AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. The affected environment is the area and its resources (i.e., biological, physical, human) potentially impacted by the Proposed Action and Alternatives. The purpose of describing the affected environment is to define the context in which the impacts would occur. To make an informed decision about which alternative to select, it is necessary to first understand which resources would be affected and to what extent. The affected environment section of this document attempts to provide the basis for this understanding. Relative to Applicant’s proposal for a Section 10 Permit, the affected environment includes those settings where any covered activities would occur. This includes the Enrolled Lands spanning 212,443 acres of land across Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, King, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx and Wahkiakum counties. The Section 10 Permit would cover all Enrolled Lands and covered activities. In defining potentially affected resources, the USFWS considered the potential impacts associated with the Proposed Action, namely potential issuance of a section 10 Permit to Applicant for incidental take of marbled murrelets and implementation of the proposed SHA. Consistent with NEPA, the USFWS also considered a No Action Alternative, where Applicant would continue to conduct forest management activities under the Forest Practices Rules without incidental take coverage, and two other action alternatives. Elements of the natural and human environment included in this analysis are those with the potential for significant differences between the alternatives, or for which an analysis was required to demonstrate that the difference would not be substantial. Elements of the natural and human environment not specifically addressed are those that would not be affected by the Proposed Action (e.g., recreation) and those for which there would be no significant difference between alternatives (e.g., transportation, energy consumption, air quality, noise, and scenic resources/aesthetics). The Enrolled Lands are commercial timberlands. Applicant’s Enrolled Lands also provide access to a variety of recreational sites and activities. The majority of Rayonier’s property is gated to prevent vandalism, theft, dumping and to reduce the risk of fire. Most of the property has some type of permit system in place for hunting and other recreational uses. Other areas are open for walk-in use without a permit. Rayonier offers several types of permits: Recreational...
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the existing environment, including conditions and trends, that may be affected by the management alternatives. Descriptions focus on the physical features of Cook Inlet, Alaska, living marine resources, and habitat. The following description(s) of the physical environment of Cook Inlet provides a setting for subsequent discussions on the environmental impacts of each alternative. These descriptions are necessary for understanding how the alternatives being considered may affect the marine resources of Cook Inlet. Because this assessment focuses only on the development of a co- management agreement between NMFS and CIMMC, and the biological and cultural environment surrounding that activity, this section focuses only on beluga whales and the use of beluga whale for subsistence purposes. The reader may find a more detailed discussion of the region's natural and human environments in the following reference documents: the University of Alaska’s 1974 Alaska Regional Profiles: Southcentral Alaska (UAF 1974), and the Minerals Management Service's Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cook Inlet Planning Area Oil and Gas Sale 149 (MMS 1996).
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the existing environment, including conditions and trends, that may be affected by the management alternatives. Because this assessment focuses only on the development of a co-management agreement between NMFS and CIMMC, and the biological and cultural environment surrounding that activity, this section focuses only on beluga whales and the use of beluga whales for subsistence purposes. The reader may find a more detailed discussion of the region's natural and human environments in the following reference documents: NMFS’s Draft Federal Actions Associated with Management and Recovery of Cook Inlet Beluga Whales Environmental Impact Statement (2000), and MMS’s Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cook Inlet Planning Area Oil and Gas Sale 149 (MMS 1996).
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the existing environment, including conditions and trends, that may be affected by the management alternatives. Descriptions focus on the physical features of CI, Alaska, living marine resources, and habitat. The following description(s) of the physical environment of CI provides a setting for subsequent discussions on the environmental impacts of each alternative. These descriptions are necessary for understanding how the alternatives being considered may affect the marine resources of CI. Because this assessment focuses only on the development of a co-management agreement between NMFS and CIMMC, and the biological and cultural environment surrounding that activity, this section focuses only on beluga whales and the use of beluga whale for subsistence purposes. The reader may find a more detailed discussion of the region's natural and human environments in the following reference documents: the University of Alaska’s 1974 Alaska Regional Profiles: Southcentral Alaska (UAF 1974), and the Minerals Management Service's Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cook Inlet Planning Area Oil and Gas Sale 149 (MMS 1996).
