United States Department of Agriculture OHV Use for Maintenance along the Tyee Electrical Transmission Line Environmental Assessment Forest Service Tongass National Forest Ala ska Region Wrangell Ranger District R10-MB-810a June 2017 Primary Contact: Responsible Official: David Rak M. Earl Stewart Wrangell Ranger District Forest Supervisor 525 Bennett Street Tongass National Forest Wrangell, AK 99929 Federal Building 907-874-2323 Ketchikan, AK 99901 The United States 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, sexual orientation, or marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of 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 USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal employment opportunity provider and employer. OHV Use for Maintenance along the Tyee Electrical Transmission Line 1.0 Proposed Action .................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Proposed Action .............................................................................................................. 1 1.3 Purpose and Need........................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Management Direction ................................................................................................... 4 1.5 Decision To Be Made ...................................................................................................... 4 1.6 Public Participation ......................................................................................................... 5 2.0 Issues and Alternatives ....................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Issues ............................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Alternatives ..................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Management, Monitoring, and Mitigation Measures .................................................. 21 3.0 Existing Conditions ............................................................................................................ 23 3.1 Soils and Wetlands ........................................................................................................ 23 3.2 Vegetation ..................................................................................................................... 31 3.3 Wildlife .......................................................................................................................... 39 3.4 Aquatic Resources......................................................................................................... 46 3.5 Subsistence Resources .................................................................................................. 50 3.6 Cultural Resources ........................................................................................................ 51 3.7 Land Use ........................................................................................................................ 51 3.8 Other Resources............................................................................................................ 52 4.0 Environmental Consequences .......................................................................................... 53 4.1 Soils and Wetlands ........................................................................................................ 53 4.2 Vegetation ..................................................................................................................... 59 4.3 Wildlife .......................................................................................................................... 63 4.4 Aquatic Resources......................................................................................................... 65 4.5 Subsistence Resources .................................................................................................. 73 4.6 Cultural Resources ........................................................................................................ 74 4.7 Land Use ........................................................................................................................ 74 4.8 Other Resources............................................................................................................ 75 5.0 Cumulative Effects ............................................................................................................ 76 6.0 References Cited ............................................................................................................... 78 7.0 Preparers ........................................................................................................................... 81 Appendix A Mitigation and Monitoring Measures Appendix B Field-verified Characteristics of Proposed Stream Crossings in Segments A through I OHV Usage for Tyee Electrical Transmission Line Maintenance EA Page iii Q:\Projects\SEAPA TLine\NEPA\FinalEa\June2017ver\SEAPA FinalEA 6-1-17clean.docx List of Figures Figure 1.2-1. Project Area. ......................................................................................................... 2 Figure 1.2-2. Argo OHV (left) and landing craft (right). ............................................................. 3 Figure 2.2-1. Segment A........................................................................................................... 10 Figure 2.2-2. Segment B........................................................................................................... 11 Figure 2.2-3. Segment C........................................................................................................... 13 Figure 2.2-4. Segment D. ......................................................................................................... 14 Figure 2.2-5. Segment E. .......................................................................................................... 16 Figure 2.2-6. Segment F. .......................................................................................................... 17 Figure 2.2-7. Segment G. ......................................................................................................... 19 Figure 2.2-8. Segment H. ......................................................................................................... 20 Figure 2.2-9. Segment I. ........................................................................................................... 22 Figure 3.1-1. Log mats.............................................................................................................. 23 Figure 3.1-2. Recreational ATV tracks in western portion of Segment C. ............................... 24 Figure 3.1-3. Recreational ATV tracks in Segment I. ............................................................... 25 Figure 3.1-4. Recreational ATV tracks in Segment H near Access Point AP-H2. ..................... 25 Figure 3.1-5. Recreational ATV tracks in Segment H. .............................................................. 26 OHV Usage for Tyee Electrical Transmission Line Maintenance EA Page iv Q:\Projects\SEAPA TLine\NEPA\FinalEa\June2017ver\SEAPA FinalEA 6-1-17clean.docx List of Tables Table 3.1-1. Soils crossed by the ROW in each segment. ...................................................... 28 Table 3.1-2. Soil series and descriptions. ............................................................................... 29 Table 3.1-3. Wetland acreage within the project area. ......................................................... 31 Table 3.2-1. Sensitive plants known or suspected to occur on the Petersburg or Wrangell Ranger District. ................................................................................................... 32 Table 3.2-2. AKNHP rare species observed in the project area. ............................................ 32 Table 3.2-3. Invasive species documented in the project area, and estimated acreage. ...... 35 Table 3.2-4. Invasive species occurrences on NFS land by segment and Forest Service priority. ............................................................................................................... 37 Table 3.2-5. Invasive species occurrences in Wrangell Borough, highlighting treatment priorities. ............................................................................................................ 38 Table 3.2-6. Invasive species occurrences in Petersburg Borough, highlighting treatment priority. ............................................................................................................... 39 Table 3.2-7. Threatened and endangered wildlife species under the jurisdiction of NMFS. 40 Table 3.2-8. Threatened, endangered,