Environmental Assessment Lyman Quarry Project USDA Forest Service Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Whitman District Baker County, Oregon Section 7 of Township 12 South, Range 36 East, Willamette Meridian For more information contact: Michael Hall 3285 11th Street; PO Box 947 Baker City, OR 97814 Phone: 541-523-1334 Email: [email protected] The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 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Purpose and Need for Action Page Background…………………………………………………………………. 3 Purpose and need for action………………………………………………… 3 Current condition…………………………………………………………… 3 Desired future condition……………………………………………………. 4 Proposed Action…………………………………………………………….. 4 Decision Framework………………………………………………………… 4 Public Involvement………………………………………………………….. 5 Issues………………………………………………………………………… 5 Chapter 2. Alternatives Including the Proposed Action No Action Alternative………………………………………………………. 5 Alternative A (Proposed Action)…………………………………………… 6 Alternative B (Proposed Action with Forest Service Protection Measures)… 6 Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences Hydrology…………………………………………………………………… 7 Fisheries……………………………………………………………………… 9 Botanical Resources………………………………………………………… 10 Invasive plants……………………………………………………………… 11 Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat, TES Species, MIS………………………….. 11 Cultural Resources…………………………………………………………… 18 Chapter 4. List of Preparers Chapter 5. List of Agencies and Persons Consulted Appendices Appendix A. Literature Cited 2 Chapter 1. Purpose and Need for Action Background Lyman Quarry, located just off Highway 26 west of Unity, Oregon, has been used by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) since 2004; operating under an Operating and Reclamation Plan approved by the Oregon Department of Geology and Minerals Industries (DOGAMI), and a Forest Service Contract for the Sale of Mineral Materials. The quarry provides quality material and has been assessed by ODOT and Forest Service geologists to still contain useable quantities of material suitable for crushed road aggregate. In 2008, ODOT submitted an application with DOGAMI to amend the area of the permit boundary to allow for expansion and future use. At that time, ODOT discussed 10 year renewal of the Forest Service Contract for the Sale of Mineral Materials to allow for long term planning and use of the quarry. To enable long term use of the quarry, a decision is needed to confirm compliance with environmental laws (National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA) and compliance with Wallowa Whitman National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan), as amended. The proposed operation is located in the Burnt River Watershed in the Whitman Ranger District of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest (see Vicinity Map, located at the end of this chapter). Roads used for access include Highway 26, FSR 2665105, and the quarry access road. Purpose and Need For Action The purpose for the proposed use of Lyman Quarry is to provide a long term, economical, and readily accessible source of aggregate material that meets quality standards for transportation projects while limiting resource effects. The quarry is expected to be used as a material source for road maintenance actions (graveling, pothole filling, reconstruction and resurfacing, etc.) intermittently by the Forest Service and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The proposal for a 10 year operating plan was submitted by ODOT in order to have access to this material and to accomplish acceptable reclamation once the volume has been used. Lyman Quarry has very high quality aggregate material and is in a convenient location for work on US Highway 26. This project would allow ODOT to remove material for the next 10 years, up to an estimated 16 acres of disturbance and 267, 350 cubic yards. There is a need to implement long term quarry management and reclamation to address safety, water and invasive plant species issues. Current Condition The Lyman Quarry currently utilizes approximately 12 acres. A 2 acre section is currently cleared of vegetation and a total expansion of 4.1 acres is proposed for future operations. The walls of the quarry range from 10 to 50 foot verticals. Past inspections have noted that 3 benching to diminish these vertical drops would be desirable to improve safety, to maximize useable material, and to allow for effective reclamation. The quarry floor is a reverse slope which forces runoff towards the working face. Currently, the stockpiles of useful material on site range from approximately 20,000 to 50,000 cubic yards. Past inspections have identified noxious weeds within the permit boundary. Desired Future Condition and Compliance with the Forest Plan Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan includes standards and guidelines for protecting watershed values to the fullest extent under existing laws in evaluating and developing mineral operating plans. This includes the desired future condition of reclaiming the site by planting trees, vegetation and contouring the area with safe slopes (Forest Plan, p. 4-25, #27-29). Forest Plan Management Goals, Standards and Guidelines provide basis for the following: Provide for exploration, development, and production of a variety of minerals on the Forest in coordination with other resource objectives, environmental considerations and mining laws (Forest Plan, p. 4-33). Forest plan direction is to give priority to use of currently developed common mineral (natural gravel and hard rock) material sources over undeveloped sources. New common mineral material sources may be developed, by exception, if existing sources can’t supply the needed material or when conflicts with other resource uses are found to be unacceptable (Forest Plan p. 4-33, #9). Goals for watershed management on National Forest Service (NFS) lands include specific direction for restoration of mining disturbance within 100 feet of Class I, II or III streams or other perennial water bodies (Forest Plan, p. 4-25). Proposed Action The proposed action, as submitted by the operator (ODOT), is described in detail in Chapter 2, Alternative A The Proposed Action. This Plan of Operation is for a rock quarry mining operation and would be connected with a mineral materials permit issued for a time period of 10 years (36 CFR 228.62 (b)) and not to exceed 267,350 cubic yards of material total. Decision Framework The scope of a NEPA decision refers to the nature of the decision that will be made by the Whitman District Ranger, but does not describe the actual content of the pending decision. At the conclusion of the public review and comment period, the Whitman District Ranger will decide whether to implement operations at Lyman Quarry issued as a mineral material permit under the proposed Plan of Operation for a 10 year period of time, to implement the project in a modified fashion based on public and resource specialist input, or not to implement the project at all. The District Ranger’s decision will also determine if the project would require amendment of the Forest Plan or might cause significant environmental effects requiring analysis in an Environmental Impact Statement. 4 Public Involvement This action was originally listed as a proposal on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA) beginning April 2009 and updated periodically during the analysis. The SOPA is published on the National Forest website. A scoping letter was sent to interested parties on January 10, 2011, soliciting comments on the proposal. The project was included for staff-to-staff and government-to-government discussions between the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in both 2011and 2012. Issues No public comments were received during scoping on this proposal. Input from Forest Service and ODOT resource specialists were evaluated and relevant issues were identified. Issues serve to highlight potential effects or unintended consequences that may occur from the proposed action and can lead to the