Draft Environmental Assessment Hunting & Fishing Program on Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge April 2021 Prepared by Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge 60911 Highway 95 Parker, AZ 85344 Estimated Lead Agency Total Costs Associated with Developing and Producing this EA: $16,000 Contents Proposed Action .......................................................................................................................... 1 Background ................................................................................................................................. 2 Purpose and Need for the Action ................................................................................................ 3 Alternatives ................................................................................................................................. 3 Alternative A – Current Management [No Action Alternative] ................................................. 3 Alternative B – Expansion of Dove, Upland Game, and Big Game Hunting Opportunities [Proposed Action Alternative] ................................................................................................. 4 Alternative C – Expansion of Hunting Opportunities, Including Mule Deer .............................. 6 Alternatives Considered, But Dismissed From Further Consideration ...................................... 6 Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences ........................................................... 9 Natural Resources ................................................................................................................. 10 Hunted Species – Dove ...................................................................................................... 10 Hunted Species – Gambel’s Quail ...................................................................................... 13 Hunted Species - Desert Cottontail Rabbit ......................................................................... 15 Hunted Species - Desert Bighorn ....................................................................................... 17 Hunted Species – Javelina .................................................................................................. 19 Hunted Species – Coyote, Gray Fox, Kit Fox ....................................................................... 20 Hunted Species – Mule Deer ............................................................................................. 23 Fished Species ................................................................................................................... 24 Nontarget Wildlife and Aquatic Species ............................................................................. 27 Threatened and Endangered Species, and Other Special Status Species ............................ 30 Habitat and Vegetation (including vegetation of special management concern) ................ 34 Soils ................................................................................................................................... 37 Visitor Use and Experience .................................................................................................... 39 Cultural Resources ................................................................................................................ 41 Refuge Management and Operations .................................................................................... 43 Land Use on the Refuge ..................................................................................................... 43 Administration .................................................................................................................. 44 Socioeconomics ..................................................................................................................... 45 Local and Regional Economies ........................................................................................... 45 Environmental Justice........................................................................................................ 46 Monitoring ................................................................................................................................ 47 Summary of Analysis ................................................................................................................. 48 Alternative A – Current Management [No Action Alternative] ............................................... 48 Alternative B – Expansion of Dove, Upland Game, and Big Game Hunting Opportunities [Proposed Action Alternative] ............................................................................................... 48 Alternative C – Expansion of Hunting Opportunities, Including Mule Deer ............................ 49 List of Sources, Agencies and Persons Consulted ....................................................................... 49 List of Preparers ........................................................................................................................ 50 State Coordination .................................................................................................................... 50 Tribal Consultation .................................................................................................................... 50 Public Outreach......................................................................................................................... 50 Determination ........................................................................................................................... 51 Signatures ................................................................................................................................. 51 References ................................................................................................................................ 52 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................ 56 Appendix B: Figures ................................................................................................................... 58 Appendix C: Tables .................................................................................................................... 60 List of Figures Figure 1.—Bill Williams River NWR boundary, management units, no hunting/shooting zones, and State GMUs ........................................................................................................................58 Figure 2.—Critical habitat for federal trust species documented on Bill Williams River NWR. ...59 List of Tables TABLE 1.—Refuge hunting regulations by species, method of take, season, and unit. .................60 Table 2.—Summary of fish captured in trammel netting efforts within and adjacent to the Bill Williams River NWR. ...................................................................................................................0 Environmental Assessment for Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge Hunting and Fishing Plan This Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) is being prepared to evaluate the effects associated with the proposed action and complies with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in accordance with Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500-1509) and Department of the Interior (43 CFR 46; 516 DM 8) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (550 FW 3) regulations and policies. NEPA requires examination of the effects of proposed actions on the natural and human environment. Appendix A outlines all law and executive orders evaluated through this EA. Proposed Action The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or Service) is proposing to open new hunting opportunities for javelina (Pecari tajacu), Eurasian collared-dove (Streptopelia decaocto), kit fox (Vulpes macrotis), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), and coyote (Canis latrans), while maintaining and expanding existing opportunities for mourning dove (Zenaida macroura), white-winged dove (Zenaida asiatica), Gambel’s quail (Callipepla gambelii), cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus audubonii), and desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) on Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge (Bill Williams River NWR or refuge) in accordance with the refuge’s 2021 Hunting and Fishing Plan and 1994 Comprehensive Management Plan. The Hunting and Fishing Plan would open up hunting opportunities in the North Unit (1,768 acres) to mourning and white-winged dove, Eurasian collared-dove, Gambel’s quail, cottontail rabbit, desert bighorn sheep, javelina, kit fox, gray fox, and coyote. The South Unit (1,142 acres) will continue to be open to hunting opportunities for mourning and white-winged dove, Gambel’s quail, cottontail rabbit, and desert bighorn sheep; the refuge proposes to open hunting opportunities in the South Unit to include javelina (appendix B, figure 1; appendix C, table 1.) The refuge seeks to more closely align the hunting program with state regulations and to provide additional hunting opportunities. The Service will continue to offer opportunities for sport fishing, including largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluegill sunfish (Lepomis marochirus), redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris), and common carp (Cyprinus carpio), as well as nonsport fishing, including threadfin shad