Sierra Front Sierra Pine Nut Field Office, Nevada Office, Field Land Health Project FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT DOI-BLM-NV-C020-2013-0017-EA U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Carson City District Sierra Front Field Office 5665 Morgan Mill Road Carson City, NV 89701 775-885-6000 April 2014 It is the mission of the Bureau of Land Management to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. DOI-BLM-NV-C020-2013-0017-EA ii Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Purpose and Need ............................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Scoping and Issues Identification ..................................................................................... 3 1.4 Decision to be Made ......................................................................................................... 3 1.5 Land Use Plan Conformance Statement........................................................................... 3 1.6 Relationships to Statutes, Regulations, and Other Plans .................................................. 4 2.0 ALTERNATIVES .......................................................................................... 6 2.1 Description of Alternatives .............................................................................................. 6 2.1.1 Alternative A: Proposed Action ............................................................................ 6 2.1.1.1 Implementation Prioritization ............................................................................ 6 2.1.1.2 Treatment Units ................................................................................................. 6 2.1.1.3 Treatment Methods .......................................................................................... 13 2.1.1.4 General Treatment Specifications ................................................................... 17 2.1.1.5 Resource Commitments ................................................................................... 18 2.1.1.6 Schedule........................................................................................................... 19 2.1.1.7 Adaptive Management/Monitoring ................................................................. 19 2.1.1.8 Maintenance ..................................................................................................... 19 2.1.2 Alternative B: No Action .................................................................................... 19 2.1.3 Alternatives Considered but Dismissed from Further Analysis .......................... 20 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................23 3.1 Setting............................................................................................................................. 23 3.1.1 Resources Considered for Analysis..................................................................... 23 3.2 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................. 25 3.3 Native American Religious Concerns ................................................................................ 26 3.4 Wetlands/Riparian Zones ................................................................................................... 27 3.5 General Wildlife................................................................................................................. 27 3.6 BLM Sensitive Species (Animals) ..................................................................................... 28 3.7 Migratory Birds .................................................................................................................. 31 3.8 Vegetation .......................................................................................................................... 32 3.9 BLM Sensitive Species (Plants)......................................................................................... 33 3.10 Fire Management ............................................................................................................. 34 iii 3.11 Forest Resources .............................................................................................................. 37 3.12 Visual Resources .............................................................................................................. 37 3.13 Air Quality ....................................................................................................................... 38 3.14 Wild Horses and Burros ................................................................................................... 39 3.15 Livestock Grazing ............................................................................................................ 39 3.16 Invasive, Non-Native Plant Species and Noxious Weeds ............................................... 40 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES.................................................42 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 42 4.1.1 Types of Effects .................................................................................................. 42 4.2 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................. 42 4.3 Native American Religious Concerns ................................................................................ 43 4.4 Wetlands/Riparian Zones ................................................................................................... 43 4.5 General Wildlife................................................................................................................. 44 4.6 BLM Sensitive Species (Animals) ..................................................................................... 45 4.7 Migratory Birds .................................................................................................................. 47 4.8 Vegetation .......................................................................................................................... 48 4.9 BLM Sensitive Species (Plants)......................................................................................... 49 4.10 Fire Management ............................................................................................................. 49 4.11 Forest Resources .............................................................................................................. 50 4.12 Visual Resources .............................................................................................................. 51 4.13 Air Quality ....................................................................................................................... 51 4.14 Wild Horses and Burros ................................................................................................... 52 4.15 Livestock Grazing ............................................................................................................ 52 4.16 Invasive, Non-Native Plant Species and Noxious Weeds ............................................... 53 4.2 Residual Effects ................................................................................................................. 53 5.0 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ........................................................................54 6.0 CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION ...........................................63 6.1 Public Review and Comment ......................................................................................... 63 6.2 Individuals, Tribes, Organizations and Agencies Consulted ......................................... 63 6.2.1 Individuals ........................................................................................................... 63 6.2.2 Tribes ................................................................................................................... 65 6.2.3 Organizations ...................................................................................................... 65 6.2.4 Agencies .............................................................................................................. 65 6.3 List of Preparers ............................................................................................................. 65 iv 7.0 REFERENCES ............................................................................................67 v List of Tables Table 1 Proposed Treatment Options Table 2 Summary of Acres by Treatment Method Table 3 Supplemental Authorities Table 4 Resources or Uses Other Than Supplemental Authorities Table 5 Large Game Species within the Project Area Table 6 Sensitive Plant Species That May Occur or Their Habitat May be Present in the Project Area Table 7 Forest and Woodland Types within the Planning Area Table 8 VRM Classification Table 9 Noxious Weeds that May be Present in the Project Area Table 10 Proposed Treatments by Community Type Table 11 CESA by Resource and Summary of Effects Table 12 Historic Large Fires Table 13 Past/Present Vegetation Treatments Table 14 Grazing Allotments in the CESA Table