1 / 23

Overview

Overview. Introduce Environmental Assessment on hazardous fuel reduction treatments within the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Proposed Alternatives Potential Affected Resources Next Steps. Purpose and Need .

sondra
Download Presentation

Overview

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Overview • Introduce Environmental Assessment on hazardous fuel reduction treatments within the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area • Proposed Alternatives • Potential Affected Resources • Next Steps

  2. Purpose and Need The purpose of the Proposed Action is to reduce the threat of unwanted wildland fire in Red Rock Canyon NCA due to invasive annual grasses by chemical herbicide, mechanical mowing or mechanical blading treatments.

  3. Unnatural Landscape Fires

  4. Recent Fire History

  5. What is the problem? A Hazardous Fuel, Fire Prone Invasive Annual Grasses

  6. The Invasive Annual Grass Fire Cycle • Invasions shorten fire return interval • Less time for native vegetation to re-establish • Invasive grass species thrive on disturbance • Non-fire adapted species disappear off the landscape due to repeat burning • Breaking the fire cycle will allow for recovery of the ecosystem.

  7. A Need for Action • Provide for visitor and firefighter safety • Protect Red Rock Canyon infrastructure • Protect and enhance natural vegetation and habitat • Reduce annual grass expansion

  8. Our Number One Priority is Visitor and Fire Firefighter Safety • Red Rock Visitors • 1 Million Annually (approximately) • 13-Mile Scenic Drive • One-way Road • Traffic Congestion • Evacuation Concern • Emergency Access Concern • The Fires are Fast Moving, Difficult to Control and Threaten Visitor and Fire Fighter Safety.

  9. Protect Red Rock Canyon Infrastructure

  10. Protect and Enhance Natural Vegetation and Habitat • Protect Mojave Creosote-Bursage Desert Scrub which is poorly fire adapted. • Protect Blackbrush communities which are poorly fire adapted. • Reduce Annual Grass Expansion and Prevent Unwanted Repeat Fires.

  11. Fire Behavior • Lightning and human ignitions • Annual grass is a fine flashy continuous hazardous fuel • Current Situation: Intense, fast moving fires that are hard to stop • 150 Ft – 300 ft. Fuel breaks slow or stop fires • Treatments in fire scars will reduce re-burn • Treatments provide for visitor and fire fighter safety

  12. Proposed Action: Reduce Fuels and Construct Fuel Breaks

  13. Project Area Map

  14. What fuel break alternatives are being considered ? • Herbicide (Preferred) • Mechanical Mowing • Mechanical Blading • No Action

  15. Preferred Alternative: Herbicide • 2,114 acres linear fuel breaks along approximately 65 miles • 2,346 acres of burn scar treatment • Max. Width up to 300 ft. • Targets invasive annual grass • Reduces fire behavior in treated areas • Maintains shrub communities • Reduces fire potential • Short-term impacts to non-target species • Temporary Closures

  16. Mechanical Mowing • 2,114 acres of linear fuel break along approximately 65 miles. Excludes fire scars. • Max width 300 ft. • Creates areas of reduced fire behavior • May cause mortality in brush communities • May promote invasive species • Temporary Closures

  17. Mechanical Blading • 2,114 acres of linear fuel break along approximately 65 miles. Excludes fire scars. • No-burn areas • Max width 300 ft • Fire scars not treated. • Increased soil disturbance • Increased weeds • Temporary Closures • Loss of vegetation

  18. No Action • No fuel breaks are created • Danger to public and environment remains. • Multi-day closures during wildfires. • Fire prone invasive species expand. • Fire intolerant, natural species and habitat are lost at the landscape level.

  19. Potentially Affected Resources • Threatened, Endangered or Candidate Species, Desert Tortoise pg. 69 • BLM Sensitive Plant Species, Yellow Two-tone Beardtongue (Penstemon bicolor ssp. bicolor) pg. 46 • Fuel/Fire Management pg. 50 • Human Health and Safety pg. 49 • Invasive Species/Noxious Weeds pg. 53 • Migratory Birds pg. 54 • Recreation pg. 55 • Wildlife Excluding Federally Listed Species pg. 75-76 • Wild Horse and Burro pg. 39

  20. Next Steps • Comment period ends February 27, 2012 • Decision Record August 2012

  21. Public Comment Requests • Are there additional issues that need to be considered? • Is there additional information, data, analysis, which should be considered? • Are there factors that may impact treatments that weren’t considered?

  22. How to provide written comments Attn: Greg Marfil BLM Southern Nevada District Office 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130 • Court Reporter • By placing your written comment in the comment boxes provided at this meeting • By faxing your comment to (702) 515-5023 • By emailing your comment to BLM_NV_SNDO_RedRock_Haz_Fuel_EA@blm.gov • By mailing your comment to:

More Related