United States Department of the Interior FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Washington Fish and Wildlife Office Central Washington Field Office 215 Melody Lane, Suite 119 Wenatchee, WA 98801 September 8, 2011 In Reply Refer To: USFWS Reference: 13260-2011-F-0093 Hydrologic Unit Codes: 17-03-00-01-02 RE: Teanaway River Bank Protection Project Roylene Rides-at-the-Door Washington State Conservationist Natural Resources Conservation Service 2021 E. College Way, Suite 206 Mount Vemon, Washington 98273-2373 Dear Ms. Rides-at-the-Door: This conespondence transmits the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service) Biological Opinion (BO) based upon our review of the proposed Teanaway River Bank Protection Project (Project). The attached BO describes the effects of the Project on the bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) and designated critical habitat for the bull trout in accordance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The July 1,2011, cover letter and final Biological Assessment (BA) for this Project were received in the Service's Central Washington Field Office (CWFO) on July 5, 2011. The complete record for this consultation is on file in the CWFO. The attached BO describes the effects of the Project on the bull trout and its designated critical habitat. The Service concludes in the attached BO that implementation of the Project is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the bull trout and will not result in the destruction or adverse modification of designated critical habitat for the bull trout. If you have further questions about this BO or your responsibilities under the Act, please contact Gregg Kurz of the CWFO in Wenatchee at 509-665-3508. Sincerely, /~//rp Ken S. Berg, Manager Washington Fish and Wildlife Office Attachment BIOLOGICAL OPINION for the NRCS - Teanaway River Bank Protection Project Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service 2021 E. College Way, Suite 206 Mount Vernon, Washington 98723-2373 USFWS Reference Number: 13260-2011-F-0093 Hydrologic Unit Code: 17-03-00-01-02, Teanaway River Prepared by: Gregg Kurz, Fish and Wildlife Biologist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Central Washington Field Office, Wenatchee, Washington Issued by: ~~4 Date 4tzr.:?O// ~anager Washington Fish and Wildlife Office Lacey, Washington TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARy........................................................................................................................ iv INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1 CONSULTATION mSTORY ................................................................................................................... 3 1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Conservation Measures .................................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Definition of the Action Area ............................................................................... :........................ 6 2 STATUS OF THE SPECIES FOR BULL TROUT ......................................................................... 8 2.1 Listing Status and Distribution ...................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Current Status and Conservation Needs ........................................................................................ 9 2.3 Jarbidge River ................................................................................................................................ 9 2.4 Klamath River ...................................................................................... , ....................................... 10 2.5 Columbia River ............................................................................................................................ 10 2.6 Coastal-Puget Sound .................................................................................................................... 11 2.7 St. Maty-Belly River ................................................................................................................... 11 2.8 Life History and Population Dynamics ....................................................................................... 12 2.9 Consulted-on Effects ........... :....................................................................................................... "12 3 ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ................................................................................................... 13 3.1 Environmental Baseline for the Yakima Core Area .................................................................... 14 3.2 Environmental Baseline in the Teanaway Watershed ................................................................. 37 3.3 Likelihood of Species Presence in the Action Area .................................................................... 39 3.4 Global Climate Change ............................................................................................................... 39 4 STATUS OF BULL TROUT CRITICAL HABITAT .................................................................... 41 4.1 Legal Status and HistOlY of Bull Trout Critical Habitat.. ............................................................ 42 4.2 Primaty Constituent Elements for Bull Trout Critical Habitat.. ................................................ .45 4.3 Conservation Role and Description of Bull Trout Critical Habitat ............................................ .46 4.4 Cunent Critical Habitat Condition Rangewide .......................................................................... .4 7 5 ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE OF BULL TROUT CRITICAL HABITAT ........................ .48 5.1 Environmental Baseline for the Yakima CHU ............................................................................ 48 5.2 Enviromnental Baseline of Critical Habitat in the Action Area .................................................. 53 6 EFFECTS OF THE ACTION ON BULL TROUT AND BULL TROUT CRITICAL HABITAT ........................................................................................................................................... 54 6.1 DirectEffects ............................................................................................................................... 57 6.2 Effects to Habitat Indicators ........................................................................................................ 61 6.3 Responses of Bull Trout to Habitat Effects ................................................................................. 65 6.4 Integration of Direct Effects and Indirect Habitat Effects ........................................................... 66 6.5 Summaty of Effects to Bull Trout Critical Habitat.. .................................................................... 67 6.6 Effects ofInterrelated and Interdependent Actions ..................................................................... 68 7 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS .............................................................................................................. 68 8 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................. 69 9 REASONABLE AND PRUDENT ALTERNATIVES ................................................................... 71 INCIDENTAL TAKE STATEMENT ..................................................................................................... 72 LITERATURE CITED ............................................................................................................................. 76 APPENDIX A: Bull Trout Life History and Population Dynamics .................................................... 87 11 APPENDIX B: Projects subject to prior Section 7 consultation in the Teanaway Watershed that may have had impacts on bull trout or their habitat............................................... 111 APPENDIX C. Crosswalk between the Bull Trout Matrix and Bull Trout Critical Habitat Primary Constituent Elements .................................................................................................. 112 111 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose ofthe Teanaway River Bank Protection Project (Project) is to stabilize the shoreline of the Teanaway River, eliminating the potential for significant erosion of the shoreline and subsequent loss of agricultural lands. Active erosion has been observed over the past 2 years, which has resulted in significant inputs of fine material into the Teanaway River and a significant loss to adjacent agricultural lands. The proposed project would construct a new channel with a radius of curvature to width ratio between 2.9 ftlft and 4.7 ftlft, which is within the range for a stable natural channel. Without the proposed proj ect, the unstable meander of the river will continue to erode the shoreline, mobilizing large quantities of sediment and destroying the existing agricultural lands. The Project consists of constructing approximately 750 feet of new river channel and an overflow bench. To establish and maintain the contour and dimensions, rock vanes and wood structures will be constructed along the left bank of the river. Riparian vegetation will be planted on 1.9 acres ofthe left bank overflow bench and portions of the landowner's hay field. In all,