BLM

WILDERNESS
STUDY AREAS

: REGIONAL GROUPS

■

■

WEST-

CENTRAL

VOL. II

SALT LAKE CITY

VERNAL

UTAH

CEDAR CITY.

EAST-
CENTRAL I

uni

u

SOUTH-EAST :

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VOL. V I

RICHFIELD

SOUTH-WEST

VOL. Ill
(PARTS A and B)

BUREAU OF RECLAMATION DENVER LIBRARY

Ill II II

III

llllll

e1EDM7c1c

b

This is Volume III B of a seven volume set. Volume I is the state wide overview. It contains the
Glossary and Appendices for all volumes. Volumes ll-VI contain analyses for individual
Wilderness Study Areas. Volume VII (parts A and B) contain public comments and responses.

\\)

7C-

INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME

The Utah Bureau of Land Management (BLM) State-
wide Wilderness Final Environmental Impact State-
ment (EIS) is comprised of seven volumes which in-
clude one individual analysis of each of 83 Wilderness
Study Areas (WSAs) (Volumes II through VI), a State-
wide overview (Volume I), and public comments and
responses on the Draft EIS (Volume VII). The individ-
ual WSA analyses are grouped into volumes by geo-
graphic location. Volume lll-B is comprised of individ-
ual analyses of the following sixteen WSAs and In-
stant Study Areas (ISAs) located in the South-West
Region of Utah:

Map

Reference

Number

WSA

Acres

26

Wahweap

134.400

27

Burning Hills

61.550

28

Death Ridge

62,870

29

Phipps- Death Hollow ISA

42.731

30

Steep Creek

21.896

31

North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA

1 19.752

32

Carcass Canyon

46,71 1

33

Scorpion

35,884

34

Escalante Canyons/Tract 5 ISA

760

35

Fifty Mile Mountain

146,143

A

Red Butte

804

B

Spring Creek Canyon

4,433

C

The Watchman

600

D

Taylor Creek Canyon

35

E

Goose Creek Canyon

89

F

Beartrap Canyon

40

The alternatives analyzed for each WSA are: No
Action/No Wilderness designation and All Wilderness,
which would be designation of the entire WSA to the
National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). In
addition, one or more Partial Wilderness Alternatives
are analyzed, where designation of a portion of the
WSA would avoid conflicts between wilderness man-
agement and development and use of other resources,
or where certain portions of WSAs have low quality
wilderness values. Partial Wilderness Alternatives,
based on wilderness values, would designate the por-
tions of the WSA with outstanding opportunities for
solitude, primitive recreation, and special features
that are within a manageable boundary.

CHANGES FOR THE FINAL EIS

In response to public comment, and changing resource
conditions and plans, the following changes have been
made for the 3ift>rfery all of the South-West

WSAs: Denver Federal Center

Bldg. 50, OC-521
P.O. Box 25047
Denver, CO 80225

lll-B ~ SOUTH-WEST WSAs

/W

1. The sections entitled Alternatives Considered and \J 3(5
Eliminated from Detailed Study discuss citizen alter-
natives suggested during the public comment period.

2. New statements that further explain management
of water resources, aircraft overflights, cultural re-
sources, noxious weeds, and predators have been add-
ed to the Analysis Assumptions and Guidelines for All
Alternatives.

3. The sections entitled Affected Environment include
new or- updated information on wilderness values,
geology, water resources, soil reclamation potential,
threatened and endangered species, mineral resource,
livestock grazing, land use plans, and economic condi-
tions.

4. Issue identification sections have been revised and
expanded.

5. The environmental consequences of alternatives de-
scribed in the individual analyses have been modified
to address only significant issues.

6. The Analysis Assumptions and Guidelines for All
Alternatives have been moved to the Introduction to
Volume lll-B. The specific assumptions on potential
future activities inside the WSAs have been changed
as described in the Assumed Action Scenarios in the
descriptions of the alternatives analyzed in the indi-
vidual WSA analyses.

7. The State-of-Utah's position on the exchange of in-
held State lands has changed from requiring the ex-
change of in-holdings, to exchanging only when it is in
the best interests of the citizens of Utah. In the Final
EIS, it is assumed that State lands would not be ex-
changed, and access to in-held State sections could be
required following wilderness designation.

8. The bibliographies for the region have been merged
into a comprehensive bibliography that is located at
the end of Volume lll-A.

Additional changes specific to WSAs are identified in
the introductions to the WSA analyses.

ISSUE IDENTIFICATION

BLM used the information obtained from scoping meet-
ings, workshops, comments received during the pub-
lic comment period on the Draft EIS, and input from
BLM professionals to identify the issues for detailed

1

INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME lll-B: SOUTH-WEST WSAs

analysis. Issues related to wilderness in general are
addressed in Volume I, the Statewide overview. Sev-
eral Statewide issues also pertain to the South-West
WSAs.

In determining the significance of issues, BLM consid-
ered the nature and magnitude of potential impacts,
resources covered by law, requirements of BLM's
wilderness review guidelines, and the level of public
interest or concern over the potential impacts.

Issues Not Analyzed In Detail for the South-
West WSAs

1. Impacts on Air Quality: The public has expressed
concern that wilderness designation could lead to re-
designation of WSAs from the existing Class II, Pre-
vention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) classifica-
tion, to the more stringent Class I rating. A PSD
Class I area could restrict future industrial develop-
ments in South-West Utah. Since the BLM Wilderness
Management Policy (found in BLM Manual 8560)
states that BLM will manage all wilderness areas to
comply with the existing air quality classification,
wilderness designation or nondesignation would not
cause the air quality classification to change. The
decision to change air quality classification is the
prerogative of the State of Utah, rather than BLM.
Therefore, the impact of wilderness designation on
air quality is not analyzed in detail for the South-
West WSAs.

2. Geoloov and Topooraphv: With the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative, development of coal re-
sources is projected for the Wahweap, Burning Hills,
Death Ridge, Carcass Canyon, and Fifty Mile Mountain
WSA's in the long-term future. As described in the
individual WSA analyses, all mining activity would be
by underground methods.

No significant changes are anticipated to geology or
topography on the areas that would be leased for coal
exploration and development. However, an undeter-
mined amount of subsidence would be expected. The
surface area that would be susceptible to subsidence
would range from 90 to 130 percent of the area ac-
tually mined. Subsidence would be greatest at the cen-
ter of the mined-out area and much less in the peri-
pheral areas. Maximum subsidence would be from 50
to 90 percent of the thickness of the coal removed.
Expressions of subsidence reflected at the land sur-
face would include open and closed fractures, buckled
and bulged bedrock, sinkholes, and other depressions
(Dunrud, 1976). However, thick overburden would

limit surface expressions of subsidence. Because im-
pacted areas would tend to subside at a uniform rate,
no visual effects to the geology and topography would
be noticeable to the casual visitor to the area.

3. Impacts on Water Rights: In November, 1985, U.S.
District Court Judge John Kane ruled (Sierra Club vs.
Block) that Federal wilderness in Colorado carries an
implicit water right. The public is concerned that wil-
derness designation would interfere with development
of existing water rights and would establish Federal
reserved water rights that would conflict with future
filings, transfers, or changes in points of diversion
for water use. After study of the issue by the Depart-
ment of the Interior Solicitor, the Secretary of the
Interior asked the U.S. Attorney General's Office for
concurrence with the Solicitor's opinion. On July 28,
1988, the Attorney General (Meese, 1988) concluded
that no legally sufficient basis exists for an implica-
ton of Federal reserved water rights for wilderness
purposes. Therefore, impacts on water rights are not
considered significant issues for analysis in the EIS.

4. Land Use Plans and Policies: Issues related to land
use plans and policies include: (a) consistency of wil-
derness designation with the plans and policies of
BLM, other Federal agencies, and State and local gov-
ernments; (b) impacts on the management and use of
in-held private and State lands; (c) relationship of the
BLM WSAs and ISAs to management of adjacent Na-
tional Park Service (NPS) lands and (d) impacts on
special land use designations, existing facilities, and
future proposals for rights-of-way for communica-
tion facilities, power transmissions lines, pipelines
etc.

Wilderness designation as proposed in the Utah BLM
Statewide Wilderness Final EIS is not addressed in the
current BLM land use plans. Wilderness designation is
part of the BLM multiple-use concept, and the State-
wide Wilderness EIS is linked to the current plans
through analysis of the plans as the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative. Congressional designation of all
or part of any of the WSAs would amend the applic-
able BLM land use plans.

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA)
and the BLM Wilderness Study Policy (USDI, BLM,
1981) require BLM to consider and document the
extent to which BLM's recommendations are consis-
tent with the plans and policies of other agencies and
governments. Wilderness designation is perceived by
State and local governments as a threat to devel-
opment of in-held State lands. The Utah State

2

INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME lll-B: SOUTH-WEST WSAs

Legislature passed S.C.R. No. 1 in 1986 opposing any
additional wilderness designation. The Consolidated
Local Government Response to Wilderness (Utah
Counties, 1986) also opposes wilderness designation
of BLM lands in Utah. Designation of all or part of any
WSA would not be consistent with the policies of
State and local governments. The current policy of
the State of Utah is to maximize economic returns
and to reserve its position regarding exchange of in-
held State lands (see Chapter 1 in Volume I). Given
this position, BLM assumes that reasonable access
would be provided to in-held State lands in response
to proposals for development and use. Therefore, im-
pacts on the development of in-held State lands are
not analyzed in detail. Likewise, BLM's Wilderness
Management Guidelines require that access be provid-
ed to in-held private lands, and impacts of designa-
tion on the use of private lands are not an issue for
detailed analysis.

BLM recognizes that wilderness designation would not
be consistent with State and local land use plans and
policies. These plans and policies are described in the
Description of the Affected Environment, but this con-
flict is not repetitively analyzed for each of the alter-
natives.

The affects of wilderness designation on specific pro-
posals and existing facilities or rights in WSAs may
or may not be significant issues. Refer to the Issue
Identification sections found in the introductions to
the individual WSA analyses for further discussion on
these and other resource related issues not described
above.

ANALYSIS ASSUMPTIONS AND GUIDELINES
FOR ALL ALTERNATIVES

The following analysis assumptions and guidelines are
applicable to the analysis of the WSA alternatives de-
scribed in the Final EIS:

1. The alternatives would be carried out as cited in
the Description of the Alternatives section.

2. For the No Action/No Wilderness alternatives, and
the nondesignated portions of WSAs with the Partial
Wilderness Alternatives, it is assumed that BLM
would manage according to the current BLM land use
planning document. The following general management
practices would apply to all of the South-West WSAs:

BLM would establish and maintain land use manage-
ment practices which assure the protection of water

supplies and aquatic habitat from chemical, physical,
or biological deterioration as defined by the Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) and State water qual-
ity standards to protect the health of the public and
other beneficial uses.

Private, commercial, and military aircraft use of air
space over the WSA would continue as at present.

Cultural resources would be protected by provisions
of the Uniform Rules and Regulations (43 Code of Fed-
eral Regulations [CFR] Part 3) to carry out the Anti-
quities Act, the Historic Sites Act, Executive Order
11593, the National Historic Preservation Act, and
the Archaeological Resources Protection Act. Cultur-
al resources could be excavated, stabilized, or inter-
preted without regard for wilderness values.

Prior to authorizing surface disturbing activities,
BLM would consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-
vice (FWS) as required under the provisions of the
Endangered Species Act. Appropriate measures would
be taken to protect endangered, threatened, or sensi-
tive species.

Measures to control fire, insects, noxious weeds, or
disease would be taken as required, if in conformance
with land use plans and BLM guidelines.

Activities for the purpose of gathering information
would be allowed by permit provided they are carried
out in an environmentally sound manner.

Hunting would be allowed subject to applicable State
and Federal laws and regulations.

Control of predators would be allowed without wilder-
ness considerations and would be conducted according
to State law and Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) guidelines. Methods of control would
be determined as appropriate.

3. With the All Wilderness Alternative, and for the
portions of the WSAs that would be designated as wil-
derness with the Partial Wilderness Alternatives, it
is assumed that BLM would manage according to pro-
visions of the BLM Wilderness Management Policy
(BLM Manual 8560). The following general measures
would apply to all WSAs (see Appendix 1 in Volume I):

All designated areas would be withdrawn from min-
eral location and closed to new mineral leasing and
sale.

3

INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME lll-B: SOUTH-WEST WSAs

Livestock grazing would continue as authorized in the
BLM land use plans. New rangeland developments
would be allowed on a case-by-case basis if neces-
sary for rangeland and/or wilderness protection and
effective management of these resources. Occasional
use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment, or me-
chanical transport may be permitted where practical
alternatives are not available.

New water resource facilities or watershed activi-
ties (not related to rangeland or wildlife management)
would be allowed only if they would enhance wilder-
ness values, correct conditions presenting imminent
hazard to life or property, or if authorized by the
President pursuant to Section 4(d)(1) of the Wilder-
ness Act (Eighty-Eighth Congress of the U.S., 1964)

BLM would establish and maintain land use manage-
ment practices which assure the protection of water
supplies and aquatic habitat from chemical, physical,
or biological deterioration as defined by EPA and
State water quality standards to protect the health of
the public and other beneficial uses. Management prac-
tices would be consistent with the BLM Wilderness
Management Guidelines.

Prior to authorizing surface disturbing activities BLM
would consult with the FWS as required under the pro-
visions of the Endangered Species Act. Appropriate
measures would be taken to protect endangered,
threatened, or sensitive species.

Wildlife transplants or habitat developments would be
allowed if compatible with wilderness values. Pro-
jects would be considered for approval on a case-by-
case basis.

Designated areas would be closed to off-road vehicle
(ORV) use except for users with valid existing rights
if approved by BLM in accordance with 43 CFR 8560
provisions.

Specific Wilderness Management Plans would be devel-
oped that would govern the use and protection of the
wilderness areas. It is assumed that a maintenance-
and-use border would be allowed along roads that are
adjacent to or cherry-stem the wilderness areas, for
purposes of road maintenance, temporary vehicle pull-
off, and trailhead parking. This border would be up to
100 feet from the edge of the road travel surface.

Private, commercial, and military aircraft use of air
space over the WSA would continue, but a minimum

elevation of 2,000 feet would be encouraged by BLM
and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The harvest of forest products would not be allowed
in designated areas, except for the harvest of pine
nuts or the noncommercial gathering of dead-and-
down wood, if accomplished by other than mechanical
means for use in the wilderness areas. Increased ve-
hicular access for the harvest of forest products
would not be allowed.

Cultural resources would be protected with the vari-
ous antiquities and cultural resource protection acts.
However, in most instances they would be subject to
the forces of nature, and study and management
would not normally include any excavation, stabiliza-
tion, or interpretation activities. Exceptions would be
allowed on a case-by-case basis after special approv-
al of the BLM State Director.

Visual resources would be managed in accordance
with Visual Resource Management (VRM) Class I stand-
ards which generally allow for only natural ecological
change.

Measures to control fire, insects, noxious weeds, or
disease would be taken in designated areas in in-
stances that threaten human life, property, or high-
value resources on adjacent nonwilderness lands, or
where unacceptable change to the wilderness re-
source would result if the measures were not taken.
Measures taken would be those having the least ad-
verse impact to wilderness values (i.e., those that
least alter the landscape or disturb the land surface).
Therefore, it is assumed that firefighting would be
limited to hand and aerial techniques.

Any activity for the purpose of gathering information
about natural resources would be allowed by permit
provided it is carried out in a manner compatible with
the preservation of the wilderness resource. Re-
search and other studies would be conducted without
the use of motorized equipment or construction of
temporary or permanent structures unless no other
feasible alternatives exist.

Hunting would be allowed subject to applicable State
and Federal laws and regulations, but would be limited
to nonmotorized access.

Where control of predators is necessary to protect en-
dangered or threatened wildlife species, or on a case-
by-case basis to prevent special and serious losses of
domestic livestock, it would be accomplished by meth-
ods directed at eliminating the offending individuals

4

INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME lll-B: SOUTH-WEST WSAs

while at the same time presenting the least possible
hazard to other animals or to wilderness visitors.
Poison baits or cyanide guns (M-44s) would not be
allowed. Approval of a predator control program
would be contingent upon a clear showing that remov-
al of the offending predators would not diminish the
wilderness values of the areas.

4. Future users in WSAs would meet requirements for
all applicable Federal, State, and local permits. Stipu-
lations, mitigating measures, and reclamation proce-
dures would be carried out in compliance with Feder-
al, State, and local laws and regulations.

5. Designation of an area as wilderness would not re-
sult in impacts due to direct disturbance of re-
sources. Any direct disturbance of resources with
wilderness designation would result from use of prior
rights that must be recognized by BLM. Such disturb-
ance could occur with or without wilderness designa-
tion.

6. The impacts of wilderness designation would result
from: (a) protection of certain resources; (b) denial
of opportunity to develop certain resources; or (c)
restrictions on/or changes in allowable management
practices and land uses.

7. The short term is defined as that time from the
present to the year 2020. The long term is defined as
beyond the year 2020. The term foreseeable future
refers to both the short and long terms in reference
to activities that are likely to occur in the WSA.

Although the degree of future development cannot be
predicted accurately, Assumed Action Scenarios are
presented for analysis purposes in the description of
the alternatives. Based on known plans and proposals,
known estimated resource values, and projections of
future economic conditions, the assumed action sce-
narios describe activities likely to occur in the WSAs
over the foreseeable future, if the alternative is im-
plemented.

8. Development potential in many of the WSAs has
been divided into short-term and long-term projec-
tions. Even within the short term the quality of data
varies. From the present time to about the year
2005, there are relatively good data with which to
make development projections. From the year 2005
to the year 2020, little data exists and development
expectations are more speculative. Surface disturb-
ance figures, and subsequent environmental impact

analysis in the Final EIS, are based on activities pro-
jected in the foreseeable future.

9. Mineral evaluations and estimates of in-place min-
eral resources are based on a mineral resource eval-
uation of the WSAs by the Science Applications Inc.
(SAI), the United States Geological Survey (USGS),
and the United States Bureau of Mines (USBM) Miner-
al Survey Reports, where available, and subsequent
evaluations conducted by BLM personnel. These esti-
mates are generally based on literature studies and
known mineral and energy activities in the vicinity of
the WSA. The analysis estimates the potentially re-
coverable miner-al resources and then, using BLM's
field experience and judgment, determines the proba-
bility of short-term and long-term development.
Appendix 6 in Volume I explains the mineral explora-
tion and development projections. Appendix 10 in
Volume I explains the method used for estimating
surface disturbance from projected activities in the
WSA.

10. It is assumed that, once designated, the manage-
ment of WSAs as wilderness would continue over the
long term.

11. The environmental consequences of alternatives
analyze only the significant issues identified in the
Introduction to the WSA analyses.

5

Wahweap WSA

Burning Hills WSA
Death Ridge WSA
Phipps-Death Hollow ISA Complex
Steep Creek WSA

North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA Complex
Carcass Canyon WSA^ HHi
Scorpion WSA

Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA Complex

Fifty Mile Mountain WSA

Red Butte wsa

Spring Creek Canyon WSA

The Watchman WSA

Taylor Creek Canyon WSAHBH^HIH
Goose Creek Canyon WSAHHHHHHBHHl

Beartrap Canyon WSA

WAHWEAP WSA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 2

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 2

Issues Analyzed in Detail 3

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 3

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated from Detailed Study 3

Alternatives Analyzed 3

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 3

All Wilderness Alternative 7

Partial Wilderness Alternative 8

Summary of Environmental Consequences 14

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 14

Wilderness Values 14

Air Quality 18

Geology and Topography 19

Soils 19

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 20

Water Resources 20

Mineral and Energy Resources 21

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 23

Forest Resources 23

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 23

Visual Resources 24

Cultural Resources 24

Recreation 24

Land Use Plans 25

Socioeconomics 26

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 27

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 27

All Wilderness Alternative 30

Partial Wilderness Alternative 33

I

<•

WAHWEAP WSA

( UT-040-248)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Wahweap WSA is located on the Kaiparowits Pla-
teau 2 miles north of Big Water City, Kane County,
Utah. It extends on the south almost to Highway 89
and is bounded by Cottonwood Canyon on the west,
the road from Grosvenor Arch to Horse Mountain on
the north, and the Smoky Mountain-Head of the
Creeks roads on the east.

There are 134,400 acres of public land and 10,361
acres of State land enclosed within the WSA. The
WSA is administered by the BLM Cedar City District
Kanab Resource Area office.

The WSA is characterized by a tilted topography with
south-facing escarpments and gently northward-
sloping benches. Over 70 percent (98,112 acres) of
the WSA is covered by pinyon-juniper woodland; the
remainder of the area is covered by desert shrub.

Annual precipitation in the Wahweap WSA is variable
due to the large size of the unit and variations in alti-
tude. The overall annual average is 12 inches. Highest
monthly precipitation occurs from July through De-
cember, during which time two-thirds of the yearly
total falls. Intensive thunderstorms are common dur-
ing the summer months.

Temperatures vary greatly with aspect and altitude.
July and January are the warmest and coldest
months, respectively. July temperatures range from
50 degrees to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (F), while
the January range is from below 0 degrees to 60
degrees F.

Changes for the Final EIS

In addition to the changes noted in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B, the following changes specific to the
Wahweap WSA have been made since publication of
the Draft EIS.

1. Small portions of the boundary of the WSA (T. 40
S., R. 1 E., secs. 4, 5, 6, and 29; T. 40 S., R. 3 E.,
secs. 29, and 33; and T. 41 S., R. 2 E., secs. 8, 21,
and 22) have been redrawn to correct minor errors
in the Draft EIS maps. These changes did not require
acreage adjustments because acreage calculations

were based on the boundaries as shown in the inven-
tory document and Final EIS.

2. The BLM proposed action in the Draft EIS was the
Partial Wilderness Alternative. The BLM proposed
action for the Final EIS is the No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternative (0 acres). Refer to Appendix 1 1 in
Volume I for a summary of the rationale for the pro-
posed action.

3. The anticipated surface disturbance presented in
the Draft EIS (45,230 acres) was based on the
assumption that all mineral and other resources poten-
tially within the WSA would be developed sometime in
the future without consideration of technical or eco-
nomic feasibility. In response to public comments rela-
tive to the feasibility of developments, the disturb-
ance estimates have been revised to focus on activi-
ties projected to be feasible within the foreseeable fu-
ture (see Appendix 6 in Volume I). This resulted in a
reduction of surface disturbance estimates from the
45,230 acres reported in the Draft EIS to 7,191
acres of surface disturbance for the Final EIS.

4. As part of the 45,230 acres of disturbance, the
Draft EIS identified 43,100 acres of vegetation treat-
ments (chaining, burning, spraying, and seeding) with-
in the WSA to improve wildlife habitat, increase live-
stock forage production, and improve watershed. How-
ever, BLM does not anticipate sufficient funding in the
foreseeable future to complete these projects. As a
result, the land treatment estimates have been revis-
ed downward to 7,100 acres in the Final EIS to re-
flect more realistic funding projections. Estimates of
potential increases in wildlife populations and live-
stock forage have been revised accordingly. Treat-
ment would not occur in the old pinyon-juniper wood-
land area on Four Mile Bench.

5. The Final EIS projects approximately 20 acres of
surface disturbance resulting from the construction
of several rangeland projects including 4 miles of
fence, 4 reservoirs, 6 miles of pipelines, three
spring developments, three catchments and 3 miles of
trails. This was not analyzed in the Draft EIS.

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP

WSA^/%

NO. ZD

SEE VOL.I

1

WAHWEAP WSA

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B (i.e., impacts on air quality, geology and
topography, water rights, and land use plans and poli-
cies), the following issues or impacts specific to the
Wahweap WSA were considered but are not analyzed
in detail in the Final EIS for the reasons described be-
low.

1. Soils: Soil disturbance estimates have been revis-
ed downward from 45,230 acres analyzed in the
Draft EIS to 7,191 acres in the Final EIS. About
7,100 acres of the projected disturbance would re-
sult from vegetation treatments which would be re-
claimed and existing soil conditions would be improv-
ed over the long term. Further, this disturbance
would take place in those portions of the WSA where
reclamation potential is the highest. Given this new
scenario, the impacts of direct disturbance of soil
would affect only about 5.3 percent (7,191 acres) of
the WSA. Therefore, impacts on soils are not signifi-
cant issues for analysis in the Final EIS.

2. Water Resources: There are no perennial streams
in the Wahweap WSA. Four creeks have intermittent
water and often flow following summer thunder-
storms. About 23 undeveloped springs and 13 live-
stock reservoirs are located in the WSA. Existing
water developments could be maintained as in the
past and would not be affected. Precipitation is low
and all streams are ephemeral within the WSA; there-
fore, no significant sedimentation or change in total
dissolved solids (TDS) is expected to occur. The pro-
posed vegetation treatments of 7,100 acres could
cause a temporary (2 to 3 year) increase in TDS.
However, after the new seedings are established,
water quality would improve. Therefore, impacts on
water resources, uses, and quality would not be sig-
nificant for any alternative and are not discussed in
detail in the Final EIS.

3. Forest Resources: The forest resources in the
WSA consist of approximately 98,112 acres of scat-
tered pinyon-juniper woodland. Demand for forest re-
sources in the WSA would continue to be very low due
mainly to more accessible and higher quality areas lo-
cated elsewhere. As a result, opportunities for forest
resource harvest in the WSA are limited. Therefore,

impacts on forest resources are not significant issues
for analysis in the Final EIS.

4. Visual Resources: As already discussed, estimates
of surface disturbance have been substantially reduc-
ed for the Final EIS. The 7,191 acres of surface dis-
turbance projected to occur in the foreseeable future
would directly affect only about 5.3 percent of the
WSA. Disturbance would occur in Scenic Class B and C
areas and in VRM Class IV areas. Impacts on visual re-
sources are considered in the Final EIS as part of the
discussion of naturalness and special features in the
Wilderness Values section.

5. Cultural Resources: Approximately 65 archaeologi-
cal or historical sites are known to occur in the WSA.
Surface-disturbing activities could potentially disturb
or destroy sites not now known to occur in the WSA.
Inventories for the purpose of site recordation and
mitigations of impacts would take place prior to any
surface disturbance. Given these conditions, impacts
on cultural resources are not significant issues for
the Wahweap WSA.

6. Recreation: Recreational use of the Wahweap WSA
is light, probably less than 100 visitor-use days per
year. About 25 percent of this use is motorized use
by hunters and sightseers. This use is generally re-
stricted to the 40 miles of ways and dry streambeds
in canyon bottoms in the WSA. BLM believes recrea-
tional changes resulting from designation or nondesig-
nation would not be significant due to the limited use
now occurring and projected to occur in the future in
the WSA.

7. Kaibarowits Coal Transportation and Other Corri-
dors: Potential coal transportation and railroad corri-
dors pass through the WSA (ERT, 1980). The Union
Pacific Railroad has also identified a specific route
paralleling the Cockscomb that could be used for the
transportation of Kaiparowits coal if development in
the area were to occur. Over 13 million tons of Kai-
parowits coal would need to be mined annually to
make this a feasible route.

Commentors on the Draft EIS expressed concen that
designated wilderness areas, including the Wahweap
WSA, could block the use of these corridors. If wilder-
ness designation were to occur, development of the
coal transportation systems would not be allowed
within the WSA. However the transportation corri-
dors described in the ERT study extend beyond the
WSA boundary; therefore, coal transportation sys-
tems could be sited outside the WSA and still be

2

WAHWEAP WSA

within the designated corridors. The Union Pacific
route could be rerouted outside of the WSA. The Kai-
parowits Coal Transportation Study directs that nat-
ural topographic features, such as The Cockscomb, be
avoided. Therefore, impacts related to potential coal
transportation systems are not analyzed in detail for
the Wahweap WSA. Potential impacts resulting from
coal development are discussed in the Final EIS but
the reader is referred to the ERT study for an analy-
sis of the transportation corridors.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The significant issues for the Wahweap WSA are:

1. Impacts of wilderness designation or nondesigna-
tion on the wilderness values of naturalness, oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive recreation, and
special features.

2. Impacts on vegetation including special status spe-
cies.

3. Impacts on leasable mineral exploration and pro-
duction.

4. Impacts on wildlife habitat and populations includ-
ing status species.

5. Impacts on livestock management.

6. Impacts on local economic conditions.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the need for, and ade-
quacy of, the rationale for the BLM proposed action;
the need for further inventories of resource values;
and BLM's assessments of wilderness values, visual
resources, and mineral values.

See Volume Vll-B for responses to general comments
applicable to all WSAs and/or the Statewide analysis
and Volume Vll-C, Section 26, for responses to speci-
fic comments about the Wahweap WSA.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
from Detailed Study

An alternative that would add 16,840 acres of Fed-
eral and State lands on the northern, southwestern,
and southeastern portions of the WSA was suggested
in the public comments. This alternative is not ana-

lyzed because the inclusion of State lands is not con-
sistent with BLM's wilderness review guidelines (re-
fer to Volume Vll-B, General Comment Response 6.4)
and because the Federal lands were dropped from
study during the inventory phase (refer to Volume VII-
B, General Comment Response 3.1). Other citizen-
proposed alternatives are comparable to the All
Wilderness Alternative of 134,400 acres.

Alternatives Analyzed

Three alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness (Proposed Action); (2) All Wil-
derness (134,400 acres); and (3) Partial Wilderness
(70,380 acres). A description of BLM's management
practices for each alternative follows. Where manage-
ment intentions have not been clearly identified,
assumptions are made based on projections with each
alternative. These assumptions are indicated in each
case. The assumed management actions presented in
the Introduction to Volume lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action)

With this alternative, none of the 134,400-acre Wah-
weap WSA would be designated by Congress as part
of the NWPS. Although BLM's land use plans are regu-
larly updated, it is assumed that the area would con-
tinue to be managed in accordance with the Paria Plan-
ning Unit Management Framework Plan (MFP) (USDI,
BLM, 1981c) and other BLM planning documents. The
10,361 acres of State land within the WSA (refer to
Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I) have not been iden-
tified for special Federal acquisition through exchange
or purchase. No private or split-estate lands are lo-
cated within the WSA. The figures and acreages given
are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 134,400 acres would remain open to mineral
location, leasing with standard and special stipula-
tions, and sale. Development work, extraction,
and patenting would be allowed on 32 existing min-
ing claims (about 640 acres) and future mining
claims. Development would be regulated by unnec-
essary or undue degradation regulations (43 CFR
3809) without concern for wilderness values.
Four existing post-FLPMA oil and gas leases
(1,225 acres) and future leases could be develop-
ed with leasing Category 1 (standard stipulations)
on 127,220 acres and Category 3 on 6,480 acres
(no surface occupancy). Approximately 700 acres

3

WAHWEAP WSA

would be managed as Category 4 (closed to leas-
ing). Although mineral resources would be manag-
ed as described above, no locatable mineral or oil
and gas exploration or development is projected
in the WSA in the foreseeable future because the
level of known resources and the probability of
their development are too low to support that
assumption. Appendix 6 in Volume I explains the
mineral exploration and development projections.
Coal leasing and development, including 12 exist-
ing leases (17,628 acres), could occur without re-
gard for wilderness values. Because of the sub-
stantial coal resource known to occur in the WSA,
development of the resource is projected in the
long-term future. Mining would be by underground
methods.

The present level of domestic livestock grazing
use of the 134,400-acre WSA would continue as
authorized in the Paria MFP (an estimated 3,084
Animal Unit Months [AUMs]). Use of existing
rangeland developments (approximately 18 miles
of fence, 13 reservoirs, a 0.2 mile of pipeline, a
30-foot ring tank, and a 66,000-gallon storage
tank) would continue as in the past. New range-
land developments could be implemented without
wilderness considerations. Proposed develop-
ments include 4 miles of fence, four reservoirs,

6 miles of pipeline with troughs, three spring de-
velopments, three water catchments, and 3 miles
of trail. The 7,100 acres of vegetation treatment
projected for the WSA would result in an estimat-
ed additional 1,160 AUMs annually. The vegeta-
tion treatment would not occur in an old pinyon-
juniper woodland area on Four Mile Bench. The
approximately 40 miles of way would remain
open for livestock management purposes.

Developments for wildlife, watershed, and water
resources would be allowed without concern for
wilderness values if in conformance with the
Paria MFP. The 7,100 acres of vegetation treat-
ments discussed above would improve wildlife
habitat and watershed. The livestock develop-
ments listed above would also benefit wildlife.
Approximately 122,700 acres, including about
40 miles of way in 25 separate locations, would
be open to ORV use. ORV use would be limited to
existing roads and trails on 8,400 acres along
Wahweap Creek, Four Mile Creek, Tommy Can-
yon, and Nipple Creek. An additional 3,300 acres
would be closed to vehicle use from March 1 to
July 1 of each year near the lower reaches of
Wahweap Creek to protect wildlife values.

The entire 134,400-acre area would continue to
be open to woodland product harvest. There is a
minimal harvest of forest products at the present
time, and no increase is projected due to remote-
ness and lack of demand.

The WSA would continue to be managed under VRM
Class II on 6,000 acres, Class III on 4,300 acres,
and Class IV on 124,100 acres.

• Action Scenario

It is projected that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would result in
approximately 7,191 acres of surface disturb-
ance in the foreseeable future. In the short term,
about 7,100 acres of anticipated disturbance
would result from vegetation treatments designed
to improve livestock forage, wildlife habitat, and
watershed. The treatments would include pinyon-
juniper woodland chaining and seeding, sagebrush
spraying and seeding, and tillage and seeding. The
planned treatment areas are scattered through the
WSA. The treatments would be maintained over
the foreseeable future. Other planned rangeland
projects would disturb approximately 20 acres
and include 4 miles of fence, 4 reservoirs, 6
miles of pipelines with troughs, 3 spring develop-
ments, 3 water catchments and 3 miles of trail.
An additional 7 acres would be disturbed due to
the construction of about 13 water catchments
for wildlife. At least 4 months of on-the-ground
work would be necessary to complete these pro-
jects which would be maintained over the long
term. It is recognized, however, that installation
of these projects would take place over a several
year period. About 24 acres of surface disturb-
ance would result from the construction of 12
miles of access roads to in-held State lands for
the purpose of mineral exploration.

No other rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed
projects, or other developments are projected. No
leasable or locatable mineral resource exploration
or development is projected in the short term.

In the long term, it is projected that coal in the
northeastern portion of the WSA would be eventu-
ally developed. Development would be by the un-
derground methods and access would be from the
east where the thickest coal seams are found and
where the coal is nearest the surface and could be
more easily accessed. The size of individual coal
operations, typical of the intermountain area.

4

WAHWEAP WSA

R 2 E

5

'

WAHWEAP WSA

differ. Each surface facility site, including up to 5
miles of access roads, would occupy up to 20
acres. Additional surface disturbance would re-
sult from exploratory drilling activities. Employ-
ees, including supervisory personnel, would num-
ber from 20 to 300. Operations would last from
30 to 40 years. All disturbed areas would be re-
claimed upon abandonment. Up to 2 separate opera-
tions are projected for the WSA which would dis-
turb a total of 40 acres.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected because
visitation is low and the area is remote. Recrea-
tional use is expected to increase over the cur-
rent estimated use of 100 visitor days per year
at a rate of 2 to 7 percent annually. As much as
25 percent of this use would continue to be motor-
ized recreation, generally on 40 miles of existing
ways or in washes.

• All Wilderness Alternative

With the All Wilderness Alternative, all 134,400
acres of the Wahweap WSA would be designated by an
act of Congress as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2).

It would be managed in accordance with the BLM Wil-
derness Management Policy (BLM Manual 8560) to
preserve its wilderness character.

The policy of the State of Utah is to reserve its posi-
tion regarding the exchange of in-held lands within
any particular WSA (see Chapter 1 in Volume I).
Based on this policy regarding the exchange of State
lands, it is assumed that the State lands in the WSA
would remain under existing ownership. There are 16
State sections (10,361 acres) within the WSA (refer
to Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I). The figures and
acreages given with this alternative are for Federal
lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 134,400 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale. Develop-
ment work, extraction, and patenting would be
allowed to continue on that portion of the approxi-
mately 640 acres of 32 existing mining claims
and on any future claims located prior to wilder-
ness designation that may be determined valid.
Development would be regulated by unnecessary
or undue degradation guidelines (43 CFR 3809)
with concern for wilderness values. BLM does not

project location or development of mining claims
with this alternative.

The four existing post-FLPMA oil and gas leases
(1,225 acres) would not be reissued upon expira-
tion unless a find of oil or gas resources in com-
mercial quantities is shown. New oil and gas
leases would not be issued. The probability of oil
and gas development is considered to be low and
no exploration or development is projected.

Present domestic livestock grazing would be allow-
ed to continue as authorized in the Paria MFP. The
estimated 3,084 AUMs in the WSA would remain
available to livestock as presently allotted. After
designation, existing rangeland developments as
listed in the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative
could be maintained in a manner as in the past
based on practical necessity and reasonableness.
New rangeland developments (4 miles of fence, 6
miles of pipeline with troughs, three spring devel-
opments, three water catchments, and 3 miles of
trail) would be allowed on a case-by-case basis if
necessary for resource protection (rangeland
and/or wilderness) and management, provided
that wilderness protection standards are met (re-
fer to Appendix 1 in Volume I). The proposed four
reservoirs and 7,100 acres of vegetation treat-
ment would not be allowed.

The proposed 13 wildlife watering catchments
would be allowed subject to wilderness protection
standards.

The entire 134,400-acre area would be closed to
ORV use except for: (1) users with valid existing
rights if approved by BLM in accordance with 43
CFR 8560 provisions: or (2) for occasional and
short-term vehicular access approved by BLM for
maintenance of approved livestock and wildlife de-
velopments. About 40 miles of existing vehicular
ways would not be available for vehicular use ex-
cept as indicated above. Approximately 25 miles
of cherry-stemmed roads would remain open to
vehicular use. About 45 miles of the WSA bounda-
ry follow existing gravel and dirt roads that
would remain open to vehicular travel.

• Action Scenario

A total of 46 acres of surface disturbance would
occur in the WSA in the foreseeable future follow-
ing wilderness designation. About 16 acres of dis-
turbance would result from the construction of

* $ r* .

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v' t ►/ .>i

Jl I'V. V..‘Vur‘

tion

WAHWEAP WSA

rangeland projects, including the fence, pipeline
with troughs, spring developments, and catch-
ments and trails, as described in the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative. Six acres would be dis-
turbed from construction of watering facilities
for wildlife. These projects would be designed and
installed consistent with wilderness protection
standards. The vegetation treatments and reser-
voirs would not be allowed. No additional range-
land, wildlife habitat, watershed projects, or
other developments are planned following wilder-
ness designation. About 24 acres of surface dis-
turbance would result from the construction of
12 miles of access road to in-held State lands for
the purpose of mineral exploration.

No mineral resource exploration or development
is projected for existing leases or mining claims
in the WSA. Implementation of the All Wilderness
Alternative would preclude new mineral location
and mineral leasing. Therefore, no exploration or
development of locatable or leasable mineral re-
sources, including coal, is anticipated following
wilderness designation.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected because
of wilderness management restrictions and the
remoteness of the area. Primitive recreational
use is expected to increase over the current esti-
mated primitive use of 75 visitor days per year
at a rate of 2 to 7 percent annually. Use of ve-
hicles would not be allowed following designation.

• Partial Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, 70,380 acres of the Wahweap
WSA would be designated as wilderness (refer to Map
3). The objective of this alternative is to analyze as
wilderness that part of the WSA with the highest wil-
derness values, as well as to minimize conflict with
areas of greatest mineral (coal) development poten-
tial and avoid part of the conflict with proposed vege-
tation treatment areas. The Partial Wilderness Alter-
native essentially includes Wahweap Creek and the
area west. However, it also includes the major can-
yons that drain into Wahweap Creek from the east,
including Ty Hatch, Smith Run, Tommy Canyon, Long
Flat Canyon, Four Mile Canyon, and Tommy Smith
Creeks. It also includes the majority of the Cocks-
comb Formation near the western boundary.

The 64,020 acres within the northern and northeast-
ern part of the WSA, but outside of that designated as
wilderness, would be managed in accordance with the

Paria MFP as described for the No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternative. The 70,380-acre area designated
as wilderness would be managed in accordance with
the BLM Wilderness Management Policy (BLM Manual
8560) as described in the All Wilderness Alternative.

The policy of the State is to reserve its position re-
garding the exchange of in-held lands within any par-
ticular WSA (see Chapter 1 in Volume I). Based on
this policy regarding the exchange of State lands and
provisions of BLM Wilderness Management Guidelines,
it is assumed that State and private lands would re-
main under existing ownership. There are eight State
sections (5,191.6 acres) in the portion of the WSA
that would be designated wilderness (refer to Map 1
and Appendix 3 in Volume I). The figures and acreages
given for this alternative are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

The 70,380-acre wilderness would be withdrawn
from mineral entry and closed to new mineral leas-
ing and sale. Development work, extraction, and
patenting would be allowed to continue on 24 exist-
ing mining claims (480 acres) and any future
claims located prior to wilderness designation,
provided they are valid. Development would be
regulated by unnecessary and undue degradation
guidelines (43 CFR 3809) with consideration given
to wilderness values. An existing post-FLPMA oil
and gas lease covering 40 acres would not be reis-
sued upon expiration unless a find of oil or gas in
commercial quantities is shown. BLM does not pro-
ject location or development of mining claims in
the designated area of the WSA. No leasable miner-
als, including coal, would be developed.

The 64,020-acre area within the WSA not desig-
nated wilderness would be open to future mineral
location, leasing, and sale. Mining would be allow-
ed on the eight existing claims and future claims if
valid. Development of such claims would be regu-
lated by unnecessary or undue degradation criter-
ia (43 CFR 3809) without wilderness considera-
tion. Three existing post-FLPMA oil and gas leases
(1,185 acres) and future leases would be managed
as leasing Category 1 (standard stipulations) on
62,670 acres and Category 3 (no surface occu-
pancy) on 1,350 acres. Although mineral re-
sources would be managed as described above, no
locatable or oil and gas exploration or develop-
ment is projected in the nondesignated portion of
the WSA in the foreseeable future because the
level of known resources and the probability of

8

WAHWEAP WSA

9

WAHWEAP WSA

R 1 W R 1 E. R, 2 E.

Map 3

PARTIAL WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE
Wahweap WSA
UT-040-248

^Ourmil»\

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

Legend
WSA Boundarv

Partial Wilderness
Alternative (70,380 acres)

WAHWEAP WSA

their development are too low to support that
assumption.

Appendix 6 in Volume I explains the mineral ex-
ploration and development projections. Because of
the substantial coal resource known to occur in
the WSA, development of that resource is project-
ed in the long-term future. Mining would be by un-
derground methods.

Domestic livestock grazing would continue to oc-
cur in the 70,380-acre wilderness area. The esti-
mated 1,574 AUMs in the area would remain
available to livestock as presently allotted. New
rangeland development (5 miles of pipeline, 4
miles of fence, two spring developments, and
three catchments) could be allowed in the wilder-
ness area if necessary for protection and manage-
ment of the rangeland and/or wilderness re-
source, provided that wilderness protection stand-
ards are met. About 4,100 acres of vegetation
treatments for livestock, wildlife, and watershed
would not be allowed. In the 64,020-acre nonwil-
derness area, grazing use of an estimated 1,510
AUMs would continue and new rangeland develop-
ments (1 mile of pipeline, 4 reservoirs, 1 spring
development, 3 miles of trail, and 3,000 acres of
vegetation treatments) could be allowed without
concern for wilderness values.

In the 70,380-acre wilderness, proposed wildlife
watering facilities would be allowed subject to
wilderness protection standards. In the nondesig-
nated area, wildlife watering facilities (for a
total of 13 acres proposed for the entire WSA)
would be allowed without concern for wilderness
values.

The canyons and benches that would comprise the
70,380-acre wilderness would be closed to ORV
use. About 10 miles of existing ways in the wil-
derness area would not be available for vehicular
use except in situations described under the All
Wilderness Alternative. Three existing roads (to-
taling 8 miles) would be cherry-stemmed into the
wilderness area. The 64,020-acre nondesignated
portion would remain open to vehicular travel.

Visual resources on the 70,380-acre wilderness
area would be managed in accordance with VRM
Class I standards, which generally allow for only
natural ecological change. The remaining 64,020
acres would be managed as Class II on 4,600

acres, Class III on 3,500 acres, and Class IV on
55,920 acres.

• Action Scenario

A total of 3,089 acres of surface disturbance is
projected in the WSA in the foreseeable future
with this alternative. Approximately 32 acres of
surface disturbance would occur in the designated
portion of the WSA. Ten acres would be disturbed
as a result of the construction of rangeland pro-
jects, including 5 miles of pipeline with troughs, 4
miles of fence, 2 spring developments, and 3
catchments. An additional 2 acres would be dis-
turbed due to the construction of watering facili-
ties for wildlife. These developments would be de-
signed and installed consistent with wilderness
protection standards. Vegetation treatments
would not be allowed. Twenty acres would be dis-
turbed as a result of 10 miles of access road con-
struction to in-held State lands. No exploration or
development is projected on existing leases or
mining claims on Federal lands in the designated
portion. No mineral leasing or mineral location
would be allowed following wilderness designa-
tion. Therefore, no exploration or development of
mineral resources, including coal, is anticipated in
the designated portion of the WSA.

It is projected that approximately 3,017 acres of
surface disturbance would occur in the 64,020-
acre nondesignated portion of the WSA in the
short term. About 3,000 acres of vegetation
treatments would be allowed as described in the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Eight acres
would be disturbed due to construction of range-
land projects including 1 mile of pipeline, four res-
ervoirs, 1 spring development and 3 miles of
trail. Five acres would be disturbed as a result of
the construction of wildlife watering facilities.

No surface disturbance is projected from mineral
resource exploration or development in the short
term. Flowever, the entire nondesignated portion
of the WSA would be open to mineral location. The
nondesignated portion would be open to mineral
leasing with standard stipulations on 62,670
acres and open but with no surface occupancy on
1,350 acres.

Access to State lands would also occur as a result
of exploration and development of the mineral re-
sources located on the nondesignated lands. About

WAHWEAP WSA

4 acres would be disturbed for access road con-
struction.

It is expected that the coal resource in this por-
tion of the WSA would be explored and developed
in the long term and would disturb 40 acres as dis-
cussed in the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected because
of wilderness restrictions and remoteness of the
area. Recreational use is expected to increase
over the current estimated use of 100 visitor
days per year at a rate of 2 to 7 percent annu-
ally. Projected motorized recreational use would
continue to be about 25 percent of the total use,
and would run largely on the 30 miles of ways, as
well as washes and future roads in the nondesig-
nated area.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 presents the environmental consequences of
the alternatives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEQ guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as the Envi-
ronmental Consequences of Alternatives in this WSA
analysis.

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The WSA contains 134,400 acres and is approximate-
ly 20 miles long (north to south) and 15 miles wide
(east to west).

• Naturalness

Imprints of man that remain in the WSA include coal
exploration ways on and below Reynolds Point, Four
Mile Bench, and John Henry Bench (approximately 40
miles of way exist in the WSA); short fences in Wah-
weap and Tommy Smith Creeks; impoundments on

Jack Riggs Bench and near Chimney Rock; and ways
and fences in Coyote Creek. These imprints combined
involve less than 1 percent (46 acres) of the WSA.

Since establishment of the WSA, approximately 1
acre of the WSA has been disturbed. This disturbance
is the result of (1) construction of a 500-foot live-
stock gap fence in T. 41 S., R. 1 E., sec. 10, during
1984. The construction was completed by nonmechani-
cal means (using horses) and was nonimpairing; (2)
redevelopment of a spring in T. 41 S., R. 1 E., sec. 26
during 1984. The maintenance was completed by non-
mechanical means and was nonimpairing , and (3) an
unauthorized alabaster mining operation conducted in
the NE1/4 sec. 13, T. 39 S., R. 1 W. during 1985. Re-
quired reclamation was completed during 1988. Suc-
cess of the reclamation will result in nonimpairment
and the entire WSA will meet the Wilderness Act cri-
teria for naturalness.

• Solitude

Outstanding opportunities for solitude in the Wahweap
WSA result from the combination of topographic and
vegetation screening, configuration, and size.

The WSA is 134,400 acres and is compact in configur-
ation, being approximately 20 miles long north to
south and 15 miles wide in an east to west direction.
Size and configuration of the unit would normally en-
hance the opportunities for solitude, however, numer-
ous cherry-stemmed intrusions create fingers that
penetrate into the unit and detract from the overall
solitude experience.

Topographic characteristics that contribute to screen-
ing are upper reaches of drainages such as Wahweap
and Coyote Creeks, John Henry Canyon, Drip Tank
Canyon, and Wesses Canyon. These canyons form den-
dritic patterns in the WSA. The lower benches, can-
yons, and sandstone formations (Dakota Sandstone) in
the southern portion of the WSA have produced sheer-
walled canyons, hoodoos, and balanced rocks, all of
which provide topographic screening. Large coves
have also eroded into a maze of narrow canyons in
this area.

Vegetation complements topography in providing
opportunities for solitude in the WSA. The pinyon-
juniper woodland type covers approximately 73 per-
cent (98,112 acres) of the WSA and has a sparse
understory of shrubs.

Table 1

Summary of Environmental Consequences

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1^

WAHWEAP WSA

The sights and sounds of human activities are not
present in most places within the WSA. It would be
easy for a visitor to find seclusion in the canyons and
Dakota Sandstone area.

In all, about 10 percent (13,440 acres) of the WSA
meets the outstanding opportunities for solitude cri-
terion for areas under wilderness review. The bench
areas such as Four Mile Bench, Jack Riggs Bench, and
Horse Flat are not considered to have opportunities
for solitude due to the lack of adequate screening.
Approximately 120,960 acres do not meet the stand-
ard for outstanding opportunities for solitude.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

No outstanding opportunities for primitive and uncon-
fined recreation are present within the WSA. The unit
does not contain a diversity of recreation activities
nor a single activity of outstanding quality. One or the
other of these two factors is necessary to provide
for an outstanding opportunity for primitive recrea-
tion.

• Special Features

The Four Mile Bench Old Tree Area is a unique area of
extremely old (1,400 years) pinyon and juniper
trees. Prior to identification of the area, it was gen-
erally thought that the area's trees did not exceed
600 to 800 years of age. Protection for further scien-
tific study has been considered for the area. The sci-
entific values extend over approximately 1,000
acres of the WSA.

The BLM Intensive Wilderness Inventory identified
specific locations that offer exceptional scenic geo-
logic features. The lower portions of Wahweap Creek
and Coyote Creek have exposed the Dakota Sandstone
Formation. The sandstone is most evident in the Coy-
ote Creek drainage in the White Rocks and the Rim-
rocks. Big White Rock Canyon, Little White Rock Can-
yon, Chimney Rock Canyon, and Chimney Rock are
scenic features. The red-colored Entrada Formation is
also exposed in this area and lends visual contrast to
the white Dakota Formation. There are sheer-walled
canyons, hoodoos, balanced rocks, and large coves
with narrow canyons. Approximately 7,007 acres of
scenic features are present in this portion of the
WSA.

The East Kaibab monocline (The Cockscomb) extends
along the western boundary of the WSA. The mono-
cline contains a feature known as Cads Crotch which

is a trough running along the crest of the structure.
Approximately 4,728 acres of scenic features are
present in the Cads Crotch portion of the monocline.

Scenic features are present in the upper portions of
the Coyote Creek drainage, in the inner canyon of the
middle segment of the Wahweap Creek drainage in-
cluding the West Fork of Ty Hatch Canyon, and in the
upper reaches of the Wahweap drainage. The upper
portion of the Wahweap system includes Tommy
Smith Creek, Four Mile, Tommy, Wahweap, and Long
Canyons. In contrast to the Warm Creek drainage can-
yons in the WSA, the Wahweap Creek drainage can-
yons exhibit some riparian vegetation such as cotton-
wood groves. The vegetation contributes to the land-
scape qualities of the canyon systems. The acreage of
scenic features in these portions of the WSA is
approximately 10,546 acres.

The WSA has resource values that, although not identi-
fied as such during the wilderness inventory, could be
considered special features. There are two animal spe-
cies (peregrine falcon and bald eagle) listed as endan-
gered which may occasionally visit the WSA. There
are nine animal species and six plant species that are
considered sensitive that could inhabit the WSA. Cou-
gar, which is a wildlife species associated with wil-
derness, is found in the WSA. Refer to the Vegetation
and Wildlife Including Special Status Species sections
for additional information. Approximately 5 percent
(6,600 acres) of the WSA is rated Class A for scenic
quality.

• Diversity

This WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Province Ecore-
gion and has the Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV)
types of juniper-pinyon woodland and saltbush-
greasewood. Refer to the Vegetation Including Special
Status Species section for more discussion on ecore-
gions and PNV types. The ecoregion and PNV types
represented by this WSA are compared with existing
and other potential National Wilderness Preservation
units in the Wilderness Values section of Volume I.

This WSA is not within a 5-hour drive from any stand-
ard metropolitan statistical area.

Air Quality

Measurements of air pollution or visibility levels
made at Four Mile Bench indicate the air is generally
free of pollutants and within National Ambient Air
Quality Standards and State regulations.

WAHWEAP WSA

The area is presently classified as Class II air under
the PSD regulations as outlined by the Clean Air Act
as amended in 1977. The BLM will not consider nor
recommend any change in air quality classification as
part of the wilderness study or wilderness recommen-
dations. Any further air quality reclassification is the
prerogative of the State government, not of the BLM
(USDI, BLM, 1982b). The nearest PSD Class I area is
Bryce Canyon National Park approximately 15 miles
to the west. Visibility within the WSA is excellent.

Geology and Topography

The Wahweap WSA is in the Canyonlands section of
the Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province. The unit
is within the western portion of the Kaiparowits Pla-
teau. The WSA is characterized by plateaus and
benches dissected by canyon systems draining to the
Colorado River.

Jurassic to Cretaceous strata are exposed in the
WSA. Jurassic rocks, consisting of the Carmel and
Entrada Formations, are exposed in only a limited
area in the extreme southernmost portion of the
WSA. The Cretaceous rocks lie unconformably on the
Jurassic rocks and include the Dakota, Tropic, Wah-
weap, and Straight Cliffs Formations. The Straight
Cliffs is an important coal-bearing unit and, along
with the Wahweap Formation, form the most exten-
sive exposures in the unit.

The subsurface structure beneath the WSA consists
of abundant north to south trending folds. Perhaps the
most prominent structure is the steeply dipping East
Kaibab monocline. The dips are eastward, usually 25
to 80 degrees. The bottom of the monocline forms the
trough of the Kaiparowits syncline to the east. The
monocline, or Cockscomb, as it is often called, is
unique as a Colorado Plateau structure. Its alignment
with the Paunsaugunt, Sevier, and Hurricane faults
suggests that it too could be a fault at depth. It ex-
tends from the Colorado River north beyond Canaan
Peak, trending north to northeast. Near the axis of
the Kaiparowits syncline, about 7 miles east of The
Cockscomb, the monocline has dipped 5,000 struc-
tural feet into a basin.

Continuous major unconformities exist between impor-
tant stratigraphic divisions. A major angular uncon-
formity occurs at the top of the Jurassic section. The
Dakota Sandstone, oldest of the Cretaceous units, lies
unconformably on this erosion surface. The angularity
of this unconformity ranges from 0 to 1 degrees. A
second major unconformity, occurs between the

Smoky Hollow and John Henry Members of the
Straight Cliffs Formation (SAI, 1982). The angularity
is slight, less than 1 degree regionally, but as high as
7 degrees where fluvial channels cut into erosional
surfaces.

The general topography of the WSA is that of a slight-
ly tilted staircase, with south-facing escarpments
and gently northward-sloping benches. Each bench
slopes to the north to the base of the next escarpment
or stairstep. Imprinted on this generalized topograph-
ic form are the southward-draining canyons and tribu-
taries of the Coyote, Wahweap, Warm Creek, and
Last Chance Creeks. The double ridge system along
the western edge of the unit is a portion of The Cocks-
comb, a major topographic feature in south-central
Utah. The lowest elevation in the unit is at the conflu-
ence of Coyote and Wahweap Creeks (4,040 feet).
The highest elevations are found on The Cockscomb
near The Gut (6,742 feet), Ship Mountain Point
(6,519 feet) and the south end of Horse Flat (6,433
feet).

Soils

Approximately 47 percent (63,168 acres) of the
WSA consists of moderately coarse and medium-
textured, very shallow to deep, and nearly level to
moderately rolling soils on benches. Included in these
soils are scattered areas of rock outcrop. About 40
percent (53,760 acres) are badland and rock out-
crops on canyon walls, breaks, terraces, and valleys.
About 6 percent (8,064 acres) of the WSA consists
of badlands and medium, moderately fine and fine tex-
tured, very shallow to moderately deep and undulat-
ing soils. About 7 percent (9,408 acres) is moderate-
ly coarse, medium, and moderately fine-textured,
very shallow to deep, and nearly level to moderately
rolling soils on fans, terraces, and floodplain.

The soils are, for the most part, moderately to se-
verely susceptible to erosion. Some are slightly sus-
ceptible. The rock outcrop and badland areas have nat-
ural erosion problems and have medium to high sedi-
ment and salt yields. Table 2 identifies the erosion
conditions within the WSA.

A watershed tillage land treatment has been identified
in the WSA by the Paria MFP. It is considered as a por-
tion of the 7,100 acres of vegetation treatments pro-
jected to occur in the WSA in the foreseeable future.

According to an unpublished Kane County soil survey
conducted by BLM, 75 percent of the soils within the

WAHWEAP WSA

WSA are classified as slightly saline. The remaining
25 percent (33,600 acres) are classified as various-
ly saline. The estimated annual salt yield from undis-
turbed soils within the WSA is 55 lb per acre.

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic

Classification yards/acre) Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

9,400

7

25,380

Moderate

1.3

102,000

76

132,380

Slight

0.6

23,000

1 7

13,800

Stable

0.3

Q

__Q

Q

Total

134,400

100

171,560

Sources: USDI, BLM, 1978c and 1979c; Leifeste, 1978.

Reclamation potential is low on the majority of the
area which contains rock outcrops and sandy soils.
Potentials for seeding establishment is considered
fair on deeper soil sites scattered throughout the
WSA.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

Existing vegetation in the WSA is composed primarily
of three major vegetation types, pinyon-juniper wood-
land, shadscale, and other desert shrubs with very
small amounts of three other types (big sagebrush,
short grass, and mid grass).

The pinyon-juniper woodland type covers approxi-
mately 73 percent (98,112 acres) of the WSA and
has a sparse understory of mountain mahogany, ser-
viceberry, cliffrose, and silver buffaloberry. The
shadscale type occurs on about 12 percent (16,128
acres) of the WSA while the other desert shrub type,
primarily species of Ephedra and Grayia occupies
approximately 8 percent (10,752 acres) of the unit.
The big sagebrush type occurs on 3 percent (4,032
acres) of the WSA, the short grass type makes up 1
percent (1,344 acres), and the mid-grass type makes
up 1 percent (1,344 acres) of the WSA. Small ripari-
an areas, not considered in the overall acreage fig-
ure, occur in Wahweap and Tommy Smith Creeks and
in Four Mile and Long Canyons. The remaining 2 per-
cent (2,688 acres) of the unit is barren.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, six Category 2 candi-
date species are found within or near this WSA. These
include Cymopteria higginsii, Psoralea epipsila. Pso-
laJea pariensia, Penstemon ammophilum. Lesquerella

tumulosa. and Xvlorhiza crongiHStii- Four of these spe-
cies, Psoralea epipaila, Psoralea pariensis. Lesquerel-
la tumulosa. and Xvlorhiza cronquistii are found in the
pinyon-juniper woodland areas where most of the pro-
jected surface disturbance would occur. The remain-
ing species are generally found in more restricted en-
vironments such as riparian or blow sand areas (see
Appendix 4 in Volume I). The habitats of all of these
species extend beyond the WSA boundaries.

A unique pinyon-juniper woodland stand is located on
Four Mile Bench. Many of these trees are extremely
old (up to 1,400 years). The stand is about 1,000
acres in size. The Paria MFP recognizes the potential
scientific value of this site and directs that no vege-
tation treatments or other surface disturbing activ-
ities be allowed in the area.

The Wahweap WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Pro-
vince Ecoregion as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler eco-
systems map (USDI, USGS, 1978). The PNV types of
the WSA are juniper-pinyon woodland (100,000
acres) and saltbush-greasewood (34,400 acres).

Water Resources

The Wahweap WSA is within the Wahweap Creek sub-
basin of the Upper Colorado River hydrologic subre-
gion. There are no perennial streams in the WSA. Four
creeks within the unit have water at intermittent por-
tions of their length. These include Wahweap, Tommy
Smith, Four Mile Canyon, and Long Canyon Creeks. A
number of other drainages in the unit are dry and in-
clude Coyote, Ty Hatch, Smith Run, Tommy Canyon,
Long Flat Canyon, Wesses Canyon, Clints Canyon,
Drip Tank Canyon, and John Henry Canyon Creeks.
There are 24 undeveloped springs and 13 livestock
reservoirs, a 0.2 mile of pipeline, a 30-foot ring
tank, and a 66,000-gallon water storage tank in the
WSA. Proposed within the WSA are 16 water catch-
ments, 6 miles of pipeline with troughs, four live-
stock reservoirs, and development of three of the 24
springs.

The Wahweap WSA is within the Paria River Adjudica-
tion Area 89. The waters in this adjudication area are
considered to be fully appropriated on the surface and
any directly connected underground aquifer. The
State Engineer will consider applications to appropri-
ate water for 0.015 cfs based on the proposed loca-
tion, outside of any existing municipal, town, or sub-
division system, and on the individual merits of the
applications (UDNRE, DWR, 1988).

20

WAHWEAP WSA

Water right claims necessary for multiple-use man-
agement have been asserted through the State of Utah
adjudication procedures. Some rights have already
been recognized and granted, and others are pending.
BLM has sufficient water rights for their present man-
agement activities within the WSA.

The water quality standards of Wahweap Creek, a
tributary of Lake Powell, are as follows: Class 2B
(protected for boating, waterskiing, and similar
uses); Class 3B (protected for warm water species
of game fish and other warm water aquatic life), and
Class 4 (protected for agriculture uses).

Utah's 1986 305(b) water quality assessment report
states that streams and tributaries entering Lake
Powell in the southern portions of the upper Colorado
River drainage have impairments to their beneficial
uses from high levels of TDS and sodium. These im-
pairments result mainly from natural sources and low
flows.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Wahweap WSA is given in Table 3. Appendix 5 in
Volume I describes of the mineral and energy rating
system.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Rating

Resource

Favorability* Certainty^

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

f 3

cl

10 to 50 million barrels of oil;
60 to 300 billion cubic-feet of
natural gas

Uranium

12

c2

Less than 500 metric-tons
uranium oxide

of

Coal

f 4

C4

1 billion metric-tons

Source: SAI. 1982; USDI, BLM. 1987.

