BLM United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-UT-W020-2016-0008-EA June 2017 Greater Sheeprocks Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration and Hazardous Fuels Treatment Fillmore Field Office / Salt Lake Field Office Field Lake / Office Salt Field Fillmore Fillmore Field Office (Lead Office) 95 East 500 North Fillmore, Utah 84631 Phone: (435) 743-3100 Fax: (435) 743-3135 Salt Lake Field Office 2370 South Decker Lake Boulevard West Valley City, Utah 84119 Phone: (801) 977-4300 Fax: (801) 977-4397 Greater Sheeprocks Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration and Hazardous Fuels Treatment DOI-BLM-UT-W020-2016-0008-EA This page intentionally left blank. Greater Sheeprocks Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration and Hazardous Fuels Treatment DOI-BLM-UT-W020-2016-0008-EA Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Location and Background ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Location ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.2 General Background .................................................................................................................... 2 1.1.3 Background of the Sheeprock Greater Sage-Grouse Population Area ........................................ 3 1.1.4 Project Background ..................................................................................................................... 3 1.1.5 Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Purpose and Need ............................................................................................................................... 6 1.3 Decision to be Made ........................................................................................................................... 7 1.4 Conformance with Land Use Plans .................................................................................................... 7 1.5 Tiering to Existing NEPA Decisions .................................................................................................. 8 1.6 Relationship to Statutes, Regulations, or Other Plans ........................................................................ 9 1.7 Cooperating Agencies and Partners .................................................................................................. 10 1.8 Identification of Issues ..................................................................................................................... 11 1.8.1 Scoping Summary ..................................................................................................................... 11 1.8.2 Issues to be Analyzed in Detail ................................................................................................. 11 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................................ 13 2.1 Alternative A – Proposed Action ...................................................................................................... 13 2.1.1 Initial Site-Specific Projects ...................................................................................................... 14 2.1.2 Proposed Suite of Treatment Types .......................................................................................... 19 2.1.3 Implementation .......................................................................................................................... 29 2.1.4 Project Design Criteria .............................................................................................................. 30 2.1.5 Monitoring ................................................................................................................................. 36 2.2 Alternative B – No-Action ............................................................................................................... 37 2.3 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated ........................................................................................... 37 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................ 39 3.1 General Setting ................................................................................................................................. 39 3.1.1 Resources/Issues Brought Forward for Analysis ...................................................................... 39 3.2 Greater Sage-Grouse ........................................................................................................................ 39 3.2.1 Sheeprock Greater Sage-Grouse Population Description .......................................................... 40 3.2.2 Desired Conditions .................................................................................................................... 41 3.3 Migratory Birds ................................................................................................................................ 42 3.3.1 Species That May Benefit from Focused Greater Sage-Grouse Management .......................... 44 3.3.2 Species That May Be Negatively Affected by Focused Greater Sage-Grouse Management .... 44 3.4 Threatened, Endangered, Candidate or Special Status Animal Species ........................................... 46 3.5 Wildlife, Excluding Special Status Species ...................................................................................... 48 3.5.1 Mule Deer .................................................................................................................................. 48 i Greater Sheeprocks Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration and Hazardous Fuels Treatment DOI-BLM-UT-W020-2016-0008-EA 3.5.2 Elk ............................................................................................................................................. 49 3.5.3 Pronghorn .................................................................................................................................. 49 3.6 Fuels/Fire Management .................................................................................................................... 49 3.6.1 Fire History ............................................................................................................................... 50 3.6.2 Past Fuels and Vegetation Treatments ...................................................................................... 50 3.6.3 Fire Regime/Condition Class .................................................................................................... 51 3.6.4 Communities at Risk (Wildland Urban Interface) ..................................................................... 52 3.6.5 Trends ........................................................................................................................................ 53 3.7 Vegetation, Excluding Special Status Species.................................................................................. 53 3.8 Invasive Species/Noxious Weeds ..................................................................................................... 54 3.9 Woodlands/Forestry ......................................................................................................................... 54 3.10 Soils ................................................................................................................................................ 55 3.11 Livestock Grazing and Rangeland Health Standards ..................................................................... 56 3.12 Water Resources/Quality ................................................................................................................ 59 3.13 Wetlands/Riparian Zones ............................................................................................................... 60 3.13.1 Proper Functioning Condition Protocol Assessment Data ...................................................... 60 3.13.2. Multiple Indicator Monitoring (MIM) Data ........................................................................... 64 3.13.3 Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) Monitoring Data ........................................... 64 3.14 Cultural Resources .......................................................................................................................... 66 3.15 Recreation ....................................................................................................................................... 66 3.16 Lands with Wilderness Characteristics ........................................................................................... 67 3.16.1 Current Status of Lands with Wilderness Characteristics Inventories .................................... 68 3.17 Air Quality/Climate Change/Greenhouse Gas Emissions .............................................................. 71 3.17.1 Air Quality ............................................................................................................................... 71 3.17.2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions/Climate Change .......................................................................... 72 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS .........................................................................................................