United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management SIERRA RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN and RECORD OF DECISION For the Folsom Field Office California December 2007 _________________________________________ William S. Haigh, Folsom Field Office Manager __________________________________________ Mike Pool, California State Director Sierra Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision_____________________________________ This page intentionally left blank. Sierra Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision__________________________ Table of Contents 1.0 Record of Decision ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Changes from the Proposed RMP to the Approved RMP.......................................................... 1 1.2 Alternatives.............................................................................................................................2 1.3 Management Considerations...................................................................................................3 1.4 Mitigation ...............................................................................................................................3 1.5 Plan Monitoring.......................................................................................................................4 1.6 Public Involvement..................................................................................................................4 1.7 Administrative Remedies.........................................................................................................5 2.0 Sierra Resource Management Plan ............................................................................................. 7 2.1 Air Quality............................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Soil Resources.........................................................................................................................8 2.3 Water Resources .....................................................................................................................8 2.4 Vegetative Communities....................................................................................................... 11 2.5 Fish and Wildlife.................................................................................................................... 12 2.6 Special Status Species........................................................................................................... 13 2.7 Wildland Fire Ecology and Management................................................................................ 15 2.8 Cultural Resources ................................................................................................................ 17 2.9 Paleontological Resources .................................................................................................... 19 2.10 Visual Resources..................................................................................................................20 2.11 Cave Resources ...................................................................................................................22 2.12 Forestry and Woodlands......................................................................................................22 2.13 Livestock Grazing ................................................................................................................ 23 2.14 Energy and Minerals............................................................................................................24 2.15 Recreation...........................................................................................................................26 2.16 Transportation and Access .................................................................................................. 30 2.17 Lands and Realty ................................................................................................................. 32 2.18 Hazardous Materials/Abandoned Mine Lands...................................................................... 36 2.19 Special Designations ........................................................................................................... 36 Appendix A. Maps ..........................................................................................................................42 Appendix B. Conservation Strategies.............................................................................................. 43 Appendix C. Timber Harvest Criteria............................................................................................. 110 ________________________________________________________________________ i Sierra Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision__________________________ List of Tables 1. Map and Data Disclaimer Map 1 2. Special Areas ‐ ACECs, WSRs, WSA, Preserves Map 2 3. Fire Management Units Map 3 4. SRMAs ‐ Overview Map 4 5. SRMA ‐ South Fork of the Yuba River Map 4a 6. SRMA ‐ North Fork of the American River Map 4b 7. SRMA ‐ South Fork of the American River Map 4c 8. SRMA ‐ Red Hills Map 4d 9. SRMA ‐ Merced River Map 4e 10. ACECs ‐ Overview Map 5 11. ACECs ‐ Yuba Brownsville, Deadmans Flat, Indiana Hill‐Dutch Flat Map 5a 12. ACECs ‐ Pine Hill, Spivey Pond, North Fork Cosumnes Map 5b 13. ACECs ‐ Cosumnes River, Ione Manzanita Map 5c 14. ACECs ‐ Red Hills, Bagby Serpentine, Limestone Salamander Map 5d 15. ACECs ‐ Rare Plants and Animals in the Red Hills ACEC East of Don Pedro Reservoir Map 5e 16. Motorized Routes ‐ South Yuba River Map 6a 17. Motorized Routes ‐ North Fork of the American River Map 6b 18. Motorized Routes ‐ South Fork of the American River Map 6c 19. Motorized Routes ‐ Cosumnes River Map 6d 20. Motorized Routes ‐ Mokelumne River Map 6e 21. Motorized Routes ‐ Tuolumne River Map 6f 22. Motorized Routes ‐ Merced River Map 6g 23. Reasonably Foreseeable Oil and Gas Development Map 7 24. Eligible and Suitable Wild & Scenic Rivers Map 8 25. Recommended Wild & Scenic River ‐ Main & North Mokelumne Map 8a 26. Recommended Wild & Scenic River ‐ So. Fork American Map 8b 27. Public Lands to Retain Map 9 ________________________________________________________________________ ii Sierra Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision__________________________ 1.0 Record of Decision This Record of Decision (ROD) documents the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) decision to adopt the Sierra Resource Management Plan (RMP). The RMP is nearly identical to the Sierra Proposed RMP and Final Environmental Impact Statement (PRMP/FEIS) published on June 8, 2007. Specific management decisions (including management activities, mitigations and project design features) for public lands under the jurisdiction of the Folsom Field Office are presented in Section 2 of this RMP. This decision considers public comments; the best available scientific and technical information; and results of consultations with federal and state agencies, local governments, Native American tribes, a variety of non‐governmental organizations, and numerous individuals. This RMP and its associated environmental impact statement (EIS) were prepared in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500‐1508), and BLM regulations (NEPA Handbook (H‐1790‐1) and Land Use Planning Handbook (H‐1601‐1)). 1.1 Changes from the Proposed RMP to the Approved RMP Additional measures to protect against airborne asbestos have been added to the RMP. To the extent possible and with consideration for other resources, ground disturbing activities in areas with NOA will occur during the wet season to reduce airborne asbestos. During the dry season, areas with NOA may be temporarily closed during ground disturbing activities, water may be applied during road work, and workers will wear personal protective equipment in order to protect workers and the public from airborne asbestos (see Section 2.1). BLM may consider a 20‐acre land exchange in the Ione Manzanita ACEC (see Section 2.17.1). Lands in an ACEC may be exchanged within an ACEC for other lands that better represent the values for which the ACEC was designated. In response to public comments opposed to the Indian River and Ponderosa roads as OHV routes and based upon further review of their suitability as OHV routes, BLM has decided to limit the Indian River and Ponderosa roads to street legal vehicles only (see Section 2.16). The Old Mill and Clark roads (approximately ¼ mile long each), which provide access to private land and residences, will be added as designated motorized routes (Map 6a). These roads are near North Columbia, in Nevada County (T18N, R9E, Section 32). Additionally, Eganhoff Lane (T6N, R13E, Section 1) a graded road in Calaveras County with approximately 75’ on BLM land will also be added as a designated motorized route because it is used frequently by the public (Map 6e). BLM will continue to honor Calaveras County Resolutions 97‐36 and 97‐38b. The BLM parcels identified by those two resolutions will be identified as "public lands to retain” on Map9. ________________________________________________________________________ 1 Sierra Resource Management Plan and Record of Decision__________________________ Objectives to maintain plantations have been omitted from section 2.12, Forestry and Woodlands,