ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REPLACEMENT OF THE ACKERMAN PARCEL WITH COEYMANS CREEK WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA Prepared January 2021 Lead State Agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Fish and Wildlife Cooperating Federal Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposed Action: To resolve loss of control over the Ackerman parcel (acquired by DEC with federal funds in 1939) by replacing the property with a property of equal value and benefits, the Coeymans Creek Wildlife Management Area (acquired by DEC with state funds in 2019). Location: Towns of New Scotland and Coeymans, Albany County, NY Summary: This environmental assessment considers the impacts to the human environment of the proposed action and the no action alternative. Purchased from Edward and Catherine Ackerman in 1939, the “Ackerman parcel” was originally acquired as part of the Delmar Experimental Game Farm but has since become part of the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. The primary impact is that some types of wildlife-dependent recreation are not available. The property currently provides opportunities for environmental education and wildlife observation; however, DEC's changes to the administration, use, and regulations pertaining to this property resulted in hunting, trapping, and fishing being prohibited. Consequently, the Ackerman parcel no longer meets the purposes of the grant agreement at the time of acquisition. The conclusion of this assessment is that the preferred alternative—replacing the Ackerman parcel with Coeymans Creek WMA—will not result in any adverse environmental impacts, will resolve DEC’s compliance with terms of the 1939 grant agreement, and will provide greater overall benefits for wildlife, wildlife habitat, and wildlife-dependent recreation. Page 1 of 29 Approved by: James F. Farquhar III Tony Wilkinson Chief, Bureau of Wildlife Director, Division of Fish & Wildlife Date Date Environmental Assessment – Replacement of Ackerman Parcel Page 2 of 25 Page 2 of 29 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Scope of Document ...................................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Role of State Entities Involved ..................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 Location ........................................................................................................................................................ 5 1.4 Background .................................................................................................................................................. 5 2.0 PURPOSE AND NEED ................................................................................................................................. 6 3.0 COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE STATUTES, REGULATIONS, AND GUIDELINES .......................................... 6 4.0 ALTERNATIVES .......................................................................................................................................... 7 4.1 Development of Alternatives ....................................................................................................................... 7 4.2 Alternatives Considered Further .................................................................................................................. 8 5.0 DESCRIPTION OF THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................................ 9 5.1 General Land Use and Administration ......................................................................................................... 9 5.2 Fish and Wildlife ........................................................................................................................................... 9 5.3 Habitat........................................................................................................................................................ 10 5.4 Threatened and Endangered Species ......................................................................................................... 11 5.5 Wetlands, Streams, and Water Quality ...................................................................................................... 11 5.6 Noise .......................................................................................................................................................... 12 5.7 Cultural and Historical Resources .............................................................................................................. 12 5.8 Public Use, Access, and Recreation ............................................................................................................ 12 5.9 Socioeconomic Environment and Environmental Justice .......................................................................... 13 6.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ......................................................................................................... 13 6.1 General Land Use and Administration ....................................................................................................... 13 6.2 Fish and Wildlife ......................................................................................................................................... 14 6.3 Habitat........................................................................................................................................................ 14 6.4 Threatened and Endangered Species ......................................................................................................... 14 6.5 Wetlands, Streams, and Water Quality ...................................................................................................... 15 6.6 Noise .......................................................................................................................................................... 15 6.7 Cultural and Historical Resources .............................................................................................................. 15 6.8 Public Use, Access, and Recreation ............................................................................................................ 15 6.9 Socioeconomic Environment and Environmental Justice .......................................................................... 16 7.0 COMPARISON OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ............................................................................. 16 8.0 CUMULATIVE IMPACT ............................................................................................................................. 17 9.0 CONSULTATION, COORDINATION AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT ............................................................... 17 10.0 LIST OF PREPARERS ................................................................................................................................. 18 11.0 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................ 18 12.0 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................ 20 Appendix A. Maps ................................................................................................................................................... 20 Appendix B. Habitat and Recreation Benefits Matrix ............................................................................................. 24 Appendix C. Public Comment .................................................................................................................................. 25 Environmental Assessment – Replacement of Ackerman Parcel Page 3 of 25 Page 3 of 29 1.0 INTRODUCTION New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) prepared this Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential impacts to the human and natural environment associated with resolving DFW’s loss of control of the Ackerman parcel of the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (Five Rivers; formerly part of the Delmar Game Farm) in Albany County, NY. The Ackerman parcel has been incorporated into Five Rivers and is no longer used for some of the approved purposes for which it was acquired. Hunting, trapping, and fishing are not allowed on the property, DEC discontinued use of the property for game bird propagation, and currently the property’s primary use is environmental education. Therefore, DFW’s proposed action is to replace the Ackerman parcel with a nearby property, Coeymans Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which was purchased with state funds, has an equivalent value, and provides equal if not greater wildlife and wildlife-dependent recreational benefits. The proposed action affects lands purchased with funds from the Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), Division of Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR). Because of the federal funds used to purchase the land in question and associated federal regulations, this action must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 United States Code [USC] § 4321-4347), Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and Section 106 of