Grass Valley Creek United States Watershed Restoration Department of Agriculture Environmental Assessment Forest Service Intermountain Region Dixie National Forest Pine Valley Ranger District March 2019 Grass Valley Creek Watershed Restoration Title Page Photo Description: Forest community surrounding Reservoir Canyon. For More Information Contact: Nick Glidden Pine Valley District Ranger Dixie National Forest 196 E. Tabernacle, Suite 38 St. George, UT 84770 (435) 652-3100 Email: [email protected] Fax: (435) 652-3191 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. 1 Grass Valley Creek Watershed Restoration Contents Chapter 1. Purpose of and Need for Action ........................................................................................................3 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................3 1.2 Background .........................................................................................................................................3 1.3 Relationship to the Forest Plan ...........................................................................................................5 1.4 Existing and Desired Conditions ........................................................................................................7 1.5 Purpose and Need for Action ............................................................................................................22 1.6 Modified Proposed Action ................................................................................................................23 1.7 Decision Framework .........................................................................................................................24 1.8 Compliance with Other Laws, Regulations, and Policy ...................................................................24 1.9 Public Involvement ...........................................................................................................................25 1.10 Issues ................................................................................................................................................25 Chapter 2. Alternatives, Including the Modified Proposed Action ..................................................................28 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................28 2.2 Alternatives Considered in Detail .....................................................................................................28 2.3 Comparison of Alternatives ..............................................................................................................38 Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences ..............................................................45 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................45 3.2 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................................45 3.3 Fire, Fuels and Air Quality Resource ...............................................................................................47 3.4 Fisheries Resource ............................................................................................................................50 3.5 Hydrology and Soils Resource .........................................................................................................59 3.6 Range Resource ................................................................................................................................62 3.7 Recreation & Scenery Resource .......................................................................................................63 3.8 Vegetation Resource .........................................................................................................................71 3.9 Wildlife Resource .............................................................................................................................74 3.10 Other Disclosures..............................................................................................................................76 Chapter 4. Agencies and Persons Consulted ....................................................................................................81 4.1 Federal, State, and Local Agencies ...................................................................................................81 4.2 Tribes ................................................................................................................................................81 4.3 Others: ..............................................................................................................................................81 4.4 Pine Valley Allotment Permittees ....................................................................................................82 4.5 Public Meeting Participants ..............................................................................................................82 4.6 Commenters ......................................................................................................................................82 Appendix A - MAPS ........................................................................................................................................83 Appendix B .......................................................................................................................................................89 Bibliography .....................................................................................................................................................90 List of Tables Table 1. Management area and acres within the Grass Valley Creek Watershed project area ...........................5 Table 2. Acres of Potential Treatment in each Vegetation Class ......................................................................9 Table 3. Aspen Woodland Existing and Desired Conditions for the Fuels resource. .......................................10 Table 4. Ponderosa Pine Existing and Desired Conditions for the Fuels resource. ..........................................11 Table 5. Pinyon-Juniper, Mahogany, Oak Brush and Mountain Shrub Existing and Desired Conditions for the Fuels resource. ....................................................................................................................................13 Table 6. Sagebrush/Grass Existing and Desired Conditions for the Fuels resource. ........................................14 Table 7. Existing/desired conditions, and need for change for the Hydrology resource. .................................16 Table 8. Total acres burned in West Valley Fire and percentage of total subwatershed acres burned in the Main Canyon, Mill Canyon and Water Canyon subwatersheds. ..............................................................16 1 Grass Valley Creek Watershed Restoration Table 9. Existing/desired conditions, and need for change for the Fisheries resource. ....................................19 Table 10. Existing/desired conditions, and need for change for the Wildlife resource. ...................................21 Table 11. Existing/desired conditions, and need for change for the Trails resource. .......................................22 Table 12. Acres proposed for treatment............................................................................................................31 Table 13. Project system roads. ........................................................................................................................32