•Favorability of the WSA's geologic environment for a resource (fl - lowest
favorability or smallest size deposit; f4 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

bThe degree of certainty that the resource does or doe6 not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

There are no strategic or critical minerals known to
occur within the WSA (USDoD, 1988).

• Leasable Minerals

There are no known deposits of any leasable minerals
in the WSA. Currently, there are no active drilling,

mining, or exploration activities for leasable miner-
als.

• Oil and Gas

Numerous oil shows (including oil-impregnated
rock deposits) have been reported from Cambri-
an, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Per-
mian, and Triassic rocks in south-central Utah
(Heylmun, et al., 1965; Veal, 1976; and Campbell
and Ritzma, 1979). The older rocks generally are
only stained, whereas free oil has been recovered
from Mississippian rocks at Upper Valley (Doel-
ling, 1975). Because the obvious structures in the
area have already been explored, many investigat-
ors considered subtle stratigraphic traps in Permi-
an and Triassic rocks to offer the best potential
for future petroleum discoveries.

The only oil and gas production in south-central
Utah in the vicinity of the WSA comes from the Up-
per Valley field located approximately 10 miles to
the north. This field was discovered on the Upper
Valley anticline in 1964 and stimulated drilling
activity on similar anticlinal structures in south-
central Utah. To date, however, no commercial oil
and gas potential has been identified in the WSA.

The oil reservoir is located along the prominent
Upper Valley anticline, but the producing area is
offset from the crest of the anticline to the west
flank and the southern plunging nose. This offset
is attributed to a regional, Southwest-directed hy-
drodynamic drive in the Kaibab Formation (Sharp,
1976). Oil accumulation in other anticlines within
the region may be displaced to the south. Total
production from this field is expected to approach
50 million barrels. Production is from four dis-
tinct zones in the Timpoweap Formation (Triassic
age) and the Kaibab Formation (Permian age).
Shows of oil were also reported in the Permian
Cedar Mesa and Mississippian Redwall Formation
(Sharp, 1976).

Very few exploration wells have been drilled in
the vicinity of the Wahweap WSA. Oil shows and/
or staining have been reported from only a few
of these, chiefly from rocks of Permian age (Heyl-
mun, et al., 1965; and Kunkel, 1965). Based on
deep exploration wells in this area, the Paleozoic
section in the WSA is thin, probably less than
5,000 feet (Heylmun, et al., 1965). Among the
best prospects for petroleum discoveries in the
WSA are (1) feather-edge stratigraphic traps in

21

WAHWEAP WSA

Pennsylvanian rocks that developed along the east-
facing side of the Piute/Zuni/Defiance Platform in
Pennsylvanian time, and (2) stratigraphic traps in
lithologically variable Permian rocks. The WSA
contains numerous untested structures. That fact,
combined with the potential for subtle stratigraph-
ic traps involving Mississippian, Pennsylvanian,
and Permian rocks, leads to the conclusion that
the WSA is favorable for small to moderate-sized
petroleum accumulations. On this basis, the WSA
is assigned a favorability rating of (f3) (SAI,
1982). The size of the hydrocarbon accumulation
in such an environment is anticipated to be be-
tween 10 and 50 million barrels of oil or between
60 and 300 billion cubic-feet of gas. Based on the
available information, the certainty of occurrence
for oil and gas is rated very low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, 127,220 acres
of the WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions) and 6,480 acres are in Category 2 (special
stipulations) and 700 acres are in Category 4
(closed to leasing). There are presently four post-
FLPMA oil and gas leases, covering 1,225 acres,
in the WSA.

• Coal

The WSA is in the southern part of the Kaiparo-
wits Plateau coal field, and most of the WSA is
underlain by the coal-bearing Straight Cliffs For-
mation (Cretaceous). Other minor coal-bearing
rocks occur in the Dakota Sandstone in the south-
western part of the WSA. It is exposed in only a
few areas and consequently, dimensional informa-
tion is sparse (USDI, USBM, 1987b). Coal in the
Dakota is only locally thick and not considered to
be minable (Doelling and Graham, 1972).

Estimated coal reserves within the entire Kaiparo-
wits Plateau coal field total 15.2 billion tons
(Doelling and Graham, 1972). A total of 32,225
acres containing an estimated 1 billion tons of
minable coal (based on coal seams greater than 4
feet thick) occur within the northeastern part of
the WSA. An estimated 170 million tons occur at
depths less than 1,000 feet, 504 million tons
occur between 1,000 and 2,000 feet, and 326
million tons occur between 2,000 and 3,000 feet
(Doelling and Graham, 1972). Approximately one-
third to one-half of the coal is recoverable. An
analysis made at the single available surface out-
crop measured in T. 41 S., R. 4 E., sec. 7 (Alvey

zone), shows an average content of 5.03 percent
ash, 0.78 percent sulfur, and a heat value of
10,230 British thermal units (Btus) per lb (Doel-
ling and Graham, 1972).

The WSA is within the Kaiparowits Plateau Known
Recoverable Coal Resource Area (KRCRA), which
includes the minable coal area. In accordance with
the underground mining exemption from the unsuit-
ability criteria (43 CFR 3401 .2[a]), none of the
areas in the KRCRA within the WSA were deter-
mined to be unsuitable for mining as a result of
the application of the unsuitability criteria (USDI,
BLM, 1981c).

Based on the above discussion, the coal in the
WSA is assigned a favorability rating of (f4) (po-
tential for large tonnages of coal) with a high (c4)
certainty of occurrence. There are presently 12
coal leases, covering 17,628 acres, in the WSA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in

the WSA, and uranium is the only locatable mineral

with potential for occurrence. Currently, there are

32 mining claims, covering 640 acres in the WSA.

• Uranium

The Colorado Plateau is one of the major uranium-
producing regions in the United States. The most
important deposits occur in conglomerates, sand-
stones, and mudstones within the Morrison Forma-
tion (Jurassic) and the Chinle Formation (Trias-
sic). The most productive areas of the plateau are
in northern New Mexico and southeastern Utah
(SAI, 1982; Doelling, 1975).

The Morrison Formation has been removed by ero-
sion throughout the western half of the Kaiparo-
wits Plateau and it presumably does not underlie
the WSA (Hackman and Wyant, 1973; and Peter-
son, et al., 1982). The Chinle Formation crops out
a short distance west of the tract and some urani-
um occurrences have been reported in this area.
However, the Chinle Formation in this area is not
considered to be favorable for significant uranium
deposits (Peterson, et al., 1982). A significant de-
posit is defined as one which contains economical-
ly extractable uranium oxide deposit that contains
a total of at least 100 metric-tons of uranium ox-
ide at a grade of at least 0.01 percent.

22

WAHWEAP WSA

On this basis, the uranium favorability rating for
the WSA is (f2), potential for containing less than
500 metric-tons of uranium oxide. The certainty
that uranium occurs in the tract is low (c2).

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the WSA.
These deposits are not unique or economically signifi-
cant due to the presence of ample similar materials
nearby.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

Due to the many different habitat types within the
area, it is assumed that a diversity of vertebrate spe-
cies are present. The habitat types include pinyon-
juniper woodland, sagebrush, desert shrub, grass-
land, riparian, and cliffs. Riparian habitat is located
along segments of Wahweap Creek, Tommy Smith
Creek, Four Mile Canyon, and Long Canyon.

These habitat types may support up to 52 species of
mammals, 160 species of birds, 26 species of rep-
tiles, and 8 species of amphibians. However, no site-
specific inventory has been completed to determine if
these species actually exist. No sport fish live within
the WSA.

Game species known to be present in the unit include
mule deer, cougar, a few transplanted pronghorn
antelope, cottontail rabbit, and mourning dove. The
endangered bald eagle is a suspected winter migrant
and the endangered peregrine falcon may also occa-
sionally use the WSA. In addition, the golden eagle
(BLM sensitive species) and the following eight Cate-
gory 2 candidate species could inhabit the WSA: Great
Basin Silverspot butterfly, Arizona Bell’s vireo, fer-
ruginous hawk, long-billed curlew, southern spotted
owl, Swainson’s hawk, western snowy plover, and
white-faced ibis (see Appendix 4 in Volume I). If pres-
ent, most of these species would be associated with
riparian and wet meadow areas or cliff faces and
deep canyons, except for the ferruginous hawk and
Swainson's hawk. The ferruginous hawk inhabits
pinyon-juniper woodland areas where there are eco-
tones or edges that provide opportunities for nesting,
cover, and hunting activities. The Swainson's hawk
inhabits open plains, grasslands, and prairies. No criti-
cal wildlife habitat has been identified in the WSA.

Approximately 7,100 acres of vegetation treatments
that would improve big game habitat are proposed for
the WSA. These treatments consist of both pinyon-
juniper woodland chaining and seeding, sagebrush
treatment and seeding, and tilling and seeding. Devel-
opment of 13 watering facilities is also proposed with-
in the WSA.

Forest Resources

The forest resources in the WSA include approximate-
ly 98,112 acres of pinyon-juniper woodland. The
WSA has resources suitable for firewood, fence-
posts, pine nuts, and Christmas tree cutting. How-
ever, because of the area's remoteness and the same
resources being available in abundance elsewhere,
there is little demand for these forest resources at
the present time and none is projected in the foresee-
able future.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The Wahweap WSA covers parts of eight allotments
(refer to Table 4). Forty-two operators graze cattle
within these allotments. All the allotments are under
a grazing management plan except for the Wahweap
Allotment. The Wahweap Allotment, however, is a
winter use allotment. Consequently, all the area with-
in the WSA is under an approved grazing system.
There are approximately 3,084 AUMs and 27 fences
or gap fences totaling about 18 miles within the WSA.
There are also 13 livestock reservoirs, a 0.2 mile of
pipeline, a 30-foot ring tank, and a 66,000-gallon
storage tank. Additional developments are located on
State land within the boundaries of the WSA. The 40
miles of existing ways are currently used for live-
stock management primarily for hauling salt and main-
tenance of livestock developments.

The Wahweap WSA has a number of proposed range
developments, including 7,100 acres of vegetation
treatment, 6 miles of pipeline with troughs, four res-
ervoirs, three spring developments, three water
catchments, approximately 3 miles of trail, and 4
miles of fence. The projects were identified to better
distribute livestock grazing in the allotments.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the grazing allotments that com-
prise the Wahweap WSA (USDA, APHIS, 1988). No
wild horses or burros occur within the WSA.

23

WAHWEAP WSA

Table 4

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in WSA

Total

AUMs

Number
of AUMs
in WSA

Number and
Kind of
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

Last Chance

233,229

225

3,719

5

309 Cattle

yearlong

1

Headwaters

239,122

52,623

5,930

666

246 Cattle

11/01-03/31

05/01-04/30

20

Upper Warm Creek

47,638

16,774

1,076

365

240 Cattle

11/01-04/30

2

Nipple Banch

26,942

5,684

885

88

240 Cattle

12/01-04/30

1

Clark Banch

53,673

80

1,800

3

180 Cattle

08/01-05/31

1

Cottonwood

83,998

25,800

4,318

324

430 Cattle

11/01-05/31

10

Wahweap

15,202

15,202

400

460

94 Cattle

12/01-04/30

1

Coyote

44,141

18,012

2,044

1,173

292 Cattle

11/01-05/31

6

Total

743,945

134,400

20,172

3,084

42

Sources: BLM File Data.

Visual Resources

The BLM has classified approximately 6,600 acres as
Class A scenery (5 percent of the WSA), 83,700
acres as Class B scenery (62 percent of the WSA),
and 44,100 acres as Class C scenery (33 percent of
the WSA). VRM classes are as follows: Class II on
6,000 acres (5 percent of the WSA), Class III on
4,300 acres (3 percent of the WSA), and Class IV on
124,100 acres (92 percent of the WSA). Class IV
management is the least restrictive of the manage-
ment classes. Refer to the Special Features section
for a discussion of the scenic values of the WSA.
Appendix 7 in Volume I describes the BLM VRM rating
system.

Cultural Resources

A total of 65 sites have been recorded in the WSA
(USDI, BLM, 1988a). Prehistoric sites include lithic
and/or ceramic scatters, masonry structures (grana-
ries and storage cists), and one rockshelter. Lithic
scatters are the most numerous site-type represent-
ed and some are thought to be associated with buried
archaeological strata. The masonry structures and
some of the lithic/ceramic scatters are generally
associated with the Virgin Anasazi and/or the Virgin-
Kayenta Anasazi archaeologically defined cultures.
Two of the sites in the WSA are thought to date to the
Pueblo ll-lll time period. Some of the remaining lithic

scatters are associated with prehistoric Paiutes-age
or Archaic-age peoples. One historic site, a brush
fence dating from the 1930s is located in the WSA. At
least eight of the recorded sites are considered to be
eligible for nomination to the National Register of His-
toric Places.

Three cultural resource inventories have been con-
ducted within the boundaries of the WSA and several
inventories have been conducted adjacent to the unit.
However, none of these surveys were conducted in
such a manner that reliable estimates of site densi-
ties can be computed. Potential site densities for the
WSA are unknown, but, are probably quite high judg-
ing from information from nearby WSAs (e.g., Paria-
Hackberry WSA, Volume lll-A).

r

Recreation

Although the Wahweap WSA offers opportunities for
both primitive and nonprimitive types of recreation
use (none of which are outstanding), reliable data on
existing visitor use are not available. It is expected
that visitor use is low, approximately 100 visitor
use days annually. No visitor use is related to com-
mercial outfitting. Approximately 75 percent of the
visitor use is attributed to primitive activities and
approximately 25 percent of the use is attributed to
recreational activities such as hunting and sightseeing
that utilize vehicular access on existing ways.

24

WAHWEAP WSA

ORV use is limited primarily to the existing ways and
trails in the WSA. Existing use of these areas is
assumed to be low. For example, most of the use is
attributable to deer hunters. The number of hunters
using the WSA is low. Livestock operators and min-
eral development interests also make some ORV use
of the area. Approximately 8,400 acres are pres-
ently limited to existing roads and trails. This area is
located along Wahweap, Tommy Canyon, Four Mile,
and Nipple Creeks. Also, there are approximately
3,300 acres closed to vehicle use from March 1 to
July 1 of each year to protect wildlife interests. This
area is located in the lower reaches of Wahweap
Creek.

Big game hunting opportunities in the WSA are prob-
ably average when compared to the Paria planning
unit as a whole. However, big game populations are
rated as low to moderate and shooting opportunities
are low. The overall success rate in the WSA is
approximately 20 percent. Small game populations
are generally low, with a lower quality than much of
southwestern Utah. The hunting that does take place
is primarily by local residents since the poor quality
of the hunting experiences here would draw few, if
any, outside hunters to the area. Upland game hunt-
ing, primarily for mourning dove, is generally similar
to the rest of southwestern Utah. The opportunity for
quail hunting is poor because of limited huntable popu-
lations.

The main sightseeing attraction within the WSA is The
Cockscomb or the East Kaibab monocline. The Cocks-
comb is a major topographic feature in south-central
Utah that begins in the northwestern portion of this
tract and runs south along the western edge of the
unit. Within the WSA, The Cockscomb has an average
relief of approximately 400 feet. The valley that dis-
sects The Cockscomb is roughly 400 feet deep and
forms the double ribs. The Cockscomb is visible to
motor vehicle tourists from adjacent boundary roads.

Land Use Plans

The WSA is within the BLM Paria planning unit which
is being managed from the land use decisions of the
Paria MFP (USDI, BLM, 1981c). The present principal
use within the WSA is livestock grazing. Wilderness
is not addressed in the Paria MFP. However, wilder-
ness designation is part of the BLM multiple-use con-
cept. BLM’s land use plan is linked to the Statewide
Wilderness EIS through analysis of the present plan as
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

The WSA is BLM-administered public land except for
16 State sections (10,361 acres). The current policy
of the State is to maximize economic returns from
State lands and to reserve its position regarding the
exchange of in-held lands (see Chapter 1 in Volume I).

In 1986, the Utah State Legislature passed S.C.R. No.

1 opposing any additional wilderness designation in
Utah and urging that State lands not be exchanged out
of wilderness areas. Of the 10,361 acres of in-held
State land, 9,037 are under lease for oil, gas, hydro-
carbons and grazing. Two sections (1,280 acres) are
also leased for coal. The only current activity on
these lands is livestock grazing.

The Kane County Master Plan states, "Kane County
supports the total concept of multiple use of lands. We
reject exclusionary recreational forms that cannot be
used by the average recreation visitor. Wilderness,
as conceived by the Federal land agencies, is rejected
because of the limited visitor utilization possibilities
and rejection of the multiple use concept" (Kane Coun-
ty Board of Commissioners, 1982).

In addition, the Consolidated Local Government Re-
sponse to Wilderness (Utah Counties, 1986) indicates
that Kane County opposes wilderness designation of
BLM lands in Utah.

The Kaiparowits Coal Development and Transportation
Study (ERT, 1980) identified a number of transporta-
tion corridors and truck haul routes within the WSA.
The objective of the study was to identify areas
where it would be possible to construct and operate
future coal transportation systems within the restric-
tions of general environmental and engineering con-
straints. Corridor segments were required to contain
at least one potential route for a railroad or coal slur-
ry pipeline. Specific routes, however, were not iden-
tified. By selecting corridors between 2 and 15 miles
in width, maximum flexibility for future location of
specific routes was maintained. Corridors C-13
through C-17 all extend into the WSA. However, the
WSA does not extend across the entire width of any
of the corridors.

The Union Pacific Railroad (1980) has identified a spe-
cific route that would be needed for a spur line into
the Kaiparowits coal field. This line would cross
through the WSA along the total length of the west
side of The Cockscomb. Furthermore, a tunnel through
The Cockscomb would be necessary near the northern
edge of the unit. The line would exit the unit near
"The Gut". This route has been delineated by the rail-
road and is on file with BLM. This route would be

25

WAHWEAP WSA

included within Corridors C*13 through C-15 as dis-
cussed above.

Also, the boundary road on the east side of the WSA
has been proposed as an access route into the coal
fields. A proposed loading area has been identified on
the eastern edge of the WSA near Pilot Rock. Approxi-
mately 38,600 acres within the WSA have been identi-
fied as coal classification land. This withdrawal sta-
tus essentially identifies that area potentially valu-
able for coal development within the WSA. It high-
lights the area in case other land or mineral proposals
overlap that may conflict with future coal develop-
ment plans. It does not, however, segregate the land
from other entry.

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The Wahweap WSA is located in Kane County, Utah.
Kane County is a rural county with a 1980 population
of 4,050 persons. The average population density is
approximately one person per square mile. The densi-
ty is very low when compared to the Statewide aver-
age of 17 persons per square mile (USDC, Bureau of
the Census, 1981).

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Kane County
grew from 2,421 to 4,050, an overall increase of
about 67 percent. Table 5 presents the baseline and
projected population data for Kane County. It is esti-
mated that between 1980 and 1987, population in-
creased to about 4,890. Population projections indi-
cate that the number of people living in Kane County
in the year 2010 will be about 6,950 for about a 72-
percent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of
Planning and Budget, 1987).

• Employment

Table 5 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Kane County to the year 2010.

Table 5

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Kane County

1980

1990

2000

2010

Population

4.050

5,250

5,750

6,950

Employment

1,403

1,900

2,300

2,900

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

Kane County is part of the Southwest Multi-County
District (MCD). Table 6 shows the baseline (1980)
and projected employment by source for the MCD to
the year 2010. In 1980 the leading employment sec-
tors for the Southwest MCD were government (23
percent), trade (20 percent), and nonfarm proprie-
tors (12 percent). Mining provided approximately 2
percent of the direct employment in the MCD.

Table 6

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment*

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

11,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

•Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 5 percent, government to
18 percent, and mining to less than 1 percent of the
total MCD employment.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the WSA include miner-
al leasing, livestock production, and recreation. Table
7 summarizes the local sales and Federal revenues
from the WSA. Appendix 9 in Volume I identifies the
multipliers used to estimate the sales and revenues.

The WSA has 32 mining claims. Regulations require a
$100 annual expenditure per claim for labor and im-
provements, an undetermined part of which is spent
in the local economy.

No oil and gas wells have been drilled in the WSA in
the past years. No oil and gas or minerals have been
produced from the WSA. Therefore, mineral and ener-
gy resource production from the WSA has not con-
tributed to local employment or income.

26

WAHWEAP WSA

Table 7

Sales and Revenues

Source

Estimated Annual
Local Sales*

Estimated Annual
Federal Revenues

Oil and Gas Leases

0

$2,450

Coal Leases

0

$52,884

Mining Claim Assessment

$3,200

0

Livestock Grazing

$61,680

$4,750

Recreational Use

I UJtt

Q

Total

$65,290

$60,084

Sources: BLM File Data; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

■Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account for the
total income that would be generated by these expenditures.

Forty-two livestock operators have a total estimated
grazing privilege of 3,084 AUMs within the WSA. If
all this forage were utilized, it would account for
approximately $61,680 of the livestock sales and
$15,120 of the ranchers' returns to labor and invest-
ment.

Some woodland products have been harvested from
the WSA, however, the harvests were small and are
insignificant to the local economy and only of minor
significance to those involved in the harvest.

The WSA's nonmotorized and motorized recreational
use is low. The actual amount of income generated
locally from recreational use in the WSA is unknown.
However, an approximate range of expenditures can
be deduced (Dalton, 1982). This study indicates that
the Statewide average local expenditures per recrea-
tional visitor day for all types of recreation in Utah
are approximately $4.10. The recreational use for
Wahweap WSA is estimated at about 100 visitor days
per year. Only a portion of the expenditures for rec-
reational use of the WSA contribute to the local econo-
my of Kane County.

Oil and gas leases in the WSA cover approximately
1,225 acres. At up to $2 per acre, lease rental fees
generate up to $2,450 of Federal revenues annually.
The 12 coal leases covering 17,628 acres at $3 per
acre lease rental fee generate $52,884 in sales. Half
of these monies are allocated to the State, which then
reallocates these revenues to various funds, the ma-
jority of which are related to energy development
and mitigation of local impacts of energy and mineral
development.

Average actual livestock use and, therefore, reve-
nues generated from grazing in the WSA are unknown.
However, the permittees in the WSA can use up to

3,084 AUMs per year. Based on a $1.54 per AUM
grazing fee, the WSA can potentially generate $4,750
of grazing fee revenues annually, 50 percent
($2,375) of which would be allocated back to the
local BLM District for the construction of rangeland
improvements.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. The analy-
sis is based on the BLM management actions and antici-
pated activities presented in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B and the Description of the Alternatives for
the Wahweap WSA.

A major long term consideration in impact analysis
for this WSA is development of the Kaiparowits coal
field. For a detailed analysis of potential impacts of
coal development in southern Utah, the reader is re-
ferred to the Final EIS for "Development of Coal Re-
sources in Southern Utah" (USDI, USGS, 1979).

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Pro-
posed Action)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness,
the identified wilderness values would not receive the
degree of protection afforded by application of the Wil-
derness Management Policy (BLM Manual 8560). Wil-
derness values in the WSA would be somewhat pro-
tected by limitations placed on potential surface-
disturbing activities (i.e., VRM Class II management
on 6,000 acres, management under oil and gas leasing
Category 4 [closed to leasing] on 700 acres and oil
and gas leasing Category 3 [no surface occupancy] on
6,480 acres, and ORV limitations on 11,700 acres).

In the foreseeable future, 7,191 acres of the WSA
would be disturbed. Short term disturbance of approx-
imately 7,151 acres from vegetation treatments,
rangeland projects, wildlife water facilities, and de-
velopment of access roads to State in-holdings would
result in a direct loss of naturalness and opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive, unconfined recreation
in the disturbed areas. Twenty four of the acres of
disturbance would be for access to State in-holdings.
Special features, including Class A scenery and other
scenic features, geologic features, special status spe-
cies, special vegetation areas, and wildlife associated
with wilderness, would not be significantly affected

27

WAHWEAP WSA

because the direct disturbance would involve only 5.3
percent of the WSA and would generally not be locat-
ed where the special features are located. Proposed
water developments and vegetation treatments would
benefit wildlife special features because of increased
water and forage areas. In addition, appropriate mea-
sures would be taken to protect special status species
prior to any surface-disturbing activity, and no signif-
icant negative impact would occur to these species.
Refer to the Vegetation and Wildlife Including Special
Status Species sections for more information.

During the period of activity, the visual and audible
disturbance from vegetation treatments, rangeland
developments, and development of access to State in-
holdings would reduce the quality of opportunities for
solitude and primitive recreation not only on directly
disturbed areas, but also indirectly on adjacent por-
tions of the WSA. As much as 25 percent (33,600
acres) of the WSA could be so affected in the foresee-
able future. The areas that would be affected are gen-
erally considered by BLM to not have outstanding
opportunities for solitude or primitive recreation.

Because future vehicular use would generally be limit-
ed by terrain to existing vehicular ways, no addition-
al disturbance from ORV activity is anticipated in the
future. The continued and increased vehicular use of
40 miles of existing ways and future access roads to
State in-holdings would detract from opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation.

The gradual increase in visitor use that would occur
would not be expected to significantly reduce the qual-
ity of wilderness values because the additional use is
expected to be small, and largely primitive in nature,
and the WSA is large enough to incorporate the addi-
tional use adequately.

In the long term, development of coal would result in
a direct loss of wilderness values on about 40 acres
and an indirect reduction in the quality of opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive recreation and scenic
values on up to an additional 10 percent (13,440
acres) of the WSA for a period of 30 to 40 years.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation, and loss would occur as in-
trusions increase. In the short term, naturalness and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
would be directly lost on 7,151 acres of the WSA,
and opportunities for solitude and primitive recrea-
tion would be indirectly reduced in quality on up to an
additional 25 percent (33,600 acres). Special fea-

tures would not be significantly affected. In the long
term, coal development would directly eliminate wil-
derness qualities on 40 acres would indirectly reduce
qualities on up to 10 percent (13,440 acres).

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies

Overall, 7,191 acres of vegetation would be disturb-
ed in the foreseeable future. In the short term, 7,151
acres of surface disturbance projected for the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would mainly occur
in the pinyon-juniper woodland. A small amount of
sagebrush vegetation would also be affected. On the
7,100 acres of vegetation treatments, vegetation
composition would change from woodland or sage-
brush to grass-shrub. It is projected that the grass-
shrub vegetation would be maintained over the long
term. However, once active maintenance ceased, the
area would eventually revert back to pinyon-juniper
woodland or sagebrush. The chaining and seeding
would be designed to provide additional livestock for-
age, wildlife habitat, and improve watershed. There
would also be a loss of naturalness in the disturbed
area. However, due to the small size of the disturb-
ance (about 5.3 percent, or approximately 7,151
acres, of the WSA), the overall impact would not be
significant. In the long term, anticipated coal develop-
ment could disturb up to 40 acres as a result of sur-
face facility and access road construction. While no
significant impacts to any vegetation type is antici-
pated, this disturbance would remain for the 30 to 40
year life of the operations.

Four of the Category 2 candidate species that may oc-
cur in the WSA are located in the pinyon-juniper wood-
lands. Surface-disturbing activities could result in
the loss of some individual plants of these species.
However, before authorizing any surface-disturbing
activities, BLM would conduct site-specific clear-
ances of the potentially disturbed areas. If any threat-
ened or endangered species are located, BLM would
initiate consultation with the FWS as required by the
Endangered Species Act and BLM policy. BLM would re-
quest a biological opinion when necessary (see Appen-
dix 4 in Volume I). Appropriate mitigation measures,
such as avoidance of sensitive areas, would be imple-
mented. Because necessary measures would be taken
to protect these species, the viability of populations
of threatened, endangered, or other special status
plant species would be preserved with the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative.

28

WAHWEAP WSA

Possible additional leasable mineral and energy re-
source exploration and development could occur over
the long term. However, the projected 40 acres of
disturbance and its possible impact on the vegetation
resource in the WSA would not be significant because
coal would be mined by underground methods rather
than by surface-mining methods.

Conclusion: Special status plant species would not be
significantly affected. Approximately 7.3 percent of
the pinyon-juniper woodland vegetation in the WSA
would be altered.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

The WSA would remain open to exploration and devel-
opment of mineral and energy resources without con-
sideration of wilderness values. Therefore, mineral
and energy resources would not be affected by the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Implementation of the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative would not adversely affect min-
eral exploration or production.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

Wildlife would benefit from the increase in the avail-
ability of water through the construction of three
water catchments, four reservoirs, 6 miles of pipe-
lines with troughs, the development and maintenance
of three springs, and 13 other water facilities. Big
game habitat would be improved by 7,100 acres of
pinyon-juniper woodland/sagebrush vegetation treat-
ments.

In short term, disturbance of an estimated 7,151
acres (5.3 percent of the WSA) would temporarily
disrupt wildlife. Deer, pronghorn antelope, and mobile
nongame animals would be dispersed from the disturb-
ed area during the construction stage of the activi-
ties. Less mobile wildlife would either perish or co-
exist with these disturbances at smaller and less via-
ble population levels. The extent and use of the WSA
by the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, or the eight Cate-
gory 2 candidate species that may occur there is un-
known. Vegetation treatment proposals would not
affect most of these species because activities would
be in the flat pinyon-juniper woodland and sagebrush
areas, and if present, these species would inhabit the
riparian and cliff face areas in the canyons. The 40
acres of surface disturbance projected for long-term

coal development would not significantly affect wild-
life habitat or populations in the WSA because disturb-
ance would be localized to the portal areas.

The proposed vegetation treatment projects would
create ecotones and edges which would improve fer-
ruginous hawk habitat. Also, Swainson's hawk habitat
would improve since it inhabits open plains, grass-
lands, and prairies.

BLM would conduct site-specific clearances of the
potentially disturbed areas. If any threatened, endan-
gered, or candidate species are located, BLM would
initiate consultation with the FWS as required by the
Endangered Species Act and BLM policy. BLM would
request a biological opinion when appropriate (refer
to Appendix 4 in Volume I). Appropriate mitigation
measures, such as avoidance of sensitive areas,
would be implemented. Because necessary measures
would be taken to protect these species, populations
of threatened, endangered, or other special status
animal species would be preserved with the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Wildlife habitat and populations including
special status species would not be significantly
affected as a result of implementing the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

Domestic livestock grazing would continue as author-
ized in the Paria MFP. The estimated 3,084 AUMs cur-
rently allocated in the WSA are controlled by 42 live-
stock permittees. The proposed developments and
7,100 acres of vegetation treatments could be devel-
oped and would result in improved livestock distribu-
tion and an increased carrying capacity of 1,160
AUMs annually. Approximately 40 miles of way
would continue to be used by livestock permittees to
facilitate livestock management, including the place-
ment of salt and management of range developments.

Conclusion: Implementation of the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative would not adversely affect cur-
rent livestock management practices in the WSA.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

There would not be a loss of local employment or in-
come as a result of this alternative. The opportunity
to explore and develop mineral resources would re-
main as at present. A portion of the $100 per year
assessment fee required for each of the 32 existing

29

WAHWEAP WSA

mining claims and any future claims would reach the
local economy. However, no development of the exist-
ing mining claims is projected in the foreseeable fu-
ture. No exploration or development of existing oil
and gas leases is projected, therefore, no economic
benefits would be realized.

No coal exploration or development is expected in the
short term. However, due to the extensive coal re-
source known to underlie the WSA, it is projected
that in the long term coal would eventually be devel-
oped. Exact lease boundaries cannot be determined;
therefore, it is not possible to project if one or more
mines would actually be located within WSA bounda-
ries. However, a typical Utah mine would be an under-
ground operation, employ 20 to 300 people, and be in
operation 30 to 40 years. The employment of 300
people would represent an increase of only about 0.7
percent of the projected Southwest MCD employment
for the year of 2010. However, 300 jobs would rep-
resent 10 percent of the projected Kane County em-
ployment in the year 2010 and nearby local communi-
ties would be significantly affected. There would be
both beneficial and adverse impacts. Beneficial im-
pacts would include increases in employment and in-
come while adverse effects would include increased
demands for housing and infrastructures such as
schools, law enforcement, etc. An unknown portion of
the jobs would be obtained by local residents.

There would be no livestock-related economic losses
because the existing grazing use (approximately
3,084 AUMs) and ability to maintain, replace, and
build new range developments would remain as at
present. The forage use in the allotment would contin-
ue to produce an estimated $61,680 annually in live-
stock sales and $15,420 of ranchers’ return to labor
and investment. The proposed vegetation treatments
that would produce about 1,160 AUMs annually of
new allocated forage could lead to $23,200 of live-
stock sales and $5,800 of ranchers' returns to labor
and investment.

Recreational use and, therefore, recreation-related
local expenditures could increase at a rate of 2 to 7
percent per year over the next 20 years. Because at
the end of 20 years, recreational use in the area is
estimated to increase only 50 to 285 visitor days per
year more than is occurring now, and because overall
recreation-related expenditures average only $4.10
per visitor day, recreation-related expenditures att-
ributable to the WSA would likely not be significant to
the local economy.

Federal and State revenues would not be reduced by
implementation of this alternative. There are
133,175 acres available for oil and gas and 116,772
acres available for coal in the WSA not currently
leased but open for future leasing consideration. Not
all of these lands are considered valuable for leasable
minerals. However, if leased, they would bring up to
$616,666 additional Federal lease fee revenues per
year in addition to new royalties from lease produc-
tion and bonus bids from new coal leases. Half of
these monies would be allocated to the State, a por-
tion of which could reach the local economy. Collec-
tion of livestock grazing fees ($4,750 per year)
would continue. The additional 1,160 AUMs that
would be produced by proposed vegetation treatments
would increase Federal revenues by $1,786 annually.
About 50 percent of the increased revenues would be
returned to the local BLM office for use in rangeland
projects.

Conclusion: No loss of local employment or income
would occur. Federal and State revenues would not be
reduced. Economic opportunities could be realized
through exploration and eventual development of the
coal resource in the long term in which case local
communities would be significantly affected.

All Wilderness Alternative (134,400 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 134,400 acres as
wilderness would contribute to the preservation of
the wilderness values in the Wahweap WSA. The poten-
tial for surface-disturbing activities would be reduc-
ed through closure of the entire area to future miner-
al leasing and location and to ORV use, and through
management of the area as VRM Class I which allows
for only natural ecological change. Naturalness would
be protected on all 134,400 acres. Solitude would be
protected on approximately 13,440 acres that meet
and 120,000 acres that do not meet the standards for
outstanding opportunities. Primitive and unconfined
recreation would be protected on 134,400 acres that
do not meet the standards for outstanding opportuni-
ties. Resources that could be considered as special
features in the WSA, including Class A scenery,
would be preserved.

With this alternative, wilderness values would gen-
erally be preserved in the foreseeable future. Dis-
turbance of up to 46 acres is anticipated from devel-
opment of rangeland projects, wildlife watering facil-
ities, and road access to State in-holdings. Mitigation

30

WAHWEAP WSA

to protect wilderness values would be applied, but
direct loss of wilderness values would be allowed on
24 acres if development of access to State in-
holdings could not be otherwise achieved. Rangeland
projects and wildlife watering facilities on the other
hand, would be designed to meet wilderness manage-
ment criteria and upon completion would not be sub-
stantially noticeable in the area as a whole. All in all,
the disturbance would probably not be substantially
noticeable in the area as a whole. No loss of special
features is anticipated and naturalness and oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive recreation would
be directly lost or indirectly reduced in quality on
only 0.03 (46 acres) percent of the WSA. Wildlife spe-
cial features would benefit from wildlife watering
facilities. Vehicular use of existing ways would cease
with ORV closure, improving opportunities for soli-
tude and primitive recreation.

Over the long term, there would be no potential for
loss of wilderness values due to development of new
leases and mining claims. No coal development would
occur that would result in loss of wilderness values.

Visitation is low and the gradual increase in visitor
use that would occur would be primitive in nature and
would be managed so as to not result in loss of wilder-
ness values.

Conclusion: Wilderness designation would preserve
overall the wilderness values in the WSA. In the fore-
seeable future, naturalness and opportunities for soli-
tude and primitive recreation would be directly lost
or reduced in quality on 46 acres of the WSA. Special
features would be preserved.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies

Implementation of the All Wilderness Alternative
would not significantly affect any vegetation type in
the WSA. The projected 7,100 acres of vegetation
treatments would not be allowed. No surface disturb-
ance from mineral and energy resource exploration
or development is projected. Wilderness designation
would reduce disturbance to about 46 acres and pro-
vide additional protection for threatened, endangered,
or other special status plant species.

Conclusion: Implementation of the All Wilderness
Alternative would not significantly affect the vege-
tation resource in the WSA.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

Approximately 1,225 acres are under oil and gas
lease. No exploration or development of oil and
gas is presently occurring within the WSA. Exist-
ing leases could be developed subject to the stipu-
lations issued at the time of leasing. It is unlikely
that existing leases will be developed or a show-
ing of commercial quantities made prior to their
expiration dates, and expired leases will not be
reissued. Due to the low likelihood of oil and gas
exploration and development activities, it is con-
cluded that implementation of this alternative
would not result in a significant loss of potential
oil and gas recovery.

The WSA has an estimated in-place coal resource
of 1 billion tons of which up to 500 million tons
are considered recoverable. Approximately
17,628 acres are presently under lease. It is pro-
jected that current leases will expire before dili-
gent development occurs and that new leasing will
not occur. It is, therefore, concluded that approxi-
mately 500 million tons of recoverable coal would
be foregone resulting in a significant resource
loss.

• Locatable Minerals

Approximately 74 acres are under mining claim
within the WSA, probably for uranium. Develop-
ment work, extraction, and patenting would be
allowed to continue on valid claims after wilder-
ness designation under unnecessary or undue deg-
radation guidelines. Because production of these
metals is not currently occurring and because eco-
nomic considerations (e.g., transportation, low
potential, market price, etc.) are unfavorable, it
is unlikely that exploration or development would
occur. Therefore, implementation of this alterna-
tive would not result in a significant loss of urani-
um resources.

• Salable Minerals

No exploration or development is anticipated. Be-
cause of low potential of the deposits and the
availability of better sources of material outside
of the WSA, any loss of salable mineral products
would be insignificant.

31

WAHWEAP WSA

Conclusion: Exploration and development of a signifi-
cant coal resource would be foregone. Loss of explora-
tion and development opportunities for other mineral
and energy resources would not be significant.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

Some wildlife would benefit due to the preservation
of solitude. However, water is a limiting factor for
wildlife in this WSA. If future water developments
were curtailed and the four proposed livestock res-
ervoirs not constructed, potential habitat for deer,
antelope, and nongame species would be reduced. The
7,100 acres of vegetation treatments proposed would
be foregone. Precluding these treatments would re-
duce the likelihood of expanding and improving the
deer herd and nongame species within the WSA.

Other species including the special status animal spe-
cies that may occur in the WSA would be provided
additional protection with wilderness designation.

Conclusion: The 7,100 acres of vegetation treat-
ments and resulting habitat improvement would be
foregone. All species, including special status spe-
cies, would be provided with additional opportunities
for solitude.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

Present domestic livestock grazing would continue as
authorized in the Paria MFP. The estimated 3,084
AUMs currently allocated in the WSA are controlled
by 42 livestock permittees. The proposed 7,100
acres of vegetation treatments and four reservoirs
would not be allowed. Therefore, an additional 1,160
AUMs of livestock forage and better livestock distri-
bution would be foregone. The use of approximately
40 miles of way would be strictly regulated by BLM
causing inconvenience and increased management
costs for livestock operators.

Existing rangeland developments would be maintained
as in the past, based on practical necessity and rea-
sonableness. The proposed new rangeland develop-
ments would be allowed (with the exception of the
four reservoirs) subject to wilderness protection
standards.

Conclusion: Current livestock management practices
would not be significantly affected. There could be
some increase in management costs and inconvenience
for permittees. The opportunity for an increase of

1,160 AUMs and better livestock distribution through
vegetation treatments and construction of four reser-
voirs would be foregone.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

Overall, there would not be immediate changes in cur-
rent trends of population, employment, and local in-
come distribution. Because of restrictions placed on
the use of resources with wilderness designation,
there would be losses in potential increases in sales
and Federal revenues that could occur under the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Existing oil, gas, and coal leases could be developed
but designation would preclude new leasing in the
WSA. No exploration or development of existing
leases is projected. Precluding exploration and devel-
opment of leasable minerals would not alter existing
economic conditions, but would reduce future econom-
ic opportunities from what they would be with miner-
al development under the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative. Up to 300 jobs and related major benefi-
cial and adverse effects in Kane County would occur.

Livestock use and ranchers' sales income would con-
tinue as at present with an estimated $61,680 of live-
stock sales and $15,420 of ranchers' return to labor
and investment during the years the forage is grazed.
Proposed vegetation treatments would be foregone
along with any resulting increase in ranchers' income.
About 7,100 acres of vegetation treatments have
been proposed. If these projects were to be imple-
mented and 1,160 additional AUMs used, ranchers'
returns to labor and investment would increase by
approximately $5,800.

Recreation-related local expenditures would be the
same as described for the No Action/No Wilderness
alternative.

t

The loss of 18,853 acres now leased (oil, gas, and
coal) would cause an eventual loss of up to $55,334
per year of lease fees to the Federal Treasury. There
would also be a potential loss of $616,666 annually in
Federal revenues from lands that could be leased for
coal and oil and gas without designation although not
all lands in the WSA are considered valuable for leas-
able minerals. In addition to these rental fees, any
potential royalties from lease production could also
be foregone.

If the proposed vegetation treatments are not imple-
mented, an estimated annual $1,787 of Federal

32

WAHWEAP WSA

grazing revenues from 1,160 increased AUMs would
be foregone.

Conclusion: There would be no significant affect on
present local or regional economic conditions. How-
ever, new leasing in the WSA would not be allowed.
Therefore, potential future sales and revenues from
leasable minerals (coal) would be foregone. Beneficial
and adverse economic effects from long term devel-
opment of coal would not occur.

Partial Wilderness Alternative (70,380
Acres)

The major activities that would occur in the designat-
ed portion of the WSA for this alternative are the
same as described for the All Wilderness Alternative.
For the nondesignated portion, management would be
as described for the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive. The specific actions that would take place within
the 70,380-acre area designated as wilderness and
the 64,020-acre nondesignated area are discussed in
the Description of the Alternatives section.

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Wilderness designation of 70,380 acres would contrib-
ute to preservation of the area's wilderness values.
This Partial Wilderness Alternative would cut in half
the potential for surface-disturbing activities that
could impair wilderness values in the WSA. Wilder-
ness values would be preserved over the long term in
the designated area. Protection in the designated area
would include management under VRM Class I (which
generally allows for only natural ecological change),
ORV closure including closure of 10 miles of ways,
and closure to future mineral leasing and location.
Naturalness, outstanding opportunities for solitude
(including 13,440 acres that meet and 56,940 acres
that do not meet the standards for outstanding), primi-
tive recreation (including 70,380 acres that do not
meet the standards of outstanding), and special fea-
tures (including 75 percent of the scenic and geologic
features, special status species, and wildlife associ-
ated with wilderness) would be protected.

Although 25 percent of the scenic values and the old
pinyon-juniper woodland stand on Four Mile Bench are
in the nondesignated area, no disturbance of these
areas is anticipated.

In the foreseeable future, direct loss of naturalness
and opportunities for solitude and primitive recrea-
tion due to allowable surface disturbance from provid-

ing access to State in-holdings and from rangeland
projects, and wildlife watering facilities, and vegeta-
tion treatments would occur on up to 32 acres within
the designated portion and on up to 3,017 acres with-
in the nondesignated portion. Special features would
be largely preserved because disturbance would in-
volve only 2.3 percent (3,049 acres) of the WSA and
development is generally not expected in areas where
special features are located. In addition, appropriate
measures would be taken to protect special status spe-
cies prior to any surface-disturbing activity.

Sights and sounds from foreseeable development
would indirectly reduce opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation on areas adjacent to the disturb-
ed areas, including up to 12 percent (16,128 acres)
of the WSA. Most of this type of impact would be in
the nondesignated area and would be in areas not con-
sidered to have outstanding opportunities for solitude
and primitive recreation.

Elimination of ORV use in the designated area would
improve opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation in that portion of the WSA, although vehicular
use of 30 miles of ways and dry stream beds in the
nondesignated area would continue to occasionally de-
tract from these opportunities during the period of
activity.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would occur is not accurately known
but would be less than with the No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternative due to application of mitigation in
the designated area that would limit development sub-
ject to valid existing rights. Coal development could
occur in the long term in the nondesignated area. Coal
development would result in a direct loss of wilder-
ness values on 40 acres and an indirect reduction in
the quality of wilderness values on up to 10 percent
(13,440 acres) of the WSA for a period of 30 to 40
years.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would be preserved
overall in the designated portion which is approxi-
mately 52 percent of the WSA. Naturalness and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
would be directly lost on 3,049 acres, and opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive recreation would be
indirectly reduced in quality on up to 12 percent
(16,128 acres) of the WSA. Most of the impact would
be in the nondesignated area. Special features would
be preserved overall.

33

WAHWEAP WSA

Coal development over the long term would result in a
direct loss of wilderness values on 40 acres, and an
indirect reduction in the quality of wilderness values
on up to 10 percent (13,440 acres) of the WSA.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies

Implementation of this alternative would preserve ex-
isting pinyon-juniper woodland vegetation on 4,100
acres that could otherwise be removed with the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Approximately
3,000 acres of pinyon-juniper woodland and sage-
brush vegetation would be altered in the area not des-
ignated as wilderness. Before authorizing any surface-
disturbing activities, BLM would conduct site-specific
clearances of the potentially disturbed areas, as de-
scribed for the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

If any threatened or endangered species are located,
BLM would initiate consultation with the FWS as re-
quired by the Endangered Species Act and BLM policy.
BLM would request a biological opinion when appropri-
ate (see Appendix 4 in Volume I). Appropriate mitiga-
tion measures, such as avoidance of sensitive areas,
would be implemented. Because necessary measures
would be taken to protect these species, the viability
of populations of special status plant species would be
preserved with the Partial Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Special status plant species would not be
significantly affected. The 3,089 acres of projected
surface disturbance would affect less than 3 percent
of the WSA, therefore, significant impacts to vegeta-
tion types in the WSA are not projected.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

The nondesignated portion of the WSA would re-
main open to exploration and development of min-
eral and energy resources without consideration
of wilderness values. Therefore, mineral and ener-
gy resources would not be affected in this portion
of the WSA.

The area that would be designated wilderness
would be placed in leasing Category 4 (no leasing).

It is projected that the 40-acre existing oil and
gas lease in the area would not be explored or
developed and would not be reissued upon expira-
tion. No new leasing would be allowed.

It is concluded that, due to the small size of the
potential deposits, the low certainty that these
exist, and the low likelihood for exploration and
development activities, implementation of this
alternative is not expected to result in a signifi-
cant loss in recovery of the oil and gas resource.

The majority of coal most likely to be developed
is located in the nondesignated portion of the
WSA. This coal would be developed in the long
term as discussed in the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative. However, an undetermined amount of
coal is located in the designated portion of the
WSA and would be foregone with implementation
of this alternative.

• Locatable Minerals

Approximately 480 acres of the 640 acres of ex-
isting mining claims are within the area that
would be designated wilderness. Development
work, extraction, and patenting could continue on
valid claims after wilderness designation under un-
necessary or undue degradation guidelines. After
designation, all other lands (including claims not
determined valid) would be closed to mineral loca-
tion (USDI, BLM, 1981a).

Because locatable minerals are not being recover-
ed at present within the WSA and because econom-
ic considerations (e.g., transportation, low poten-
tial, etc.) are unfavorable, it is unlikely that ex-
ploration and development would occur even with-
out wilderness designation. Therefore, this alter-
native would not prevent recovery of significant
amounts of uranium.

• Salable Minerals

No exploration or development is anticipated.
Because of low potential of the deposits and the
availability of better sources of material outside
of the WSA, any loss of salable mineral products
would be insignificant.

Conclusion: Implementation of the Partial Wilderness
Alternative would not prevent the recovery of signifi-
cant amounts of leasable, locatable, or salable miner-
als. The majority of the significant coal resource
would be located in the nondesignated portion of the
WSA and could eventually be developed.

34

WAHWEAP WSA

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

Some wildlife could benefit due to the preservation of
solitude within the 70,380 acres that would be desig-
nated wilderness. Proposed vegetation treatments on
4,100 acres would be foregone. Precluding these
treatments would reduce the likelihood of expanding
and improving the deer herd and nongame species
within the area designated wilderness (70,380
acres). In the nondesignated area, wildlife watering
facilities and 3,000 acres of vegetation treatment
would be allowed.

The special status animal species that may occur in
the 70,380 acres of the designated portion would be
provided additional protection and solitude.

Conclusion: The 4,100 acres of vegetation treat-
ments and resulting wildlife habitat improvement
would be foregone. All species would be provided with
additional protection and solitude on 52 percent of the
WSA.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

The effect of designation of 70,380 acres of the WSA
as wilderness on domestic livestock grazing would be
essentially the same as with the All Wilderness Alter-
native. Of the estimated 3,084 AUMs allocated,
1,574 would be within the designated portion of the
WSA and 1,510 within the nondesignated portion. The
proposed rangeland facilities for use with 1,574
AUMs in the designated portion would be allowed sub-
ject to wilderness protection standards. These devel-
opments would include two spring developments, 4
miles of fence, 5 miles of pipeline, and three water
catchments. The use of approximately 10 miles of
way located in the designated portion would be regu-
lated by BLM. Wilderness designation would preclude
vegetation treatments on approximately 4,100 acres
of land within the WSA. This would amount to a loss
of approximately 670 AUMs. In the nondesignated
area 3,000 acres of vegetation treatments, 1 mile of
pipeline, four reservoirs, one spring development,
and 3 miles of stock trail could be constructed.
Approximately 490 additional AUMs would be pro-
duced. The 30 miles of way would remain open to use
by livestock permittees.

Conclusion: There would not be a change in the level
of livestock use, but restrictions on access would be
an inconvenience for permittees and would increase

management costs. The opportunity for an increase of
670 AUMs and better livestock distribution through
vegetation treatments would be foregone.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

Partial designation of this WSA would not result in
any changes in existing patterns and trends of popu-
lation, employment, and local income distributions in
the short term. In the long term, coal development
could take place on future leases in the nondesignated
portion. This could lead to future increased income
and revenue and demands for housing and infrastruc-
ture in Kane County, as described in the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative. The estimated 3,084 AUMs
would remain available to cattle. Revenue, sales, and
ranchers'returns would be the same as with the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Recreation-
related local expenditures would be the same as de-
scribed for the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.
There would be a potential for gain in Federal reve-
nue from future coal leases issued in the nondesignat-
ed portion.

Conclusion: Over the short term, there would not be
an effect on local economic conditions. Impacts could
occur in the long term as a result of projected coal
development in the nondesignated portion of the WSA.
There would be major beneficial and adverse effects
in Kane County.

35

.

"-r.

.

<*• * .

<■

BURNING HILLS WSA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 3

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated from Detailed Study 3

Alternatives Analyzed 3

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 3

All Wilderness Alternative 5

Summary of Environmental Consequences 7

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 7

Wilderness Values 10

Air Quality 11

Geology and Topography 11

Soils 11

Vegetation, Including Special Status Species 12

Water Resources 12

Mineral and Energy Resources 12

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 15

Forest Resources 16

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 16

Visual Resources 16

Cultural Resources 16

Recreation 17

Land Use Plans 17

Socioeconomics 17

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 19

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 19

All Wilderness Alternative 22

I

■

'

BURNING HILLS WSA

(UT-040-079)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Burning Hills WSA is located on the Kaiparowits
Plateau in southeastern Kane County and contains
61,550 acres. It is managed by the BLM Cedar City
District, Kanab Resource Area Offfice.

The WSA encompasses a portion of the Last Chance
drainage and is bounded by the Smoky Mountain, Col-
let Top, and Croton Canyon roads. It is approximately
15 air miles northeast of Big Water City. The WSA is
characterized by an undulating plateau surface cut by
canyons. Vegetation consists of desert shrub and
pinyon-juniper woodland.

feasibility. In response to public comments relative to
the feasibility of developments, the disturbance esti-
mates have been revised to focus on activities pro-
jected to be feasible within the foreseeable future
(see Appendix 6 in Volume I). This resulted in a reduc-
tion of surface disturbance estimates from the 7,132
acres reported in the Draft EIS to 700 acres for the
Final EIS. Coal exploration and development is project-
ed for the long term. As part of the projected surface
disturbance, up to 40 acres could be occupied by sur-
face facilities and access roads. Additional surface
disturbance would result from exploratory drilling
activities. The Final EIS also projects 4 acres of sur-
face disturbance resulting from the construction of
access roads to in-held State lands for the purpose of
mineral exploration.

Average annual precipitation in the Burning Hills WSA
varies from 10 to 14 inches due to the unit’s large
size and variations in altitude. Highest monthly pre-
cipitation occurs from July through December, during
which time two-thirds of the yearly total falls. Inten-
sive thunderstorms are common during the summer
months.

Temperatures vary greatly with aspect and altitude.
July and January are the warmest and coldest
months, respectively. July temperatures range from
50 to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (F) while the Jan-
uary range is from below 0 degrees to 60 degrees F.

Changes for the Final EIS

In addition to the changes noted in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B, the following changes specific to the
Burning Hills WSA have been made since publication of
the Draft EIS.

1. Small portions of the boundary of the WSA (T. 38
S., R. 4 E., sec. 32; T. 42 S., R. 5 E., sec. 16) have
been redrawn to correct errors in the Draft EIS
maps. These changes did not require acreage adjust-
ments because acreage calculations were based on the
boundaries as shown in the inventory document and
Final EIS.

2. The anticipated surface disturbance presented in
the Draft EIS (7,132 acres) was based on the assump-
tion that all mineral and other resources potentially
within the WSA would be developed sometime in the
future without consideration of technical or economic

3. The Draft EIS identified a 3,872-acre vegetation
treatment (chaining and seeding) within the WSA to
improve wildlife habitat and to increase livestock for-
age production. However, BLM does not anticipate suf-
ficient funding in the foreseeable future to complete
this project. As a result, the vegetation treatment
estimates have been revised downward to 650 acres
in the Final EIS to reflect more realistic funding pro-
jections. Estimates of potential increases in wildlife
populations and livestock forage have been revised
accordingly.

4. The Final EIS projects up to 6 acres of surface dis-
turbance resulting from the construction of several
rangeland projects including 3 miles of fences, five
cattle guards, three wells, one spring development,
one catchment, and 1 mile of trail. This was not ana-
lyzed in the Draft EIS.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B (i.e., impacts on air quality, water rights,

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP

wsaO"7

NO. ^ f

SEE VOL.

1

BURNING HILLS WSA

geology and topography, and land use plans), the fol-
lowing issues or impacts specific to the Burning Hills
WSA were considered but are not analyzed in detail in
the Final EIS for the reasons described below.

1. Soils: Soil disturbance estimates have been revis-
ed downward from 7,132 acres analyzed in the Draft
EIS to 700 acres in the Final EIS. About 650 acres of
projected disturbance would result from vegetation
treatments which would be reclaimed and existing
soil conditions would likely be improved. Further, this
disturbance would take place in those portions of the
WSA where reclamation potential is the highest. At
any rate, given this new scenario, the impacts of
direct disturbance of soil would affect only about 1.1
percent of the WSA. Therefore, impacts on soils are
not significant issues for analysis in the Final EIS.

2. Water Resources: There are no perennial waters in
the WSA or proposed water developments that would
be precluded by wilderness designation in the Burning
Hills WSA. Existing water developments could be main-
tained as in the past and would not be affected. There-
fore, the impacts of wilderness designation on water
quality or uses are not discussed in detail.

3. Forest Resources: The forest resources in the
WSA consist of approximately 24,620 acres of scat-
tered pinyon-juniper woodland. Due to the remote
location of the WSA, limited access, and the presence
of more favorable areas elsewhere, no forest re-
source harvest is projected in the WSA in the foresee-
able future. Therefore, impacts on forest resources
are not significant issues for analysis in the Final EIS.

4. Visual Resources: As already discussed, estimates
of surface disturbance have been substantially re-
duced for the Final EIS. The 700 acres of surface dis-
turbance projected to occur in the foreseeable future
would affect only about 1.2 percent of the WSA.
Disturbance would most likely occur in Scenic Class B
and C areas and in VRM Class III and IV areas. The im-
pacts on visual resources are considered in the Final
EIS as a part of the discussion of naturalness in the
Wilderness Values section.

5. Cultural Resources: Only six archaeological or his-
torical sites are known to occur in the WSA. Most of
these sites are small prehistoric lithic scatters on
sandy ridges in the northern portion of the WSA. How-
ever, because surface-disturbing activities could po-
tentially occur in the WSA, inventories for the pur-
pose of site recordation and mitigation of impacts
would take place prior to any surface disturbance.

Given these conditions, impacts on cultural resources
are not significant issues for the Burning Hills WSA.

6. Recreation: Recreational use of the Burning Hills
WSA is light, probably about 100 visitor use days per
year. Most (about 90 percent) of this is motorized
use by hunters and livestock operators. The remain-
ing 10 percent is primitive use by backpackers and
sightseers. Recreational changes due to designation or
nondesignation would not be significant due to limited
use now occurring and projected to occur in the fu-
ture in the WSA.

7. Kaiparowits Coal Transportation Corridor: A poten-
tial coal transportation and railroad corridor passes
through the WSA (ERT, 1980). Commentors on the
Draft EIS expressed concern that designated wilder-
ness areas, including the Burning Hills WSA, could
block the use of these corridors. If the wilderness
designation were to occur, development of the coal
transportation systems would not be allowed within
the WSA. However, the systems could be sited out-
side the WSA and still be within the designated corri-
dors. No specific transportation routes have been iden-
tified within the WSA. Development of major rights-
of-way in the long term are projected to occur only
along portions of the western edge of the WSA due to
topography and the presence of more favorable
routes elsewhere.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The significant issues for the Burning Hills WSA are:

1. Impacts on the wilderness values of naturalness,
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation,
and special features.

2. Impacts on vegetation including special status spe-
cies.

3. Impacts on leasable mineral exploration and pro-
duction.

4. Impacts on wildlife habitat and populations includ-
ing special status species.

5. Impacts on livestock management.

6. Impacts on local economic conditions.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the need for, and ade-
quacy of, the rationale for the BLM proposed action;

2

BURNING HILLS WSA

the need for further inventories of resource values;
and BLM's assessments of wilderness values, visual
resources, and mineral values.

See Volume Vll-B for responses to general comments
applicable to all WSAs and/or the Statewide analysis
and Volume Vll-C, Section 27, for responses to specif-
ic comments about the Burning Hills WSA.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
from Detailed Study

An alternative that would add Federal and State lands
along portions of the west and east-central portions
of the WSA and delete lands along the southeast and
west-central portions of the WSA was suggested in
the public comments. This alternative is not analyzed
because the inclusion of State lands is not consistent
with BLM's wilderness review guidelines (refer to
Volume Vll-B, General Comment Response 6.4) and be-
cause other Federal lands were dropped from study
during the inventory phase (refer to Volume Vll-B,
General Comment Response 3.1). Other citizen-pro-
posed alternatives are comparable to the All Wilder-
ness Alternative of 61,550 acres.

Alternatives Analyzed

Two alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness (Proposed Action); and (2) All
Wilderness (61,550 acres). A description of BLM's
management practices with each alternative follows.
Where management intentions have not been clearly
identified, assumptions are made based on manage-
ment projections under each alternative. These
assumptions are indicated in each case. The assumed
management actions presented in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action)

With this alternative, none of the 61,550-acre Burn-
ing Hills WSA would be designated by Congress as
part of the NWPS. Although BLM's land use plans are
regularly updated, it is assumed that the area would
continue to be managed in accordance with the Paria
MFP (USDI, BLM, 1981c). The 3,839.7 acres of State
land within the WSA (refer to Map 1) have not been
identified in the MFP for special Federal acquisition
through exchange or purchase. No private or split-

estate lands are located in the WSA. The figures and
acreages given are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 61,550 acres would remain open to mineral
location and sale. Development work, extraction,
and patenting would be allowed on 65 existing min-
ing claims (1,300 acres) and potential future min-
ing claims. Development would be regulated by
unnecessary or undue degradation guidelines (43
CFR 3809), without consideration for wilderness
values. An existing post-FLPMA oil and gas lease
(40 acres) could be developed under Category 1
(standard stipulations). The balance of the WSA
(61,510 acres) could be offered for new oil and
gas leases under Category 1. Existing coal leases
(20 leases covering 12,650 acres) and future
new coal leases on 48,900 acres not currently
leased could also be developed.

Although mineral resources would be managed as
described above, no locatable mineral exploration
or development is projected in the WSA because
the level of known resources and the probability
of their development are too low to support that
assumption. Appendix 6 in Volume 1 explains the
mineral exploration and development projections.
No leasable mineral exploration or development is
projected in the short term, however, BLM be-
lieves that the coal resource in the WSA will even-
tually be explored and developed in the long term.
Development would be by underground methods
and access would likely be in the northern portion
of the WSA where the more favorable deposits
are located. The size of individual coal operations,
typical of the intermountain area, differ. Each sur-
face facility, including access roads, would occu-
py up to 20 acres. Additional surface disturbance
would result from exploration drilling activities.
Employees, including supervisory personnel,
would number from 20 to 300. Operations would
last from 30 to 40 years. All disturbed areas
would be reclaimed upon abandonment.

Domestic livestock grazing use in the WSA would
continue as authorized in the MFP (an estimated
962 AUMs). Use of existing developments for live-
stock (five spring developments, one reservoir,
1.5 miles of fence, 6 miles of trails, three cor-
rals, and one line cabin) would continue. The range-
land projects proposed in the MFP (3.25 miles of
fence, five cattle guards, three wells, one spring

3

BURNING HILLS WSA

R. 3 E.

R. 4 E.

R. 5 E.

Map 1

LAND STATUS
Burning Hills WSA
UT-040-079

Legend

WSA Boundary

— ■ Glen Canyon NRA Boundary

State Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

National Park Service
Administered Land

BLM Administered Land
Within or Adjacent to WSA

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

Private Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

T. 39 S.

T. 40 S.

T. 41 S

T 42 S

4

BURNING HILLS WSA

and trough, one catchment, 1 mile of trail, and
650 acres of seeding) would be allowed. The 1 1
miles of ways and 10 miles of cherry-stemmed
roads would remain open for livestock manage-
ment purposes.

Use, maintenance, and development of facilities
and developments for wildlife, water resources,
etc., could be allowed if in conformance with the
MFP. The 650 acres of vegetation treatment pre-
viously discussed would be designed to benefit
wildlife. One guzzler would be constructed for
wildlife purposes.

The WSA would continue to be open to ORV use,
except for about 10,000 acres in the Last Chance
drainage, where use is limited to existing roads
and trails.

