Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Transportation
Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
There would likely be fewer roads left to remain in place following recreation, meaning that there
may be a slightly reduced benefit to ensuing grazing management land uses and also a reduced
level of maintenance required with fewer roads left.
Electronic Site Management
As in alternative 2, this alternative would do nothing to increase or decrease the opportunity for
implementing more electronic sites, and there are no known sites in existence or in the planning
stages.
Unauthorized Use
With alternative 3, there are fewer mine activity sites whose presence could serve as a deterrent to
unauthorized use of the national forest. The transportation network would be slightly less robust
than alternative 2, and so the opportunity for unauthorized use as a result of this improved
network is reduced to a small degree.
Conclusion – Effects of Alternative 3 on Land Use
The magnitude of alternative 3’s adverse impacts on land use would be minor to moderate, its
duration medium term, its extent small, its likelihood probable, and its precedence slight.
Considering the levels of impact for these five criteria collectively, the overall impact or
environmental consequence of this alternative is determined to be not significant. These impact
ratings are identical to alternative 2 but, as noted, alternative 3 would be somewhat reduced in
scale from alternative 3, particularly on national forest lands and, therefore, its effects on land use
would be correspondingly less.
Cumulative Effects
Because the final land use for the site, after closure of the mine and reclamation, is the same as
the current land use—grazing (primarily)—there would be no cumulative effects.
Recreation
Affected Environment
Nearby recreational activities for the public are available in the Mt. Taylor Ranger District within
the Cibola National Forest (figure 57). The forest includes the Zuni Mountains to the west of
Grants and the San Mateo Mountains and Mt. Taylor, about 24 km (15 miles) to the east-northeast
of Grants. Mt. Taylor is designated by the Navajo Nation as one of six sacred mountains. In
Navajo tradition, Mt. Taylor has a special significance as it represents the southern boundary of
the Navajo traditional homeland. On June 14, 2008, the New Mexico Cultural Properties Review
Committee approved a 1-year emergency listing of more than 171,000 ha (422,000 acres) of land
surrounding Mt. Taylor on the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties (USNRC, 2010).
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 257