NEPA--Environmental Assessment
NEPA--Environmental Assessment
NEPA--Environmental Assessment
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Similar to Alternative 2, selecting Alternative 3 would have both positive and negative effects for<br />
sensitive species. Selecting Alternative 3 would have beneficial effects for sensitive species,<br />
compared to Alternative 2, because application of adaptive management strategies and project<br />
design criteria should result in more rapid improvements in habitat conditions in some localized<br />
areas where sheep grazing impacts are currently occurring. Also similar to Alternative 2, Alternative<br />
3 would have negative effects for sensitive species, compared to Alternative 1, because a few<br />
localized areas would continue to be affected by sheep grazing activities, such as near the<br />
alpine/spruce-fir interface, moist alpine areas adjacent to riparian zones or wet meadows, and upland<br />
willow stands in alpine basins.<br />
Selecting Alternative 3 would be more beneficial for sensitive species than selecting Alternative 2,<br />
but would be less beneficial than selecting Alternative 1. This is because improvement in habitat<br />
conditions would probably occur over a longer time frame than under Alternative 1, but a shorter<br />
time frame than Alternative 2 due to the application of adaptive management strategies and project<br />
design criteria. In general, habitat conditions for sensitive species are expected to continue to<br />
gradually improve in most areas under Alternative 3, but would continue to be impacted in a few<br />
localized areas.<br />
Compared to Alternative 2, the application of adaptive management strategies and project design<br />
criteria under Alternative 3 should result in more rapid improvements in habitat conditions in some<br />
localized areas where sheep grazing impacts are currently occurring because adaptive management<br />
strategies would not be fully applied under Alternative 2. Although more rapid improvement in<br />
habitat conditions for bighorn sheep, white-tailed ptarmigan and wolverine is expected under<br />
Alternative 3 than under Alternative 2, improvements in habitat conditions as a result of the adaptive<br />
management approach are likely to be too small to affect populations or the total amount of habitat<br />
available for these species in the Silverton Landscape.<br />
Selecting Alternative 3 would be much more beneficial for bighorn sheep than selecting Alternative<br />
2, although less so than selecting Alternative 1. Alternative 3 would be less beneficial for bighorn<br />
sheep than Alternative 1 because five allotments with areas of mapped overlap between domestic<br />
sheep and bighorn sheep summer range (Picayne/Mineral Point, Engine Creek/Deer Creek, Eureka,<br />
and Gladstone active allotments, and Flume vacant allotment) would remain open to sheep grazing<br />
under Alternative 3. However, the potential for contact between domestic sheep and bighorn sheep<br />
in these five allotments with areas of mapped overlap would be reduced from High to Moderate (4<br />
active allotments) or Low (1 vacant allotment).<br />
Alternative 3 would be much more beneficial for bighorn sheep than Alternative 2. This is because<br />
three vacant allotments would remain available for sheep grazing under Alternative 2 (Little<br />
Molas/West Needles Allotment, Needles Mountains Allotment, and Minnie Gulch Allotment) but<br />
would be permanently closed to grazing under Alternative 3 (Figure 3-1). These three allotments<br />
would have High Risk for contact if they were stocked with domestic sheep under Alternative 2, but<br />
would have Low Risk for contact if closed under Alternative 3. For this reason, the potential for<br />
physical contact between domestic sheep and bighorn sheep in these 3 allotments would be reduced<br />
from High to Low, and the project’s desired condition for bighorn sheep would be met in these three<br />
allotments.<br />
As a result of closing these three allotments, under Alternative 3 the amount of mapped overlap<br />
between areas suitable for domestic sheep and mapped bighorn sheep summer range in the Silverton<br />
Landscape would be reduced from about 10,285 acres (Alternative 2) to about 1,756 acres<br />
(Alternative 3). The areas of mapped overlap between bighorn sheep and domestic sheep ranges<br />
where risk of physical contact between bighorn and domestic sheep is thought to be High would all<br />
be reduced to Moderate Risk with the modification of allotment boundaries and the application of<br />
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