A 150-acre public water reserve withdrawal
would continue to remain in effect. The with-
drawn land is segregated against public land laws
and nonmetalliferous mining.

The WSA would be open to woodland product har-
vest. However, due to the remote location of the
WSA, limited access, and the presence of more
favorable harvest areas elsewhere, use would
continue to be minimal for the foreseeable future.

• Action Scenario

It is projected that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would result in
about 700 acres of surface disturbance in the
foreseeable future. In the short term, about 650
acres of the expected disturbance would result
from a vegetation treatment to improve wildlife
habitat and livestock forage. The vegetation treat-
ment would be a pinyon-juniper woodland chaining
and seeding project. Other planned wildlife and
rangeland projects would disturb about 6 acres
and include over 3 miles of fence, five cattle
guards, three wells, 1 spring development, 1
catchment, and 1 mile of trail. About 1 month of
actual on-the-ground work would be necessary to
complete these projects. It is recognized, how-
ever, that the projects would be installed over a
period of several years. Four acres of surface dis-
turbance would result from the 2 miles of access
road construction to in-held State lands in the
northern portion of the WSA for mineral explora-
tion purposes.

No leasable or locatable mineral resources explor-
ation or development is expected in the short
term. However, in the long term, it is anticipated
that exploration and development of the extensive
coal resource in the WSA would occur. Develop-
ment would be by underground methods and ac-
cess would begin in the northern portion of the
WSA where the more favorable deposits are locat-
ed.

Each surface facility site, including up to 5 miles
of access roads, would occupy up to 20 acres.
Two separate mine facilities could be located in
the WSA, therefore, up to 40 acres could be occu-
pied by surface facilities and access roads. Addi-
tional surface disturbance would result from ex-
ploratory drilling activities. Employees, including
supervisory personnel, would number from 20 to
300 for each operation. Operations would last
from 30 to 40 years. All disturbed areas would
be reclaimed upon abandonment.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected because
all traffic would continue to be restricted to the
existing 1 1 miles of ways due to rugged terrain.
Use is low due to remoteness of the area. Recrea-
tional use is expected to increase over the cur-
rent estimated use of 100 visitor days per year
at a rate of 2 to 7 percent annually. As much as
90 percent of all recreational use would continue
to be related to the use of vehicles on the existing
ways and on projected future access roads.

• All Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, all 61,550 acres of the Burning
Hills WSA would be designated by an act of Congress
as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). It would be man-
aged in accordance with the BLM Wilderness Manage-
ment Policy (BLM Manual 8560) to preserve its wil-
derness character. There are six State sections
(3,839.7 acres) within the WSA which would remain
in State ownership (refer to map 1 and Appendix 3 in
Volume I). The figures and acreages given for this
alternative are for Federal lands only. No private or
split-estate lands are located in the WSA.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 61,550 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale.

5

BURNING HILLS WSA

R. 3 E.

R. 4 E.

R. 5 E.

Map 2

ALL WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE
Burning Hills WSA
UT-040-079

Legend

All Wilderness
Alternative (61,550 acres)

— Glen Canyon NRA Boundary

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

JlTt

t:

RECREATION AREA

T. 39 S.

T 40 S.

T. 41 S.

T. 42 S.

6

BURNING HILLS WSA

Development work, extraction, and patenting of
65 existing mining claims on 1,300 acres, as
well as any new claims located prior to wilder-
ness designation, would be allowed if they are
determined to be valid. Development of any such
valid claims would be regulated by unnecessary
or undue degradation guidelines (43 CFR 3800),
with consideration for wilderness values. How-
ever, BLM does not anticipate location or develop-
ment of mining claims with this alternative. The
existing post-FLPMA oil and gas lease (40 acres)
would not be reissued upon expiration unless a
find of oil or gas in commercial quantities is
shown. No new oil and gas leases would be issued.
BLM does not anticipate any oil or gas develop-
ment in the WSA. It is assumed that existing coal
leases (20 pre-FLPMA leases on 12,650 acres)
would be terminated if diligent development cri-
teria are not met, and they would not be extended
or reissued. Those leases meeting the diligence
criteria would be allowed to continue production.
No new coal leases would be issued on the 48,900
acres not currently leased. BLM does not antici-
pate development of the coal resource with this
alternative.

Present domestic livestock grazing would contin-
ue as authorized in the Paria MFP. The estimated
962 AUMs in the WSA would remain available to
livestock as presently allotted. The use and main-
tenance of range developments existing at the
time of designation (as listed in the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative) could continue in the
same manner as in the past based on necessity
and reasonableness. New rangeland developments
would be allowed on a case-by-case basis if neces-
sary for resource protection (rangeland and/or
wilderness) and the effective management of
these resources, provided that wilderness protec-
tion criteria are met (refer to Appendix 1 in Vol-
ume I). It is assumed that all the proposed live-
stock developments listed in the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative would be allowed. The propos-
ed wildlife guzzler would be designed and installed
consistent with wilderness protection standards.
The 650 acres of vegetation treatment which like-
ly would not be allowed.

The entire 61,550-acre WSA would be closed to
ORV use except for: (1) users with valid existing
rights if approved by BLM in accordance with 43
CFR 8560 provisions; or (2) for occasional and
short-term vehicular access approved by BLM
for maintenance of approved livestock develop-

ments and management of livestock. The 1 1 miles
of existing vehicular ways would not be available
for vehicular use, except as indicated above. The
10 miles of cherry-stemmed roads and about 21
additional miles of dirt roads that border the WSA
would remain open to vehicular use.

A 150-acre public water reserve withdrawal
would continue to remain in effect. The withdrawn
land is segregated against public land laws and non
metalliferous mining.

• Action Scenario

A total of 9 acres of surface disturbance would oc
cur in the foreseeable future in the WSA following
wilderness designation. Five acres of disturbance
would result from the construction of the range-
land and wildlife projects described in the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. These projects
would be designed and installed consistent with
wilderness protection standards. The planned veg-
etation treatment would not be allowed. No other
rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed projects or
other developments are planned following wilder-
ness designation. Four acres of surface disturb-
ance would result from access road construction
to in-held State lands for mineral exploration pur-
poses. No mineral resource exploration or develop
ment is expected in the WSA.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected because
of wilderness management restrictions, topo-
graphic constraints, and remoteness of the area.
Primitive recreational use is expected to increase
over the current estimated use of 10 visitor days
per year at a rate of 2 to 7 percent annually.
Motorized recreational use including potential in-
creases would not be allowed.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 presents the environmental consequences of
the alternatives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEQ guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as the Envi-
ronmental Consequences of Alternatives in this WSA
analysis.

7

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©

BURNING HILLS WSA

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The WSA contains 61,550 acres and is approximately
22 miles long (north to south) and up to 9 miles wide
(east to west).

• Naturalness

Although the WSA is essentially in a natural condi-
tion, some human imprints can be found in the unit.
These imprints include: drill pads and access ways on
Dry Bench and in the upper Reese Canyon drainage, a
cabin in Drip Tank Canyon, ways in Reese Canyon
below Surprise Valley, an abandoned stock tank and
other equipment in Reese Canyon, a trailer and old
corral in Last Chance Creek at the mouth of Reese Can-
yon, and ways in the Burning Hills west of Navajo Can-
yon. These imprints are considered substantially unno-
ticeable in the area as a whole and when combined, in-
volve less than 610 acres of the WSA. Lack of access
has preserved the WSA's naturalness.

In the Burning Hills WSA, the high quality of natural-
ness has not changed since the BLM Intensive Wilder-
ness Inventory (USDI, BLM, 1980b) decision. No addi-
tional imprints have occurred in the WSA as a result
of impairing uses or activities allowed under the BLM
Interim Management Policy (USDI, BLM, 1979c).

• Solitude

The size and configuration of the WSA, in combination
with topographic and vegetation screening, provide
outstanding opportunities for solitude.

In Dry Wash Canyon, Last Chance Creek Canyon, and
the extreme upper portion of Reese Canyon, outstand-
ing opportunities for solitude are present because of a
combination of topographic and riparian vegetation
screening.

Located between the canyons noted above are two
benches, Window Sash Bench and Dry Bench. Outstand-
ing opportunities for solitude can also be found in
these areas due to the size of the bench areas and the
extensive pinyon-juniper woodland forest which pro-
vides vegetation screening.

A system of canyons with no intervening benches is
present in the area south of Smoke Hollow. Although
the individual canyons retain their identity, the entire
canyon system assumes the shape of an escarpment.
This configuration concentrates and enhances the topo-
graphic screening factor, in a manner sufficient to
make the opportunity outstanding in this area.

Areas within the WSA that lack both vegetation and
topographic screening are not considered to have out-
standing opportunities for solitude. Such areas are
commonly found on outward-facing slopes that have a
desert shrub vegetation cover.

Over all, about 45 percent (27,700 acres) of the
WSA meets the solitude criterion for areas under
wilderness review.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

There are no outstanding opportunities for primitive
or unconfined recreation within the WSA.

• Special Features

The Burning Hills portion of the WSA is an educational
area depicting the geological changes that have result-
ed over the ages from naturally occurring coal fires.
Approximately 13,000 acres of the Burning Hills are
within the unit.

The Burning Hills portion of the WSA is a scenic area.
The red colorations in the landscape are the result of
geological changes attributed to the naturally occur-
ring coal fires. Scenic values are also present in the
lower Last Chance Creek Canyon area below Smoky
Mountain. The escarpment at the tip of Smoky Moun-
tain exhibits the same colorations as the Burning
Hills. This landscape includes the badlands areas at
the foot of the cliffs on the Glen Canyon National Rec-
reation Area (NRA) boundary. Approximately 27,500
acres possess interesting scenic features. Approxi-
mately 15,690 acres (25 percent of the WSA) are
rated Class A for scenic quality.

The WSA has resource values that, although not iden-
tified as such during the wilderness inventory, could
be considered special features. There are two animal
species, the peregrine falcon and bald eagle, listed as
endangered that can be expected to migrate through
the WSA. There are nine animal species and seven
plant species that are considered sensitive which
occur, or may occur, in the WSA. The WSA also has a
small, resident cougar population. Desert bighorn

BURNING HILLS WSA

sheep may migrate into the area. These are species
commonly associated with wilderness. Refer to the
Vegetation and Wildlife Including Special Status Spe-
cies sections for additional information.

• Diversity

This WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Province Ecore-
gion and has the PNV type juniper-pinyon woodland.
Refer to the Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies section for more discussion of ecoregions and
PNV types. The ecoregion and PNV types represented
by this WSA are compared with existing and other
potential National Wilderness Preservation units in
the Wilderness Values section of Volume I.

This WSA is not within a 5-hour drive from any stand-
ard metropolitan statistical area.

Air Quality

The Burning Hills WSA and surrounding area have
been designated Class II under the PSD classification
under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977. The
BLM will not consider or recommend any change in air
quality classification as part of the wilderness study
or wilderness recommendations. Any further air qual-
ity reclassification is the prerogative of the Utah
State government or Congress, not BLM (USDI, BLM,
1982b). The nearest PSD Class I area is Capitol Reef
National Park approximately 30 miles to the
northwest.

No measurements of air pollution or visibility levels
have been made in the WSA; however, data collected
from various nearby sites (Page, Arizona; and Four
Mile Bench, Garfield County, Utah) indicate the air is
generally free of pollutants and within National Ambi-
ent Air Quality Standards and State regulations. Visi-
bility within the WSA is excellent.

Geology and Topography

The Burning Hills WSA lies within the Kaiparowits
Plateau-Escalante Benches section of the Colorado Pla-
teau Physiographic Province. In general, the WSA con-
sists of undulating plateau surfaces into which the ma-
jor drainages have cut deep canyons.

Jurassic to Cretaceous strata are exposed in the
WSA. Jurassic strata, consisting of the Morrison For-
mation, are exposed in only a limited area in the ex-
treme southern part of the WSA. Cretaceous strata in-
clude the Dakota, Tropic, and Straight Cliffs Forma-

tions. The Straight Cliffs Formation forms the most
extensive exposures and is also the only coal-bearing
unit in the WSA.

Three structural axes, all trending northwest to
southeast, cut across the WSA. South of the Reese
anticline, dips are southwest 6 degrees into the Last
Chance syncline. Dips between the syncline and the
Smoky Mountain anticline are locally to 10 degrees,
but usually are somewhat less. To the southwest of
the anticline, dips are mostly less than 5 degrees.

In the eastern portion of the WSA only a few flat pla-
teau remnants remain. Above these cliffs are rounded
knolls reddened by burned coal. Along the base of the
cliffs are large areas of landslide debris made of huge
blocks of former upland strata. The principal drainage
is the Last Chance Creek, an intermittent stream that
drains to the south.

Soils

Three general soil categories are found within the
WSA. They can be described as (1) rock outcrops, (2)
plateaus and benches, and (3) terraces and valleys.

Rock outcrops occupy roughly 51 percent (31,390
acres) of the WSA. They occur as exposed bedrock of
shale or siltstone on steep slopes of terraces or on
canyon walls. Rock outcrops also occur as badlands on
barren hills of exposed bedrock. These areas have the
highest sediment yields and erosion hazard in the
WSA. Plateaus and benches have very shallow to mod-
erately deep fine sands and sandy loams on level to
gently sloping surfaces. Plateaus and benches occur
on 28 percent (17,231 acres) of the WSA. Terrace
and valley soils are deep fine sands where they occur
as dunes and hummocks or elsewhere have loams and
fine sands. Occasionally, desert pavement occurs as a
gravel surface on these valley and terrace soils that
make up 21 percent (12,929 acres) of the WSA.
Table 2 indicates the erosion condition for the WSA.

According to an unpublished Kane County soil survey
conducted by BLM, 85 percent of the soils within the
WSA are classified as highly saline. The remaining 15
percent are classified as slightly saline. The esti-
mated annual salt yield from undisturbed soils within
the WSA is 105 lb per acre.

Reclamation potential is low on the majority of the
area which contains rock outcrops and sandy soils.
Potentials for seeding establishment is considered

BURNING HILLS WSA

fair on loamy soil sites scattered throughout the
WSA.

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Classification

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

0

0

0

Moderate

1.3

56,050

91

72,865

Slight

0.6

5,500

9

3,300

Stable

0.3

a

_Q

Q

Total

61,550

100

76,165

Sources: USDI,

BLM, 1978c and

1979c;

Leifeste, 1978.

Vegetation, Including Special Status Species

The major vegetation types currently existing within
the WSA are desert shrub and pinyon-juniper wood-
land. Desert shrub vegetation includes shadscale,
blackbrush, and snakeweed and occupies 33,853
acres or 55 percent of the WSA. The pinyon-juniper
woodland occupies 24,620 acres or 40 percent of the
WSA. The balance of the unit is classified as steep and
rocky or as barren (3,077 acres or 5 percent). Small
areas of riparian vegetation in wash bottoms make up
less than 1 percent of the vegetation in the WSA.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, six Category 2 candi-
date species and one Category 1 candidate species are
known or thought to occur in the WSA. These are

gymppterus higginsii, Efiastemon atwoodii, Hetero-
theca jonesii, Corvphantha missouriensis var. mar-
stonii. Lepidium montanum var. neeseae. Psoralea
pariensis, and Lepidium montanum var stellae (see
Appendix 4 in Volume I). Cvmopterus higginsii has
been found in the Smoky Mountains in the southwest
portion of the WSA, and Penstemon atwoodii has been
found in the northwest portion of the WSA near Pete's
Cove at the northern end of Dry Wash. Four of the spe-
cies discussed above are located in the pinyon-juniper
woodland where the majority of surface disturbance
would occur. The other species are located in more
restricted habitats such as riparian and blow sand
type ecosystems. The habitats of all of these species
extend beyond the WSA boundaries.

The Burning Hills WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Pro-
vince Ecoregion as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler eco-
systems map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). The PNV type of
the WSA is juniper-pinyon woodland.

Water Resources

The Burning Hills WSA is within the Last Chance
Creek subbasin of the Upper Colorado River Hydro-
logic subregion. There are no perennial streams in the
WSA. The major drainages are Last Chance Creek,
Dry Wash, and Warm Creek. They flow as a result of
thundershower activity common in the July to Sep-
tember period. Last Chance Creek and its tributaries
drain most of the WSA. Warm Creek drains about four
sections in the southwest corner of the WSA.

The Burning Hills WSA lies within Paria River Adjudi-
cation Area 89. The waters in this area are consider-
ed to be fully appropriated on the surface and any di-
rectly connected underground aquifer. The State Engi-
neer will consider applications to appropriate water
for 0.015 cfs based on the proposed location outside
of any existing municipal, town, or subdivision sys-
tem, and on the individual merits of the applications
(UDNRE, DWR, 1988).

The water quality standards for Last Chance Creek, a
tributary of Lake Powell, are as follows: Class 2B
(protected for boating, waterskiing and similar uses),
3B (protected for warm water species of game fish
and other warm aquatic life), and 4 (protected for
agriculture uses).

Utah's 1986 305(b) Water Quality Assessment Re-
port notes that streams and tributaries entering Lake
Powell in the southern portions of the Upper Colorado
River drainage have impairments to their beneficial
uses from high levels of TDS, arsenic, and sodium.
These impairments result mainly from natural
sources and low flows. Concentrations of these con-
taminants render the surface water of Last Chance
Creek unsuitable for potable and livestock use.

Groundwater quality is considered marginal for live-
stock consumption. However, one reservoir and five
spring developments are located in the WSA.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The mineral and energy resource rating summary for
the Burning Hills is given in Table 3. Appendix 5 in Vol-
ume I explains the mineral and energy resource rating
system.

The WSA could contain deposits of titanium, which is
currently listed as a strategic and critical material
(USDoD, 1988).

BURNING HILLS WSA

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Resource

Rating

Favorability* Certainty^

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

12

Cl

Less than 10 million barrels ol
oil; less than 60 billion cubic-
leet of gas

Uranium

12

cl

Less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide

Coal

14

C4

928 million metric-tons

Titanium

12

c2

Less than 1 million metric-tons
of titanium oxide

Source: SAI, 1982; USDI, BLM 1987.

•Favorability ol the WSA’s geologic environment for a resource (1 1 - lowest
favorability or smallest size deposit; f4 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

bThe degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

• Leasable Minerals

Currently, there are no active drilling, mining, or
exploration activities for leasable minerals.

• Oil and Gas

Numerous oil shows (including oil-impregnated
rock deposits) have been reported from Cambri-
an, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Per-
mian, and Triassic rocks in south-central Utah
(Heylmun, et al., 1965; Veal, 1976; and Camp-
bell and Ritzma, 1979). The older rocks generally
are only stained; whereas, free oil has been re-
covered from Mississippian rocks at Upper Valley
(Doelling, 1975). Because the most obvious struc-
tures in the area have already been explored,
many investigators considered subtle stratigraph-
ic traps in Permian and Triassic rocks to offer
the best potential for future petroleum discov-
eries.

The only oil and gas production in the vicinity of
the WSA comes from the Upper Valley Field locat-
ed approximately 12 miles to the north. This field
was discovered on the Upper Valley anticline in
1964 and stimulated drilling activity on similar
anticlinal structures in south-central Utah. To
date, however, no commercial oil and gas poten-
tial has been identified in the WSA.

The oil reservoir is located along the prominent
Upper Valley anticline, but the producing area is
offset from the crest of the anticline to the west
flank and the southern plunging nose. This offset

is attributed to a regional, southwest directed
hydrodynamic drive in the Kaibab Formation
(Sharp, 1976). Oil accumulation in other anti-
clines within the region may be displaced to the
south. Total production from this field is expect-
ed to approach 50 million barrels. Production is
from four distinct zones in the Timpoweap Forma-
tion (Triassic age) and the Kaibab Formation (Per-
mian age). Shows of oil were also reported in the
Permian Cedar Mesa and Mississippian Redwall
Formation (Sharp, 1976).

Few exploration wells have been drilled in the
vicinity of the Burning Hills WSA. Those that have
been drilled were located along structural highs
such as the Reese Canyon anticline near the east
side of the tract. Three wells tested the Reese
Canyon Anticline approximately 6 to 10 miles
southeast of the WSA. One of these wells (#1
Byrd, drilled in 1954) penetrated Devonian rocks
and bottomed at a total depth of 10,045 feet. BLM
well file data indicates that no oil shows were re-
ported. The other two wells (#2 Unit, drilled in
1955; and #1-16 State, drilled in 1968) penetrat-
ed Mississippian and Permian Formations, respec-
tively, and no oil shows were reported from
either well. Subtle stratigraphic traps have gener-
ally not been an exploration target in this area.

Because Permian and Triassic rocks have pro-
duced commercial quantities of petroleum at Up-
per Valley and because of the widespread occur-
rences of oil in Permian rocks in this region, the
entire tract is assigned a favorability rating of
(f2) (SAI, 1982). The size of the hydrocarbon
accumulation in such an environment is anticipat-
ed to be less than 10 million barrels of oil or less
than 60 billion cubic-feet of gas. Based on the
available information, the certainty of occurrence
for oil and gas is rated very low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, all 61,550 acres
of the WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions). There is presently one post-FLPMA oil and
gas lease covering 40 acres in the WSA.

• Coal

The WSA lies in the southern part of the Kaiparo-
wits Plateau coal field, and the entire tract is
underlain by the coal-bearing Cretaceous Straight
Cliffs Formation (Doelling and Graham, 1972).

BURNING HILLS WSA

Estimated coal reserves within the entire Kaiparo-
wits Plateau coal field total 15.2 billion tons
(Doelling and Graham, 1972). An estimated 928
million tons of minable coal, based on coal seams
greater than 4 feet thick, occurs within the WSA.
An estimated 905 million tons occur at depths
less than 1,000 feet, and 23 million tons occur
between 1,000 feet and 2,000 feet. Approximate-
ly one-third to one-half of the coal is recoverable
(Doelling and Graham, 1972).

The coal-bearing Straight Cliffs Formation is ex-
posed throughout the WSA, except where it has
been eroded away along the southern end of the
tract, exposing the Dakota Sandstone (Hackman
and Wyant, 1973). The Christensen coal zone is
the most valuable in the WSA, and some coal beds
are almost 20 feet thick (Doelling and Graham,
1972). The Reese coal zone also contains signifi-
cant coal beds, some up to 7 feet thick.

Results from 67 coal analyses in the western por-
tion of the WSA indicate an average content of
8.5 percent ash, 0.63 percent sulfur, and a heat
value of 12,668 British thermal units (Btus) per
lb Results from eight coal analyses in the eastern
portion of the WSA indicate an average content of
9.8 percent ash, 0.89 percent sulfur, and a heat
value of 10,421 Btu per lb (Doelling and Graham,
1972).

The WSA is within the Kaiparowits Plateau
KRCRA. In accordance with the underground min-
ing exemption from the unsuitability criteria (43
CFR 3401), none of the areas in the KRCRA within
the WSA were determined to be unsuitable for
mining as a result of the application of the unsuita-
bility criteria (USDI, BLM, 1981c).

Based on the above discussion, the coal in the
WSA is assigned a favorability rating of (f4) (po-
tential for large tonnages of coal) with a high (c4)
certainty of occurrence. There are presently 20
coal leases, covering 12,650 acres, in the WSA.

Locatable Minerals

• Uranium

The following rock units are considered favorable
for uranium in south-central Utah (USDOE, 1979):
the Basal Members and Petrified Forest Member
of the Triassic Chinle Formation, and the Salt
Wash Member of the Jurassic Morrison Forma-
tion. The Morrison Formation is perhaps 100 feet
to 200 feet thick in the vicinity of the WSA and it
thickens rapidly to the east. The Morrison has
been removed by pre-Dakota erosion a short dis-
tance west of the WSA (SAI, 1982). Throughout
most of the tract, the Morrison lies at depth of
about 1,500 feet. The Chinle Formation lies at
depths generally exceeding 4,000 feet (Hintze,
1973).

The Morrison Formation is, therefore, the only
formation considered to be favorable for "signifi-
cant" uranium deposits in the vicinity of the WSA.
The term significant is defined as an economically-
extractable uranium deposit that contains a total
of at least 100 metric-tons of uranium oxide at a
grade of at least 0.01 percent (Peterson, et al.,
1982). The criteria used to judge the favorability
of the Morrison Formation for significant uranium
deposits included: (1) low fluvial energy regimes
during Morrison time, (2) active folding at the
time of sedimentation, (3) orientation of fold axes
at large angles to the direction of transport of
paleo-streams, and (4) presence of gray mud-
stone beds. On the basis of these criteria, how-
ever, it is concluded that the Morrison Formation
underlying the WSA was not favorable for signifi-
cant uranium deposits (Peterson, et al., 1982).
They did not consider the Chinle Formation to be
favorable for uranium in the vicinity of the WSA.

On the basis of the discussion above, the WSA is
assigned a uranium favorability of (f2) (contain-
ing less than 500 metric tons of uranium oxide).
The certainty that uranium deposits occur in the
Morrison Formation within the tract is very low
(cl).

• Titanium

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in Large deposits of primary titanium ore have been

the WSA. Currently, there are 65 mining claims cov- reported in Utah, but sedimentary deposits of ti-
ering 1,300 acres in the WSA. tanium-bearing black sandstones, similar to those

found in other western states, occur in several
places (Adams, 1964). The known titaniferous
black sandstone deposits in Utah are contained in

14

BURNING HILLS WSA

the Straight Cliffs Formation and the Mancos
Shale, both of Late Cretaceous age.

The deposits represent fossil beach placers that
contain very fine-grained ilmenite, zircon, and
monazite. The heavy metals were eroded from
older rocks to the west and then transported by
streams into eastward-retreating Late Cretace-
ous seas where they were winnowed and concen-
trated by waves and winds into large sandstone
lenses along northwest-trending beaches (Adams,
1964). Because these deposits are slightly radio-
active, many were discovered during the uranium
exploration boom on the Colorado Plateau in the
1950s.

Although titaniferous black sandstones are known
to occur in south-central Utah (Adams, 1964; and
Doelling, 1975), all the deposits discovered to
date contain only small tonnages of titanium.
Three titaniferous placer deposits occur in the
upper part of the John Henry Member of the
Straight Cliffs Formation in this area; two are
located a few miles north of the WSA and one lies
within the tract (Adams, 1964; and Zeller,
1973a). The deposits occur as parts of channels
and massive white sandstones between the Alvey
and Christensen coal zones (Doelling, 1975). One
of these ore bodies is about 12 feet thick, 600
feet long, and 200 feet wide; although Doelling
(1975) states that part of the deposit has undoub-
tedly been removed by erosion. The upper 6 feet
of this deposit contains 13.4 percent titanium ox-
ide, 6.5 percent zirconium oxide, 11.7 percent
iron, and 0.9 percent equivalent thorium oxide.
The lower 6 feet contains 24.1 percent titanium
oxide, 18.1 percent zirconium oxide, 17.8 per-
cent iron, and 0.15 percent equivalent thorium
oxide (Dow and Batty, 1961).

It seems likely that similar, although covered,
titaniferous sandstone deposits occur sporadic-
ally in Late Cretaceous rocks throughout this re-
gion. Because of the apparent widespread distri-
bution of these deposits and because of the small
amount of titanium contained in deposits already
discovered, profitable mining of these deposits,
especially those covered by younger strata,
seems unlikely. Partly on this basis, and in view
of the preceding discussion, the WSA has been
assigned a titanium favorability rating of (f2)
(favorable for less than one million metric-tons).
The certainty of occurrence of titanium deposits
within the tract is (c2).

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the WSA.
These deposits are not unique or economically signifi-
cant due to the presence of ample similar materials
nearby.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

The Burning Hills WSA contains two major habitat
types: pinyon-juniper woodland and desert shrub.
Each of these habitat types support a unique comple-
ment of animal species. Theoretically, maximum spe-
cies composition in the WSA varies from a high of
118 birds, 18 mammals, and 18 reptiles, to a low of
15 birds, 11 mammals, and 15 reptiles. Thirteen spe-
cies of raptors are known to, or suspected of, nesting
in the WSA. No fish habitat exists in the WSA. About
6,400 acres of land were identified in the Kanab-Esca-
lante Grazing Management EIS (USDI, BLM, 1980a) as
crucial deer winter range.

Approximately 650 acres of vegetation treatment
(also considered for livestock purposes) and one guz-
zler are proposed for the WSA.

Game species in the WSA are mule deer, cougar, cot-
tontail rabbits, mourning doves, blue grouse, band-
tailed pigeons, and chuckar. Mule deer are primarily
winter residents as a result of migrations from the
higher bench areas.

Small numbers of cougar are yearlong residents of
the WSA. Cottontails occur throughout the WSA, and
mourning doves are fairly common from May to Sep-
tember. Blue grouse and bandtailed pigeons are found
in the higher elevations of Dry Wash and Reese Can-
yons. Chuckar are found near Croton Bench and Collet
Canyon.

Approximately 32 desert bighorn sheep were trans-
planted into the Rock Creek area of Glen Canyon NRA
in 1981 and 1982 by the Utah Division of Wildlife Re-
sources (UDWR). As the herd size increases, it is like-
ly that a few sheep will move into the WSA. About 60
percent of the WSA is potential bighorn sheep habitat.

Two endangered species, the peregrine falcon and
bald eagle, are present along Lake Powell and can be
expected to migrate through the WSA. The UDWR list
of sensitive species includes two species that occur
in the WSA: Lewis woodpecker and western bluebird.
In addition, the golden eagle (a BLM sensitive species)

BURNING HILLS WSA

and the following six Category 2 candidate species
could inhabit the WSA: Great Basin Silverspot butter-
fly, ferruginous hawk, long-billed curlew, southern
spotted owl, Swainson's hawk, and white-faced ibis
(see Appendix 4 in Volume I). If present, most of
these species would be associated with riparian areas
or cliff faces and canyons. An exception would be the
ferruginous hawk which inhabits the pinyon-juniper
woodland. It is most frequently found along edges or
in ecotone areas.

Forest Resources

would provide in excess of 100 AUMs of forage annu-
ally. The projects were identified to better distribute
livestock grazing in the allotments. Vehicles are occa-
sionally used on the 11 miles of ways and 10 miles of
roads to haul horses and salt in connection with live-
stock management in this WSA.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the grazing allotments that com-
prise the Burning Hills WSA (USDA, APHIS, 1988).

There are no wild horses or burros within the WSA.

The pinyon-juniper woodland is the only forest re-
source found in the WSA (24,620 acres). The WSA is
open to fuelwood collecting but, due to limited access
and the remoteness of the area, use is minimal and
undoubtedly will continue to be so for the foreseeable
future.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The WSA contains portions of three livestock grazing
(cattle) allotments. Table 4 summarizes the livestock
grazing use data in the WSA. There are an estimated
962 AUMs within the WSA. About 24,847 acres are
suitable for grazing with approximately 36,703
acres being unsuitable. At the present time, five
spring developments, 1.5 miles of fence, one reser-
voir, 6 miles of trail, three corrals, and one cabin
are located within the WSA. Six hundred and fifty
acres of vegetation treatment, 3.25 miles of fence,
five cattle guards, three wells, one spring develop-
ment, one catchment, and 1 mile of trail are proposed
for development in the WSA under the present Allot-
ment Management Plan (AMP). Although primarily for
the deer, the land treatment (650 acres of seeding)

Visual Resources

The WSA has a variety of landscape characters.
Approximately 15,690 acres are classified as Class
A, 43,550 acres as Class B, and 2,310 acres as
Class C quality scenery according to the BLM VRM
rating system.

The WSA will be managed as VRM Class II on about
6,000 acres (10 percent), Class III on 15,000 acres
(24 percent), and Class IV on 40,550 acres (66 per-
cent) Class IV. Refer to Appendix 7 in Volume I for
more information on the BLM VRM system.

Cultural Resources

A total of six sites have been recorded in the WSA
(USDI, BLM, 1988). Most of these sites are small pre-
historic lithic scatters on sandy ridge tops in the
unit’s northern portion. One side is attributed to Pue-
blo II Anasazi occupation, but the cultural affiliation
of the remainder is unknown. None of the recorded
sites in the WSA are eligible for nomination to the
National Register of Historic Places.

Table 4

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in WSA

Total

AUMs

Number
of AUMs
in WSA

Number and
Kind of
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

Headwaters

239,122

1,360

5,930

13

781 Cattle

yearlong

20

Last Chance

223,224

57,895

3,719

625

309 Cattle

yearlong

1

Upper Warm Creek

47,638

2,295

1,076

324

246 Cattle

11/01-04/30

2

Total

509,984

61,550

10,725

962

23

1 6

Sources: BLM File Data

BURNING HILLS WSA

The Southern Utah Coal Project Archaeological Sur-
vey (USDI, BLM, 1978a) has provided a Class I inven-
tory for the Paria planning unit that includes the Burn-
ing Hills WSA. Estimates of site density cannot be reli-
ably computed with available data.

Recreation

The Burning Hills WSA offers limited recreational op-
portunities. Sightseeing associated with backcountry
vehicle travel is the major recreational use. Some
dayhiking associated with exploration occurs in the
unit. It is estimated that the unit receives less than
100 visitor days per year. Ninety percent is asso-
ciated with vehicle use on 1 1 miles of existing ways.

ORV use is confined to existing roads and trails on
approximately 10,000 acres in the Last Chance drain-
age. The remainder of the unit is open to ORV use. Due
to the topography and the remote location of the
WSA, vehicular use of existing ways is practically
nonexistent.

Land Use Plans

The current BLM planning document for the Burning
Hills WSA is the Paria MFP (USDI, BLM, 1981c). Wil-
derness is not addressed in the Paria MFP.

Wilderness designation is part of the BLM multiple-
use concept. The BLM land use plan is linked to the
Statewide Wilderness EIS through analysis of the
present plan as the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive.

The WSA is BLM-administered public land except for
six State sections (3,839.7 acres). The current poli-
cy of the State is to maximize economic returns from
State lands and to reserve its position regarding the
exchange of in-held lands (see Chapter 1 in Volume I).
In 1986, the Utah State Legislature passed S.C.R. No.

1 opposing any additional wilderness designation in
Utah and urging that State lands not be exchanged out
of wilderness areas. Of the 3,839.7 acres of in-held
State land, 1,280 are under lease for oil and gas,
639.7 acres are under lease for coal, and 2,560
acres are under lease for grazing. There is no current
activity on these lands.

The Kaiparowits Coal Development and Transportation
Study (ERT, 1980) identified a transportation corri-
dor system which includes a portion of the WSA. The
objective of the study was to identify areas where it
would be possible to construct and operate future coal

transportation systems within the restrictions of gen-
eral environmental and engineering constraints. Corri-
dor segments were required to contain at least one po-
tential route for a railroad or coal slurry pipeline.
Specific routes, however, were not identified. By
selecting corridors between 2 and 15 miles in width,
maximum flexibility for future location of specific
routes was maintained. Corridor Cl 7 extends into the
western and northwestern portion of the WSA. How-
ever, the majority of the corridor is located outside
of the WSA.

The Kane County Master Plan states, "Kane County
supports the total concept of multiple use of lands. We
reject exclusionary recreational forms that cannot be
used by the average recreation visitor. Wilderness,
as conceived by the Federal land agencies, is rejected
because of the limited visitor utilization possibilities
and rejection of the multiple use concept." (Kane Coun-
ty Board of Commissioners, 1982). In addition, the
Consolidated Local Government Response to Wilder-
ness (Utah Counties, 1986) indicates that Kane Coun-
ty opposes wilderness designation of BLM lands in
Utah.

The Glen Canyon NRA forms the southeastern bound-
ary of the unit. In the Glen Canyon management plan
(USDI, NPS, 1979), the area adjacent to the Burning
Hills WSA was not recommended for wilderness des-
ignation.

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The Burning Hills WSA is located in Kane County,
Utah. From 1970 to 1980, the population of Kane
County grew from 2,421 to 4,050, an overall in-
crease of about 67 percent. Table 5 presents the
baseline and projected population data for Kane Coun-
ty. It is estimated that between 1980 and 1987, the
population increased to about 4,890.

Table 5

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Kane County

1980

1990

2000

2010

Population

4.050

5,250

5,750

6,950

Employment

1.403

1,900

2.300

2.900

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

Population projections indicate that the number of
people living in Kane County in the year 2010 will be

BURNING HILLS WSA

about 6,950, for about a 72-percent increase over
1980 levels (Utah Office of Planning and Budget,
1987).

Kane County residents live in small communities. The
average population density is approximately one per-
son per square mile. This density is very low when
compared to the Statewide average of 17 persons per
square mile (USDC, Bureau of the Census, 1981).

• Employment

Table 5 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Kane County to the year 2010.

Kane County is part of the Southwest MCD. Table 6
shows the baseline (1980) and projected employment
by source for the MCD to the year 2010. In 1980 the
leading employment sec-tors for the Southwest MCD
were government (23 percent), trade (20 percent),
and nonfarm proprietors (12 percent). Mining pro-
vided approximately 2 percent of the direct employ-
ment in the MCD.

Table 6

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment*

1980

1 990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1.810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

1 1,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1 ,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212

28.900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Oftice of Planning and Budget. 1987.

alncludes Beaver, Garfield, Iron. Kane, and Washington Counties.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment
will more than double. Services will increase to 20
percent and trade to 25 percent of the total. Agricul-
ture will decline to 5 percent, government to 18 per-
cent and mining to less than 1 percent of the total
MCD employment.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the WSA include miner-
al exploration, mineral leasing, livestock production,
and recreation. Table 7 summarizes the local sales

and Federal revenues from the WSA. Appendix 9 in
Volume I identifies the multipliers used to estimate
sales and revenues.

Table 7

Sales and Revenues

Source

Estimated Annual
Local Sales*

Estimated Annual
Federal Revenues

OH and Gas Leases

0

$80

Coal Leases

0

$37,950

Mining Claim Assessment

$6,500

0

Livestock Grazing

$19,240

$1,482

Recreational Use

S ilfi

Q

Total

$26,150

$39,512

Sources: BLM File Data; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

■Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account for the
total Income that would be generated by these expenditures.

The WSA has 65 mining claims; regulations require a
$100 annual expenditure per claim for labor and im-
provements, an undetermined part of which is spent
in the local economy. The geophysical exploration
which has been conducted in the WSA has generated
minor temporary local employment and income. No oil
and gas or mineral production has occurred in the
WSA. Therefore, mineral and energy resource pro-
duction from the WSA has not contributed to the local
employment or income.

Twenty-three livestock operators have an estimated
grazing privilege of 962 AUMs within the WSA. If all
this forage were utilized, it would account for
$19,240 of the livestock sales and $4,810 of the
ranchers' returns to labor and investment.

Some woodland products have been harvested from
the WSA; however, the harvests were small and
were insignificant to the local economy and only of
minor significance to those involved in the harvest.

The WSA's nonmotorized recreational use and related
local expenditures are low. The WSA's motorized rec-
reational use and related local expenditures are also
low. The actual amount of income generated locally
from recreational use in the WSA is unknown. How-
ever, an approximate range of expenditures can be
deduced (Dalton, 1982). This study indicates that the
Statewide average local expenditures per recreation-
al visitor day for all types of recreation in Utah are
approximately $4.10. The recreational use for the
Burning Hills WSA is estimated to be about 100 visi-
tor days per year.

1 8

BURNING HILLS WSA

The WSA generates Federal revenues from mineral
leases and livestock grazing fees (refer to Table 6).
One oil and gas lease is located in the WSA and covers
40 acres. Lease rental fees generate up to $80 of Fed-
eral revenues annually. There are also 20 coal leases
covering 12,650 acres in the WSA and they generate
up to $37,950 annually in revenue. Half of these
monies are allocated to the State, which then reallo-
cates these revenues to various funds, the majority
of which are related to energy development and miti-
gation of local impacts of energy and mineral develop-
ment.

Average actual livestock use and revenues generated
from grazing in the WSA are unknown; however, the
permittees in the WSA can use up to 962 AUMs per
year. Based on a $1.54 per AUM grazing fee, the
WSA can potentially generate $1 ,482 of grazing fee
revenues annually, 50 percent ($741) of which would
be allocated back to the local BLM District for the con-
struction of rangeland projects.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

Analysis assumptions and guidelines for all alterna-
tives are described in the Introduction to Volume III-
B. The following analysis is based on implementation
of the Action Scenarios presented in the Description
of the Alternatives.

A major long-term consideration in impact analysis
for this WSA is development of the Kaiparowits coal
field. For a detailed analysis of potential impacts of
coal development in southern Utah, the reader is re-
ferred to the Final EIS for "Development of Coal Re-
sources in Southern Utah" (USDI, USGS, 1979).

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Pro-
posed Action)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management
Policy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the
WSA would be somewhat protected by limitations
placed on potential surface-disturbing activities (i.e.,
VRM Class II management on 15,000 acres).

In the foreseeable future, disturbance of approximate-
ly 660 acres from development of rangeland pro-
jects, vegetation treatments and access to State sec-
tions in the northern portion of the WSA for mineral
exploration, would result in a direct loss of natural-
ness and opportunities for solitude and primitive, un-
confined recreation in the disturbed areas. Special fea-
tures including scenic values, special status species,
and wildlife associated with wilderness would not be
significantly affected because the disturbance would
significantly involve only 1.1 percent (660 acres) of
the WSA, and the disturbance would generally not be
located where the special features are located. In addi-
tion, appropriate measures would be taken to protect
special status species prior to any surface-disturbing
activity. Proposed water developments and the vege-
tation treatments would benefit wildlife special fea-
tures associated with wilderness because of addition-
al sources of water and forage.

During the period of activity, the visual and audible
disturbance from vegetation treatments and other
rangeland developments and from access development
to State sections would reduce opportunities for soli-
tude and primitive recreation not only on directly dis-
turbed areas but also indirectly on adjacent portions
of the WSA. As much as 5 percent (3,077 acres) of
the WSA could be so affected in the foreseeable fu-
ture.

Because future vehicular use would generally be limit-
ed by terrain to 1 1 miles of existing vehicular ways,
no additional disturbance from ORV activity is antici-
pated. The continued use of existing ways would con-
tinue to occasionally detract from opportunities for
solitude and primitive recreation.

The gradual increase in visitor use that would occur
would not be expected to significantly reduce the qual-
ity of wilderness values because the additional use is
expected to be small, the additional use would be
largely primitive in nature, and the WSA is large
enough to incorporate the additional use adequately.

The extent that disturbance would occur on Federal
lands and State in-holdings over the long term and,
therefore, the long-term loss of wilderness values
that would occur, is not accurately known. Loss
would occur, however, as intrusions increase. Coal
development over the long term would result in at
least 40 acres (0.06 percent of the WSA) of disturb-
ance on Federal lands in the northern portion of the
WSA. Wilderness values would be directly lost on the
disturbed acres. Indirect reduction in the quality of

BURNING HILLS WSA

the opportunities for solitude and primitive recrea-
tion would occur in the northern 33 percent (20,31 1
acres) of the WSA during the period of development.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation, and loss would occur as in-
trusions increase. In the short term, naturalness and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
would be directly lost on approximately 660 acres of
the WSA and opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation would be indirectly reduced in quality on
up to 5 percent (3,077 acres). Special features would
not be affected. Over the long term, coal development
could result in the direct loss of wilderness values on
40 acres and an indirect reduction in the quality of
wilderness values in the northern 33 percent
(20,31 1 acres) of the WSA during the period of devel-
opment.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies

The 660 acres of surface disturbance projected in the
short term for the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive would mainly occur in the pinyon-juniper wood-
land. On the 650-acre vegetation treatment (chaining
and seeding), vegetation composition would change
from woodland to grass-shrub. It is projected that
the grass-shrub vegetation type would be maintained
over the long term. Once active maintenance ceased,
the area would eventually revert back to pinyon-
juniper woodland. The chaining and seeding would be
designed to provide browse for wildlife and forage
for livestock. There would also be a loss of natural-
ness in the disturbed area. The six acres of surface
disturbance due to the construction of rangeland pro-
jects would be reclaimed within a 3 to 5 year period.
The four acres of surface disturbance associated with
access road construction to in-held State land would
remain over the long term. Surface disturbance in the
long term would be approximately 40 acres (associ-
ated with coal development) and would occur in both
the pinyon-juniper woodland and desert shrub vegeta-
tion types. Due to the small size of the disturbance
(about 1.1 percent of the WSA), the overall change in
vegetation types would not be significant.

Four of the seven Category 1 and 2 candidate species
that may occur in the WSA are located in the pinyon-
juniper woodland. The habitats for all of these species
extend beyond the WSA boundaries. Surface-disturb-
ing activities could result in the inadvertent loss of
some individual plants of these species. However, the
continued existence of any of the species would not be

threatened, because before authorizing any surface-
disturbing activities BLM would conduct site-specific
clearances of the potentially disturbed areas. If any
special status species are located, BLM would initiate
consultation with the FWS as required by the Endan-
gered Species Act and BLM policy. BLM would request
a biological opinion when appropriate (refer to Appen-
dix 4 in Volume I). Appropriate mitigation measures,
such as avoidance of sensitive areas, would be imple-
mented. Because necessary measures would be taken
to protect these species, the viability of populations
of threatened, endangered, or other special status
plant species would be preserved with the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Special status plant species would not be
significantly affected. About 1.1 percent (700 acres)
of the pinyon-juniper woodland and desert shrub vege-
tation types in the WSA disturbed as a result of range-
land and wildlife projects and long term coal develop-
ment.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

The WSA would remain open to the exploration and de-
velopment of mineral and energy resources without
consideration of wilderness values. Therefore, miner-
al and energy resources would not be affected by the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Implementation of the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative would not adversely affect miner-
al exploration or production.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Population Including
Special Status Species

With this alternative, wildlife habitat could be improv-
ed by an increase in the availability of water through
the construction of two water catchments, develop-
ment of a spring, and construction of three wells.
Wildlife habitat would also be improved by chaining
and seeding 650 acres of pinyon-juniper woodland.
The vegetation treatment would provide habitat and
forage for wildlife species. Desert bighorn sheep may
migrate into the area and become established near iso-
lated water sources.

Disturbance of an estimated 660 acres in the short
term and up to 40 acres in the long term would dis-
rupt wildlife. Deer and mobile nongame animals would
be dispersed from the area of disturbance for the life-
time of these activities. Desert bighorn sheep would

20

BURNING HILLS WSA

avoid disturbed areas. Less mobile wildlife would
either perish or co-exist with these disturbances at
smaller and less viable population levels. However,
this is not expected to be a significant impact as only
about 1 percent of the WSA would be affected in the
short term and less than 1 percent would be affected
in the long-term future.

The extend and use of the WSA by the peregrine fal-
con and bald eagle (both endangered species) or the
nine Category 1 and Category 2 candidate species
that may occur there, is unknown. The vegetation
treatment would not affect most of these species be-
cause activities would be in flat pinyon-juniper wood-
land and, if present, the majority of these species
would inhabit the riparian and cliff face areas in the
canyons. The ferruginous hawk could inhabit the
pinyon-juniper woodland. However, chaining would
create ecotones or edges and improved ferruginous
hawk habitat.

BLM would conduct site-specific clearances of the
potentially disturbed areas. If any special status spe-
cies are located, BLM would initiate informal consul-
tation with the FWS as required by the Endangered
Species Act and BLM policy. BLM would request a bio-
logical opinion when appropriate (refer to Appendix 4
in Volume I). Appropriate mitigation measures such as
avoidance of sensitive areas would be implemented.
Because necessary measures would be taken to pro-
tect these species, it can be reasonably concluded
that potential populations of special status animal spe-
cies would be preserved with the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative.

Conclusion: There would be no significant adverse im-
pacts to habitat and populations including special sta-
tus animal species. Approximately, 1.1 percent (700
acres) of the wildlife habitat in the WSA would be dis-
turbed.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

Domestic livestock grazing would continue as author-
ized in the Paria MFP. The estimated 962 AUMs cur-
rently allocated in the WSA are controlled by 23 live-
stock permittees. Motorized vehicles could continue
to be used to manage livestock. The 650 acres of veg-
etation treatment, five cattleguards, three wells, one
spring development, one catchment, 3.25 miles of
fence, and 1 mile of trail proposed could be developed
and would result in improved livestock distribution
and an estimated increased carrying capacity of 100
AUMs annually.

Conclusion: Livestock management and grazing levels
would not be adversely affected by implementation of
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

There would not be a loss of local employment or in-
come resulting from implementation of this alterna-
tive. The opportunity to explore and develop mineral
and energy resources would remain as at present.

No coal exploration or development is assumed in the
short term. However, due to the extensive coal re-
source known to underlie the WSA, it is projected
that in the long term coal would eventually be devel-
oped. Exact lease boundaries cannot be determined;
therefore, it is not possible to project if one or more
mines would actually be located within WSA bounda-
ries. However, a typical Utah mine would be an under-
ground operation, employ 20 to 300 people, and be in
operation 30 to 40 years. The employment of 600 peo-
ple (two mines) would represent only 1.3 percent of
the projected Southwest MCD for the year 2010. How-
ever, it would be about 21 percent of the Kane County
projected employment in the year 2010 and nearby
local communities would be significantly affected.
There would be both beneficial and adverse impact.
Beneficial impacts would include increases in employ-
ment and income while adverse impacts would include
increased demands for housing and infrastructure
such as schools, law enforcement, etc. An unknown
portion of the jobs would be obtained by locals.

There would be no livestock-related economic losses
because the existing grazing use (962 AUMs) and abil-
ity to maintain, replace and build new range develop-
ments would remain as at present.

Recreation related local expenditures could increase
at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year over the next 20
years. Because recreational use at the end of 20
years is estimated to increase only 50 to 285 visitor
days per year more than the current 100 visitor
days per year and because recreation-related expen-
ditures only average about $4.10 per visitor day,
total recreation-related expenditures attributable to
the WSA would likely not be significant to the local
economy.

Federal and State revenues would not be reduced by
implementation of this alternative. There are 61,510
acres in the WSA open to oil and gas leases that are
currently not leased and 48,900 acres open to coal
leasing that are not currently leased. If leased, they

21

BURNING HILLS WSA

would bring over $330,000 additional Federal lease
fee revenues per year in addition to royalties from
lease production (and bonus bids from new coal
leases). Half of these monies would be allocated to the
State, a portion of which could reach the local econo-
my. Collection of livestock grazing fees ($1,482 each
year the forage is grazed) would continue. About 50
percent of the increased revenues would be returned
to the local BLM District for use in range development
projects.

Conclusion: No loss of local employment or income
would occur. Federal and State revenues would not be
reduced. Economic opportunities could be realized
through mineral and energy resource exploration and
eventual development in the long term. There would
be major beneficial and adverse effects in Kane Coun-
ty.

All Wilderness Alternative (61,550 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 61,550 acres as
wilderness would contribute to the preservation of
the wilderness values in the Burning Hills WSA. The
potential for surface-disturbing activities would be
reduced through closure of the entire area to future
mineral leasing and location and to ORV use, and
through management of the area as VRM Class I which
allows for only natural ecological change. Naturalness
would be protected on all 61,550 acres. Solitude
would be protected on approximately 27,700 acres
that meet and 33,850 acres that do not meet the
standards for outstanding opportunities. Primitive
and unconfined recreation would be protected on
61,550 acres that do not meet the standards for out-
standing opportunities. Resources that could be con-
sidered as special features in the WSA including geo-
logic and scenic values, special status species, and
wildlife associated with wilderness would also be pro-
tected.

Although protected, complete preservation of wilder-
ness values would not be assured because of valid ex-
isting rights. In the foreseeable future, disturbance of
4 acres is anticipated from providing access to State
sections in the northern portion of the WSA for miner-
al exploration purposes. In addition, disturbance of up
to 5 acres is anticipated for rangeland developments.
Wilderness values of naturalness and opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation would be direct-
ly lost or reduced in quality on the disturbed areas at
least until activities and noise cease and reclamation

is complete. Opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation would also be indirectly reduced in quality
on adjacent portions of the WSA. As much as 2 per-
cent (1,231 acres) of the WSA could be so affected.
Special features would not be affected because the dis-
turbance would be minor, involving less than 1 per-
cent (9 acres) of the WSA, and the disturbance would
generally not be located where the special features
are located. Also, appropriate measures would be
taken to protect special status species prior to any
surface-disturbing activity. Water developments
would benefit wildlife special features associated
with wilderness because of increased water sources.
Refer to the Wildlife and Vegetation Including Special
Status Species sections for more information. Mitiga-
tion to protect wilderness values would be applied
when developing access to State lands, but loss of wil-
derness values would be allowed if development in-
volving valid existing rights could not be otherwise
achieved. Rangeland projects on the other hand would
be designed to meet wilderness management criteria
and upon completion would not be substantially notice-
able in the area as a whole. Overall, the disturbance
would not be substantially noticeable in the area as a
whole.

Vehicular use of existing ways would cease with ORV
closure, improving opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation.

Over the long term, there would be no potential for
loss of wilderness values due to the development of
new leases and mining claims. The potential for loss
of wilderness values over the long term because of
development is not accurately known, but would be
less with this alternative than with the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative due to application of mitiga-
tion that would protect wilderness values subject to
valid existing rights. Coal exploration and develop-
ment would not occur.

The gradual increase in visitor use that would occur
would be primitive in nature and would be managed so
as to not result in the loss of wilderness values. It is
likely that visitor use in this WSA would actually de-
crease initially as a result of wilderness designation
which would aid in preservation of naturalness and
would improve opportunities for solitude and primi-
tive recreation.

Conclusion: Wilderness designation would preserve
the overall wilderness values in the WSA. In the fore-
seeable future, naturalness and opportunities for soli-
tude and primitive recreation would be directly lost

22

BURNING HILLS WSA

or reduced in quality on about 9 acres, and opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive recreation would be in-
directly reduced in quality 1,231 acres. Special fea-
tures would be preserved.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies

Implementation of the All Wilderness Alternative
would not directly affect any vegetation type in the
WSA. The projected 650 acres of vegetation treat-
ment would not be allowed. No surface disturbance
from mineral and energy resource exploration or de-
velopment is projected. Wilderness designation would
provide additional protection for special status plant
species, because the potential for surface disturbance
would be reduced to about 9 acres.

Conclusion: implementation of the All Wilderness
Alternative would provide additional protection to the
vegetation resource in the WSA.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Resources

• Leasable Minerals

Approximately 40 acres in the WSA are under oil
and gas lease. However, no exploration or devel-
opment of the resource is presently occurring. It
is unlikely that the existing lease will be devel-
oped or a showing of commercial quantities made
prior to its expiration date. Once expired, the
lease will not be reissued.

Exploration for and development of a potential re-
source of less than 10 million barrels of in-place
oil and less than 60 billion cubic-feet of natural
gas could be foregone under this alternative. How-
ever, due to the small size of the potential depos-
its, the low certainty that these exist, and the
low likelihood of exploration and development ac-
tivities, implementation of this alternative would
not result in a significant loss of potential oil and
gas recovery.

The WSA has an estimated in-place coal resource
of 928 million tons of which 464 million tons are
recoverable. Approximately 12,650 acres are
presently under lease (approximately 21 percent
of the WSA). Therefore, wilderness designation
would preclude development of about 79 percent
of the WSA's coal resource. However, due to the
economic and water problems associated with de-
velopment, it is unlikely that the diligent require-

ments of these leases would be met before they
expire. Therefore, recovery of approximately
464 million tons of recoverable coal would be
foregone.

• Locatable Minerals

Approximately 1,300 acres are under mining
claim within the WSA, principally for uranium.
Less then 500 metric-tons of uranium oxide in-
place is predicted to occur within the WSA. How-
ever, because of the low potential of the deposit
and unfavorable economic conditions (high trans-
portation costs, poor marketing conditions, etc.),
no exploration or development is anticipated in
the foreseeable future with or without wilderness
designation. Therefore, significant locatable min-
eral production would not be foregone.

• Salable Minerals

No exploration or development is anticipated. Be-
cause of low potential of the deposit and the avail-
ability of better sources of material outside of
the WSA, any loss of salable mineral products
would be insignificant.

Conclusion: Exploration and development of up to 464
million tons of recoverable coal would be foregone.
Loss of exploration and development opportunities for
other mineral and energy resources would not be sig-
nificant.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

Implementation of the All Wilderness Alternative
would not directly affect any species of wildlife in
the WSA. The assumed 650 acres of vegetation treat-
ments would not be allowed. Therefore, projected hab-
itat improvements would not be realized. No surface
disturbance from mineral and energy resource explor-
ation or development is projected. Wilderness designa-
tion would provide additional protection for threat-
ened, endangered, or other special status species.

Conclusion: About 650 acres of vegetation treat-
ments designed to improve wildlife habitat and live-
stock forage would be foregone. Additional opportuni-
ties for solitude would be provided. Only 9 acres of
wildlife habitat would be disturbed.

23

BURNING HILLS WSA

• Impacts on Livestock Management

Present domestic livestock grazing would continue as
authorized in the Paria MFP. The estimated 962 AUMs
currently allocated in the WSA are controlled by 23
livestock permittees. Since motorized vehicles are
not commonly used to manage livestock, wilderness
designation and restrictions on access to 11 miles of
ways would not have a significant adverse effect on
the management of livestock grazing. This would be
an inconvenience to the permittees and could slightly
increase the costs of management. The proposed 650
acres of vegetation and an additional 100 AUMs annu-
ally would not be realized. It is assumed that other
proposed developments would be allowed consistent
with wilderness protection criteria. Existing range-
land developments would be maintained as in the past,
based on practical necessity and reasonableness.

Conclusion: There would not be a significant affect on
current livestock management practices. There could
be a slight increase in management costs and inconven-
ience to permittees. The opportunity for an increase
of 100 AUMs through vegetation treatments would be
foregone.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

Overall, there would be no immediate significant
changes in current trends of population, employment,
and local income distribution.

Because of restrictions placed on the use of resource
under wilderness designation, there would be losses
of potential increases in sales and Federal revenues
that could occur under the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative.

The potential for coal development in the WSA is high
in the long term (refer to the Mineral and Energy Re-
sources section for a discussion of the WSA’s mineral
character). Valid existing oil and gas and coal leases
and mining claims could be developed, but designation
would preclude new leases and claims from being
established in the WSA. Precluding exploration and de-
velopment of minerals would not alter existing eco-
nomic conditions, but could alter future economic con-
ditions from what they would be with mineral develop-
ment under the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.
Because the potential for coal development is high in
the long term. The amount of potential economic loss
resulting from the loss of 600 potential jobs would be
significant to Kane County.

Livestock use and ranchers' income would continue as
at present with $19,240 of livestock sales and
$4,810 of ranchers' return to labor and investment.
However, the proposed vegetation treatment and an
increase of approximately 100 AUMs annually would
be foregone along with any resulting increase in
ranchers' income.

Nonmotorized recreational use (currently 10 visitor
days per year) could increase, but related local expen-
ditures would be small (average of $4.10 per visitor
day) and would not be significant. Motorized recrea-
tional use of the WSA is light (90 visitor days per
year), hence, the decrease in related local expendi-
tures would be small and insignificant to both the
local economy and individual businesses.

The loss of 40 acres now leased for oil and gas and
12,650 acres for coal would cause an eventual loss
of over $38,000 per year of lease fees to the Federal
Treasury. There would also be a potential loss of
$269,720 annually in Federal revenues from the
61,510 acres for oil and gas and 48,900 acres for
coal that could be leased without designation. In addi-
tion to these rental fees, any potential royalties from
lease production and bonus bid revenues from new
coal leases could also be foregone.

If the proposed vegetation treatment is not developed
and used, an estimated annual $154 of Federal graz-
ing revenues from an annual increase of 100 AUMs
would be foregone.

Conclusion: There would not be a significant affect on
present local or regional economic conditions. How-
ever, new leasing in the WSA would not be allowed,
therefore, potential sales and revenues from the leas-
able coal resource would be foregone. Major benefi-
cial and adverse impacts on Kane County would not
occur.

24

*% **

f

DEATH RIDGE WSA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 3

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated From Detailed Study 3

Alternatives Analyzed 3

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 3

All Wilderness Alternative 5

Summary of Environmental Consequences 7

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 7

Wilderness Values 10

Air Quality 11

Geology and Topography 11

Soils 11

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 12

Water Resources 12

Mineral and Energy Resources 13

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 16

Forest Resources 16

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 16

Visual Resources I7

Cultural Resources I7

Recreation 17

Land Use Plans 17

Socioeconomics 13

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 20

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 20

All Wilderness Alternative 23

l

i

DEATH RIDGE WSA

( UT-040-078)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Death Ridge WSA is located on the Kaiparowits
Plateau, about 10 miles south of Escalante, Utah. The
unit is situated between the Horse Mountain and Collet
Top roads. The WSA contains 62,870 acres of public
land, 3,841.2 acres of State land, and 797 acres of
split-estate lands. Approximately 22,500 acres of
the public lands are within Garfield County and
40,370 acres are within Kane County. The WSA is
managed by the Escalante and the BLM Cedar City
District Kanab Resource Area office.

The WSA is characterized by benches cut by canyons
and narrow ridges. The major drainages within the
unit are the Escalante, Paradise, and Right Hand Col-
let Canyons. The vegetation type is predominantly
pinyon-juniper woodland. Scattered areas of sage-
brush and isolated communities of oak and Ponderosa
pine also occur within the WSA.

In general, the climate is temperate and arid with an-
nual precipitation averaging about 10 to 15 inches.
The highest monthly precipitation occurs from Novem-
ber through March. Intensive thunderstorms are com-
mon during the summer months. The frost-free period
is approximately 100 days.

Summer temperatures in Escalante, Utah, range
approximately 30 degrees Fahrenheit (F) with highs
in the mid 90s and lows in the mid 60s. Winters in
Escalante, Utah, have a temperature range of about
27 degrees F with highs in the low 40s and lows of
about 15 degrees F. Snowfall in Escalante, Utah,
averages 28 inches and begins in October or Novem-
ber and ends in March or April.

Changes for the Final EIS

In addition to the changes noted in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B, the following changes specific to the
Death Ridge WSA have been made since publication of
the Draft EIS.

1. Small portions of the boundary of the WSA (T. 37
S., R. 1 E., secs. 24, and 25; T. 37 S„ R. 2 E., sec.
35; T. 39 S., R. 2 E., secs. 15, and 22) have been
redrawn to correct errors in the Draft EIS maps.
These changes did not require acreage adjustments

because acreage calculations were based on the bound-
aries as shown in the inventory document and Final
EIS.

2. The anticipated surface disturbance presented in
the Draft EIS (4,594 acres) was based on the assump-
tion that all mineral and other resources potentially
within the WSA would be developed sometime in the
future without consideration of technical or economic
feasibility. In response to public comments relative to
the feasibility of developments, the disturbance esti-
mates have been revised to focus on activities pro-
jected to be feasible within the foreseeable future
(see Appendix 6 in Volume I). This resulted in a reduc-
tion of surface disturbance estimates from the 4,594
acres reported in the Draft EIS to 345 acres for the
Final EIS. The possibility of coal development in the
long term and access to in-held State lands for miner-
al exploration are discussed.

