Conejos Peak District-Wide Salvage Project Rio Grande National Forest Conejos Peak Ranger District Fisheries Biological Evaluation and Management Indicator Species Report 1. Introduction This report documents the Biological Evaluation (BE) and Management Indicator Species (MIS) Report for the Conejos Peak District-Wide Salvage (CPDWS) Project. A BE is a review of a specific Forest Service activity to determine how the proposed action may affect proposed or listed threatened, endangered, and sensitive species. The B.E. process is intended to document the steps necessary to ensure a proposed management action will not likely jeopardize the continued existence or cause adverse modification of habitat for species listed or proposed to be listed as endangered or threatened by the USDI-Fish and Wildlife Service nor contribute to the loss of viability for species listed as sensitive by the USDA-Forest Service Region 2; nor cause any species to move toward federal listing (FSM 2672.41 and R2 Supplement 2600-2015-1). The BE also ensures that recommendations to reduce negative impacts for sensitive wildlife species to be incorporated into the NEPA process, as well as opportunities for enhancement. The Management Indicator Species (MIS) Report evaluates the potential effects of vegetative management treatments on aquatic MIS within the Project analysis area in relationship to the diversity objectives and Standards & Guidelines in the Rio Grande National Forest Land and Resources Management Plan (Forest Plan). Input required to meet MIS objectives and Forest Plan Management direction is provided where applicable. Location/Map The proposed CPDWS Project is located on the Rio Grande National Forest, Conejos Peak Ranger District in Conejos and Rio Grande Counties, Colorado (Figure 1). The project analysis area ranges in elevation from 8,300 feet to 13,000 feet and encompasses approximately 332,000 total acres of National Forest System lands. Legal description for the project area is: T 32 N, R 3-7 E; T 33 N, R 3-7 E; T 34 N, R 3-7 E; T 35 N, R 2-5 E; T 36 N, R 2-5 E; T 37 N, R 3-5 E, New Mexico Prime Meridian. 1 Figure 1. Project Vicinity Map Purpose and Need for Action This analysis tiers to the information available in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the CPDWS Project. Details of the purpose and need for this project can be found in the DEIS but was developed by comparing objectives and desired conditions described in the Forest Plan relating to forest and riparian health, diversity, and function habitat needs for a variety of key wildlife and plant species, along with considering the current conditions and expected future conditions resulting from potential climate changes. Where the Forest Plan direction was silent, outdated, or not applicable, the best available science and local knowledge was used. In areas where forest conditions have departed from desired conditions, action is needed to respond to the widespread tree mortality caused by the ongoing spruce beetle epidemic. The disparity between existing and desired conditions creates a need to utilize available dead and dying trees in a timely manner to meet multiple-use mandates and provide for the protection of firefighters, users, communities, and private resources. In addition, to meet hazardous fuel treatment management objectives, there is a need to: mechanically treat vegetation in order to modify fuel profiles to reduce fire behavior and intensity to provide better opportunities for firefighters to engage a wildfire; Remove hazard trees within two tree lengths of private boundaries and/or administrative sites; Prune residual trees to lift crown base heights; 2 Pile and burn or remove activity-generated fuels within timber sale or pre-commercial thinning areas. Mechanically treat vegetation in order to modify fuel profiles to reduce fire behavior and intensity to provide better opportunities for firefighters to engage a wildfire; Remove hazard trees within two tree lengths of private boundaries and/or administrative sites; Prune residual trees to lift crown base heights; and Pile and burn or remove activity-generated fuels within timber sale or pre-commercial thinning areas. Proposed Action Summary The Forest Service developed the proposed action (Alternative 2) to meet the purpose and need and move current conditions toward desired conditions in beetle-infested spruce stands. This alternative could implement management activities on up to 18,000 acres on Forest Service lands to meet objectives described in the purpose and need. Commercial salvage timber harvest would be conducted with ground-based equipment on slopes less than forty percent. All or parts of cut trees could be skidded to designated landings, but slash could be lopped and scattered or piled and burned or removed at landings. Depending on the level of advanced regeneration in the spruce-beetle-impacted stands, tree planting may be required to meet stocking objectives. Landings, skid trails, and old temporary road prisms from previous harvests would be re-used as much as possible to minimize additional disturbance. Some temporary road construction would be necessary. This proposal includes performing hazardous fuel treatment activities on up to 1,000 acres of affected lands adjacent to private property and administrative sites. The proposed action would be implemented over a ten to fifteen year period. Tree planting would not be implemented until other operations were substantially complete in a treatment area. Opportunities As part of the scoping and analysis process, project activities were developed to provide opportunities to meet a variety of integrated resource improvement objectives. Proposed activities may be implemented that could improve stand growth or reduce insect or diseases, reduce fuels or change the fuel profile to meet specific objectives, and, improve habitat for some species of wildlife. Some projects may be funded with Knutson-Vandenberg monies collected from timber sale receipts, if available, though additional funds will be requested from other sources, as appropriate. Some examples of integrated opportunities include: Complete additional road maintenance on several roads to reduce erosion and improve watershed condition (see the Hydrology section, DEIS); Authorize decommissioning of level 1 roads where no longer needed to reduce road densities and improve watershed condition (see the Hydrology and Travel Management sections, DEIS). 2. Alternatives This chapter describes and compares the alternatives considered in order to meet the purpose and need for the CPDWS Project analysis. It includes a brief description of each alternative considered and information relative to aquatics and fisheries. Full details can be found in the DEIS. The Forest Service developed three alternatives, including the no action and proposed action, in response to issues raised both internally and by the public. Collectively, these alternatives represent a reasonable 3 range of alternatives given the site-specific situation, purpose and need, and issues identified for this project (Table 1) compares the three alternatives by their effects to resources. All proposed management activities for each alternative would follow standards and guidelines/best management practices, project design criteria, incorporate the use of a project pre-implementation checklist process, silviculture-prescribed fire guidelines, and monitoring elements. Adaptive management triggers (see Appendix D, DEIS) would be used to minimize adverse effects and protect resources (see silviculture guidelines appendix E, DEIS) Alternative 1 - No Action The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the study of the no action alternative and directs that this alternative be used as a basis for comparing the effects of the proposed action and other alternatives. The No Action alternative assumes no implementation of this proposed action or the other action alternatives would take place in the project area. This alternative represents no attempt to actively respond to the issues, the purpose and need for action, or concerns identified during public scoping. There would be no effort to modify existing conditions, unless authorized by other decisions. Other management or currently permitted uses such as livestock grazing, firewood cutting near open roads, and dispersed and developed recreation would continue. This alternative serves as an environmental baseline for the evaluation of the action alternatives. Under the No Action alternative, natural processes would continue across all proposed treatment areas, except where influenced by firewood gathering and other resource management decisions. No salvage of dead or dying trees would occur beyond those areas open to permitted firewood cutting. Potential influences on stream attributes from vegetation management, such as increased sedimentation from timber harvest or log hauling, would not occur. Existing baseline conditions and trends are likely to continue. Alternative 2 - Proposed Action Under this alternative, salvage of dead and dying spruce from suitable areas across the district would occur. Hazardous fuel treatments would also be utilized to modify forest fuels adjacent to private property and administrative sites that are within areas affected by spruce beetle mortality. Salvage harvest activities would occur on up to 17,000 acres on lands determined appropriate for timber salvage (Figure 2 and 3, Table 1). Hazardous fuels treatment activities would occur on up to 1,000