Effects Analysis. Motorized Roads & Trails, Nonmotorized Trails, & Closure Implementation Action: Building new motorized roads and trails, nonmotorized trails, and closing and reclaiming routes including the associated conservation measures.
Effects Analysis. Small-Scale Infrastructure Action: Authorizing maintenance of existing small-scale water developments in term permits for grazing, rights-of-way authorizations, and easements. Administrative installation of small-scale infrastructure, including signs, kiosks, vault toilets, vehicle barriers, concentrated parking areas, culverts, gates, cattle guards. Actions include the associated conservation measures. Direct and Indirect Effects Water Developments The maintenance of water developments – removing sediment deposits and/or re- compacting dam structure — can result in the temporary removal of vegetation within and immediately adjacent to the water development footprint. However, these footprints have been previously disturbed and will not contain sagebrush canopy consistent with site-scale PCEs 2-4, and rarely exhibit other native shrub or herbaceous cover. Nonetheless, these areas could become conducive to weed propagation and spread. Other Small-scale Infrastructure The installation of vault toilets, concentrated parking areas, culverts, gates, and cattle guards may require removal of site-scale PCEs. Construction is not anticipated to result in significant disturbance to nearby birds, as construction will be of a very short duration and in a very localized area. It is reasonable to suspect that some of the identified small-scale infrastructure could serve as perches for raptors or corvids, which would facilitate predation. Benefits and Conservation Measures Water Developments Concentrated livestock use for water developments helps reduce disturbances across occupied habitat. Many of these structures have been developed to divert livestock use from natural water sources such as seeps and springs, thus avoiding localized damage of important brood-rearing habitats. Many of these cattle ponds are developed for water retention and consequently sediment retention, which creates mesic sites with food sources that could be used for brood-rearing habitat, or PCE 5. These areas also provide insects that may not have otherwise been available, and improve watersheds downstream that often times succumb to high-flow events. Furthermore, well-maintained and -managed water developments provides for water retention and infiltration in surrounding soils, providing mesic sites (PCE 5) suitable for summer and late fall sage-grouse habitat. Conducting maintenance activities in accordance with the integrated weed management measures reduces the risk of weed spread to proximal ...
Effects Analysis. Medium-Scale Infrastructure Action: Rights-of-way and easement authorizations for new transmission lines, communication towers, pipelines and associated access routes. Re-authorizations for maintenance of such rights-of-way, easements, and their access routes. Actions include associated conservation measures. Direct and Indirect Effects USFWS analysis indicates that “68 percent of the Gunnison Basin population area is within 4.3 miles of an electrical transmission line and is potentially influenced by avian predators utilizing the additional perches…These results suggest that potential increased predation resulting from transmission lines have the potential to affect a substantial portion of the Gunnison Basin population” (75 FR 187, p. 59819). Additionally, power lines can pose as a collision and electrocution hazard to grouse (Xxxxx 1998, pp.145-146; Xxxxxxxx et al. 2000a, p. 974). NPS researchers recorded 2 adult GUSG mortalities directly related to collisions with large overhead power lines collisions (0.04% of sample) while conducting a 12-year radio-telemetry study of sage-grouse in the western Gunnison Basin.
Effects Analysis