3. The Draft EIS identified 1,100 acres of chaining
and seeding within the WSA to improve wildlife habi-
tat and to increase livestock forage production. How-
ever, BLM does not anticipate sufficient funding in the
foreseeable future to complete this project. As a re-
sult, the vegetation treatment estimates have been
revised downward to 300 acres in the Final EIS to re-
flect more realistic funding projections. Estimates of
potential increases in wildlife populations and live-
stock forage have been revised accordingly.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B (i.e., impacts on air quality, water rights,
geology and topography, and land use plans and poli-
cies) the following issues or impacts specific to the
Death Ridge WSA were considered but are not analyz-
ed in detail in the Final EIS for the reasons described
below.

1

DEATH RIDGE WSA

1. Soils: Soil disturbance estimates have been revis-
ed downward from 4,594 acres analyzed in the Draft
EIS to 345 acres in the Final EIS. About 300 acres of
the projected disturbance would result from a vegeta-
tion treatment which would be reclaimed, and exist-
ing soil conditions would likely be improved over the
long term. Further, this disturbance would take place
in those portions of the WSA where reclamation po-
tential is the highest. At any rate, given this new sce-
nario, the impacts of direct disturbance of soil would
affect less than 1 percent of the WSA. Therefore, im-
pacts on soils are not significant issues for analysis
in the Final EIS.

2. Water Resources: There are no perennial streams
in the Death Ridge WSA. Existing water developments
could be maintained as in the past and would not be
affected. All waters are presently fully appropriated
within the Area 97 basin (UDNRE, DWR 1988). There-
fore, impacts on water quality and uses are not dis-
cussed in detail.

3. Forest Resources: The forest resources in the
WSA consist of approximately 57,435 acres of pin-
yon-juniper woodland and some small, isolated stands
of Ponderosa pine and oak. There is limited access and
ample supplies of wood outside the WSA. Therefore,
impacts on forest resources are not significant issues
for analysis in the Final EIS.

4. Visual Resources: As already discussed, estimates
of surface disturbance have been substantially reduc-
ed for the Final EIS. The 345 acres of surface disturb-
ance projected to occur in the foreseeable future
would affect less than 1 percent of the WSA. Disturb-
ance would occur in Scenic Class B and C areas and in
VRM Class IV areas. Impacts on visual resources are
considered in the Final EIS as part of the discussion in
the Wilderness Values section.

5. Cultural Resources: Archaeological sites are
known to occur in the WSA. Surface-disturbing activ-
ities would disturb less than 1 percent of the WSA
and recreation use is projected to continue to be low.
Inventories for the purpose of site recordation and
mitigations of impacts would take place prior to any
surface disturbance. Given these conditions, impacts
on cultural resources are not significant issues for
the Death Ridge WSA.

6. Recreation: Recreational use of the Death Ridge
WSA is light, approximately 100 visitor use days per
year. About one-third of this use is motorized use by
hunters and sightseers. This use is generally

restricted to the 18 miles of ways and dry stream
beds in canyon bottoms and 30 miles of cherry-
stemmed roads located in the WSA. BLM believes
recreational changes resulting from designation or
nondesignation would not be significant due to limited
use now occurring and projected to occur in the fore-
seeable future in the WSA.

7. Kaiparowits Coal Transportation Corridor: A poten-
tial coal transportation and railroad corridor passes
through the WSA (ERT, 1980). Commentors on the
Draft EIS expressed concern that designated wilder-
ness areas, including the Death Ridge WSA, could
block the use of these corridors. If wilderness desig-
nation were to occur, development of the coal trans-
portation systems would not be allowed within the
WSA. However, the transportation corridors describ-
ed in the ERT study extend beyond the WSA boundary.
Therefore coal transportation systems could be sited
outside the WSA and still be within the designated cor-
ridors. No specific transportation routes have been
identified within the WSA. Development of major
rights-of way in the long term are projected to occur
only along the western portion of the WSA due to to-
pography and the presence of more favorable routes
elsewhere. Therefore, impacts related to potential
coal transportation systems are not analyzed further
for the Death Ridge WSA.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The significant issues for the Death Ridge WSA are:

1. Impacts of wilderness designation or nondesigna-
tion on the wilderness values of naturalness, oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive recreation, and
special features.

2. Impacts on leasable mineral (coal) exploration and
production.

3. Impacts on vegetation including special status spe-
cies.

4. Impacts on wildlife habitat and populations includ-
ing special status species.

5. Impacts on livestock management.

6. Impacts on local economic conditions.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the need for, and ade-
quacy of, the rationale for the BLM proposed action;

2

DEATH RIDGE WSA

the need for further inventories of resource values;
and BLM's assessments of wilderness values, visual
resources, and mineral values.

See Volume Vll-B for responses to general comments
applicable to all WSAs and/or the Statewide analysis
and Volume Vll-C, Section 28, for responses to spe-
cific comments about the Death Ridge WSA.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
From Detailed Study

Alternatives that would add acreage, mainly in the
west-central portion and along the eastern border of
the WSA, while deleting an area along the southwest-
ern border (net deletion of about 6,870 acres), were
suggested by the public during the public comment
period for the Draft EIS.

Public lands outside the WSA boundary were consid-
ered and dropped during the inventory phase of the
wilderness review and are not analyzed in the Final
EIS (refer to Volume Vll-B, General Comment Re-
sponse 3.1). The proposed deletions would not result
in impacts appreciably different from the All Wilder-
ness Alternative.

Alternatives Analyzed

Two alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness (Proposed Action); and (2) All
Wilderness (62,870 acres). A description of BLM's
management practices with each alternative follows.
Where management intentions have not been clearly
identified, assumptions are made based on manage-
ment projections with each alternative. These assump-
tions are indicated in each case. The assumed manage-
ment actions presented in the Introduction to Volume
lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action)

With this alternative, none of the 62,870-acre Death
Ridge WSA would be designated by Congress as part
of the NWPS. Although BLM's land use plans are regu-
larly updated, it is assumed that the area would con-
tinue to be managed in accordance with the Escalante
and Paria MFPs (USDI, BLM, 1981d and 1981c). The
3,841.2 acres of State land within the WSA (refer to
Map 1) have not been identified in the MFPs for spe-
cial Federal acquisition through exchange or purchase.

The figures and acreages given are for Federal lands
only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 62,870 acres would remain open to mineral lo-
cation, leasing, and sale. Although no mining
claims now exist in the WSA, development work,
extraction, and patenting would be allowed on po-
tential future mining claims. Development would
be regulated by unnecessary or undue degradation
guidelines (43 CFR 3809), without consideration
for wilderness values. Existing post- FLPMA oil
and gas leases (on 2,485 acres, pre-FLPMA
leases on 1,378 acres,) and any future leases on
the remaining 59,007 could be developed under
Category 1 (standard stipulations). Existing coal
leases (15 leases covering 19,381 acres) and fu-
ture coal leases could be developed without wil-
derness considerations. If all coal leasing criteria
are met, four existing Preference Right Lease Ap-
plications (PRLAs) (22,964 acres) could be
approved. Although mineral resources would be
managed as described above, no locatable or leas-
able (oil and gas) mineral exploration or develop-
ment is projected in the short term in the WSA be-
cause the level of known resources and the prob-
ability of their development is too low to support
that assumption. It is projected that the coal re-
source in the WSA would eventually be developed
in the long-term future. Development would be by
underground methods. Appendix 6 in Volume I ex-
plains the mineral exploration and development
projections.

Domestic livestock grazing use of the WSA would
continue as authorized (estimated at 450 AUMs).
Existing developments for livestock of 6 miles of
pipeline, one spring development, two reser-
voirs, two troughs, and 2 miles of fence would
continue to be used and maintained. The proposed
rangeland developments, one well, 1 mile of
fence, and 300 acres of vegetation treatments
proposed in the Kanab-Escalante Grazing Manage-
ment EIS (USDI, BLM, 1980a) would be allowed.
The 18 miles of ways would remain open for live-
stock management purposes.

The entire WSA acreage would continue to be open
to ORV use; however, due to rugged topography
and remote location, the actual ORV use is low
and is generally limited to existing cherry-
stemmed roads and ways.

3

DEATH RIDGE WSA

7 S.

5 S

9 S.

R. 2 E.

R. 3 E.

DEATH RIDGE WSA

A 135-acre public water reserve withdrawal
would continue to remain in effect. The with-
drawn land is segregated from public land laws
and nonmetalliferous mining.

The entire 62,870-acre area would be open to
woodland product harvest. However, due to the
limited access and presence of more favorable
harvest areas elsewhere, use would continue to
be minimal for the foreseeable future.

The entire WSA would continue to be managed
under VRM Class IV.

• Action Scenario

It is projected that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would result in
345 acres of surface disturbance in the foresee-
able future. In the short term, about 300 acres of
the expected disturbance would result from a veg-
etation treatment designed primarily to improve
livestock forage. One additional acre would be dis-
turbed due to the construction of 1 mile of live-
stock fence and one well. Less than 1 month of
actual on-the-ground work would be required to
complete these projects. Four acres would be dis-
turbed due to the projected construction of 2
miles of access road to in-held State lands for
mineral exploration purposes.

In the long term, it is anticipated that the coal in
the WSA would be eventually developed. The
PRLA located in the WSA could be approved. De-
velopment would be by underground methods and
access would be from the eastern portion of the
WSA where coal seams are nearest the surface
and most easily accessible. The size of individual
coal operations, typical of the intermountain
area, differ. Each surface facility site, including
access roads, would occupy up to 20 acres. Two
separate facilities are projected for the WSA,
therefore, up to 40 acres could be occupied by
surface facilities including 10 miles of access
roads. Additional surface disturbance would re-
sult from exploratory drilling activities. Employ-
ees, including supervisory personnel, would num-
ber from 20 to 300 for each operation. Opera-
tions would last from 30 to 40 years. All disturb-
ed areas would be reclaimed upon abandonment.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected because
all traffic would continue to be restricted to the

existing 18 miles of ways and to future roads due
to the rugged terrain and remoteness of the area.

Recreational use is expected to increase over the
current estimated use of 100 visitor days per
year at a rate of 2 to 7 percent annually. As
much as 33 percent of all recreational use would
be motorized.

• All Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, all 62,870 acres of the Death
Ridge WSA would be designated by an act of Congress
as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). It would be man-
aged in accordance with the BLM Wilderness Manage-
ment Policy (BLM Manual 8560) to preserve its wil-
derness character.

The policy of the State is to reserve its position re-
garding the exchange of in-held lands within any par-
ticular WSA (see Volume 1, Chapter 1). Based on its
policy regarding exchange of State lands, it is assum-
ed that State and split-estate lands would remain un-
der existing ownership. There are six State sections
(3,841.2 acres) and two tracts of split-estate land
(Federal surface/State mineral) which cover 797
acres within the WSA (refer to Map 1 and Appendix 3
in Volume I). The figures and acreages given with this
Alternative are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 62,870 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale. Develop-
ment work, extraction, and patenting of mining
claims would be allowed on any valid claims locat-
ed prior to wilderness designation. No mining
claims are projected to be located prior to desig-
nation and none currently exist in the WSA. Exist-
ing post-FLPMA oil and gas leases on 2,485 acres
would not be reissued upon expiration unless a
find of oil or gas in commercial quantities is
shown. Three existing post-FLPMA leases (1,378
acres) could be developed per the stipulations
attached at the time of lease issuance. No new oil
and gas leases would be issued. Existing coal
leases (15 leases on 19,381 acres) would be ter-
minated if diligent development criteria are not
met, and they would not be extended or reissued.
Four existing PRLAs on 22,964 acres would not
be approved. No new coal leases would be issued.
No locatable or leasable mineral exploration or
development are expected with this alternative.

5

DEATH RIDGE WSA

T. 37 S.

T. 38 S.

T. 39 S.

Map 2

ALL WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE
Death Ridge WSA
UT-040-078

Legend

— mmmm~ All Wilderness

Alternative (62,870 acres)

— National Forest Boundary

SCALE IN MILES

I

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

R. 2 E.

6

R. 3 E.

—

DEATH RIDGE WSA

Access to the in-held State lands would be allow-
ed and is projected for purposes of mineral ex-
ploration.

Present domestic livestock grazing would con-
tinue as authorized. The estimated 450 AUMs in
the WSA would remain available to livestock as
presently allotted. After designation, existing
range facilities (as listed in the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative) could be maintained in a man-
ner least degrading to wilderness values. New
rangeland developments would be allowed on a
case-by-case basis if necessary for resource pro-
tection (rangeland and/or wilderness) and the
effective management of these resources, pro-
vided that wilderness protection criteria are met.

It is assumed that the 1 mile of proposed fence
and well would be allowed, but the proposed 300-
acre seeding would not be allowed.

The entire 62,870-acre area would be closed to
ORV use except for: (1) users with valid existing
rights if approved by BLM in accordance with 43
CFR 8560 provisions; or (2) for occasional and
short term vehicular access approved by BLM for
maintenance of approved livestock developments.
About 18 miles of existing ways would be closed.
Existing roads, totaling 30 miles, would be
cherry-stemmed in the following eight locations:
Trap Canyon (1 mile); Death Ridge, north end (1.5
miles); Alvey Wash, north end (3 miles); Alvey
Wash, west end (5 miles); Right Hand Collet Can-
yon (1.5 miles); Escalante Canyon, northwest end
(6 miles); Escalante Canyon, south of Big Sage
(10 miles); and Paradise Bench (2 miles). The
last three cherry-stemmed roads listed above
would create nonwilderness islands within the des-
ignated wilderness area. Mineral development and
other activities could occur in these islands with-
out wilderness limitations, as discussed under the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. The 30
miles of cherry-stemmed roads or ways and
about 22 additional miles of dirt roads that bor-
der the WSA would remain open to vehicular use.

A 135-acre public water reserve withdrawal
would continue to remain in effect. The with-
drawn land is segregated against public land laws
and nonmetalliferous mining.

Visual resources in the WSA would be managed in
accordance with VRM Class I standards, which
generally allow for only natural ecological
change. The three nonwilderness islands that

would be cherry-stemmed within the WSA would
be managed as VRM Class IV.

• Action Scenario

A total of 5 acres of surface disturbance would
occur in the WSA following wilderness designa-
tion. One acre of disturbance would result from
the construction of 1 mile of livestock fence and
one well. These developments would be designed
and installed consistent according to wilderness
protection standards. The 300-acre vegetation
treatment would not be allowed. No other range-
land, wildlife habitat, watershed projects, or
other developments are planned following wilder-
ness designation. Four acres of surface disturb-
ance would result from construction of access
roads to in-held State lands for mineral explora-
tion purposes.

No mineral resource exploration or development
is anticipated from existing oil and gas leases in
the WSA. It is also expected that the PRLAs in the
WSA would not be approved. Implementation of
the All Wilderness Alternative would preclude
new mineral location and mineral leasing. There-
fore, no exploration or development of locatable
or leasable minerals, including coal, is anticipated
following wilderness designation.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected because
of wilderness management restrictions, terrain,
and remoteness of the area.

Primitive recreational use is expected to in-
crease over the current estimated use of 66 visi-
tor days per year at a rate of 2 to 7 percent annu-
ally. No motorized recreational use would occur.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 presents the environmental consequences of
the alternatives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEQ quidelines
and provide a data base for the cumulative Statewide
analysis found in Volume 1, as well as the Environ-
mental Consequences of Alternatives in this WSA
analysis.

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cn

DEATH RIDGE WSA

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The WSA contains 62,870 acres and is approximately
17 miles long (north to south) and 9 miles wide (east
to west).

• Naturalness

Man has imprinted less than 1 percent of the WSA.
There are 628 acres with imprints that are substan-
tially unnoticeable. The portions of the WSA where
naturalness has been affected have resulted mainly
from coal exploration drilling. A helicopter was used
to conduct geophysical exploration during 1984, but
there was no surface disturbance or impairment done
to the WSA's naturalness. Also, during 1987, a
spring development (Horse Spring) was authorized. It
consisted of developing a seep area, laying 200 feet
of plastic pipeline, and the placing of two water
troughs. Approximately one-third acre was disturb-
ed. All work was completed with hand tools and was
nonimpairing to naturalness. No additional imprints
have occurred in the WSA as the result of impairing
uses or activities allowed under the BLM Interim Man-
agement Policy (USDI, BLM, 1979c). All 62,870
acres meet the Wilderness Act criteria for natural-
ness.

• Solitude

The size and configuration of the WSA, in combination
with topography and vegetation, support opportuni-
ties for solitude. The incised canyon drainages and
broken topography between some canyons offer topo-
graphic screening. For example, the peninsula be-
tween the Right Hand Collet and Escalante Canyons
exhibits an elevated and isolated plateau configura-
tion. Vegetation screening consists of a dense pinyon-
juniper woodland cover in rough areas and small Pon-
derosa pine forest elsewhere. Topographic screening
occurs where rock formations outcrop above the pla-
teau. A visitor can find seclusion in the canyons and
in the areas of broken topography between canyons.

Vegetation complements topography in providing for
solitude in most of the WSA. However, the lower por-
tion of the unit lacks sufficient vegetation or topogra-

phy to provide screening and consequently lacks out-
standing opportunities for solitude.

Off-site intrusions and influences are not present
within the WSA.

Overall, about 50 percent (31,435 acres) of the WSA
meets the solitude criterion for areas under wilder-
ness review. These areas are found in canyons and on
peninsulas between drainages.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

There is no outstanding opportunity for primitive and
unconfined recreation present in the WSA. Hiking is
the only activity of any importance. It is rated as
moderate in quality and is not superior to other hiking
opportunities in the region.

• Special Features

The BLM Intensive Wilderness Inventory concluded
that the diversity of plant life ranging from low
desert shrub to Ponderosa pine enhances the study
and observation of ecology. Three small stands of
Ponderosa pine are present in the Alvey Wash drain-
age in the northeastern portion of the WSA. The Pon-
derosa pine is adjacent to desert shrub in Alvey Wash
and in a tributary to Little Valley Wash. Elevations
range from 7,505 feet to 6,500 feet, and pine and
desert shrub types can be found in locations less than
1 mile apart. Educational values are present on
approximately 2,000 acres.

At least two stands of Ponderosa pine are present
above the Right Hand Collet Canyon and Relish Seep
areas. Elevations range from 7,526 feet to 6,240
feet, and the distance between the desert shrub and
pine types is often less than 1 mile.

Approximately 1,500 acres of scenic values are pres-
ent in the WSA. In the upper portion of Paradise Can-
yon, sandstones in the Wahweap Formation outcrop as
walls and cliffs. The sandstone exposures in this area
are the most colorful in the WSA. The Ponderosa
pines growing in the sandstone enhance the scenic val-
ue of the area. In the northwestern portion of the
WSA, the canyon in upper Trap Canyon Wash pos-
sesses scenic values. Two unnamed sandstone mono-
liths or fins above Alvey Wash are prominent land-
marks in the northeastern portion of the WSA that
possess scenic value. South of Right Hand Collet Can-
yon, a 7,526-foot sandstone outcropping, an unnamed
box canyon immediately below the outcropping, and

DEATH RIDGE WSA

an adjacent stand of Ponderosa pine all combine to pro-
vide an area of scenic value.

The WSA has resource values that, although not identi-
fied as such during the wilderness inventory, could be
considered special features. There are two animal spe-
cies (peregrine falcon and bald eagle) listed as endan-
gered that have been reported in the WSA. Nine ani-
mal species and seven plant species that are consid-
ered sensitive occur or may occur in the WSA. The
WSA has a limited population of cougar, which is a
wildlife species commonly associated with wilder-
ness. The WSA has no known National Register sites,
but there is a high potential that such sites exist.
Refer to the Vegetation and Wildlife Including Special
Status Species and Cultural Resource sections for
additional information.

• Diversity

The Death Ridge WSA is in the Colorado Plateau
Province Ecoregion and has the PNV type of juniper-
pinyon woodland (refer to the Vegetation Including
Special Status Species section for more discussion on
ecoregions and PNV types). The ecoregion and PNV
types represented by this WSA are compared with
existing and other potential National Wilderness Pre-
servation units in the Wilderness Values section of
Volume I.

This WSA is not within a 5-hour drive from any
standard metropolitan statistical area.

Air Quality

The Death Ridge WSA and surrounding area have a
Class II PSD classification under the Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1977. The BLM will not consider or
recommend any change in air quality classification as
part of the wilderness study or wilderness recommen-
dations. Any further air quality reclassification is the
prerogative of the State government (USDI, BLM,
1982b). The nearest PSD Class I area is Bryce Can-
yon National Park approximately 22 miles to the
west.

No measurements of air pollution or visibility levels
have been made in the Escalante planning unit. Data
collected from nearby sites (Page, Arizona, and Four
Mile Bench, Garfield County, Utah) indicate the air is
generally free of pollutants and within National Ambi-
ent Air Quality Standards and State regulations. Visi-
bility within the WSA is excellent.

1 1

Geology and Topography

The Death Ridge WSA is located in the Kaiparowits Pla-
teau-Escalante Benches section of the Colorado Pla-
teau Physiographic Province. In general, the southern
portion of the WSA consists of benches cut by can-
yons, while the northern part consists of narrow
ridges divided by deep canyons.

Cretaceous bedrock and Quaternary surficial deposits
are the only units exposed in the WSA. The Cretace-
ous exposures consist of the coal-bearing Straight
Cliffs, Wahweap, and Kaiparowits Formations. The
Wahweap Formation contains fossilliferous beds, espe-
cially in the upper half, containing gastropods, pelecy-
pods, petrified wood, and dinosaur bones.

The Death Ridge WSA contains three structural axes.
Two of these, the Upper Valley anticline and the
Alvey syncline, originate in the middle of the unit and
become more pronounced to the north. The Upper Val-
ley anticline trends north to northwest and shares its
eastern flank with the Alvey syncline. The west flank
achieves monoclinal proportions when strata dip to
23 degrees. The third structural axis is the Rees anti-
cline in the southeastern part of the WSA with dips to
3 degrees. No important faulting has been mapped any-
where within the WSA.

Elevations range from 5,240 feet above sea level in
the south to nearly 8,000 feet above sea level on
Death Ridge.

Soils

The soils are predominantly aridisols (light-colored)
with inclusions of badland-rockland and alluvial (sand,
silt, clay) soils.

The aridisols occur on rolling to steep slopes, upland
mesas, and plateaus. The soils are shallow to moder-
ately deep, light-colored loams or silts, and are un-
derlain at 10 to 20 inches by fractured bedrock. The
soils are well drained with moderate to slow permea-
bility and are moderately to highly erodible.

The badland-rockland occurs on the benches, mesas,
and along steep canyon walls. The soil material is shal-
low to very shallow, light-colored loam and overlies
sandstone or shale. Runoff is rapid and very rapid
with high sediment yield.

The alluvial soils occur on the floodplains, primarily
Alvey and Collet Washes and their tributaries. These

DEATH RIDGE WSA

soils are deep brown, or reddish-brown loams, mod-
erately to mildly alkaline. They are well drained with
slow to moderately rapid permeability.

Most erosion is due to runoff from thunderstorms,
but wind and snowmelt also cause some minor ero-
sion. Sparse vegetation cover on much of the WSA
also contributes to erosion. Table 2 indicates the ero-
sion classes and soil loss data.

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Classification

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

8,173

1 3

22,067

Moderate

1.3

49,039

78

63,751

Slight

0.6

5,658

9

3,395

Stable

0.3

Q

Q

Q

Total

62,870

100

89,213

Sources: USDI,

BLM. 1978c and

1979c;

Leifeste, 1978.

According to an unpublished Kane County soil survey
conducted by BLM, 90 percent of the soils within the
WSA are classified as slightly saline. The remaining
10 percent are classified as nonsaline. The estimated
annual salt yield from undisturbed soils within the
WSA is 24 lb per acre.

Reclamation potential is low on the majority of the
area which contains rock outcrops and sandy soils.
Potentials for seeding establishment is considered
fair on deeper and darker soil sites scattered
throughout the WSA.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

The major existing vegetation type in the WSA is
pinyon-juniper woodland, which covers approximate-
ly 57,435 acres. Areas of sagebrush type totaling
approximately 3,060 acres are also scattered
throughout the WSA. The WSA also contains small
isolated communities of oak and Ponderosa pine cov-
ering a total of 2,375 acres. No significant riparian
vegetation is found in the WSA.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, the WSA may contain
one Category 1 candidate species and six Category 2
candidate species. These are Lepidium montanum var.
Stellas (the Category 1 species), Psoralea pariensis.
Lepidium monlanum var. nseseae, Coryphantha mis-
souriensis var. mafStonii, Heterotheca jonesii. Pen-

stemon atwoodii. and XylQfJliza cronauistii (see
Appendix 4 in Volume I). Penstemon atwoodii is known
to exist on Death Ridge and in Right Hand Collet Can-
yon. Xvlorhiza cronouistii is found on the benches be-
low the cliffs in the southeastern part of the WSA.
Five of the species discussed above are located in the
WSA's pinyon-juniper woodland where the majority
of surface disturbance would occur. The remaining
species are located in more restricted habitats such
as riparian and blow sand type ecosystems.

The Death Ridge WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Pro-
vince Ecoregion as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler eco-
systems map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). The PNV type of
the WSA is juniper-pinyon woodland.

Water Resources

The Death Ridge WSA is within the Escalante River
subbasin of the Upper Colorado River Hydrologic
subregion. The WSA does not contain any perennial
streams. Major drainages include Escalante, Para-
dise, Right Hand Collet, Alvey Wash, and Trap Can-
yons. These washes may flow in response to thunder-
storms and periods of snowmelt. Water does occur in
Right Hand Collet Canyon throughout much of the
year. One developed spring, two reservoirs, two
troughs, and approximately 6 miles of water pipeline
are located in the WSA. There are seeps in Right Hand
Collet, Escalante, and Paradise Canyons.

The Death Ridge WSA is within Escalante River Adjudi-
cation Area 97. The Escalante River and all tributar-
ies are considered to be fully appropriated. The under-
ground water directly connected to the surface is
closed to appropriation, with the exception of some
limited applications for 0.015 cfs which have been
approved on an individual basis. The State Engineer
will accept applications to appropriate water from
the underground aquifer located in bedrock and con-
sider them on the individual merits of the applica-
tions (UDNRE, DWR 1988).

The water quality standards for Escalante River, a
tributary of Lake Powell, are as follows: Class 2B
(protected for boating, waterskiing, and similar
uses), and Class 3C (protected for nongame fish and
other aquatic life, including the necessary aquatic
organisms in their food chain).

Utah’s 1986 305(b) Water Quality Assessment
Report states that streams and tributaries entering
Lake Powell in the southern portions of the Upper
Colorado River drainage have impairments to their

DEATH RIDGE WSA

beneficial uses from high levels of TDS and sodium.
These impairments result mainly from natural
sources and low flows.

Regional fresh water aquifers occur in sandstones of
the Entrada and Navajo Formations. Less extensive
aquifers occur near the surface in the alluvium of
Alvey Wash. Perched aquifers occur in sandstone of
the Wahweap and Straight Cliffs Formations.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Death Ridge WSA is given in Table 3. Appendix 5
in Volume I explains the mineral and energy resource
rating system.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Rating

Resource

Favorability®

Certalntyb

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

f 3

cl

Between 10 and 50 million
barrels of oil; between 60 and
300 billion cubic-feet of gas

Uranium

f 3

Cl

Between 500 and 1,000 metric-
tons of uranium oxide

Coal

f 4

C4

1.6 billion metric-tons

Titanium

f 2

c2

Less than 1 million metric-tons

of titanium oxide

Source: SAI. 1982; USDI. BLM. 1987.

aFavorability of the WSA's geologic environment for a resource (f 1 - lowest
favorability or smallest size deposit; f4 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

bThe degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

The WSA could contain deposits of titanium, which is
currently listed as a strategic and critical material
(USDoD, 1988).

• Leasable Minerals

Coal is the only leasable mineral known to occur in
the WSA. Currently, there are no active drilling, min-
ing, or exploration activities for leasable minerals.

• Oil and Gas

Numerous oil shows (including oil-impregnated
rock deposits) have been reported from Cambrian,
Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian,
and Triassic rocks in south-central Utah (Heyl-
mun, et al., 1965; Veal, 1976; and Campbell and
Ritzma, 1979). The older rocks generally are only
stained, whereas free oil has been recovered

from Mississippian rocks at Upper Valley (Doel-
ling, 1975). Because the most obvious structures
in the area have already been explored, many in-
vestigators considered subtle stratigraphic traps
in Permian and Triassic rocks to offer the best
potential for future petroleum discoveries.

The only oil and gas production in south-central
Utah in the vicinity of the WSA comes from the
Upper Valley Field located immediately to the
northwest. This field was discovered on the
Upper Valley anticline in 1964 and stimulated
drilling activity on similar anticlinal structures in
south-central Utah. To date, however, no commer-
cial oil and gas potential has been identified in the
WSA. Because of the proximity of the Upper Val-
ley Field to the WSA, a discussion of this field re-
lated directly to the oil and gas favorability of
the WSA.

The oil reservoir is located along the prominent
Upper Valley anticline, but the producing area is
offset from the crest of the anticline to the west
flank and the southern plunging nose. This offset
is attributed to a regional, southwest directed hy-
drodynamic drive in the Kaibab Formation (Sharp
1976). If correct, oil accumulation in other anti-
clines within the region may be displaced to the
south. Total production from this field is expected
to approach 50 million barrels. Production is
from four distinct zones in the Timpoweap Forma-
tion (Triassic age) and the Kaibab Formation (Per-
mian age). Shows of oil were also reported in the
Permian Cedar Mesa and Mississippian Redwall
Formation (Sharp, 1976).

The axis of the Upper Valley anticline plunges
south through the northwestern part of the WSA.
Although no oil and gas wells have been drilled
within the WSA, producing wells occur less than
1,000 feet to the north. Tenneco has apparently
defined the limits of the field, and it is doubtful
that the structure contains any oil in the WSA.
However, until conclusive proof is obtained
through drilling or other geologic evidence, the
potential in the WSA is uncertain.

The other favorable structure in the WSA is the
Rees Canyon anticline. Three exploratory wells
have tested the Rees Canyon anticline immedi-
ately east of the WSA. One of the wells (#11-9
Federal) was drilled in 1977 and penetrated Cam-
brian rocks at a total depth of 10,285, with
shows reported from the Cedar Mesa Formation

DEATH RIDGE WSA

of Permian age. The other two wells (#44-30 Fed-
eral and; #1 Lyons Federal) penetrated Permian
strata, with shows in the Cedar Mesa Formation
from the #44-30 well.

Three other wells tested the Rees Canyon anti-
cline approximately 6 to 10 miles southeast of the
WSA. One of these wells (#1 Byrd, drilled in
1954) penetrated Devonian rocks and bottomed at
a total depth of 10,045 feet. BLM well file data
indicates that no oil shows were reported. The
other two wells (#2 Unit, drilled in 1955 and #1-
16 State, drilled in 1968) penetrated Mississip-
pi and Permian Formations respectively, and no
oil shows were reported from either well.

Based on the proximity of the WSA to the Upper
Valley Field, the WSA is assigned a favorability
rating of (f3) (SAI, 1982). The size of the hydro-
carbon accumulation in such an environment is an-
ticipated to be between 10 and 50 million barrels
of oil or between 60 and 300 billion cubic-feet of
gas. Based on the available information, the cer-
tainty of occurrence for oil and gas is rated very
low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, all 62,870 acres
of the WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions). There are presently three pre-FLPMA
leases (1,378 acres) and five post-FLPMA leases
(2,485 acres), covering a total of 3,863 acres in
the WSA.

• Coal

The WSA is in the central portion of the Kaiparo-
wits Plateau Coal Field, and the entire tract is
underlain by the coal-bearing Cretaceous Straight
Cliffs Formation (Doelling and Graham, 1972).

Estimated coal reserves within the entire Kaiparo-
wits Plateau coal field total 15.2 billion tons
(Doelling and Graham, 1972). An estimated 1,587
billion tons of minable coal, based on coal seams
greater than 4 feet thick, occurs within the WSA.
An estimated 128 million tons occur at depths
less than 1,000 feet, 1,374 million tons occur be-
tween 1,000 feet and 2,000 feet, and 85 million
tons occur at depths between 2,000 feet and
3,000 feet. Approximately one-third to one-half
of the coal is recoverable (Doelling and Graham,
1972).

The coal-bearing Straight Cliffs Formation is
overlain throughout the WSA by the Wahweap For-
mation, therefore, few (if any) coalbeds are ex-
posed on the tract (Doelling and Graham, 1972).
Coalbeds crop out extensively, however, in the
deeply incised canyons that are cut into the
Straight Cliffs Formation near the eastern and
northwestern sides of the WSA. In the canyons
bordering the tract to the northwest, most of the
coalbeds belong to the Alvey coal zone (Zeller,
1973a). The Alvey zone is persistent in this area
and coalbeds range in thickness from 4 feet to
more than 18 feet. The total thickness of coal in
all zones in this area is nearly 100 feet; this area
is considered to contain the thickest coal in the en-
tire region (Zeller, 1973a). Based on oil and gas
exploration wells, these thick coalbeds extend to
the southeast into the WSA. East of the tract coal-
beds in the Alvey and Christensen zones are wide-
ly exposed and seams more than 4 feet thick are
widespread (Doelling and Graham, 1972).

Although no sample analyses are available from
within the WSA, analyses of samples taken from
near the northwestern boundary of the WSA indi-
cate an average content of 5.45 percent ash, and
a heat value of 10,800 Btus per lb. No analyses
were available for sulfur (Doelling and Graham,
1972).

The WSA is within the Kaiparowits Plateau
KRCRA, which includes the minable coal area. In
accordance with the underground mining exemp-
tion from the unsuitability criteria (43 CFR
3401. 2[a], none of the areas in the KRCRA within
the WSA were determined to be unsuitable for
mining as a result of the application of the unsuita-
bility criteria (USDI, BLM, 1981b and 1981c).

Based on the above discussion, the coal in the
WSA is assigned a favorability rating of (f4)
(potential for large tonnages of coal) with a high
(c4) certainty of occurrence. There are presently
15 coal leases covering 19,381 acres and four
PRLAs covering 22,964 acres located in the
WSA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in

the WSA, and there are presently no mining claims.

DEATH RIDGE WSA

• Uranium

The following rock units are considered favorable
for uranium in south-central Utah (USDOE, 1979):
the Basal Members and Petrified Forest Member
of the Triassic Chinle Formation, and the Salt
Wash Member of the Jurassic Morrison Forma-
tion. The Morrison Formation is perhaps 100 to
200 feet thick in the vicinity of the WSA and it
thickens rapidly to the east. The Morrison Forma-
tion has been removed by pre-Dakota erosion a
short distance west of the WSA (SAI, 1982).

Throughout most of the tract, the Morrison Forma-
tion lies at a depth of about 2,000 feet. The Chinle
Formation lies at depths generally exceeding
4,500 feet (Hintze, 1973).

The Morrison Formation crops out along the base
of the Kaiparowits Plateau (the Straight Cliffs) a
few miles northeast of the WSA. There are no re-
ported uranium occurrences in the Morrison For-
mation in this area (Peterson, et al., 1980). The
few uranium occurrences that have been discov-
ered in this region are within sandstones, carbon-
aceous shales, and lignites of the Dakota Sand-
stone. One occurs about 10 miles to the east of
the tract and another occurs about 6 miles to the
west (Peterson, et al., 1980). Bendix (1978) re-
ports that the low uranium values in these scatter-
ed deposits in the Dakota indicate that they are
very low grade and are not considered further in
this assessment. Deposits in the Chinle Formation
are also not considered further because they gen-
erally exceed 5,000 feet in depth.

The Morrison Formation is, therefore, the only
formation considered to be favorable for "signifi-
cant" uranium deposits in the vicinity of the WSA.
The term significant is defined as an economically-
extractable uranium deposit that contains a total
of at least 100 metric-tons of uranium oxide at a
grade of at least 0.01 percent (Peterson, et al.,
1982). The criteria used to judge the favorability
of the Morrison Formation for significant uranium
deposits included: (1) low fluvial energy regimes
during Morrison time, (2) active folding at the
time of sedimentation, (3) orientation of fold axes
at large angles to the direction of transport of
paleostreams, and (4) the presence of gray mud-
stone beds. On the basis of these criteria, they
consider the Morrison Formation underlying the
northern half of the WSA to be favorable for one
or more significant uranium deposits in the Salt

Wash Member. This area contains favorable gray
mudstone beds, folds that were probably active
during Morrison times, and paleostreams that
were nearly at right angles to the ancestral
Upper Valley anticline that trends through the
northwestern half of the tract.

On the basis of the discussion above, the WSA is
assigned a uranium favorability of (f3) (contain-
ing between 500 and 1 ,000 metric-tons of urani-
um oxide). The certainty that uranium deposits
occur in the Morrison Formation within the tract
is very low (cl).

• Titanium

Large deposits of primary titanium ore have not
been reported in Utah, but sedimentary deposits
of titanium-bearing black sandstones, similar to
those found in other western States, occur in
several places (Adams, 1964). The known titani-
ferous black sandstone deposits in Utah are con-
tained in the Straight Cliffs Formation and the
Mancos Shale, both of Late Cretaceous age. The
deposits represent fossil beach placers that con-
tain very fine-grained ilmenite, zircon, and mona-
zite. The heavy metals were eroded from older
rocks to the west and then transported by
streams into eastward-retreating Late Cretace-
ous seams where they were winnowed and concen-
trated by waves and winds into large sandstone
lenses along northwest-trending beaches (Adams,
1964). Because these deposits are slightly radio-
active, many were discovered during the uranium
exploration boom on the Colorado Plateau in the
1950s.

Although titaniferous black sandstones are known
to occur in south-central Utah (Adams, 1964; and
Doelling, 1975), all the deposits discovered to
date contain only small tonnages of titanium. Two
titaniferous placer deposits occur in the upper
part of the John Henry member of the Straight
Cliffs Formation a few miles north of the WSA, in
T. 36 S., R. 3 E., secs. 7 and 17, (Zeller, 1973a).
The deposit in Section 17 occurs as part of a
channel in a massive white sandstone between the
Alvey and Christensen coal zones (Doelling,
1975). The ore body is about 12 feet thick, 600
feet long, and 200 feet wide, although Doelling
(1975) states that part of the deposit has undoub-
tedly been removed by erosion. The upper 6 feet
of this deposit contains 13.4 percent titanium
oxide, 6.5 percent zirconium oxide, 11.7 percent

DEATH RIDGE WSA

iron, and 0.09 percent equivalent thorium oxide.
The lower 6 feet contains 24.1 percent titanium
oxide, 18.1 percent zirconium oxide, 17.8 per-
cent iron, and 0.15 percent equivalent thorium
oxide (Dow and Batty, 1961).

It seems likely that similar, although covered,
titaniferous sandstone deposits occur sporadical-
ly in late Cretaceous rocks throughout this region.
Because of the apparent widespread distribution
of these deposits and because of the small amount
of titanium contained deposits already discovered,
profitable mining of these deposits (especially
those covered by younger strata) seems unlikely.
Partly on this basis and in view of the preceding
discussion, the WSA has been assigned a titanium
favorability rating of (f2) (favorable for less than
1 million metric tons). The certainty of occur-
rence of titanium deposits within the tract is low
(c2).

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the WSA.
These deposits are not unique or economically signifi-
cant due to the presence of ample similar materials
nearby.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

The Death Ridge WSA has habitat (pinyon-juniper
woodland and sagebrush) that could support approxi-
mately 59 species of mammals, 141 species of birds,
41 species of reptiles, and five species of amphib-
ians. Approximately eight to 13 species of raptors
are known to or are suspected of nesting in the WSA.

Game species in the WSA are mule deer, cougar,
cottontail rabbits, chukar, and mourning doves. Mule
deer, although not common, are yearlong residents in
the WSA. Cougar occur in the area in limited num-
bers, their population being limited by the low deer
population.

Bald eagles and peregrine falcons are two endangered
species recorded to have been sighted in the WSA.

The UDWR list of sensitive species includes two
species that could occur in the WSA (Lewis wood-
pecker and western bluebird). In addition, the golden
eagle (a BLM sensitive species) and the following six
Category 2 candidate species could inhabit the WSA:
Great Basin Silverspot butterfly, ferruginous hawk,

long-billed curlew, southern spotted owl, Swainson's
hawk, and white-faced ibis (see Appendix 4 in Volume
I). If present, most of these endangered and sensitive
species would be associated with riparian and wet
meadow areas or cliff faces and deep canyons. The
ferruginous hawk inhabits pinyon-juniper areas
where there are ecotones or edges that provide oppor-
tunities for nesting, cover, and hunting activities.
The Swainson's hawk habitat normally includes the
open plains, grasslands, and prairies.

No critical habitat has been identified in the WSA. No
wildlife habitat plans or wildlife projects have been
developed within the WSA and none have been pro-
posed.

Forest Resources

Forest resources in the WSA is pinyon-juniper wood-
land. The potential exists for the harvest of pinyon
pine and juniper trees for both personal use and com-
mercial resale of fuelwood and fenceposts (57,435
acres, cords per acre are unknown). Noncommercial
harvesting potential of Christmas trees and pine nuts
also exists in the WSA. Due to the limited and scat-
tered occurrence of other tree species, no other for-
est resources exist. Noncommercial harvest of forest
resources has occurred in the past on a limited but
unquantified basis. The WSA is located only 10 miles
from Escalante, Utah, and incidental, noncommercial
harvest is expected to continue and likely increase in
the foreseeable future.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The WSA contains portions of three livestock grazing
allotments and approximately 450 AUMs. Table 4 sum-
marizes the livestock use in the WSA. About 4,379
acres are suitable for grazing with 58,491 being un-
suitable. At present, there are 6 miles of pipeline,
two reservoirs, two troughs, 2 miles of fence, and
one spring development within the WSA. Three hun-
dred acres of vegetation treatment, 1 mile of fence
and one well are proposed for the WSA. The vegeta-
tion treatment would provide approximately 46 AUMs
of livestock forage. Vehicles are used for manage-
ment and distribution of livestock in this WSA. Use is
generally restricted to existing ways and cherry-
stemmed roads.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the grazing allotments that com-
prise the Death Ridge WSA (USDA, APHIS, 1988).

DEATH RIDGE WSA

Table 4

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in WSA

Total

AUMs

Number
of AUMs
in WSA

Number and
Kind of
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

Alvey Wash

48.606

13,422

1,206

131

280 Cattle

05/15-09/13

1

Last Chance

223,229

19,589

3,708

53

309 Cattle

yearlong

1

Headwater (Kanab)

239,122

29,859

5,930

266

781 Cattle

yearlong

18

Total

510,957

62,870

10,844

450

20

Sources: BLM File Data

There are no wild horses or burros in the WSA.

Visual Resources

The WSA possesses a variety of landscape characters
and features. Approximately 45,000 acres are Class
B and 17,870 acres are Class C scenery; the entire
WSA is a VRM Class IV Management Area. Refer to
Appendix 7 for a description of the BLM VRM rating
system.

Cultural Resources

Two systematic sampling (Class II) cultural resource
inventories have been carried out that, at least par-
tially, encompass the Death Ridge WSA. They are the
Cultural Resource Evaluation of South-Central Utah,
1977-1978 (Hauck, 1979) covering 1 percent of the
entire Escalante planning unit and a 10-percent ran-
dom sample of coal tracts (Kemrer, et al., 1982).
This latter inventory largely coincides with the Death
Ridge WSA and is, therefore, an appropriate inven-
tory from which to extrapolate archaeological data.

Some 7,300 acres were inventoried resulting in the
identification of 134 sites. These sites were evenly
distributed over the landscape resulting in a site dens-
ity on the order of 12 sites per square mile. This fig-
ure should hold for the WSA and is an average not un-
common over large portions of the BLM Cedar City
District. There are no known National Register sites
in the WSA, but there is a high potential that eligible
sites exist.

The sites represent virtually all the known prehistor-
ic cultures in southern Utah (i.e., Archaic, Fremont,
and/or Anasazi, and Southern Paiute) encompassing
perhaps 8,000 years of prehistory. Nearly all the
sites identified relate to specific activities and tem-

porary habitation, primarily by mobile hunting and
gathering populations of the Archaic and Paiute per-
iods and some peripheral use by the more sedentary
Fremont and Anasazi agriculturalists.

The authors of the Escalante Project (Kemrer, et al.,
1982) commented on the undisturbed nature of the
sites.

Recreation

The Death Ridge WSA offers opportunities for back-
country recreation activities such as hiking, backpack-
ing, and sightseeing. Reliable data on visitor use are
not available. It is estimated that visitor use would be
less than 100 visitor days (33 for dayhikers, 33 for
backpackers, and 33 for sightseers) per year. The
Kanab and Escalante Resource Areas receive few in-
quiries concerning recreation potential for this WSA.

Vehicular use is generally limited to cherry-stemmed
roads and 18 miles of ways established for mineral
exploration. Many of these roads and ways have be-
come impassable due to erosion and no maintenance.
Due to the topography and remote location of the WSA
actual ORV use is practically nonexistent.

Overnight backpacking trips into the WSA are re-
stricted due to lack of water sources in the WSA. The
quality of the hiking opportunity is only moderate and
would not be rated superior to other hiking opportuni-
ties in the region.

Land Use Plans

The WSA is within the BLM Escalante and Paria plan-
ning units, which are being managed by the land use
decisions of the Paria and Escalante MFPs (USDI,
BLM, 1981c and 1 981 d). The present principal use

DEATH RIDGE WSA

within the WSA is livestock grazing and leasing for
coal. Wilderness is not addressed in either of the
MFPs. Wilderness designation is part of the BLM
multiple-use concept and the BLM land use plans are
linked to the Statewide Wilderness EIS through analy-
sis of the present plans as the No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternative.

The Kaiparowits Coal Development and Transportation
Study for (ERT, 1980) identified a transportation cor-
ridor system partially located within the WSA. The
objective of the study was to identify areas where it
would be possible to construct and operate future coal
transportation systems within the restrictions of gen-
eral environmental and engineering constraints. Corri-
dor segments were required to contain at least one po-
tential route for a railroad or coal slurry pipeline.
Specific routes, however, were not identified. By
selecting corridors between 2 and 15 miles in width,
maximum flexibility for future location of specific
routes was maintained. A portion of corridor Cl 3
extends into the southern and western portions of the
WSA. However, the majority of the corridor is locat-
ed outside of the WSA.

The WSA is BLM-administered public land except for
six State sections (3,841.2 acres) and two tracts of
split-estate land (797 acres). The split-estate lands
are Federal surface and State minerals. The current
policy of the State is to maximize economic returns
from State lands and to reserve its position regarding
the exchange of in-held lands (see Chapter 1 in Vol-
ume I). In 1986, the Utah State Legislature passed
S.C.R. No. 1 opposing any additional wilderness desig-
nation in Utah and urging that State lands not be ex-
changed out of wilderness areas. Of the 3,841.2
acres in in-held State land, 1,921.1 acres are under
lease for oil, gas, and hydrocarbons, 1,280.2 acres
are under lease for coal and 2,561.1 acres are under
lease for grazing. The only current activity on these
lands is grazing (UDNRE, DSLF 1988).

The Kane County Master Plan states, "Kane County
supports the total concept of the multiple use of
lands. We reject exclusionary recreational forms that
cannot be used by the average recreation visitor. Wil-
derness, as conceived by the Federal land agencies, is
rejected because of the limited visitor utilization pos-
sibilities and rejection of the multiple use concept."
(Kane County Board of Commissioners, 1982).

In addition, the Consolidated Local Government Re-
sponse to Wilderness (Utah Counties, 1986) indicates

that Kane County opposes wilderness designation of
BLM lands in Utah.

The Garfield County Master Plan stresses economic
development and the need for maintaining access to
areas having development potential. The plan covers
portions of this WSA. The master plan recognized that
the county possesses "... some of the most spectac-
ular scenery in the United States . . . The county is
sparsely populated and most of it is in its original
pristine condition." (Five County Association of
Governments, 1984). Garfield County proposed that
111,053 acres of BLM land in three WSAs and
31,600 acres in one Forest Service (FS) unit be rec-
ommended for wilderness. The county plan recom-
mends that the remaining land within the county, in-
cluding the Death Ridge WSA, be retained for multiple
use. The plan's concept of multiple use includes fores-
try, livestock grazing, mining, wildlife, and recrea-
tion.

The Garfield County Commission has endorsed the Con-
solidated Local Government Response to Wilderness
(Utah Counties, 1986) that opposes wilderness desig-
nation of BLM lands in Utah.

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The Death Ridge WSA is located in both Garfield and
Kane Counties, Utah. Garfield and Kane are rural coun-
ties having average population densities of less than
one person per square mile. This density is very low
compared to the Statewide average of 17 persons per
square mile (USDC, Bureau of the Census, 1981).
Much of the population is concentrated in small com-
munities rather than being evenly distributed through-
out the area.

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Kane County
grew from 2,421 to 4,050, an overall increase of
about 67 percent. Table 5 presents the baseline and
projected population data for Kane County. It is esti-
mated that between 1980 and 1987, population in-
creased to about 4,890. Population projections indi-
cate that the number of people living in Kane County
in the year 2010 will be about 6,950 for about a 72-
percent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of
Planning and Budget, 1987).

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Garfield County
grew from 3,157 to 3700, an overall increase of
about 17 percent. Table 5 presents the baseline and

DEATH RIDGE WSA

projected population data for Garfield County. It is
estimated that between 1980 and 1987 population in-
creased to about 4,085. Population projections indi-
cate that the number of people living in Garfield Coun-
ty in the year 2010 will be about 4,850 for about a
19-percent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of
Planning and Budget, 1987).

Table 5

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Garfield and Kane Counties

1980 1990 2000 2010

Garfield

Population

3,700

4,250

4,350

4,850

Employment

2,156

2,000

2,200

3,200

Kane

Population

4,050

5,250

5,750

6,950

Employment

1,403

1,900

2,300

2,900

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

The community of Escalante is located on a major
access route to the Death Ridge WSA, Utah Highway
12. Escalante is one of the larger communities in the
area having a 1980 population of 652 persons (USDC,
Bureau of the Census, 1981). Escalante is a gateway
and service area for visitors to the WSA.

• Employment

Table 5 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Kane and Garfield Counties to the year
2010.

Kane and Garfield Counties are part of the Southwest
MCD. Table 6 shows the base-line 1980 and projected
employment by source for the MCD to the year 2010.
In (1980) the leading employment sectors for the
Southwest MCD were government (23 percent), trade
(20 percent), and nonfarm proprietors (12 percent).
Mining provided approximately 2 percent of the di-
rect employment in the MCD.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double; services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 5 percent, government to
18 percent, and mining to less than 1 percent of the
total MCD employment.

Table 6

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment*

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

11,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.7QQ

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

^Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the WSA include miner-
al exploration and leasing, livestock production, and
recreation. Table 7 summarizes the local sales and
Federal revenues from the WSA. Appendix 9 identi-
fies the multipliers used to estimate sales and reve-
nues.

Table 7

Sales and Revenues

Source

Estimated Annual
Local Sales*

Estimated Annual
Federal Revenues

Oil and Gas Leases

0

$65,869

Livestock Grazing

$9,000

$693

Recreational Use

i m

0

Total

$9,410

$66,562

Sources: BLM File Data; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

*Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account for the
total income that would be generated by these expenditures.

The geophysical exploration that has been conducted
in the WSA has generated some temporary local em-
ployment and income.

Ten livestock operators have an estimated use of 450
AUMs within the WSA. If all this forage were utilized,
it would account for $9,000 of livestock sales and
$2,250 of ranchers' returns to labor and investment.

Some woodland products have been harvested from
the WSA; however, the harvests were small and insig-
nificant to the local economy and only of minor signifi-
cance to those involved in the harvest.

DEATH RIDGE WSA

The WSA's nonmotorized recreational use is low and
related local expenditures are also low. The actual
amount of income generated locally from recreational
use in the WSA is unknown. However, an approximate
range of expenditures can be deduced (Dalton 1982).
This study indicates that, the Statewide average local
expenditures per recreational visitor day for all
types of recreation in Utah are approximately $4.10.
The recreational use for the Death Ridge WSA is esti-
mated to be about 100 visitor days per year.

The WSA generates Federal revenues from mineral
leases and livestock grazing fees (refer to Table 7).

Eight oil and gas and 15 coal leases cover a total of
23,244 acres in the WSA. At $3 per acre for coal and
$2 per acre for oil and gas, lease rental fees gener-
ate up to $65,869 of Federal revenues annually. Half
of these monies are allocated to the State, which then
reallocates these revenues to various funds, the
majority of which are related to energy development
and mitigation of local impacts of energy and mineral
development.

Average actual livestock use and subsequent reve-
nues generated from grazing in the WSA are unknown;
however, the permittees in the WSA can use an esti-
mated 450 AUMs per year. Based on a $1.54 per
AUM grazing fee, the WSA can potentially generate
$693 of grazing fee revenues annually, 50 percent of
which would be allocated back to the local BLM Dis-
trict for the construction of rangeland improvements.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. The analy-
sis is based on the BLM management actions and anti-
cipated activities presented in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B and the Description of Alternatives for
the Death Ridge WSA.

A major long term consideration in impact analysis
for this WSA is development of the Kaiparowits coal
field. For a detailed analysis of potential impacts of
coal development in southern Utah, the reader is
referred to the Final EIS for "Development of Coal
Resources in Southern Utah" USDI, USGS, 1979).

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Pro-
posed Action)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness,
the identified wilderness values would not receive the
protection afforded by application of the BLM Wilder-
ness Management Policy (BLM Manual 8560).

In the short term, disturbance of approximately 305
acres from the development of rangeland projects and
from the development of access to State sections for
mineral exploration would result in a direct loss of
naturalness and opportunities for solitude and primi-
tive, unconfined recreation in the disturbed areas.
Special features including scenic values, mostly asso-
ciated with geologic features, cultural values, special
status species, and wildlife associated with wilder-
ness, would not be affected significantly. This is be-
cause the disturbance would be minor (involving only
0.5 percent of the WSA) and generally would not be
located where the special features are located. In addi-
tion, appropriate measures would be taken to protect
special status species prior to any surface-disturbing
activity.

During the period of activity, the visual and audible
disturbance from construction of rangeland develop-
ments and access roads would reduce the quality of
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
not only on directly disturbed areas, but also indirect-
ly on adjacent portions of the WSA. As much as 3 per-
cent (1,886 acres) of the WSA could be so affected in
the short term.

Because future vehicular use would generally be lim-
ited by terrain to the 18 miles of existing vehicular
ways and to future roads, no additional disturbance
from ORV activity is anticipated in the future. The
continued and increased use of existing ways and new
access roads would occasionally detract from oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive recreation.

The gradual increase in visitor use that would occur
would not be expected to significantly reduce wilder-
ness values because the additional use is expected to
be small and the WSA is large enough to incorporate
the additional use adequately.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would occur, is not accurately
known. Loss would occur, however, as intrusions

20

DEATH RIDGE WSA

increase. Over the long-term, coal development
would result in a direct loss of wilderness values on
0.06 percent (40 acres) of the WSA and an indirect
reduction in the quality of wilderness values on up to
about 33 percent (20,800 acres) more in the eastern
portion of the WSA.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation and loss would occur as in-
trusions increase. In the short term, naturalness and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
would be directly lost on 305 acres, and opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive recreation would be
indirectly reduced in quality on up to 1,886 acres.
Special features would not be affected. Over the long
term, coal development would result in a direct loss
of wilderness values on 40 acres, and an indirect re-
duction in wilderness quality on 20,780 acres more.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status
Species

The 305 acres of surface disturbance projected in the
short term for the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive would occur mainly in the pinyon-juniper wood-
land and sagebrush vegetation types. On the 300-acre
vegetation treatment, vegetation composition would
change from woodland to grass-shrub. It is projected
that the grass-shrub vegetation would be maintained
over the long term. However, once active mainte-
nance ceased, the area would eventually revert back
to pinyon-juniper woodland and sagebrush. The vege-
tation treatment would be designed primarily to pro-
vide livestock forage. There would also be a loss of
naturalness in the disturbed area. However, due to
the small size of the disturbance (less than 1 percent
[300 acres] of the WSA), the overall impact would
not be significant. In the long term, anticipated coal
development could disturb up to 40 acres as a result
of surface facility and access road construction.
While no significant impacts to vegetation types or
special status species are anticipated, this disturb-
ance would remain for the 30 to 40 year life of the
operations.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. Five of the Category 1 and Cate-
gory 2 candidate species that may occur in the WSA
are located in the pinyon-juniper woodland. The habi-
tats for all of these species extend beyond the WSA
boundaries. Surface-disturbing activities could result
in the inadvertent loss of some individual plants of
these species. The continued existence of any of the
species would not be threatened. Before authorizing

any surface-disturbing activities, BLM would conduct
site-specific clearances of the potentially disturbed
area. If any threatened or endangered species are
located, BLM would initiate consultation with the FWS
as required by the Endangered Species Act and BLM
policy. BLM would request a biological opinion when
appropriate (refer to Appendix 4 in Volume I). Appro-
priate mitigation measures, such as avoidance of sen-
sitive areas, would be implemented. Because neces-
sary measures would be taken to protect these spe-
cies, the viability of populations of special status
plant species would be preserved with the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Populations of special status plant species
would not be significantly impacted. Less than 1 per-
cent (345 acres) of the pinyon-juniper woodland and
sagebrush type in the WSA would be altered.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

The WSA would remain open to exploration and devel-
opment of mineral and energy resources without con-
sideration of wilderness values. Therefore, mineral
and energy resources would not be affected by the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Implementation of the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative would not adversely affect min-
eral exploration or production.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

With this alternative, wildlife habitat would be im-
proved by 300 acres of pinyon-juniper woodland and
sagebrush vegetation treatment. Deer, cougar, and
mobile nongame species would be dispersed from the
area during the construction stage of this project.
Less mobile wildlife would either perish or co-exist
with this disturbance at smaller and/or less viable
population levels. Coal development in the long term
could remove an additional 40 acres of wildlife habi-
tat for the life of the mines.

The extent and use of the WSA by the bald eagle, per-
egrine falcon, or the six Category 2 candidate species
that may occur there is unknown. The vegetation
treatment would not affect most of these species be-
cause activities would be in the flat pinyon-juniper
woodland and sagebrush areas and, if present, these
species would mostly inhabit the riparian and cliff-
face areas in the canyons.

21

DEATH RIDGE WSA

The proposed vegetation treatment project would cre-
ate ecotones and edges which would improve ferrugi-
nous hawk habitat. Also, Swainson's hawk habitat
would improve since its habitats include open plains,
grasslands, and prairies.

BLM would conduct site-specific clearances of the
potentially disturbed areas. If any threatened or en-
dangered species are located, BLM would initiate con-
sultation with the FWS as required by the Endangered
Species Act and BLM policy. BLM would request a bio-
logical opinion when appropriate (refer to Appendix 4
in Volume I). Appropriate mitigation measures, such
as avoidance of sensitive areas, would be implement-
ed. Because measures would be taken to protect these
species, potential populations of special status animal
species would be preserved with the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Wildlife habitat and populations including
special status animal species would not be signifi-
cantly affected. There would be some benefit to wild-
life by providing additional forage and ecotones.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

Domestic livestock grazing would continue as author-
ized with an estimated 450 AUMs currently allocated
in the WSA. Additional roads or other facilities for
livestock handling could be proposed and developed in
the future without regard for wilderness values.
Motorized vehicles are generally used to manage live-
stock and few changes in livestock management tech-
niques are expected in the future. The 1 mile of
fence, one well, and 300 acres of vegetation treat-
ment would be developed and would result in im-
proved livestock distribution and an increased carry-
ing capacity of 46 AUMs. Disturbance of 40 acres by
coal development in the long term would not adverse-
ly affect livestock or livestock management in the
WSA.

Conclusion: Livestock management and grazing levels
would not be adversely affected by implementation of
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

No changes are expected in existing patterns and
trends of population, employment, and local income
distributions. Potential economic development of re-
sources in the WSA would not be affected.

There would not be a loss of local employment or in-
come as a result of this alternative. The existing abil-
ity to explore and develop mineral resources would
remain as at present. The employment of 600 people
(two mines) would represent only 1 .3 percent of the
projected Southwest MCD for the year 2010. How-
ever, it would be about 19 percent of the Garfield
County or 21 percent of the Kane County projected
employment in the year 2010 and nearby local com-
munities would be significantly affected. There would
be both beneficial and adverse impacts. Beneficial im-
pacts would include increases in employment and in-
come while adverse impacts would include increased
demands for housing and infrastructure such as
schools, law enforcement, etc. An unknown portion of
the jobs would be obtained by local residents. The
probability of economic development of coal within
the WSA in the long term is high (refer to the Mineral
and Energy Resources section for a description of min-
eral and development potentials).

There would be no livestock-related economic losses
because the existing grazing use (an estimated 450
AUMs) and ability to maintain, replace, and build new
range developments would remain as at present. The
proposed vegetation treatments that would produce
46 AUMs of new allocated forage could lead to $920
of livestock sales and $230 of ranchers' returns to
labor and investment.

Recreation-related expenditures average only $4.10
per visitor day (only a portion of which contributes
to the local economy), thus, recreation-related ex-
penditures attributable to the WSA would likely not be
significant to the local economy.

Federal and State revenues would not be reduced by
this alternative. There are 59,007 acres in the WSA
open to oil and gas leasing and 43,489 acres open to
coal leasing that are currently not leased. If leased
they would bring up to $248,481 additional Federal
lease fee revenues per year, in addition to new royal-
ties from lease production and bonus bids from new
coal leases. Half of these monies would be allocated to
the State, a portion of which could reach the local
economy. Collection of livestock grazing fees ($693
per year) would continue. The additional 46 AUMs pro-
duced by the proposed land treatment and allocated to
livestock under this alternative would increase Feder-
al revenues by $71 annually. About 50 percent of the
increased revenues would be returned to the local
BLM office for use in range development projects.

22

DEATH RIDGE WSA

Conclusion: No loss of employment or income would
occur. Federal and State revenues would not be re-
duced. Economic opportunities could be realized
through mineral and energy exploration and eventual
development in the long term. There would be major
beneficial and adverse economic impacts in Garfield
and Kane Counties.

All Wilderness Alternative (62,870 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 62,870 acres as
wilderness would contribute to the preservation of
the wilderness values in the Death Ridge WSA. The
potential for surface-disturbing activities would be
reduced through closure of the entire area to future
mineral leasing and location and to ORV use, and
through management of the area as VRM Class I which
allows for only natural ecological change. Naturalness
would be protected on all 62,870 acres. Solitude
would be protected on approximately 31,435 acres
that meet and 31,435 acres that do not meet the
standards for outstanding opportunities. Primitive
and unconfined recreation would be protected on
approximately 62,870 acres that do not meet the
standards for outstanding opportunities. Resources
that could be considered as special features in the
WSA, including scenic values, educational values,
special status species, and wildlife associated with
wilderness would also be protected.

Although protected, complete preservation of wilder-
ness values would not be assured because of valid
existing rights. In the short term, disturbance of up
to 5 acres is anticipated from rangeland projects and
access to State sections. Wilderness values of natural-
ness and opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation would be directly lost or reduced in quality on
the disturbed areas at least until activities and noise
cease and reclamation is complete. Opportunities for
solitude and primitive recreation would also be indi-
rectly reduced in quality on adjacent portions of the
WSA. As much as 2 percent (1,257 acres) of the
WSA could be so affected. Special features, including
scenic values, mostly associated with geologic fea-
tures, cultural values, special status species, and
wildlife associated with wilderness, would not be
affected because the disturbance would be minor (in-
volving only 0.008 percent of the WSA) and the dis-
turbance would generally not be located where the
special features are located. In addition, appropriate
measures would be taken to protect endangered and

sensitive species prior to any surface-disturbing
activity.

Mitigation to protect wilderness values would be ap-
plied, but loss of wilderness values would be allowed
if development involving valid existing rights could
not be otherwise achieved. Rangeland projects on the
other hand would be designed to meet wilderness man-
agement criteria, and, upon completion would not be
substantially noticeable in the area as a whole. All in
all, the disturbance would not be substantially notice-
able in the area as a whole.

Vehicular use of existing ways would cease with ORV
closure, improving opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation.

Over the long term, there would be no potential for
loss of wilderness values due to development of new
leases and mining claims. Coal resources would not be
developed.

The gradual increase in visitor use that would occur
would be primitive in nature and would be managed so
as to not result in the loss of wilderness values.

Conclusion: Wilderness designation would preserve
wilderness values overall in the WSA. In the foresee-
able future, naturalness and opportunities for solitude
and primitive recreation would be directly lost or re-
duced in quality on 5 acres and indirectly reduced in
quality on up to 1,257 acres. Special features would
be preserved.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies

The vegetation types, including special status plant
species, would be provided with additional protection.
Only 5 acres of surface disturbance are projected for
the foreseeable future and no significant impacts are
projected.

Conclusion: The vegetation types and special status
plant species would be protected by the All Wilder-
ness Alternative because potential disturbance would
be reduced to 5 acres.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

23

DEATH RIDGE WSA

• Leasable Minerals

Approximately 3,863 acres (1,378 acres pre-
FLPMA and 2,485 acres post-FLPMA) are under
oil and gas lease. However, no exploration or
development of oil and gas is presently occurring
within the WSA. Existing pre- and post-FLPMA
leases could be developed subject to the stipula-
tions issued at the time of leasing. It is unlikely
that existing leases will be developed or a show-
ing of commercial quantities made prior to lease
expiration dates, and expired leases will not be
reissued. No new leasing would be allowed. How-
ever, because no oil and gas exploration or devel-
opment is projected in the WSA even with the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative, BLM does not
anticipate that a significant resource would be
foregone with this alternative.

There are 15 coal leases (19,381 acres) and four
pending PRLAs (22,964 acres) within the WSA.
The entire WSA is underlain by coal with an esti-
mated reserve of 1.6 billion tons of which 800
million tons are recoverable. It is assumed that
the existing leases will expire under the diligent
development regulations before production occurs
and the PRLAs will not be issued. Therefore, with
the All Wilderness Alternative 800 million tons of
recoverable coal would be foregone.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no mining claims within the WSA. Be-
cause no exploration or development of locatable
minerals is currently occurring, it is unlikely that
exploration or development will occur prior to wil-
derness designation. Therefore, implementation of
this alternative would not result in any significant
loss of locatable mineral resources.

• Salable Minerals

No exploration or development is anticipated. Be-
cause of low potential for salable minerals and the
availability of better sources of material outside
the WSA, any loss of salable mineral products
would be insignificant.

Conclusion: Potential exploration and development of
significant deposits of coal would be foregone. Loss of
exploration and development opportunities for other
mineral and energy resources would not be signifi-
cant.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

Implementation of the All Wilderness Alternative
would not significantly affect any species of wildlife
in the WSA. The 300-acre vegetation treatment
would be foregone. Therefore, projected habitat im-
provements would not be realized and the likelihood of
expanding and improving the deer herd and nongame
species within the WSA would be reduced.

The special status animal species that may occur in
the WSA would be provided additional protection and
solitude with wilderness designation.

Conclusion: The 300 acres of vegetation treatment
which would improve wildlife habitat would be fore-
gone. Designation would provide all species with addi-
tional protection and solitude.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

Present domestic livestock grazing would continue as
authorized. The estimated 450 AUMs currently allo-
cated in the WSA are controlled by 20 livestock per-
mittees. Since use of motorized vehicles on the 18
miles of ways is currently taking place to manage
livestock, some impact on the management of live-
stock could be expected. The proposed 300 acres of
vegetation treatment would not be allowed. There-
fore, an additional 46 AUMs of livestock forage would
be foregone.

Rangeland developments would be maintained as in the
past, based on practical necessity and reasonable-
ness. New rangeland developments would be allowed
if determined necessary for the purposes of range-
land and/or wilderness protection and the effective
management of these resources. However, future
roads or other livestock management facilities could
be restricted to preserve wilderness values. The 1
mile of fence and one well would be allowed.

Conclusion: Livestock management practices would
not be significantly affected. There could be an in-
crease in management costs and inconvenience to 20
permittees. The opportunity for an increase of 46
AUMs through vegetation treatments would be fore-
gone.

24

DEATH RIDGE WSA

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

Overall there would be no significant changes in cur-
rent trends of population, employment, and local in-
come distribution.

Because of restrictions placed on the use of re-
sources under wilderness designation, there could be
losses in local income and Federal revenues currently
provided by resource uses in the WSA (refer to Table
7), as well as loss of potential increases in income
and Federal revenues that could occur under the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Valid existing oil and gas and coal leases could be
developed, but designation would preclude new leases
and claims from being established in the WSA. Preclud-
ing exploration and development of minerals would
not alter existing economic conditions, but could alter
future economic conditions from what they would be
with mineral development under the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative. Because the potential for coal
development is high, it is estimated that potential min-
eral-related local employment and income would be
significantly reduced by wilderness designation in the
long term. Major beneficial and adverse economic im-
pacts in Garfield and Kane Counties from coal develop-
ment in the WSA would not occur.

Livestock use and ranchers' income would continue as
at present with approximately $9,000 of livestock
sales and $2,250 of ranchers' return to labor and in-
vestment. The proposed vegetation treatment for live-
stock would be foregone along with approximately
$230 per year in ranchers' return to labor and invest-
ment.

Nonmotorized recreational use could increase, but re-
lated local expenditures would be small (average of
$4.10 per visitor day Statewide) and would not be sig-
nificant.

The loss of 3,863 acres now leased for oil and gas
would cause an eventual loss of up to $7,726 per
year of lease fees to the Federal Treasury. There
would also be a potential loss of $118,014 annually in
Federal revenues from the 59,007 acres that could
be leased for oil and gas or coal without designation.
The loss of 19,381 acres currently leased for coal
would cause an eventual loss of up to $58,143 per
year of fees to the Federal Treasury. There would
also be a potential loss of $130,467 annually in Fed-
eral revenues from the 43,489 acres that could be
leased for coal without designation. Development of

the four PRLAs in the WSA is not projected with the
All Wilderness Alternative. In addition to these rental
fees, any potential royalties from lease production
and bonus bid revenues from new coal leases could
also be foregone.

If the proposed vegetation treatment is not developed
and used, an estimated annual $71 of Federal grazing
revenues from 46 increased AUMs would be foregone.

Conclusion: Local or regional economic conditions
would not be significantly affected. However, new
leasing in the WSA would not be allowed; therefore,
potentially significant sales and revenues from coal
development would be foregone.

25

I

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 3

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated from Detailed Study 3

Alternatives Analyzed 3

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 3

All Wilderness Alternative 6

Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 8

Summary of Environmental Consequences 10

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 10

Wilderness Values 10

Air Quality 16

Geology and Topography 16

Soils 17

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 17

Water Resources 17

Mineral and Energy Resources 18

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 20

Forest Resources 21

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 21

Visual Resources 22

Cultural Resources 22

Recreation 22

Land Use Plans 23

Socioeconomics 24

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 25

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 25

All Wilderness Alternative 27

Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 31

i

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA is located in Garfield
County, Utah, approximately 1 mile east of the Town
of Escalante, Utah. The ISA contains 42,731 acres of
BLM-administered land, which includes 34,276 acres
of the Phipps-Death Hollow Outstanding Natural Area
(ONA) and approximately 4,497 acres of the Calf
Creek Recreation Area and 3,958 acres of contiguous
BLM lands. The ISA encloses approximately 2,559
acres (four sections) of State land. The ISA is man-
aged by the BLM Cedar City District Escalante Re-
source Area office.

The north boundary of the ISA is contiguous to the
Box-Death Hollow wilderness area administered by
the FS. Part of the Phipps-Death Hollow ISA is sepa-
rated from the adjacent North Escalante Canyon/The
Gulch ISA by State Highway 12.

The ISA is characterized by steep-walled canyons,
mesas, plateaus, natural bridges, and arches, most of
which are carved in colorful Navajo Sandstone. The
Escalante River and its Death Hollow tributary have
formed entrenched canyons in colorful red and white
sandstone.

The dominant vegetation is pinyon-juniper woodland,
but there is some ponderosa pine and riparian vege-
tation also.

In general, the climate is temperate and arid with
annual precipitation averaging about 10 inches. From
June through early September convection-type thun-
derstorms advance from the Pacific Ocean off the
coast of Mexico and southern California. Frontal-type
cyclonic storms out of the northwest move over the
area from October through June. The highest precip-
itation rates occur primarily from November through
March.

Changes for the Final EIS

In addition to the changes noted in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B, the following change specific to the ISA
has been made since publication of the Draft EIS.

The anticipated surface disturbance due to mineral ex-
ploration and development presented in the Draft EIS,
180 acres (160 acres for oil, gas, and carbon di-
oxide, and 20 acres for uranium), was based on the
assumption that all mineral and other resources poten-
tially within the WSA would be developed sometime in
the future without consideration of technical or eco-
nomic feasibility. In response to public comments rela-
tive to the feasibility of developments, the disturb-
ance estimates have been revised to focus on activi-
ties projected to be feasible within the foreseeable fu-
ture (see appendix 6 in Volume I). This resulted in a
reduction of surface disturbance estimates for urani-
um from the 20 acres to no acres and an increase for
leasable minerals (oil, gas, and carbon dioxide) from
160 acres to 310 acres of surface disturbance for
the Final EIS. In addition, it is anticipated that 10
acres would be disturbed due to development of ac-
cess to State lands within the ISA and 2 acres would
be disturbed due to fence construction. Overall, 322
acres of surface disturbance are projected for the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative in the Final EIS.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B (i.e., impacts on air quality, water rights,
geology and topography, and land use plans and poli-
cies), the following issues or impacts specific to the
Phipps-Death Hollow ISA were considered but are not
analyzed in detail in the Final EIS for the reasons de-
scribed below.

Summer temperatures in Escalante, Utah, have a tem-
perature of range approximately 30 degrees Fahren-
heit (F), with highs in the mid 90s and lows in the mid
60s. Winters in Escalante, Utah, have a temperature
range of about 27 degrees F, with highs in the low
40s and lows about 15 degrees F. Snowfall in Esca-
lante, Utah, generally averages 28 inches and begins
in October or November and ends in March or April.

1. Soils: The public is concerned that without wilder-
ness designation, mineral development, land treat-
ment, or ORV use would occur on soils that are not

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP
WSA,

NO.

SEE VOL.I

29

i

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

easily reclaimed, leading to unacceptable increases in
soil erosion. Within the foreseeable future, the antici-
pated surface disturbance from mineral developments
(oil and gas and carbon dioxide) in the Phipps-Death
Hollow ISA without wilderness designation would be
310 acres and mitigation would be required through
the requirements of 43 CFR 3101. In addition,
38,773 acres (91 percent) in the ISA is closed to
ORVs and terrain and surface features generally re-
strict vehicles to existing ways and cherry-stemmed
roads. Therefore, impacts on soil erosion are not sig-
nificant issues for the Phipps-Death Hollow ISA.

2. Vegetation and Wildlife Including Special Status Spe-
cies: Estimates of total surface disturbance without
wilderness designation have been increased from 180
acres to 322 acres. However, 310 acres of disturb-
ance would result from oil and gas and carbon dioxide
exploration and development. These activities would
be regulated by regulations found in 43 CFR 3101.
Prior to authorization, any surface disturbance from
leasable minerals, access to State land, or fence con-
struction, BLM would conduct site-specific clear-
ances of potentially disturbed areas and consult with
the FWS concerning impacts on threatened or endan-
gered plant and animal species which may occur in the
ISA. No significant impacts on special status plant or
animal species are projected. In addition, 91 percent
(38,773 acres) are closed to ORV use and use in the
remaining area (3,958 acres) is generally restrict-
ed to existing ways and cherry-stemmed roads, and
significant impacts to plants and wildlife would not be
expected. Therefore, impacts on vegetation and wild-
life populations and habitat are not analyzed in detail
for the Final EIS.

3. Forest Resources: The ISA contains no significant
forest resources. Approximately 4,497 acres are
closed to woodcutting. The remainder of the ISA is
open to woodcutting. However, due to the remoteness
of the area, lack of access, and sparse vegetation,
current and projected use is minimal. For these rea-
sons, impacts on forest resources are not signifi-
cant issues for the Final EIS.

4. Livestock Management: The public is concerned
that wilderness designation would interfere with live-
stock management by placing restrictions on access
for the maintenance of existing range improvements,
moving of livestock, by preventing future range im-
provements; and placing restrictions on predator con-
trol. However, under the BLM Wilderness
Management Policy (BLM Manual 8560) there shall be
no curtailments in grazing simply because an area is

wilderness. Grazing reductions have already been im-
posed as a result of a grazing EIS.

There are no proposed rangeland developments which
would be precluded by wilderness designation. It is
assumed that 2.25 miles of fence could be construct-
ed to meet wilderness protection criteria. Ten miles
of way would be closed should the area be designated
as wilderness. Because motorized vehicles are used
very little in livestock management, little effect on
management of livestock grazing is expected. Even
though spring-loaded cyanide guns (M-44s) would be
prohibited, several methods of predator control
would be allowed in the designated wilderness area.
Predator control has not been conducted on the allot-
ments that comprise the ISA for several years. For
these reasons, impacts on livestock management are
not significant issues for the Phipps-Death Hollow
ISA.

5. Cultural Resources: An estimated 322 acres of dis-
turbance would occur in the western half of the ISA in
the foreseeable future. Six sites, five rock art sites
and one Paiute camp site, are located in this portion
of the unit. The Friendship Cove pictograph site (a
National Register Site) is in the eastern portion of the
ISA and the Boulder Mail Trail (nomination to the
National Register) is in the eastern and western por-
tions of the ISA. None of the rock art sites are consid-
ered to be eligible for nomination to the National Regi-
ster of Historic Places and the camp site has not been
evaluated for significance. In the long term, the ISA
would remain open to mineral location, but no locat-
able mineral activity is expected. Much of the unit
would be closed to mineral leasing. Most of the record-
ed and unrecorded sites in the ISA probably would not
be impacted by surface development. All sites in the
unit would continue to receive protection under exist-
ing Federal and State antiquities laws. Any surface
disturbance would be preceded by standard inventory
and mitigation procedures.

Most of the ISA would remain closed to ORV use and
the remaining 3,931 acres currently receive little
ORV activity. Vehicular traffic would probably have
little impact on cultural resources in the ISA. Given
these conditions, impacts on cultural resources are
not significant issues for the Phipps-Death Hollow
ISA.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The significant issues for the Phipps-Death Hollow
ISA are:

2

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

1. Impacts on the wilderness values of naturalness,
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation,
and special features.

2. Impacts on water resources.

3. Impacts on mineral and energy exploration and pro-
duction.

4. Impacts on visual resources.

5. Impacts on recreational use of the ISA.

6. Impacts on future expansion of the Boulder Air-
field.

7. Impacts on local economic conditions.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the need for, and ade-
quacy of, the rationale for the BLM proposed action;
the need for further inventories of resource values;
and BLM’s assessments of wilderness values, water
rights and uses, and mineral values including carbon
dioxide. See Volume Vll-B for responses to general
comments applicable to all WSAs and/or the State-
wide analysis and Volume Vll-C, Section 29, for re-
sponses to specific comments about the Phipps-Death
Hollow ISA.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
from Detailed Study

Alternatives that would add approximately 560 acres
of Federal land and 1,178 acres of State land, mainly
along the southern and western borders of the ISA,
while deleting approximately 435 acres in the north-
eastern corner of the ISA were suggested by the pub-
lic during the public comment period for the Draft EIS.
These alternatives are not analyzed because the inclu-
sion of State lands is not consistent with BLM's Wil-
derness Review Guidelines (refer to Volume Vll-B, Ge-
neral Comment Response 6.4). Public lands outside
the ISA boundary were considered and dropped during
the inventory phase of the wilderness review and are
not analyzed in the Final EIS (refer to Volume Vll-B,
General Comment Response 3.1). The proposed dele-
tions would not result in impacts appreciably differ-
ent from the Partial Wilderness Alternative.

Alternatives Analyzed

Three alternatives are analyzed for this ISA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness (2) All Wilderness (42,731
acres); and (3) Partial Wilderness (Proposed Action)
(39,256 acres). A description of each alternative fol-
lows. Where management intentions have not been
clearly identified, assumptions are made based on
management projections under each alternative.
These assumptions are indicated in each case. The
assumed management actions presented in the Intro-
duction to Volume lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 42,731 -acre Phipps-
Death Hollow ISA would be designated by Congress as
part of the NWPS. Although BLM's land use plans are
regularly updated, it is assumed that the area would
continue to be managed in accordance with the Esca-
lante MFP (USDI, BLM, 1 981 d). The four sections
(2,559 acres) of State land within the ISA (refer to
Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I) has not been identi-
fied in the MFP for special Federal acquisition through
exchange or purchase. No private or split-estate
lands are located in the ISA. The figures and acreages
given are for Federal lands only.

♦ Management Conditions and Constraints

All 42,731 acres would remain open to mineral
location. Although no mining claims exist in the
ISA, development work, extraction, and patenting
would be allowed on future mining claims. Develop-
ment would be regulated by unnecessary or undue
degradation regulations (43 CFR 3809), without
concern for wilderness values. Although locatable
mineral resources would be managed as describ-
ed, no beatable mineral exploration or develop-
ments are projected for the ISA because the level
of known resources and the probability of their de-
velopment are too low to support a development
assumption. Appendix 6 in Volume I explains the
mineral and energy resource development projec-
tions. The five existing pre-FLPMA oil and gas
leases (3,225 acres) could be developed under
stipulations issued at the time of leasing. Future
leases could be developed under leasing Category
1 (standard stipulations) on 2,700 acres and Cate-
gory 3 (no surface occupancy) on 7,700 acres.
The majority of the Phipps-Death Hollow ONA,
(32,331) acres, would be closed to oil and gas
leasing. The 3,225 acres under oil and gas lease
are pre-FLPMA leases located in the Category 4

3

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

T. 33 S.

T. 34 S.

T. 35 S.

National Forest Service
Administered Land

Private Land Within
or Adjacent to WSA

BLM Administered Land
Within or Adjacent to WSA

!

N

Map 1

LAND STATUS
Phipps- Death Hollow
Instant Study Area

Legend

ISA Boundary (49,941 acres)

Phipps-Death Hollow Outstanding
Natural Area Boundary

Dixie National Forest Boundary

Box-Death Hollow
Wilderness Boundary

State Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

Vsl

SCALE IN MILES

0 1 2
SCALE IN KILOMETERS

0 12 3

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

R. 3 E.

4

R. 4 E.

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

area and would be phased out unless a find of oil,
gas, or carbon dioxide is found. These leases are
under a lease suspension dated March 1, 1978.

The present domestic livestock grazing use in the
ISA would continue as authorized in the MFP (cur-
rently estimated 884 AUMs). Existing develop-
ments (about 1 mile of fence) could be used and
maintained, and planned new range developments
(approximately 2 miles of fence) would be allow-
ed without wilderness considerations.

Public water reserve withdrawals on 130 acres
would continue in effect. These withdrawals seg-
regate the reserve from all public land laws and
nonmetalliferous mineral location.

ORV use would remain closed on 38,800 acres of
the ISA. The remaining 3,931 acres in the ISA
would be open to ORV use.

Approximately 38,234 acres would be open to
woodland product harvest. The remaining 4,497
acres would remain closed to the harvest of wood-
land products. There is minimal harvest of forest
products at the present time and increases are
not expected because of lack of access and sparse-
ness of the resource.

The area would continue to be managed under VRM
Class I (42,731 acres) as directed by the MFP.

The No Action/No Wilderness Alternative would
include continued management of the Phipps-Death
Flollow as an ONA until such time as an Area of
Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) determina-
tion is made for this area. Future management op-
tions for the ONA are separate actions that are
not dependent on the wilderness review process
and are, therefore, not analyzed in this document
except as current management is integrated into
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

• Action Scenario

Given the management actions described above
and the resources described in the Affected Envi-
ronment section, BLM projects that implementa-
tion of the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative
would result in 322 acres of surface disturbance
in the foreseeable future. About 310 acres of the
disturbance would result from exploration and de-
velopment of the oil, gas, and carbon dioxide re-
sources locate on existing pre-FLPMA and future

leases in the ISA. Currently, there are five exist-
ing pre-FLPMA leases covering 3,225 acres and
2,700 acres would be open to future oil and gas
leasing under Category 1 (standard) stipulations.
The area most likely to be developed would be
lands in the Escalante KGS, which covers the west-
ern half of the ISA. Geophysical data would likely
determine the location of initial exploratory
wells. It is projected that no more than two ex-
ploratory wells would be drilled at any one time.
These operations would require up to 10 employ-
ees and would take up to 6 months to complete.
Full field development would involve the drilling
of holes on 640-acre or 160-acre centers. Sur-
face facilities associated with oil, gas, and carbon
dioxide development would include drill pads, tank
batteries, gathering lines, a central facility, and
lines to move products out of the area. Although
actual surface disturbance would be an estimated
310 acres, the area affected by this development
would be much larger. Development would be un-
der guidelines of the 43 CFR 3100 regulations and
the stipulations in effect at the time of leasing.
Once the wells were drilled, construction of
gathering systems, pipelines, etc., would require
up to 200 employees and take up to 3 years to
complete. Maintenance and operation of producing
wells would require 10 employees. It is also pro-
jected that the developed leases would be in pro-
duction and that the associated disturbance would
remain over the long term. Exploration and access
roads extending up to 15 miles would likely re-
main in place over the long term.

About 10 acres would be disturbed as a result of
up to 5 miles of road construction to State sec-
tions in the ISA (T. 34 S., R. 3 E., sec. 36; T. 34
S., R. 4 E.; sec. 32; and T. 35 S., R. 3 E., sec. 2).
The purpose of this access would be to explore
and develop leasable minerals on the State land in
the ISA.

Two acres would be disturbed due to the construc-
tion of a 2-mile long livestock fence in the ISA. No
other rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed pro-
jects, or other developments are planned.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected because
all traffic would continue to be restricted to 10
miles of existing ways and future roads due to
management restriction and rugged terrain.

Recreational use is expected to increase over the
current estimated use of 23,000 visitor days per

5

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

year at a rate of 2 to 7 percent annually. Approxi-
mately 2 percent of all recreation currently is
and would continue to be motorized.

• All Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, all 42,731 acres of the Phipps-
Death Hollow ISA would be designated by an act of
Congress as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). It
would be managed in accordance with the BLM Wilder-
ness Management Policy (BLM Manual 8560) to pre-
serve its wilderness character.

The policy of the State is to reserve its position re-
garding the exchange of in-held lands within any parti-
cular ISA (see Chapter 1 in Volume I). Based on this
policy regarding exchange of State lands, it is assum-
ed that State lands would remain under existing own-
ership. There are four State sections (2,560 acres)
within the ISA (refer to Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Vol-
ume I). The figures and acreages given with this alter-
native are for Federal lands only. No private or split-
estate lands are located in the ISA.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 42,731 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale. Currently,
no mining claims are located in the ISA. Should
any be located prior to wilderness designation,
development would be regulated by unnecessary
or undue degradation guidelines (43 CFR 3809)
with consideration given to wilderness values.
BLM does not anticipate location or development
of mining claims with this alternative. Five exist-
ing pre-FLPMA oil and gas leases, involving
3,225 acres, would be developed per the stipula-
tions attached at the time of lease issuance.

Present domestic livestock grazing would contin-
ue as authorized in the Escalante MFP. The 884
AUMs in the ISA would remain available to live-
stock as presently allotted. The use and mainte-
nance of range developments (1 mile of fence)
existing at the time of designation would continue
in the same manner as in the past based on prac-
tical necessity and reasonableness. After designa-
tion, new range developments (2.25 miles of
fence are now planned) would be allowed if neces-
sary for the protection or effective management
of the range and/or wilderness resource and if it
can be carried out consistent with wilderness pro-

tection standards (refer to Appendix 1 in Volume

I).

Public water reserve withdrawals on 130 acres
would remain in effect. These withdrawals segre-
gate the reserve from all public land laws and non-
metalliferous mineral location.

The entire 42,731 -acre area would be closed to
ORV use except for: (1) users with valid existing
rights if approved by BLM in accordance with 43
CFR 8560 provisions; or (2) for occasional and
short-term vehicular access approved by BLM for
maintenance of approved rangeland developments.
About 10 miles of existing vehicular ways would
not be available for vehicular use except as indi-
cated above. The approximately 10 miles of paved
and dirt and gravel roads that border the ISA and
approximately 3 miles of cherry-stemmed roads
would remain open to vehicular use.

Harvest of forest products would not be allowed
except for the harvest of pinyon nuts or noncom-
mercial gathering of dead-and-down wood for use
in the wilderness if accomplished by other than
mechanical means. There is minimal harvest of
forest products at the present time.

Visual resources would be managed in accordance
with VRM Class I standards, which generally
allow for only natural ecological change.

• Action Scenario

BLM projects that a total of 32 acres of surface
disturbance would occur in the ISA following wil-
derness designation. About 20 acres of disturb-
ance would result from development of the oil,
gas, and carbon dioxide resources in the ISA as
discussed in the No Action/No Wilderness Alter-
native but on a much smaller scale because not all
lease areas would be explored prior to lease expir-
ation. Development would be under guidelines of
43 CFR 3100. No new mineral leasing or location
of mining claims would be allowed. Therefore, it
is projected that no locatable mineral exploration
or development would occur in the designated
area and that leasable mineral development would
be restricted to existing, valid leases at the time
of wilderness designation. It is anticipated that no
more than one exploratory well would be drilled
at any one time. Up to 3 miles of access road
would be constructed. This operation would re-
quire up to 1 0 employees and would take up to 6

6

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

T. 33 S.

T. 34 S.

T. 35 S.

Map 2

ALL WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE

Phipps- Death Hollow
Instant Study Area

Leqend

” All Wilderness Alternative (42,731 acres)

Phipps-Death Hollow Outstanding

Natural Area Boundary

— • — Dixie National Forest Boundary

— * - — Box-Death Hollow

Wilderness Boundary

SCALE IN MILES

0 1 2
SCALE IN KILOMETERS

0 12 3

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

R. 3 E.

7

R. 4 E

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

months to complete. Once the wells were drilled,
construction of gathering systems, pipelines,
etc., would require up to 25 employees and take
up to 3 years to complete. Maintenance and oper-
ation of producing wells would require five
employees. Ten acres would be disturbed due to
access road construction to in-held State sections
as described in the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative. Two acres would be disturbed due to
construction of a livestock fence. The fence would
be designed and installed consistent with wilder-
ness protection standards. No other rangeland,
wildlife habitat, watershed projects, or other de-
velopments are planned following wilderness des-
ignation.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected because
of wilderness management restrictions and rug-
ged terrain.

Recreational use is expected to increase over the
current estimated use of 23,000 visitor days per
year at a rate of 2 to 7 percent annually. Motor-
ized recreation use would not be allowed.

• Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action)
(39,256 Acres)

With this alternative, 39,256 acres of the Phipps-
Death Hollow ISA would be designated as wilderness
(refer to Map 3). The objective of this alternative is
to avoid conflicts of wilderness designation with the
airfield for the town of Boulder while analyzing as wil-
derness those portions of this ISA that have the best
wilderness values. BLM believes that wilderness val-
ues are of a higher quality in areas where outstanding
opportunities for solitude and/or primitive recrea-
tion exist, preferably in combination with special fea-
tures. In forming this alternative, the portions of the
ISA with outstanding opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation and special features were includ-
ed where possible within a manageable boundary. The
acreage analyzed as wilderness includes, with small
exceptions, the Phipps-Death Hollow ONA. The remain-
ing 3,475 acres not analyzed as wilderness would be
managed in accordance with the Escalante MFP as de-
scribed for the No Action Alternative. The 39,256-
acre area designated as wilderness would be managed
in accordance with the BLM Wilderness Management
Policy (BLM Manual 8560) as described in the All Wil-
derness Alternative.

The policy of the State is to reserve its position re-
garding exchange of in-held lands within any partic-

ular ISA. Based on this policy regarding the exchange
of State lands, it is assumed that State and private
lands would remain under existing ownership. There
are four State sections (2,559 acres) in the portion
of the ISA that would be designated wilderness (refer
to Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I). The figures and
acreages given for this alternative are for Federal
lands only. There are no private or split-estate lands
within the ISA.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

The 39,256-acre wilderness would be withdrawn
from mineral entry and closed to new mineral
leasing and sale. Currently, no mining claims are
located in the wilderness area. Should any be lo-
cated prior to wilderness designation, develop-
ment would be regulated by unnecessary or undue
degradation guidelines (43 CFR 3809), with con-
sideration given to wilderness values. Existing
pre-FLPMA oil and gas leases, covering 3,225
acres, would be developed per the stipulations
attached at the time of lease issuance. The 3,475-
acre area not designated wilderness would be
open to mineral location, leasing, and sale. Devel-
opment work, extraction, and patenting of future
mining claims could occur if the claims are valid.
Although locatable mineral resources would be
managed as described above, no locatable mineral
exploration or developments are projected for the
ISA because the level of known resources and the
probability of their development are too low to
support a development assumption. Oil and gas
leases would be issued and development could
occur without concern for wilderness values. The
area not designated wilderness would be managed
as oil and gas leasing Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions) on about 2,700 acres and Category 3 (no
surface occupancy) on about 775 acres.

Domestic livestock grazing would continue as au-
thorized in the Escalante MFP. The 800 AUMs in
the wilderness area would remain available to
livestock as presently allotted. The existing 1
mile of fence could continue to be used and main-
tained in the same manner as in the past based on
practical necessity and reasonableness. Range de-
velopments would be allowed after designation
only if necessary for the protection and effective
management of the range and/or wilderness re-
sources, and if wilderness protection criteria are
met. The 2.25 miles of proposed fences would be
in the nondesignated portion of the ISA. In the
3,475-acre nonwilderness area, grazing use of

8

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

T. 33 S.

T. 34 S.

T. 35 S.

5

Map 3

PARTIAL WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE

Phipps-Death Hollow
Instant Study Area

Legend

ISA Boundary

Partial Wilderness
Alternative (39,256 acres)

Box-Death Hollow
Wilderness Boundary

— — — Phipps-Death Hollow Outstanding
Natural Area Boundary

— Dixie National Forest Boundary

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

0 12 3

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

R. 3 E.

9

R. 4 E.

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

84 AUMs would also continue as authorized in the
MFP.

Public water reserve withdrawals on 130 acres
would remain in effect. These withdrawals segre-
gate lands from all public land laws and nonmetal-
liferous mineral location.

The entire 39,256-acre wilderness area would be
closed to ORV use. In the 3,475-acre nondesignat-
ed area, with the exception of 483 acres that
would remain closed to ORV use, the unit would be
open to vehicular travel. About 9 miles of exist-
ing vehicular ways within the wilderness portion
would no longer be available for vehicular use ex-
cept for purposes identified under the All Wilder-
ness Alternative.

Harvest of forest products in the wilderness area
would not be allowed except for the harvest of
pinyon nuts or the noncommercial gathering of
dead-and-down wood for wilderness campers,
backpacking, and hiking if accomplished by other
than mechanical means. The area not designated
wilderness would be open to woodland harvest.

Visual resources in the wilderness would be man-
aged in accordance with VRM Class I standards,
which generally allow for only natural ecological
change. The 3,475 acres not designated as wilder-
ness would also be managed as Class I as current-
ly set forth in the Escalante MFP.

• Action Scenario

Thirty acres of surface disturbance would occur
in the designated portion of the ISA following wil-
derness designation. Twenty acres would be dis-
turbed due to development of oil, gas, and carbon
dioxide resources as described in the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative except on a much small-
er scale because not all lease areas would be ex-
plored prior to lease expiration. Mineral activi-
ties would be under the guidelines of 43 CFR
3100. No new mineral location or mineral leasing
would be allowed. Therefore, it is projected that
no locatable mineral exploration or development
would occur and that leasable mineral develop-
ment would be restricted to existing, valid leases
at the time of wilderness designation. It is assum-
ed that the workforce requirements for the devel-
opment of the carbon dioxide resource would be
similar to those described in the All Wilderness
Alternative. Ten acres would be disturbed by

access road construction to in-held State sections
for the purpose of leasable mineral exploration
and development as discussed in the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative. No rangeland, wildlife
habitat, watershed projects, or other develop-
ments are planned for the designated portion of
the ISA.

It is projected that 2 acres would be disturbed in
the nondesignated area due to construction of 2
miles of livestock fence as discussed in the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected because
of wilderness management restrictions and rug-
ged terrain.

Recreational use is expected to increase over the
current estimated use of 23,000 visitor days per
year at a rate of 2 to 7 percent annually. Motor-
ized recreation (2 percent of present total) use
would not be allowed in the designated area. Vehi-
cular use would continue on 1 mile of vehicular
way in the nondesignated area!

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 presents the environmental consequences of
alternatives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEQ guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as the Envi-
ronmental Consequences of Alternatives in this ISA
analysis.

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

Phipps-Death Hollow ISA encompasses 42,731 acres.
It is approximately 9 miles long (north to south) and
1 1 miles wide (east to west).

Table 1

Summary of Environmental Consequences

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PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

• Naturalness

Naturalness is defined as an area where the evidences
of man are substantially unnoticeable to the average
visitor and where individual minor imprints of man ex-
hibit no cumulative impact that is substantially notice-
able. The entire ISA meets the Wilderness Act criter-
ia for naturalness. Imprints of man that are in the ISA
are the gauging station on the Escalante River about 1
mile east of Escalante and 10 miles of way. These im-
prints involve less than 1 percent of the ISA and are
substantially unnoticeable. In the Phipps-Death Hollow
ISA, the high quality of naturalness has not changed
since the BLM Intensive Wilderness Inventory (USDI,
BLM, 1980b) decision. No additional imprints have
occurred in the ISA as a result of impairing uses or
activities allowed under the BLM Interim Management
Policy (USDI, BLM, 1979c).

• Solitude

Outstanding opportunities for solitude are present in
the ISA due to the deep winding canyons of five major
drainages that provide excellent topographic screen-
ing. The Escalante River, Calf Creek, Sand Creek and
three tributaries (Mamie Creek, Death Hollow, and
Right Fork of Death Hollow) have all created en-
trenched and winding canyons. Although each of the
canyon drainages is characterized by an extremely
high proportion of slickrock, there remains a tremen-
dous variety of canyon landscapes. Some canyons
such as Calf Creek have cut inner gorges in slickrock
bowls or basins. The Escalante River Canyon is a
very deep and large canyon. The Mamie Creek-Death
Hollow drainage exhibits inner gorges and narrows,
perched canyons, and numerous slot and ridge feat-
ures. The North Fork-Death Hollow area is very simi-
lar to the Mamie Creek area but the inner gorge exhib-
its more narrows and greater entrenchment. Regard-
less of the type of canyon, the canyon areas in the
ISA all offer excellent topographic screening and out-
standing opportunities for solitude. Outstanding oppor-
tunities for solitude derivative of canyons are pres-
ent on approximately 19,900 acres of the ISA.

The opportunity for solitude on the benches within the
ISA is outstanding where the geographic isolation is
the greatest. The Antone Flat Bench includes the en-
tire Mamie Creek-Pine Creek divide from Antone Flat
to the Dixie National Forest boundary. This bench ex-
hibits extreme geographical isolation. Slickrock Sad-
dle Bench below Slickrock Saddle exhibits a similar de-
gree of isolation. The opportunity for solitude on Slick-
rock Saddle Bench above Slickrock Saddle diminishes

toward the Dixie National Forest boundary. Below the
confluence of Sweetwater and Sand Creeks, isolation
provided by canyon cliffs is sufficient to provide an
outstanding opportunity. Bowington Bench is complete-
ly isolated by the Calf Creek and Sand Creek Canyon
cliffs and the McGrath Point Bench cliffline. Bowing-
ton Bench, in its entirety, possesses outstanding
opportunities for solitude. Outstanding opportunities
for solitude exist on 16,100 acres of the benches.

A visitor to the ISA can easily find seclusion in many
parts of the ISA. Outside sights and sounds are an in-
significant influence on solitude.

In summary, approximately 36,000 acres or 84 per-
cent of the ISA presents opportunities that meet the
outstanding opportunity criterion for lands under wil-
derness review. The remaining 6,731 acres do not
meet the criterion.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

The ISA offers outstanding opportunities for camping,
backpacking, hiking, horseback riding, and sightseeing
for cultural and geological features. It is the quality
of these individual recreational activities that contrib-
utes to this outstanding opportunity.

The foot and horse travel activities are of high quali-
ty throughout most of the ISA. The overall scenic geol-
ogy of the ISA is of extremely high quality. In this
sense, most of the ISA represents a sightseeing desti-
nation. There are also site-specific sightseeing desti-
nations derivative of this scenic geology. The Upper
and Lower Calf Creek Falls, Death Hollow Canyon,
Escalante Natural Bridge, and the Escalante River Can-
yon are examples.

Sightseeing for historical and archaeological features
can occur over much of the ISA because of the num-
ber, wide distribution, and linear configuration of
many of these features. Historic routes include the
Boulder mail trail, first Boulder-Escalante telephone
line, Old Boulder Road, and the Boynton Road. Archaeo-
logical sites have been identified in Calf Creek, Death
Hollow, Sand Creek, and the Escalante River.

Although the sightseeing opportunity is one element
contributing to the quality of hiking, horseback riding,
and backpacking activities, other factors are also in-
fluential. The availability of a variety of easy to chal-
lenging experiences enhances the hiking activity. The
backpacking activity is also enhanced by the varied
degrees of difficulty of travel within the ISA. Fishing

14

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

opportunities in Calf Creek and Death Hollow also con-
tribute to the hiking, backpacking, and horse travel
activities.

The availability of a large number of route alterna-
tives is the most important factor contributing to the
outstanding quality of hiking, backpacking, and horse
travel activities. The ISA offers an array of canyon
route options for day use hiking and horseback riding.
Because it is not limited by time or by riding terrain,
the backpacking activity possesses even more route
options. These options include all of the canyon sys-
tems and the Pine Creek-Death Hollow divide, Slick-
rock Saddle Bench, Bowington Bench, upper Calf
Creek Basin, and a portion of Big Flat. Certain por-
tions of these bench areas are also within the range
of the dayhiker. The backpacking activity in the ISA is
enhanced by the continuation of the Death Hollow Can-
yon and the Pine Creek-Death Hollow hiking routes
into the Box-Death Hollow wilderness area.

Primitive recreation opportunities on 36,800 acres
or 86 percent of the ISA meet the outstanding cri-
terion for lands under wilderness review, while
5,931 acres do not meet the criterion.

• Special Features

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA possesses educational,
scenic, and historical values.

An interpretive brochure has been developed in con-
junction with the Lower Calf Creek Falls trail in Calf
Creek Canyon. The trail includes that area of the Calf
Creek Canyon between the Lower Falls and the camp-
ground. This portion of Calf Creek Canyon possesses
significant educational values because of the trail and
brochure use that are by campers at the campground.
Approximately 200 acres exhibit educational values.

Although the Phipps-Death Hollow ISA is located on
the upper reaches of the Escalante River, the ISA
possesses certain landscape features not found in the
middle and lower portions of this drainage. There is a
greater preponderance of white-and-yellow Navajo
Sandstone here. The deepest canyons in the drainage
are also present in the ISA. The ISA possesses three
distinct landscape components. All possess significant
scenic features. Approximately 38,931 acres exhibit
Class A scenery.

The Escalante River Canyon in the ISA reaches depths
of 1,100 feet between the mouth of Mamie Creek and
the community of Escalante. In this area, the canyon

walls are rough and broken. The canyon is narrow and
exhibits many meanders. The remainder of the Esca-
lante River Canyon is a wider canyon exhibiting the
more typical red sandstone walls and an abundance of
riparian vegetation creating a green ribbon effect.
The canyon possesses impressive scenic features
throughout its length. Escalante Natural Bridge, a 130-
foot-high bridge with a span of 100 feet, is located on
the south wall of the canyon. Four other natural
bridges and arches are found in the ISA's drainages.

Scenic values are present in the bench and canyon
areas between Slickrock Saddle Bench and Calf Creek
Canyon. Included in this area are Bowington and Slick-
rock Saddle benches, McGrath Point, Sand Creek and
its Willow Patch, Sand Hollow and Sweetwater Creek
tributaries, and the Calf Creek Basin. Where sand-
stone outcroppings and points are present on the
benches, the scenic values are high. However, the
highest quality features occur in the Calf Creek Can-
yon area where red alcoved walls, two waterfalls,
and extensive expanses of white slickrock are pres-
ent. Lower Calf Creek Falls is 126 feet high and Upper
Calf Creek Falls is 86 feet high.

The Death Hollow area of this ISA exhibits some of
the highest quality scenic values found anywhere in
the Escalante River drainage. Death Hollow is the
name given the area carved by Mamie Creek and the
Right Fork of Mamie Creek. Although the area is com-
plex topographically, it can be divided into four gen-
eral landscapes. The Death Hollow Canyon is deep and
meandered. Narrows at depths of 1,000 feet occur in
certain sections of the canyon. Above the canyon,
Mamie Creek has created an extensive upper basin of
exposed sandstone. This is an extremely dissected
area of canyons, tanks, and other formations. Ponder-
osa pine is present in suitable locations. Antone Flat,
a sagebrush park in the southern portion of this area,
is one of the few places where soil cover remains.
The Escalante monocline forms the divide between
Mamie Creek and Pine Creek. The Pine Creek side is a
scenic, dissected, 1,000-foot rock face. The top of
the monocline is a narrow ridge covered with ponder-
osa pine.

Historical values include the Boulder Mail Trail, Boyn-
ton Road, Old Boulder Road, Washington Phipps Grave,
and the Escalante-Boulder telephone line.

The Boulder Mail Trail was used to carry mail and
goods between the Towns of Escalante and Boulder.
Much of the trail is still visible, especially where it
was necessary to construct the trail through slick-

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

rock. The trail has been nominated to the National Reg-
ister of Historic Places and is becoming a popular
backpacking route in the ISA. Approximately 13 miles
of the trail are present in the ISA.

The Boynton Road was constructed in 1909 as a short-
cut between Escalante and Salt Gulch. The road was
abandoned after 2 years when water washed away
portions of the road. The road is visible over approx-
imately 90 percent of its 10-mile route. The Old
Boulder Road was the main route between Escalante
and Boulder until the Civilian Conservation Corps built
the Hell’s Backbone Road and Highway 12 in the
1930s. Approximately 1.5 miles of the road are with-
in the ISA. In 1911 the FS constructed the first tele-
phone line between Escalante and Boulder. This line
provided the first telephone service to the area and
was used until 1955 when it was replaced by a micro-
wave system. Most of the line between Antone Flat
and Sand Creek is still visible. The wire is missing be-
tween Sand Creek and Boulder. Approximately 7.5
miles of the route are within in the ISA but are only
partially evident.

The Friendship Cove Pictograph is an archaeological
site that has been nominated to the National Register
of Historic Places.

The ISA has resource values that, although not identi-
fied as such during the wilderness inventory, could be
considered special features. There are two animal spe-
cies (bald eagle and peregrine falcon) listed as endan-
gered or threatened which could occur in the ISA. In
addition, there are seven animal species and eight
plant species that are considered sensitive which may
also occur in the ISA. Refer to the Vegetation and
Wildlife Including Special Status Species sections for
additional information. The WSA has 40 miles of per-
ennial streams which add appreciably extensively to
its scenic value.

The Escalante River through the ISA is part of a Wild
and Scenic River Inventory Segment (refer to the Rec-
reation section).

• Diversity

This ISA is in the Colorado Plateau Province Ecore-
gion and has the PNV type of juniper-pinyon woodland.
Refer to the Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies section for more discussion on ecoregions and
PNV types. The ecoregion and PNV types represented
by this ISA are compared with existing and other

potential National Wilderness Preservation units in
the Wilderness Values section of Volume I.

This ISA is within a 5-hour drive from one standard
metropolitan statistical area, Provo-Orem, Utah.

Air Quality

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA and surrounding area
have been designated Class II under the PSD regula-
tions. BLM will not consider or recommend any
change in air quality classification as part of the wil-
derness study or wilderness recommendations. Any
further air quality reclassification is the prerogative
of the State government, not of the BLM (USDI, BLM,
1982b). The nearest Class I air quality area is Capitol
Reef National Park, approximately 18 miles to the
east of the ISA.

No measurements of air pollution or visibility levels
have been made in the Escalante planning unit; how-
ever, data collected from various sites (Page, Ari-
zona, and Four Mile Bench approximately 50 miles
south of the ISA) indicate the air is generally free of
pollutants and within National Ambient Air Quality
Standards and State regulations. Visibility is excel-
lent.

Geology and Topography

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA is located within the
western part of the Canyonlands section of the Colo-
rado Plateau Physiographic Province (Thornbury,
1965).

Rocks of Triassic and Jurassic ages, totalling about

2.000 feet in thickness, and thin deposits of Quater-
nary age outcrop in the ISA. The underlying Mesozoic
and Paleozoic rocks in the region are more than

4.000 feet thick (USDI, USGS, 1981a). Grayish-
orange, cross-bedded Navajo Sandstone forms the
most extensive outcrops. Younger units are exposed
along the northern, western, and southern fingers of
the area. The base of the Navajo and the upper part of
the underlying Kayenta Formation are exposed only in
canyons near the east edge of the ISA.

The dominant structure underlying the ISA is the
south end of the large north to south trending Esca-
lante anticline, located in the western portion of the
ISA. The other major fold, the Boulder-Collet anti-
cline, occurs along the eastern side of the ISA. The
intervening structural low, located approximately in

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

the central portion of the ISA, is known as the Sand
Creek syncline.

Elevations in the ISA range from approximately
7,600 feet along the Escalante monocline on the west-
ern side of the ISA to approximately 5,400 feet in
the Escalante River Canyon. The major drainages,
which include Death Hollow/Mamie Creek, Sand
Creek, Pine Creek, and Calf Creek, bisect the ISA in a
north to south axis. Five natural bridges and arches
occur along these drainages. The Escalante River runs
from west to east and borders the southern boundary
of the ISA. Steep-walled canyons cutting into sedimen-
tary rocks are the major landforms in this area.

Soils

The major part of the ISA is rockland. Rockland con-
sists of exposed bedrock, mostly sandstone and lime-
stone, with gentle to steep slopes. These areas have
very little vegetation with native vegetation growing
only in crevices and pockets of soil material (Wilson,
et al., 1975). Runoff is rapid and sediment production
is low.

Sandy soils occur in the northeast corner of the upper
Calf Creek drainage. Runoff and sediment production
from these soils are low and they are subject to soil
blowing. Erosion condition was determined by using
soil surface factors as summarized in Table 2 (terms
are defined in the Glossary).

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
Classification yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
of ISA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

0

0

0

Moderate

1.3

12,393

29

16,1 10

Slight

0.6

14,528

34

8,720

Stable

0.3

15.810

21

4.740

Total

42,731

100

29,570

Sources: USDI, BLM, 1978c and 1979c; Leifeste, 1978.

Soils and rockland within the ISA are considered as
nonsaline. The annual salt production from undisturb-
ed soils is estimated to be 33 lb per acre. Rehabilita-
tion potentials throughout much of the ISA are poor
because of steep slopes and shallow soils.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

The existing vegetation in the ISA consists mainly of
pinyon-juniper woodland although some Ponderosa
pine also occurs in the area. These have been grouped
into a single vegetation type covering 42,666 acres.
Approximately 65 acres of riparian vegetation can be
found along the Escalante River, Pine Creek, Sand
Creek, Sweetwater Creek, Calf Creek, Mamie Creek,
Death Hollow, and Willow Patch Creek. A relict plant
community with lush vegetation and hanging gardens
occurs in Death Hollow. Calf Creek also contains hang-
ing gardens.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the ISA. However, the ISA could contain
one Category 1 candidate species and seven Category
2 candidate species. These are Lepidium montanum
var. stellae. (the Category 1 species), Psoralea pari-
ensis. Lepidium montanum var. neeseae. Corvphantha
missouriensis var. marstonii. Heterotheca jonesii.
Penstemon atwoodii. Xvlorhiza cronquistii. and Spir-
anthes diluvialis (see Appendix 4 in Volume I).

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA is in the Colorado
Plateau Province Ecoregion as shown on the Bailey-
Kuchler ecosystems map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). The
PNV type of the ISA is juniper-pinyon woodland.

Water Resources

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA is within the Escalante
River subbasin of the Upper Colorado River hydro-
logic subregion.

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA contains approximately
40 miles of perennial streams, all of which are in the
Escalante River drainage. These streams include the
Escalante River, Calf Creek, Pine Creek, Sand Creek,
Sweetwater Creek, Willow Patch Creek, Mamie
Creek, and Death Hollow. Flash floods are common on
these streams from July to mid-September during
the thunderstorm season. The water quality stand-
ards for Escalante River and tributaries, from conflu-
ence with Boulder Creek to headwaters are as fol-
lows: Class 2B (protected for boating, waterskiing,
and similar uses), Class 3A (protected for cold water
species of game fish and other cold water aquatic
life, including the necessary aquatic organisms in
their food chain), and Class 4 (protected for agricul-
tural uses including irrigation of crops and stock-
watering).

1 7

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

Utah’s 1986 305(b) water quality assessment report
states that streams and tributaries entering Lake
Powell in the southern portions of the Upper Colorado
River drainage have impairments to their beneficial
uses from high levels of TDS and sodium. These im-
pairments result mainly from natural sources and low
flows. Water quality samples indicate that organic
enrichment and sedimentation resulting from flooding
are the prevalent water quality problems. All water
quality indicators measured are within State water
quality standards for cold-water fisheries. Bacteria
levels are generally low.

Six undeveloped springs exist in the ISA. Primary
uses are livestock and wildlife watering.

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA is within the Escalante
River Adjudication Area 97. The Escalante River and
all tributaries are considered to be fully appropri-
ated, and the underground water directly connected
to the surface is closed to appropriation, with the
exception of some limited applications for 0.015 cfs
which have been approved on an individual basis. The
State Engineer will accept applications to appropriate
water from the underground aquifer located in bed-
rock and consider them on the individual merits of the
application (UDNRE, DWR, 1988).

Water rights within or adjacent to the ISA boundary
total 126.48 acre-feet annually. The Pine Creek Irri-
gation Company has the water rights to 37.20 acre-
feet from Pine Creek to irrigate 390.50 acres of crop-
land adjacent to the western boundary of the ISA
(UDNRE, DWR, 1969). Private individuals have the
water rights to 5.15 acre-feet of water from Pine
Creek for livestock water. BLM has the rights to
69.43 acre-feet for livestock watering. The State of
Utah has the water rights to 14.7 acre-feet of water
on State sections enclosed within the boundaries of
the ISA (UDNRE, DWR, 1969).

Utah Power and Light has applications on file with the
State Water Engineer for over 200,000-acre feet of
water in the Escalante River Basin. According to infor-
mation on file, this water would be used for coal-
fired steam generation, mining, domestic, and irriga-
tion purposes. Current information suggests that such
power generation projects would not occur in the fore-
seeable future.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Phipps-Death Hollow ISA is given in Table 3.

Appendix 5 in Volume I describes the energy and
mineral resource rating system.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Resource

Rating

Favorabilitya Certaintyb

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

f 3

cl

Between 10 and 50 million
barrels of oil; between 60 and
300 billion cubic-feet of gas

Uranium

f 2

cl

Less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide

Hydroelectric

f 2

c4

0.05 to 15 megawatts

Carbon Dioxide

f 4

C4

Unknown (large deposit)

Source: SAI, 1982; USDI, BLM. 1987.

aFavorability of the ISA's geologic environment for a resource (fl - lowest
favorability or smallest size deposit; f4 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

bThe degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

There are no strategic or critical minerals known to
occur within the ISA (USDoD, 1988).

• Leasable Minerals

There are no known deposits of any leasable minerals
in the ISA. Currently, there are no active drilling,
mining, or exploration activities for leasable min-
erals.

• Oil and Gas

Numerous oil shows (including oil-impregnated
rock deposits) have been reported from Cambri-
an, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Per-
mian, and Triassic rocks in south-central Utah
(Heylmun, et al., 1965; Veal, 1976; and Camp-
bell and Ritzma, 1979). The older rocks generally
are only stained, whereas free oil has been recov-
ered from Mississippian rocks at Upper Valley
(Doelling, 1975). Because the most obvious struc-
tures in the area have already been explored,
many investigators consider subtle stratigraphic
traps in Permian and Triassic rocks to offer the
best potential for future petroleum discoveries.

The only oil and gas production in south-central
Utah in the vicinity of the ISA comes from the
Upper Valley field located about 12 miles to the
southwest. This field was discovered on the Upper
Valley anticline in 1964 and stimulated drilling
activity on similar anticlinal structures in south-

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

central Utah. To date, however, no commercial oil
and gas potential has been identified in the ISA.

The oil reservoir in the Upper Valley field is locat-
ed along the prominent Upper Valley anticline, but
the producing area is offset from the crest of the
anticline to the west flank and the southern plung-
ing nose. This offset is attributed to a regional,
southwest directed hydrodynamic drive in the
Kaibab Formation (Sharp, 1976). Oil accumulation
in other anticlines within the region may be dis-
placed to the south. Total production from this
field is expected to approach 50 million barrels.
Production is from four distinct zones in the Timp-
oweap Formation (Triassic age) and the Kaibab For-
mation (Permian age) (Sharp, 1976). Shows of oil
were also reported in the Cedar Mesa (Permian)
and the Redwall Formation (Mississippian).

The Escalante anticline was tested in the ISA in
1972. This well bottomed in the Cedar Mesa at a
depth of about 4,400 feet with no recorded shows
of oil or gas. Six wells have been drilled 4 to 10
miles north of the ISA on the Escalante anticline.
Two of these wells encountered oil shows in the
Timpoweap Member and two wells had shows in
the Kaibab Formation. The Boulder-Collet anticline
was tested in 1969 near the northeast edge of the
ISA. The well, which was dry, bottomed in the
White Rim Member of the Permian Cutler Forma-
tion at a depth of 3,225 feet. Six other tests on
the anticline southeast of the ISA were also unsuc-
cessful, though one well had a show of oil in Per-
mian strata (USDI, USGS, 1981a).

Based on a comparison with the Upper Valley
field, the Escalante anticline could contain hydro-
carbons downdip and to the west of the anticlinal
crest. However, the structure and nature of the
subsurface is very poorly known in this portion of
the Escalante anticline. Both structural, strati-
graphic, and combination traps should be consid-
ered likely because of the anticlinal feature, and
the presence of rocks which may exhibit porosity
and permeability sufficiently variable to produce
stratigraphic traps.

Based on the above, the ISA is assigned a favora-
bility rating of (f3) (SAI, 1982). The size of the
hydrocarbon accumulation in such an environment
is anticipated to be between 10 and 50 million
barrels of oil or between 60 and 300 billion cubic-
feet of gas. Based on the available information,

the certainty of occurrence for oil and gas is
rated very low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, 2,700 acres of
the ISA are in Category 1 (standard stipulations);
7,700 acres are in Category 3 (no surface occu-
pancy); and 32,331 acres are in Category 4
(closed to leasing). There are presently five pre-
FLPMA leases, covering 3,225 acres in the ISA.
Pre-FLPMA leases are governed by stipulations
attached at the time of leasing. Before wilderness
studies were mandated these stipulations may
allow for the impairment of wilderness values, as
a prior and existing right associated with lease de-
velopment. The five pre-FLPMA leases are still in
effect because they were placed in suspension on
March 1, 1978 because of drilling moratoriums
on the FS and BLM WSAs.

• Carbon Dioxide

A large carbon dioxide deposit (with current esti-
mates ranging up to 4 trillion cubic-feet) was dis-
covered on the crest of the Escalante anticline in
a well drilled in 1960, about 7 miles north of the
ISA. A total of six wells have been drilled on FS
land on the anticline and all have encountered car-
bon dioxide. Two of the wells drilled on the anti-
cline are about 4 and 5 miles north of the ISA re-
spectively. A geologic structure, formerly desig-
nated as the Escalante KGS contains 80,010.39
acres, of which 13,720 acres in the southern
most portion are located in the ISA. It extends
down structure on the Escalante anticline to with-
in 1 mile of a dry hole in T. 35 S., R. 3 E., sec.
10.

The Escalante anticline appears to be one large
continuous north to south trending structure. The
Phipps-Death Hollow ISA overlies the southern
part of the structure and exploration to date has
been concentrated in the northern part. Carbon di-
oxide has been encountered in several formations
on the structure including the Shinarump, Kaibab,
Coconino (or White Rim) and Cedar Mesa. There-
fore, the field could be described as several reser-
voirs vertically stacked across one large struc-
ture.

The wells drilled to date have been described as
high volume-low pressure wells. Pressure behav-
ior can only be determined by continued develop-
ment and sustained production of carbon dioxide.
Pressures would have to be considered in well

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

completion and pipeline design and, therefore,
could have some effect on economics.

The effects, if any, of the regional hydrodynamic
drive can only be determined by more drilling to
delineate the resource. The nearby Upper Valley
oil field has been displaced toward the west by a
strong hydrodynamic drive and it would not be un-
reasonable to expect some effects at Escalante.

Based on available information, the ISA has been
assigned a favorability rating of f4 (potential for
large deposits). The certainty that carbon dioxide
occurs in the ISA is high (c4). Based on this poten-
tial, it is projected that exploration and develop-
ment would occur on the existing pre-FLPMA oil
and gas leases in the foreseeable future.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in
the ISA, and there are presently no mining claims.

• Uranium

The Chinle Formation is the only rock unit under-
lying the ISA known to have potential for uranium
in the area. The Chinle occurs at depths across the
ISA ranging from 1,500 feet to 2,500 feet below
the surface.

The area encompassed by the ISA is not favorable
for significant deposits of uranium (Peterson, et
al., 1982). A significant deposit is defined as one
which contains economically extractable uranium
oxide deposit that contains a total of at least 100
metric-tons of uranium oxide at a grade of at
least 0.01 percent. The USGS and USBM (USDI,
USGS, 1981a) also concluded that the ISA has a
very low potential for the occurrence of uranium.

Based on the above discussion, the ISA is assigned
a uranium favorability rating of (f2) (containing
less than 500 metric-tons of uranium oxide). The
certainty that uranium deposits occur in the Chin-
le Formation within the tract is very low (cl).

• Gypsum

A small portion of a gypsum deposit on the south-
western side of the ISA extends into the tract.
The deposit is not considered significant due to the
presence of better deposits outside the ISA.

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the ISA.
These deposits are not unique or economically signif-
icant due to the presence of ample similar materials
nearby. Under the current land use plan, sale of sand
and gravel is not allowed in the Calf Creek recreation
area.

• Hydroelectric Power

The Escalante River has a potential to produce 0.04
megawatts of hydroelectric power 95 percent of the
time (Clyde, et al., 1979). This estimate was made
for a segment of the Escalante River near the eastern
edge of the ISA. Development of this potential is not
projected in the foreseeable future.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA has habitat that could
support approximately 50 species of mammals, 170
species of birds, 17 species of reptiles, five species
of amphibians, and six species of fish. The birds are
mainly seasonal residents or migrants while the other
species are primarily residents. The ISA provides
yearlong, winter, and important winter range for
mule deer; however, deer numbers are low. The
important winter range (approximately 21,200
acres) supports a wintering deer population that
spends the remainder of the year on the Dixie Nation-
al Forest. The riparian areas are the most important
use areas for the resident populations. The Antone
Flat area (13,879 acres) was designated for mule
deer use in the late 1960s and is not utilized by live-
stock.

The ISA provides approximately 3,000 acres of im-
portant winter range for elk. The UDWR transplanted
159 elk into the Boulder Mountain elk herd unit in
1976 to 1977. During years of heavy snowfall on the
higher elevations of the Dixie National Forest, 50 to
80 elk may migrate onto winter range, which includes
part of the ISA.

Cougars are present throughout the ISA in small num-
bers (probably less than 10). A few may be resident,
but the majority are winter visitors. Cougars occur
in the pinyon-juniper and riparian habitats as well as
rocky and cliff areas. Cougars are usually found in
close proximity to areas occupied by mule deer.

20

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

Two endangered species, peregrine falcon (Falco pere-
arims) and bald ea9le (Haliaeetus leucocephalusL are
rare migrants and possibly winter visitors to the
ISA. Peregrine falcons have been seen along the Esca-
lante River above Harris Wash in the Glen Canyon
NRA. Bald eagles commonly winter on Lake Powell at
the mouth of the Escalante River and may occasion-
ally move up the river into the ISA.

In addition, seven FWS Category 2 candidate species
may occur in the ISA. These include the Great Basin
Silverspot butterfly, ferruginous hawk, long-billed
curlew, Salt Gulch pocket gopher, southern spotted
owl, Swainson’s hawk, and the white-faced ibis (see
Appendix 4 in Volume I).

At least four other raptors are known to nest in the
ISA, including the golden eagle, but only the American
kestrel could be considered common. The UDWR list of
sensitive species includes two species that occur in
the ISA: Lewis woodpecker and western bluebird.

The most important game fish occurring in the ISA
are brown and rainbow trout. Death Hollow, Mamie
Creek, Sand Creek, Pine Creek, and Calf Creek sup-
port trout populations. Rainbow and brown trout are
not native to this area but have been introduced at
various times by UDWR; however, they do not stock
these waters on a regular basis. The ISA contains
approximately 25 miles of stream fish habitat.

The Colorado River cutthroat trout was native to this
area but has probably been extirpated. The upper falls

area of Calf Creek has been identified by BLM as suit-
able habitat for this species. During 1978, UDWR
stocked the area between the upper and lower falls of
Calf Creek with the Strawberry Lake strain of cut-
throat trout.

