BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT Assessment of activities that may affect the federally listed plant species, Gentner’s Fritillary, Cook’s Lomatium, and Large-flowered Woolly Meadowfoam, on Bureau of Land Management, Medford District and Cascade Siskiyou National Monument Bureau of Land Management Medford District September 30, 2013 Prepared by Bryan Wender, Bureau of Land Management, Medford District, in consultation with Sam Friedman, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Roseburg, OR. CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 4 ACTION AREA ............................................................................................................................................ 5 LAND OWNERSHIP .................................................................................................................................... 5 II. PROPOSED ACTIONS .................................................................................................................................. 6 PROJECT TYPES ADDRESSED UNDER THIS BA ............................................................................................ 7 PROJECT TYPES NOT ADDRESSED UNDER THIS BA .................................................................................... 8 PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS ............................................................................................................................ 8 A. Abandoned Mine Land Remediation ................................................................................................ 9 B. Cultural Resource Projects ............................................................................................................... 9 C. Fuels Management and Wildfire Suppression ............................................................................... 10 D. Mining and Exploration Activities .................................................................................................. 11 E. Quarry Operations ........................................................................................................................... 12 F. Range Operations ............................................................................................................................ 12 G. Recovery Actions............................................................................................................................. 12 H. Recreation Projects and Administrative Site Maintenance ........................................................... 13 I. Research, Inventory, and Monitoring .............................................................................................. 13 J. Road Maintenance and Construction ............................................................................................. 13 K. ROW Permitting for Roads ............................................................................................................. 14 L. ROW Permitting for Other Uses ..................................................................................................... 15 M. Silvicultural Treatments ................................................................................................................ 15 N. Special Forest Product Harvesting ................................................................................................. 16 O. Tree Harvesting .............................................................................................................................. 16 P. Watershed Restoration .................................................................................................................. 17 Q. Weed Control ................................................................................................................................. 17 III. PROJECT DESIGN CRITERIA ..................................................................................................................... 24 1 GENERAL PROJECT DESIGN CRITERIA ...................................................................................................... 24 Project Notifications ............................................................................................................................ 24 Clearance Surveys ............................................................................................................................... 24 Inconclusive Surveys ........................................................................................................................... 25 Marking and Buffering ........................................................................................................................ 25 Project Activities during Dormancy ..................................................................................................... 25 Use of Heavy Equipment ..................................................................................................................... 26 Emergency Exemptions ....................................................................................................................... 26 SPECIFIC PROJECT DESIGN CRITERIA ....................................................................................................... 26 A. Abandoned Mine Land Actions ....................................................................................................... 26 B. Cultural Resources Projects ............................................................................................................ 26 C. Fuels Management and Wildfire Suppression ................................................................................ 27 D. Mining Operations .......................................................................................................................... 28 E. Quarry Operations ........................................................................................................................... 28 F. Range Operations ............................................................................................................................ 28 G. Recovery Actions............................................................................................................................. 29 H. Recreation Projects and Administrative Site Maintenance ............................................................ 29 I. Research and Monitoring Actions .................................................................................................... 30 J. Road and Bridge Maintenance and Construction ............................................................................ 30 K. ROW Permitting for Roads .............................................................................................................. 30 L. ROW Permitting for Other Uses ...................................................................................................... 30 M. Silvicultural Treatments ................................................................................................................. 31 N. Special Forest Product Harvesting .................................................................................................. 31 O. Tree Harvesting ............................................................................................................................... 32 P. Watershed Restoration ................................................................................................................... 32 Q. Non-native Invasive Plant Control .................................................................................................. 33 2 IV. ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE .................................................................................................................. 35 COOK’S LOMATIUM and DESIGNATED CRITICAL HABITAT ...................................................................... 35 Long-term Demographic Monitoring .................................................................................................. 36 Cook’s Lomatium Outlook ................................................................................................................... 36 GENTNER’S FRITILLARY ............................................................................................................................ 37 Long-term Demographic Monitoring .................................................................................................. 39 Modeling Demographic Response to Climate Variables ..................................................................... 39 Long-term Population Monitoring at 57 Sites ..................................................................................... 39 Gentner’s Fritillary Outlook ................................................................................................................. 40 LARGE-FLOWERED WOOLLY MEADOWFOAM ......................................................................................... 40 Large-flowered Woolly Meadowfoam Outlook .................................................................................. 41 V. EFFECTS OF THE PROPOSED ACTIONS .................................................................................................... 42 DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS .............................................................................................................. 42 Effect to Listed Plants .........................................................................................................................