NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (EA #OR-010-2004-05) AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (FONSI) FOR GREEN MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT The Bureau of Land Management, Lakeview District, has analyzed a proposal and several alternatives to replace the existing fire lookout facility located on Green Mountain in northern Lake County, Oregon. An EA and FONSI have been prepared to document the potential impacts of the proposed action. Copies of the documents are available for review by writing to the Lakeview District Office, 1301 South G Street, Lakeview, Oregon 97630, or by calling Bob Crumrine or Paul Whitman at (541) 947-2177. The documents are also available on the BLM‟s website at http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/lakeview/plans/index.php. Those wishing to provide comments on the proposal must do so, in writing, by May 14, 2009. FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT Green Mountain Lookout EA# OR-OIO-2004-05 The Bureau of Land Management, Lakeview District, has analyzed a proposal and several alternatives to replace the existing fire lookout facility located on Green Mountain in north Lake County, Oregon. The new lookout would include water and shower systems, security systems, heating, bathroom, structure improvements, fire-finders, and interior furnishings. The alternatives vary in the amount ofnew access road or road realignment work that would be required. The proposed project is in conformance with applicable land use plans and policies. There are no flood plains, wetlands, riparian areas, water quality, fish or aquatic habitat, threatened, endangered, special status or sensitive species, prime or unique farmlands, wild and scenic rivers, areas ofcritical environmental concern, research natural areas, designated wilderness, wilderness study areas, or other lands with wilderness characteristics, or wild horses in the project area. Based on the analysis contained in the attached EA, there would be no impacts to land status, energy or mineral resources, low income/minority populations, or climate. No significant impacts would occur to air quality, geology, soils, vegetation, wildlife, livestock grazing, visual quality, or recreation. Botanical and cultural surveys have been conducted. No special status plant species occur in the project area. Cultural survey found no sites within project area. On the basis ofthe analysis contained in the attached EA and all other available information, my determination is that none of the alternatives analyzed would constitute a major federal action which would adversely impact the quality of the human environment. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is unnecessary and will not be prepared. \1Z <!' ~.~.c. Yd&~ Thomas E. Rasmussen, Manager Date Lakeview Resource Area EA Number: OR-010-2005-05 PROJECT TITLE/TYPE: GREEN MOUNTAIN FIRE LOOKOUT RELOCATION PROJECT LOCATION: Township 25 South, Range 18 East, Section 19 in north central Lake County, Oregon (see attached maps). BLM OFFICE: Lakeview District Bureau of Land Management 1301 South G Street Lakeview, OR 97630 CONFORMANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAND USE PLAN: The proposed project is subject to one or more of the following BLM land use plans, policies, or programmatic environmental analyses: Lakeview Resource Management Plan/Record of Decision (2003) Lakeview District Fire Management Plan (2004) Integrated Noxious Weed Control Program (2004) Wildland and Prescribed Fire Management Policy (1998) Fort Rock Fire Management Plan (1996) PURPOSE and NEED FOR ACTION: The existing Green Mountain Lookout is located southeast of the Fort Rock Guard Station and overlooks the northern portion of the Lakeview District, BLM, which has a high summer wildfire occurrence. The wildfire occurrence is so high in this area that the Fort Rock Fire Management Plan (1996) was developed to guide fire suppression decisions. The lookout facility directly supports the fire suppression program in north Lake County. The lookout facility was originally constructed in the late 1970's and has been utilized by many inter-agency cooperators. The current condition of the structure is poor and unsafe. Problems exist with a leaking propane system for heating, cooking, and refrigeration. The catwalk, stairway, and second story floor have areas of large cracks, rotted beams, and loose railings. The water system has been damaged by vandalism. The roof is in need of repair. The windows and solar panels have been vandalized. A shower facility is needed. The entire lookout needs new interior furnishings and rodent-proofing. The insulation in the walls and ceiling of the bottom floor were removed due to past rodent damage and to try to reduce the area rodents could occupy in the future. The facility used to house a seasonal employee, but this can no longer be accommodated due to the poor facility conditions. The main areas of concern are: security (protection from vandalism), repair of the damaged propane and water systems, improve the structural soundness, and addition of lavatory facilities. The facility is located directly off of a designated Back Country Byway which invites more people to travel through the area. This has resulted in increased vandalism in recent years due, in large part, to the relative ease of accessibility and the lack of seasonal resident or other security features at the facility. A new lookout facility is needed to replace the current facility to ensure continued fire watch capability over this high-fire occurrence area during the fire season. Costs for basic repair of the deteriorating facility and vandalism have reached the point where it would be more cost effective to construct a new lookout. DESCRIPTION of PROPOSED ACTION: the proposed action is to provide a safe working environment for fire lookout activities in the Green Mountain area. ALTERNATIVES: Alternatives Analyzed in Detail NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE – Under this alternative, the existing structure on Green Mountain would continue to be used for fire lookout activities. During fire season (Memorial Day weekend to the beginning of fall rains (usually in late October)), a seasonal employee would be stationed on-site during the day with the primary responsibility of locating new wildfire ignitions, but the employee would not reside in the facility. Even with annual repair, the facility would continue to age and the condition of the facility would continue to decline and become less functional over time. ALTERNATIVE 1 – Under this alternative, the existing Green Mountain lookout structure would be torn down and a new structure would be constructed on the current site. The new lookout facility would include water and shower systems, security systems, heating, bathroom facilities, structure improvements, fire-finders, and interior furnishings. BLM Road 6109-00 would be re-aligned below the current road alignment so that public traffic would bypass the lookout (Map 2). Cinder material for the road relocation would come from the existing pit located just south of the existing lookout. The existing road to the top of Green Mountain would be left in place, but a security gate would be constructed at the road entrance so the site could be closed to non-administrative vehicle traffic. Public foot access would still be allowed. Prior to demolition of the existing structure, an analysis of possible material hazards would be completed by contractor licensed to handle hazardous materials. Demolition debris would be taken to a licensed landfill. An employee would seasonally reside in the new facility, typically from Memorial Day weekend to the beginning of fall rains (usually in late October), with the primary responsibility of locating new wildfire ignitions. This would aid in facility security and prevent future vandalism. ALTERNATIVE 2 – Under this alternative, a new lookout would be built on a different location on East Green Mountain. The new lookout facility would include water and shower systems, security systems, heating, bathroom facilities, structure improvements, fire-finders, and interior furnishings. A new access route would be constructed from the Green Mountain Cinder Pit (Map 2). If needed, the existing cinder pit access road would be repaired following construction activities. Cinder material for the new access road and/or road repair would come from the existing pit. A security gate would be constructed at the road entrance to close the site to non-administrative vehicle traffic. Public foot access would still be allowed. The existing structure would either be removed, as described for Alternative 1, or turned into a recreation site as part of a program that renovates historic fire lookout facilities and then rents them to people who wish to stay there. This renovation activity would be dependent upon the availability of future recreation funding sources and would require a separate NEPA analysis prior to renovation. An employee would seasonally reside in the new facility, similar to Alternative 1. ALTERNATIVE 3 – Under this alternative, a new lookout would be built on East Green Mountain similar to Alternative 2. A new access route would be constructed from BLM Road 6109-00 (Map 2). Cinder material for the new access road would come from the existing pit. The existing lookout structure would be demolished or renovated as described for Alternative 2. Best Management Practices Common to Alternatives 1-3 There are no riparian areas, perennial stream banks, or other waters of concern that would receive any sediment from the proposed road construction activities. Best Management Practices