United States Department of Agriculture Proposed Changes to the Motorized Travel System Environmental Assessment Sierra Vista Ranger District, Coronado National Forest Cochise, Santa Cruz, and Pima Counties, Arizona Forest Service Coronado National Forest Sierra Vista Ranger District June 2018 For More Information Contact: Zac Ribbing, Recreation Staff Officer 4070 S. Avenida Saracino Hereford, AZ 85615 Office: 520.803.2810 Email: [email protected] 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. Note: We make every effort to create documents that are accessible to individuals of all abilities; however, limitations with our word processing programs may prevent some parts of this document from being readable by computer-assisted reading devices. If you need assistance with this document, please contact the Sierra Vista Ranger District, Coronado National Forest at 520-378-0311. Contents Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... iii Chapter 1. Purpose and Need for Action .......................................................................................................1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................1 Background ...............................................................................................................................................3 Purpose and Need for Action ....................................................................................................................7 Public Involvement ...................................................................................................................................7 Decision Framework ...............................................................................................................................10 Chapter 2. Alternatives ................................................................................................................................11 Alternative 1 – No Action .......................................................................................................................11 Alternative 2 – Modified Proposed Action .............................................................................................11 Alternative Considered but Eliminated from Further Analysis ..............................................................13 Design Criteria ........................................................................................................................................14 Comparison of the Effects of the Alternatives ........................................................................................14 Chapter 3. Environmental Effects ...............................................................................................................19 Soils .........................................................................................................................................................23 Water Resources .....................................................................................................................................28 Vegetation ...............................................................................................................................................34 Invasive Species ......................................................................................................................................38 Scenery ....................................................................................................................................................40 Recreation ...............................................................................................................................................46 Heritage Resources .................................................................................................................................61 Socio-Economic Resources .....................................................................................................................67 Air Quality ..............................................................................................................................................69 Climate Change .......................................................................................................................................70 Special Status Species .............................................................................................................................71 Chapter 4 - Consultation and Coordination .................................................................................................93 Local Government ...................................................................................................................................93 State and Other Federal Agencies ...........................................................................................................93 Tribes ......................................................................................................................................................93 Others ......................................................................................................................................................93 Chapter 5. References ..................................................................................................................................95 Chapter 6 – List of Preparers .......................................................................................................................99 USDA Forest Service, Coronado National Forest, Supervisor’s Office .................................................99 USDA Forest Service, Coronado National Forest, Sierra Vista Ranger District ....................................99 Appendix A. Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................101 Appendix B. Forest Road Maintenance Levels .........................................................................................105 List of Tables Table 1. Miles of National Forest System roads affected by the modified proposed action on the Sierra Vista Ranger District ...........................................................................................................................15 Table 2. Comparison of road miles in no-action and modified proposed action alternatives .....................16 Table 3. Comparison of potential effects from implementation of the no-action alternative, the modified proposed action ....................................................................................................................................16 Table 4. Present and reasonably foreseeable actions considered in Sierra Vista proposed changes to motorized travel system environmental assessment ............................................................................20 Table 5. General ecosystem survey (GES) units covering both Huachuca and Whetstone Ecosystem Management Areas ..............................................................................................................................23 Proposed Changes to the Motorized Travel System Environmental Assessment i Environmental Assessment Table 6. Land area, in acres, of the vegetation communities in relation to the overall acreage of the district ............................................................................................................................................................ 35 Table 7. Changes in road mileage and acres affected by the roads in