DECISION NOTICE AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

Transcription

1 COPPER MOUNTAIN RESORT 2013 MOUNTAIN IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT DECISION NOTICE AND FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT August 2013 USDA Forst Srvic Whit Rivr National Forst Dillon Rangr District

2 Th U.S. Dpartmnt of Agricultur (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activitis on th basis of rac, color, national origin, ag, disability, and whr applicabl, sx, marital status, familial status, parntal status, rligion, sxual orintation, gntic information, political blifs, rprisal, or bcaus all or part of an individual's incom is drivd from any public assistanc program. (Not all prohibitd bass apply to all programs.) Prsons with disabilitis who rquir altrnativ mans for communication of program information (Braill, larg print, audiotap, tc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Cntr at (202) (voic and TDD). To fil a complaint of discrimination, writ USDA, Dirctor, Offic of Civil Rights, 1400 Indpndnc Avnu, SW, Washington, DC or call (800) or (202) (TDD). USDA is an qual opportunity providr and mployr.

3 DECISION NOTICE and FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT COPPER MOUNTAIN RESORT 2013 MOUNTAIN IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT USDA Forst Srvic, Rocky Mountain Rgion Whit Rivr National Forst Dillon Rangr District Summit County, Colorado August 2013 This documnts my dcision and rational for approving proposd projcts within th Coppr Mountain Rsort (CMR) Spcial Us Prmit (SUP) boundary on th Whit Rivr National Forst (WRNF) and locatd within Summit County, Colorado. My dcision is basd on and supportd by th August 2013 (CMR Mountain Improvmnts Projct EA). Th CMR Mountain Improvmnts Projct EA analyzd a sris of projcts that ar dsignd to improv th quality of th rcrational xprinc at CMR, as wll as add to CMR s oprational fficincis. Th public was invitd to commnt on th proposd projcts through a Notic of Proposd Action (NOPA) publishd in th Glnwood Post Indpndnt on Fbruary 8, Th accompanying Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) documnts and supports th dtrmination that th Slctd Altrnativ is not anticipatd to hav a significant impact on th human or natural nvironmnt. DECISION AND REASONS FOR THE DECISION Aftr thoroughly considring th projct purpos and nd, issus, rang of altrnativs and analyss prsntd in th EA, as wll as public commnts that wr rcivd, I hav dcidd to slct and approv Altrnativ 2 th Proposd Action from th EA. My dcision mts th projct purpos and nd (as statd in Chaptr 1 of th EA) and is consistnt with th Whit Rivr National Forst Land and Rsourc Managmnt Plan 2002 Rvision, as amndd (2002 Forst Plan). My dcision includs all componnts of th Proposd Action (Altrnativ 2) as dscribd in Chaptr 2 of th EA. All projct dsign critria (PDC) statd in Chaptr 2 of th EA, and includd as Tabl 1 of this documnt, ar rquird to b adhrd to by CMR. Rfr to th attachd Slctd Altrnativ map for projct locations. Spcifically, my dcision includs: DN-1

4 Lowr Roundabout Grading Th xisting width of th lowr Roundabout trail is constraind immdiatly abov th Union Crk bas ara and th bas of th Kokomo Lift. This narrow ara has nvr bn rmdid du to a larg arthn brm in th currnt location of towr 3 of th Kokomo Lift and th prsnc of Union Crk whr it ntrs a culvrt and flows undr th ski trail. As th Kokomo Lift is rplacd, and towr 3 is rmovd/movd (dscribd blow), this ara is approvd to b r-gradd to improv this prsnt chok point. Th projct will ntail r-contouring th currnt ski trail to stablish a consistnt skiabl grad (+/- 10 prcnt) for gusts as thy flow into th bas ara. Approximatly 3.9 acrs of ground disturbanc including 3.4 acrs of r-grading an xisting trail, 0.1 acr of nw grading, and 0.4 acr of tr rmoval will also b rquird to stablish th ncssary width. Whil th majority of this projct will b locatd on privat proprty, th disturbanc ara dos xtnd onto adjacnt National Forst Systm lands. Th total projct ara on National Forst Systm land is approximatly 1.6 acrs. Kokomo Lift Rplacmnt and Taching Ara Th xisting Kokomo thr-passngr chairlift is approvd to b rplacd with a nw chairlift. Th lift s top trminal will b locatd in approximatly th sam position as th xisting Kokomo top trminal. Th bottom trminal will b locatd adjacnt to th Union Crk bas facilitis, on National Forst Systm land. This nw lift will b usd for round trip skiing as wll as to transport bginning skirs and ridrs to two convyor surfac lifts that ar plannd for as of accss from th Kokomo Lift, on th gntl trrain north of th lift s top trminal. Ths convyors and slops will b usd by CMR s Ski and Rid school, spcially on pak days whn ovrflow taching trrain is ndd. Th nw Kokomo Lift will b approximatly 3,000 ft in lngth (it is currntly 2,642 ft in lngth) and hav a capacity of 1,800 popl pr hour. Roughly half of th nw lift alignmnt will b locatd on privat proprty. Woodward and Trrain Park Surfac Lift A surfac lift is approvd to b locatd immdiatly to th wst of th Catalyst Trrain Park faturs. Th surfac lift will b adjacnt to th Union Crk Exprss Lift, providing roundtrip accss to th Catalyst Trrain Park. This lift will primarily facilitat summr camps, which ar prsntly hostd in conjunction with th Woodward training program, but will also b availabl to run in th wintr at CMR s discrtion. Roughly 1,080 ft in lngth, th lift will hav a capacity of 600 popl pr hour and b locatd to th skir s lft (wst sid) of Lovrly trail. Minimal vgtation claring on NFS lands will occur, totaling 0.2 acr. Wst Ridg Surfac Lift (formrly Union Madows Surfac Lift) Facilitating accss into Coppr Bowl, a surfac lift is approvd to b locatd wst of th xisting Sirra Lift in th Union Madows ara. Prsntly, gusts wishing to accss Coppr Bowl must hik from atop th Sirra Lift to gain th ridg which allows thm to drop into Coppr Bowl. Th Wst Ridg surfac lift will allow gusts to rid th Sirra Lift, ski to th wst and tak th surfac lift to th ridg and thrby to DN-2