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. The Xxxx NWR Complex is located in the Tulare Lake Basin at the southern portion of the Central Valley and comprises two individual refuges (Xxxx and Pixley NWRs) owned and managed by the Service. Historically, seasonal flooding of Tulare Lake and four other smaller lakes created an interconnected patchwork of aquatic, wetland, riparian forest, and valley oak savannah habitats. The vast wetland habitats were an important overwintering and migratory stopover for waterfowl. Although much of the historic Tulare Lake Basin has been converted to agricultural use, small areas of wetland habitat remain. The 10,600-acre Xxxx NWR was established to restore a portion of the wetland habitat lost through drainage of Buena Vista, Xxxx, Goose, and Tulare lakes for agricultural use. Management of Xxxx NWR has four objectives (Service, 1986a): • Provide wintering and migration habitat for waterfowl and water birds • Preserve and improve habitats that support the endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizard, San Xxxxxxx kit xxx, and other endangered and sensitive species • Maintain populations and habitats for native plants and animals • Provide for public use that is compatible with the refuge’s and Service objectives, and encourage environmental understanding for visitors Xxxxxx NWR was also established to restore and protect wetland habitat. However, in addition to providing wetland habitat, Xxxxxx NWR currently fills an important role in supporting threatened and endangered species. Approximately 4,392 acres of the refuge are set aside as habitat for three endangered species—the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, the San Xxxxxxx kit xxx, and the Xxxxxx kangaroo rat. Management of Xxxxxx NWR has three primary objectives (Service, 1986b): • Preserve and improve habitats that support the endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizard, San Xxxxxxx kit xxx, and Xxxxxx kangaroo rat, as well as other endangered and sensitive species • Maintain adequate populations of native plants and animals • Provide habitat for migratory waterfowl and water birds, when water is available Vegetation and Wildlife Management of the Xxxx NWR Complex focuses on providing wetland and native upland habitats. Small grain crops and pasture are also maintained on Xxxxxx NWR as winter loafing habitat for sandhill cranes and geese. The vegetation and associated wildlife communities of Xxxx and Pixley NWRs can be divided into four general types: • Upland habitats • Wetland habitats
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. Xxxx National Wildlife Refuge Water supplies for Xxxx NWR consist of surface water from the CVP and SWP, and groundwater. The Xxxx NWR is primarily served by the Buena Vista Water Storage District, which obtains surplus SWP water from the Xxxx County Water Agency through the California Aqueduct. In addition, Xxxx NWR occasionally receives water from Reclamation through the Xxxxxx-Xxxx Canal and, subsequently, through Poso Creek. The quality of surface water from the CVP and SWP is adequate for refuge uses and is widely used for irrigation and drinking water (Reclamation, 1994). Runoff from surrounding farms and flood flows supply additional surface water. The quality of this water has also been adequate for refuge uses. Studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey on the refuge detected few pesticides, and those detected were far below levels at which adverse effects would occur. Trace element concentrations were also found to be low and to pose little threat to wildlife. Nine groundwater xxxxx were used to supply water to the refuge until the early 1970s when a receding water table, coupled with escalating energy costs, led to the discontinued use of three of the xxxxx. The remaining six xxxxx have been operated on an as-needed basis, in conjunction with the purchase of SWP water (Service, 1986a). No water quality concerns regarding the use of groundwater on the refuge have been identified. There are no return flows from the Xxxx NWR except in extremely wet years. The refuge area sits within the Tulare Lake Bed. The historic hydrology has been greatly altered, with the majority of flow that at one time reached the lake bed now controlled through dams, reservoirs, and irrigation features. The primary drainage features within the study area are Deer Creek, Poso Creek, the Goose Creek Canal, and the Kern River channel. The Xxxx NWR accepts floodwater from Poso Creek on an as-needed basis.
