, Endangered or Candidate Animal Species ......................................................................................24 4.2.1.4 Vegetation Excluding USFW Designated Species ...28 4.2.1.5 Recreation ...................................................................28 4.2.2 Alternative B – No Action ...........................................................29 4.2.2.1 Fish and Wildlife Excluding USFW Designated Species ......................................................................................29 4.2.2.2 Migratory Birds .........................................................29 4.2.2.3 Threatened, Endangered or Candidate Animal Species ......................................................................................29 4.2.2.4 Vegetation Excluding USFW Designated Species ...29 4.2.2.5 Recreation ...................................................................30 4.3 Cumulative Impacts .................................................................................30 4.3.1 Past Actions ..................................................................................31 4.3.2 Reasonably Foreseeable Action Scenario ..................................31 5.0 PERSONS, GROUPS, AND AGENCIES CONSULTED ................................32 5.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................32 5.2 Summary of Public Participation ...........................................................32 5.3 List of Preparers ......................................................................................32 6.0 REFERENCES AND ACRONYMS ..................................................................33 6.1 References Cited.......................................................................................33 6.2 Acronyms Used.........................................................................................33 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1 (Current condition of Eagle Crags trailhead) ................................................11 Figure 2 (Example of gate, stepover and wooden fencing for trailhead) ....................12 Figure 3 (Example of 4-sided interpretive kiosk)..........................................................13 Figure 4 (Example of a vault toilet and wooden fencing) .............................................13 Figure 5 (Toilet paper at Eagle Crags trailhead) ..........................................................16 Figure 6 (Eagle Crags in Canaan Mountain Wilderness) ............................................17 Figure 7 (Dramatic views in Canaan Mountain Wilderness) ......................................18 Figure 8 (Mexican spotted owl) ......................................................................................19 Figure 9 (Vegetation communities at Eagle Crags trailhead) .....................................20 Figure 10 (A hiker enjoys Eagle Crags trail) ................................................................21 Environmental Assessment Canaan Mountain Wilderness Area, Eagle Crags Trailhead Improvements Page 3 Figure 11 (Mexican spotted owl) ...................................................................................24 Figure 12 (Known Mexican spotted owl sites within the rocky-canyon habitat) ......25 Figure 13 (Ecological setting of Eagle Crags trailhead) ..............................................25 TABLE OF MAPS Map 1 (Overview of Proposed Canaan Mountain Wilderness Trailhead Improvements in St. George Field Office) ........................................................................................................................7 Map 2 (Canaan Mountain Wilderness Trailhead Improvements) ..............................14 Map 3 (Canaan Mountain Wilderness Eagle Crags Trailhead Improvements) ........15 Map 4 (Mexican Spotted Owl Critical Habitat (USFWS) compared to Current Distribution for Mexican Spotted Owl (BLM Rapid Ecological Assessment)) ......................................................27 APPENDICES Appendix A (Interdisciplinary Team Checklist) ...........................................................34 Environmental Assessment Canaan Mountain Wilderness Area, Eagle Crags Trailhead Improvements Page 4 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION This Environmental Assessment is being prepared to evaluate the impacts to the human environment of a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed action to improve one trailhead to serve non‐motorized recreationists in Canaan Mountain Wilderness. The project includes: Eagle Crags Trailhead (Refer to Map 3) Expansion of current parking area to accommodate a total of ≈10 vehicles. o Current Parking Area: ≈2,200 ft² o Proposed Parking Area: ≈7,200 ft² Removal of up to ≈15 trees and multiple shrubs which comprise ≈5,000 ft² of vegetation. Installation of up to ≈350 linear feet of wooden fence to delineate parking area (with horse-friendly stepover). Rerouting of approximately 20 feet of the Eagle Crags trail Installation of gate(s) in fence to facilitate access for emergency services. Installation of a steel, four-panel information kiosk. Relocation of the existing steel trail register. Installation of one single-seat vault toilet. This project is located on public lands managed by the St. George Field Office of the Bureau of Land