5 Coppr Bowl. This lift will b approximatly 850 ft in lngth and hav a capacity of 800 popl pr hour. To protct th lift from windscour, a snow fnc will b installd along th windward (wst) sid of th lift for th majority of its lngth. Singl phas powr is prsnt to th top of th xisting Sirra Lift. CMR will install an additional powr lin from th primary fd locatd nar th Timbrlin Patrol station to th bottom trminal of th approvd surfac lift. Th additional powr lin will b stung into th ground using a dozr and vibrating sho, similar to th tchniqu that was usd for th xisting powr lin in th mid-1990s. A short (465 ft) spur off an xisting accss road will b constructd to rach th bottom trminal location. Whil quipmnt will b ncssary at th top trminal location, accss will b gaind via a tmporary construction accss rout without th nd for a road. T-Rx Connctor Trail Th approvd T-Rx connctor trail will provid improvd circulation for gusts wishing to ski from within th Timbrlin Exprss, Union Crk Exprss, and Kokomo/Lumbrjack/Union Crk aras. Th xisting trrain connction btwn ths aras rquirs skirs and ridrs to utiliz th Lowr Woodwinds Travrs trail. This trail is low angl and off-cambr making it difficult for skirs and vry challnging for snowboardrs. Th approvd trail will originat nar th bottom trminal of th Timbrlin Exprss Lift and trminat adjacnt to th top of th Kokomo Lift. This connctor trail will b roughly 2,125 ft in lngth, hav an avrag width of 50 ft and rquir approximatly 2.3 acrs of vgtation claring. Additionally, ground r-contouring is approvd in placs (approximatly 0.9 acr) to nsur an vn, skiabl grad along th lngth of th ntir trail. Enchantd Forst Accss Th xisting ntranc to th popular Enchantd Forst trail is prsntly a narrow and winding track cratd ach sason via an assortmnt of portabl snow fncing and xtnsiv hand shovling. Th gust xprinc in this ara rmains poor throughout th sason. To rmdy this challng, CMR has approval to rwork th ntranc through a combination of grading, rockwork (which may includ rock stacking, blasting and rlocation), and th construction of rtaining wall sgmnts on both th downhill and uphill sids of th travrs. Additionally, a structural boardwalk is approvd to b constructd in sctions of th travrs to provid a skiabl surfac. Th ovrall lngth of th approvd travrs improvmnts is approximatly 1,150 ft and incorporats roughly 1.2 acrs of grading. Whil th final dsign of th approvd projct has not yt bn compltd, th ovrall goal will b to ultimatly crat a nw trail ntranc, which is groomabl and roughly on snowcat in width (+/-25 ft). Spaulding Bowl Run-out Trail Th grss ara of Spaulding Bowl is prsntly charactrizd by larg bouldrs and talus which rquirs xtnsiv snow covr bfor it can b opn to th public for skiing. In many instancs, th uppr aras of Spaulding Bowl bcom skiabl bfor CMR is abl to opn th grss trail. This approvd projct will rcontour and smooth an adquat path out of th bas of th bowl to allow grooming and skiing arlir in DN-3

