Categorical Exclusion - Mechanical Fuels Reduction, Incline Railway

Bureau of Land Management Lake Havasu Field Office 2610 Sweetwater Avenue Lake Havasu City, AZ 86406 CX-AZ-330-07-13 NEPA Number: March 7, 2007 Categorical Exclusion Date: Assignment, Review and Approval Sub-activity: 2824 JQ Case/Project No: CD 37 Incline Railway Fuels Reduction Name of Project: Type: Mechanical (hand-crew) R. 13W Location (legal description) T. 7N Section: 22 & 27 T. R. Section: T. R. Section: Applicant (s): LHFO Fuels Program (Matthew Bossler, Natural Resource Specialist (Fire/Fuels))

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Description of Proposed Action: The Incline Railway at the Bonanza gold mine in the Harcuvar mountains is a rare archaeological relic of a unique period of mining history. The remaining structure consists of a standard-gauge wooden tressel suspended track of approximately 150 meters running from the top of a hill to the wash below. Where the railway ends at the wash, there is a chute surrounded by a wooden shed with a metal roof. Along the railway, the predominant vegetation is medium-density Upper Sonoran Desert Scrub consisting of desert grasses, jojoba, creosote, ocotillo, and various cacti and cholla, with a few representative species of interior chaparral (turbinella oak, ceanothus;) in the wash and around the shed are honey mesquites and a smattering of annual and perennial grasses and forbs in the sand.

The proposed action is to „lop and scatter‟ grasses, shrubs, and dead wood with weed-whackers, chain-saws, brush saws/pruners, rakes and various other electric, gas-powered and simple hand tools within 12 feet of the structures.

Termed the „home ignition zone‟ by the National Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Program, this actively managed area is site specific and in the most extreme pine forests, can extend up to 200 feet from the target structure. In this Upper Sonoran Desertscrub/interior chapparal transition zone, the fuels loads and vegetation type do not warrant such a large zone of active management. While Upper Sonoran Desertscrub is not a fire adapted ecosystem, interior chaparral is; Best estimates of the historical fire frequency of this area lay anywhere between 0 and 100 years, with low to stand-replacement severity. However, the invasion of non-native annuals has contributed to a more uniform fuel bed in recent years, increasing the current fire frequency and severity of this area. The most recent evidence of this ecosystem‟s current fire behavior is the similarly-vegetated Harcuvar wildfire of 1999 that stretched from the Harcuvar ridgeline/Smith Peak to the Hargus Historical Cabin, and required multiple suppression crews to prevent spread into neighboring communities.

In order to lower the risk of a fire damage to the Incline Railway in a similar fire event, balancing the need to preserve the visual character of this archaeological resource, our active zone of proposed fuels management will extend to 12 feet from the outer most-part of the structure, resulting in management of this site at a moderate risk level.

Fuels reduction projects proposed for the Incline Railway include the following actions: 1. All vegetation from below the structures up to 2 feet away from the outer-most part of the structure would be pruned to very low levels to reduce the ignitability of the structure itself.

2. „Lop and scatter‟ grasses, shrubs, and dead wood with weed-whackers, chain-saws, brush saws/pruners, rakes and various other electric, gas-powered and simple hand tools within the zone 2 -12 feet from the outermost part of the structures, so that fire would not carry from plant to plant. The goal in this zone is to prevent a large convective fire from occurring, irradiating the structure with extremely high temperatures and sending “fire brands,” aka hot embers, into the air and onto the highly flammable wooden structure.

This will most likely be implemented by the LHFO fire crew, though it may be contracted out.

Current VRM Management Objective for this project is Class IV; therefore, a contrast rating is not necessary.

Reviewed by NEPA Coordinator:

BLM Categorical Exclusion Reference (516 DM, 6.5 Chapter 11.5):

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DOI 516 DM 2, 1.12 Hazardous fuels reduction activities using prescribed fire not to exceed 4,500 acres, and mechanical methods for crushing, piling, thinning, pruning, chipping, mulching, and mowing, not to exceed 1,000 acres. Such activities: shall be limited to areas (1) in wildland-urban interface and (2) Condition Class 2 or 3 in Fire Regime Groups I, II, or III, outside the wildland-urban interface; Shall be identified through a collaborative framework as described in “A Collaborative Approach for Reducing Wildland Fire Risks to Communities and the Environment 10-Year Comprehensive Strategy Implementation Plan;” Shall be conducted consistent with agency and Departmental procedures and applicable land and resource management plans; Shall not be conducted in wilderness areas or impair the suitability of wilderness study areas for preservation as wilderness; Shall not include the use of herbicides or pesticides or the construction of new permanent roads or other new permanent infrastructure; and may include the sale of vegetative material if the primary purpose of the activity is hazardous fuels reduction. (Refer to the Environmental Statement Memoranda Series for additional, required guidance.)

Department of the Interior 516 DM 2, Appendix 2 provides for a review of the following categorical exclusion criteria to determine if exceptions apply to this project: Yes 2.1 Have significant adverse effects on public health or safety.

2.2 Have adverse effects on such unique geographic characteristics as historic or cultural resources, park, recreation or refuge lands, wilderness areas, wild or scenic rivers, sole or principal drinking water aquifers, prime farmlands, wetlands, floodplains, or ecologically significant or critical areas, including those listed on the Department's National Register of Natural Landmarks.

2.3 Have highly controversial environmental effects.

2.4 Have highly uncertain and potentially significant environmental effects or involve unique or unknown environmental risks.

2.5 Establish a precedent for future action or represent a decision in principle about future actions with potentially significant environmental effects.

