Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

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Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences Figure 49. Jesus Mesa and the three vegetation communities The woodlands on the site are comprised mostly of piñon pine and oneseed juniper. Several ponderosa pines are on the top of Jesus Mesa and along the southeast drainages. There are a few Rocky Mountain junipers at the top of the drainage on the north side of Jesus Mesa. Within the woodland, hairy and blue grama are typically the dominant ground cover, while cliffrose (Purshia stansburiana) and common mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus) are the most abundant shrubs. Common forbs include fragrant snakeroot (Ageratina herbacea) and thyme-leaf spurge (Chamaesyce serpyllifolia). Under the trees, fetid-goosefoot (Dysphania graveolens), Colorado four-o’clock (Mirabilis multiflora), and Fendler’s drymary (Drymaria glandulosa) are widespread. In the sandiest areas, field wormwood (Artemisia campestris var. caudata), flat sagebrush (Artemisia bigelovii), spectacle-pod (Dimorphocarpa wislizeni), kiss-me-quick, spiderwort, and fine-leaf woolywhite (Hymenopappus filifolius) are all common (RHR, 2009d). Jesus Mesa’s rocky slopes support a similar plant community of scattered piñon pine and oneseed juniper with hairy and blue grama quite common. Abundant shrubs include flat sagebrush and cliffrose. New Mexico muhly (Muhlenbergia pauciflora) and both plumed andCalifornia brickellbush (Brickellia brachyphylla and B. californica, respectively) are also widespread. Santa Felipfern (Cheilanthes feei) and brittle bladder-fern (Cystopteris fragilis) are found occasionally at the base of the rocks. Shale slopes are infrequent on the site and mostly barren, though they do support a small number of piñon pines, oneseed juniper, Colorado four-o’clock, galleta, and a four-wing saltbush. Black sagebrush (Artemisia nova), flat sagebrush, and common mountain mahogany occur along the rocky rims of the mesa and drainages (RHR, 2009d). The ravines on the southeast side of Jesus Mesa reach depths of 30–40 feet and support scattered ponderosa pines within a piñon-juniper woodland. The most common plants on these sites include broom groundsel (Senecio spartioides var. multicapitatus), tassel-flower brickellbush (Brickellia grandiflora), and hairy grama. 198 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest
Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences Several small pools of water apparently gather along some of the drainages off Jesus Mesa. These may support small communities of wetland plants, indicating that they are moist much of the year. Species present include scratchgrass (Sporobolus contractus), mesa dropseed (S. flexuosus), straw-color flat-sedge (Cyperus strigosus), sand dropseed, rush (Juncus sp.), pale spikerush (Eleocharis macrostachya), and even cattail (Typha domingensis). The drainages on the west and north sides of Jesus Mesa have sandier soils and support desert grassland. In these drainages the most common plants are hairy and blue grama, rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa var. graveolens), and sage (Salvia prob. incisa). There are occasional stabilized and semistabilized sand dunes throughout the permit area, especially to the west, northwest, and southeast of the mesa. These areas support a variety of sand-dependent plants, including sandhill muhly (Muhlenbergia pungens), spectacle pod, sand sage (Artemisia filifolia), spiderwort, Bigelow’s rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa var. bigelovii), kiss-mequick, and field wormwood (RHR, 2009d). In Section 16, desert grassland and very open piñon-juniper woodland communities dominate. The largest drainage basin begins at the base of Jesus Mesa and runs south-southwest. Smaller drainages generally run southeast from the highest point in Section 16 on unnamed mesa at 7,292 ft elevation (mesa 7292). On both the west and east sides of mesa 7292, drainages are found with steep slopes and cliffs up to 50 feet in height. The area east of mesa 7292 is grazed desert grassland. The dominant grasses are hairy and blue grama, with several areas of ring muhly (Muhlenbergia torreyi); however, much of the area is dominated by carpets of garden purslane with other annuals in abundance. The most plentiful of these annuals are Colorado rubberweed (Hymenoxys richardsonii var. floribunda), wild potato (Solanum jamesii), and both spotted and thyme-leaf spurge (Chamaesyce maculata and C. serpyllifolia). Another plant found in abundance is dodder (Cuscuta sp.), which is apparently parasitizing the garden purslane (RHR, 2009d). The rest of the Roca Honda permit area is very open piñon-juniper woodland with areas of desert grassland. Oneseed juniper is much more common than piñon, but is usually widely scattered. There are very few understory shrubs, although flat sagebrush is common along the rims of the mesas where there is more exposed bedrock. Cliffrose occurs occasionally along the drainages. Garden purslane is quite common here, with kissme-quick replacing it in sandier areas. Colorado four o’clock is common both under the Utah junipers and in the open. There is one seasonal cattle pond in the center of Section 16. The dominant plants in this artificial pond include Mexican fireweed (Kochia scoparia), Russian thistle (Salsola tragus), and golden crownbeard (Verbesina encelioides), rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa var. graveolens), saltcedar (Tamarix chinensis), and foxtail barley (Hordeum jubatum) (RHR, 2009d). Vegetation Communities Along the Proposed Water Reuse Pipeline Route As related in chapters 1 and 2, RHR originally intended to discharge treated mine water into an unnamed arroyo that is tributary to San Mateo Creek on the southern edge of the proposed surface facilities within Section 16. However, concerns were expressed during and after scoping about the potential for remobilization of toxic materials and radionuclides in tailings and alluvial sediments downstream along San Mateo Creek in the vicinity of the Homestake Mining Company Mill DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 199
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United States Department of Agricul
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Environmental Impact Statement for
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Summary Roca Honda Resources, LLC (
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• Potential effects on the charac
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Mine Operation Summary Mine operati
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Resource Impacts and Mitigation •
