FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT WINNEMUCCA FIELD OFFICE OIL AND GAS LEASING OCTOBER 21, 2005 EA NUMBER: NV-020-05-EA-21 Lead Agency: BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Winnemucca Field Office 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd. Winnemucca, Nevada 89445 Bureau of Land Management Oil and Gas Resources Leasing Winnemucca Field Office Environmental Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................. i TABLES ....................................................................................................................................... vii ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS...................................................................................... ix 1.0 PURPOSE AND NEED OF THE PROPOSED ACTION............................................ 1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1-1 1.2 LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION .................................................................................1-1 1.3 LAND USE CONFORMANCE STATEMENT ...............................................................................1-3 1.4 RELATIONSHIP TO LAWS, REGULATIONS, AND OTHER PLANS................................................1-4 1.5 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PLANS AND DOCUMENTS..............................................................1-5 1.6 HISTORY OF OIL AND GAS LEASING AND EXPLORATION IN THE WINNEMUCCA FIELD OFFICE ......................................................................................1-4 1.7 PURPOSE AND NEED...............................................................................................................1-6 1.7.1 Purpose for the Proposed Action ................................................................................1-6 1.7.2 Need for the Proposed Action....................................................................................1-7 1.8 ISSUES ...................................................................................................................................1-8 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES ...................... 2-1 2.1 PROPOSED ACTION................................................................................................................2-1 2.1.1 Reasonably Foreseeable Development Scenarios .....................................................2-1 2.2 ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED ACTION..........................................................................2-6 2.2.1 No Action Alternative ...............................................................................................2-6 2.2.2 Alternative Considered but Eliminated from Detailed Analysis...............................2-6 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT...................................................................................... 3-1 3.1 AIR QUALITY ............................................................................................................................3-3 3.1.1 Regional Setting........................................................................................................3-3 3.1.1 Meteorology and Air Quality ....................................................................................3-5 3.2 CULTURAL RESOURCES ..........................................................................................................3-11 3.2.1 Cultural History.......................................................................................................3-11 3.2.1 Cultural Resources Sensitivity ...............................................................................3-18 3.3 INVASIVE, NONNATIVE SPECIES .............................................................................................3-22 3.4 MIGRATORY BIRDS .................................................................................................................3-24 3.5 NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS CONCERNS ...........................................................................3-24 3.6 THREATENED, ENDANGERED, AND SPECIAL STATUS SPECIES ...............................................3-27 3.7 WASTES, HAZARDOUS OR SOLID ...........................................................................................3-31 3.8 HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY ......................................................................................3-32 3.8.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................3-32 3.8.2 Surface Water Resources .........................................................................................3-34 3.8.3 Groundwater Resources ...........................................................................................3-37 3.8.4 Water Quality...........................................................................................................3-41 Table of Contents i Oil and Gas Resources Leasing Bureau of Land Management Programmatic Environmental Assessment Winnemucca Field Office 3.9 WETLANDS AND RIPARIAN ZONES .........................................................................................3-43 3.10 WILDERNESS, AND WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS..................................................................3-44 3.10.1 Management Prescriptions......................................................................................3-45 3.10.2 Wilderness Study Areas .........................................................................................3-46 3.10.3 Wilderness ..................................................................................................3-46 3.10.4 National Conservation Area....................................................................................3-46 3.11 SOILS ..................................................................................................................................3-47 3.11.1 General Soils Found in the Region.........................................................................3-48 3.11.2 Erosion Hazard for Soils ........................................................................................3-48 3.11.3 Soil Erosion by Water ............................................................................................3-49 3.11.4 Soil Erosion by Wind .............................................................................................3-49 3.11.5 Soil Erosion Related to Landform Type.................................................................3-50 3.12 VEGETATION .........................................................................................................................3-50 3.12.1 Zonal Plant Communities.......................................................................................3-54 3.12.2 Azonal Communities..............................................................................................3-56 3.13 WILDLIFE ............................................................................................................................3-58 3.13.1 Wildlife .............................................................................................................3-58 3.13.2 Other Biota .............................................................................................................3-59 3.14 FISHERIES ...........................................................................................................................3-60 3.15 GEOLOGY AND MINERALS ....................................................................................................3-60 3.15.1 Geology .............................................................................................................3-61 3.15.2 Oil and Gas Resources ............................................................................................3-61 3.15.3 Mineral Resources...................................................................................................3-63 3.15.4 Geothermal Resources.............................................................................................3-65 3.16 PALEONTOLOGY....................................................................................................................3-68 3.17 LANDS AND REALTY .............................................................................................................3-71 3.17.1 Land Uses and Ownership ......................................................................................3-72 3.17.2 Land Tenure Acquisition and Disposal...................................................................3-73 3.18 RECREATION .........................................................................................................................3-73 3.18.1 Background .............................................................................................................3-74 3.18.2 Highlights .............................................................................................................3-74 3.19 VISUAL RESOURCES...............................................................................................................3-75 3.19.1 Visual Resource Management.................................................................................3-76 3.19.2 Description of the Assessment Area .......................................................................3-77 3.20 WILD HORSES AND BURROS.................................................................................................3-78 3.21 RANGE RESOURCES...............................................................................................................3-79