6 th sason. Approvd construction tchniqus will includ rock rmoval, rlocation and blasting. Approximatly 1,560 ft in lngth and varying in width, th approvd grading ara will b approximatly 1.4 acrs in total siz. Of this total, 0.8 acr (910 linar ft) will b on National Forst Systm land with th rmaindr on privat proprty ownd by Powdr Corp. Sirra Lift Towr 7 Grading Sinc th original construction of th Sirra Lift, th trrain immdiatly surrounding towr 7 has bn problmatic for skiing, grooming and snow rtntion. CMR has approval to grad, smooth and rock pick this ara to crat a mor asily prpard skiing surfac and to rmov th abrupt brak-ovr. Th total ara approvd for disturbanc is approximatly 1.2 acrs. Th sit will rciv full rvgtation/ rclamation at th compltion of th approvd grading projct. Union Pak Wind Turbins Furthring its commitmnt to sustainability and us of rnwabl nrgy, CMR has approvalto install two vrtical wind turbins in th vicinity of th Union Pak Ski Patrol Station. Capabl of gnrating up to 2,000 kilowatt hours pr yar, ths turbins will b approximatly 24 ft in hight and hav a circumfrnc of roughly 24 inchs. Thy will b mountd on small concrt footrs. Woodward and Trrain Park Viwing Dck Enhancing th Catalyst Trrain Park, a nw viwing dck is approvd to b constructd around th xisting sound shack locatd mid-way along th park adjacnt to A-Road. Constructd primarily of wood, th dck will b approximatly 25 ft by 37 ft in siz. A minimal amount of tr claring may b ncssary to provid spac bhind th xisting building. RATIONALE FOR MY DECISION In raching my dcision I rlid upon an Intrdisciplinary (ID) Tam comprisd of Forst Srvic rsourc spcialists to analyz th ffcts of th two altrnativs documntd in th EA. I considrd th following issus and concrns: anticipatd ffcts to rcration, cultural rsourcs, thratnd and ndangrd and snsitiv plant and animal spcis, and soil and watr rsourcs within th projct ara. I also rviwd th PDCs that wr includd in th EA, rviwd th public commnts on th NOPA, and considrd how th Slctd Altrnativ will rspond to th statd purpos and nd. Th NOPA public commnt priod gnratd four commnts from th Summit County community. No oppositional commnts wr rcivd and two of th commnt lttrs wr supportiv. In rviwing th qualitativ and quantitativ ffcts on th human and biological nvironmnt prsntd in th EA, I find thy hav bn adquatly addrssd and disclosd. I considrd impacts to th full rang of rsourcs that affct th human, biological and physical nvironmnts. I hav rviwd th potntial dirct, indirct and cumulativ impacts, as wll as th mitigation for impacts to watr rsourcs. DN-4

7 In particular, mitigation is ncssary to maintain complianc with Forst Plan managmnt dirction associatd with th proposal to clar 0.4 acr of trs within th watrshd influnc zon (WIZ) of Union Crk. I am awar of th currnt conditions of CMR s watrshds and particularly th stram halth within th Union Crk watrshd. I am confidnt that th PDC idntifid to mitigat th loss of vgtation within th WIZ in th Union Crk watrshd nsurs consistncy with prtinnt Forst Plan dirction. In addition, PDC idntifid to minimiz impacts to strams, wtlands and soils ar appropriat to minimiz potntial impacts to ths rsourcs from implmntation of th projct componnts. I also bliv that wtland functions and valus will not b altrd by th Slctd Altrnativ through avoidanc of impacts. Ovrall, my dcision will improv th gust xprinc for th Forst visitor with minimal nvironmntal impacts. It will also nhanc fficincis at CMR, spcially rlatd to infrastructur and grss, th taching and family xprinc and nvironmntal sustainability. PROJECT DESIGN CRITERIA Th EA prsnts th PDCs in Chaptr 2, Tabl 2-2, all of which hav bn incorporatd into th Slctd Altrnativ. My dcision includs following th PDCs as dscribd in th EA. DN-5

8 RECREATION Projct Dsign Critria and Bst Managmnt Practics During construction, notics will b placd on trailhads and in th bas villag informing usrs of tmporary trail closurs and th location of construction activitis. SCENERY Structurs will b constructd of matrials which blnd with th landscap charactr, as is practicabl, and shall mt FSM 2380 policy for color and rflctivity, which is 4.5 on th Munsll nutral valu color scal. To th xtnt possibl, sit grading will blnd disturbanc into th xisting topography to achiv a natural apparanc and minimiz cuts and fills at th transition with proposd grading and xisting trrain. Utilitis must b burid. All disturbd aras shall b promptly rvgtatd aftr th sit has bn satisfactorily prpard. All proposd facilitis nd to mt rflctivity guidlins. This includs any rflctiv surfacs (mtal, glass, plastics, or othr matrials with smooth surfacs), that do not blnd with th natural nvironmnt. Thy will b covrd, paintd, staind, chmically tratd, tchd, sandblastd, corrugatd, or othrwis tratd to mt th solar rflctivity standards. All proposd facilitis nd to mt color guidlins. Bright colors ar inappropriat for th forst stting. Th colors will b mutd, subdud colors to blnd with th natural color schm. Th Forst Srvic Handbook No. 617, National Forst Landscap Managmnt for Ski Aras, Volum 2, Chaptr 7, rfrs rcommndd colors for ski aras on pag 37 of that handbook. Th colors ar darkr colors grns, browns, navy blu, grays and black. CULTURAL RESOURCES Although sit-spcific survys hav bn conductd, if undocumntd historic and/or prhistoric proprtis ar locatd during ground disturbing activitis or planning activitis associatd with approvd construction activitis, thy will b tratd as spcifid in 36 CFR concrning Proprtis Discovrd During Implmntation of an Undrtaking. WILDLIFE AND AQUATIC SPECIES All construction activitis will b confind to daylight hours, xcluding mrgncis. Construction workrs ar prohibitd from bringing dogs to th construction sit. Pr Forst Srvic (Tabl ROD-4, #24 #27) dirction, undr which all proposd projcts, othr that lowr Roundabout grading, considrd hrin wr prviously approvd, CMR shall implmnt a compnsatory consrvation masur to minimiz impacts rsulting from th prmannt loss of 2.38 acrs of lynx wintr foraging habitat on NFS lands. Prmannt (i.., non-rmovabl) sctions of wind/snow fnc will b no longr than approximatly 100 yards without a gap to allow big gam (.g., lk and mul dr) movmnt. A barrir ffct could b avoidd by laving approximat 12-foot wid gaps in th fnc approximatly vry 100 yards and (a) installing tmporary fncing across th gap at th bginning of th ski sason and rmoving it at th nd of th sason (prfrabl), or (2) installing paralll, prmannt, +/- 30-foot fnc sctions offst to th wst from th main fnc at ach gap to function as a gat. A Forst Srvic rsourc spcialist will approv th fnc dsign. S th lk discussion in th MIS sction for additional considration r: fncing. If boral owl nsts ar dtctd within impact aras, dirct mortality of ggs and/or nstlings could b avoidd by conducting tr rmoval in potntial nsting habitat outsid of th May 21 to July 15 nsting (with ggs/young) priod. DN-6

