Stillwater Field Office, Nevada Office, Field Stillwater FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Cow Canyon, Clan Alpine, and Dixie Valley Allotments Landscape Project (Grazing permit renewals; range improvements; community gravel pit establishment; invasive, nonnative and noxious weed treatments, interim visual resource management class establishment and adaptive management practices) . DOI-BLM-NV-C010-2015-0004-EA U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management Carson City District Stillwater Field Office 5665 Morgan Mill Road Carson City, NV 89701 775-885-6000 March 2017 It is the mission of the Bureau of Land Management to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. DOI-BLM-NV-C010-2015-0004-EA Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... IV LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... IV LIST OF ACRONYMS ............................................................................................... VI 1.0 INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE AND NEED ............................................................ 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 1.2 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................... 2 1.3 PURPOSE AND NEED ............................................................................................... 7 1.4 LAND USE PLAN CONFORMANCE STATEMENT ....................................................... 9 1.5 RELATIONSHIPS TO STATUTES, REGULATIONS, POLICIES, PLANS OR OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS .............................................................................................. 11 1.6 DECISIONS TO BE MADE ....................................................................................... 12 1.7 SCOPING AND ISSUES ........................................................................................... 13 2.0 PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES ................................................... 14 2.1 ALTERNATIVE 1: PROPOSED ACTION ................................................................... 14 2.1.1 Livestock Grazing ............................................................................ 16 2.1.2 Proposed Range Improvements ................................................... 22 2.1.3 Existing Range Improvements ....................................................... 25 2.1.4 Minerals ............................................................................................. 29 2.1.5 Invasive, Nonnative, and Noxious Weeds ................................... 30 2.1.6 Visual Resource Management ...................................................... 37 2.1.7 Adaptive Management .................................................................... 37 2.2 ALTERNATIVE 2: DIXIE VALLEY REDUCTION IN LIVESTOCK AND CHANGE IN SEASON OF USE ............................................................................................................... 38 2.3 ALTERNATIVE 3: CHERRY VALLEY CLOSURE TO HOT SEASON GRAZING ........... 40 2.4 ALTERNATIVE 4: COW CANYON CHANGE IN SEASON OF USE AND CLAN ALPINE REDUCTION OF AUMS ......................................................................................... 41 2.5 ALTERNATIVE 5: NO DOMESTIC SHEEP GRAZING ............................................... 43 2.6 ALTERNATIVE 6: NO GRAZING .............................................................................. 43 2.7 ALTERNATIVE 7: NO ACTION ................................................................................ 44 2.7.1 Livestock Grazing ............................................................................ 44 2.7.2 Minerals ............................................................................................. 45 2.7.3 Invasive, Nonnative and Noxious Weeds .................................... 45 2.7.4 Visual Resource Management ...................................................... 45 2.7.5 Adaptive Management .................................................................... 46 2.8 ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS CONSIDERED AND DISMISSED FROM DETAILED ANALYSIS46 2.8.1 Remove or Reduce Livestock within the HMA ............................ 46 2.8.2 Designate the Clan Alpine HMA as a “Wild Horse Range” ....... 46 i 2.8.3 Raising the Appropriate Management Levels for Wild Horses. 47 2.8.4 Zeroing out the HMA ....................................................................... 47 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ..... 48 PROPOSED ACTION ..................................................................................................... 48 GENERAL SETTING ...................................................................................................... 48 SUPPLEMENTAL AUTHORITIES ................................................................................... 49 RESOURCES OR USES OTHER THAN SUPPLEMENTAL AUTHORITIES ....................... 50 RESOURCES PRESENT AND BROUGHT FORWARD FOR ANALYSIS ........................... 52 3.1 LANDS WITH WILDERNESS CHARACTERISTICS..................................................... 52 3.2 LIVESTOCK GRAZING ............................................................................................ 53 3.2.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................... 53 3.2.2 Environmental Consequences ....................................................... 55 3.3 WILD HORSES ....................................................................................................... 60 3.3.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................... 60 3.3.2 Environmental Consequences ....................................................... 61 3.4 MINERALS .............................................................................................................. 64 3.4.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................... 64 3.4.2 Environmental Consequences ....................................................... 65 3.5 WATER QUALITY ................................................................................................... 65 3.5.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................... 65 3.5.2 Environmental Consequences ....................................................... 66 3.6 WETLANDS/RIPARIAN ZONES ............................................................................... 69 3.6.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................... 69 3.6.2 Environmental Consequences ....................................................... 72 3.7 VEGETATION .......................................................................................................... 75 3.7.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................... 75 3.7.2 Environmental Consequences ....................................................... 77 3.8 INVASIVE, NON-NATIVE AND NOXIOUS SPECIES .................................................. 81 3.8.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................... 81 3.8.2 Environmental Consequences ....................................................... 83 3.9 CULTURAL RESOURCES ....................................................................................... 86 3.9.1 Affected Environment ...................................................................... 86 3.9.2 Environmental Consequences ....................................................... 88 3.10 NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS CONCERNS ................................................... 90 3.10.1 Affected Environment ................................................................... 90 3.10.2 Environmental Consequences .................................................... 91 3.11 GENERAL WILDLIFE ....................................................................................... 92 3.11.1 Affected Environment ................................................................... 92 3.11.2 Environmental Consequences .................................................... 99 3.12 NEO-TROPICAL MIGRATORY/SONG BIRDS .................................................. 105 ii 3.12.1 Affected Environment ................................................................. 105 3.12.2 Environmental Consequences .................................................. 107 3.13 NEVADA BLM SENSITIVE SPECIES ............................................................. 111 3.13.1 Affected Environment ................................................................. 111 3.13.2 Environmental Consequences .................................................. 117 3.14 VISUAL RESOURCES .................................................................................... 125 3.14.1 Affected Environment ................................................................. 125 3.14.2 Environmental Consequences .................................................. 126 3.15 WILDERNESS/WSAS ................................................................................... 130 3.15.1 Affected Environment ................................................................. 130 3.15.2 Environmental Consequences .................................................. 136 3.16