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. Significant economic benefits have resulted from waterfowl-based recreation activities, both public and private. Nationwide, it is estimated that approximately $3.3 billion is spent annually on nonconsumptive uses of migratory waterfowl, and another $0.5 billion is spent annually on migratory waterfowl hunting (Southwick Associates, 1995). California is considered the largest state consumer of migratory waterfowl-related recreation spending (Southwick Associates, 1995), but no studies have been specifically performed regarding the economic benefits of wildlife refuges in the Tulare Lake basin. Economic benefits associated with waterfowl-based recreation activities are dispersed (there is a “non-point ” economic benefit), so changes to economic outputs would occur across market sectors and communities. According to Southwick Associates (1995), travel-related costs are the most significant economic outputs, because a majority of consumers travel long distances (such as from urban areas) to the refuges. Travel-related costs include gas, food, and lodging; these expenses can be entirely attributed to the refuges because waterfowl- based recreation is the primary purpose of the trip. In contrast, the economic benefits of waterfowl-based recreation by local residents is difficult to estimate because items such as fuel and refreshments may not be directly related to on-refuge recreation activities. Other economic benefits associated with waterfowl-based recreation uses include employment and wages (discussed in more detail in Section 5.7), revenues to state and federal governments from permits and licenses, and the purchase of sporting equipment such as guns and ammunition. The affected environment for regional economic impacts is primarily the local communities in the vicinity of the refuges. These communities may capture a portion of the trip-related expenses associated with refuge-based recreation. Expenditures tend to be highest during the fall and winter in conjunction with the primary hunting and birdwatching seasons.
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. Providing Level 2 and Level 4 refuge water supplies would affect some individuals to a greater degree than others. In order to simplify the analysis, the effects of the refuge water supply project are considered in the context of three broad social groups: (1) individuals who participate in refuge-dependent recreation activities (such as hunting and birdwatching), (2) local communities that benefit from the refuges being located nearby, and
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. General Overview of Prehistoric Resources Studies of the southern San Xxxxxxx Valley region define an elaborate culture complex for the late prehistoric period. This complex can be ascribed probably to the Yokuts and their direct ancestors. The material culture of this late temporal period complex included steatite vessels and beads, finely made projectile points, pottery, shaped stone mortars, Tivela disc beads, use of asphaltum, and the presence of metates and manos. Flexed burials were the predominant interment mode. Earlier mortuary practices included extended, rather than flexed burial position, a situation analogous to that of the northern valley (Xxxxxxx and Xxxxxxx, 1926; Xxxxxxx, et al., 1939; Xxxxxxx, 1972). The Southern Valley Yokuts were members of the Penutian language family that occupied all of the Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, and the Pacific Coast from Marin County to near Point Sur. The Yokuts differed from other California Indians in that they had true tribal divisions with group names. Each tribe spoke an individual dialect of seemingly one parent language (Kroeber, 1925). The tribe controlling the Pixley study area at the time of Euro-American contact was the Wowol, who controlled the southern shores of Tulare Lake. Their principal village, Sukwutnu, was some distance south of the lake, 15 miles west of Delano (Xxxxx, 1949). The lower Kern River, incorporating the Xxxx project area, was the homeland of the Chuxoxi (Xxxxxxx, 1978). Settlements were oriented along the waterways, with their village sites normally placed adjacent to these features for their nearby water and food resources. House structures varied in size and shape (Xxxxx, 1949; Kroeber, 1925). Housepit depressions ranged from 3 to 18 meters in diameter. Trade was well developed, with a mutually beneficial interchange of needed or desired goods. Obsidian, rare in the San Xxxxxxx Valley, was obtained by trade with Paiute and Shoshoni groups on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, where numerous sources of this material are located, and to some extent from the Napa Valley to the north. Shell beads (obtained by the Yokuts from coastal people) and acorns (rare in the Great Basin) were among many items exported to the east by Yokuts traders (Xxxxx, 1961).
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. All wildlife refuges considered in this EA are located within agricultural viewsheds in the Central Valley. The refuges provide visual contrast with surrounding agricultural lands, primarily because of their natural vegetation and water. Scenic quality is also enhanced by the large numbers and variety of waterfowl, which increases visual sensitivity.
