Verde Valley Landscape Character Type

Transcription

1 Existing Condition Landscape Character The existing landscape character describes the existing set of valued aesthetic attributes for the current landscape. The landscape character descriptions include both social and ecological components which discuss the existing landscape attributes such as landform, vegetative pattern, water characteristics, and cultural features. Eight landscape character zones have been identified on the Coconino NF. This project encompasses three of the zones: Ponderosa Pine, Red Rock and Verde Valley (Forest Service 2011). Ponderosa Pine Landscape Character Zone The largest of the landscape character zones on the forest, it encompasses approximately 40% of the area. This zone is flat to gently sloping with some steeper landforms including Pumphouse Wash, Fry Canyon and others. Vegetation is composed mostly of ponderosa pine forests, some mixed conifer forest and aspen can be found on northern exposures, drainages, and on mountainous areas. Small natural and artificial lakes and wetlands are scattered throughout this character zone. In the immediate project area, Roger s Lake is the largest example of an ephemeral natural lake. A number of constructed tanks are also found in the area. A wide variety of recreation opportunities are round in this landscape character zone (LCZ). There a few developed sites in the project, including trailheads (Winter Cabin, Kelsey, Dorsey), an FS rental cabin (Fernow), and two cultural sites (. The scenery at these sites is important to forest users. In addition, there are numerous places where dispersed recreation activities occur. These include camping, hiking, bird watching, scenic viewing, wildlife watching, and many others. Management activities in this character zone include travel management, utility corridors, communication sites, prescribed fire activity, fuels reduction, timber harvest, grazing, and dispersed and developed recreation use. Recreation use is both motorized and non-motorized in multiple seasons with water features providing for water based recreation opportunities. Red Rock Landscape Character Zone The Red Rock Zone is located in the east-central portion of the Coconino National Forest and includes a colorful collection of buttes, pinnacles, mesas and canyons. Vegetation varies with elevation with ponderosa pine at the highest elevations on the northern fringes of the character zone changing to shrublands of Manzanita, turbinella oak, and chaparral. Arizona cypress, pinyon-juniper, juniper woodlands, and grasslands comprise the lower elevations in this character zone. This landscape character zone contains creeks, canyons or draws along with 30 water tanks. No major lakes or reservoirs are located in this character zone. Major streams include Sycamore Creek. Other major canyons and washes include: Secret Canyon and Pumphouse Wash. Recreation sites in the project area include trailheads (Loy Canyon, Sycamore Pass, Secret Mountain), heritage sites (Palatki and Honanki). Recreation opportunities in the Red Rock Landscape Character Zone include developed and dispersed recreation such as driving for pleasure, hiking, picnicking, sightseeing, camping, and day use. Management activities in this character zone include dispersed and developed recreation use, travel management, utility corridors, grazing, and fuels reduction activities. Recreation use is both motorized and non-motorized occurring year-round. Verde Valley Landscape Character Type The Verde Valley Landscape Character Zone is located in the southwest portion of the Coconino National Forest. Broad valleys with lonely rounded hills are common in the north and western portion of the

2 character zone and steep drainages characterize the eastern portion of the character zone. Cottonwood and mixed broadleaf lined canyons cut into the Mogollon Rim and continue a ribbons of riparian vegetation across the pinyon juniper and semi-desert grasslands before merging with the Verde River. Vegetation is composed of pinyon-juniper and juniper woodlands in the eastern portion of the character zone, while the western portion of the character zone is dominated by desert grass and shrub communities including mesquite, creosote bush, and Manzanita. This landscape character zone contains creeks, draws, washes, or canyons along with two lakes and 239 water tanks. Recreation opportunities in the Verde Valley Landscape Character Zone include developed and dispersed recreation such as driving for pleasure, hiking, picnicking, sightseeing, boating, fishing, camping, and day use. Some creeks have natural waterslides and pools for swimming. Land use includes cattle grazing, irrigated crop land, recreation, and harvest of small areas of commercial timber. Roads provide access to the area, and also serve as viewing platforms for scenery. Figure 1 shows the locations of roads in the project area, and displays the relative importance for scenic viewing. Developed and dispersed recreation sites also provide locations for enjoying the surrounding scenery. Figure 1. Circulation routes and relative importance for scenic viewing. Scenic Attractiveness The project area has been mapped for scenic attractiveness or the scenic importance of a landscape based on human perceptions of the landscape character features as described above. Scenic attractiveness uses three measures: distinctive, typical or common, and indistinctive, and are displayed in Figure 2. The majority of the area displays typical scenic beauty for the landscape character types. There are places where distinctive beauty is found and is often associated with a more complex mixture of vegetation, landform (escarpments, canyons, drainages) and water. In this project, this would include the Mogollon Rim escarpment, the rim of Sycamore Canyon and Pumphouse Wash. Less distinctive areas are found in flat, unwatered areas of the the desert grass and scrub in the Verde Valley Landscape Character type.