9 Projct Dsign Critria and Bst Managmnt Practics If oliv-sidd flycatchr nsts ar dtctd within impact aras, dirct mortality of ggs and/or nstlings could b avoidd by conducting tr rmoval in potntial nsting habitat outsid of th Jun 1 and July 15 nsting priod. If Amrican pipit nsts ar dtctd within impact aras, dirct mortality of ggs and/or nstlings could b avoidd by conducting ground disturbing activitis in potntial nsting habitat outsid of th Jun 22 to August 3 nsting (with ggs/young) priod. In th vnt that ground disturbing activitis cannot b schduld outsid of th Jun 22 to August 3 nsting priod of th Amrican pipit and th dcision makr thinks avoidanc of potntial impacts to individual nsts is warrantd, th stakd lift and fnc corridors (ach approximatly 10 mtrs wid) could b survyd by a qualifid wildlif biologist prior to any ground disturbing activitis to confirm that pipit nsting is not occurring. In th vnt that a nst(s) is locatd within proposd impact aras, an ara with a radius of approximatly 5 mtrs around th nst will b appropriatly markd to xclud ntry by construction prsonnl during th Jun 22 to August 3 nsting priod, or until th nstlings fldg. A Forst Srvic wildlif biologist will approv th mthodology and rsults of any such survy and authoriz ground disturbanc to procd. Macroinvrtbrats data within Union Crk will b collctd and analyzd in 2013 to stablish an nvironmntal baslin. If th bug analysis coms back showing th population is diminishd thn additional dsign critria would b idntifid by Forst Srvic spcialists. VEGETATION Sinc th sit-spcific fild survy of th Woodward and Trrain Park Surfac Lift was conductd on July 26, 2012, its proposd location was movd out of th linar intrtrail island to th ast of th xisting Lovrly trail and is now proposd to b sitd along th skir s lft sid of th trail. Thrfor, only th uppr on-third of th proposd disturbanc ara on th xisting trail was adquatly survyd for plants during th July 26 survy. Prior to projct construction, th rmaining portion of th proposd disturbanc ara on th xisting ski trail will b survyd by a qualifid botanist to clar it of plants of potntial concrn (Botrychium is unlikly, but th most likly of any snsitiv plant to b prsnt). Disturbanc aras idntifid by th Forst Srvic as rquiring r-vgtation will b rsdd using nativ spcis whr fasibl, prfrably collctd from local gntic stock or sd availabl from local Forsts Nativ Plant Matrials programs. (Forst Plan Biodivrsity Standard #1; Forst Plan Biodivrsity Guidlin #1; FSM 2070) All mulch, hay and straw usd shall b crtifid wd-fr. A sd mix will b approvd by th Forst Srvic. (Forst Plan Wds Standard #3) A r-vgtation plan will b prpard, including masurs to adquatly stablish dsirabl vgtation. NOXIOUS WEEDS 1) To minimiz th sprad of noxious wds during construction, th following masurs will apply: a. Construction quipmnt will b cland prior to ntry onto NFS land. b. Equipmnt may rquir Forst Srvic inspction prior to moving it from aras infstd with invasiv spcis of concrn to aras fr of such invasiv spcis. Coordinat with th Forst Srvic Wd Program Managr. Tak rasonabl masurs to mak sur quipmnt is fr of soil, sds, vgtativ mattr, or othr dbris that could contain noxious wd sds bfor moving into th projct ara. c. All quipmnt surfacs will b cland, spcially driv systms, tracks and pinch points to nsur rmoval of potntially invasiv dbris. Rasonabl masurs includ prssur-washing or stam claning in an offsit location so oil, gras, soil and plant dbris can b containd and provid optimal protction of projct aras. d. A Forst Srvic Rprsntativ shall b notifid at last 24 hours in advanc of off-road quipmnt arriving on th Forst, to provid th option of inspcting th quipmnt to nsur it has bn cland as rquird. DN-7

