Survey & Manage Compliance Report Pettijohn LSR Project Tom Quinn April 13, 2011 Updated and Edited by Kelly Wolcott May 4, 2011.

Transcription

1 Survey & Manage Compliance Report Pettijohn LSR Project Tom Quinn April 13, 2011 Updated and Edited by Kelly Wolcott May 4, The Pettijohn LSR Project is consistent with the Settlement Agreement finalized and filed on July 6, 2011 in Conservation Northwest et al. v. Sherman, Case No. C JCC (W.D. Wash). In addition to reinstating the 2001 Survey and Manage Record of Decision, the Settlement Agreement modifies the applicable species list and adds exemptions for certain management activities. Survey and Manage (SM) is a component of the Northwest Forest Plan intended to mitigate effects of management activities on old growth associated species of animals, plants, lichens, and fungi. Table 1. The following species list and requirements is derived from the 2011 Settlement Agreement in Conservation Northwest et al. v. Sherman, Case No. C JCC (W.D. Wash.) Shasta-Trinity Survey & Manage animals Species Other name SM Category 2011 Project survey required* Manage known sites required SM compliance VERTEBRATES Shasta salamander Hydromantes shastae MOLLUSKS, aquatic Fluminicola n. sp. 14 [F. potemicus] Potem Creek pebblesnail Fluminicola n. sp. 15 Flat top / Sacramento pebblesnail Fluminicola n. sp. 16 Shasta Springs pebblesnail Fluminicola n. sp. 17 Disjunct pebblesnail Fluminicola n. sp. 18 [F. anserinus] Globular / Goose Valley pebblesnail Fluminicola seminalis Nugget pebblesnail Juga (O) n. sp. 3 Cinnamon Juga Lyogyrus n. sp. 3 [Colligyrus convexus] Canary duskysnail MOLLUSKS, terrestrial Ancotrema voyanum Hooded lancetooth D No Yes Yes Monadenia chaceana Siskiyou sideband B** see footnote Yes Yes Monadenia troglodytes Shasta sideband troglodytes Monadenia troglodytes Wintu sideband wintu Trilobopsis roperi Shasta chaparral Trilobopsis tehamana Tehamana chaparral Vespericola pressleyi Big Bar / Pressley hesparian Vespericola shasta Shasta hesperian **Based upon direction contained in the ROD, equivalent-effort pre-disturbance surveys are required for these mollusk species. [Monadenia chaceana] Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 1

2 Table 2. The project is in compliance with these species and they are eliminated from further analysis because the project lies well outside the species known or expected ranges. Fluminicola n. sp. 14 [F. potemicus] expected to occur in the It inhabits cold springs in the Upper Fluminicola n. sp. 15 Fluminicola n. sp. 16 Sacramento and Pit River tributaries in Shasta County. Upper Sacramento and Pit River tributaries in Shasta County. Upper Sacramento River spring complexes. Fluminicola n. sp. 17 Fluminicola n. sp. 18 [F. anserinus] Fluminicola seminalis Juga (O) n. sp. 3 Lyogyrus n. sp. 3 [Colligyrus convexus] Monadenia chaceana Monadenia troglodytes troglodytes Monadenia troglodytes wintu Trilobopsis roperi Vespericola shasta Upper Sacramento River spring complex in Shasta County. Upper Sacramento and Pit River drainages in Shasta County. Known populations occur Sacramento and Pit Rivers, Shasta County and none are not known or expected to occur in or near the Upper Sacramento River in Siskiyou County. Pit River in Shasta County. Known from Siskiyou County and Oregon. The Trinity portion of the Shasta- Trinity National Forest is outside the known range of this species, and is none are expected to occur in or near the Only known to occur in Shasta County CA. Not known or expected to occur in or near Only known to occur in Shasta County and not expected to occur in or near Only known to occur in Shasta County and not expected to occur in or near Occurrences limited to Shasta County and not expected to occur in or near Species Considered in more Detail Four Survey and Manage (SM) species have potential range distribution in the Pettijohn LSR Project vicinity: Hydromantes shastae, Ancotrema voyanum and Vespericola pressleyi, and Trilobopsis tehamana. These four species are in a SM category where known sites are to be managed and three, Hydromantes Shasta, Vespericola pressleyi, and Trilobopsis tehamana are in a category where pre-disturbance surveys are to be considered for projects that may impact suitable habitat. 2 Shasta-Trinity National Forest