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Resource Impacts and Mitigation num
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Contents Chapter 1. Purpose of and
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Contents Table 29. State of New Mex
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Contents Table 94. Food stamp enrol
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Contents Figure 66. Aerial image of
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H1N1 Influenza A virus, subtype H1N
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STD sexually transmitted disease SW
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Chapter 1. Purpose of and Need for
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Chapter 2. Alternatives, Including
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Land Use Chapter 2. Alternatives, I
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Treated Water Discharge in an Alter
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Table 3. Impact comparison matrix T
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Topic Alternative 1 - No Action Res
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Vegetation Topic Alternative 1 - No
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Topic Alternative 1 - No Action Sen
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Topic Alternative 1 - No Action Rec
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Topic Alternative 1 - No Action Cul
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Transportation Topic Alternative 1
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Topic Alternative 1 - No Action Hum
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Topic Alternative 1 - No Action Alt
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Topic Alternative 1 - No Action Leg
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Other Actions and Projects Consider
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Marquez Canyon Exploration Current
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Chapter 3. Affected Environment and
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Figure 33. Permit area watershed an
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Page 173 and 174: Environmental Consequences Surface
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Page 215 and 216: Regulatory Review Chapter 3. Affect
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Page 231 and 232: State Listed Plant Species Chapter
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Table 40. Impact characterization f
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Transportation Chapter 3. Affected
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Figure 57. Nearby recreation sites
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Table 41. Impact characterization f
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Minority Populations Chapter 3. Aff
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Figure 58. Distribution of minority
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High school graduates, percent of p
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Earnings Chapter 3. Affected Enviro
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Public Finance Chapter 3. Affected
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providing an estimate of the “rip
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Tax Revenue Chapter 3. Affected Env
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Table 61. Household characteristics
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Tribal History Chapter 3. Affected
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Natural Resources Chapter 3. Affect
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Physical APE Chapter 3. Affected En
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Agricultural Fields Chapter 3. Affe
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• Removal of a property from its
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Impacts to Natural Resources with C
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Site No. Project Section Land Statu
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Visual Resources Affected Environme
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Figure 64. View looking north from
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Alternative 1 Chapter 3. Affected E
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Environmental Consequences Chapter
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New Mexico 1.11 (0.98 - 1.25) Cibol
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Magnitude Descriptor Precedence or
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Noise Chapter 3. Affected Environme
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Resource Area Cultural and Historic
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Cumulative Effects Chapter 3. Affec
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Chapter 4. Consultation and Coordin
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Chapter 4. Consultation and Coordin
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Glossary Air-Quality Control Region
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References Cited (ACHP, 2005). Advi
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References Cited (Basin Coordinated
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References Cited (Brugge et al., 20
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References Cited (Census, 2011). U.
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References Cited (DesertUSA, 2011).
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(NatureServe, 2010a). NatureSevere.
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References Cited (NRGNHA, 2011). No
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References Cited (RHR, 2011a). Roca
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References Cited (Stacier and Guzy,
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References Cited (USEPA, 1975). U.S
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References Cited (USFS, 2001). U.S.
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References Cited (USFWS, no date).
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References Cited (WildEarth Guardia
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Index E economic impacts - 15, 73,
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Index N National Environmental Poli
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Index W waste - 18, 40, 46, 56-57,
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Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

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