United States Department of Agriculture Timberline Ski Area Mountain Forest Service Bike Trails and Skills Park Environmental Assessment November 2012 Zigzag Ranger District Mt. Hood National Forest Clackamas County, Oregon Cover photo: Downhill mountain biker on an intermediate singletrack near Hood River, OR. Photo by Carl Warren. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ii United States Department of Agriculture Timberline Ski Area Mountain Forest Service Bike Trails and Skills Park Environmental Assessment Zigzag Ranger District Mt. Hood National Forest Clackamas County, Oregon November 2012 Legal Description: T3S, R9E, Sections 7, 12, 13, Willamette Meridian Lead Agency: USDA Forest Service Responsible Official: Chris Worth Forest Supervisor Mt. Hood National Forest For Information Contact: Kristy Boscheinen Mt. Hood National Forest 16400 Champion Way Sandy, OR 97055 (503) 668-1645 Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. i Chapter 1: Purpose and Need for Action .................................................................................. 1 1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................... 1 RLK’s Master Development Plan ........................................................................................ 4 1.2 Purpose & Need for Action .......................................................................................... 4 1.3 Proposed Action ........................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Decision Framework..................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Management Direction ................................................................................................. 7 Land Designations ............................................................................................................... 7 1.6 Additional Documents Incorporated by Reference ...................................................... 9 1.7 Public Involvement ..................................................................................................... 10 1.7.1 Scoping ................................................................................................................. 10 1.7.2 Public Comment on the Proposed Action and Preliminary Analysis ................... 11 1.8 Issues and Concerns.................................................................................................... 11 Issues Outside the Scope of the Analysis .......................................................................... 14 Chapter 2: Alternatives ........................................................................................................... 15 2.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 15 2.1 Alternatives Considered But Eliminated From Detailed Study ..................................... 15 2.1.1 Initial Conceptual Proposal ................................................................................... 15 2.1.2 Initial Field-developed Trail Network .................................................................. 15 2.2 No Action ................................................................................................................... 19 2.3 Proposed Action ......................................................................................................... 19 2.3.1 Bike Park Trails .................................................................................................... 21 2.3.2 Skills Park ............................................................................................................. 23 2.3.3 Construction of the Trails and Skills Park ............................................................ 25 i ............................................................................................................................................ 26 2.3.3 Watershed Restoration Activities ......................................................................... 27 2.3.5 Implementation of the Watershed Restoration Activities ..................................... 30 2.3.6 Operation Timing .................................................................................................. 30 2.3.7 Project Design Criteria and Monitoring ................................................................ 31 Chapter 3: Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences ........................................ 44 3.1 Soils ............................................................................................................................ 45 3.2 Hydrology, Geology, and Water Resources ............................................................... 50 3.3 Fisheries and Aquatics ................................................................................................ 95 3.5 Wildlife ..................................................................................................................... 121 3.6 Botany ....................................................................................................................... 151 3.7 Heritage .................................................................................................................... 174 3.8 Visuals ...................................................................................................................... 179 3.9 Sense of Place ........................................................................................................... 195 3.10 Recreation ................................................................................................................. 203 3.11 Socioeconomics ........................................................................................................ 224 Chapter 4: References ........................................................................................................... 240 Chapter 5: List of Preparers .................................................................................................. 258 Appendix A: Response to Comments ..................................................................................... 260 Appendix B: Detailed Descriptions of Trails ......................................................................... 261 Appendix C: ARP Analysis .................................................................................................... 262 Appendix D: Visual Analysis ................................................................................................. 263 Appendix E: IMBA Market Analysis ..................................................................................... 264 ii Chapter 1: Purpose and Need for Action 1.0 Introduction Timberline Ski Area is located on the Zigzag Ranger District of the Mt. Hood National Forest (Forest), on the southwest side of Mt. Hood, in northwestern Oregon (see Figure 1 - Timberline Ski Area Vicinity Map). RLK and Company (RLK) operates Timberline Lodge and Ski Area (Timberline) under a 30-year Special Use Permit (SUP) issued by the U.S. Forest Service. The Timberline SUP area encompasses approximately 1,415 acres. This environmental assessment analyzes the effects of a proposal by RLK to develop a managed, lift-assisted downhill-only mountain bike trails system and skills park. The trails system would be located within the terrain serviced by the existing Jeff Flood Express Lift within the Timberline SUP boundary (see Figure 2 - Proposed Action). The skills park would be located just below the Wy’East Day Lodge. The trail system would include approximately 17 miles of trail, and the skills park would encompass approximately 0.2 acre for a total amount of ground disturbance of approximately 12 acres. The Proposed Action also includes watershed restoration activities that would reduce sediment contribution to the Still Creek and West Fork Salmon drainages. The restoration activities would decommission and/or stabilize approximately 2.1 miles of native surface roads and restore seven sites for a total of approximately six acres of restoration within or adjacent to the project area. The project area is the southern half of the Timberline SUP area, within the Still Creek and West Fork Salmon River watersheds. The trails system, skills park, and