3 Figure 2. Scenic attractiveness in the project area. Existing Scenic Integrity Landscape character with a high degree of intactness is in a high scenic condition. Evidence of discordant elements or deviation from the existing landscape character results in a less intact appearance, and lower scenic condition. The project area has some deviation from the intact landscape character. This can be due to unnatural ecological conditions, or presence of human constructed features that are not typically viewed as positive scenic features. Less attractive human constructed features may include barbwire fencing, signs, utility corridor features, and structures that have a high degree of contrast compared to the surrounding landscape. All of these features may be found in the project area. Constructed earthen tanks often contrast with the surrounding landscape and do not necessarily contribute to the scenic beauty, but may also be valued because water is rare in the project area. Tanks may also have other associated aesthetic qualities such as opportunities for wildlife viewing as animals and birds come to the tanks for water.

4 Environmental Effects In much of the project area there are no actions proposed that would have effects on scenery. There are four actions analyzed in detail below that have potential scenic effects. Modified Proposed Action - Structural Range Improvements Roger s Lake In order to protect the wetland vegetation in Roger s Lake, about 0.5 mile of fence would be constructed along the section line between sections 31 and 6 in the Roger s Lake pasture to create a new pasture (North Roger s Lake) (Figure 3). This fence would exclude livestock from section 31 while allowing livestock to graze the rest of Roger s Lake pasture. A gate would be constructed along the fence to allow livestock grazing to occur a) after July 15 and b) if wildlife utilization of riparian species in Roger s Lake has not exceeded 20 percent utilization of woody vegetation, or 40 percent utilization of other emergent vegetation. The proposed fencing would be constructed to wildlife specifications to facilitate safe Figure 1: North Rogers Lake Proposed Pasture Fence wildlife passage. The proposal at Roger s Lake would have minimal and short term effects on scenery. Figure 4 shows the existing scenic integrity in the area, and Figure 5 shows the scenic integrity objectives for the area. Roger s Lake is an important feature in the project area. It currently has fencing, structures and roads that detract from the intactness of the landscape character. The existing scenic integrity is moderate, and the desired scenic integrity objective is moderate. There will be little or no change as a result of the additional fencing. Short term effects would include a minimal increase in contract due to new, shiny fence posts and fencing. This will become less noticeable as weather dulls the fencing materials. The presence of the additional fencing will be a longer term effect, but will not be particularly noticeable due to the abundance of fencing in the area.

5 Figure 4. Existing scenic integrity or intactness of the Roger s Lake fence location. Figure 5. Scenic integrity objectives for the Roger s Lake location

6 Fry Lake If necessary to protect wetland vegetation in Fry Lake and to permit grazing of the Fry Lake pasture prior to July 15, approximately 1.5 miles of livestock exclosure fence may be constructed as shown in Figure 6. The livestock exclosure fence would include a fenced lane to the existing earthen stock pond in Fry Lake to allow for livestock watering. For the first 2 years, grazing would not occur in the Fry Lake East pasture until after July 15. Afterwards, as part of the adaptive management options, upland vegetation in Fry Park West, Harding Point, Mexican Pocket, and Mill Park pastures would be monitored for condition and trend to determine if these pastures are being used too much at the same time of year. If monitoring indicates a downward trend in native plant community abundance and diversity in these pastures, or if the permittee requests increased flexibility in pasture rotations, the emergent vegetation and surrounding upland buffer would be fenced for Fry Lake. Fry Lake has been identified as a wildlife viewing location by the Arizona Game and Fish department. The proposed fencing would be installed if monitoring indicates the need to protect the native plant community adjacent to the tank. Figure 7 shows the existing scenic integrity at the site, and Figure 8 shows the desired scenic integrity. Figure 1: Potential Wetland Structural Improvements for Fry Lake

