Impacts from Land Use Activities. Lawful activities that may occur on a Cooperator or neighboring landowner property include ground disturbance, livestock management, water diversions, and vegetation management (Section 8.4, Land Use Activities). Although the actual level of incidental take for lawful land use activities is unknown, incidental take is expected to be insignificant relative to the benefits to the conservation, expansion, and recovery of the covered species. The potential impacts on the covered species and their habitats from lawful land use activities are discussed in further detail below. Examples of ground-disturbing activities include construction of small to medium-sized outbuildings necessary to support the primary land use activity, road grading, tree removal, and crop production. Ground-disturbing activities loosen the soil and have the potential to contribute suspended sediment to nearby waterbodies, primarily after rain events. Suspended sediment can increase turbidity, which can decrease visibility and affect foraging success. In more extreme events, sediment can clog or injure xxxx structures in fish and mussels. Once settled, sediment can modify the benthic environment, covering hardscape features that may otherwise be used by fish and mussels. Livestock management, particularly the use of streams as a source of livestock water, and livestock grazing can degrade instream and riparian habitat. Trampling of instream and riparian habitat can increase erosion, leading to the potential for increased turbidity and the input of excessive sedimentation into habitats used by fishes and mussels. Livestock grazing in or near streams can also provide a pathway for animal wastes to enter streams, promote nutrient loading, reduce dissolved oxygen levels, and result in a degradation of overall water quality. Water diversions most likely include a streamside pump and small-diameter pipe that extends into the water. Water diversions are unlikely to run permanently; rather, they operate intermittently to fill water tanks, holding ponds, or other off-stream features. Irrigation or stock water withdrawals may entrain fish and result in death when withdrawals are ceased following the period of use. Most water diversions are unlikely to have perceptible effects at the location of reintroduction; however, the cumulative effect of multiple diversions in a local area may have effects, particularly during times of low flow. Determining an estimate of incidental take as a result of water d...