10 Projct Dsign Critria and Bst Managmnt Practics. Equipmnt may also rquir inspction prior to moving it from aras infstd with invasiv spcis of concrn to aras fr of such invasiv spcis. Thos aras can b idntifid prior to projct implmntation with th Forst Srvic Wd Program Managr. Rasonabl masurs includ prssur-washing or stam claning in an offsit location so oil, gras, soil and plant dbris can b containd and provid optimal protction of projct aras. (Noxious Wd Standards #1 and 4 [p. 2-30]). SOILS Prior to construction soil survys will b compltd within th disturbanc ara to nsur no nt loss of soil organic mattr. Prior to construction, a dtaild sit rosion control plan will b prpard. This plan shall includ th following componnts: Silt fncs, straw bals, straw wattls, and othr standard rosion control BMPs shall b mployd to contain sdimnt onsit. Jut-ntting or appropriat rosion-control matting on stp fill slops (i.., land with a slop angl of 35% or gratr) to protct soils and nhanc conditions for vgtation r-stablishmnt Disturbd aras will b promptly rvgtatd. Sd mixturs and mulchs will b fr of noxious wds. To prvnt soil rosion, non-prsistnt, non-nativ prnnials or stril prnnials may b usd whil nativ prnnials bcom stablishd. Th Forst Srvic must approv th sd mixturs prior to implmntation, unlss prviously approvd sd mixs ar mployd. Existing roads will b usd for construction and routin maintnanc of th proposd projct componnts whr possibl Vgtativ buffrs will b maintaind adjacnt to intrmittnt or prnnial drainags and wtlands, to th xtnt possibl. Whr avoidanc is not possibl, impacts will b minimizd in snsitiv aras. In all aras whr grading or soil disturbanc will occur, a rassssmnt of th quantity (dpths) of soil A and/or organic ground covr will b mad to nsur no nt loss of this matrial. Soil-disturbing activitis will b avoidd during priods of havy rain or xcssivly wt soils. Aras dtrmind to hav bn compactd by construction activitis may rquir mchanical subsoiling or scarification to th compactd dpth to rduc bulk dnsity and rstor porosity. Ground covr, as a combination of rvgtation, organic amndmnts and mulch applications, will rstor dpths of soil A and/or organic ground covr. If machin piling of slash is don, piling will b conductd to lav topsoil in plac and to avoid displacing soil into pils or windrows. Burning slash pils on shallow soils (soils that ar lss than 50 cntimtrs/20 inchs to bdrock or anothr root rstricting layr) will b avoidd. Whn possibl, slash pils will b burnd with a minimum of 2 inchs (and prfrably 4 to 6 inchs) of snow on th ground to rduc th consumption of soil organic mattr (O horizon matrial or forst duff ). Burn pil siz is limitd pr CDPHE (Colorado Dpartmnt of Public Halth and Environmnt) standards. Ths limit hand pil sizs to 300 cubic ft and machin pil siz to 7,068 cubic ft. Whn possibl, soils will b scarifid and rvgtat with a Forst Srvic-approvd sd mix on slash pil burn sits. Utiliz soil organic amndmnts (i.., compost, biochar, humats) and biological inoculants (i.., mycorrhizal fungi) will b utilizd as appropriat during this procss. Whr dtrmind ncssary during post construction monitoring activitis, watr bars (12 to 18 inchs dp) will b constructd across all roads, trails, and othr disturbd aras prior to sding and frtilization at 50, 75, or 100-foot intrvals as a function of slop angl, or as ncssary, to disprs surfac runoff. Th frquncy will b fild-fit and will b sufficint to prvnt rill rosion and sdimnt dlivry channl formation. DN-8

11 WATERSHED AND WETLANDS Projct Dsign Critria and Bst Managmnt Practics Mitigat tr claring within th Watr Influnc Zon on Forst Srvic lands by flling trs toward Union Crk to improv downd wood frquncy in and nar th channl. For ground-disturbing activitis nar prnnial and intrmittnt strams, and phmral draws, minimiz Connctd Disturbd Ara by nsuring that roads, road ditchs, and othr disturbd aras drain to undisturbd soils rathr than dirctly to strams and phmral draws. Manipulat drainag from disturbd aras as ncssary using natural topography, rolling dips, watrbars, ditch-rlif culvrts, tc., to disconnct disturbd aras from strams. Kp havy quipmnt out of strams, swals, and laks, xcpt to cross at dsignatd points, build crossings, or do rstoration work, or if protctd by at last 1 foot of packd snow or 2 inchs of frozn soil or an approvd matrial/structur dsignd for wtland crossings. Siz culvrts to asily pass sdimnt and dbris transportd by th stram to b crossd. Do not us culvrts lss than 18 in diamtr to cross any stram channl. Add or rmov rocks, wood, or othr matrial in strams or laks only if such actions maintains or improvs stram halth. Avoid altring th stram bd and banks and maintain th natural charactr of th stram. Clarly mark all wtlands within th vicinity of any ground disturbing activitis or tr flling and nsur that all quipmnt oprators ar awar of thir prsnc. Kp ground vhicls out of wtlands unlss protctd by at last 1 foot of packd snow or 2 inchs of frozn soil. Altrnativly, whr approvd by th Forst Srvic on-sit, dsignat a singl wtlands crossing, lay down tmporary construction mats to cross wtlands and limit th numbr of passs to th minimum numbr rquird. Do not disrupt watr supply or drainag pattrns into wtlands. Outslop low standard roads to shd watr rathr than concntrating watr on th road surfac or in ditchs. Do not install culvrts or conduct ground-disturbing activitis nar strams during spring runoff, or during priods of havy prcipitation. Do not locat roads, trails, or othr disturbd aras on slops that show signs of instability, such as slop failur, mass movmnt, or slumps. For projcts that involv grading, dfin grading limits on th ground bfor construction by placing wattls, sdimnt fnc, construction fnc, or som physical barrir along th primtr of th ara to b gradd. Ensur that all grading is confind within th spcifid grading limits. For projcts that will incras road traffic, or rquir road us by havy construction quipmnt, apply road surfacing nar stram crossings as ndd to hardn th road surfac and minimiz sdimnt dlivry to strams. Do not ncroach fills or introduc soil into strams, swals, laks, or wtlands. Install sdimnt waddls, sdimnt fncing, rtntion basins, or othr applications bfor ground-disturbing activitis bgin. Favor applications that maintain functionality without maintnanc, such as sdimnt rtaining waddls. Srvic sdimnt rtntion applications bfor laving th sit and rmov non-natural and non-biodgradabl matrials. Favor applications that us natural or biodgradabl matrials that can b lft on-sit. Kp all dbris gnratd by projct activitis out of ditchs, swals, and drainag channls. Rclaim disturbd aras promptly whn us nds to prvnt rsourc damag and invasion of noxious wds. Ensur propr drainag, rip compactd aras, and apply a Forst Srvic-approvd sd mix and frtilizr to facilitat rvgtation. Halt construction activitis during priods of havy prcipitation or whn soils ar muddy and pron to rutting and compaction. DN-9

