Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
which would document the measures to be implemented. This programmatic agreement would be
included in the final EIS, incorporated into the record of decision, and made part of the mine plan
of operations.
The following measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate adverse effects and impacts are examples
that could be considered and included in the programmatic agreement:
• Conducting data recovery excavations of archaeological sites;
• Conducting research on various topics with regard to relevant cultural resource issues;
• Implementing specific practices during construction and operations activities to control
erosion and changes to erosion patterns;
• Training of RHR construction, operations, and reclamation personnel and contractors to
recognize when archaeological resources or human remains have been discovered, to
recognize when inadvertent damage has occurred to a resource, to halt ground-disturbing
activities in the vicinity of the discovery, and to notify appropriate personnel; and
• Educating RHR personnel and contractors on the importance of cultural resources, the
laws and regulations protecting cultural resources, the need to stay within defined work
zones, and the legal implications of vandalism and looting.
The programmatic agreement would also describe the processes to be followed if previously
unknown cultural resources or human remains are discovered during construction or operation of
the selected alternative, and would address processes to be followed if inadvertent physical
damage to an historic property occurs. While some impacts and effects to the resources would
remain, the programmatic agreement and the measures contained within it would resolve these
effects and reduce the significance of the impacts. The programmatic agreement would address
all cultural resource impacts, whether defined through Section 106 analysis or through NEPA
analysis, and would document the Forest Service’s commitment to ensure these mitigation
measures are implemented.
Alternative 1
There would be no additional impacts to cultural resources with selection of the no action
alternative. The Forest Service would not approve RHR’s plan of operation and there would be no
impacts from mine development, operation, and reclamation. Impacts to cultural resources
already occurring from livestock management and access to the area by the public would
continue; these include vandalism, trampling, and inadvertent damage. Under the no action
alternative, adverse impacts to cultural resources would be less than significant. This alternative
would result in no effect to historic properties.
Effects Common to the Action Alternatives
This section describes the anticipated impacts to cultural resources that would be common to both
action alternatives.
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 341