There are no management facilities or proposed treat-
ment areas for wildlife in the ISA.

Forest Resources

No significant forest resources occur in the ISA.
Approximately 4,497 acres (Calf Creek recreation
area) are closed to wood cutting. About 38,234 acres
of the ISA are open to the collection of fuelwood; how-
ever, due to the remoteness of the area, lack of ac-
cess, and sparse vegetation, current use is minimal
and is not expected to substantially increase in the fu-
ture. Some juniper post and fuelwood cutting by local
residents occurs in the northeast corner of the ISA
(New Home Bench) adjacent to cherry-stemmed
roads. The New Home Bench contains the best wood-
land stands for fuelwood and fence posts in the ISA.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The ISA encompasses three livestock grazing (cattle)
allotments (McGrath Point, Salt Water Creek, and Wil-
low Gulch) and small portions of two others (Esca-
lante River and Big Horn). Table 4 summarizes the
livestock use in the ISA.

Table 4

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in ISA

Total

AUMs

Number
of AUMs
in ISA

Number and
Kind of
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

McGrath Point

3.340

3,440

119

75

24 Cattle

10/01 -02/28

1

Salt Water Creek

10, .210

10,210

119

119

24 Cattle

10/16-03/1 5

1

Willow gulch

10,215

9,357

651

582

93 Cattle

11/01-03/31

2

Escalante River

67,891

2,748

2,956

24

364 Cattle

09/01-03/31

1

Big Horn

18,247

3,097

2,994

84

399 Cattle

09/01-03/31

3

Antone Flat

Closed

13,879

Closed

Total

109,903

42,731

6,839

884

8

Sources: BLM File Data.

21

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

A sixth allotment (Antone Flat) has been closed to
grazing by livestock since the late 1960s. Table 5
identifies existing and proposed range improvements
in the ISA.

Table 5

Existing and Proposed Range Improvements

Allotment

Existing Range

Improvement

Proposed Improvement

McGrath Point

None

None

Salt Water Creek

None

0.25 mile of fence

Willow Gulch

0.75 mile

of fence

2 miles of fence

Escalante River

0.25 mile

of fence

None

Big Horn

None

None

Antone Flat

None

None

Source: USDI, BLM, 1980a.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the grazing allotments that com-
prise the Phipps-Death Hollow ISA (USDA, APHIS,
1988). There are no wild horses or burros within the
ISA.

Visual Resources

The BLM visual resource inventory classified approx-
imately 38,931 acres as Class A and 3,800 acres as
Class B scenery (refer to Appendix 7 for a descrip-
tion of the BLM VRM system). The ONA portion of the
ISA was designated in recognition of its scenic val-
ues, and most of the ISA possesses a visual resource
of unquestionable high quality. This landscape contains
the extremely rugged, red and white sandstone can-
yonlands and canyons of the Escalante River and its
Death Hollow tributary. The ISA also includes two
waterfalls and five natural bridges and arches. The
ISA is a VRM Class I management area.

Cultural Resources

A total of 44 sites representing diverse site types
have been recorded in the ISA (USDI, BLM, 1988a).
The majority of these sites are prehistoric surface
lithic scatters of unknown age or cultural affiliation.
Some of these may represent campsites. Two of the
lithic scatters are attributed to the Anasazi and two
are attributed to protohistoric Paiute occupation. Six
prehistoric-rockshelter sites have been recorded in
the ISA. Most of these contain only a few lithic arti-
facts, however, one of the alcoves contains a prehis-
toric masonry structure and another contains a pre-
historic burial. Fourteen rock-art sites (petroglyphs
and pictographs) have been recorded in the ISA and
two of these are attributed to the Fremont culture. A
site which may represent a pit-house village has been

recorded in the ISA, but has not been completely re-
corded or evaluated for National Register eligibility.
One historic site of unknown age has been recorded in
the ISA. Other areas of historical significance include
the Boulder Mail Trail, Boynton Road, Old Boulder
Road, Washington Phipps grave, and the route of the
Escalante-Boulder telephone line.

Many of the sites in the ISA have not been formally
evaluated for eligibility to the National Register of
Historic Places; however, three of the lithic scatter
and/or rockshelter sites are considered to be signif-
icant. The Friendship Cove Pictograph site is included
in the National Register of Historic Places. This site
consists of a set of large Fremont style pictographs
painted on the face of a large sandstone cliff located
in the eastern portion of the ISA. The Boulder Mail
Trail has been nominated to the National Register of
Historic Places and all three remaining segments of it
are located in the unit. This historic road was used to
carry mail from Escalante, Utah, to Boulder, Utah, in
the early 1900s. The route of the Escalante-Boulder
telephone essentially parallels the Boulder Mail Trail.

Intensive survey for four inventory projects has
been conducted within the boundaries of the unit.
Based on inventory for the Southern Utah Coal pro-
ject (USDI, BLM, 1978a), archaeological site dens-
ities on approximately 25,450 acres of the ISA are
moderate (1 1 to 49 sites per 23,000 acres). Site
densities on approximately 17,280 acres are not
known. Most of the recorded sites are located in the
eastern half of the ISA. The remaining projects con-
sist of a seismic line survey and two transmission
line surveys. None of these inventories was specifi-
cally designed for the ISA; hence, statistics based on
them may be unreliable. However, the potential for
finding additional sites in the unit is probably good.
Based on available data most of these sites would
probably be surface lithic scatters; however, Ana-
sazi structural sites and additional rock-art sites
may also be found.

Recreation

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA offers important oppor-
tunities for primitive recreation use. Nonprimitive
recreation opportunities are limited. The ISA contains
the Phipps-Death Hollow ONA and the undeveloped por-
tion of the Calf Creek recreation area, both of which
offer opportunities such as hiking, backpacking, camp-
ing, sightseeing, and fishing. The ISA received approx-
imately 23,000 visitor days of total recreation use
in 1987. The primary recreation use period is from

22

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

March to November. Approximately 19,890 visitor
days are associated with primitive recreation use
such as hiking, backpacking, photography, etc. The
remaining recreation use (3,110 visitor days) is
mainly day hikers to Calf Creek Falls.

Phipps-Death Hollow was designated an ONA on Decem-
ber 23, 1970. It contains 34,288 acres and is manag-
ed to preserve its scenic values and natural wonders.
All but 12 acres of the ONA are located inside the
ISA. Phipps-Death Hollow ONA is segregated from
sale under Section 2455 of the Revised Statutes (Fed-
eral Register, December 23, 1970). Calf Creek was
designated as a recreation area on December 23,
1970. The intensive use area contains a developed
campground that is not included in the ISA.

The ISA is occasionally used by commercial outfitters
as an outdoor classroom. The same outfitters also use
the Steep Creek WSA and North Escalante Canyons/
The Gulch ISA.

No more than 2 percent of the total visitor use in-
volves vehicles.

ORV use is closed on those 38,773 acres of the ISA
that correspond to the ONA and recreation area. ORV
use on the remaining 3,958 ISA acres is minimal. A
major recreation use of the ISA is sightseeing attrib-
uted to approximately 121,000 motor vehicle tour-
ists traveling State Highway 12 between the communi-
ties of Boulder and Escalante. This use is particularly
heavy on the Hogsback portion of the route where
there are overviews of Calf Creek Canyon and much
of the ISA.

The Escalante River including 14.9 miles through the
ISA is an Inventory River Segment identified for stu-
dy under Section 5(d) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers
Act by the Secretary of Interior on September 11,
1970. The natural values of the Escalante River have
been identified through the existing ONA designations.
BLM must, as part of its environmental protection
process, avoid or mitigate adverse impacts to the
river and consult with the NPS before taking any
actions which could foreclose wild, scenic, or rec-
reational river status (CEQ, 1980).

Approximately 43 miles of hiking routes are available
to recreationists in the major drainages of the ISA.
These routes include the Escalante River, Death Hol-
low, Sand Creek, and Calf Creek. Trailheads for these
hiking routes are located at the State Highway 12
crossing of the Escalante River, Calf Creek Camp-

ground, the Town of Escalante, and on the Dixie Na-
tional Forest at the head of Death Hollow. Other hiking
opportunities are available throughout the ISA. Al-
though several drainages (including Death Hollow,
Mamie Creek, Sand Creek, Pine Creek, and Calf
Creek) offer sport-fishing opportunities for brown
and rainbow trout, none of these streams receive
substantial fishing pressure.

Land Use Plans

The ISA is within the BLM Escalante planning unit and
is being managed according to the land use decisions
of the Escalante MFP (USDI, BLM, 1 98 Id). Principle
uses are recreation and grazing. Wilderness is not
addressed in the Escalante MFP. However, wilderness
designation is part of the BLM multiple-use concept.
BLM land use planning is linked to the Statewide Wil-
derness EIS through analysis of the present plan as
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

The ISA is BLM-administered public land except for
four State sections (2,559 acres). The current policy
of the State is to maximize economic returns from
State lands and to reserve its position regarding the
exchange of in-held lands (see Chapter 1 in Volume I).
In 1986, the Utah State Legislature passed S.C.R. No.

1 opposing any additional wilderness designation in
Utah and urging that State lands not be exchanged out
of wilderness areas. Of the 2,559 acres of in-held
State land, 641 acres are under lease for grazing and
640 acres are under lease for oil, gas, and hydrocar-
bons.

On September 11, 1970 the Secretary of the Interior
identified the Escalante River from Lake Powell to its
source as a candidate Wild and Scenic River under Sec-
tion 5(d) of the Wild and Scenic River Act. The Esca-
lante River possesses one or more values that may be
of national significance. The ISA contains 14.9 miles
of the Escalante River.

The Garfield County Master Plan covers portions of
this ISA. The master plan recognizes that the county
possesses "... Some of the most spectacular scen-
ery in the United States . . . The County is sparsely
populated and most of it is in its original pristine con-
dition (Five County Association of Governments,
1984)." Garfield County proposed that 111,053
acres of BLM lands in three WSAs/ISAs and 31,600
acres in one FS unit be recommended for wilderness.
Included in the acres for wilderness designation are
39,256 acres in the Phipps-Death Hollow ISA. The
county plan recommends that the remaining lands

23

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

within the county be retained for multiple uses. The
plan's concept of multiple use includes forestry, live-
stock grazing, mining, wildlife, and recreation. The
County’s position is that the southern boundary should
be adjusted to conform to the boundary of the ONA.
The northeast portion of the ISA (New Home Bench)
should also be deleted from further study to alleviate
potential management problems adjacent to the Boul-
der Airfield and to allow for capital facilities expan-
sion.

In spite of the County Master Plan, Garfield County
Commission has endorsed the Consolidated Local
Government Response to Wilderness (Utah Counties,
1986) that opposes wilderness designation of BLM
lands in Utah.

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA is contiguous to the Box-
Death Hollow wilderness area administered by the FS.

Socioeconomics

* Demographics

The Phipps-Death Hollow ISA is located in Garfield
County, Utah.

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Garfield County
grew from 3,157 to 3,700, an overall increase of
about 17 percent. Table 6 presents the baseline and
projected population data for Garfield County. It is
estimated that between 1980 and 1987 population in-
creased to about 4,085. Population projections indi-
cate that the number of people living in Garfield Coun-
ty in the year 2010 will be about 4,850 for about a
19-percent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of
Planning and Budget, 1987).

Table 6

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Garfield County

1 980

1 990

2000

2010

Population

3,700

4,250

4,350

4,850

Employment

2,156

2,000

2,200

3,200

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

The community of Escalante lies along a major access
route to the Phipps-Death Hollow ISA, State Highway
12. Escalante is one of the larger communities in the
area having a 1980 population of 652 persons (USDC,
Bureau of the Census, 1981). Escalante is a gateway
and service area for visitors to this ISA.

• Employment

Table 6 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Garfield County to the year 2010.

Garfield County is part of the Southwest MCD. Table
7 shows the baseline (1980) and projected employ-
ment by source for the MCD to the year 2010. In
1980 the leading employment sectors for the South-
west MCD were government and trade. Mining provid-
ed approximately 2 percent of the direct employment
in the MCD.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 3 percent, government to
18 percent, and mining to less than 1 percent of the
total MCD employment.

Table 7

Southwest Multi-County District
Employments

1 980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1 ,810

1 ,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1 ,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1 ,006

1,300

1 ,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

11,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3,1 QQ

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

alncludes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the ISA include mineral
exploration, mineral leasing, livestock production,
and recreation. Table 8 summarizes the local sales
and Federal revenues from the ISA. Appendix 9 iden-
tifies the multipliers used to estimate sales and reve-
nues.

No oil and gas or mineral production has occurred in
the ISA. Therefore, mineral and energy resource pro-
duction from the ISA has not contributed to local em-
ployment or income.

Eight livestock operators have a total grazing privi-
lege of 884 AUMs within the ISA. If all this forage

24

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

were utilized, it would account for $17,680 of live-
stock sales and $4,420 of ranchers' returns to labor
and investment.

Table 8

Sales and Revenues

Source

Estimated Annual
Local Sales a

Estimated Annual
Federal Revenues

Oil and Gas Leases

0

$6,450

Livestock Grazing

$17,680

$1,361

Recreational Use

$94.300

i 452b

Total

$111,980

$8,261

Sources: BLM File Data; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

aLocal sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account for the
total income that would be generated by these expenditures.

bPart of a total of $1,350 in revenue received from commercial organizations
also using the North Escalante Canyons^The Gulch ISA and Steep Creek ISA.

The actual amount of income generated locally from
recreational use in the ISA is unknown. However, an
approximate range of expenditures can be deduced
(Dalton, 1982). This study indicates that the State-
wide average expenditures per recreational visitor
day for all types of recreation in Utah are approxi-
mately $4.10. The recreational use for Phipps-Death
Hollow ISA is estimated to be about 23,000 visitor
days per year.

The ISA generates Federal revenues from mineral
leases, livestock, and recreation sources (refer to
Table 8).

Five leases in the ISA cover approximately 3,225
acres. At $2 per acre, lease rental fees generate up
to $6,450 of Federal revenues annually. Half of these
monies are allocated to the State, which then reallo-
cates these revenues to various funds, the majority
of which are related to energy development and miti-
gation of local impacts of energy and mineral develop-
ment.

Average actual livestock use and, therefore, reve-
nues generated from grazing in the ISA are unknown;
however, the permittees in the ISA can use up to 884
AUMs per year. Based on a $1.54 per AUM grazing
fee, the ISA can potentially generate $1,361 of graz-
ing fee revenues annually, 50 percent of which would
be allocated back to the local BLM District for the con-
struction of rangeland improvements.

Recreation use permits are issued to commercial or-
ganizations who use Phipps-Death Hollow ISA plus the

North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA and Steep
Creek WSA. Approximately $1,350 in revenue is
collected for all three areas. It is assumed that each
area accounts for $450 in annual Federal revenue.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

Analysis assumptions and guidelines for all alterna-
tives are described in the Introduction to Volume
lll-B. The following analysis is based on implementa-
tion of the Action Scenarios presented in the Descrip-
tion of the Alternatives.

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the ISA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the ISA
would be somewhat protected by limitations placed on
potential surface-disturbing activities (i.e., VRM
Class I management on all 42,731 acres, management
under oil and gas leasing Category 4 [closed to leas-
ing] on 32,331 acres and oil and gas leasing Category
3 [no surface occupancy] on 7,700 acres, and ORV
closure on 38,800 acres).

In the foreseeable future, disturbance of approxi-
mately 322 acres from exploration or development of
oil, gas, and carbon dioxide resources and rangeland
projects, mainly in the western half of the ISA,
would result in a direct loss of naturalness and oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive, unconfined recrea-
tion in the disturbed areas. Most special features in-
cluding historical and archaeological values, special
status species, and perennial streams would not be
affected because the disturbance would involve only
0.75 percent (322 acres) of the ISA and would gener-
ally not be located where the special features are
located. In addition, appropriate measures would be
taken to protect special status species and cultural
values prior to any surface-disturbing activity. Class
A scenery would be reduced in quality in the disturb-
ed areas.

During the period of activity, the visual and audible
disturbance from mineral exploration and develop-
ment and access development would reduce the qual-
ity of opportunities for solitude and primitive recrea-
tion not only on directly disturbed areas but also indi-

25

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

rectly on adjacent portions of the ISA. As much as 15
percent (6,410 acres) of the ISA could be so affected
in the foreseeable future.

Because future vehicular use would generally be limit-
ed by terrain to 10 miles of existing vehicular ways
and to new roads for mineral exploration and develop-
ment, no additional disturbance from ORV activity is
anticipated in the future. The continued and increased
use of existing ways and new roads would occasion-
ally detract from opportunities for solitude and primi-
tive recreation.

The gradual increase in visitor use that would occur
would not be expected to significantly reduce wilder-
ness values because the additional use would be large-
ly primitive in nature.

This alternative would not enhance or complement
wilderness values, uses, and management of the con-
tiguous FS wilderness area.

Conclusion: Naturalness and opportunities for solitude
and primitive recreation would be directly lost on
322 acres and opportunities for solitude and primi-
tive recreation would be indirectly reduced in quality
on up to an additional 6,410 acres. Most special fea-
tures would not be significantly affected. Class A
scenery would be reduced in quality in the disturbed
areas and the Escalante River would not receive addi-
tional protection.

♦ Impacts on Water Resources

Since water quality of existing streams is greatly
influenced by flash floods in the ISA, no significant
sedimentation or change in TDS, including salt produc-
tion, is expected to occur from the 322 acres of sur-
face disturbance. Required mitigation and existing re-
strictions on development imposed by public water
reserves (130 acres), closure to mineral leasing
(32,331 acres), closure to surface occupancy (7,700
acres), and closure to ORVs (38,800 acres) would
prevent significant impacts on water quality. Present
use of water in and upstream of the ISA would not be
affected.

Conclusion: Water quality and uses would not signifi-
cantly change as a result of implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

The ISA would remain open to exploration and develop-
ment of mineral and energy resources without consid-
eration of wilderness values. Therefore, mineral and
energy resources would not be affected by the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Implementation of the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative would not adversely affect min-
eral exploration or production.

• Impacts on Visual Resources

With this alternative, visual quality in the ISA would
be protected by limitations placed on potential sur-
face-disturbing activities (i.e., 38,800 acres would
remain closed to ORV use, 32,331 acres would be
closed to oil and gas leasing, and the entire area
would be managed under VRM Class I objectives re-
quiring that activities not be apparent).

However, with this alternative, 310 acres of mineral-
related exploration and development are possible.
Even though mitigative measures would be applied to
minimize visual contrast created by intrusions, vis-
ual quality would be degraded in localized areas dur-
ing the period of activity. VRM objectives would prob-
ably not be met. Even after rehabilitation, some per-
manent localized degradation would be expected. If
roads, vehicular ways, and drill pads are located
throughout the western half of the area, visual qual-
ity could be significantly reduced in that portion
(approximately 15 percent or 6,410 acres) of the
ISA.

Development is not expected in the eastern portion of
the ISA because the area is either closed to further
leasing or is outside the KGS which is favorable for
carbon dioxide development.

Conclusion: Visual quality could be reduced in quality
on up to 15 percent (6,410 acres) of the ISA.

• Impacts on Recreation

Up to 310 acres could be disturbed by mineral and
energy activities. Primitive recreational opportuni-
ties could be diminished on the affected areas and on
adjacent areas involving up to 15 percent (6,410
acres) of the ISA.

26

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

The future trends in recreational use of the ISA are
unknown. However, based on a review of several pro-
jections (UDNRE, ORA, 1980; UDNRE, DPR, 1985;
Cordell and Hendee, 1982; Utah Office of Planning and
Budget, 1984; Jungst, 1978; and Hof and Kaiser,
1981) it is estimated that outdoor recreation in Utah
will increase at about 2 to 7 percent per year over
the next 30 years. At this rate overall recreational
use is expected to increase from 23,000 current visi-
tor days per year to between 43,340 and 200,450
visitor days by the year 2020. However, visitor use
may have to be controlled to protect recreation and
other resource values and projected levels may not
be obtained. Ninety-eight percent of the use would con-
tinue to be primitive in nature Vehicular use on 10
miles of ways could continue.

The Escalante River, which is a Nationwide Wild and
Scenic River Inventory Segment, would not receive
additional protection from wilderness designation.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation and loss would occur as in-
trusions increase. In the foreseeable future, the qual-
ity of primitive recreation would be reduced on up to
15 percent of the ISA. Recreational use would in-
crease but use of vehicles would continue to be pre-
cluded on 38,800 acres. About 14.9 miles of a Wild
and Scenic River Inventory Segment would not re-
ceive additional protection from wilderness designa-
tion.

• Impacts on Boulder Airfield

Expansion and use of the Boulder Air/Field would not
be affected by implementation of the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: The Boulder Airfield would not be affect-
ed.

• Impacts on Local Economic Conditions

There would not be a loss of local employment or in-
come as a result of this alternative. The existing abil-
ity to explore and develop mineral resources would
remain as at present. If the carbon dioxide in the ISA
were developed, it could lead to a significant increase
in employment and income for Garfield County.

During exploration, 10 temporary jobs would be add-
ed which would be insignificant when compared to the
county work force as a whole. However, development
could lead to an increase of up to 200 jobs for a 3-

year period. This would amount to a 10-percent in-
crease from the current employment levels. Mainte-
nance and operation of the carbon dioxide field would
result in about 10 permanent positions over the long
term. Construction activity would result in both bene-
ficial and adverse impacts on local economic condi-
tions. Increases in local employment and income
would be beneficial to individuals but there would be
heavy demands on the local infrastructure including
schools, law enforcement, housing, etc.

There would be no livestock-related economic losses
because the existing grazing use (884 AUMs) and abil-
ity to maintain, replace, and build new range improve-
ments would remain as at present.

As discussed in the Recreation section, recreational
use and, therefore, recreation-related local expendi-
tures, would increase at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per
year over the next 30 years. Because recreational
use in the area is estimated to increase from 23,000
to between 43,340 and 200,450 visitor days per
year over the next 30 years, and because overall rec-
reation-related expenditures average $4.10 per visi-
tor day, recreation-related expenditures attributable
to the ISA would be significant to the local economy.

Surface-disturbance activities that would be allowed
without designation could reduce the demand for com-
mercial outfitter services now offered in the area.
Decreased demand would be significant to the com-
mercial outfitters who use the ISA but would be insig-
nificant in terms of the local economy and other indi-
vidual businesses.

Conclusion: Mineral activity would create both bene-
ficial and adverse impacts on local communities. Local
employment would increase by about 10 percent over
a 3-year period. Long term employment in Garfield
County would increase less than 1 percent. Recrea-
tion-related expenditures could contribute up to
$822,000 annually to the local economy.

All Wilderness Alternative (42,731 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 42,731 acres as
wilderness would preserve overall the wilderness
values in the Phipps-Death Hollow ISA. The potential
for surface-disturbing activities would be reduced
through closure of the entire area to future mineral
leasing and location and to ORV use, and through man-
agement of the area as VRM Class I which allows for

27

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

only natural ecological change. Naturalness would be
protected on all 42,731 acres. Solitude would be pro-
tected on approximately 36,000 acres that meet and
6,731 acres that do not meet the standards for out-
standing opportunities. Primitive and unconfined rec-
reation would be protected on approximately 36,800
acres that meet and 5,931 acres that do not meet the
standards for outstanding opportunities. Resources
that could be considered as special features in the
WSA, including Class A scenery, historical and ar-
chaeological values, special status species, and per-
ennial streams, including the Escalante River, would
also be given additional protection.

Although protected, complete preservation of wilder-
ness values would not be assured because of valid ex-
isting rights. In the foreseeable future, disturbance of
up to 32 acres is anticipated from exploration and de-
velopment of pre-FLPMA leases, rangeland projects,
and from providing access to State sections for miner-
al exploration and development. Wilderness values of
naturalness and opportunities for solitude and primi-
tive recreation would be directly lost or reduced in
quality on the disturbed areas. Opportunities for soli-
tude and primitive recreation would also be indirectly
reduced in quality on adjacent portions of the ISA. As
much as 5 percent (2,137 acres) of the ISA could be
so affected. Special features, including Class A scen-
ery, historical and archaeological values, special sta-
tus species, and perennial streams, would not be sig-
nificantly affected because the disturbance would be
minor involving only 0.07 percent (32 acres) of the
ISA and the would not generally be located where the
special features are located. In addition, appropriate
measures would be taken to protect special status spe-
cies and cultural values prior to any surface-disturb-
ing activity. Some Class A scenery would be reduced
in quality in disturbed areas.

Mitigation to protect wilderness values would be ap-
plied, but loss of wilderness values would be allowed
if development involving valid existing rights could
not be otherwise achieved. Rangeland projects on the
other hand would be designed to meet wilderness man-
agement criteria. All in all the disturbance would not
be substantially noticeable in the area as a whole.

Vehicular use of 10 miles of existing ways would gen-
erally cease with ORV closure, improving opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive recreation.

Over the long term, there would be no potential for
loss of wilderness values due to development of new
leases and mining claims.

The gradual increase in visitor use that would occur
would be primitive in nature and would be managed so
as to not result in loss of wilderness values.

Designation of this ISA as wilderness would benefit
the values and uses of the contiguous National Forest
wilderness area. These two areas share a common
watershed, canyon system, extended recreation tra-
vel trails (hiking and horseback riding), and archaeo-
logical values.

Conclusion: Wilderness designation would preserve
overall the wilderness values throughout the ISA. In
the foreseeable future, naturalness and opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation would be direct-
ly lost on 32 acres and opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation would be indirectly reduced in
quality on up to 2,137 acres. Special features would
be preserved.

• Impacts on Water Resources

Since precipitation is low and the amount of projected
disturbance is low (32 acres), no significant sedimen-
tation or change in TDS, including salt production, is
expected to occur.

Approximately 40 miles of perennial streams, includ-
ing about 15 miles of the Escalante River, flow
through the ISA. All surface water is fully appropri-
ated. However, projects that would consumptively
use water upstream of the ISA would be hampered or
precluded because changes in use, changes in points of
diversion, or transfers of water rights could be pro-
tested by the Federal government to maintain flow
through the ISA. Potential upstream water uses in-
clude steam power generation, mining, domestic, and
irrigation purposes.

Conclusion: In the short term, wilderness designation
would not significantly alter water quality or uses. In
the long term, future water diversion and new con-
sumptive uses in the Escalante River system up-
stream of the ISA may be restricted or precluded.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and De-
velopment

• Leasable Minerals

Approximately 3,225 acres are under pre-FLPMA
oil and gas leases. No exploration or development
of oil and gas is presently occurring within the
ISA.

28

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

However, these pre-FLPMA leases could be devel-
oped subject to the stipulations issued at the time
of leasing. Some of the leases would be explored
and developed in conjunction with leases which
extend into the adjoining FS lands to the north of
the ISA. Development would be on a much smaller
scale than that described in the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative with 20 acres disturbed. This
recovery would occur from additional reasonable
stipulations to protect wilderness values while
allowing development of the leases.

No new leases would be issued in the ISA and that
portion of the potential resource of up to 50 mil-
lion barrels of oil in-place and less than 300 bil-
lion cubic-feet of natural gas and an unknown
amount of carbon dioxide could be foregone under
this alternative. However, due to the small size
of the potential oil and natural gas deposits, the
low certainty that these exist, and the low likeli-
hood of exploration and development activities, it
is concluded that this alternative would not result
in any significant loss of potential oil and natural
gas recovery. The amount of recoverable carbon
dioxide that would be foregone is unknown.

FS lands are being explored for carbon dioxide
near the adjacent Box-Death Hollow wilderness
area. It is estimated from current exploration
work that approximately 4 trillion cubic-feet of
carbon dioxide exist in the area. How much, if
any, is found within the ISA is unknown.

• Locatable Minerals

There are presently no mining claims in the ISA;
however, claims can be located up to the time of
designation. Up to 500 metric-tons of recoverable
uranium oxide could occur within the ISA. Develop-
ment work, extraction, and patenting would be
allowed to continue on valid claims after wilder-
ness designation under unnecessary or undue deg-
radation guidelines. If the potentially recoverable
minerals are not within valid mining claims filed
before designation, the potential for recovery of
the uranium oxide would be foregone.

However, because the potential for such deposits
in the ISA is very low and because economic con-
siderations (e.g., transportation, low potential,
etc.) are unfavorable, it is unlikely that explora-
tion or development will occur. Therefore, this
alternative would not result in any significant
loss of recoverable uranium resources.

Conclusion: Potential exploration and development of
carbon dioxide resources would be limited, with more
restrictive conditions being placed on the methods and
manner in which the existing leases are explored and
developed. No significant locatable mineral production
would be foregone.

• Impacts on Visual Resources

Wilderness designation would contribute to the preser-
vation of the area's visual resources. With this alter-
native, the potential for surface-disturbing activities
that could impair visual quality would be less because
the entire area would be closed to ORV use, and the
ISA would continue to be managed according to VRM
Class I guidelines.

With this alternative, the possible mineral-related
surface disturbance would be reduced from 310 acres
to 20 acres, associated with development of existing
oil and gas leases. Although mitigating measures
would be applied to reduce visual contrast created by
mineral-related surface disturbance, visual quality
would be degraded and VRM Class I management objec-
tives would not be met on disturbed areas. Even after
rehabilitation, some permanent localized degradation
could be expected. In addition, 1 0 acres would be dis-
turbed for the development of access to State lands
and livestock fence construction. It is estimated that
visual quality would be reduced on up to 5 percent
(2,137 acres) of the ISA. This percentage would in-
clude the general view area.

Conclusion: Visual resources would be protected on
the majority of the ISA. However, visual quality
could be reduced in quality on up to 5 percent (2,137
acres) of the ISA.

• Impacts on Recreation

As discussed for the No Action/No Wilderness Alter-
native, recreational use of the ISA is estimated to
increase about 2 to 7 percent per year over the next
30 years in relation to population increases and cur-
rent trends of recreational use. Publicity and use of
the adjacent Box-Death Hollow wilderness area will
lead to an undetermined increase in primitive recre-
ational use above the baseline rate even if it is not
designated. With designation, management provided
through a wilderness management plan would control
destructive increases in future recreation use, and
the quality of the primitive recreation experience
probably would not be negatively affected by the in-
creased use. The few visitor days of vehicular use in

29

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

the ISA that could occur without designation would be
eliminated from the ISA. Because there are more suit-
able ORV play areas in the vicinity of the ISA, ORV
use would not experience an overall decline in the vi-
cinity of the ISA. However, approximately 10 miles
of way would be closed to ORV use. The recreational
use associated with sightseeing from the adjacent
highway and campground would be enhanced by this
alternative. Designation would enhance the marketabil-
ity of the resources, and commercial organizations us-
ing the ISA would benefit. As recreation use in-
creases, other commercial operations based on prim-
itive recreational activities could apply for use of the
ISA.

Leasable mineral-related surface disturbance on up to
20 acres and associated activities could cause some
impairment of primitive recreational values. Disturb-
ance from access roads, drill pads, and pipelines
would be smaller than with the No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternative, but the quality of primitive recre-
ational opportunities would be reduced. Because the
potential for locatable mineral exploration and pro-
duction is low and wilderness designation would re-
duce the potential for such surface disturbance, locat-
able mineral exploration and development would not
reduce the quality of the primitive recreational ex-
perience throughout the ISA.

Wilderness designation would provide additional pro-
tection for 14.9 miles of the Escalante River.

Conclusion: Recreation would benefit by reducing the
likelihood of and the extent of surface-disturbing
activities and increasing management attention and
recognition of recreational values. Wilderness desig-
nation would provide additional protection for 14.9
miles of the Escalante River, a river segment in the
National Wild and Scenic River Inventory.

• Impacts on the Boulder Airfield

Expansion of physical facilities and use of the Boulder
Airfield could be precluded or reduced with wilder-
ness designation.

Conclusion: The use of the Boulder Airfield, including
future expansion, could be foregone.

• Impacts on Local Economic Conditions

Wilderness designation could result in a temporary (2
to 3 year) change in economic conditions from those
described in the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-

tive. Employment increases during the construction
phase of the carbon dioxide project would be 25 jobs
rather than 200 jobs as reported in the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative. The 25 new jobs would repre-
sent a 1.25-percent increase over current employ-
ment estimates.

Because of restrictions placed on the use of re-
sources under wilderness designation, there could be
slight losses in local income and Federal revenues cur-
rently provided by resource uses in the ISA (refer to
Table 7), as well as loss of potential increases in in-
come and Federal revenues that could occur under the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

With the exception of carbon dioxide, the potential for
mineral development in the ISA is low (refer to the
Mineral and Energy Resources section for a discus-
sion of the ISA's mineral character). Valid mining
claims could be developed but designation would pre-
clude new mineral leases and claims from being estab-
lished in the ISA. Precluding exploration and develop-
ment of locatable minerals would not alter existing or
future economic conditions from what they would be
with mineral development under the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative. Because the potential for locat-
able mineral development is low, it is estimated that
potential mineral-related local income would not be
significantly reduced by wilderness designation.

Livestock use and ranchers' income would continue as
at present with $17,680 of livestock sales and
$4,420 of ranchers' return to labor and investment.
Proposed improvements for livestock would be fore-
gone along with any resulting increase in ranchers'
income. No such potential range improvements have
been proposed.

Increased public awareness of the area resulting from
designation could increase nonmotorized recreational
use (refer to the Recreation section). Related local ex-
penditures would be similar to the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative.

Motorized recreational use within the ISA is light.
The decrease in related local expenditures would be
small and insignificant to both the local economy and
individual businesses.

Conclusion: There would be a temporary (2 to 3 year)
increase of 25 jobs due to limited development of the
carbon dioxide resource. However, this would be 175
jobs less than the increase which could occur from
implementation of the No Action/No Wilderness

30

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

Alternative. Increased recreational use could provide
up to $822,000 to the local economy. Other local eco-
nomic conditions would not be affected.

Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action) (39,256 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Wilderness designation of 39,256 acres would pre-
serve overall the area's wilderness values. Impacts
would be about the same as identified for the All Wil-
derness Alternative. Wilderness values would be pro-
tected over the long term in the designated area. Pro-
tection would include management under VRM Class I
which generally allows for only natural ecological
change, ORV closure including closure of 9 miles of
ways, and closure to future mineral leasing and loca-
tion. Naturalness, outstanding opportunities for soli-
tude (including 36,000 acres that meet and 3,256
acres that do not meet the standards for outstand-
ing), and primitive recreation (including 36,800
acres that meet and 2,456 acres that do not meet the
standards for outstanding), special features (includ-
ing Class A scenery, historical and archaeological val-
ues, special status species), and perennial streams
(including the Escalante River) would be protected.

In the foreseeable future, direct loss of naturalness
and opportunities for solitude and primitive recrea-
tion due to allowable surface disturbance from min-
eral exploration and development and from rangeland
projects would occur on up to 30 acres within the des-
ignated portion and on up to 2 acres within the nondes-
ignated portion. Special features would be largely pre-
served because disturbance would involve only 0.07
percent of the WSA, and except for areas of Class A
scenery, development is not expected in areas where
special features are located. In addition, appropriate
measures would be taken to protect special status
species and cultural values prior to any surface-
disturbing activity.

Sights and sounds from foreseeable development
would indirectly reduce opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation on areas adjacent to the disturb-
ed areas, including up to 5 percent (2,137 acres) of
the ISA.

Elimination of ORV use in the designated area would
improve opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation overall in the ISA although vehicular use of 1
mile of way in the nondesignated area would continue

to occasionally detract from these opportunities dur-
ing the period of activity.

The gradual increase in visitor use that would occur
would be largely primitive in nature and most use
would be managed so as not to result in a loss of wil-
derness values.

This alternative would enhance and complement wil-
derness values, uses, and management of the contigu-
ous FS wilderness area.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would be preserved
overall in the designated area which is approximately
92 percent (39,256 acres) of the ISA. In the foresee-
able future, naturalness and opportunities for solitude
and primitive recreation would be directly lost on 32
acres and opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation would be indirectly reduced in quality on up to
2,137 acres. Special features would be preserved
overall, although Class A scenery would be reduced in
quality in disturbed areas. The Escalante River would
receive additional protection.

• Impacts on Water Resources

The impacts on water resources and conclusions
would be the same as with the All Wilderness Alter-
native because perennial streams would flow through
the designated area.

Conclusion: In the short term, wilderness designation
would not significantly alter water quality or uses. In
the long term, future water diversion and new con-
sumptive uses in the Escalante River system up-
stream of the ISA may be restricted or precluded.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

The area that would be designated wilderness
would be placed in Category 4 status with no new
leasing. There are approximately 3,225 acres of
pre-FLPMA oil and gas leases in the area that
would be designated wilderness. Activities on
these leases would occur subject to the stipula-
tions issued at the time of leasing.

It cannot be determined how much of the existing
potential resource of 50 million barrels of in-
place oil and less than 300 billion cubic-feet of
natural gas or the carbon dioxide resource is

31

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

within the area that would be designated as wilder-
ness under this alternative. It is not known how
much carbon dioxide is within the ISA. Current
estimates range up to 4 trillion cubic-feet in the
Escalante field.

However, it is concluded that, due to the small
size of the potential oil and gas deposits, the low
certainty that they exist, and the low likelihood
for exploration and development activities, this
alternative is not expected to result in any signifi-
cant loss in recovery of the oil and natural gas
resource.

Development of the carbon dioxide resource from
existing oil and gas leases would be at the same
level as with the All Wilderness Alternative. De-
velopment would cause 20 acres of surface dis-
turbance and the peak construction work force
would be 25 employees.

• Locatable Minerals

There are presently no mining claims within the
ISA. If claims are located before wilderness des-
ignation, development work, extraction, and pat-
enting could occur on valid claims after wilder-
ness designation under unnecessary or undue deg-
radation guidelines. After designation, all other
lands (including claims not determined valid)
would be closed to prospecting and development
(USDI, BLM, 1981a).

Because the potential for existence of uranium
deposits is very low within the ISA and because
economic considerations (e.g., transportation,
low potential, etc.) are unfavorable, it is unlikely
that exploration or development will occur. There-
fore, this alternative would not prevent recovery
of significant amounts of uranium resources.

Conclusion: Potential exploration and development of
carbon dioxide resources would be limited, with more
restrictive conditions being placed on the methods and
manner in which the existing leases are explored and
developed. No significant locatable mineral resource
would be foregone.

• Impacts on Visual Resources

Because total surface disturbance in the ISA would be
about the same as with the All Wilderness Alterna-
tive, the impacts and conclusions would be the same.

Conclusion: Visual resources would be protected on
the majority of the ISA. However, visual quality
could be reduced in quality on up to 5 percent (2,137
acres) of the ISA.

• Impacts on Recreation

Impacts on recreational values and opportunities for
the 39,256-acre area that would be designated as
wilderness would be about the same as described in
the All Wilderness Alternative. Little impact on ORV
recreational use would be expected due to the lack of
such activity in the area; however, approximately 9
miles of ways within the ISA would be closed to ORV
use.

In the area that would not be designated (3,475
acres), little change in recreational use is expected.

Conclusion: Primitive recreational opportunities
would benefit by reducing the likelihood of and the ex-
tent of surface-disturbing activities and increasing
management attention and recognition of recreational
values. The partial wilderness designation would pro-
vide additional protection to 14.9 miles of the Esca-
lante River, a segment of the National Wild and Scenic
River Inventory.

• Impacts on the Boulder Airfield

Implementation of the Partial Wilderness Alternative
would not affect the potential expansion and use of
the Boulder Airfield.

Conclusion: The Boulder Airfield would not be affect-
ed.

• Impacts on Local Economic Conditions

Partial designation of this ISA is not expected to have
impacts similar to those described in the All Wilder-
ness Alternative. Development of the carbon dioxide
resource would result in a 2 to 3 year increase of 25
jobs in Garfield County. However, this would be 175
jobs less than the employment levels described in the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. The 884 AUMs
would remain available to cattle in the six allotments
and would generate $1,361 in grazing fees, $17,680
in livestock sales, and $1,238 in ranchers' returns to
income.

Conclusion: There would be a temporary (2 to 3 year)
increase of 25 jobs due to development of the carbon
dioxide resource. This would be 175 jobs less than

32

PHIPPS-DEATH HOLLOW ISA

the increase which could occur from implementation
of the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Other
local economic conditions would not be significantly
affected. Increases in recreational use could provide
up to $822,000 to the local economy.

33

t

f

STEEP CREEK WSA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 2

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 2

Issues Analyzed in Detail 3

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 3

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated From Detailed Study 3

Alternatives Analyzed 3

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 4

All Wilderness Alternative 6

Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) (20,806 Acres) 8

Small Partial Wilderness Alternative (18,350 acres) 11

Summary of Environmental Consequences 13

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 13

Wilderness Values 13

Air Quality 19

Geology and Topography 19

Soils 20

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 20

Water Resources 20

Mineral and Energy Resources 21

Wildlife including Special Status Species 23

Forest Resources 23

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 24

Visual Resources 24

Cultural Resources 24

Recreation 24

Socioeconomics 26

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 27

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 27

All Wilderness Alternative 28

Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) (20,806 Acres) 30

Small Partial Wilderness Alternative (18,350 Acres) 32

i

STEEP CREEK WSA

( UT -040-06 1 )

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Steep Creek WSA is located in Garfield County
approximately 3 miles east of the Town of Boulder,
Utah. The WSA borders the Dixie National Forest on
the north and the Burr Trail Road on the south. The
WSA contains 21,896 acres of full-estate Federal
land and encloses 1,907.2 acres of State land and
160 acres of split-estate land (Federal surface, State
minerals). The southern boundary of the WSA is sepa-
rated from the North Escalante Canyon/The Gulch ISA
by the Boulder to Bullfrog Road (Burr Trail). It is ad-
ministered by the BLM Cedar City District, Escalante
Resource Area Office.

The WSA is characterized by a series of long, deep
canyons separated by benches. There are numerous
winding canyon drainages with riparian vegetation
and steep cliffs which isolate benchlands between can-
yons. The major vegetation type is pinyon-juniper
woodland.

In general, the climate is temperate and arid with
annual precipitation averaging about 10 inches. From
June through early September convection-type thun-
derstorms advance from the Pacific Ocean off the
coast of Mexico and southern California. Frontal-type
storms out of the northwest move over the area from
October through June. The highest precipitation rates
occur primarily from November through March.

Summer temperatures in Escalante, Utah, range
approximately 30 degrees Fahrenheit (F) with highs
in the mid-90s and lows in the mid-60s. Winters in
Escalante have a temperature range of about 27 de-
grees F, with highs in the low 40s and lows about 15
degrees F. Snowfall in Escalante averages 28 inches
and begins in October or November and ends in March
or April.

Changes for the Final EIS

In addition to the changes noted in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B, the following changes specific to the
WSA have been made since publication of the Draft
EIS.

1. The Draft EIS identified an 18,350-acre Partial Wil-
derness Alternative. The objective of this alterna-
tive, which was BLM's proposed action, was to ana-
lyze as wilderness that portion of the WSA with the
most outstanding wilderness characteristics and to
minimize conflicts with areas of greatest mineral
potential and future transportation and utility needs
along the Burr Trail Road.

As a result of public comment and a reassessment of
mineral values, a second alternative has been added
for the Final EIS. This alternative includes 20,806
acres, 2,456 acres more than the original alterna-
tive. The added acres include the Deer Creek area
near the southern boundary of the WSA and the north-
eastern corner of the WSA. This new alternative is
BLM's new proposed action.

2. The anticipated surface disturbance presented in
the Draft EIS (250 acres) was based on the assump-
tion that all mineral and other resources potentially
within the WSA would be developed sometime in the
future without consideration of technical or economic
feasibility. In response to public comments relative to
the feasibility of developments, the disturbance esti-
mates have been revised to focus on activities pro-
jected to be feasible within the foreseeable future
(see Appendix 6 in Volume I). This resulted in a reduc-
tion of surface disturbance estimates from the 250
acres reported in the Draft EIS to 32 acres of surface
disturbance for the Final EIS.

3. Of the 250 acres of anticipated surface disturb-
ance projected in the Draft EIS 50 acres were due to
realignment and paving of the Burr Trail. This protec-
tion has been revised to 25 acres for the Final EIS.
The reduction is based on more specific feasibility
and engineering studies.

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP

WSAon

NO. OU
SEE VOL.I

1

STEEP CREEK WSA

Specific issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B, (i.e. impacts on air quality, water rights,
geology and topography, and land use plans and poli-
cies), the following issues or impacts specific to the
Steep Creek WSA were considered but are not ana-
lyzed in detail in the Final EIS for the reasons de-
scribed below.

1. Soils: The public is concerned that without wilder-
ness designation, mineral development, land treat-
ment, or ORV use would occur on soils that are not
easily reclaimed, leading to unacceptable increases in
soil erosion. Within the foreseeable future, the antici-
pated surface disturbance from mineral exploration in
the Steep Creek WSA without wilderness designation
would be 32 acres and mitigation would be required.
Approximately 25 of the 32 acres would be disturbed
due to realignment of the Burr Trail. This disturbance
would be temporary and would likely occur with each
alternative. This is also the situation with 1 acre of
disturbance anticipated due to development of access
to a State section. Terrain and surface features gen-
erally restrict vehicles to existing ways and cherry-
stemmed roads. Therefore, impacts on soil erosion
are not significant issues for the Steep Creek WSA.

2. Vegetation Including Special Status Species: As dis-
cussed above for soils, estimates of total surface dis-
turbance without wilderness designation have been re-
vised downward from the 250 acres reported in the
Draft EIS to 32 acres for the Final EIS. Given this new
scenario, the impacts of direct disturbance of vegeta-
tion would be reduced and would not be significant
with any of the alternatives (about 0.15 percent of
the WSA).

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur within the WSA. However, one Category 1
and seven Category 2 candidate species may occur in
the WSA. There is a slight potential that individual
plants of these species could be disturbed by locatable
mineral exploration. This situation would only exist
where such mineral operations would occur on sites
of 5 acres or less, where a plan of operations and
approval are not required under 43 CFR 3809 regula-
tions. The Endangered Species Act and subsequent
regulations apply to these operations and any loss
would be inadvertent. It is not anticipated that

mineral-related actions in the WSA would threaten
the continued existence of any of the special status
plant species. Before authorizing any surface-disturb-
ing activities, including the realignment of the Burr
Trail and access to State land, BLM would require
site-specific clearances of the potentially disturbed
areas. If any threatened or endangered species are
located, BLM would initiate consultation with the FWS
as required by the Endangered Species Act and BLM
policy. BLM would request a biological opinion when
appropriate (see Appendix 4 in Volume I). Appropriate
mitigation measures, such as avoidance of sensitive
areas, would be implemented. Because necessary mea-
sures would be taken to protect these species, the via-
bility of populations of special status plant species
would be preserved with any alternative. Therefore,
impacts on vegetation are not analyzed in detail for
the Final EIS.

3. Forest Resources: The only forest resources in the
WSA are 19,147 acres of pinyon pine and juniper
trees. Demand is low and there is limited access. For
these reasons impacts on forest resources are not sig-
nificant issues for analysis in the Final EIS.

4. Livestock Management: The public is concerned
that wilderness designation would interfere with live-
stock management by placing restrictions on access
for maintenance of existing range improvements,
moving of livestock, by preventing future range im-
provements, and by placing restrictions on predator
control. However, under the BLM Wilderness Manage-
ment Policy (BLM Manual 8560) there shall be no cur-
tailments in grazing simply because an area is wilder-
ness. Grazing reductions have already been imposed
as a result of a grazing EIS.

There are no proposed rangeland developments which
would be precluded by wilderness designation. About
2.5 miles of way would be closed should the area be
designated as wilderness. However, since motorized
vehicles are used very little in livestock manage-
ment, little effect on the management of livestock
grazing is expected. Although spring loaded cyanide
guns (M-44s) would be prohibited, several methods
of predator control would be allowed in designated
wilderness. No predator control has been done in the
WSA for several years. For these reasons, the im-
pacts on livestock management are not significant
issues for the Steep Creek WSA.

5. Visual Resources: As discussed above for soils and
vegetation, the estimates of surface disturbance have
been reduced for the Final EIS. Therefore, the impacts

2

STEEP CREEK WSA

on visual resources would be less than described in
the Draft EIS. Impacts on visual resources would
occur from realignment of the Burr Trail and develop-
ing access to a State section with any alternative. In
the Final EIS, impacts on visual resources are not
addressed under the heading of Visual Resources, but
are addressed as part of the discussion of naturalness
and special features in the Wilderness Values sec-
tion.

6. Cultural Resources: As discussed in the Draft EIS
cultural resources could be disturbed or destroyed by
surface-disturbing activities. There are 15 recorded
sites in the Steep Creek WSA and the potential for
finding additional sites is good. None of the recorded
sites are of National Register quality. Surface disturb-
ance estimates for the No Action/No Wilderness Alter-
native have been reduced from 250 acres to 32 acres
for the Final EIS. Dispersed disturbance from ORVs is
prevented by the steep terrain in the WSA. In addi-
tion, inventories for the purpose of site recordation
and mitigation of impacts would take place prior to
any surface disturbance. Given these conditions, im-
pacts on cultural resources are not significant issues
for the Steep Creek WSA.

7. Recreation: The public has expressed concern that
wilderness designation would change recreational use
from motorized to primitive or conversely, that with-
out wilderness designation motorized recreation will
eliminate or reduce opportunities for primitive recre-
ation. Recreational use of the Steep Creek WSA is esti-
mated to be 10,050 visitor days per year (10,000
primitive and 50 associated with vehicles). Since
most of the motor access ways are closed to ORVs
and terrain limits the use of vehicles, recreational
use of the Steep Creek WSA would remain primitive
with or without wilderness designation. Therefore,
impacts on recreation are not analyzed in detail for
the Final EIS.

8. Economic Conditions: The public, including the
State and local government, is concerned that wilder-
ness designation would preclude mineral or other eco-
nomic developments and adversely affect local eco-
nomic conditions. Others believe that primitive recre-
ation use would increase following wilderness designa-
tion and would contribute to the local economy.

There are no existing or anticipated mineral or other
developments for the Steep Creek WSA. There would
be mineral exploration activities employing up to six
people for no more than a few weeks at a time and an
increase of recreational visitors of 2 to 7 percent a

year could be expected. However, this increased
level of employment would not result in significant
impacts to the local economy and visitation would
increase with any of the alternatives. Therefore,
impacts on economic conditions are not significant
issues for analysis in the Final EIS.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The significant issues for the Steep Creek WSA are:

1. Impacts on the wilderness values of naturalness,
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation,
and special features.

2. Impacts on water resources.

3. Impacts on mineral and energy exploration and pro-
duction.

4. Impacts on wildlife habitat and populations includ-
ing special status species.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the need for, and ade-
quacy of, the rationale for the BLM proposed action,
the need for further inventories of resource values,
and BLM's assessments of wilderness values, mineral
values, and the Burr Trail setback. See Vol-ume Vll-B
for responses to general comments applic-able to all
WSAs and/or the Statewide analysis and Volume VII-
C, Section 30, for responses to specific comments
about the Steep Creek WSA.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
From Detailed Study

Two alternatives were suggested in the public com-
ments. One proposed a wilderness area of 21,900
acres and the other suggested a 20,000-acre wilder-
ness area. These alternatives are not analyzed be-
cause they are not appreciably different from the All
Wilderness or the 20,806-acre Partial Wilderness
Alternatives and, therefore, offer no major distinc-
tions beyond the alternatives analyzed in the Final
EIS.

Alternatives Analyzed

Four alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness; (2) All Wilderness (21,896
acres); (3) Large Partial Wilderness (Proposed

3

STEEP CREEK WSA

Action) (20,806 acres); and (4) Small Partial Wilder-
ness (18,350 acres). A description of each alterna-
tive follows. Where management intentions have not
been clearly identified, assumptions are made based
on management projections under each alternative.
These assumptions are indicated in each case. The
assumed management actions presented in the Intro-
duction to Volume lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 21,896-acre Steep
Creek WSA would be designated by Congress as part
of the NWPS. Although BLM's land use plans are regu-
larly updated, it is assumed that the area would con-
tinue to be managed in accordance with the Escalante
MFP (USDI, BLM, 1 981 d). Neither the 1,907.2 acres
of State land or the 160 acres of split-estate land
within or adjacent to the WSA (refer to Map 1) has
been identified for special Federal acquisition through
exchange or purchase; therefore, the surface and/or
minerals of these lands are analyzed as under State
ownership. Adjacent private lands are expected to
remain in private ownership.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 21 ,896 acres would remain open to mineral lo-
cation, leasing (with standard and special lease
stipulations), and sale. Development work, extrac-
tion, and patenting would be allowed on 22 exist-
ing mining claims (about 440 acres) and future
mining claims. Development would be regulated by
unnecessary or undue degradation regulations (43
CFR 3809). The existing post-FLPMA oil and gas
lease (2,532 acres) and future leases could be de-
veloped under leasing Category 1 (standard stipu-
lations) on the entire 21,896-acre WSA. Although
leasable minerals would be managed as described
above, no leasable mineral exploration or develop-
ment are projected in the WSA because the level
of known resources and the probability of their
development are too low to support that assump-
tion (see Appendix 6 in Volume I for details on
exploration and development projections).

The present domestic livestock grazing use of the
21,896-acre WSA would continue as authorized
in the MFP (1,129 AUMs). The existing rangeland
facilities (2.7 miles of fence, one developed
spring, one reservoir, 3 miles of stock trail, and
2.5 miles of ways which are used for hauling salt
and working cattle) could be maintained in a rou-
tine manner, with motorized equipment if needed.

About 11 miles of boundary road, also known as
the Burr Trail (or Boulder to Bullfrog road), that
have been proposed for realignment and paving,
could be constructed without wilderness consider-
ations.

Public water reserve withdrawals on 120 acres
would remain in effect. These withdrawals segre-
gate the lands from all public land laws and non-
metalliferous mineral location.

About 18,356 acres, including about 2.5 miles of
ways, would remain open for vehicular use. Use
would be limited to designated trails on 320
acres. To protect riparian vegetation, 3,220
acres would remain closed to ORV use.

The entire 21,896-acre area would continue to be
potentially open to woodland product harvest.
There is minimal harvest of forest products at
the present time, and no increase is expected due
to lack of access and rough terrain.

The area would continue to be managed under VRM
Class II on 21,186 acres and Class IV on 710
acres.

• Action Scenario

Given the management plans described above and
the resources described in the Affected Environ-
ment, BLM projects that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would result in
about 32 acres of surface disturbance in the fore-
seeable future. Six acres of disturbance would re-
sult from uranium and copper exploration activi-
ties including less than 2 miles of access roads on
and adjacent to existing mining claims along the
eastern boundary of the WSA. Existing workings
adjacent to but outside the WSA would continue to
be developed. Additional road building and explora-
tion drilling along existing roads would also
occur. Based on exploration activities typical of
the area, it is projected that six employees would
be used for 15 days. Exploration activities would
be under the unnecessary and undue degradation
guidelines of the 43 CFR 3809 regulations. It is
assumed that upon abandonment, drill sites and
access roads would be reclaimed. Three to five
years would be necessary to determine success-
ful reclamation. It is projected that uranium and
copper development would not occur within the
WSA because the potential deposits are small and
the low certainty that such deposits actually

4

STEEP CREEK WSA

R. 5 E.

R. 6 E.

T. 33 S.

T. 34 S.

!94

Map 1

LAND STATUS
Steep Creek WSA
UT-040-061

Legend

— WSA Boundary

National Forest Boundary

Deer Creek Recreation

Site Boundary

Split-estate (federal surface-
state minerals) Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

State Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

Private Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

Forest Service Administered
Land Within or Adjacent to WSA

BLM Administered Land
Within or Adjacent WSA

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

0 12 3

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

5

STEEP CREEK WSA

exist in the WSA. If small uranium and copper
deposits do occur in the WSA they would be at
depths suitable for underground mining and could
be accessed from existing workings outside the
WSA. No leasable mineral exploration or develop-
ment is projected in the foreseeable future. One
acre would be disturbed due to about a 0.5 mile of
access road construction to a State section (T. 33
S., R. 5 E., sec. 16) for the purpose of mineral re-
sources exploration and development on the State
land. In addition, up to 25 acres could be disturb-
ed due to the realignment and paving of the Burr
Trail. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed
projects, or other developments are planned in
the foreseeable future.

No disturbance related to ORV use is anticipated
in the foreseeable future due to management re-
strictions and rough terrain.

Recreation use is projected to increase in the
foreseeable future over the current use of
10,050 annual visitor days at a rate of 2 to 7
percent per year. Only 50 of these visitor days
are attributable to vehicular use. In the future,
only 0.50 percent of the recreational use would
continue to be vehicular in nature, utilizing 2.5
miles of vehicular ways.

• All Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, all 21,896 acres of the Steep
Creek WSA would be designated by an act of Congress
as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). It would be man-
aged in accordance with the BLM Wilderness Manage-
ment Policy (BLM Manual 8560) to preserve its wil-
derness character.

The policy of the State is to reserve its position re-
garding the exchange of in-held lands within any par-
ticular WSA (see Chapter 1 in Volume I). Based on
this policy regarding the exchange of State lands, it
is assumed that State lands would remain under exist-
ing ownership. There are three State sections
(1,907.2 acres) within the WSA (refer to Map 1 and
Appendix 3 in Volume I). The figures and acreages giv-
en with this alternative are for Federal lands only, in-
cluding the 160-acre split-estate land where the sur-
face is managed by BLM and the State controls the
minerals.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 21,896 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale. Develop-
ment work, extraction, and patenting would be
allowed to continue on that portion of the approxi-
mately 440 acres of 22 existing mining claims
that may be determined to be valid. Development
would be regulated by unnecessary or undue deg-
radation guidelines (43 CFR 3809) with concern
for wilderness values. Although locatable mineral
resources would be managed as described above
and some exploration would occur on existing
claims, it is assumed that locatable mineral devel-
opment would not occur within the WSA because
deposits are small and there is low certainty that
such deposits actually exist in the WSA. If small
uranium and copper deposits do occur in the WSA
they would be at depths suitable for underground
mining and could be accessed from existing work-
ings outside the WSA. The existing post-FLPMA
oil and gas lease involving 2,532 acres would be
phased out upon expiration unless an oil or gas
find in commercial quantities is shown. No new oil
and gas leases would be issued. Therefore, no
exploration or development of leasable minerals
would occur.

Present domestic livestock grazing would be
allowed to continue as authorized in the Escalante
MFP. The estimated 1,129 AUMs in the WSA
would remain available to livestock as presently
allotted. After designation, existing rangeland
developments, as listed in the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative, could be maintained in a man-
ner least degrading to wilderness values.

Public water reserve withdrawals on 120 acres
would continue to remain in effect. These with-
drawals segregate the lands from all public land
laws and nonmetalliferous mineral location.

The entire 21,896-acre area would be closed to
ORV use except for users with valid existing
rights if approved by BLM in accordance with 43
CFR 8560. About 2.5 miles of existing vehicular
ways would not be available for vehicular use ex-
cept as indicated above. Approximately a 0.6 mile
of road (two segments) in the northeastern part
of the WSA would be cherry-stemmed and would
remain open to vehicular use. About 14 miles of
the WSA boundary follow existing gravel and dirt
roads that would remain open to vehicular travel.

6

STEEP CREEK WSA

R. 5 E.

R. 6 E.

7

STEEP CREEK WSA

About 1 1 miles of boundary road are known as
the Burr Trail (or Boulder to Bullfrog road) which
has potential for realignment and paving. Garfield
County has a "grandfathered" right-of-way for
the road and expects to eventually pave the road.

A specific Wilderness Management Plan would be
developed to govern use and protection of the
21,896-acre wilderness. As part of that plan, it
is assumed that a maintenance-and-use border
would be allowed for roads that are adjacent to
or cherry-stemmed into the wilderness area for
purposes of road maintenance, temporary vehicle
pull-off, and trailhead parking. This border would
be up to 100 feet from the center of the road tra-
vel surface.

Harvest of forest products would not be allowed
except for the harvest of pinyon nuts or noncom-
mercial gathering of dead-and-down wood (for on-
site use) if accomplished by other than mechani-
cal means. There is no harvest of forest products
at the present time, nor is any specifically
planned.

Visual resources on 21,896 acres would be man-
aged in accordance with VRM Class I standards,
which generally allow for only natural ecological
change.

• Action Scenario

BLM projects that approximately 28 acres of sur-
face disturbance would occur in the WSA in the
foreseeable future following wilderness designa-
tion.

Two acres of disturbance would result from locat-
able mineral exploration activities as described in
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative but on a
smaller scale. It is projected that two employees
and 5 days would be used in exploration activi-
ties. Exploration activities would be under the un-
necessary and undue degradation guidelines of the
43 CFR 3809 regulations. One acre would be dis-
turbed due to access road construction to an in-
held State section for the purpose of mineral re-
source exploration and development. In addition,
up to 25 acres could be disturbed due to the rea-
lignment and paving of the Burr Trail. No range-
land, wildiife habitat, watershed projects, or
other developments are planned following wilder-
ness designation.

No disturbance from ORV activity is projected
due to wilderness management and terrain con-
straints.

Recreation use would increase over the current
10,050 annual visitor days of use at a rate of 2
to 7 percent per year. All use would be primitive
in nature.

• Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action) (20,806 Acres)

With this alternative, 20,806 acres of the Steep
Creek WSA would be designated as wilderness (refer
to Map 3). The objectives of this alternative are to
analyze as wilderness that portion of the WSA with
the most outstanding wilderness characteristics, to
provide backpacker trailhead parking at the Gulch and
Deer Creek, and to minimize conflicts with the Burr
Trail RMP realignment in Long Canyon.

With this alternative, the acres analyzed as wilder-
ness consist of the most rugged canyon portions of
the WSA, including the upper section of The Gulch and
an area south and east of Hot Canyon where opportun-
ities for solitude are less than outstanding. The 1,090
acres along the southern, southeastern, and south-
western edges within the WSA, but outside of that
designated as wilderness, would be managed in accord-
ance with the Escalante MFP as described for the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. The 20,806-acre
area designated as wilderness would be managed in
accordance with the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560) as described in the All Wilder-
ness Alternative.