12 Th Dillon Rangr District s Snow Rangr and th Forst hydrologist will b rsponsibl for monitoring CMR s complianc with th rquird PDCs and nsuring ffctivnss in coordination with othr rsourc spcialists. Failur to comply with th rquird PDCs will constitut a brach of th projct approval and could tmporarily suspnd construction and/or oprations on th facilitis approvd by this dcision. Th Slctd Altrnativ, along with my dcision to rquir all of th PDC, mts all applicabl laws, rgulations, and policis. With th application of PDCs, th projct will not rsult in any unaccptabl ffcts to NFS lands. In addition to th PDCs prscribd in Tabl 1 for ach rsourc ara, CMR is rquird to prpar and submit for Forst Srvic approval th following documnts: Projct construction and grading plans Pr-construction rosion control/drainag managmnt plans Pr- and post-construction noxious wd control plans Post-construction rvgtation plans RANGE OF ALTERNATIVES In addition to th Proposd Action, on othr altrnativ was analyzd in dtail in th EA: th No Action Altrnativ. For a mor dtaild discussion of th altrnativs considrd, rfr to Chaptr 2 of th EA. Th No Action Altrnativ is rquird by NEPA and provids a baslin for comparing th ffcts of th action altrnativs. No Action ssntially rflcts a continuation of xisting managmnt practics without changs, additions, or upgrads. No nw rcrational opportunitis will b approvd undr th No Action Altrnativ. Altrnativ 2 th Proposd Action includs projct componnts dsignd to improv th quality of th rcrational xprinc, and nhanc oprational fficincis at CMR. Th Proposd Action includs trail grading, a nw taching ara, nw or rplacd lifts, a viwing dck, and wind turbins, all of which will contribut to this. Ths lmnts of th Proposd Action ar discussd in dtail in Chaptr 2 of th EA. MODIFICATIONS MADE TO THE PROPOSED ACTION Th Proposd Action originally includd th Storm King surfac lift rplacmnt. That projct was rmovd from th Proposd Action and rviwd sparatly as a Catgorical Exclusion, givn that thr wr no substantiv public commnts rcivd on it and bcaus of th lack of nvironmntal impacts associatd with this proposd lift rplacmnt. Th Dcision Mmo for th Catgorical Exclusion was signd on May 16, DN-10

13 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT Consistnt with dirction found in 36 CFR (Lgal Notic of Proposd Actions), th Proposd Action was publishd by th WRNF as a Notic of Proposd Action (NOPA) on Fbruary 8, 2013 in th Glnwood Springs Post Indpndnt. Th NOPA was prpard to solicit public commnts on th Purpos and Nd for Action, th Proposd Action and altrnativs to th Proposd Action. Following th lgal notic, th public had th opportunity to commnt for 30 days; this constitutd th only opportunity to commnt on this projct prior to rlas of th dcision notic. Th WRNF rcivd four commnt lttrs: on from th Summit County Planning Dpartmnt, on from th Summit County Board of County Commissionrs, and two from mmbrs of th public. FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT Aftr rviwing th EA, I hav dtrmind that implmntation of th Slctd Altrnativ will not, individually or cumulativly, significantly affct th quality of th human or natural nvironmnt. Th provisions of 40 CFR (b) indicat that projct significanc must b judgd in trms of both contxt and intnsity. Basd on a rviw of ths provisions, I hav dtrmind that an nvironmntal impact statmnt is not rquird. I bas my findings on th following dfinitions of contxt and intnsity: Contxt Contxt mans that th significanc of an action must b analyzd in svral ways such as socity as a whol (human, national), in th affctd rgion, th affctd intrsts, and th locality. Th ffcts of implmnting th Slctd Altrnativ ar localizd, with implications only for th immdiat vicinity of th ski ara. Cumulativ ffcts of past managmnt, combind with th currnt proposal and rasonably forsabl futur actions, ar displayd and analyzd in th EA for ach rsourc. Intnsity Intnsity rfrs to th svrity of th anticipatd impact. Th following tn intnsity factors ar usd to valuat intnsity: 1) Considration of both bnficial and advrs impacts. I hav considrd both th bnficial and advrs impacts associatd with th Slctd Altrnativ as prsntd in th EA and this. Th Slctd Altrnativ will provid rcrational bnfits to many usrs of th WRNF and will improv rcration opportunitis on NFS lands. Advrs impacts to rcration, watr rsourcs, cultural, archological and hritag, vgtation and wildlif rsourcs, ar thoroughly documntd in Chaptr 3 of th EA and ar dtrmind to b non-significant. My finding of no significant nvironmntal ffcts is not biasd by th bnficial ffcts of th action. DN-11

14 2) Considration of th ffcts on public halth and safty. Th Slctd Altrnativ will not significantly affct public halth or safty. Th projcts hav bn dsignd to provid gusts with a saf and high quality rcration xprinc at CMR. 3) Considration of th uniqu charactristics of th gographic ara. Th ara affctd by th approvd projct lmnts dos not rprsnt a uniqu gographic ara, contain historic faturs, park lands, prim farmlands, wildrnss, wild and Scnic Rivrs, or cologically critical aras. Thrfor, th Slctd Altrnativ will not significantly impact any of th aformntiond uniqu charactristics. 4) Considration of th dgr to which th ffcts on th quality of th human nvironmnt ar likly to b considrd controvrsial. Basd on th fact that th Forst Srvic has analyzd and approvd numrous projcts of this typ, I do not considr th ffcts of this projct to b controvrsial, nor is thr scintific disput about ths ffcts. 5) Considration of th dgr to which th possibl ffcts on th human nvironmnt ar highly uncrtain or involv uniqu or unknown risks. Th projcts approvd within th CMR SUP ara ar common at ski aras that oprat on NFS lands. Th analysis shows th ffcts ar not uncrtain, and do not involv uniqu or unknown risks. Thrfor, basd on th Forst Srvic s xprinc with implmnting ths typs of activitis, as wll as th rquirmnt to implmnt PDC to minimiz ffcts, I hav dtrmind that thr will not b significant ffcts on th human nvironmnt. 6) Considration of th dgr to which this action may stablish a prcdnt for futur actions with significant ffcts or that it rprsnts a dcision in principl about futur considrations. I hav dtrmind that this dcision dos not stablish prcdnc for futur actions with significant risks to th nvironmnt. Th Slctd Altrnativ is consistnt with Forst-wid and Managmnt Ara 8.25 dirction, as wll as CMR s SUP. Furthrmor, th approvd projcts and activitis ar common at a dvlopd four-sason rsort such as CMR. Prior to accpting CMR s proposal for th mountain improvmnts to initiat th rquisit NEPA rviw, th Forst Srvic compltd our du dilignc procss to nsur ths projcts ar an appropriat us of public lands. Th Forst Srvic dtrmind that ths projcts ar similar to what has bn approvd and/or currntly xist on NFS lands. 7) Considration of th action in rlation to othr actions with individually insignificant but cumulativly significant impacts. Th Cumulativ Effcts analyss prsntd for ach rsourc throughout Chaptr 3 in th EA discloss a sris of past, prsnt, and rasonably forsabl futur actions with potntial to lad to ffcts which ar cumulativ in natur. Du to avoidanc, projct spcific PDCs and mitigation th analysis dos not DN-12

15 idntify any cumulativly significant impacts that ar anticipatd to rsult from implmntation of th Slctd Altrnativ. 8) Considration of th dgr to which th action may affct listd or ligibl historic placs. As indicatd on pag 3-11 of th EA, no nw cultural rsourcs wr ncountrd, on prviously rcordd sit was idntifid, and on prviously rcordd isolatd fatur could not b locatd and is prsumd dstroyd. Th sit is a scattr of historic milld lumbr, will not b disturbd by th Slctd Altrnativ, and rcommndd as not ligibl for inclusion on th National Rgistr of Historic Placs (NRHP). Sit spcific survys wr compltd for th idntifid projcts and th Forst Srvic rcommndd a finding of no historic proprtis affctd, thrfor no ffcts to ligibl hritag and cultural rsourcs ar anticipatd to occur as a rsult of implmntation of th Slctd Altrnativ. Additionally, as statd in th PDC (Tabl 1), if undocumntd historic and/or prhistoric proprtis ar discovrd during ground disturbing or planning activitis associatd with construction, thy will b tratd as spcifid in 36 CFR concrning Proprtis Discovrd During Implmntation of an Undrtaking. 9) Considration of th dgr to which th action may advrsly affct an ndangrd or thratnd spcis or its critical habitat. Th Slctd Altrnativ will hav no significant advrs ffct on any fdrally listd thratnd, ndangrd or proposd plant or animal spcis. On National Forst Systm lands, approximatly 2.38 acrs of lynx wintr forag habitat and 1.24 acrs of othr suitabl habitat will b convrtd to nonhabitat. Th Slctd Altrnativ is consistnt with all applicabl lynx-rlatd provisions of th Southrn Rockis Lynx Managmnt Dirction and th associatd FEIS/ROD, as wll as with Sction 7(d) of th Endangrd Spcis Act. 10) Considration of whthr th action violats Fdral, Stat, or local laws or rquirmnts imposd for th protction of th nvironmnt. I hav rviwd in th EA, Biological Assssmnt, and th projct fil and hav dtrmind that no Fdral, Stat, or local laws, rgulations, or rquirmnts for protction of th nvironmnt will b violatd with implmntation of th Slctd Altrnativ. Ths laws and rquirmnts ar dtaild in th nxt sction. FINDINGS REQUIRED BY OTHER LAWS AND REGULATIONS I hav dtrmind th Slctd Altrnativ is consistnt with th 2002 Forst Plan goals and objctivs and forst-wid and Managmnt Ara 8.25 standards and guidlins, and thrfor this projct complis with th National Forst Managmnt Planning Act of In addition, implmntation and ffcts of this dcision will b consistnt with th following acts and xcutiv ordrs: Architctural Barrirs Act (ABA) of 1968 DN-13

