2011 USFWS Biological Opinion on USFS Aerial Application of Fire Retardants on NFS Lands BIOLOGICAL OPINION Effects to Listed Species from U.S. Forest Service Aerial Application of Fire Retardants on National Forest System Lands Consultation Conducted by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8) December 6, 2011 Return to Table of Contents 1 | P a g e 2011 USFWS Biological Opinion on USFS Aerial Application of Fire Retardants on NFS Lands Table of Contents Table of Figures ............................................................................................................................................. 8 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 10 Consultation History ................................................................................................................................... 11 Species not likely to be adversely affected ................................................................................................. 17 BIOLOGICAL OPINION ................................................................................................................................. 27 Description of the Proposed Action ........................................................................................................ 27 Aerial Application of Fire Retardant Direction .................................................................................... 28 Reporting and Monitoring .................................................................................................................. 32 Process for Completing Changes to the National Programmatic Consultation .................................. 35 Background ......................................................................................................................................... 36 Action Area .......................................................................................................................................... 38 Species Included in This Consultation ..................................................................................................... 39 Consultation Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 43 Effects of the Action ................................................................................................................................ 44 Aquatic ................................................................................................................................................ 46 Effects to Fish .................................................................................................................................. 46 Effects to Algae and Benthic Macroinvertebrates .......................................................................... 47 Trophic Interaction.......................................................................................................................... 49 Other Considerations ...................................................................................................................... 49 Terrestrial ............................................................................................................................................ 51 Effects to Mammals ........................................................................................................................ 51 Effects to Plants .............................................................................................................................. 51 Determinations ....................................................................................................................................... 52 Region 1 Pacific Northwest: Idaho, Oregon, and Washington........................................................... 52 Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus) and Critical Habitat .................................................................. 52 Showy stickseed (Hackelia venusta) ............................................................................................... 91 MacFarlane’s Four-o’clock (Mirabilis macfarlanei) ........................................................................ 98 Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) ........................................................................ 105 Marbled Murrelet Critical Habitat ................................................................................................ 133 Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) ....................................................................... 143 Spalding’s Catchfly (Silene spaldingii) ........................................................................................... 172 Return to Table of Contents 2 | P a g e 2011 USFWS Biological Opinion on USFS Aerial Application of Fire Retardants on NFS Lands Warner sucker (Catostomous warnerensis) .................................................................................. 181 Region 2 Desert Southwest: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas ...................................... 191 Apache trout (Oncorhynchus apache) .......................................................................................... 191 Canelo Hills ladies’ tresses (Spiranthes delitescens) ..................................................................... 194 Chihuahua Chub (Gila nigrescens) ................................................................................................ 197 Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis) ................................................................... 197 Desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius) ...................................................................................... 203 Gila chub (Gila intermedia) ........................................................................................................... 206 Gila topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis) ................................................................................... 209 Gila trout (Oncorhynchus gilae) .................................................................................................... 212 Holy Ghost ipomopsis (Ipomopsis sancti-spiritus) ....................................................................... 215 Huachuca water umbel (Lilaeopsis schaffneriana var. recurva) ................................................... 217 Little Colorado spinedace (Lepidomeda vittata) ........................................................................... 221 Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) ........................................................................... 224 New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi obscurus) .............................................. 237 Sonora chub (Gila ditaenia) .......................................................................................................... 240 Sonoran tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium tigrinum)..................................................... 249 Spikedace (Meda fulgida) and Loach minnow (Tiaroga cobitis) ................................................... 253 Three Forks springsnail (Pyrgulopsis trivialis) .............................................................................. 266 Yaqui catfish (Ictalurus pricei) ....................................................................................................... 268 Yaqui chub (Yaqui purpurea) ......................................................................................................... 271 Region 6 Mountain Prairie: Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming .......................................................................................................................... 273 Greenback cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki stomias) .......................................................... 273 Pawnee montane skipper (Hesperia leonardus montana) ........................................................... 279 Region 8 Pacific Southwest: California and Nevada......................................................................... 282 Arroyo toad (Anaxyrus californicus (Bufo microscaphus californicus)) ........................................ 282 California jewelflower (Caulanthus californicus) .......................................................................... 289 California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) .................................................................................. 290 Camatta Canyon amole (Chlorogalum purpureum var. reductum) .............................................. 293 Return to Table of Contents 3 | P a g e 2011 USFWS Biological Opinion on USFS Aerial Application of Fire Retardants on NFS Lands Carbonate Plants (Cushenbury Oxytheca [Oxytheca parishii], Cushenbury Milk-vetch [Astragalus albens], Cushenbury Buckwheat [Eriogonum ovalifolium var. vineum+, Parish’s Daisy *Erigeron parishii]) ........................................................................................................................................ 297 Encintas Baccharis (Baccharis vanessae) ...................................................................................... 301 Greene’s tuctoria (Tuctoria greenei) ............................................................................................. 303 Laguna Mountains Skipper (Pyrgus ruralis lagunae) ...................................................................