There are no State, private, or split-estate lands in-
volved in the Large Partial Wilderness Alternative.
The figures and acreages given for this alternative
are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

The 20,806-acre designated wilderness would be
withdrawn from mineral entry and closed to min-
eral leasing and sale. Twenty-two claims (440
acres) now exist in the designated area. Develop-
ment work, extraction, and patenting would be
allowed to continue on these claims or any future
claims located prior to wilderness designation,
provided that they are valid. The existing post-
FLPMA oil and gas lease covering 2,532 acres is
located in the 20,806-acre wilderness and would
not be reissued upon expiration unless an oil and

8

STEEP CREEK WSA

R. 5 E.

R. 6 E.

Deer

4 ■ i Mount a in

6

Short

Nerk

SCALE IN MILES

0 1 2
SCALE IN KILOMETERS

0 12 3

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METER

Map 3
PARTIAL
WILDERNESS
ALTERNATIVE

Steep Creek WSA
UT-040-061

Legend

— WSA Boundary

_ __ Partial Wilderness

Alternative (20,806 acres)

National Forest Boundary

Deer Creek Recreation

Site Boundarv’

9

STEEP CREEK WSA

gas find in commercial quantities is shown. The
1,090-acre area within the WSA not designated
wilderness would be open to future mineral loca-
tion, leasing, and sale. The area not designated
would be managed as oil and gas leasing Category
1 (standard stipulations). In the 1,090-acre area,
mining would be allowed on future claims if valid.
Development of such claims would be regulated by
unnecessary or undue degradation criteria (43
CFR 3809) without wilderness considerations.
Although mineral resources would be managed as
described above, and some exploration would
occur on existing claims, it is projected that
locatable mineral resource development would not
occur within the WSA because deposits are small
and there is a low certainty that such deposits
actually exist in the WSA. If small uranium and
copper deposits do occur in the northeast portion
of the WSA, they would be at depths suitable for
underground mining and could be accessed from
existing workings outside the WSA.

No leasable mineral exploration or production are
projected for the WSA because the level of known
resources and the probability of their develop-
ment are too low to support such assumptions
(see Appendix 6 in Volume I).

Domestic livestock grazing would continue to
occur in the 20,806-acre wilderness area. The
1,081 AUMs in the 20,806-acre area would re-
main available to livestock as presently allotted.
Access to 1.5 miles of way used for management
of livestock would be restricted.

Public water reserve withdrawals of 120 acres
(80 acres in the designated portion and 40 acres
in the nondesignated portion) would continue to re-
main in effect. These withdrawals segregate such
lands from all public land laws and nonmetallifer-
ous mineral location.

The canyons and benches that would comprise the
20,806-acre wilderness would be closed to ORV
use. About 1.5 miles of existing ways in the bot-
tom of The Gulch would not be available for vehic-
ular use except in situations described under the
All Wilderness Alternative. The 1,090-acre re-
mainder of the unit would remain open to vehicu-
lar travel. About a 0.6 of a mile of way would be
cherry-stemmed in the northeast portion of the
WSA.

Harvest of forest products in the 20,806-acre
wilderness would not be allowed except for the
harvest of pinyon nuts or noncommercial gather-
ing of dead-and-down wood for on-site use if
accomplished by other than mechanical means.
The remaining 1,090 acres would be open to wood-
land harvest.

Visual resources in the 20,806-acre wilderness
would be managed in accordance with VRM Class
I standards which generally allow for only natural
ecological change. The remaining 1,090 acres
would be managed as Class II on 380 acres and
Class IV 710 acres.

• Action Scenario

BLM projects that 3 acres of surface disturbance
would occur in the designated portion of the WSA.
Two acres of disturbance would result from uran-
ium exploration as described in the All Wilderness
Alternative. One acre of disturbance would result
from access road construction to a State section
for the purpose of mineral resources exploration.
Implementation of this alternative would preclude
new mineral leasing and mineral location in the
designated portion. Therefore, no leasable min-
eral exploration or development is assumed fol-
lowing wilderness designation and locatable min-
eral exploration would be restricted to existing,
valid mining claims. No rangeland, wildlife habi-
tat, watershed projects, or other developments
are planned following wilderness designation.

It is projected that up to 25 acres of surface dis-
turbance would occur in the 1,090-acre nondesig-
nated portion of the WSA in the foreseeable fu-
ture. This disturbance would result from the rea-
lignment and paving of the Burr Trail as described
in the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

The entire nondesignated portion would be open to
mineral location and leasing (Category 1). How-
ever, no mineral exploration or development are
anticipated for the reasons described above.

No disturbance related to ORV use is projected
due to wilderness management and rough terrain.

Recreation use is projected to increase above the
current estimated use of 10,050 annual visitor
days at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. Over
99.5 percent of the use would continue to be

STEEP CREEK WSA

primitive in nature. Vehicle use would continue on
1 mile of way.

• Small Partial Wilderness Alternative (18,350
acres)

With this alternative, 18,350 acres of the Steep
Creek WSA would be designated as wilderness (refer
to Map 4). The objective of this alternative is to ana-
lyze as wilderness that portion of the WSA with the
most outstanding wilderness characteristics and to
minimize conflicts with areas of greatest mineral val-
ues and the Burr Trail road realignment in Long Can-
yon. With this alternative, the acres analyzed as wil-
derness consist of the most rugged canyon portions of
the WSA including the upper section of The Gulch. The
3,546 acres along the northeastern, eastern, and
southern edges within the WSA but outside of that des-
ignated as wilderness would be managed in accord-
ance with the Escalante MFP as described for the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. The 18,350-acre
area designated as wilderness would be managed in
accordance with the BLM Wilderness Management
Policy (BLM Manual 8560) as described for the All
Wilderness Alternative. There are no State, private,
or split-estate lands involved in the Small Partial
Wilderness Alternative. The figures and acreages
under this alternative are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

The 18,350-acre designated wilderness would be
withdrawn from mineral entry and closed to new
mineral leasing and sale. Development work, ex-
traction, and patenting would be allowed to con-
tinue on any future claims located prior to wilder-
ness designation, provided that they are valid. No
claims now exist in the 18,350-acre area. The
existing post-FLPMA oil and gas lease (2,532
acres) is located in the 18,350-acre wilderness
and would not be reissued upon expiration unless
an oil and gas find in commercial quantities is
shown. The 3,546-acre area within the WSA not
designated wilderness would be open to future
mineral location, leasing, and sale. The area not
designated would be managed as oil and gas leas-
ing Category 1 (standard stipulations). Mining
would be allowed on 22 existing and future
claims. Development of such claims would be
regulated by unnecessary or undue degradation
criteria (43 CFR 3809) without wilderness con-
siderations. Although mineral resources would be
managed as described above and some exploration
would occur on existing claims, it is assumed that

locatable mineral resource development would not
occur within the WSA because deposits are small
and the low certainty that such deposits actually
exist in the WSA. If small uranium and copper
deposits do occur in the WSA, they would be at
depths suitable for underground mining and could
be accessed from existing workings outside the
WSA.

No leasable mineral exploration or production is
projected for the WSA because the level of known
resources and the probability of their develop-
ment are too low to support such assumptions.

Domestic livestock grazing would continue to
occur in the 18,350-acre wilderness area. The
estimated 1,012 AUMs in the 18,350-acre area
would remain available to livestock as presently
allotted. In the 3,546-acre nonwilderness area,
grazing use of 117 AUMs would continue. One and
a half miles of way which are used for manage-
ment of livestock would be closed.

Public water reserve withdrawals on 120 acres
(80 in the designated portion and 40 in the nondes-
ignated portion) would continue to remain in
effect. These withdrawals segregate those lands
from all public land laws and nonmetalliferous
mineral location.

The canyons and benches that would comprise the
18,350-acre wilderness would be closed to ORV
use. About 1.5 miles of existing way in the bot-
tom of The Gulch would not be available for vehic-
ular use except in situations described under the
All Wilderness Alternative. The 3,546-acre re-
mainder of the unit would remain open to vehicu-
lar travel.

Harvest of forest products in the 18,350-acre
wilderness would not be allowed except for the
harvest of pinyon nuts or noncommercial gather-
ing of dead-and-down wood if accomplished by
other than mechanical means. The remaining
3,546 acres would be open to woodland harvest,
although none is planned.

Visual resources in the 18,350-acre wilderness
would be managed in accordance with VRM Class
I standards which generally allow for only natural
ecological change. The remaining 3,546 acres
would be managed as Class II on 2,836 acres and
Class IV on 710 acres.

STEEP CREEK WSA

R. 5 E.

R. 6 E

T. 33 S.

T. 34 S.

194

Legend

WSA Boundary

~ Partial Wilderness

Alternative (18,350 acres)

— • — National Forest Boundary

Deer Creek Recreation

Site Boundary

SCALE IN MILES

1 2
SCALE IN KILOMETERS

0 12 3

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

Map 4
PARTIAL
WILDERNESS
ALTERNATIVE

Steep Creek WSA
UT-040-061

1 2

STEEP CREEK WSA

• Action Scenario

BLM projects that 2 acres of surface disturbance
would occur in the designated portion of the WSA.
One acre of disturbance would result from urani-
um exploration as described in the All Wilderness
Alternative. One acre of disturbance would result
from access road construction to a State section
for the purpose of mineral resources exploration.
Implementation of this alternative would preclude
new mineral leasing and mineral location. There-
fore, no leasable mineral exploration or develop-
ment is assumed following wilderness designation
and locatable mineral exploration would be re-
stricted to existing, valid mining claims. No range-
land, wildlife habitat, watershed projects, or
other developments are planned following wilder-
ness designation.

It is projected that 30 acres of surface disturb-
ance would occur in the 3,546-acre nondesig-
nated portion of the WSA in the foreseeable fu-
ture. Five acres of this disturbance would result
from uranium exploration activities as described
in the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Up to
25 acres would result from the realignment and
paving of the Burr Trail.

The entire nondesignated portion would be open to
mineral location and leasing (Category 1) and
some locatable mineral exploration is anticipated
as described. However, no locatable mineral de-
velopment and no leasable mineral explorations or
developments are expected for the reasons de-
scribed above.

No disturbance related to ORV activity is project-
ed to occur in the foreseeable future due to wil-
derness management and rough terrain.

Recreation use is projected to increase over the
current estimated use of 10,050 annual visitor
days at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. Over
99.5 percent of the use would continue to be prim-
itive in nature. Vehicular use would continue on 1
mile of way.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 presents the environmental consequences of

alternatives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEQ guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as the Envi-
ronmental Consequences of Alternatives in this WSA
analysis.

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The size of the WSA is 21,896 acres. It is approxi-
mately 9 miles long (north to south) and 8 miles wide
(east to west).

• Naturalness

Naturalness is defined as an area where the evidences
of man are substantially unnoticeable to the average
visitor and where individual minor imprints of man
exhibit no cumulative impact that is substantially
noticeable. Imprints of man that remain in the WSA
include 2.5 miles of vehicular ways, 2.7 miles of
fence, and three existing rights-of-way. These im-
prints combined involve 20 acres of the WSA, but are
not substantially noticeable in the WSA as a whole.

Since establishment of the WSA, less than 1 acre has
been disturbed. This disturbance is the result of a pri-
vate residential trespass with associated outbuildings
and some landscaping (less than 1 acre total disturb-
ance). Upon consummation of due process concerning
this trespass, the area would be reclaimed to a sub-
stantially unnoticeable condition or the immediate site
exchanged, sold, or otherwise removed from Federal
ownership. No additional imprints have occurred in
the WSA as a result of impairing uses or activities
allowed under the BLM Interim Management Policy
(USDI, BLM, 1979c).

• Solitude

The outstanding opportunity for solitude (15,500
acres) in the Steep Creek WSA is provided by both
topographic and vegetative screening.

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STEEP CREEK WSA

Neither the size nor configuration of this WSA will
enhance or detract from the outstanding opportunities
for solitude present in the WSA.

The WSA is characterized by a series of parallel can-
yons and intervening benches or ridges extending in a
north to south direction. The streams drain southerly
from the Aquarius Plateau to the Escalante River
south of the WSA. In portions of the WSA, the can-
yons are abruptly entrenched in Wingate Sandstone
creating distinct and isolated intervening benches. In
other portions of the WSA, the canyons extend to the
divides between streams. In the eastern portion of
the WSA, canyons have cut through the Circle Cliffs
escarpment. In these situations, the Circle Cliffs and
canyons together form the walls of the benches.
Although some of the streams are ephemeral, in most
instances the canyon bottoms are characterized by
riparian growth. Deer Creek, Steep Creek, and The
Gulch-Water Canyon possess perennial streams.
Slickrock Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, Hot Canyon,
the upper reaches of The Gulch (including Egg Can-
yon), and Long Canyon are ephemeral.

Because of these topographic and vegetative influ-
ences, natural screening enables the visitor to find
secluded spots throughout the WSA. The entire WSA
can be considered to exhibit opportunities for soli-
tude. The opportunities for solitude in the canyons
were inventoried as outstanding. The deep, winding
canyons with riparian vegetation are considered the
factors contributing to these outstanding opportuni-
ties.

The true benches in the WSA, such as Rattlesnake
Bench and East Steep Creek Bench, also offer oppor-
tunities for solitude because they are isolated geo-
graphically by the Steep Canyon Cliffs. The quality of
the opportunity for solitude on these benches is depen-
dent upon the degree of geographic isolation offered
by the surrounding canyon walls and the internal topo-
graphic dissection of the benches.

The western portion of the WSA is characterized by a
series of canyons with divides of Navajo Sandstone
peaks, domes, and ridges. These include the Deer
Creek, Slickrock Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, and
Hot Canyon. The canyons are entrenched and winding.
They exhibit a dense growth of riparian vegetation. In
most instances, both canyon and intervening ridge or
upper canyon walls are Navajo Sandstone and the en-
tire area exhibits alcoves, narrow side canyons, and
the other excellent topographic screening features
representative of the Navajo Sandstone. Outstanding

opportunities for solitude are present throughout this
area.

In the lower Hot Canyon drainage, the Navajo Sand-
stone disappears and Hot Canyon loses its entrench-
ment. The landscape is relatively undifferentiated
with little relief, a moderate pinyon-juniper over-
story, and sandy soils. The opportunity for solitude is
less than outstanding in this area. In the extreme
southwestern portion of the WSA, an almost detached
area exhibits a 600-foot slickrock mesa surrounded
by scattered pinyon-juniper and Ponderosa pine. This
area also lacks the outstanding opportunity for
solitude.

The sights and sounds of human activities are not
present from places within the WSA. It would be easy
for a visitor to find seclusion in the deeper vegetated
canyons and on the more isolated benches of the WSA.
In summary, approximately 15,500 acres or 71 per-
cent of the WSA has outstanding opportunities for soli-
tude. The remaining 6,396 acres or 29 percent of the
WSA does not meet this criterion.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

Outstanding opportunities for primitive recreation
(18,100 acres) are present within the WSA because
the backpacking, hiking, horseback riding, photogra-
phy, sightseeing, and rockhounding types of primi-
tive recreation are each considered to be of outstand-
ing quality. Backpacking, hiking, and horseback riding
are of exceptional quality in this WSA. The following
factors contribute to this quality. Each of the major
canyons in the WSA intersects the Long Canyon-Burr
Trail road, thus each canyon can provide dayhiking
and riding opportunities. Backpacking is also enhanced
by the road’s presence because overnight loop trips in
different canyons and benches can be conducted from
the same staging area along the road. The Gulch is an
exception because access to its benches is very diffi-
cult.

Although BLM policy does not consider the availability
of water to be a constraint upon this wilderness char-
acteristic, water sources are undeniably a conven-
ience to the backpacker on extended trips. In the case
of extended horseback trips, the availability of water
would dictate whether this activity could occur at all.
Because of the ready availability of water in the
Steep Creek WSA, the backpacking opportunity is en-
hanced and horse packing is passable. In this WSA the
limiting factor to horseback activities is nonnegotia-
ble terrain rather than water. Most of the WSA,

STEEP CREEK WSA

other than several benches east of The Gulch, is
accessible to horses.

All of the canyons and much of the bench areas in the
WSA are of high scenic quality. The portion of The
Gulch Canyon within the WSA is presently one of the
important backpacking destinations on the Escalante
River drainage. The impressive scenery of this sec-
tion of The Gulch is probably responsible for its desti-
nation type of use. Because the WSA possesses seven
individual canyons, there are many different trip or
route options available to the hiker or rider. This re-
petitive canyon-and-bench configuration increases
both the visitor capacity and diversity of foot and
horseback experiences within the WSA.

It is from this combination of factors present in much
of the WSA that the hiking, backpacking, and horse-
back riding opportunities derive their outstanding qual-
ity. Approximately 18,100 acres are considered to
possess outstanding foot or horseback opportunities.
Portions of the west Steep Creek Bench, and most of
Long Canyon lack these outstanding activity oppor-
tunities.

The photography and sightseeing activities are direct-
ly related to the scenic values of the WSA. In general,
the WSA is of uniformly high scenic quality, and the
same areas supportive of the hiking, backpacking, and
horseback opportunities also contribute to photogra-
phy and sightseeing opportunities. The Gulch, Water
Canyon, Egg Canyon, upper Long Canyon and the
Circle Cliffs, Lamanite Natural Bridge and its canyon,
the upper Steep Creek-The Gulch divide, and the Slick-
rock Canyon-Cottonwood Canyon-Upper Hot Canyon
areas all represent very high quality photography and
sightseeing objectives.

The rockhounding opportunity for the well-known
Circle Cliffs petrified wood is limited to the north-
eastern portion of the WSA where the Chinle Forma-
tion is exposed. Approximately 2,300 acres exhibit
the exposed Chinle stratum.

All in all the primitive recreation opportunities on
18,100 acres or 83 percent of the WSA are outstand-
ing and the remaining 3,796 acres or 17 percent do
not meet the standard.

• Special Features

The Steep Creek WSA exhibits important scenic val-
ues contributed by the geological features of the
WSA. A large portion of the Steep Creek WSA pos-

sesses landscapes distinctive to the degree that they
are easily recognized. Five landscapes can be distin-
guished within the WSA. Several of these landscapes
are of extraordinarily high scenic value. The land-
scape types are identified as the Circle Cliffs, The
Gulch Canyon-Rattlesnake Bench, Steep Creek-Steep
Creek Bench, and the Deer Creek drainage.

The Circle Cliffs landscape type is found in the north-
eastern portion of the WSA. This is the best known
and recognized landscape in the WSA. Within the WSA,
the upper end of The Gulch, Egg Canyon, the unnamed
canyon south of Egg Canyon, and the upper end of Long
Canyon exhibit the attributes typical of this land-
scape. The landscape type also extends south along
the western Circle Cliffs escarpment to Big Down
Bench and is not unique to the WSA. Characteristic
features include the intensively colored red, orange,
and purple Chinle mounds and ledges at the base of
Wingate Sandstone cliffs; vertically jointed cliffs
banded with red, yellow, and white colors; and bench
tops and upper cliff faces possessing innumerable
orange-red Kayenta Sandstone knobs. This is one of
the most spectacular and distinctive landscapes on
the Colorado Plateau.

The section of The Gulch in the WSA represents a
marked visual departure from The Gulch downstream
in The Gulch ONA. In the WSA, The Gulch is deeply en-
trenched in very sheer red Wingate Sandstone walls.
The canyon does not mean-der and the straight-line
visual effect is broken only by the entering tributary
canyons. The lower two-thirds of the Long Canyon tri-
butary also possess these attributes. The drainage di-
vide between the upper ends of Steep Creek and The
Gulch is characterized by a series of high ridges and
slickrock peaks. The ridges drop fairly abruptly to
the canyons below. The peaks resemble the adjacent
Impossible Peak area on the Dixie National Forest. The
slickrock domes on the Steep Creek side of the divide
are alcoved and heavily forested. The Gulch side of
the divide is cut deeply by the unnamed canyon con-
taining Lamanite Natural Bridge. These elements com-
bine to create an overall landscape with important
scenic values.

Much of the Steep Creek-Steep Creek Bench area con-
stitutes a distinct landscape type within the WSA.
This area is characterized by a straight and shallow
Steep Creek Canyon and the relatively flat unbroken
benches covered v/ith pinyon and juniper on either
side of Steep Creek. This landscape is lacking in color-
ful rock formations and offers little of scenic value.

STEEP CREEK WSA

The remaining landscape type is the slickrock and can-
yons complex in the western portion of the WSA. Can-
yons tributary to Deer Creek, including terraces, are
characteristic of the predominantly white Navajo
Sandstone. Distinct benches between the streams are
absent. The concentration of canyons, slickrock for-
mations, and the high percentage of exposed rock are
the esthetic elements contributing to a valuable scen-
ic resource in this section of the WSA.

In addition to the Steep Creek-Steep Creek Bench
area, there are other areas within the WSA that lack
scenic values. These are areas of the WSA that exhib-
it no distinctive or peculiar landscape types. The low-
er Hot Canyon drainage is an example.

The Steep Creek WSA contains several features of
scenic value. Lamanite Natural Bridge is actually a
large arch with good symmetry and form. It is locat-
ed in an impressive setting in a deep side canyon to
The Gulch. The upper Gulch-Circle Cliffs area con-
tains large, unbroken logs of petrified wood. The
scenic value of these logs is enhanced by their color-
ful surroundings. In total, approximately 15,000
acres of the WSA possess outstanding scenic fea-
tures, and approximately 19,100 acres (87 percent
of the WSA) are rated Class A for scenic quality.

The WSA has resource values that, although not iden-
tified as such during the wilderness inventory, could
be considered special features. There are two animal
species (peregrine falcon and bald eagle) listed as en-
dangered that may occasionally use the WSA. There
are seven animal species and eight plant species that
are considered sensitive that occur, or may occur, in
the WSA. The WSA has populations of cougar and elk
which are wildlife species associated with wilderness
(refer to the Affected Environment, Vegetation and
Wildlife Including Special Status Species sections for
additional information). It has approximately 15 miles
of perennial streams.

• Diversity

This WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Province Ecore-
gion and has the PNV type of juniper-pinyon woodland
(refer to the Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies section for more discussion on ecoregions and
PNV types). The ecoregion and PNV types represented
by this WSA are compared with existing and other po-
tential National Wilderness Preservation units in the
Wilderness Values section in Volume I.

This WSA is within a 5-hour drive from one standard
metropolitan statistical area, Provo-Orem, Utah.

Air Quality

The Steep Creek WSA and surrounding area have a
Class II PSD classification under the Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1977. Capitol Reef National Park
(approximately 7 air miles east of the WSA) is the
nearest Class I PSD area. The BLM will not consider
or recommend any change in air quality classification
as part of the wilderness study or wilderness recom-
mendation. Any further air quality reclassification is
the prerogative of the State government, not of the
BLM (USDI, BLM, 1982b).

No measurements of air pollution or visibility levels
have been made in the Escalante planning unit. Data
collected from various sites such as Page, Arizona
and Four Mile Bench, Garfield County, Utah, indicate
the air is generally free of pollutants and within Na-
tional Ambient Air Quality Standards and State regu-
lations.

Geology and Topography

The Steep Creek WSA is within the Canyonlands sec-
tion of the Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province.
The WSA is characterized by a series of long,
straight, steep canyons and flat-topped benches, all
running in a north to south direction.

The oldest rocks exposed in the WSA outcrop along
the eastern boundary and become progressively
younger westward across the tract. The Triassic,
Chinle, Kayenta, and Wingate Formations form the
most extensive outcrops in the eastern portion of the
tract. The Jurassic Navajo Sandstone covers the
western portion (USDI, USBM, 1987d). At the ex-
treme northeast end of the WSA, the axis of the
Circle Cliffs anticline plunges northwest. Normal
faults with small displacements are common within
the eastern half of the WSA, and some can be traced
along the surface for up to 6 miles.

Elevation ranges from about 7,600 feet on the tops of
the benches in the northeastern part of the WSA to
about 5,600 feet where Steep Creek joins the Gulch
in the very southernmost part of the WSA. Major
drainages flow in a southwesterly direction and in-
clude The Gulch, Long, Steep Creek, Hot, Cottonwood,
and Slickrock Canyons.

STEEP CREEK WSA

Soils

The major part of the WSA is rockland. This land type
consists of exposures of bare bedrock, mostly sand-
stone and limestone with gentle to steep slopes. The
rockland area has very little vegetation with native
vegetation growing only in crevices and pockets of
soil material (Wilson, et al., 1975). The erosion
classes are shown in Table 2. Erosion condition was
determined by using soil surface factors. Most ero-
sion problems are due to natural geologic erosion
rather than man-caused.

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Classification

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
o* WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

3,209

15

17,330

Critical

2.7

1.330

6

3,590

Moderate

1.3

0

0

0

Slight

0.6

0

0

0

Stable

0.3

17.357

11

5.21 Q

Total

21,896

100

26,130

Sources: USDI.

BLM. 1978c and

1979c;

Leifeste, 1978.

The soils in the Steep Creek WSA are classified as
nonsaline. The average annual salt production from
undisturbed soils is estimated to be 33 lb per acre.
Rehabilitation potentials or seed success probabilities
are considered low because of steep slopes, rockland,
and shallow rocky soils. However, approximately 5
percent (1,095 acres) of the acreage in the WSA
(deep cobbly/gravelly loams) will produce good
seedings.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

The existing major vegetation type in the WSA is
pinyon-juniper woodland (19,147 acres). The domi-
nant species in this type include pinyon pine, juniper,
sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, and sand dropseed occur-
ring on the benches. The WSA also supports some scat-
tered Ponderosa pine. Approximately 2,694 acres of
the WSA are primarily slickrock and contain very
little vegetation. Riparian vegetation (55 acres) can
be found along the following streams: The Gulch, Deer
Creek, and Steep Creek (USDI, BLM 1980a). Riparian
species include cottonwood, redtop, and carex.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, one Category 1 candi-
date species and seven Category 2 candidate species
may occur in the WSA. These are Lepidium montanum

var. stellae. (the Category 1 species), Psoralea pari-
ensis. Lepidium montanum var. pseseae, Corvphantha
missouriensis var. marstanii, histerotheca jpnssii,
Penstemon atwoodii. Xvlorhiza CJgnqpistiL and
ranthes diluvialis (see Appendix 4 in Volume I). The
habitat for all of these species extends beyond the
WSA boundary.

The Steep Creek WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Pro-
vince Ecoregion as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler eco-
systems map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). The PNV type of
the WSA is juniper-pinyon woodland.

Water Resources

The Steep Creek WSA is within the Escalante River
subbasin of the Upper Colorado River hydrologic sub-
region.

The Steep Creek WSA contains approximately 15
miles of perennial streams. These streams include
Deer Creek, Steep Creek, and The Gulch (USDI, BLM
1979a). The headwaters of the streams in the WSA
are on the Dixie National Forest, a few miles above
the WSA boundary. Flash floods are common on these
streams from July to mid-September during the thun-
derstorm season. The water quality standards for
Escalante River and tributaries, from Lake Powell to
confluence with Boulder Creek, are as follows: Class
2B (protected for boating, waterskiing and similar
uses) and Class 3C (protected for nongame fish and
other aquatic life, including the necessary aquatic
organisms in their food chain).

Utah's 1986 305(b) water quality assessment report
states that streams and tributaries entering Lake
Powell in the southern portions of the Upper Colorado
River drainage have impairments to their beneficial
uses from high levels of TDS and sodium. These im-
pairments results mainly from natural sources and
low flows. The most prevalent water quality problem
results from suspended sediment which is a direct re-
sult of flooding. One developed and four undeveloped
springs, and one livestock reservoir exist in the
WSA. Primary uses are livestock and wildlife water-
ing.

The Steep Creek WSA is within the Escalante River
Adjudication Area 97. The Escalante River and all trib-
utaries are considered to be fully appropriated, and
the underground water directly connected to the sur-
face is closed to appropriation, with the exception of
some limited applications for 0.015 cfs which have
been approved on an individual basis. The State Engi-

20

STEEP CREEK WSA

neer will accept applications to appropriate water
from the underground aquifer located in bedrock and
consider them on the individual merits of the applica-
tions (UDNRE, DWR 1988).

Water rights within the WSA's boundary total 33.77
acre-feet annually. Of this, 29.57 acre-feet of water
is allocated to the BLM for livestock watering. The
State of Utah has the water rights to 4.2 acre-feet of
water from Steep Creek on a State section enclosed
within the boundary of the WSA (UDNRE, DWR, 1969).

Utah Power and Light has applications on file with the
State Engineer for over 200,000 feet of water in the
Escalante River Basin. According to information on
file, this water would be used for coal-fired steam
power generation, mining, domestic, and irrigation
purposes. Current information suggests that such
power generating developments would not occur in
the foreseeable future.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Steep Creek WSA is given in Table 3. Appendix 5
in Volume I explains the mineral and energy resource
rating system.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary
Rating

Resource

Favorability*

Certainty**

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

12

cl

Less than 10 million barrels ol
oil; less than 60 billion cubic-
teet ol gas

Uranium

f 2

c2

Less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide

Copper

12

c2

Less than 50.000 metric-tons.

Source: SAI, 1982; USDI. BLM. 1987.

•Favorability of the WSA's geologic environment for a resource (fl - lowest
favorability or smallest size deposit; (4 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

t>The degree of certainty that the resource doe6 or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

The WSA could contain deposits of copper, which is
currently listed as strategic and critical material
(USDoD, 1988). Although listed as strategic, copper
is relatively common and supplies currently exceed
domestic demand.

• Leasable Minerals

There are no known deposits of any leasable minerals
in the WSA. Currently, there are no active drilling,
mining, or exploration activities for leasable min-
erals.

• Oil and Gas

Numerous oil shows (including oil-impregnated
rock deposits) have been reported from Cambri-
an, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Per-
mian, and Triassic rocks in south-central Utah
(Heylmun, et al., 1965; Veal, 1976; and Camp-
bell and Ritzma, 1979). The older rocks generally
are only stained, whereas free oil has been recov-
ered from Mississippian rocks at Upper Valley
(Doelling, 1975). Because the most obvious struc-
tures in the area have already been explored,
many investigators considered subtle stratigraph-
ic traps in Permian and Triassic rocks to offer
the best potential for future petroleum discov-
eries.

The only oil and gas production in south-central
Utah in the vicinity of the WSA comes from the
Upper Valley Field located 30 miles to the west.
This field was discovered on the Upper Valley
anticline in 1964 and stimulated drilling activity
on similar anticlinal structures in south-central
Utah. To date, however, no commercial oil and
gas potential has been identified in the WSA.

The oil reservoir is located along the prominent
Upper Valley anticline, but the producing area is
offset from the crest of the anticline to the west
flank and the southern plunging nose. This offset
is attributed to a regional, south to west directed
hydrodynamic drive in the Kaibab Formation
(Sharp, 1976). Oil accumulation in other anti-
clines within the region may be displaced to the
south. Total production from this field is expect-
ed to approach 50 million barrels. Production is
from four distinct zones in the Timpoweap Forma-
tion (Triassic age) and the Kaibab Formation (Per-
mian age) (Sharp, 1976). Shows of oil were also
reported in the Cedar Mesa (Permian) and the Red-
wall Formation (Mississippian).

Eight exploratory oil and gas wells have been
drilled at distances of 8 to 16 miles away from
the WSA. These wells tested part of each of the
large anticlines that surround the WSA on its
east, west, and north sides. Many of the wells

21

STEEP CREEK WSA

bottomed in lower Paleozoic rocks and oil shows
were reported from parts of the Pennsylvanian
and Permian sections. Two of these wells tested
the Circle Cliffs anticline 11 miles east of the
WSA. This same anticline can be traced north-
ward through the WSA. One of the wells was
drilled in 1954 and bottomed in Cambrian rocks at
a depth of 5,628 feet. Oil shows were logged in
the White Rim and Cedar Mesa Sandstones of Per-
mian age. The other well on the Circle Cliffs anti-
cline was drilled in 1921 to the Redwall Lime-
stone (Kunkel, 1965). Although the wells were
positioned on the structurally highest part of the
anticline and penetrated most of the Paleozoic
section, the structure has not been adequately
tested. In addition to structural traps, the WSA
may have some potential for stratigraphic traps.

A significant carbon dioxide deposit was discov-
ered in 1960 on the Escalante anticline about 10
miles northwest of the WSA. A carbon dioxide-
rich gas cap also exists above the oil in the Upper
Valley Field. Although no other occurrences of
carbon dioxide were reported in any of the wells
drilled near the WSA, the possibility exists that a
deposit could be found along that portion of the
Circle Cliffs anticline in the northeastern part of
the WSA. No estimates of the amount of carbon
dioxide that might exist can be made.

The WSA is assigned an oil and gas favorability
rating of (f2) (SAI 1982). The size of the hydro-
carbon accumulation in such an environment is
anticipated to be less than 10 million barrels of
oil or less than 60 billion cubic-feet of gas. Based
on the available information, the certainty of
occurrence for oil and gas is rated very low (cl).

In the current land use plan, all 21,896 acres of
the WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions). There is presently one post-FLPMA lease
covering 2,532 acres in the WSA.

• Coal

The WSA is between the Henry Mountains coal
field approximately 10 miles to the northeast and
the Kaiparowits Plateau coal field approximately
20 miles to the southwest. All coal-bearing rocks
in these fields, as well as all other fields in south-
ern Utah, are of Cretaceous age (Doelling and
Graham, 1972). Since the WSA is entirely under-
lain by rocks of pre-Cretaceous age, there is no
potential for coal resources in the WSA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in
the WSA. Twenty-two mining claims, covering 440
acres, are located in the WSA.

• Uranium

The Chinle Formation is the only rock unit under-
lying the WSA known to have potential for uran-
ium in this area. The Chinle occurs at depths rang-
ing from zero along the northeastern part of the
WSA to about 1,500 feet along the western side.
About 15,000 acres in the eastern portion of the
WSA are considered favorable for significant de-
posits of uranium. The term significant is defined
as an economically-extractable uranium deposit
that contains a total of at least 100 metric-tons
of uranium oxide at a grade of at least 0.01 per-
cent (Peterson, et al. 1982). The criteria used to
evaluate the favorability in the area included: (1)
the distribution of potential host rocks, which is
inferred from the distribution of sandstone-to-
mudstone ratios; and (2) the distribution of poten-
tial uranium source rocks, the Petrified Forest
Member of the Chinle Formation. The remainder
of the unit is not considered to be favorable for
significant uranium deposits.

In the area adjacent to the northeast portion of
the WSA, there are three uranium prospects of
greater than 0.01 percent uranium oxide and one
deposit that has produced less than 10 metric-
tons of uranium oxide (Hackman and Wyant,
1973). Uranium was mined at the Centipede Mine
outside the northeastern study area boundary.
Mine workings follow a north-westerly trending
paleochannel, and may extend at depth into the
study area (USDI, USBM, 1987d). All the depos-
its and prospects in the immediate area are from
the Shinarump Member of the Chinle Formation.

On the basis of the discussion above, the WSA is
assigned a uranium favorability of (f2) (contain-
ing less than 500 metric-tons of uranium oxide).
The certainty that uranium deposits occur in the
WSA is low (c2).

• Copper

Copper associated with uranium mineralization
occurs in the Shinarump Member of the Chinle
Formation (Doelling, 1975) near the eastern
boundary of the WSA. The copper minerals most

22

STEEP CREEK WSA

often associated with uranium deposits (mala-
chite, azurite, chalcopyrite, bornite, and chry-
socolla) seem to be controlled by the same fac-
tors that have deposited the uranium minerals.
Copper prospects in the Chinle Formation in the
vicinity of the eastern boundary of the WSA have
reported assays of 0.1 to 13.2 percent copper
(Doelling, 1975). The potential in the eastern part
of the WSA is rated (f2) (favorability for less
than 50,000 metric-tons of copper). The certain-
ty of occurrence is low (c2).

• Bentonite

Large bentonite resources are present in the Moni-
tor Butte and Petrified Forest members of the
Chinle Formation inside the study area. No mar-
kets have been identified and higher quality re-
sources are present outside the WSA.

• Salable Minerals

Large sandstone resources suitable for decorative
uses are present in the WSA. Petrified wood suitable
for gem and decorative material is abundant in the
Petrified Forest Member inside the eastern study
area boundary (USDI, USBM, 1987d). These deposits
are not unique or economically significant due to the
presence of ample similar materials outside the WSA.

• Hydroelectric Power

None of the streams which flow through the WSA
have potential for hydroelectric power (Clyde et
al. , 1979).

Wildlife including Special Status Species

The Steep Creek WSA has habitat that could support
approximately 50 species of mammals, 170 species
of birds, 17 species of reptiles, five species of am-
phibians, and six species of fish. The birds are mainly
seasonal residents or migrants while the other spe-
cies are primarily residents. Major game species in-
habiting the WSA are mule deer, elk, cougar, mourn-
ing dove, and various waterfowl (USDI, BLM, 1 981 d).

The entire WSA provides yearlong, winter, and impor-
tant winter range for mule deer; however, deer num-
bers are low. The important winter range supports a
wintering deer population that spends the remainder
of the year on the Dixie National Forest. The riparian
areas are the most important use areas for the resi-
dent populations.

The WSA provides approximately 5,000 acres of im-
portant winter range for elk. UDWR transplanted 159
elk into the Boulder Mountain elk herd unit in 1976 to
1977. During years of heavy snowfall on the higher
elevations of the Dixie National Forest, between 50 to
80 elk may migrate onto winter range which includes
part of the WSA. Elk, during hard winters, are also
using forage from private fields near Boulder. UDWR
has identified a need for an elk habitat management
plan that would help reduce the elk use of private
lands. Portions of the Steep Creek WSA have potential
for land treatments to improve elk habitat. Two endan-
gered species, the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinusl
and bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). are rare mi-
grants and possibly winter visitors to the WSA.

At least seven other raptors are known to nest in the
WSA, including the golden eagle (a BLM sensitive spe-
cies) but only the American kestrel could be consider-
ed common. The UDWR list of sensitive species inc-
ludes two species that occasionally occur within the
WSA: Lewis woodpecker and western and mountain
bluebirds. There are also seven Category 2 candidate
species that could inhabit the WSA as follows: Great
Basin Silverspot butterfly, Salt Gulch pocket gopher,
ferruginous hawk, long-billed curlew, southern spot-
ted owl, Swainson's hawk and white-faced ibis (see
Appendix 4 in Volume I).

The most important game fish occurring in the WSA
are brown and rainbow trout. Deer Creek is the only
stream in the WSA that supports trout populations.
Rainbow and brown trout are not native to this area
but have been introduced at various times by the
UDWR; however, they do not stock these waters on a
regular basis. The WSA contains approximately 2
miles of fish habitat (USDI, BLM, 1979G).

No wildlife habitat plans or wildlife projects have
been developed within the WSA.

Forest Resources

No significant forest resources occur in the WSA. The
WSA does contain scattered Ponderosa pine trees and
stands of pinyon pine and juniper trees (approximate-
ly 19,147 acres) that are open for the collection of
fuelwood; however, due to the remoteness of the
area, lack of access, and sparse vegetation, current
use is minimal and is not expected to increase in the
foreseeable future (USDI, BLM 1979g).

23

STEEP CREEK WSA

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The WSA encompasses one livestock (cattle) grazing
allotment (White Rock) and portions of three others
(Deer Creek, Circle Cliffs, and Steep Creek). Tables 4
and 5 summarize livestock use and existing and pro-
posed range improvements in the WSA. There are no
wild horses or burros in the WSA.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the grazing allotments that com-
prise the Steep Creek WSA (USDA, APHIS, 1988).

Visual Resources

The BLM visual resource inventory classified approx-
imately 19,100 acres as Class A and 2,796 acres as
Class B scenery. VRM classes assigned include
21,186 acres of the WSA in Class II and 710 acres in
Class IV (refer to Appendix 7 in Volume I for more
detail on the BLM VRM system). The landscapes of the
WSA are derivative of both the Escalante River can-
yon country and the Circle Cliffs. The WSA is also on
the shoulder of the Aquarius Plateau and exhibits
some mountainous features. Scenic values are dis-
cussed in detail under the Wilderness Values, Special
Features section.

Cultural Resources

A total of 15 archaeological sites have been recorded
in the WSA (BLM, 1988). All of these are prehistoric
surface lithic scatters. Only one temporally diagnos-
tic artifact, a Middle Archaic projectile point, was

located. The cultural and temporal affiliations of the
remaining sites are unknown. All of the sites except
one are located on ridge tops. The remaining site is
located in the bottom of a small drainage. Only one
site was reported to contain buried archaeological
deposits. None of the recorded sites are considered to
be eligible for nomination to the National Register of
Historic Places. One rockshelter site is known to ex-
ist in the WSA, but has not been recorded.

One cultural resource inventory, has been conducted
within the boundaries of the WSA. One 160-acre quad-
rant was surveyed and the 15 sites were recorded
(USDI, BLM, 1978a). Based on this information, site
densities in the region are estimated to be approxi-
mately 400 sites per 23,000 acres. Site densities in
the WSA may be very high; as the potential for find-
ing additional sites in the unit are good. Most of these
sites would probably be lithic scatters located on
ridge tops, but additional rockshelter sites or Anasazi
sites may also be found.

Recreation

Although the Steep Creek WSA offers opportunities
for both primitive and nonprimitive types of recrea-
tional use, reliable data on existing visitor use are
not available. Most of the present use of the WSA is
probably associated with primitive opportunities such
as hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, photogra-
phy, sightseeing, and rockhounding. It is estimated
that the area receives 10,050 visitor days annually.
Approximately 50 visitor days are for activities
where vehicles are used. Since 1981, motor vehicle

Table 4

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in WSA

Total

AUMs

Number
of AUMs
in WSA

Number and
Kind of
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

White Rock

1,302

1,286

60

56

30 Cattle

12/01-01/31

1

Deer Creek

16,751

4,201

589

660

131 Cattle

11/01-02/28

2

Steep Creek

10,414

8,696

448

318

53 Cattle

11/01-03/31

1

Circle Cliffs

29,713

3,391

1,050

95

210 Cattle

11/01-06/31

3

Unallotted

4,322

Total

58,180

21 ,896

2,147

1,129

7

Sources: BLM File Data.

24

STEEP CREEK WSA

use of the Burr Trail which borders the WSA has in-
creased from 5,000 vehicles to 10,000 vehicles per
year. In addition, this road is becoming a popular
biking route. Although no developed hiking trails exist
in the WSA, at least 15 miles of hiking routes are
available. Trailheads for hiking exist at the adjacent
Deer Creek recreation area and on the Long Canyon-
Burr Trail road crossing of The Gulch. The primary
use period is from March to November.

Table 5

Existing and Proposed Range Improvements

Allotment

Existing Range Improvement

Proposed Improvement

White Rock

0.75 mile fence
1 Reservoir

None

Oeer Creek

None

None

Steep Creek

1 Spring development
1 .8 miles fence
3 miles stock trail

None

Circle Cliffs

0.10 mile fence

None

Source: USDI. BLM, 1980a.

The area is utilized by commercial outdoor survival
groups as an outdoor classroom. About 800 of the
total visitor use days are attributed to commercial
use.

The Gulch and Egg Canyon have been identified as pet-
rified wood areas. Collecting opportunities occur in
the Morrison and Chinle Formations. The Egg Canyon
petrified wood area contains significant quantities of
petrified wood in the form of large logs. Deer Creek
offers sport-fishing opportunities for brown and rain-
bow trout. Fishing use is minor.

Approximately 18,356 acres of the WSA are open,
3,220 acres are closed to ORV use, and ORV use is
limited to existing roads and trails on 320 acres as
indicated in the MFP. The closed areas include Cotton-
wood Wash (670 acres), Hot Canyon (770 acres),
Steep Creek (640 acres), and The Gulch (1,140
acres). ORV use is limited to designated roads and
trails in the Egg Canyon petrified wood area.

Land Use Plans

The WSA contains 21,896 acres of public land admin-
istered by the BLM. Public lands in the WSA lie within
the BLM Escalante planning unit and are being man-
aged according to the land use decisions of the Esca-

lante MFP (USDI, BLM, 1981d). Principle uses include
recreation and grazing. Wilderness is not addressed in
the Escalante MFP. However, wilderness designation
is part of the BLM multiple-use concept, and the BLM
land use plan is linked to the Statewide Wilderness EIS
through anaylsis of the present plan as the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative.

Three rights-of-way exist in the WSA: (1) Garkane
Power Company's powerline easement (U27727); (2)
Wilderness Survival Inc.'s right-of-way for an irri-
gation ditch (U29688); and (3) a telephone line (U-
30747). These rights-of-way are associated with
Deer Creek Ranch which is private land adjacent to
the WSA boundary.

The WSA is BLM-administered public land except for
three State sections (1,907.2 acres) and 160 acres
of split-estate (Federal surface-State minerals). The
current policy of the State is to maximize economic
returns from State lands and to reserve its position
regarding the exchange of in-held lands (see Chapter
1 in Volume I). In 1986, the Utah State Legislature
passed S.C.R. No. 1 opposing any additional wilder-
ness designation in Utah and urging that State lands
not be exchanged out of wilderness areas. Of the
1,907.2 acres of in-held State land, 627.2 acres are
under lease for oil, gas and hydrocarbons, and 640
acres are leased for grazing. The only current activ-
ity on these lands is livestock grazing.

The Garfield County Master Plan (Five County Asso-
ciation of Governments, 1984) recognizes the need
for protection of specific areas. Within the county the
plan proposes 142,653 acres be designated wilder-
ness by Congress. A portion of the Steep Creek WSA
(18,350 acres) is included in the recommended acre-
age. The master plan recommends that the remainder
of the WSA be managed for multiple use, including
uses such as forestry, livestock grazing, mining,
wildlife, and recreation.

Regardless of the master plan, the Garfield County
Commission has endorsed the Consolidated Local Gov-
ernment Response to Wilderness (Utah Counties,
1986) that opposes wilderness designation of BLM
lands in Utah.

The County also has plans to improve the Boulder to
Bullfrog road (Burr Trail) by paving to make it an all-
weather road. The road would be designed primarily
for scenic sightseeing use.

25

STEEP CREEK WSA

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The Steep Creek WSA is located in Garfield County
and is approximately 3 and 30 road miles from the
respective communities of Boulder and Escalante.
Most of the economic impacts are expected to be
restricted to this county.

Garfield County has an average population density of
less than one person per square mile. This density is
very low when compared to the statewide average of
17 persons per square mile (USDC, Bureau of the
Census, 1981). From 1970 to 1980 the population of
Garfield County grew from 3,157 to 3,700, an over-
all increase of about 17 percent. Table 6 presents the
baseline and projected population data for Garfield
County. It is estimated that between 1980 and 1987,
population increased to about 4,085. Population pro-
jections indicate that the number of people living in
Garfield County in the year 2010 will be about 4,850
for about a 19-percent increase over 1980 levels
(Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987).

Table 6

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Garfield and Wayne Counties

1980

1 990

2000

2010

Population

3.700

4.250

4,350

4,850

Employment

2.156

2.000

2,200

3.200

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

• Employment

Table 6 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Garfield County to the year 2010.

Garfield County is part of the Southwest MCD. Table
7 shows the baseline (1980) and projected employ-
ment by source for the MCD to the year 2010. In
1980 the leading employment sectors for the South-
west MCD were government (23 percent), trade (20
percent), and nonfarm proprietors (12 percent). Min-
ing provided approximately 2 percent of the direct
employment in the MCD.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 3 percent, Government to
18 percent, and mining to less than 1 percent of the
total MCD employment.

Table 7

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment ■

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1.498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

1 1,200

Finance, Insurance. Real

Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2.184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

■Includes Beaver. Garfield, Iron. Kane, and Washington Counties.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the WSA include miner-
al exploration, livestock production, and recreation.
Table 8 summarizes the local sales and Federal reve-
nues from the WSA. Appendix 9 in Volume I identifies
the multipliers used to estimate sales and revenues.

Table 8

Sales and Revenues

Source

Estimated Annual
Local Sales*

Estimated Annual
Federal Revenues

Oil and Gas Leases

0

$5,064

Mining Claim Assessment

$2,200

0

Livestock Grazing

$22,580

$1,739

Recreational Use

$41.205

i m*

Total

$65,985

$7,253

Sources: BLM File Data; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

■Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account for the
total Income that would be generated by these expenditures.

bPart of a total of $1,350 in revenue received from commercial organizations
also using the North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA and Steep Creek ISA.

The WSA has 22 mining claims. Regulations require a
$100 annual expenditure per claim for labor and im-
provements, an undetermined part of which is spent
in the local economy.

No oil and gas or mineral has been produced from the
WSA. Therefore, mineral and energy resource produc-
tion from the WSA has not contributed to local employ-
ment or income.

26

STEEP CREEK WSA

Seven livestock operators have a total grazing privi-
lege of 1,129 AUMs within the WSA. If all this forage
were utilized, it would account for $22,580 of live-
stock sales and $5,645 of ranchers' returns to labor
and investment.

The WSA's nonmotorized recreational use is low. Re-
lated local expenditures are low and could only be sig-
nificant to the commercial outfitters who currently
use the WSA. These expenditures are insignificant to
both the local economy and individual businesses
other than the commercial outfitters who use the
WSA, because most purchases are made outside of
the county and the City of Escalante. Related local
expenditures are low. They are insignificant to both
the local economy and individual businesses other
than to commercial outfitters. The actual amount of
income generated locally from recreational use in the
WSA is unknown. However, an approximate range of
expenditures can be deduced (Dalton, 1982). This stu-
dy indicates that the Statewide average local expendi-
tures per recreational visitor day for all types of rec-
reation in Utah are approximately $4.10. The recrea-
tional use for the Steep Creek WSA is estimated to be
about 10,050 visitor days per year.

The WSA generates Federal revenues from mineral
leases, livestock, and recreation sources (refer to
Table 8).

Oil and gas leases in the WSA cover approximately
2,532 acres. At up to $2 an acre, lease rental fees
generate up to $5,064 of Federal revenues annually.
Half of these monies are allocated to the State which,
in turn, reallocates these revenues to various funds,
the majority of which are related to energy develop-
ment and mitigation of local impacts of energy and
mineral development.

The seven livestock permittees in the WSA can use up
to 1,129 AUMs per year. Based on a $1.54 per AUM
grazing fee, the WSA can potentially generate $1,739
of grazing fee revenues annually, 50 percent of which
would be allocated back to the local BLM District for
the construction of rangeland improvements. Recrea-
tion permits generate about $450 of Federal revenues
annually.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

Analysis assumptions and guidelines for all alter-
natives are described in the Introduction to Volume
lll-B. The following analysis is also based on imple-

mentation of the Action Scenarios presented in the
Description of the Alternatives.

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management
Policy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the
WSA would be somewhat protected by limitations
placed on potential-surface disturbing activities (i.e.,
VRM Class II management on 21,186 acres and ORV
closure limitations on 3,220 acres).

In the foreseeable future, disturbance of approximate-
ly 32 acres from exploration and development of ura-
nium mining claims in the eastern portion of the WSA,
from development of access to a State Section (T. 33
S., R. 5 E., sec. 16) and from reclaiming and paving
the Burr Trail would result in a loss of naturalness
and opportunities for solitude and primitive, uncon-
fined recreation in the disturbed areas. Special fea-
tures, including endangered and sensitive species,
wildlife associated with wilderness, and perennial
streams, would not be significantly affected because
the direct disturbance would be minor involving only
0.15 percent (32 acres) of the WSA and the disturb-
ance would generally not be located where these spe-
cial features are located. In addition, appropriate mea-
sures would be taken to protect endangered and sensi-
tive species prior to any surface-disturbing activity.
Loss of scenic quality would occur in disturbed areas.
Some A Class scenery could be affected.

During the period of activity, the visual and audible
disturbance from uranium exploration and develop-
ment and from realigning and paving the Burr Trail
would reduce the quality of opportunities for solitude
and primitive recreation not only on directly disturb-
ed areas but also indirectly on adjacent portions of
the WSA. As much as 6 percent (1,314 acres) of the
WSA would be so affected in the foreseeable future.

Because future vehicular use would generally be limit-
ed by terrain to existing vehicular ways or future
mining roads, no additional disturbance from ORV
activity is anticipated in the future. The continued and
increased use of existing ways or future mining roads
would occasionally detract from opportunities for soli-
tude and primitive recreation.

27

STEEP CREEK WSA

The increased visitor use that would occur over time
would not be expected to reduce the quality of wilder-
ness values significantly because the additional use
would be largely primitive in nature.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would occur is not accurately known.
Loss would occur as intrusions increase.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation. In the foreseeable future,
naturalness and opportunities for solitude and primi-
tive recreation would be directly lost on 32 acres and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
would be indirectly reduced in quality on up to an addi-
tional 1,314 acres. Some Class A scenery would be
reduced in quality in disturbed areas.

• Impacts on Water Resources

Since precipitation is low and the amount of disturb-
ance is minor, no significant sedimentation or change
in TDS, including salt production, is expected to occur
from the 32 acres of disturbed soil. Water could be
diverted from upstream of the WSA without consider-
ation of wilderness values. Existing and future water
resources and uses would not be affected.

Conclusion: The No Action/No Wilderness Alternative
would not significantly alter present or future water
quality or uses.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

The WSA would remain open to exploration and devel-
opment of mineral and energy resources without con-
sideration of wilderness values. Therefore, mineral
and energy resources would not be affected by the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Implementation of the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative would not adversely affect min-
eral exploration or production.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

With this alternative wildlife, particularly elk, could
be affected by a change in habitat. The WSA has poten-
tial for vegetation treatments in the northern part
and there is a need to develop additional elk winter
habitat. However, there are no formal plans for doing

so at the present time. Disturbance of an estimated
32 acres through road realignment and mineral and
energy exploration may temporarily disrupt wildlife.
Deer, elk, and mobile nongame animals would be dis-
persed from the area during the construction phase of
these activities. Less mobile wildlife would either per-
ish or co-exist with these disturbances at smaller
and less viable population levels.

There is a slight potential that individual animals of
the two endangered and seven Category 2 species
that may occur in the WSA could be disturbed by beat-
able minerals exploration. This would only exist
where such mineral operations would occur on areas
of less than 5 acres, and where a plan of operation
and approval is not required under the 43 CFR 3809
regulations. The Endangered Species Act and subse-
quent regulations apply to these operations and any
losses would be inadvertent. It is not anticipated that
mineral-related actions in the WSA would affect the
continued existence of any of the endangered or other
special status species.

Prior to authorizing any surface-disturbance activ-
ities, including realignment of the Burr Trail and de-
velopment of access to State land, the BLM would
conduct site-specific clearances of the potentially
disturbed areas. If any threatened or endangered spe-
cies are located, BLM would initiate consultation with
the FWS as required by the Endangered Species Act
and BLM policy. BLM would request a biological opin-
ion when appropriate (refer to Appendix 4 in Volume
I). Appropriate mitigation measures, such as avoid-
ance of sensitive areas, would be implemented. Be-
cause necessary measures would be taken to protect
these species, the viability of populations of threat-
ened, endangered, or other special status animal spe-
cies would not be significantly affected with the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: There would be no significant impacts to
wildlife habitat or populations including special status
animal species because only 0.15 percent of the habi-
tat in the WSA would be disturbed. The opportunity to
develop elk winter habitat would continue.

All Wilderness Alternative (21,896 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 21,186 acres as
wilderness would contribute to the preservation of
the wilderness values in the Steep Creek WSA. The
potential for surface-disturbing activities would be

28

STEEP CREEK WSA

reduced through closure of the entire area to future
mineral leasing and location and to ORV use, and
through management of the area as VRM Class I which
allows for only natural ecological change. Naturalness
would be protected on all 21,896 acres. Solitude
would be protected on approximately 15,500 acres
that meet and 6,396 acres that do not meet the stand-
ards for outstanding. Primitive and unconfined recrea-
tion would be protected on approximately 18,100
acres that meet and 3,796 acres that do not meet the
standards for outstanding. Resources that could be
considered as special features in the WSA, including
Class A scenery, scenic features, endangered and
sensitive species, wildlife associated with wilder-
ness, and perennial streams, would also be protected.

Although protected, complete preservation of wilder-
ness values would not be assured because of valid
existing rights. In the foreseeable future, disturbance
of up to 28 acres is anticipated from exploration and
development of valid mining claims in the eastern por-
tion of the WSA, from development of access to a
State Section (T. 33 S., R. 5 E., sec. 16) and from the
realigning and paving of the Burr Trail. Wilderness
values of naturalness and opportunities for solitude
and primitive recreation would be directly lost on the
disturbed areas. Opportunities for solitude and primi-
tive recreation would also be indirectly reduced in
quality on adjacent portions of the WSA during the
period of activity. As much as 4 percent of the WSA
(876 acres) could be so affected. Special features,
including endangered and sensitive species, wildlife
associated with wilderness, and perennial streams
would not be significantly affected because the dis-
turbance would be minor, involving only 0.13 (28
acres) of the WSA, and the disturbance would not be
located where these special features are located. In
addition, appropriate measures would be taken to pro-
tect endangered and sensitive species prior to any
surface-disturbing activity. Mitigation to protect wil-
derness values would be applied, but loss of wilder-
ness values would be allowed if development involv-
ing valid existing rights could not be otherwise achiev-
ed. Some Class A scenery would be reduced in quality
in the disturbed areas. All in all, the disturbance
would not be substantially noticeable in the area as a
whole.

Vehicular use of existing ways would generally cease
with ORV closure, improving opportunities for soli-
tude and primitive recreation.

Over the long term, there would be no potential for
loss of wilderness values due to development of new

leases and mining claims. The potential for long term
loss due to development of valid existing rights and
State in-holdings is not accurately known, but would
be less than with the No Action/No Wilderness Alter-
native due to wilderness protection mitigation.

Increased visitor use that would occur with time
would be primitive in nature and would be managed so
as to not result in loss of wilderness values.

Conclusion: Wilderness values in the WSA would be
preserved overall. In the foreseeable future, natural-
ness and opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation would be lost on 28 acres and opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation would be reduc-
ed in quality on up to an additional 876 acres of the
WSA.

• Impacts on Water Resources

Since precipitation is low and the amount of disturb-
ance is low, no significant sedimentation or change in
TDS, including salt production, is expected to occur
from 28 acres of disturbed soil.

Approximately 15 miles of perennial streams flow
through the WSA which in turn flow into the Escalante
River. Projects upstream of the WSA could be hamp-
ered because changes in use, changes in points of di-
version, or transfer of water rights could be pro-
tested by the Federal government to maintain flow
through the WSA in order to protect resource values.
Potential upstream water uses include steam power
generation, mining, domestic, and irrigation pur-
poses.

Conclusion: In the short term, wilderness designation
would not significantly alter water quality or use. In
the long term, future water diversions and new and
consumptive uses in the Escalante River system up-
stream of the WSA may be restricted or precluded.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

Approximately 2,532 acres are under lease for
oil and gas. However, no exploration or develop-
ment of oil and gas is presently occurring within
the WSA. Existing leases could be developed sub-
ject to the stipulations issued at the time of leas-
ing. It is unlikely that the existing lease will be

29

STEEP CREEK WSA

developed or a showing of commercial quantities
made prior to their expiration dates, and the ex-
pired lease would not be re-issued.

Exploration for and development of a potential re-
source of up to 10 million barrels of oil in-place
and less than 60 billion cubic-feet of natural gas
with 3 million barrels of oil and 18 billion cubic-
feet of natural gas that is recoverable could be
foregone under this alternative. However, due to
the small size of the potential deposits, the low
certainty that these exist, and the low likelihood
of exploration and development activities, it is
concluded that this alternative would not result in
a significant loss of potential oil and gas recov-
ery.

• Locatable Minerals

Approximately 440 acres are covered by 22 min-
ing claims within the WSA. Up to 5,000 metric-
tons of uranium oxide and up to 50,000 metric-
tons of copper could occur within the WSA. Devel-
opment work, extraction, and patenting would be
allowed to continue on valid claims after wilder-
ness designation under unnecessary or undue deg-
radation guidelines (43 CFR 3809). It is estimated
that 2 acres would be disturbed due to exploration
of locatable mineral resources in the northeastern
corner of the WSA

An impact to minerals would occur if potentially
recoverable deposits are not within existing min-
ing claims or claims filed prior to designation. In
that case the potential for recovery of up to
5,000 metric-tons of uranium and 50,000 metric-
tons of copper would be foregone. Because produc-
tion of these metals is not currently occurring
and because economic considerations (e.g., trans-
portation, low potential, etc.) are unfavorable, it
is unlikely that development will occur in the fore-
seeable future. Therefore, this alternative would
not result in a significant loss of recoverable ura-
nium or copper resources.

Conclusion: Potential exploration opportunities for
locatable minerals would be limited to those under
valid mining claims at the time of designation. No
significant mineral production would be foregone.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

With this alternative, some wildlife could benefit due
to the preservation of solitude. However, potential
vegetation treatment for improvement of elk habitat
would be foregone. This could result in continued dam-
age to private fields near Boulder. The two endanger-
ed and seven Category 2 species which may occur in
the WSA would be provided with additional protection
over the entire area. Prior to any surface disturb-
ance (estimated 2 acres due to locatable mineral ex-
ploration, 1 acre due to development of access to
State land, and 25 acres due to realignment of the
Burr Trail), appropriate inventories, clearances, and
(if required) consultation with the FWS would be un-
dertaken in compliance with the Endangered Species
Act. Therefore, no significant impacts to wildlife
would occur.

Conclusion: The opportunity to improve habitat on elk
winter range would be precluded. Designation would
protect all species with additional opportunities for
solitude. Special status species would be protected.

Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Pro-
posed Action) (20,806 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Wilderness designation of 20,806 acres would contrib-
ute to the preservation of the area's best wilderness
values. This Partial Wilderness Alternative would re-
duce the potential for surface-disturbing activities
that could impair wilderness values over the long
term in the designated area. Protection in the desig-
nated area would include management under VRM
Class I which generally allows for only natural eco-
logical change, ORV closure including closure of 1.5
miles of way, and closure to future mineral leasing
and location. Naturalness, outstanding opportunities
for solitude, including approximately 15,500 acres
that meet and 5,306 acres that do not meet the stand-
ards for outstanding, and primitive recreation includ-
ing approximately 17,270 acres that meet and 3,536
acres that do not meet the standards of outstanding,
and special features including scenic features, endan-
gered and sensitive species, wildlife associated with
wilderness, and perennial streams, would be protect-
ed.

In the foreseeable future, direct loss of naturalness
and opportunities for solitude and primitive recrea-
tion due to allowable surface disturbance from min-

30

STEEP CREEK WSA

eral exploration and development and from providing
access to a State Section (T. 33 S., R. 5 E., sec. 16),
and from realigning and paving the Burr Trail would
occur on up to 3 acres within the designated portion
and on up to 25 acres within the nondesignated por-
tion. Special features would be largely preserved
because disturbance would involve only about 0.13
percent (28 acres) of the WSA. In addition, appropri-
ate measures would be taken to protect endangered
and sensitive species prior to any surface-disturbing
activity. Areas of Class A scenery would be reduced
in quality in the disturbed areas.

Sights and sounds from foreseeable development
would reduce the quality of opportunities for solitude
and primitive recreation indirectly on areas adjacent
to the disturbed areas, including up to 4 percent (876
acres) of the WSA. Most of this type of impact would
be in the nondesignated area.

Elimination of ORV use involving approximately 1.5
miles of way in the designated area would improve
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation in
the WSA although continued vehicular use of 1 mile of
way in the nondesignated area would continue to de-
tract from these opportunities during the period of
activity.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would occur is not accurately known.
Loss would be less than with the No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternative due to the application of mitigation
in the designated area that would limit development
subject to valid existing rights.

