STAR VALLEY ROAD MAINTENANCE MATERIAL SITES Environmental Assessment OR-030-08-006 Prepared by: U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Jordan Resource Area 100 Oregon Street Vale, Oregon 97918 September, 2008 Star Valley Road Material Sites EA 1 As the Nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in the best interest of all our people. The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in Island Territories under U.S. administration. BLM/OR/WA/AE-08/099+1792 Star Valley Road Material Sites EA 2 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Star Valley Road Material Sites TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................... 5 1.A BACKGROUND INFORMATION ....................................................................................................................... 5 1.B LOCATION OF PROPOSED ACTION ................................................................................................................. 5 2 PURPOSE OF AND NEED FOR THE ACTION ............................................................................................. 7 3 CONFORMANCE WITH THE LAND USE PLAN ......................................................................................... 7 4 ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION ....................................................................... 9 4.A NO ACTION ................................................................................................................................................... 9 4.B DISASTER SPRING, ANDERSON CROSSING, AND TENT CREEK MATERIAL SITES (PROPOSED ACTION) ........ 10 4.C ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT ELIMINATED FROM DETAILED ANALYSIS .............................................. 14 5 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................................................ 14 5.A VEGETATION ............................................................................................................................................... 14 5.B NOXIOUS WEEDS ........................................................................................................................................ 14 5.C SPECIAL STATUS PLANTS ............................................................................................................................ 15 5.D WILDLIFE AND FISH .................................................................................................................................... 15 5.E LIVESTOCK GRAZING .................................................................................................................................. 15 5.F RECREATION AND VISUAL RESOURCES ....................................................................................................... 16 5.G WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS ....................................................................................................................... 16 5.H NON-WILDERNESS STUDY AREA LANDS WITH WILDERNESS CHARACTERISTICS ....................................... 16 5.I CULTURAL RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................... 17 5.J PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ...................................................................................................................... 19 5.K AIR AND ATMOSPHERIC QUALITY ............................................................................................................... 19 5.L GEOLOGY .................................................................................................................................................... 21 5.M SOILS AND WATERSHED RESOURCES .......................................................................................................... 22 5.N MANDATORY ELEMENTS ............................................................................................................................ 25 THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS OF THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT ARE SUBJECT TO REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED IN STATUTE, REGULATION, OR EXECUTIVE ORDER AND MUST BE CONSIDERED IN ALL EA'S AND EIS'S: ........................................ 25 6 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ....................................................................................................... 26 6.A ALTERNATIVE 1 (NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE) ............................................................................................. 26 6.A.1 Vegetation .............................................................................................................................................. 26 6.A.2 Noxious Weeds ...................................................................................................................................... 26 6.A.3 Special Status Plants ............................................................................................................................. 27 6.A.4 Wildlife and Fish ................................................................................................................................... 27 6.A.5 Livestock Grazing .................................................................................................................................. 27 6.A.6 Recreation and Visual Resources .......................................................................................................... 27 6.A.7 Non-Wilderness Study Area Lands with Wilderness Characteristics .................................................... 28 6.A.8 Cultural Resources ................................................................................................................................ 28 6.A.9 Soils and Watershed Resources ............................................................................................................. 28 6.B ALTERNATIVE 2: DISASTER SPRING, ANDERSON CROSSING, AND TENT CREEK MATERIAL SITES (PROPOSED ACTION) ................................................................................................................................................. 28 6.B.1 Vegetation .............................................................................................................................................. 28 6.B.2 Noxious Weeds ...................................................................................................................................... 28 6.B.3 Special Status Plants ............................................................................................................................. 29 Star Valley Road Material Sites EA 3 6.B.4 Wildlife and Fish ................................................................................................................................... 30 6.B.5 Livestock Grazing .................................................................................................................................. 30 6.B.6 Recreation and Visual Resources .......................................................................................................... 30 6.B.7 Non-Wilderness Study Area Lands with Wilderness Characteristics .................................................... 30 6.B.8 Cultural and Paleontological Resources ............................................................................................... 31 6.B.9 Air and Atmospheric Quality ................................................................................................................. 31 6.B.10 Soils and Watershed Resources ........................................................................................................ 32 7 BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMP’S) ............................................................................................ 32 8 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ............................................................................................................................... 33 9 LIST OF PREPARERS ..................................................................................................................................... 36 10 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................. 36 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1: GEOLOGIC ROCK UNITS WITHIN THE PROJECT AREA ............................................................................. 22 TABLE 2: MANDATORY ELEMENTS OF THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT ...................................................................... 25 TABLE 3: NOXIOUS WEEDS EXISTING IN THE VICINITY OF THE PROJECT AREA ..................................................... 29 MAPS Jordan Resource Area Vicinity Map, Star Valley Road Project Material Sites……………………………………..…...6 Map 1: Project Material site: Disaster Spring, Southeast Malheur County, Oregon.….………………..……………...11 Map 2: Project Material site: Anderson Crossing, Southeast Malheur County, Oregon.………………..…...………...12 Map 3: