East Cactus Plain Wilderness management plan, environmental assessment, and decision record : Yuma District, Havasu Resource Area, La Paz County, Arizona

52 Pages·1994·9.4 MB·English

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88077170
U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Arizona State Office
Havasu Resource Area September 1994
East Cactus Plain
Wilderness Management Plan,
Environmental Assessment,
and Decision Record
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East Cactus Plain 27
Wilderness Management Plan,
Environmental Assessment,
and Decision Record
U. S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Land Management
Yuma District
Havasu Resource Area
BLM Library
Denver Federal Center
La Paz County, Arizona Bidg. 50, OC-521
P.O. Box 25047
EA Number: EA-AZ-054-94-62 Denver, CO 80225
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Table of Contents
PART I - Introduction Alten eG, ee eee a Bee See ee an ee 1
BACRKC ce peter errs ab asen G8 re YA FR Fe tarerts i fe tatst oh ere 'tai'y OEE MAE, Ja 1
PERN RU pO se memn We. 55k. oe TMT ROR IRELE, SIGE FS, Ty AND 2G 1
Hoesen Access wares. HFC SSO, GO Ha, I hd AI UO. 1
WG EV6) Es fey oy 2 ae ron en I, Oe Ua A ie i ee ae 2
NW LLCTNSS ots OUNCARY:. tryt ere ahs Fee rnrene a hats Se AB LOE 2 SS AIG f 3
Ownership Lands Usergieos em SION YeT OT MOIS a a a8 FAs -
PLANTS TA Tea IDESCH PUTO Meerne Lame hor.) ce secs hanst aal oratarn lett lelP ate et. se MO eG 4
SIRES) SEAT MoE REL SF rash eke rhs Gale gh gle.o t ein nina wie > SOO Se +
eye GGi maPATtE) eWat eg Gert tic ye PIR os nonercveterons trons. SEMIS BPE +
SESS] SRW MONO A SUPER NY, RLM Mer sree tatet ediate Koch ReRet ihe afara sst eat Se My 5
RAV OECLALIGIIW vomn ear a RIN were RAMEE Bet moe eet aerng eeta ts OEE WARE Eh oes 5 =
SMW TIGL O07 F5009 oeet els k kA ee ae ee ees, ORG SROUIM 2... 6
e+ sWilderness: Values» WORMS Mp eT EE ee RE. ee 6
NEA le + sce. es OI OE, I eee RE, 2 ROD ES %
Ge @IRECTEALION |e hotest Anata Whh ata? RNG SOMO Ee EN EE Bi ae Fs 8
|NE TO ies 8 EOE RPO ys PRO eg a i ei lak a ase 9
Bow Ne SLOC KaJh PAZIIAG sro eo s0 8c ko k avc teeo tichest Mle olie)S RY FA Rh ORME Re ORE ae 10
® - Meu NUTAl RESOULCES: 0+ eo ete rt ee HE ART ROR 2 8 10
Ms GTO SF kr hse oses t se not tdites ho | ERIE OE CAIRO as 11
We ATIIEE FA nha Vichiot RN dott ow at NOE Sees PERE, OPA. Og He
¢.+-Law-Entorcement and Emergency Services. AePOI Fo. 11
PART II - National Wilderness Management Goals ....................--- 13
PARTSIUD -issies no oo 6 ee oe pgs PII DORA RSE Oe, Bal 15
UV yea ISSUG Sonn oo Sg ila gtesy vin iain 9)R e Ate Stele ence IE ROTEL RAN! oa 15
Fests Solvers! NrOUGM POMC pa 0.0 le utc het Rome ON: OMIM TL. sos 16
Issues, Beyond thesscope,o1 this Plan... 62 2.4 A ok Pe 17
PART IV - Wilderness Management Program .............--...25222055: 19
iGi tyetalivaarers i Dahl, neh TERR ER TN oe he ee eee eee 19
Objective 1. Maintenance of Wilderness Values.....0.50.00.0 .s-e.re-ne 19
i IManavement ACHONS sor oa.: co geen ne Sci nts WRREE OR Shen aT 20
© VON CIO eat BEB ene snc cuaV os, wm ees NARS Liles Dha nyn te UNS ees 22
Objective 2. Elimination of Impacts from the Parker 400 Off-Road Race ...... (fe
*) sManarement ACtOnse: va2 |. 2.00. 5 Wea x SOL BRS oS S 23
906 MMIMULOTING: 2.0. on eeuacee > ¢ a.6 mE ry te ATT BO GT. 24
Objective 3. Natural Succession of Vegetation....0.6..00. .e.ee. e.e-e. 24
ae Mangement ACRONS: <j on. «i s)A MR nae Se ys sinh. GRAS 24
a REN AGTITONIO Dons his eaten 9. MOR AEE SPN ECR. PRR. Bhocos 2
PART V- Plan Evaluation....«.4 000-8 O- Bae oe ee Zt
PART VI - Implementation Schedule and Cost Estimates .................. 29
PART VII - Appendices. 0.2.6. 6s co ee el oe ee ee ee ee 31
Appendix A - Vegetation and Wildlife Species List.............-..-.02005- al
Appendix B - Cultural Resource Use Categories ..........s-e.en. -ee0e e om
Appendix C - Public Involvement ...... 6... 2s eee eee eee cee eee 34
Appendix D - Plan Participants .. 0... 1... c eee ee eee tne eee eee 36
Appendix E - Record of Decision for Vehicle Route Designation ............ = fl
Appendix F - References. ..i icc jee ctse eessasouras coe + eee eee nea 38
Environmental Assessment ... 0.0.20... 0. eee eet eee eee teen nee 39
Introduction: : <5) dhces ayigcdens eae ee eee ee 39
e Background. scahs;ce/5sohe sue clea ape ore ee ee 39
e Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action............-..+++5+55-. BY)
e Relationship to Statutes, Regulations, or Other Plans ................ 39
Description of the Proposed Action and Alternative ................+2+0005 39
« Proposed Action. .2...45.ey2e. 4e)eei s 39
« No Action Alternatives. 4... 2) eso. es ee 40
Affected Environment... .:c oo aacecein 3, as ee ee Pe 40
Environmental Consequences... 22 .).4:,. 445.4. y---) eee I 41
¢ Impacts.of the Proposed Action). s.n.5 uci. p42ee)e 4]
°- Impacts of the No Action Altemative (5.5 fo... sae 42
¢ Cumulative Impacts, ...9iy cee wera Se cee 42
© | (Mitigation. 20 sais mite Secchi eee ree eae ee re eee 42
Consultation and Coordination jae.) pee Seeerieii eet ae 2 42
Finding of No Significant Impact/Decision Record ................-+++++++: 43
PART | — Introduction
Background e Yuma District Interim Guidance
for Fire Suppression in Wilderness
Areas (1992)
The Wilderness Act of 1964 laid the
¢ Buckskin Mountain/Cactus Plain
foundation for the National Wilderness
Habitat Management Plan (1977)
Preservation System. On November 28,
1990 the Arizona Desert Wilderness Act,
Any subsequent planning effort whose
Public Law 101-628, designated 39 areas
sphere of influence extends into this plan-
in Arizona as wilderness and added them
ning area shall address the provisions of
to the system. The East Cactus Plain
this document.
Wilderness is one of five wilderness areas
located in the Havasu Resource Area of
Location/Access
the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM)
Yuma District.
The planning area is located approxi-
Plan Purpose mately 10 miles north of Bouse and 20
miles east of Parker in La Paz County,
Arizona (Map 1). From Arizona State
This plan will provide direction for
Highway 72 at Bouse, drive northeast on
managing the East Cactus Plain
Main Street to Rayder Road, then north-
Wilderness over the next 10 years.
west on the paved Rayder Road which
Management direction will be guided by:
becomes a graded dirt road known as
the Wilderness Act of 1964; the Arizona
Swansea Road (County Road S31).
Desert Wilderness Act of 1990; Title 43,
Continue north on the left fork for 5.3
Code of Federal Regulations, Subpart
miles to the CAP. Just north of the CAP
8560 (43 CFR 8560); and BLM Manual
crossing is a public information board
8560.
with a wilderness map and a sign which
The planning area contains the entire
identifies the area to the north and west as
East Cactus Plain Wilderness (14,630
the East Cactus Plain Wilderness.
acres) and the portion of the Central
The East Cactus Plain Wilderness lies
Arizona Project Aqueduct (CAP) right-of-
west of Swansea Road for the next 5
way (approximately 240 feet wide and 4.6
miles, then south of the powerline mainte-
miles long equalling 142 acres) that lies
nance road which extends west for 5
between the CAP security fence and the
miles from Midway to a wash containing
wilderness boundary (Map 1). This is an
a portion of the Parker 400 Off-Road
interdisciplinary plan that supersedes and
Race route. The wilderness lies south of
amends the portions of the following
the Parker 400 Off-Road Race route
plans that address this planning area:
which extends west nearly 2 miles. An
unmaintained vehicle route in poor condi-
e Havasu Resource Area Wildlife
tion parallels the Muse Allotment fence
Operations and Maintenance Plan
outside the wilderness. These routes pro-
(1994)
vide legal and physical public access to
the planning area.
FOURTH
A
SQ
1 siWemll i SR 2 J 4 n"VeF Tho m1p son
ARIZONA
— ¥ U.S. Department of the Interior WILDERNESS AREA
Bureau of Land Management
ABANDONED
Yuma District
+ AZ-SWANSEA
Pa NIX
RAILROAD GRADE
EAST CACTUS PLAIN
WILDERNESS AREA LOCATION MAP
0 SCALE 4
Basemap ©) ADOT a ee ee 1990
Miles
Wilderness boundary along the powerline maintenance road.
A substantially unnoticeable vehicle The wilderness boundary follows the
route lies within the CAP right-of-way CAP canal right-of-way southeast for
and parallels the southwest boundary of about 4.6 miles to Swansea Road. The
the wilderness (Map 2). This route was right-of-way boundary on canal left
last used in 1984 to remove a CAP barbed (upper) is not monumented or otherwise
wire fence which was located along the identifiable on the ground. The BLM
~ right-of-way. The route is revegetated and issued a right-of-way reservation (Serial
does not provide physical access by vehi- No. A-22075) to the Bureau of
cle: Reclamation in 1986. Bureau of
Reclamation maps of Granite Reef
Wilderness Boundary Aqueduct - Reach 1 (January 1, 1984)
indicate the right-of-way is generally 400
feet from the canal centerline for most of
Starting at the northeast corner, the
this length but expands to 1200 feet from
wilderness boundary follows a powerline
centerline at the Swansea Road bridge.
west for approximately 4.8 miles. The
Continuing northeast, the wilderness
boundary is setback 70 feet south of the
boundary is setback 100 feet west of cen-
southernmost powerline or 25 feet south
terline of the Swansea Road for about 5
from the center of the powerline mainte-
miles. At an intersection known as
nance road, whichever is located furthest
Midway, the boundary follows a section
south. Next, the boundary follows the
line north for 0.3 mile to where the sec-
wash south of the Parker 400 Off-Road
tion line crosses the Swansea Road and is
Race route west for 1.9 miles to the Muse
again setback 100 feet west of centerline
Allotment fenceline. The boundary fol-
for an additional 0.1 mile to the powerline
lows the fenceline south for 2.4 miles to
at the northeast corner.
the CAP right-of-way.
Ownership/Land Use and closed basins. The dune field extends
across an outwash plain (bajada) which
runs from a small set of hills at the power-
The BLM administers all land within
line to the CAP. Elevations range from
and surrounding the wilderness. No State
1,250 to 1,600 feet. The occurrence of
or private surface or subsurface inholdings
such an extensive stabilized dune field
exist within the planning area. Public land
within the Sonoran Desert Scrub bajada
adjacent to the planning area on the east
environment is unique in Arizona and may
side of Swansea Road was used for mili-
be unique in North America. The closed
tary training during the World War II era
basins formed by the crescent-shaped
and is contaminated with ordnance; it is
dunes provide a number of soil, vegeta-
therefore possible that some ordnance
tion, and wildlife habitat features around
may be located across the road and within
the slopes and in the basins.
the planning area. There are no current
adjacent military land withdrawals.
Climate/Air/Water
The area is characterized by the
Planning Area
Tropical-Subtropical Desert-land climatic
Description zone and is included within the Lower
Colorado River Valley subdivision of the
Sonoran Desert. Temperatures range from
Topography
a low of near 30° F in the months of
The planning area contains an exten-
December and January to a high exceed-
sive area of rolling and partially vegetated
ing 120° F during July and August.
sand dunes. The crescent-shaped
Annual precipitation generally ranges
(barchan) dunes form a series of ridges
from 2 to 7 inches per year.
Crescent-shaped barchan dunes.