Aquatic Restoration Environmental Assessment Malheur National Forest August 2014 Malheur National Forest Aquatic Restoration Environmental Assessment For More Information Contact: Steve Namitz PO Box 909 / 431 Patterson Bridge Road John Day, OR 97845 541-575-3000 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). 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Malheur National Forest Aquatic Restoration Environmental Assessment Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Chapter 1 Purpose and Need for the Proposal ................................................................................ 6 Chapter 2 Proposed Action and Alternatives ............................................................................... 14 Chapter 3 Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences .......................................... 28 Fisheries and Hydrology ........................................................................................................... 28 Wildlife ..................................................................................................................................... 73 Botany ....................................................................................................................................... 93 Soils ......................................................................................................................................... 108 Fire and Fuels .......................................................................................................................... 113 Heritage Resources ................................................................................................................. 119 Recreation ............................................................................................................................... 122 Climate Change ....................................................................................................................... 127 Range Management ................................................................................................................. 129 Environmental Justice ............................................................................................................. 136 USDA Civil Rights Policy ...................................................................................................... 137 Prime Farmland, Rangeland, and Forest Land ........................................................................ 137 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitments of Resources ..................................................... 137 National Forest Management Act ........................................................................................... 137 Finding of No Significant Impact ........................................................................................... 138 Chapter 4 Agencies and Persons Consulted ............................................................................... 142 List of Preparers ...................................................................................................................... 143 Appendix A Project Categories and Project Design Criteria...................................................... 144 Appendix B – Examples .............................................................................................................. 186 Appendix C – References ............................................................................................................ 192 Malheur National Forest Aquatic Restoration Environmental Assessment 1 Malheur National Forest Aquatic Restoration Environmental Assessment Introduction We prepared this draft environmental assessment to determine whether effects of the proposed activities may be significant enough to prepare an environmental impact statement. By preparing this environmental assessment, we are fulfilling agency policy and direction to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other relevant Federal and State laws and regulations. For more details of the proposed action, see Chapter 2 Proposed Action and Alternatives. This Aquatic Restoration Environmental Assessment includes a number of individual actions that, when grouped together, represent an overall watershed and fish habitat restoration program that may occur at many individual sites across the Malheur National Forest. The specific restoration actions can occur on a routine basis or sporadically and over an extended period, starting in 2014. A general plan for implementation would tier to the national priority subwatersheds and regional focus watersheds that have been identified on the Malheur National Forest utilizing the Regional Aquatic Restoration Strategy (USDA 2007) and the Watershed Condition Framework (USDA 2011) as well as the schedule listed on the Malheur National Forest Accelerated Vegetation Restoration Priority Watershed Map (see Figure 10) On January 28, 2013 the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Bureau of Land Management (Oregon State Office) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, submitted the Fish Habitat Restoration Activities Affecting ESA-Listed Animal and Plant Species and their Designated or Proposed Critical Habitat and Designated Essential Fish Habitat under MSA found in Oregon, Washington and parts of California, Idaho and Nevada (ARBA II) to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service on the effects of funding or carrying out restoration activities in Oregon and Washington. The 2013 Aquatic Restoration Biological Assessment is based on the Aquatic Restoration Biological Assessment (USDA et al. 2006), and the Biological Opinions (NMFS 2007 and USFWS 2007). The 2007 Biological Opinions expired in 2012 and triggered re-initiation. Some examples of projects completed on the Forest under the former biological assessment and biological opinion include riparian planting, stream restoration augmenting with large wood, culvert replacement for fish passage, livestock exclosures, juniper removal, and installation of fish screens on diversion ditches. National Marine Fisheries Service issued the Endangered Species Act – Section 7 Programmatic Consultation Conference and Biological Opinion And Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act Essential Fish Habitat Response for Reinitiation of Aquatic Restoration Activities in States of Oregon and Washington (ARBO II) on April 25, 2013 and the US Fish and Wildlife Service issued the Endangered Species Act – Section 7 Consultation Programmatic Biological Opinion for Aquatic Restoration Activities in the States of Oregon, Washington and portions of California, Idaho and Nevada (ARBO II) on July 1, 2013. When projects are implemented on the Malheur National Forest within the categories of activities described in the Aquatic Restoration Biological Assessment II, and the standards of the biological assessment and the terms and conditions of these biological opinions are followed, further consultation for threatened endangered and sensitive species is not required. The categories of activities and their site-specific project design criteria approach are the basis of this Environmental Assessment which provides each Malheur National Forest administrative unit with a consistent methodology to design, implement, monitor, and document watershed and aquatic restoration activities. 2 Malheur National Forest Aquatic Restoration Environmental Assessment Location of the Proposed Action This analysis covers aquatic restoration projects that would occur within the administrative boundaries of the Forest and adjacent lands where restoration activities would aid in the recovery of threatened and endangered species and impaired water bodies, and achieve Forest Service aquatic restoration goals. Contained within the geographic area, site-specific action areas are located in fish and non-fish bearing streams, riparian areas, and uplands that have a direct link to restoration of aquatic habitat and watershed function. The project area includes all areas to be affected directly or indirectly by the aquatic restoration activities and not merely the immediate project area. The 1,459,422-acre Malheur National Forest (Forest or Malheur) and 240,000 acres of the Ochoco National Forest that are managed by the Malheur National Forest, Emigrant Creek Ranger District, for a total of nearly 1.7 million acres in eastern Oregon comprise the project area (see Figure 1). These 1.7 million acres are the acreage considered as the Malheur National Forest