Environmental Assessment for Comment United States Williams Ranger District Department of Agriculture Travel Management Project Forest Service Southwestern Region February 2010 Williams Ranger District Kaibab National Forest Coconino County, AZ Information Contact: Micah Grondin, IDT Leader Kaibab National Forest 742 S. Clover Road, Williams, AZ 86046 928-635-5600 or fax 928-635-5680 [email protected] The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ii Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... vii Document Structure ...................................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1 – Purpose and Need / Proposed Action ...............................................................................................1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................................1 1.2 Project Area Description ............................................................................................................................1 1.3 Purpose and Need for Action .....................................................................................................................5 1.4 Existing and Desired Conditions ................................................................................................................5 Road System ................................................................................................................................................6 Motorized Trails and Areas..........................................................................................................................7 Motorized Travel Exemptions .....................................................................................................................8 Motor Vehicle Use for Dispersed Camping .................................................................................................8 Motorized Big Game Retrieval ....................................................................................................................9 1.5 Proposed Action .......................................................................................................................................10 1.6 Kaibab Forest Plan Direction ...................................................................................................................11 1.7 Decision Framework ................................................................................................................................12 1.8 Public Involvement ..................................................................................................................................12 1.9 Issues ........................................................................................................................................................13 Chapter 2 – Description of Alternatives ............................................................................................................15 2.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................15 2.2 Process Used to Develop the Alternatives ...............................................................................................15 2.3 Alternatives Analyzed in Detail ...............................................................................................................15 Alternative 1 – No Action ..........................................................................................................................16 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ................................................................................................................16 Alternative 3 ...............................................................................................................................................17 Alternative 4 ...............................................................................................................................................18 Common to Alternatives 2, 3, and 4 ..............................................................................................................18 2.4 Comparison of Alternatives Analyzed in Detail ......................................................................................18 2.5 Mitigation Measures ................................................................................................................................24 2.6 Monitoring ...............................................................................................................................................25 2.7 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Study .................................................................26 Chapter 3 – Environmental Effects ....................................................................................................................29 iii 3.1 Recreation and Scenic Resources ............................................................................................................29 3.2 Soils, Watershed and Air Quality ............................................................................................................56 3.3 Rare and Sensitive Plant Species .............................................................................................................70 3.4 Noxious and Invasive Exotic Weeds .......................................................................................................87 3.5 Wildlife ....................................................................................................................................................95 3.6 Cultural Resources .................................................................................................................................114 3.7 Range Management ...............................................................................................................................121 3.8 Fire Suppression and Fuels Management ..............................................................................................126 3.9 Vegetation Management ........................................................................................................................128 3.10 Lands and Minerals ..............................................................................................................................129 3.11 Economics ............................................................................................................................................130 3.12 Other Disclosures .................................................................................................................................137 3.13 Cumulative Effects Summary ..............................................................................................................138 Chapter 4 – Consultation and Coordination .....................................................................................................145 4.1 Tribal Consultation Summary ................................................................................................................145 Glossary of Terms ............................................................................................................................................150 References ........................................................................................................................................................158 Appendix 1 - Maps ...........................................................................................................................................163 Appendix 2 - Proposed Forest Plan Amendment .............................................................................................164 Appendix 3 – Scoping and Issue Processing Report ........................................................................................167 List of Tables Table 1: Existing Road System Mileage by Maintenance Level ............................................................................................ 6 Table 2: Summarized total big game harvests from the WRD in 2008 and the estimated number of harvests using motorized means of retrieving game.................................................................................................................................. 10 Table 3: Comparison of Alternatives – Key Design