3 Shasta salamander (Hydromantes shastae) The Shasta salamander (HYSH) is unique to a small area northeast of Redding near Shasta Lake and extending northward up the McCloud River arm of the lake. The salamander s primary habitat is limestone caves and rock outcrops around Shasta Lake, Shasta County. The nearest occupied sites lie over 17 miles to the east of the Pettijohn Project, separated by Trinity and Lewiston Lakes. No limestone occurs in the project vicinity. The project is in compliance with the Settlement Agreement concerning the Shasta salamander for the following reasons: this species is unlikely to occur in the project vicinity, potential habitat would not be impacted, and therefore individuals do not occur in the project area and would not be harmed or killed by project actions. Surveys for the Shasta salamander (Hydromantes shastae; HYSH) were not recommended or conducted for the Pettijohn LSR Project. The rationale for not conducting HYSH surveys is based upon the great distance to known occupied HYSH sites, the total lack of preferred HYSH habitat in the project vicinity, the avoidance of impacts to lower quality potential HYSH habitat, and the avoidance of physically impacting individual HYSH in the off chance that small areas of lower quality habitat are occupied: Even though the project falls within the robust survey zone depicted in the Survey Protocols for Amphibians Under the Survey and Manage Provision of the Northwest Forest Plan Version 3.0 ( the protocol ; Olson and Lewendal, October 1999), the Pettijohn LSR project lies well away from known HYSH populations. The 1999 protocol establishes a generous survey area that stretches out about 25 miles from sites where HYSH have been found. The Pettijohn proposed treatment areas lie in the western most reaches of this survey zone ranging from about 17 to 23 miles from the nearest occupied sites. Trinity and Lewiston Lakes lie between the occupied sites and the Pettijohn Project. The Pettijohn Project lies outside of the zone established by the State of California requiring surveys of HYSH for proposed timber harvest plans ( es/amphibians/shastasalamander/tabid/671/default.aspx). The Pettijohn LSR Project would not affect primary HYSH habitat. The survey protocol describes HYSH habitat as primarily limestone rock outcrops and adjacent areas and requires surveys in these areas if habitat would be affected. Based upon our limestone GIS mapping and extensive field reviews by the project soil scientist (personal communication with Brad Rust), there are no limestone rock outcrops in the Pettijohn Project vicinity. The Pettijohn LSR Project proposed thinning units would not affect potential HYSH habitat or individual HYSH. The protocol describes potential HYSH habitat as nonlimestone rock outcrops & adjacent areas one population was found in a volcanic Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 3

4 rock outcrop and recommends surveys in these areas if habitat would be affected. There are no rock outcrops in or adjacent to the proposed thinning units based upon extensive field reviews by wildlife survey crews, vegetation data collection crews, and the project soil scientist (personal communication with Brad Rust). The Pettijohn LSR Project proposed fuel management zones (FMZs) would have little or no effect to potential HYSH habitat or individual HYSH. Small nonlimestone rock outcrops may rarely occur in the proposed FMZs. No actions would occur on rock outcrops. The use of machinery (i.e., associated with proposed mastication) would occur on relatively flat ground only where rock outcrops do not occur. The use of machinery would not occur during wet weather periods when HYSH may be active on the surface away from rock outcrop areas. Furthermore, the proposed limited removal of only small diameter shrubs and trees would have little or no effect on the microclimate conditions in and around scattered rock outcrops. Hooded Lancetooth (Ancotrema voyanum) The project is in compliance with the Settlement Agreement concerning the hooded lancetooth snail because the agreement requires management of known sites and no known sites lie in the project area vicinity. Our database shows the nearest known site is about three miles to the north separated from the project by Trinity Lake. Big Bar Hesperian Snail (Vespericola pressleyi) The project is in compliance with the Settlement Agreement concerning the Big Bar Hesperian snail because this species does not likely occur in the project vicinity and potentially occupied habitat would not be impacted. Surveys were not conducted for this species because suitable habitat would be maintained and, given the design of the project, verifying occupied sites would not have changed the design. Our database shows the nearest known Big Bar Hesperian site is in the vicinity of Big Bar, California about 20 miles west of the project. Forest Service surveys have resulted in new detections and re-verified previous sites all in the general vicinity of the small community of Big Bar. This snail inhabits perennially damp forested areas in the immediate vicinity of seeps, springs, streams, and riparian areas. The project was designed to avoid entering wet/damp areas and, as discussed in detail in Chapter 3 of the EIS, maintenance of a relatively dense canopy cover especially near streams is a key aspect of the project that would maintain suitable Big Bar Hesperian habitat conditions. Tehama Chaparral Snail (Trilobopsis tehamana) The project is in compliance with the Settlement Agreement concerning the Tehama chaparral snail because this species is unlikely to occur in the project vicinity, potential habitat would not be impacted, and individuals would not be harmed or killed. Surveys were no recommended or 4 Shasta-Trinity National Forest

5 conducted for this snail for the same reasons discussed previously concerning the Shasta salamander. The Tehama chaparral snail is a local endemic in Tehama, Butte, and Siskiyou counties, California and is known from 6 sites including along banks of the Shasta River Canyon in Siskiyou County (Burke et al, 1999). The project lies in Trinity County. No Tehama chaparral snails have ever been detected on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest despite many years of mollusks protocol surveys on the Forest beginning in 1998, on tens of thousands of acres for more than 190 projects, producing over 2000 project survey records, and verification of over one thousand other mollusk individuals of other species. Like the Shasta salamander, the Tehama chaparral snail is associated limestone caves, talus, or outcrops. Also, as previously discussed, limestone does not occur in the project vicinity and the project design would maintain the suitability of other non-limestone outcrop ( potential ) habitat. Additionally, no actions would occur on rock outcrops and the use of machinery would not occur during wet weather periods when snails may be active on the surface away from rock outcrop areas. Literature Burke, T.E., J.S. Applegarth, and T.R. Weasma Management Recommendations for Survey and Manage Terrestrial Mollusks, Version 2.0. USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land Management. Portland, OR. October, Duncan N., T. Burke, S. Dowlan, and P. Hohenlohe Survey Protocol for Survey and Manage Terrestrial Mollusk Species from the Northwest Forest Plan, Version 3.0, 70pp. USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land Management. Portland, OR. Olson and Lewendal. October Survey Protocols for Amphibians Under the Survey and Manage Provision of the Northwest Forest Plan Version 3.0. USDI BLM Field Guide to Survey and Manage Terrestrial Mollusk Species from the Northwest Forest Plan. Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Office, June USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau and Land Management Record of Decision and Standards and Guidelines for Amendments to Survey and Manage, Protection Buffer, and other Mitigation Measure Standards and Guidelines. January Portland, OR. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 5