United States Department of Agriculture Draft Revised Forest Land and Resource Management Plan Service Pacific Southwest Volume III – Region DEIS and Draft Plan Appendices R5-MB-241C June 2012 Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Cover photo: Eagle Falls Trail located on National Forest System lands on Lake Tahoe’s southwest shore. The trailhead and parking lot kiosk, across US Highway 89 from the Emerald Bay overlook, offer information about hiking into Desolation Wilderness, looking westward toward Eagle Lake, a popular short, but steep, hike (less than half an hour). Credit – all photos, graphs and maps: U.S. Forest Service staff, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit may be duplicated for public use (not for profit) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720- 6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Draft Revised LRMP – DRAFT Land Management Plan Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Draft Revised Land and Resource Management Plan DEIS and Draft Plan Appendices June 2012 Alpine, El Dorado, and Placer Counties, California and Douglas and Washoe Counties, and Carson City, Nevada Responsible Agency: USDA Forest Service Responsible Official: Randy Moore Regional Forester Pacific Southwest Region. 1323 Club Drive Vallejo, CA 94592 (707) 562-9000 For more information contact: Jeff Marsolais Deputy Forest Supervisor LTBMU 35 College Drive South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 (530) 543-2600 This Proposed Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) describes the framework that will guide on-the-ground projects and program activities. We encourage your comments on all aspects of the Plan. Public notification for commencement of the 90-day comment period has been published in the Federal Register. A copy of the notice may be accessed from the LTBMU Forest Plan Revision website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/ForestPlanRevision [email protected] E-mail comments to: Subject: “Draft Land Management Plan” Or submit written comments to: Draft Land Management Plan LTBMU 35 College Dr. South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Draft Revised LRMP – DRAFT Plan and DEIS Appendices Draft Plan and DEIS Appendices Contents Appendix A – Forest Plan Monitoring and Evaluation Plan ............................................................... A-1 Appendix B – Wild and Scenic River Evaluation ................................................................................ B-1 B.1. Introduction and Background ....................................................................................... B-1 B.2. LTBMU Wild and Scenic River Review ........................................................................ B-2 B.2.1. Upper Truckee River ............................................................................................... B-2 B.2.2. Truckee River .......................................................................................................... B-2 B.2.3. Analysis of Change ................................................................................................. B-3 B.2.4. Summary and Conclusion ....................................................................................... B-6 Appendix C – Evaluation of Areas for Potential Wilderness ............................................................. C-1 C.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... C-1 C.2. Overview of Areas Evaluated ....................................................................................... C-2 C.3. Capability .................................................................................................................... C-11 C.4. Availability ................................................................................................................... C-42 C.5. Need for Wilderness ................................................................................................... C-44 C.6. Agency Recommendation .......................................................................................... C-52 Appendix D – LTBMU Climate Change Trend Assessment ............................................................... D-1 D.1. Local trends in climate over the past century ........................................................ D-2 D.2. Regional trends over the last century linked to climate change .......................... D-8 D.3. Future predictions .................................................................................................. D-14 Appendix E – LTMBU Species Diversity ............................................................................................... E-1 E.1. Forest-wide Biological Concepts .................................................................................. E-1 E.1.1 Biological Integrity ................................................................................................... E-1 E.1.2 Biological Diversity .................................................................................................. E-1 E.1.3 Connectivity and Insularity ...................................................................................... E-1 E.1.4 Role of Fire .............................................................................................................. E-2 E.2. Species Lists ................................................................................................................ E-2 E.2.1. FWS List of Critical Habitat and Endangered, Threatened, Proposed, and Candidate Species for the LTBMU ......................................................................................................................... E-3 E.2.2. USFS List of Sensitive Species for the LTBMU ...................................................... E-4 E.2.3. TRPA Threshold Species ........................................................................................ E-6 E.2.4. Invasive Species ..................................................................................................... E-7 E.2.5. Species Specific Limited Operating Periods ......................................................... E-14 E.2.6. Full List of Species Considered for the Draft EIS .................................................. E-16 Appendix F – Social and Economic Assessment ................................................................................. F-1 F.1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................F-1 F.2. Study Area .....................................................................................................................F-2 F.3. Background ...................................................................................................................F-5 F.4. Social Conditions and Tends .........................................................................................F-7 F.4.1. Population ................................................................................................................F-7 F.4.2. Race and Ethnicity ................................................................................................ F-10 TOC ■ i Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit F.4.3. Poverty .................................................................................................................. F-13 F.4.4. Age Distribution ..................................................................................................... F-14 F.4.5. Educational Attainment ......................................................................................... F-16 F.4.6. Housing ................................................................................................................. F-17 F.4.7. Discussion ............................................................................................................. F-20 F.5. Economic Conditions and Trends .............................................................................. F-22 F.5.1. Employment (Current Condition and Trends) ....................................................... F-22 F.5.2. Employment Trends .............................................................................................. F-28 F.5.3. Income ................................................................................................................... F-33 F.6. Unit Economic Contribution Analysis ......................................................................... F-38 F.6.1. Methodology .......................................................................................................... F-38 F.6.2. Study Area ............................................................................................................