7 Figure 7. Existing scenic integrity at Fry Lake and proposed fence enclosure.

8 Figure 8. Scenic integrity objectives for Fry Tank. At Fry Tank, the addition of the enclosure would have both short term and long term effects to scenery. Short term effects would include a minimal increase in contract due to new, shiny fence posts and fencing. This will become less noticeable as weather dulls the fencing materials. The addition of 1.5 miles of new fencing for the enclosure would be noticeable. It would be in keeping with the existing scenic integrity of moderate. There are other fences in the area, and while this would add new constructed features, it would be similar to others already existing. There would be little progress toward the desired scenic integrity objective of high with the addition of new fencing. If monitoring of the vegetation in the area shows a decline in native plant community diversity and abundance, the landscape character of the area would be further disrupted. Fencing would allow for vegetation recovery. This would result in improvement in the landscape character. The final result is to maintain the existing scenic integrity. Springs Fifteen springs are known to occur on the Windmill West allotment, nine of which occur on pastures proposed for closure from grazing (Table 1). Of the remaining springs, Maple and Buzzard Springs are located in canyons and are inaccessible to livestock, and Bunker Hill occurs in the Winter Cabin Holding pasture, which is only used roughly less than 10 days a year. Restoration activities, including fencing, for Lockwood Springs are proposed to aid in the restoration of riparian vegetation, and to protect the spring and associated riparian areas from livestock and wild ungulate browsing. Paterson Spring and Barney Spring are currently not functional because of lack of water and so no additional protections are being proposed at this time. Paterson Spring is located in the North Rogers Lake pasture which is proposed for infrequent and low intensity use of livestock for the purpose of maintaining riparian condition and function. If Paterson Spring becomes functional in the future, it may be partially fenced. Proposed restoration activities include exclosure fencing that would still allow livestock and wildlife access to the existing drinkers but would restrict access to Lockwood Spring, and may also include replumbing the spring box to allow a portion of the water to discharge near the spring s natural emergence area. Effects Proposed activities include fencing of Lockwood Springs to restore riparian vegetation and protect the spring from browsing. Water is a rare commodity in the project area, and protection of springs and riparian vegetation is desireable for scenic integrity. Fencing would introduce unnatural linear features into the landscape that would not be natural appearing. The proposed fencing material is wire. Wire fencing materials would be more noticeable than weathered steel or wooden fences. Wire and metal posts can be shiny and their color can contrast with the natural surroundings. Wire fencing would have short term effects in the spring location. These would decrease somewhat as weathering dulls the surfaces. It would be preferable to use weathered steel or wood fence materials. Wood fencing materials would have the least effect since they would be in scale, and have texture and color that would look most natural in the seep/spring and aspen settings. Many times wooden fencing is viewed as an attractive cultural feature. If the fences are maintained, wood fencing would have very low effects and would meet the SIO. If they fall into disrepair, this would detract from their appearance, but they would still meet the SIO. Weathered steel pole fencing would have effects similar to wood fencing. The advantage is that it usually does not require maintenance and its appearance is retained. As the steel weathers, it would blend in with natural features, but slightly less than wood fencing.

9 Design Criteria: The preferred fencing material for spring improvements is welded steel that will develop a rusty exterior over time, or wooden fencing. The least preferable material is wire fencing. Modified Proposed Action with South Gyberg Pasture Additional structural range improvements would be necessary to improve livestock distribution. These improvements would include approximately 0.6 miles of pipeline, a livestock water trough and 0.1 mile waterlot fencing around an existing water trough on State land in the North Gyberg pasture. Figure 1: Location of proposed trough and pipeline in Alterative 3 The red line indicates the proposed pipeline, red dot is the trough. The hashed area is the Verde Valley Botanical Area, the green polygons are Arizona cliffrose and the purple line is the fence dividing the North and South Gyberg Pastures. Effects- the proposed pipeline would result in short term disturbance to the landscape character, but it is expected that the pipeline would recover and be natural appearing within 3 to 5 years. The addition of the trough and waterlot fencing would have minimal long term effects as constructed features would be added to the landscape. The scenic integrity objectives for this area would be maintained.