United States Department of Agriculture Snoquera Landscape Analysis Draft Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact Consider 508 Compliance: Right-click Photo > Format Picture > Alt Text > Type Title and description of photo Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie Snoqualmie Forest Service National Forest Ranger District May 2019 Responsible Official: Jamie Kingsbury, Forest Supervisor Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest 2930 Wetmore Avenue, Suite 3A Everett, WA 98201 For More Information Contact: Snoqualmie Ranger District 902 SE North Bend Way North Bend, WA 98045 425- 888-1421 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. 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Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. Snoqualmie Ranger District, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Introduction The Snoquera Landscape Analysis Environmental Assessment (EA, May 2019) is incorporated by reference. The EA contains a detailed discussion of the purpose and need for action, proposed action with project design criteria, no action alternative, resource conditions, and environmental effects of the alternatives. The Snoquera project is located on the Snoqualmie Ranger District of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (MBS), King and Pierce Counties of northwest Washington. It is located to the east, and southeast of the city of Enumclaw. The project area boundary encompasses approximately 191,215 acres, with approximately 115,597 acres on National Forest System (NFS) lands. This decision notice (DN) is based on a review of the EA, specialist reports and related scientific literature, the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan), as amended, and comments received during the scoping period, and the opportunity to comment on the EA, as well as Tribal consultation discussions. The final EA is available for public review at the Snoqualmie Ranger District Office located in North Bend, WA. Project documents, maps, and other associated information can be found in the project record and on the MBS website. Decision Based upon my review of the EA and supporting documents, and input from the Interdisciplinary Team (ID Team), local Tribes, members of the public and other agencies, I have decided to implement the Proposed Action - Alternative 2 (EA at 23-57), including project design criteria described in the EA at 59-83. Consultation with US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for the acclimation ponds will occur separately from the remainder of activities described in the proposed action, therefore, the acclimation ponds are not part of this decision. The proposed action includes approximately 12,245 acres of proposed variable density timber thinning, 3,030 acres of non-commercial, and habitat improvement vegetation treatments, improvements to the transportation system and aquatic organism passage (AOP), 23.83 miles of road decommissioning, a shooting area closure, and a suite of other restoration and recreation projects such as stream improvements, dispersed camping site improvements, and trailhead enhancements. See the table below for complete list of activities. The full description of the proposed action, without acclimation ponds, and design criteria are provided as appendices to this DN. Proposed Action – Alternative 2 Alternative 2 Acres unless otherwise specified Variable Density Thinning - LSR Up to 7,221 Variable Density Thinning - Snoqualmie Pass AMA Up to 2,561 Variable Density Thinning – Greenwater Special Area Up to 1,572 1 Snoqualmie Ranger District, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Alternative 2 Variable Density Thinning - Matrix Up to 891 Variable Density thinning total Up to 12,245 Elk Forage Habitat (MA 8E) Permanent Openings Up to 272 Elk Forage Habitat (MA 8E) Thinning Up to 117 Elk Forage Habitat total Up to 389 Variable Density Thinning – Riparian Reserves Up to 5,057 Perennial Fish Bearing (stream miles) 8.13 Perennial Non-fish Bearing (stream miles) 28.75 Intermittent (stream miles) 78.13 Instream Wood connected to Riparian Reserves Variable RR condition Density Thinning 1 Non-commercial thinning - LSR Up to 636 Non-commercial thinning – Snoqualmie Pass AMA Up to 1,217 Non-commercial thinning - Matrix Up to 30 Huckleberry Enhancement Non-commercial Thinning Up to 400 Non-commercial thinning - Riparian Reserves** Up to 571 Perennial Fish Bearing (stream miles) .04 Perennial Non-fish Bearing (stream miles) 3.72 Intermittent (stream miles) 14.12 Planting Up to 133 Planting – Inventoried Roadless Areas Up to 225 Maintenance of system roads (miles) Open (operational maintenance level 2-5) 61.85 Closed (operational maintenance level 1) 0 Reconstruction of system roads (miles) Open (operational maintenance level 2- 5) 197.53 Closed (operational maintenance level 1) 12.41 New temporary road construction (miles) (All temporary roads would be decommissioned post 3.2 project) Temporary road on unclassified roads with existing road prisms (miles) (All temporary roads would be 18 decommissioned post project) Temporary road on previously decommissioned roads (miles) (All temporary roads would be decommissioned 13.6 post project) Total temporary road construction (miles) 34.8 miles 2 Snoqualmie Ranger District, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Alternative 2 Danger Tree Removal As Needed Maintenance Level - Road Changes Decommission 23.83 miles Maintenance Level 1 Closed/Storage 5.68 miles Maintenance Level 2 – High Clearance 2.39 miles Maintenance Level 3 – Suitable for Passenger Cars 0.2 miles Storm proofing 54.11 miles Aquatic Organism Passage1 53 sites Instream Wood (2-4 Trees >20” dbh per site) Up to 12 sites Existing Instream Structure Maintenance/Enhancement Within 7 reaches Designated Dispersed Camping/Riparian Restoration Within 5 corridors, approx. 24.2 miles Pit Toilets (Outhouses)2 Up to 10 Recreational Target Shooting Improvements 2 sites Shooting area closure 1 site Trailheads- Expansion/Reestablish 3 Trailheads Road to Trail Conversions and/or Reroutes 2 miles Corral Pass Day Use Sites Up to 5 day use sites Ranger Creek State Airstrip 22 acres 1 Some incidental tree cutting at an Inventoried Roadless Area (IRA) boundary may occur as part of an aquatic organism passage project (see Inventoried Roadless Areas section under the Environmental Impacts of the Proposed Action and Alternatives in the EA at 272-282). 2 Pit Toilets, outhouses, and vault toilets are interchangeable and refer to the same activity. 3 Snoqualmie Ranger District, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest 4 Snoqualmie Ranger District, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Reasons for the Decision The proposed action is the result of our interdisciplinary process over the past two years, which aims to provide for the varied, and sometimes contrasting, things we are charged with managing under the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960. We cited this Act in the EA when describing the need for the proposal (EA at 12) because this Act highlights the challenges of land management. “It is the policy of Congress that the National Forests are established and shall be administered for outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and wildlife and fish purposes”. Our forests are productive, unique and complex. I must also keep in mind that the implementing regulations of the National Environmental Policy Act, 40 CFR 1500, under which this analysis and decision are issued, direct us to “use all practicable means, consistent with the requirements of the Act and other essential considerations of national policy, to restore and enhance the quality of the human environment and avoid or minimize any possible adverse effects of their actions upon the quality of the human environment3”. I emphasize the human environment because therein lies the management