2.6 Be directly related to other actions with individually insignificant but cumulatively significant environmental effects.

2.7 Have adverse effects on properties listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

2.8. Have adverse effects on species listed or proposed to be listed on the List of Endangered or Threatened Species, or have adverse effects on designated Critical Habitat for these species.

2.9. Require compliance with Executive Order 11988 (Floodplain Management), Executive Order 11990 (Protection of Wetlands), or the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. 2.10 Threaten to violate a Federal, State, local or tribal law or requirement imposed for the protection of the environment.

The proposed project conforms to the following BLM management plans:    

Final Yuma District Resource Management Plan and EIS. 1987 Yuma District Office. (As amended) Approved Amendment to the Lower Gila North Management Framework Plan and Lower Gila south Resource Management Plan and Decision Record. 2005, Phoenix District Office Lower Gila North Management Framework Plan 1994. Phoenix District Office.

Arizona Statewide Land Use Plan Amendment for Fire, Fuels, and Air Quality Management; FONSI and EA, 2004.

Arizona State Office

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No X X X X X X X X X X

Describe site specific consultation and coordination with other agencies and affected interests: Project area has been previously surveyed and approved for actions listed above by Sarah Murray, LHFO archaeologist.

VRM reviewed with Jill-Miller Alert and Myron McCoy of LHFO Recreation staff. Current VRM Management Objective for this project is Class IV; therefore, a contrast rating is not necessary.

Pictures of project area reviewed by Angela Gatto, LHFO Wildlife Biologist. Although no threatened or endangered wildlife or plant species are known to occur within the proposed fuels reduction site, the proposed project is located in an area classified by the Bureau of Land Management as Category 1 desert tortoise habitat (Gopherus agassizii.) The area may also support nesting migratory birds.

Conservation measures can be found listed below under “stipulations.�

AZ Department of Agriculture Office of Special Operations contacted regarding AZ Native Plant Law, which does not specifically apply for this project and for which no permit is needed.

Technical Review : Critical Elements /Specialty

May Be Affected

Yes

No

If May affect / Mitigations Assigned

Air Quality

Signature Name/Title Cory Bodman

Areas of Critical Environmental Concern

Jill Miller-Allert

Cultural Resources/ Paleontological Resources

Sarah C Murray

Environmental Justice

Specialist

Farm Lands (Prime or Unique)

Specialist

Floodplain

Specialist

Native American Religious Concerns

Sarah C Murray

Threatened or Endangered Species

Angela Gatto

Wastes, Hazardous or Solid

Specialist

Water Quality, Drinking or Ground

Cory Bodman

Wetlands/Riparian Zones

Angela Gatto

Wild and Scenic Rivers

Jill Miller-Allert

Wilderness

Jill Miller-Allert

Invasive & Non Native Weeds

Angela Gatto

Lands/Realty

Maria Rosalez

Law Enforcement

Mike Dodson

Operations/Engineering Review

Mike Henderson

Recreation

Myron McCoy

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Date

Visual Resources Management

Myron McCoy

Soils/Minerals

Amanda Dodson

Wild Horses/ Burros

Cindy Barnes

Range

Specialist

Health & Safety

Bill Parry

Review: We have determined that the proposal is in accordance with the categorical exclusion criteria and that it would not involve any significant environmental effects. Therefore, it is categorically excluded from further environmental review.

SIGNATURES Prepared by: Date: Project Lead Review by: Date: Supervisor Decision: Bureau of Land Management, Lake Havasu Field Office, has determined that this decision or action conforms to the land use plan, that none of the 10 exceptions apply, and that therefore neither an EA nor EIS is needed, The decision or action will be implemented subject to the stipulations attached to the authorizing document.

Approved By: Date:

Field Manager, Lake Havasu Field Office

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Exhibits:

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Stipulations 1) Live material of plant species identified in the AZ Native Plant Law (e.g., all Cactus species, Ocotillo (Fauquieria splendens), Paloverde (Cercidium sp.), Mesquite (Prosopis sp.), Ironwood (Olneya tesota), Agave (Agavaceae) and other native trees, etc.) shall be avoided if possible. A variety of means, such as flagging or visual education, will be used to inform the crew on the appropriate identification of desirable vegetation.

2) Any cultural (historic/prehistoric site or object) and/or paleontological resource (fossil remains of plants or animals) discovered during the proposed action shall immediately be reported to the Field Manager or his designee. All operations in the immediate area of the discovery shall be suspended until written authorization to proceed is issued. An evaluation of the discovery shall be made by a qualified archaeologist or paleontologist to determine appropriate actions to prevent the loss of significant cultural or scientifically important paleontological values.

3) Care shall be taken not to disturb or destroy Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) or their burrows.

Handling, collecting, damaging, or destroying Desert Tortoises or their burrows is prohibited by Arizona State Law. Any sightings of Desert Tortoise should be immediately reported to the Lake Havasu Field Office, Wildlife Biologist within 48 hours, including location, approximate size, and date of observations.

All Desert Tortoises will not be handled and/or disturbed except by a certified handler.

4) Activities should be limited to the period of October 1st through February 28th, to limit impacts to desert tortoise and migratory birds. If this timeframe can not be met a qualified biologist will be on site during project activities.

5) Before traveling to site, work agent will inspect and clean tools, machinery, and vehicles to prevent the spread of invasive and or noxious weeds.

6) Project implementation will be supervised by fuels staff Project Inspector (PI).

7) All project staff will avoid mine tailings throughout the duration of the project for safety of personnel.

Compliance and assignment of responsibility (Program or Employee): LHFO Fuels program

Monitoring and assignment of responsibility: (Program or Employee): LHFO Fuels program

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