Red Rock/Lima Watershed Assessment Report Dillon Field Office 12/21/2017 Photo of Lima Peaks from Pine Butte Pasture of Snowline AMP Allotment July 2017 This page left intentionally blank Table of Contents Assessment Process ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Background ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Cultural History and Paleontology ........................................................................................................ 5 Agricultural History and Socioeconomics ............................................................................................ 6 Wilderness Study Area ....................................................................................................................... 8 Lands with Wilderness Characteristics ............................................................................................ 8 Visual Resource Management............................................................................................................ 8 Geology .................................................................................................................................................... 9 Fire History.............................................................................................................................................. 9 Authorized Uses .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Forest Products ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Livestock Grazing ................................................................................................................................. 10 Recreation .............................................................................................................................................. 12 Mining, Minerals, and Abandon Mine Lands .................................................................................... 13 Format for Standards ............................................................................................................................... 13 Uplands ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Affected Environment .......................................................................................................................... 14 Findings, Analysis and Recommendations ......................................................................................... 16 Findings and Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 20 Recommendations for Uplands ............................................................................................................ 21 Riparian and Wetland Areas ................................................................................................................... 22 Affected Environment .......................................................................................................................... 24 Findings and Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 27 Recommendations for Riparian ........................................................................................................... 33 Water Quality ............................................................................................................................................ 34 Affected Environment .......................................................................................................................... 35 Findings and Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 36 Recommendations for Water Quality ................................................................................................. 36 Air Quality ................................................................................................................................................. 37 Affected Environment .......................................................................................................................... 37 Findings and Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 38 Recommendations for Air Quality ...................................................................................................... 38 i Biodiversity ................................................................................................................................................ 38 Affected Environment and Findings and Analysis ............................................................................ 38 Recommendations for Biodiversity ..................................................................................................... 72 Additional Programs, Issues and/or Concerns ....................................................................................... 73 Interdisciplinary Team Composition ...................................................................................................... 74 GLOSSARY OF TERMS ......................................................................................................................... 75 REFERENCES-Literature and Materials Reviewed and/or Cited During the Preparation of this Document. .................................................................................................................................................. 79 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Appendix B ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Appendix C ................................................................................................................................................... 1 Appendix D ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Table 1. Grazing Allotment Summary ........................................................................................................ 10 Table 2. General Vegetation Cover Types .................................................................................................. 15 Table 3. Vegetative Treatments Conducted on BLM Lands within the RRLW ......................................... 16 Table 4. Summary of Upland Health Evaluations Within the RRLW During 2017 ................................... 18 Table 5. 2016 RRLW Assessment, Inventory, Monitor (AIM) Data Summary ......................................... 19 Table 6: Red Rock-Lima Watershed Channel Types .................................................................................. 25 Table 7: RRLW Lotic Reach Condition Summary ..................................................................................... 28 Table 8: Summary of Causal Factors Preventing PFC on RRLW Lotic Reaches ...................................... 29 Table 9: 2017 Red Rock Lima Watershed HAF Data Summary ................................................................ 41 Table 10: 2016 Red Rock Lima Watershed AIM Data Summary within Sage Grouse GHMA and PHMA .................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Table 11: Special Status Species Potentially Occurring within the RRLW ................................................ 45 Table 12: Fisheries Streams and Fish Species Present on BLM ................................................................. 53 Table 13: Red Rock Watershed Pool Frequency, Depth, and % Fines ....................................................... 55 Table 14: Red Rock Watershed Stream Temperature Data ........................................................................ 56 Table 15: Dominant Conifer Forest Types and Aspen on BLM Administered Lands Within the RRLW . 60 Table 16: Distribution of Dominant BpS in the RRLW (All Ownerships) ................................................. 66 Table 17: Natural Fire Regimes and Descriptions (Schmidt et al. 2002) ................................................... 67 Table 18: FRCC Summary of RRLW (All Ownership) .............................................................................. 70 Table 19: Weed Treatments within the RRLW .......................................................................................... 72 Figure 1: Reach 26 of Gallagher Creek. ..................................................................................................... 27 Figure 2: Percent of RRLW Lotic Reach Miles Meeting/Not Meeting Standards in 2007 Compared to 2017 ............................................................................................................................................................ 28 Figure 3: RRLW 2017 Lentic Reach .........................................................................................................