Cotoni-Coast Dairies California Coastal National Monument Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Assessment February 2020 US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Cotoni-Coast Dairies Resource Management Plan Amendment Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 PURPOSE AND NEED .................................................................................................................1 1.2 PLANNING AREA DESCRIPTION .............................................................................................2 1.2.1 RELEVANT PLANS AND AMENDMENTS ..........................................................................2 1.2.2 GRANT DEED LANGUAGE ...........................................................................................................3 1.3 SCOPING/ISSUES ........................................................................................................................3 1.4 PLANNING CRITERIA ................................................................................................................4 1.5 PLANNING PROCESS .................................................................................................................5 1.7 OVERALL VISION.......................................................................................................................7 CHAPTER 2: MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES .................................................................................................... 1 2.1 TYPES OF DECISIONS ................................................................................................................................. 1 2.2 OVERALL MANAGEMENT APPROACH .................................................................................................. 2 2.3 SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES ..................................................................................... 3 2.4 MENU OF OPTIONS FOR THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE ................................................................ 7 2.5 UPLAND TERRESTRIAL VEGETATION, INCLUDING HERBICIDE USE AND FIRE ........8 2.6 RIPARIAN AREAS AND WETLANDS (AQUATIC), INCLUDING HERBICIDE USE ........ 11 2.6.2 MANAGEMENT ACTIONS AND ALLOWABLE USES ............................................................ 12 2.7 FISH AND WILDLIFE ................................................................................................................ 13 2.8 SPECIAL STATUS SPECIES ..................................................................................................... 15 2.9 CULTURAL AND HERITAGE RESOURCES .......................................................................... 16 2.10 AIR QUALITY ................................................................................................................................. 18 2.10.2 MANAGEMENT ACTIONS AND ALLOWABLE USES .......................................................... 19 2.11 GEOLOGY .................................................................................................................................. 19 2.12 PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ....................................................................................... 20 2.13 VISUAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT .................................................................................... 21 2.14 RECREATION RESOURCES .................................................................................................... 22 2.15 TRANSPORTATION AND TRAVEL MANAGEMENT .......................................................... 28 2.16 LANDS AND REALTY .............................................................................................................. 29 2.17 LIVESTOCK GRAZING ............................................................................................................. 31 2.18 SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA – WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS ...................................... 32 2.19 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES ....................................................................................... 32 2.20 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT NOT ANALYZED IN DETAIL ................................ 36 3. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................................... 1 3.1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................1 3.2 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES – VEGETATION ..........................................................................3 3.2.1 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES - UPLAND TERRESTRIAL VEGETATION ..........................3 3.2.2 FIRE AND FUELS ....................................................................................................................9 1 Cotoni-Coast Dairies Resource Management Plan Amendment Table of Contents 3.3 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES – RIPARIAN AREAS AND WETLANDS (AQUATIC) ........... 11 3.4 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES – FISH AND WILDLIFE ........................................................... 13 3.5 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES – SPECIAL STATUS SPECIES ................................................. 17 3.6 CULTURAL AND HERITAGE RESOURCES .......................................................................... 21 3.7 AIR QUALITY ............................................................................................................................ 24 3.8 GEOLOGY .................................................................................................................................. 26 3.9 WATER RESOURCES ............................................................................................................... 28 3.10 SOIL RESOURCES ................................................................................................................ 32 3.11 PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ................................................................................... 35 3.12 VISUAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................... 37 3.13 RECREATION RESOURCES ................................................................................................ 38 3.14 TRANSPORTATION AND TRAVEL MANAGEMENT ...................................................... 40 3.15 LANDS AND REALTY .......................................................................................................... 41 3.16 LIVESTOCK GRAZING ........................................................................................................ 42 3.17 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS .......................................................................... 44 4. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ........................................................................................................... 1 4.1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................1 4.2 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES – UPLAND TERRESTRIAL VEGETATION .............................4 4.3 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES – RIPARIAN AREAS AND WETLANDS (AQUATIC) ........... 10 4.4 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES – FISH AND WILDLIFE ........................................................... 15 4.5 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES - SPECIAL STATUS SPECIES ................................................. 25 4.6 CULTURAL AND HERITAGE RESOURCES .......................................................................... 32 4.7 WATER RESOURCES ............................................................................................................... 38 4.8 SOIL RESOURCES ..................................................................................................................... 41 4.9 PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ....................................................................................... 44 4.10 VISUAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................... 46 4.11 RECREATION ....................................................................................................................... 49 4.12 TRANSPORTATION AND TRAVEL MANAGEMENT ...................................................... 58 4.13 LANDS AND REALTY .......................................................................................................... 61 4.14 SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS .......................................................................... 63 4.15 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ........................................................................................................................ 66 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 66 5. CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION ...................................................................................................... 1 5.1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................1 5.2 OUTREACH ..................................................................................................................................1 5.3 LIST OF PREPARERS ..................................................................................................................4 2 Cotoni-Coast Dairies Resource Management Plan Amendment 1. Introduction 1. Introduction The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Central Coast Field Office (CCFO) has prepared this Resource Management