Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
acres of vegetation might be affected or damaged when laying the water reuse pipeline, upgrading
haul roads, and developing the utility corridor. There are no other projects in the immediate
vicinity that would contribute to vegetative impacts that are not already described as part of the
affected environment. The proposed La Jara Mesa Mine 8 miles away would disturb
approximately 16 acres of vegetation as part of that project within the general Mt. Taylor area.
The cumulative effects of this and Roca Honda are nearly 240 acres of disturbance. Roads and
other future land development activities would contribute to additional and ongoing impacts,
although total acreage affected is not known. Both the Roca Honda and La Jara Mesa Mines
would reclaim and restore local vegetation upon closure as part of reclamation.
The proposed action would add about 218 acres to the ongoing and foreseeable impacts on
vegetation, and alternative 3 about one-third less. Past and present activities affecting vegetation
have been discussed and include forest roads, recreational activity, drilling, mining, and utility
lines. The area of project impact on National Forest System lands represents approximately 0.035
percent of piñon-juniper vegetation type present in Management Areas 13 and 14 of the Mt.
Taylor Ranger District; in terms of the Mt. Taylor Ranger District as a whole, the Roca Honda
project would temporarily affect at most some 83 acres (alternative 2) of more than 50,000 acres
of piñon-juniper vegetation; alternative 3 would reduce this still further. These losses would not
change the ratio of piñon-juniper habitat to other habitats in the Cibola National Forest.
Therefore, the cumulative impacts to vegetation of either action alternative, when added to past,
present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions, are minor and would not be considered
significant.
Wildlife
Affected Environment
The information in this section on species presence within the permit area is primarily drawn
from the “Wildlife Section” (section 5) of the Baseline Data Report submitted in October 2009
and the Baseline Data Report, Revision 1 submitted in January 2011 by RHR to the New Mexico
Mining and Minerals Division (MMD) and the U.S. Forest Service (Cibola National Forest)
(RHR, 2011a). The information in section 5 in turn is derived from a variety of sources,
principally surveys conducted by wildlife specialists with the consulting firm Permits West, Inc.,
on the proposed mine site permit area conducted from 2006 to 2008. Prior to implementation of
all fieldwork, the current lists of Federal (USFWS 2006–2009) and State of New Mexico
(NMDGF 2006–2009) listed and sensitive animal species known to occur in McKinley and
Cibola Counties were reviewed. In addition, management indicator species, as identified by the
Forest Service, Cibola National Forest were also of focus. The list of Mt. Taylor District Forest
Service zensitive zpecies was also reviewed to determine their likely presence. Information not
drawn from the Baseline Data Report was based on species’ habitat preference and known
occurrence within or surrounding the permit area. The 2009 “Regional Forester’s Sensitive
Species List Draft Reference Document” was also utilized and a copy of this document can be
found in the project record.
To determine the wildlife types present in the permit area, Permits West, Inc., conducted wildlife
surveys including fall, winter, breeding season bird surveys, and raptor surveys on each of the
proposed sites, 9, 10, and 16. To provide the most comprehensive overview of the existing
wildlife communities, additional sections where project impacts are expected were also included
in the study areas in the 2008 wildlife surveys. Additional areas surveyed included Sections 11,
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 211