16 Amricans with Disabilitis Act (ADA) of 1990 Archaological Rsourc Protction Act of 1978 Clan Air Act of 1955, as amndd Clan Watr Act of 1948, as amndd Endangrd Spcis Act of 1973, as amndd Fish and Wildlif Coordination Act of 1934, as amndd Forst and Rangland Rnwabl Rsourcs Planning Act of 1974 Multipl-Us Sustaind Yild Act of 1960 National Environmntal Policy Act of 1969, as amndd National Forst Ski Ara Prmit Act of 1986, as amndd National Historic Prsrvation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amndd Organic Administration Act of 1897 Saf Drinking Watr Act of 1974, as amndd Protction of Wtlands Excutiv Ordr ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW OR APPEAL OPPORTUNITIES No commnts xprssing concrns, or only supportiv commnts, wr rcivd during th 30-day Notic of Proposd Action commnt priod. Thrfor, pr 36 CFR 215.6, this dcision is not subjct to appal. IMPLEMENTATION DATE CMR may bgin implmntation immdiatly. CONTACT For additional information concrning this dcision or th Forst Srvic appal procss, contact: Shlly Grail, Snow Rangr, at (970) DN-14

17 Priv vat Land HIE IN C NTA CK KJA U MO C BLA Coppr Bowl d ar wl Bo i Un ion Bl zz idg Wst Rt Plat r Coppr Pak Un U nio ion Mad M adow ows Union Patrol 10 s l F Al Union Pak y Park on A k Uni SIE RR Existing Lift p ui STORM KI NG r C r Ga c lil oq uy Approvd Lift Flyrs Sl t ppr to n Co ki G la Approvd S n o w F n c T ng mpo mp migan Du Br Halllujah s Ptar Cd Min o ion g h oc ril Ba Whl No o k Lo ip rlo LEGEND Timbrlin So Un Sl 7 l O v tr t Ut R a RESOL UTION avor r PHQ 9 End t r W s d ng Rv m gg Gold Di ul oo a Sp d RENDEZVOUS Privat Land Ri g in Lowr Enchantd Forst Halllujah Ridg 8 b Ka Fa Sp S pa au uld ldin ng Bo ow wll 5 T imbrlin Ridg Upp Up p r Ench En nch chan ant d For Fo rst st ss nn Approvd Mtn Road Extnsions with Powr and Comm Moz t p r ki Piqu r Approvd Tr a i l G r a d i n g s Fly Poin Jacqu an rfild ic RATOR Winds o ng r li S Copp Am po EXCELE ro #20 pp S & High n Tr a i l ri s G Th an Co s Approvd Tra i l o od wi nd s r sw y T-Rx Grill fr Ca r ton pr s t W st T n ou ab oo W Rou dw r t oo Sc nd ds in RF AC E SU t sw r tt Fa V i n G lory ay K n V i os Hidd N CR EEK y rl v GR O UP M O KOK UNIO Lo 3 Pr ER FLY CAN ERI AM or p n ct r Carf AMERICAN EAGLE S K ng w ly La n HFOR li r ir v PITC 6 F Bi sy CB-1 B-1 Lo D al Ea 4 11 M il r Tr LIF T y ul P l a cr Or ADE 2 Roundabout GEM Grn n Accr Acr Acrs a r Cut av Fo un in n V Bo Ov r l oad k Cl rt Cop Ro ad t y Fa i r Pla Mai Upp r Sk id b ay tt Li Mattr W Bi or Min I- LUM BER JAC r Coll a g y s E n c o r CB-2 Cll Building d id R o a TIMBERLINE EXPRESS W in M a i n V c And R h a psody Bou n SUPER I- BEE Dr op Solitud Station SU 1 Wst Villag Cntr Villag B Lot P r da un o B Union Crk Lot Chapl Lot SELECTED ALTERNATIVE AUGUST Contour Intrval ,000 2,000 North 1 Roundabout trail grading 2 Kokomo lift rplacmnt 3 Kokomo taching trrain and carpt convyors 4 Woodward surfac lift alignmnt 5 Wst Ridg Plattr with associatd mtn road and snow fnc 6 T-Rx connctor trail 7 Enchantd Forst accss travrs grading 8 Spaulding Bowl runout trail grading 9 Sirra lift towr 7 trail grading 10 Union Pak wind turbins 11 Woodward and trrain park viwing dck Prpard by: R y