Conclusion: The best wilderness values would be pre-
served overall in the designated area which includes
about 95 percent of the WSA. Naturalness and oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive recreation would
be directly lost on 32 acres, and opportunities for
solitude and primitive recreation would be indirectly
reduced in quality on up to an additional 4 percent
(876 acres) of the WSA. Class A scenery could be
reduced in quality in the disturbed areas.

• Impacts on Water Resources

The impacts and conclusions on water would be essen-
tially the same as with the All Wilderness alterna-
tive, because the level of disturbance would be the
same and the perennial streams would pass through
the designated areas.

Conclusion: In the short term, wilderness designation
would not significantly alter water quality or use. In
the long term, future water diversions and new and
consumptive uses in the Escalante River system up-
stream of the WSA may be restricted or precluded.

• Impacts on Minerals and Energy Exploration and
Production

• Leasable Minerals

The area designated wilderness would be placed in
Category 4 status with no new leasing. There are
approximately 2,532 acres of oil and gas leases
in the area that would be designated wilderness.
Activities on these leases would occur subject to
the stipulations issued at the time of leasing. That
portion of the WSA not designated wilderness
would be subject to oil and gas exploration and
development as discussed for the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative.

It is concluded that, due to the small size of the
potential deposits the low certainty that these
exist and the low likelihood for exploration and
development activities, this alternative would not
result in a significant loss in recovery of oil and
gas resource.

• Locatable Minerals

There are presently 22 mining claims within the
area that would be designated wilderness. It is
possible additional claims could be staked before
wilderness designation. Development work, ex-
traction, and patenting could occur on valid claims
after wilderness designation under unnecessary
or undue degradation guidelines. After designa-
tion, all other lands (including claims not deter-
mined valid) would be closed to prospecting and
development (USDI, BLM, 1981a).

In the designated portion, it is estimated that 2
acres would be disturbed due to exploration of
locatable mineral resources. This activity would
occur in the northeastern corner of the WSA. No
exploration or development activity is anticipated
on the remainder of the WSA because resource
values are too low to support that assumption. In
addition, no developments are projected for the
area where exploration would occur because of
the low certainty that small uranium and copper
deposits actually exist within the WSA. If such
deposits do occur, they would be at depths suit-

31

STEEP CREEK WSA

able for underground mining and could be accessed
from existing workings outside the WSA.

Conclusion: Potential exploration opportunities for
locatable minerals would be limited to claims existing
at the time of designation. No significant minerals pro-
duction would be foregone.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

The projected impacts with this alternative are essen-
tially the same as those discussed with the All Wilder-
ness Alternative. The partial designation would pre-
clude the opportunity to improve habitat on elk winter
range. Designation would protect all species with addi-
tional opportunities for solitude and there would be no
significant impacts to special status species, because
of required mitigation and because only 0.13 percent
(28 acres) of the habitat in the WSA would be disturb-
ed.

Conclusion: The opportunity to improve elk winter
range habitat would be precluded. Designation would
protect all species with additional opportunities of
solitude. There would be no significant impacts to
special status species.

Small Partial Wilderness Alternative
(18,350 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Wilderness designation of 18,350 acres would contrib-
ute to preservation of the area's best wilderness val-
ues. Although in the foreseeable future, impacts
would be about the same as identified for the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative, this Partial Wilder-
ness Alternative would reduce the potential for sur-
face-disturbing activities that could impair wilder-
ness values over the long term in the designated area.
Protection in the designated area would include man-
agement under VRM Class I which generally allows
for only natural ecological change, ORV closure in-
cluding closure of 1.5 mile of ways, and closure to fu-
ture mineral leasing and location. Naturalness, out-
standing opportunities for solitude including about
14,395 acres that meet and 3,955 acres that do not
meet the standards for outstanding, and primitive rec-
reation including about 16,859 acres that meet and
1,491 acres that do not meet the standards of out-
standing, and special features including scenic fea-
tures, endangered and sensitive species, wildlife asso-

ciated with wilderness, and perennial streams, would
be protected.

In the foreseeable future, direct loss of naturalness
and opportunities for solitude and primitive recrea-
tion due to allowable surface disturbance from min-
eral exploration and development, from providing
access to a State Section (T. 33 S., R. 5 E., sec. 16),
and from the realigning and paving of the Burr Trail
would occur on up to 2 acres within the designated
portion and on up to 30 acres within the nondesig-
nated portion. Loss of these values would be confined
to the eastern and southern portions of the WSA. Spe-
cial features would be largely preserved because the
direct disturbance would involve only 0.14 percent
(30 acres) of the WSA, and except for Class A scen-
ery development, is not expected in areas where spe-
cial features are located. In addition, appropriate mea-
sures would be taken to protect endangered and sensi-
tive species prior to any surface-disturbing activity.

Sights and sounds from foreseeable development
would indirectly reduce the quality of opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation on areas adja-
cent to the disturbed areas, including up to 5 percent
(1,095 acres) of the WSA. Most of this type of im-
pact would be in the nondesignated area.

Elimination of ORV use in the designated area would
improve opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation in the WSA, although vehicular use of 1 mile
of way and future mining roads in the nondesignated
area would continue to detract from these opportun-
ities during the period of activity.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would occur is not accurately known.
Loss would be less than with the No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternative due to the application of mitigation
in the designated area that would limit development
subject to valid existing rights.

I

Conclusion: The best wilderness values would be pre-
served overall in the designated area which includes
about 84 percent of the WSA. Naturalness and oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive recreation would
be directly lost on 30 acres, and opportunities for
solitude and primitive recreation would be temporari-
ly reduced in quality on up to an additional 5 percent
(1,095 acres) of the WSA. Class A scenery would be
reduced in quality in disturbed areas.

32

STEEP CREEK WSA

• Impact on Water Resources

The impacts and conclusions on water would be essen-
tially the same as with the All Wilderness Alterna-
tive, because the level of surface disturbance would
be approximately the same and the perennial streams
would pass through the designated area.

Conclusion: In the short term, wilderness designation
would not significantly alter water quality or use. In
the long term, future water diversions and new and
consumptive uses in the Escalante River system up-
stream of the WSA may be restricted or precluded.

• Impact to Minerals and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

The area designated wilderness would be placed in
Category 4 status with no new leasing. There are
approximately 2,532 acres of oil and gas leases
in the area that would be designated wilderness.
Activities on these leases would occur subject to
the stipulations issued at the time of leasing. The
nondesignated portion of the WSA could be devel-
oped for oil and gas as discussed in the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative.

It is concluded that, due to the small size of the
potential deposits, the low certainty that these
exist, and the low likelihood for exploration and
development activities, this alternative would not
result in a significant loss in recovery of the oil
and gas resource.

• Locatable Minerals

There are presently no mining claims within the
area that would be designated wilderness. How-
ever, some claims could be staked before wilder-
ness designation. Development work, extraction,
and patenting could occur on valid claims after
wilderness designation under unnecessary or un-
due degradation guidelines. After designation, all
other lands (including claims not determined val-
id) would be closed to prospecting and develop-
ment (USDI, BLM, 1981a).

In the designated portion, it is estimated that 1
acre would be disturbed due to exploration of
locatable mineral resources.

This activity would occur in the northeastern cor-
ner of the WSA. About 5 acres would be disturbed
by exploration on the remainder of the WSA. How-
ever, development is not projected for the area
where exploration would occur because of the low
certainty that small uranium and copper deposits
actually exist within the WSA. If such deposits do
occur, they would be at depths suitable for under-
ground mining and could be accessed from existing
workings outside the WSA.

Conclusion: Mineral exploration would not be limited
in the area considered to possess the most potential
for locatable minerals. No significant minerals explor-
ation or production would be foregone.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Population Including
Special Status Species

With this alternative, some wildlife could benefit due
to the preservation of solitude on 84 percent (18,350
acres) of the WSA. However, potential vegetation
treatment for improvement of elk habitat would be
foregone as discussed for the All Wilderness Alterna-
tive. In the designated portion of the WSA the two
endangered and seven Category 2 candidate species
which may occur in the WSA would be provided with
additional protection. Disturbance of an estimated 32
acres (0.15 percent of the WSA) through road realign-
ment and mineral and energy exploration may tempor-
arily disrupt wildlife.

There is a slight potential that individual animals of
the two endangered and seven Category 2 species
that may occur in the WSA could be disturbed by locat-
able minerals exploration. This would only exist
where such mineral operations would occur on areas
of less than 5 acres, where a plan of operation and
approval are not required under the 43 CFR 3809
regulations. The Endangered Species Act and subse-
quent regulations apply to these operations and any
losses would be inadvertent. It is not anticipated that
mineral-related actions in the WSA would threaten
the continued existence of any special status species.

Prior to authorizing any surface-disturbance activi-
ties, including realignment of the Burr Trail and de-
velopment of access to State land, BLM would conduct
site-specific clearances of the potentially disturbed
areas. If any threatened or endangered species are
located, BLM would initiate consultation with the FWS
as required by the Endangered Species Act and BLM
policy. BLM would request a biological opinion when
appropriate (refer to Appendix 4 in Volume I).

33

STEEP CREEK WSA

Appropriate mitigation measures, such as avoidance
of sensitive areas, would be implemented. Because
necessary measures would be taken to protect these
species, the viability of populations of threatened,
endangered, or other special status animal species
would be preserved with the Small Partial Wilderness
Alternative.

Conclusion: The opportunity to improve habitat on elk
winter range would be precluded. Designation would
protect all species with additional opportunities for
solitude on 84 percent (18,350 acres) of the WSA.
There would be no significant impacts to threatened,
endangered, or other special status species.

34

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 2

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 2

Issues Analyzed in Detail 3

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 3

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated From Detailed Study 3

Alternatives Analyzed 4

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 4

All Wilderness Alternative 7

Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) (91,558 Acres) 11

Small Partial Wilderness Alternative (54,500 Acres) 15

Summary of Environmental Consequences 19

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 19

Wilderness Values 19

Air Quality 26

Geology and Topography 26

Soils 26

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 27

Water Resources 27

Mineral and Energy Resources 28

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 30

Forest Resources 30

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 31

Visual Resources 31

Cultural Resources 32

Recreation 32

Land Use Plans 33

Socioeconomics 33

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 35

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 35

All Wilderness Alternative 38

Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) (91,558 Acres) 40

Small Partial Wilderness Alternative (54,500 Acres) 43

i

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

INTRODUCTION

Changes for the Final EIS

General Description of the Area

The North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA is located
in Garfield County approximately 5 miles east of the
town of Escalante, Utah. The ISA contains 119,752
acres. There are 119,300 acres of full estate BLM-
administered land, which include the North Escalante
Canyons ONA (5,800 acres), Tracts 2, 3, and 4 of
the Escalante Canyon ONA (480 acres), The Gulch
ONA (3,430 acres), The Wolverine Petrified Wood
Natural Environmental Area (2,213 acres), and por-
tions of Deer Creek recreation area (475 acres), Calf
Creek recreation area (425 acres), and Phipps-Death
Hollow ONA (12 acres). The ISA encloses 7,623
acres of State land and includes 452 acres of split-
estate lands (Federal surface, State minerals). The
ISA is administered by the BLM Cedar City District
Escalante Resource Area office.

The ISA is separated from the Phipps-Death Hollow
ISA by State Highway 12 and an existing powerline on
the northwestern boundary. The Boulder to Bullfrog
road (Burr Trail) separates the northern border of
the ISA from the Steep Creek WSA. The southeastern
boundary of the North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch
ISA is contiguous to the Glen Canyon NRA.

The majority of the ISA is characterized by steep-
walled canyons, mesas, plateaus, and natural arches.
The Escalante River and The Gulch run through the
ISA. Much of the ISA is bare rock outcrop. Pinyon-
juniper woodland is the major vegetation type.

In general, the climate is temperate and arid with
annual precipitation averaging about 10 inches. From
June through early September convection-type thun-
derstorms advance from the Pacific Ocean off the
coast of Mexico and southern California. Frontal-type
storms out of the northwest move over the area from
October through June. The highest precipitation rates
occur primarily from November through March.

In addition to the changes noted in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B, the following changes specific to the
ISA have been made since publication of the Draft EIS.

1. Small portions of the boundary of the ISA (T. 36
S., R. 6 E., secs. 2 and 16) have been redrawn to cor-
rect errors in the Draft EIS maps. These changes ex-
clude State sections that are on the ISA boundary.
Changes did not require Federal acreage adjustments,
but acreage figures for State lands have been adjust-
ed for the Final EIS. In addition, the ISA boundary was
redrawn to include a portion of T. 34 S., R. 5 E. sec.
16. This was necessary to correct an error which
omitted a 452-acre parcel of split-estate land where
the surface is Federal and the subsurface is controll-
ed by the State of Utah. A corresponding acreage ad-
justment has been made which increases the size of
the ISA to 119,752 acres, as was reported in the
1980 BLM Wilderness Inventory Decision.

2. The Draft EIS identified a Large Partial Wilderness
Alternative of 100,300 acres. This alternative was
designed to avoid most conflicts with potential min-
eral development (especially tar sands). In response
to public comments received on the Draft EIS and a
reassessment of tar sand development potentials, the
Partial Wilderness Alternative has been revised for
the Final EIS. The new Large Partial Wilderness Alter-
native now includes Wolverine Bench, Death Hollow,
Little Bown Bench, and Big Bown Bench. However, the
new Large Partial Wilderness Alternative now ex-
cludes lands along the southern boundary of the ISA
which are lacking in outstanding wilderness qualities.
These include the V Flat and the area south of Spencer
Flat. This new Large Partial Wilderness Alternative
contains 91,558 acres of Federal land and is BLM
proposed action.

3. The anticipated surface disturbance presented in
the Draft EIS (4,300 acres) was based on the assump-
tion that all mineral and other resources potentially

Summer temperatures in Escalante, Utah, range
approximately 30 degrees Fahrenheit (F) with highs
in the mid-90s and lows in the mid-60s. Winters in
Escalante, Utah, have a temperature range of about

27 degrees F with highs in the low 40s and lows of
about 15. Snowfall in Escalante generally averages

28 inches and begins in October or November and ends
in March or April.

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP

WSAq.4

NO. O I
SEE VOL.

1

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

within the WSA would be developed sometime in the
future without consideration of technical or economic
feasibility. In response to public comments relative to
the feasibility of developments, the disturbance esti-
mates have been revised to focus on activities pro-
jected to be feasible within the foreseeable future
(see Appendix 6 in Volume I). This resulted in a reduc-
tion of surface disturbance estimates from 4,300
acres reported in the Draft EIS to 104 acres of sur-
face disturbance for the Final EIS.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B (i.e., impacts on air quality, water rights,
geology and topography, and land use plans and poli-
cies), the following issues or impacts specific to the
North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA were consid-
ered but are not analyzed in detail in the Final EIS for
the reasons described below:

1. Soil: The public is concerned that without wilder-
ness designation, mineral development, land treat-
ment, or ORV use would occur on soils that are not
easily reclaimed, leading to unacceptable increases in
soil erosion. Within the foreseeable future, the antici-
pated surface disturbance from mineral exploration in
the North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA without
wilderness designation would be 57 acres and mitiga-
tion would be required through the unnecessary and
undue degradation requirements of 43 CFR 3809 and
the provisions of 43 CFR 3100. Approximately 25
acres would be disturbed due to realignment of the
Burr Trail. This disturbance would be temporary and
would likely occur with each alternative. This is also
the situation with the 6 acres of disturbance antici-
pated due to development of access to State sections
and 1 6 acres which could be disturbed with the devel-
opment of rangeland projects. Terrain and surface fea-
tures generally restrict vehicles to the perimeter of
the ISA and sandy and slickrock areas near Spencer
Flats and The V. Therefore, impacts on soil erosion
are not significant issues for the North Escalante
Canyons/The Gulch ISA.

2. Wildlife Including Special Status Species: As dis-
cussed above for soils, estimates of total surface
disturbance without wilderness designation have been
revised downward from the 4,300 acres reported in
the Draft EIS to 104 acres for the Final EIS. Given

this new scenario, the impacts of direct disturbance
of wildlife would be reduced and would not be sig-
nificant with any of the alternatives.

Two threatened or endangered animal species (the
bald eagle and peregrine falcon) are rare winter visi-
tors of the ISA. In addition, seven Category 2 candi-
date species may occur in the ISA. There is a slight
potential that individual animals of these species
could be disturbed by locatable mineral exploration.
This situation would only exist where such mineral
operations would occur on sites of 5 acres or less,
where a plan of operations and approval are not re-
quired under 43 CFR 3809 regulations. The Endanger-
ed Species Act and subsequent regulations apply to
these operations and any loss would be inadvertent. It
is not projected that locatable mineral-related ac-
tions in the ISA would threaten the continued exis-
tence of any of the endangered or other special status
species. Before authorizing any surface-disturbing
activities including oil and gas exploration, the rea-
lignment of the Burr Trail, rangeland developments,
and access to State land, BLM would conduct site-
specific clearances of the potentially disturbed areas.

If any threatened or endangered species are located,
BLM would initiate consultation with the FWS as re-
quired by the Endangered Species Act and BLM policy.
BLM would request a biological opinion when appro-
priate (see Appendix 4 in Volume I). Appropriate miti-
gation measures, such as avoidance of sensitive
areas, would be implemented. Because necessary mea-
sures would be taken to protect these species, the via-
bility of populations of threatened, endangered, or
other special status animal species would be preserv-
ed with any alternative. Approximately 20,358 acres
are closed to ORV use with current land use planning
decisions. Existing ORV use is occurring around the
perimeter of the ISA and on the sandy slickrock areas
near Spencer Flats and the V. The endangered or other
special status animal species which may occur in the
ISA do not depend on these sites for critical habitat
requirements. Therefore, impacts on wildlife are not
analyzed in detail for the Final EIS.

3. Forest Resources: Forest resources in the ISA con-
sists of over 93,000 acres of pinyon pine and juniper
trees. Demand is low, there is limited access, and
only 104 acres would be disturbed in the entire ISA.
For these reasons impacts on forest resources are
not significant issues for analysis in the Final EIS.

4. Livestock Management: The public is concerned
that wilderness designation would interfere with
livestock management by placing restrictions on

2

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

access for maintenance of existing range improve-
ments and moving of livestock and by preventing fu-
ture range improvements, and placing restrictions on
predator control. However, under the BLM Wilderness
Management Policy (BLM Manual 8560), there shall
be no curtailments in grazing simply because an area
is wilderness. Grazing reductions have already been
imposed as a result of a grazing EIS.

There are several proposed rangeland developments
only five of which (three reservoirs, one retention
dam, and one stock tank) would be precluded by wil-
derness designation. Five miles of way would be
closed should the area be designated as wilderness.
However, since motorized vehicles are used very
little in livestock management, little effect on manage-
ment of livestock grazing is expected. Even though
spring loaded cyanide guns (M-44s) would be prohi-
bited, several methods of predator control would be
allowed in designated wilderness. For these reasons
the impacts on livestock management are not signifi-
cant issues for the North Escalante Canyons/The
Gulch ISA.

5. Visual Resources: As discussed above for soils and
vegetation, the estimates of surface disturbance have
been reduced for the Final EIS. Therefore, the impacts
on visual resources would be less than described in
the Draft EIS. With the No Action/No Wilderness Alter-
native, impacts on visual resources would occur from
104 acres of surface disturbance related to the rea-
lignment of the Burr Trail, mineral exploration range-
land developments, and developing access to State
sections. In the Final EIS, impacts on visual resources
are not addressed under the heading of Visual Re-
sources, but are addressed as part of the discussion
of naturalness and special features in the Wilderness
Values sections.

6. Economic Conditions: Some, including State and
local government, are concerned that wilderness des-
ignation would preclude mineral or other economic de-
velopments and adversely affect local economic con-
ditions. Others believe that primitive recreation use
would increase following wilderness designation and
would contribute to the local economy.

There are no existing or anticipated mineral or other
developments for the North Escalante Canyons/The
Gulch ISA. There would be mineral exploration activ-
ities employing up to six people for no more than a
few weeks at a time and an increase of recreational
visitors of 2 to 7 percent a year could be expected.
However, this increased level of employment or visi-

tor use would occur under any of the alternatives and
would not result in significant impacts to the local eco-
nomy.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The significant issues for the North Escalante
Canyons/The Gulch ISA are:

1. Impacts on the wilderness values of naturalness,
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation,
and special features.

2. Impacts on vegetation including special status spe-
cies.

3. Impacts on water resources.

4. Impacts on mineral and energy exploration and pro-
duction.

5. Impacts on the preservation of cultural resources.

6. Impacts on recreational use of the ISA.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the need for, and ade-
quacy of, the rationale for the BLM proposed action;
the need for further inventories of resource values;
and BLM's assessments of wilderness values, the
Burr Trail setback, tar sand, and other mineral val-
ues. See Volume Vll-B for responses to general com-
ments applicable to all WSAs and/or the Statewide
analysis and Volume Vll-C, Section 31, for responses
to specific comments about the North Escalante Can-
yons/The Gulch ISA.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
From Detailed Study

Alternatives that would add State and Federal acre-
age, mainly in the Big Spencer Flats and along the
southern border of the ISA while deleting other small
areas south of Highway 12 (net addition of about
5,700 acres), were suggested by the public during
the public comment period for the Draft EIS.

State owned land is not included in the wilderness
study (refer to Volume Vll-B, General Comment Re-
sponse 6.4). Public lands outside the ISA boundary
were considered and dropped during the Inventory
Phase of the Wilderness Review and are not analyzed

3

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

in the Final EIS (refer to Volume Vll-B, General Com-
ment Response 3.1). The proposed changes would not
result in impacts appreciably different from the Alter-
natives analyzed in the Final EIS.

Alternatives Analyzed

Four alternatives are analyzed for this ISA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness; (2) All Wilderness (119,752
acres); (3) Large Partial Wilderness (Proposed Ac-
tion) (91,558 acres); and (4) Small Partial Wilder-
ness (54,500 acres). A description of each alter-
native follows. Where management intentions have
not been clearly identified, assumptions are made
based on management projections under each alter-
native. These assumptions are indicated in each case.
The analysis assumptions presented in the Introduc-
tion to Volume lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 119,752-acre
North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA would be des-
ignated by Congress as part of the NWPS. The area
would continue to be managed in accordance with the
BLM Escalante MFP (USDI, BLM, 1 981 d). The 12 sec-
tions (7,623 acres) of State land and the subsurface
of 452 acres of split-estate lands with State miner-
als within the ISA have not been identified in the MFP
for Federal acquisition through exchange or purchase
(refer to Map 1). It is assumed that these lands would
remain in State ownership.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

About 83,252 acres would be managed as oil and
gas leasing Category 1 (standard stipulations),
13,700 acres would be in Category 3 (no surface
occupancy), and 22,800 acres would continue to
be in Category 4 as closed to oil and gas leasing.
The entire area would remain open to mineral loca-
tion, leasing, and sale. Development work, extrac-
tion, and patenting would be allowed on 66 exist-
ing mining claims (1,320 acres) and future mining
claims that may be found valid. About 10,260
acres of the ISA are part of the Circle Cliffs Spe-
cial Tar Sand Area (STSA). There are 12,880
acres of oil and gas leases (4,280 acres, pre-
FLPMA and 8,600 post-FLPMA) located in the
WSA. Approximately 8,960 acres of the existing
oil and gas leases are involved in lease conver-
sion applications for tar sand development by in-
situ methods (USDI, BLM, 1984b). Interim wilder-
ness protection stipulations that may be applied

to the leases while the area is under wilderness
review would be dropped if the area is not desig-
nated.

Although mineral resources would be managed as
described above and further exploration is anti-
cipated, no leasable or beatable mineral develop-
ments are projected in the ISA for the foresee-
able future, because the level and/or quality of
known resources and the probability of their de-
velopment are too low to support a development
assumption. Appendix 6 in Volume I explains the
mineral and energy development projections.

The present domestic livestock grazing use in the
area would continue as authorized in the MFP
(7,554 AUMs). Use and maintenance of four cor-
rals, 3 miles of fence, fifteen reservoirs, nine
improved springs, 4 miles of pipeline, one stock
tank, four cabins, and 10 miles of stock trail
would continue in a routine manner. New range-
land improvements could be implemented without
wilderness considerations. This could include pro-
posed developments of four springs, three reser-
voirs, one retention dam, one stock tank, a 0.5
mile of fence, one well, 8 miles of pipeline, and
four water catchments.

Public water reserve withdrawals on 477 acres
would remain in effect. These withdrawals segre-
gate the lands from all public land laws and nonme-
talliferous minerals location.

ORV use would continue to be open on 99,394
acres, including 5 miles of ways within the ISA.
The area would remain closed to ORV use on
20,358 acres.

Except for 425 acres in the Calf Creek recrea-
tion area, the entire area would be open to forest
product harvest. However, there is little, if any,
harvest of forest products at the present time,
and none is projected.

The area would continue to be managed under
VRM Class I on 13,400 acres, Class II on 22,102
acres, Class III on 5,600 acres, and Class IV on
78,650 acres.

• Action Scenario

Given the management plans described above and
the resources described in the Affected Environ-
ment, BLM projects that implementation of the No

4

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

Map 1

LAND STATUS

North Escalante Canyons/
The Gulch ISA

Legend
ISA Boundary

Outstanding Natural Area Boundary
Glen Canyon NRA Boundary
National Forest Boundary

State Land Within or

Adjacent to ISA

Private Land within or

Adjacent to ISA

Split-estate (federal surface-

state minerals) Land Within or

Adjacent to WSA

National Park Service or

Forest Service Administered land

BLM Administered Land i

Within or Adjacent to WSA i

SCAlt IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS I

R 4 E-

R 5 E.

5

R 6 E

R 7 E

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYCNS/THE GULCH ISA

Action/No Wilderness Alternative would result in
approximately 104 acres of surface disturbance
in the foreseeable future. Exploration for uranium
and associated copper in the eastern half of the
ISA would result in 17 acres of surface disturb-
ance. Initial exploration would include up to 6
miles of access road building with exploration
drilling being conducted along these roads. As
uranium mineralization is encountered, step-out
holes would be drilled. If significant mineraliza-
tion is found in several holes in the same area, a
closely spaced grid drilling program would be con-
ducted in an attempt to block out ore reserves.
Based on exploration activities typical of the
area, it is assumed that 16 employees would be
used for 40 days in exploration activities. An
additional 40 acres would be disturbed by oil and
gas exploration drilling activities. Locations for
the wells would be determined from previous geo-
physical work. The Collett anticline extends
through the ISA from northwest to southeast and
is likely to be the area where the oil and gas ex-
ploratory drilling would occur. It is anticipated
that up to four wells would be drilled within the
area covered by the Collett anticline. Up to 12
miles of access roads would be necessary. An
average of 10 employees would operate each well
for a 3 to 6 month period of time. Exploration
areas for both locatable and leasable minerals
would be reclaimed following abandonment. It is
projected that 3 to 5 years would be necessary
to determine successful reclamation. Locatable
mineral exploration would be under the unneces-
sary and undue degradation guidelines of the 43
CFR 3809 regulations. Leasable mineral activity
will be under regulations contained in 43 CFR
3100. No tar sand development is projected.

Up to 6 acres of disturbance would result from
about 3 miles of access road construction to four
State sections (T. 36 S., R. 4 E., sec. 2; T. 36 S.,
R. 5 E., secs. 2 and 32; and T. 35 S., R. 6 E., sec.
2) for the purpose of mineral exploration.

About 16 acres would be disturbed due to the con-
struction of rangeland projects. These would in-
clude four spring developments, three reser-
voirs, one retention dam, one stock tank, a 0.5
mile of fence, one well, 8 miles of pipeline, and
four water catchments. About 2 months of on-the-
ground work would be necessary to complete
these projects, however, it is recognized that
they would be constructed over a period of sev-
eral years.

Up to 25 acres would be disturbed with realign-
ment and paving of the Boulder to Bullfrog road
(Burr Trail).

The No Action/No Wilderness Alternative would
include the continued designation of 10,562 acres
as ONA. Surface-disturbing activities would be
restricted in these areas.

No disturbance is projected from ORV activity
due to rough terrain and management constraints.

Recreation use is projected to increase over the
current estimated use of 32,350 annual visitor
days at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. No
more than 4 percent of that use would continue to
involve vehicular use of 5 miles of ways, as well
as ORV use in the acres of Spenser Flat and the V.

• All Wilderness Alternative

With the All Wilderness Alternative (refer to Map 2),
all 119,752 acres of the North Escalante Canyons/
The Gulch ISA would be designated by an act of Con-
gress as part of the NWPS. It would be managed in
accordance with the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560) to preserve its wilderness
character.

The policy of the State is to reserve its position re-
garding the exchange of in-held lands within any parti-
cular WSA (see Chapter 1 in Volume I). Based on this
policy regarding exchange of State lands, it is project-
ed that State lands would remain under existing own-
ership. There are 12 State sections (7,623 acres)
and 452 acres of split-estate (State minerals) within
the ISA (refer to Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I).
The figures and acreages given with this alternative
are for Federal lands only (including 452 acres of
split-estate land with Federal surface).

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 119,300 acres of Federal minerals would be
withdrawn from mineral location and closed to
new mineral leasing and sale. Development work,
extraction, and patenting would be allowed to con-
tinue on that portion of the approximately 1,320
acres of 66 existing mining claims or any other
claims located prior to wilderness designation if
determined to be valid. Development of these
claims would be regulated by the unnecessary or
undue degradation guidelines with wilderness con-
siderations (43 CFR 3809). After designation, 10

7

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

existing post-FLPMA oil and gas leases, involving
8,600 acres, would not be reissued upon expira-
tion unless an oil or gas find in commercial quanti-
ties is shown. The eight pre-FLPMA leases
(4,280 acres) could be developed per the stipu-
lations attached at the time of lease issuance. Oil
and gas leases converted to combined hydrocar-
bon leases on up to 8,960 acres which are cur-
rently under a conversion application in the ISA
would contain nonimpairment stipulations; there-
fore, under this alternative, tar sand develop-
ment on the 8,960 acres could occur only in a
manner not degrading to wilderness values.

Although mineral resources would be managed as
described above and further exploration is anti-
cipated, no leasable or locatable mineral develop-
ments are projected in the ISA for the foresee-
able future because the level and/or quality of
known resources and the probability of their
development are too low to support a develop-
ment assumption (see Appendix 6 in Volume I).

Present domestic livestock grazing would contin-
ue as authorized in the Escalante MFP. The 7,554
AUMs in the ISA would remain available to live-
stock as presently allotted. The use and mainte-
nance of rangeland improvements existing at the
time of designation, as listed in the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative, could continue in the
same manner as in the past, based on practical
necessity and reasonableness. After designation,
new rangeland developments would be allowed on
a case-by-case basis if determined necessary for
the purposes of resource protection (rangeland
and/or wilderness) and the effective management
of these resources, provided that certain criteria
are met to adequately pro-tect wilderness values
(refer to Appendix 1 in Volume I). It is assumed
that the proposed four spring developments, a 0.5
mile fence, one well, 8 miles of pipeline, and four
catchments would be designed and installed consis-
tent with wilderness protection criteria. It is
assumed that the proposed three reservoirs, one
retention dam, and one stock tank would likely not
be allowed.

Public water reserve withdrawals on 477 acres
would remain in effect. These withdrawals segre-
gate the lands from all public land laws and non-
metalliferous minerals location.

The entire ISA would be closed to ORV use except
for: (1) those users with valid existing rights if

approved by BLM in accordance with 43 CFR
8560 provisions; or (2) occasional and short-
term vehicular access approved by BLM for main-
tenance of approved rangeland improvements, in-
cluding those mentioned above. About 5 miles of
existing vehicular ways in the ISA would not be
available for vehicular use, except as indicated
above. About 8 miles of road along Horse Canyon
(including two State sections) and 6 plus miles
along the southern boundary of the ISA would be
cherry-stemmed. About a 0.5 mile of road north
of Wolverine Bench also would be cherry-stem-
med. These roads would remain open to vehicles.
About 20 miles of the ISA boundary follow exist-
ing paved roads and 20 miles follow unpaved
roads, which would remain open to vehicular tra-
vel. About 12 miles of boundary road are known
as the Burr Trail (or Boulder to Bullfrog road)
which has potential for realignment and paving by
Garfield County as a grandfathered right.

• Action Scenario

BLM projects that 46 acres of surface disturb-
ance would occur following wilderness designa-
tion. Five acres of disturbance would result from
uranium and copper exploration activities as dis-
cussed in the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive but on a smaller scale. It is projected that
four employees and 10 days would be used in ex-
ploration drilling activities. Locatable mineral ex-
ploration would be restricted to existing mining
claims. Wilderness designation would preclude
new mineral location and mineral leasing. No leas-
able mineral exploration or development is pro-
jected. Six acres of disturbance would result
from 3 miles of access road construction to in-
held State sections for the purpose of mineral
resources exploration on the State lands.

Ten acres of surface disturbance would occur due
to the construction of several rangeland pro-
jects, including the four spring developments, a
0.5 mile of fence, four catchments, one well, and
8 miles of pipeline. These projects would be de-
signed and installed consistent with wilderness
protection standards. The three reservoirs and
retention dam in the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative would not be allowed. No additional
rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed projects
or other developments are projected following
wilderness designation.

8

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

Map 2
ALL

WILDERNESS

ALTERNATIVE

North Escalante Canyons/
The Gulch ISA

FOREST

AD Wilderness
Alternative ( 1 19.752 ac res)

Outstanding Natural Area Boundary

Glen Canyon NRA Boundary

National Forest Boundary

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

GLEN CANYON

RECREATION AREA

*

'

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

Up to 25 acres could be disturbed due to the rea-
lignment and paving of the Burr Trail road.

No disturbance from ORV activity is projected
due to wilderness management and rugged ter-
rain.

Recreation use is projected to increase over the
current estimated use of 32,350 annual visitor
use days at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. All
use would be primitive in nature.

• Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action) (91,558 Acres)

With this alternative, 91 ,558 acres of the North Esca-
lante Canyons/The Gulch ISA would be designated as
wilderness (refer to Map 3). The objective of this
alternative is to avoid conflicts of wilderness designa-
tion with potential realignment and paving of the Burr
Trail road while analyzing as wilderness those por-
tions of this ISA that have the best wilderness val-
ues. BLM believes that wilderness values are of a
higher quality in areas where outstanding opportuni-
ties for solitude and/or primitive recreation exist,
preferably in combination with special features. In
forming this alternative, the portions of the ISA with
outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation and special features were included where
possible within a manageable boundary. Thus, the
alternative includes a boundary setback of a 0.25
mile along the northern part of the ISA to avoid con-
flict with the Burr Trail road. The 28,194-acre area
that would not be designated as wilderness would be
managed in accordance with the Escalante MFP, as
described for the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive. The 91,558-acre area that would be designated
as wilderness would be managed in accordance with
the BLM Wilderness Management Policy (BLM Manual
8560), as described in the All Wilderness Alterna-
tive.

Since the policy of the State is to reserve its posi-
tion regarding the exchange of in-held lands within
any particular WSA; it is assumed that State lands
would remain under existing ownership. There are
nine State sections (5,701 acres) in the portion of
the ISA that would be designated wilderness (refer to
Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I). The figures and
acreages given for this alternative are for Federal
lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

The 91,558 acres that would be designated wil-
derness would be withdrawn from mineral entry
and closed to new mineral leasing and sale. Devel-
opment, extraction, and patenting would be allow-
ed to continue on 520 acres of 26 existing mining
claims or other claims located prior to designa-
tion, provided these are valid. Development on
these claims would be regulated by the unneces-
sary and undue degradation guidelines (43 CFR
3809) with wilderness considerations. The exist-
ing post-FLPMA oil and gas leases, which cover
6,820 acres would not be reissued upon expira-
tion unless a discovery in commercial quantities
is made. The 3,380 acres of pre-FLPMA leases
could be developed per the stipulations attached
at the time of lease issuance. About 8,960 acres
of existing leases are under combined hydrocar-
bon lease application within the 91,558-acre
area that would be designated wilderness. If
granted, these leases would contain nonimpair-
ment stipulations limiting development to that
which could occur in a manner not degrading to
wilderness values.

The 28,194 acres in the nondesignated portion of
the WSA would be open to mineral location, leas-
ing, and sale. The area would be managed as leas-
ing Category 1 on 27,374 acres; Category 3 on
800 acres; and Category 4 on 20 acres. Develop-
ment, extraction, and possible patent of 40 exist-
ing claims (800 acres) and future mining claims
could occur in the 27,742-acre area if claims are
valid. Development of existing post-FLPMA oil
and gas leases on 1,780 acres and pre-FLPMA
leases on 900 acres and future leases could occur
without concern for wilderness values.

Although mineral resources would be managed as
described above and further exploration is anti-
cipated, no leasable or locatable mineral develop-
ment is projected to occur in the ISA in the fore-
seeable future. The level and/or quality of known
resources and the probability of their develop-
ment are too low to support a development
assumption.

Domestic livestock grazing would continue at
present estimated levels (5,854 AUMs) in the
91,558-acre area that would be designated. Ex-
isting rangeland improvements (seven spring de-
velopments, eleven reservoirs, 4 miles of pipe-
line, one stock tank, 2 miles of fence, four

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

corrals, four cabins, and 10 miles of stock trail)
in the 91 ,558-acre area could be used and main-
tained in the same manner as in the past, based on
practical necessity and reasonableness. New
rangeland improvements would be allowed on a
case-by-case basis if determined necessary for
the purposes of resource protection (rangeland
and/or wilderness) and the effective management
of these resources, as long as wilderness protec-
tion criteria are met (refer to Appendix 1 in Vol-
ume I). The proposed facilities in the designated
area (one catchment, one well, and 8 miles of
pipeline) would be allowed. The proposed reten-
tion dam and stock tank would probably not be
allowed. In the 28,194 acres that would not be
designated as wilderness, use of 1,700 AUMs
would continue as currently authorized. Existing
rangeland improvements (two springs, four reser-
voirs, and 1 mile of fence) could be used and main-
tained without wilderness considerations. In the
28,194-acre area, new rangeland improvements
could be developed without concern for wilder-
ness values. Proposed facilities include four
spring developments, three reservoirs, three
catchments, and a 0.5 mile of fence.

Public water reserve withdrawals on 477 acres
would remain in effect. These withdrawals segre-
gate the lands from all public land laws and nonme-
talliferous minerals location.

The 91,558-acre area that would be designated
wilderness would be closed to ORV use. Within
this area, vehicular activity would be allowed
only by BLM permit for users with valid mineral
rights or for maintenance of approved rangeland
improvements. About 4 miles of existing vehicu-
lar ways in the 91,558-acre area would not be
available for vehicular use, except if the criteria
given in the All Wilderness Alternative were met.
One cherry-stemmed road would remain open for
vehicle use. The 28,194-acre nondesignated
area, including 1 mile of way, would be open to
ORV use. All roads forming the boundary of the
ISA would be open to vehicular travel.

Harvest of forest products in the 91,558-acre
area that would be designated wilderness would
not be allowed except for the harvest of pinyon
nuts or noncommercial gathering of dead-and-
down wood for on-site use if accomplished by
other than mechanical means. The remaining
28,194 acres would be open to forest product
harvest. No commercial harvest of forest pro-

ducts is projected because lack of access is a
limiting factor.

Visual resources in the 91,558-acre area that
would be designated would be managed in accord-
ance with VRM Class I standards. The remaining
nondesignated 28,194 acres would be managed as
Class II on 2,970 acres and Class IV on 25,224
acres.

• Action Scenario

It is projected that 16 acres of surface disturb-
ance would occur in the designated portion of the
ISA in the foreseeable future. Three acres would
be disturbed due to uranium and associated cop-
per exploration activities as described in the All
Wilderness Alternative. No new mineral location
or mineral leasing would be allowed. Therefore,
no leasable mineral exploration or development
would occur following wilderness designation.
Locatable mineral exploration and developments
would be restricted to existing, valid mining
claims at the time of wilderness designation. Four
acres of disturbance would result from access
road construction to in-held State lands. Nine
acres of disturbance would result from construc-
tion of rangeland projects, including 8 miles of
pipeline, one well, and one catchment. The stock
tank and retention dam would not be allowed. No
additional rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed
projects, or other developments are planned fol-
lowing wilderness designation.

It is projected that approximately 44 acres of
surface disturbance would occur in the 28,184-
acre nondesignated portion of the ISA in the fore-
seeable future. Ten acres would be disturbed due
to uranium and associated copper exploration ac-
tivities as described in the No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternative. No exploration or development
of leasable minerals is projected. Two acres
would be disturbed due to access road construc-
tion to State lands for the purpose of minerals
exploration. Seven acres would be disturbed due
to construction of rangeland projects, including
four springs, three reservoirs, three catch-
ments, and a 0.5 mile of fence. No additional
rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed projects,
or other developments are planned in the short
term.

Up to 25 acres could be disturbed due to the
realignment and paving of the Burr Trail road.

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

Map 3
PARTIAL
WILDERNESS
ALTERNATIVE

NATIONAL

FOREST

I s ■ \ : ^

North Escalante Canyons/
The Gulch ISA

ISA Boundary

Partial Wilderness
Alternative (91,558 acres)

Outstanding Natural Area Boundary
Glen Canyon NRA Boundary

National Forest Boundary

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

GLEN CANYON

NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

No disturbance from ORV activity is projected
due to wilderness management constraints and
rough terrain.

Recreational use is projected to increase over the
current estimated use of 32,350 visitor days an-
nually at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. Less
than 4 percent of the use would involve vehicular
use of 1 mile of way as well as ORV use in the
areas of Spenser Flat and The V.

• Small Partial Wilderness Alternative (54,500
Acres)

In the Small Partial Wilderness Alternative, 54,500
acres of the North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA
would be designated as wilderness (refer to Map 4).
The objective of this alternative is to identify and ana-
lyze that portion of the ISA which includes and imme-
diately surrounds The Gulch and North Escalante
ONAs. It also includes a boundary setback of up to a
0.25 mile along the northern part of the ISA to avoid
conflict with potential realignment and paving of the
Burr Trail road. The 65,252-acre area within the ISA
that would not be designated wilderness would be man-
aged in accordance with the Escalante MFP, as de-
scribed in the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.
The 54,500-acre area that would be designated as
wilderness would be managed in accordance with the
BLM Wilderness Management Policy (BLM Manual
8560), as described in the All Wilderness Alterna-
tive.

Since the policy of the State is to reserve its position
regarding the exchange of in-held lands within any
particular WSA, it is projected that State lands would
remain under existing ownership. There are five
State sections (3,200 acres) in the portion of the ISA
that would be designated wilderness (refer to Map 1
and Appendix 3 in Volume I). The figures and acreages
given for this alternative are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

The 54,500 acres that would be designated wil-
derness would be withdrawn from mineral entry
and closed to new mineral leasing and sale. Seven
mining claims (140 acres) are presently found in
this area. Exploration and development of these
claims and future claims if located prior to desig-
nation, would be allowed, provided these are val-
id. Development on these claims would be regulat-
ed by the unnecessary or undue degradation guide-
lines with wilderness considerations. One existing

post-FLPMA oil and gas lease, (360 acres),
would not be reissued upon expiration unless a
find in commercial quantities is made. No existing
pre-FLPMA leases are located in the designated
portion. There are no leases that may be convert-
ed to combined hydrocarbon leases in the 54,500-
acre area.

The 65,252-acre Federal area that would not be
designated wilderness would be managed as leas-
ing Category 1 (standard stipulations on 60,152
acres), Category 3 (no surface occupancy on
4,800 acres), and Category 4 (closed to leasing
on 300 acres). This area would remain open to
mineral location, leasing, and sale. Development,
extraction, and possible patenting of 59 existing
claims (1,180 acres) and future mining claims
could occur in the 64,800-acre area if claims are
valid. Development of existing post-FLPMA oil
and gas leases (8,240 acres), pre-FLPMA leases
(4,280 acres) and future leases (including the
8,960 acres of existing leases in this area that
may be converted to combined hydrocarbon
leases) in the 64,800-acre area could be develop-
ed without concern for wilderness values.

Although mineral resources would be managed as
described above and further explorations are anti-
cipated, no leasable or locatable mineral develop-
ments are projected in the ISA for the foresee-
able future because the level and/or quality of
known resources and the probability of their de-
velopment are too low to support a development
assumption.

Domestic livestock grazing in the ISA would con-
tinue as presently authorized at an estimated
level of 2,357 AUMs in the 54,500 acres that
would be designated wilderness. Existing range-
land improvements (three corrals, a 0.5 mile of
fence, ten reservoirs, seven springs, 7 miles of
stock trail, and three cabins) in the 54,500-acre
area could continue to be maintained in the same
manner as in the past, based on practical neces-
sity and reasonableness. New rangeland improve-
ments would be allowed on a case-by-case basis
if determined necessary for the purposes of re-
source protection (rangeland and/or wilderness)
and the effective management of these re-
sources, as long as wilderness protection criter-
ia are met (refer to Appendix 1 in Volume I). Pro-
posed facilities in the designated area include two
spring developments, one well, one water catch-
ment, and one retention dam. It is doubtful if the

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

retention dam and well could be built in a manner
nonimpairing to wilderness. In the 65,252-acre
area that would not be designated, use of 5,197
AUMs would continue as authorized. Existing
rangeland improvements (one corral, 2.5 miles of
fence, five reservoirs, two improved springs, 4
miles of pipeline, 3 miles of stock trail, and one
cabin) could be used and maintained without re-
strictions. In the 64,800-acre area, proposed
rangeland improvements (including two spring
developments, three reservoirs, 8 miles of pipe-
line, one stock tank, a 0.5 mile of fence, and
three water catchments) could be developed with-
out concern for wilderness values. Public water
reserve withdrawals on 477 acres would remain
in effect. These withdrawals segregate the lands
from all public land laws and nonmetalliferous
minerals location.

The canyons and benchlands comprising the
54,500 acres that would be designated wilder-
ness would be closed to ORV use. Within this area,
vehicular activity would be allowed only by BLM
permit for users with valid mineral rights or for
maintenance of approved rangeland improve-
ments. This alternative excludes all vehicular
ways in the ISA from the proposed wilderness
acreage. All cherry-stemmed roads are also ex-
cluded from the designated portion of the ISA. The
65,252-acre area, including 5 miles of ways,
would be open to ORV use. All 22 miles of roads
forming the boundary of the ISA would be open to
vehicular travel.

Harvest of forest products in the 54,500 acres
that would be designated wilderness would not be
allowed except for the harvest of pinyon nuts or
noncommercial gathering of dead-and-down wood
for use in the wilderness if accomplished by other
than mechanical means. The remaining 65,252
acres would be open to forest product harvest.
However, there is no harvest in the ISA at the
present time, nor is any projected.

Visual resources on the 54,500 acres that would
be designated wilderness would be managed in
accordance with VRM Class I standards. The re-
maining 65,252 acres would be managed as Class
I on 1,560 acres, Class II on 12,172 acres, and
Class IV on 51,520 acres.

• Action Scenario

It is projected that 4 acres of surface disturb-
ance would occur in the designated portion of the
ISA in the foreseeable future. Two acres would
be disturbed due to uranium and associated cop-
per exploration activities as described in the All
Wilderness Alternative. No new mineral location
or mineral leasing would be allowed. Therefore,
no leasable mineral exploration and development
would occur following wilderness designation.
Locatable mineral exploration would be restricted
to existing valid mining claims at the time of wil-
derness designation. No access to in-held State
sections is projected for the designated area.
Two acres would be disturbed due to construction
of rangeland projects, including two spring devel-
opments, one well, and one catchment, as discuss-
ed in the All Wilderness Alternative. A retention
dam would not be allowed. No additional range-
land, wildlife habitat, watershed projects, or
other developments are planned following wilder-
ness designation.

It is projected that approximately 63 acres of
surface disturbance would occur in the 65,252-
acre nondesignated portion of the ISA in the fore-
seeable future. Twelve acres would be disturbed
due to uranium and associated copper exploration
activities as described in the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative. Twenty acres would be dis-
turbed due to oil and gas exploratory drilling ac-
tivities in the Collett anticline area as described
in the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Six
acres of disturbance would result from access
road construction to four State sections for the
purpose of mineral exploration. Up to 25 acres
could be disturbed due to the realignment and
paving of the Burr Trail road.

No disturbance from ORV activity is projected
due to management and terrain constraints.

Recreation use is projected to increase over the
current estimated use of 32,350 annual visitor
days at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. No
more than 4 percent of the use would continue to
involve vehicular use of 5 miles of ways as well
as ORV activity in the areas of Spenser Flats and
The V.

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

Map 4
PARTIAL

WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE

NATIONAL

North Escalante Canyons/
The Gulch ISA

OREST

ISA Boundary

Partial Wilderness
Alternative (54,500 acres)

Outstanding Natural Area Boundary

Glen Canyon NRA Boundary

National Forest Boundary

SCALE IN MILtS

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

! GLEN CANYON

RECREATION AREA

1 7

R 4 E

R 5 E

R 6 E

R 7 E

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 presents the environmental consequences of
alternatives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEQ guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as the Envi-
ronmental Consequences of Alternatives in this ISA
analysis.

Unless otherwise indicate, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The ISA includes approximately 1 19,752 acres of
public land. Of these, 452 acres are split-estate with
Federal surface and State minerals. The ISA is over
20 miles long (north to south) and approximately 20
miles wide (east to west).

• Naturalness

The naturalness characteristic is defined as an area
where the evidences of man are substantially unno-
ticeable to the average visitor and where individual
minor imprints of man exhibit no cumulative impact
that is substantially noticeable. The imprints of man
which remain within the ISA involve much less than 1
percent of the ISA. They include 5 miles of ways,
four cabins with corrals, and numerous livestock
improvements. Approximately 600 acres show evi-
dence of man's imprints.

Since establishment of the ISA, approximately 1 to 2
acres of the ISA has been disturbed. This disturbance
is the result of two actions: (1) the construction of
the Big Horn/Upper Cattle division fence during 1984.
This fence project consists of three separate fences
of 200-foot, 3,000-foot and 3,400-foot lengths. The
fences are substantially unnoticeable and nonimpair-
ing to wilderness values, and (2) construction of 600
feet of irrigation pipeline onto private land during
1984. The areas have been reclaimed to a substan-
tially unnoticeable condition. No additional imprints
have occurred in the ISA as a result of impairing uses

or activities allowed under the BLM Interim Manage-
ment Policy (USDI, BLM, 1979c).

• Solitude

Approximately 75 percent (89,814 acres) of the ISA
has outstanding opportunities for solitude due to a
variety of factors. Size, deep meandering canyons
and other topographic screening situations, canyon
vegetation, and isolation all contribute to the quality
of the opportunities.

The 119,752-acre size of this ISA is considered to
enhance the outstanding opportunities for solitude
present in the ISA. The configuration of the ISA
neither enhances nor detracts from the outstanding
opportunities present.

The topographic screening in all of the major can-
yons, named and unnamed, provides an outstanding
opportunity for solitude. These canyons vary tremend-
ously in shape and appearance. Some canyons such as
the Escalante River, Phipps Wash, and Horse Canyon
possess vertical walls and many bends and meanders.
Other canyons such as The Gulch, Harris Wash, and
upper Deer Creek exhibit more rounded walls with
frequent twists and bends. Boulder Creek, Dry
Hollow, and lower Deer Creek are deep V-shaped
canyons. The confluence area of Boulder and Deer
Creeks is one of the most convoluted and dissected
sandstone areas in the ISA. Lower Wolverine Canyon
and Death Hollow exhibit entrenched meanders and
sections of narrows. All of these topographic condi-
tions create superior screening situations. Vegetative
screening enhances the opportunity for solitude in the
Boulder Creek, Dry Fork, lower Deer Creek, and The
Gulch Canyons. Portions of the Escalante River Can-
yon also possess vegetative screening.

The exceptions to the rule that canyons offer out-
standing opportunities for solitude are the upper ends
of Horse Canyon, Wolverine Canyon, Death Hollow,
and Silver Falls Canyon as they emerge from the Cir-
cle Cliffs. Here these canyons assume the appearance
of broad open valleys between buttes and, consequent-
ly, lack topographic screening.

The larger benches in the ISA such as King Bench, Big
Bown Bench, Little Bown Bench, Brigham Tea Bench,
and Wolverine Bench are totally isolated by surround-
ing cliffs or canyons. On the smaller mesas and
benches such as Durffey Mesa, Red Breaks, and the
mesas east of Big Horn, the geographic isolation is
even more pronounced. Most of the larger benches

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYON/THE GULCH ISA

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<« TO

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

possess rough or dissected interiors that offer excel-
lent topographic screening. Wolverine Bench, Little
Bown Bench, the Upper Halfway Hollow section of
King Bench, and the eastern end of Big Bown Bench
are examples. However, certain areas in the inter-
iors of the three largest benches (Brigham Tea, King,
and Big Bown Benches) are open and flat and offer a
less than outstanding opportunity for solitude.

There are other landforms within the ISA that cannot
be classified as benches or canyons. These areas in-
clude the V Flat, the dissected sandstone area be-
tween the upper Gulch and Deer Creek, the massive
sandstone outcroppings northeast of the Red Breaks,
and the Chinle exposures at the bottom of the Circle
Cliffs. With the exception of the V and the Chinle
slopes, these areas all possess outstanding opportun-
ities for solitude due to topographic screening. Topo-
graphic screening is only present in the slickrock
areas of the V and in the more dissected and gullied
areas at the base of the Circle Cliffs.

Outside sights and sounds are an insignificant influ-
ence on solitude at present. It would be easy for a
visitor to find seclusion in most of the canyons of the
ISA. The user can also easily find seclusion on all but
the interiors of the Brigham Tea, King, and Big Bown
Benches of the ISA because of the isolating effect of
the surrounding cliffs or canyons.

In all, approximately 89,814 acres or 75 percent of
the ISA have outstanding opportunities for solitude.
The topographic and vegetative screening enables
visitors to find a secluded spot in the majority of the
ISA.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

The ISA provides outstanding opportunities for primi-
tive, unconfined recreation activities such as camp-
ing, backpacking, hiking, horseback riding, photog-
raphy, and sightseeing for geological, historical and
archaeological features. In general, the area that ex-
hibits an outstanding opportunity for backpacking de-
termines the extent of this wilderness characterist-
ic in the ISA. The locations where the camping, hik-
ing, horseback riding, photography, and sightseeing
for historical and archaeological feature activities
are of outstanding quality are all within the backpack-
ing activity area.

The backpacking opportunity in the ISA is unquestion-
ably of outstanding significance. Participant origins,
participation levels, the number of public inquiries,

and published works all contribute to this conclusion.
There are various intrinsic characteristics of the ISA
that enhance the backpacking opportunity. The ISA con-
tains a variety of extremely high quality scenic land-
scapes. The ISA has many water sources and is thus
conducive to trips with unlimited overnights. The re-
sultant riparian canyon vegetation is a scenic feature
not found in much of the canyon country.

The configuration of the canyon system is a major fac-
tor influencing the quality of the backpacking activity.
The canyons tributary to the central Escalante River
Canyon form a dendritic pattern that offers a variety
of routes to the river. Although the Escalante River
and several other canyons are probably the major ob-
jectives of current backpacking use, the benches are
also of destination value. Several benches, such as
King Bench, are sufficiently large to provide a back-
packing experience of several nights' duration.
Benches such as Little Bown and Big Bown offer high
quality scenic or solitude experiences for the back-
packer. Benches and certain other noncanyon areas
also offer travel routes to the Escalante River or be-
tween other canyons. Examples include the route
across King Bench from The Gulch to Horse Canyon,
the route across Big Bown Bench from Horse Canyon
to either Silver Falls Canyon or the Escalante River,
and the route from Big Spencer Flats to the Escalante
River Canyon and Sheffield Bend.

Sightseeing for geological features is of outstanding
quality in the Wolverine Petrified Wood Natural Envi-
ronment Area. This area lacks an outstanding oppor-
tunity for backpacking.

The primitive recreation opportunities on 94,604
acres or 79 percent of the ISA meet the outstanding
criterion for lands under wilderness review. The ISA
has eight recreational opportunities of outstanding
quality.

• Special Features

The ISA is a large and geographically complex area
associated with that section of the Escalante River
canyon between the Glen Canyon NRA and the highway
between Boulder and Escalante, Utah. The area has
some of the most outstanding scenery in the country.
The scenic values are correlated to landforms in the
ISA; to understand the quality of this special feature,
the topographic character of the ISA should be under-
stood.

24

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

East of Horse Canyon in the eastern portion of the
ISA, canyons draining to Horse Canyon through the
Circle Cliffs escarpment have created a unique can-
yon and bench system. Four canyons (Horse, Wolve-
rine, Death Hollow, and Silver Falls) have isolated 10
benches of varying size including the named Wolve-
rine, Little Bown, and Big Bown Benches. Wolverine
Canyon and Death Hollow possess extremely narrow
and convoluted sections, but the most distinctive topo-
graphic feature is the surface of the benches. Many of
the bench tops exhibit an intricate pattern of innumer-
able orange-red Kayenta Sandstone knobs. The east
face of King Bench also possesses this feature.

In the north-central portion of the ISA, another dis-
tinctive area of topographic character is evident.
This area is dominated by King Bench, which is the
largest bench in the ISA. The much smaller Brigham
Tea Bench is also characteristic of the area. The
Gulch ONA with its perennial stream is located in the
western portion of the area. King Bench is a rough
isolated bench wholly within the ISA. For the most
part, King Bench and Brigham Tea Bench lack the
extensive Navajo or Kayenta Sandstone Formations
and exposures characteristic of other sections of the
ISA.

The northwestern section is an extremely dissected
rugged area. It includes the canyons of the Escalante
River, Deer Creek, Dry Hollow, and Boulder Creek.
Durffey Mesa is a prominent isolated mesa which, in
places, rises 600 feet above Deer Creek and Boulder
Creek. With the exception of portions of Haymaker
Bench, most of this section is characterized by a
yellow-white Navajo Sandstone exposed as cliffs,
domes, and canyon walls.

Several distinctive landforms surround Big Spencer
Flats in the southwestern portion of the ISA. The
Phipps Wash area contains Phipps Wash Canyon drain-
ing to the Escalante River and benches with extensive
rock outcropping on either side of the canyon.

The Harris Wash area southwest of Big Spencer Flats
contains the canyon of Harris Wash and several tribu-
tary canyons such as Big Horn, draining Big and Little
Spencer Flats. South of Big Spencer Flats, the area
changes to a rough sand and slickrock region cut by
short canyons. Large sand dunes are present below
the small, isolated buttes east of Big Horn. Navajo
Sandstone domes and peaks are present in this area.
Harris Wash is a canyon of the classic Escalante
River drainage canyon form with many entrenched
meanders in the Navajo Sandstone.

The Red Breaks southeast of Big Spencer Flats is a
colorful dissected area in the Carmel Formation. The
Red Breaks are bounded on the west by a Navajo Sand-
stone escarpment. A large canyon draining to Harris
Wash bisects the Red Breaks and cuts into the under-
lying Navajo Sandstone. To the northeast, the Red
Breaks are replaced by one of the most extensive
Navajo Sandstone areas in the ISA. The Navajo forms
massive domes, peaks, and mesas and extends to the
rim of the Escalante River canyon. From the mouth of
Boulder Creek to The Gulch, several short side can-
yons enter the river from this sandstone area.

The Navajo Sandstone area and the Red Breaks are
bounded on the east by the V flat created by the inter-
section of the Harris Wash and Escalante River Can-
yons. The V lacks relief and is characterized by a
patchwork pattern of open sandy soil areas and slick-
rock. Several sand dune areas are present. In total,
approximately 81,000 acres of the ISA possess
scenic values of significance.

The ISA possesses numerous archaeological sites. A
historical site of significance is the Old Boulder road,
which was the main route between Escalante and
Boulder, Utah.

The ISA has resource values that, although not identi-
fied as such during the wilderness inventory, could be
considered special features. There are two animal spe-
cies (peregrine falcon and bald eagle) listed as endan-
gered that may occasionally use the ISA. There are
seven animal species and nine plant species that are
considered sensitive that may occur in the ISA. The
ISA has small populations of cougar and elk which are
wildlife species associated with wilderness (refer to
the Vegetation and Wildlife Including Special Status
Species sections for additional information). Approx-
imately 43 percent (51,752 acres) of the ISA is
rated Class A for scenic quality. It has approximately
42.4 miles of perennial streams. The Escalante River
is a National Inventory River Segment for possible
wild and scenic river designation. There are four
arches found in the ISA.

• Diversity

This ISA is in the Colorado Plateau Province Ecore-
gion and has the PNV types of juniper-pinyon wood-
land, galleta-threeawn shrub steppe and saltbush-
greasewood. Refer to the Vegetation Including Special
Status Species section for more discussion on ecore-
gions and PNV types. The ecoregion and PNV types
represented by this ISA are compared with existing

25

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

and other potential National Wilderness Preservation
units in the Wilderness Values section of Volume I.

This ISA is within a 5-hour drive from one standard
metropolitan statistical area, Provo-Orem, Utah.

Air Quality

The ISA and surrounding area have been designated as
a PSD Class II area under the 1977 Clean Air Act
Amendments. The BLM will not consider or recom-
mend any change in air quality classification as part
of the wilderness study or wilderness recommenda-
tions. Any further air quality reclassification is the
prerogative of the State government, not of the BLM
(USDI, BLM, 1982b). Capitol Reef National Park is the
closest Class I area to the ISA. It is located 6 miles
east of the ISA.

No measurements of air pollution or visibility levels
have been made in the Escalante planning unit; how-
ever, data collected from various sites (Page, Ari-
zona; Capitol Reef National Park; and Four Mile
Bench, Kane County, Utah) indicate the air is gener-
ally free of pollutants and within National Ambient
Air Quality Standards and State regulations.

Geology and Topography

The North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA is in the
Canyonlands section of the Colorado Plateau Physio-
graphic Province. This section is characterized by
steep-walled canyons, mesas, and plateaus. Four
arches (Maverick, Bowington, Phipps, and an un-
named arch in Long Canyon) occur in the ISA.

Rocks of Triassic and Jurassic ages, totalling about
3,000 feet, cropout in the ISA. Underlying Paleozoic
rocks are more than 4,000 feet thick (USDI, USGS,
1981). Grayish-orange, crossbedded sandstone of the
Navajo Formation forms the most extensive outcrops.
Older formations cropout only in the eastern part of
the area and along the Escalante River and its major
tributaries. The Carmel Formation caps mesas in the
central part of the area and forms the major outcrop
along the southwestern edge of the tract.

In most of the area, the rocks dip gently to the south-
west. Two major folds, the Boulder-Collet Canyon
anticline and the Harris Wash syncline, interrupt this
prevailing dip. Both folds are relatively narrow and
plunge generally southward. Normal faults, having a
displacement of a few feet to about 150 feet, locally
cut the western flank of the Harris Wash syncline.

Elevations range from about 6,800 feet on top of King
Bench in the northeast part of the ISA and on top of
Durffey's Mesa in the northwestern part of the ISA,
to about 4,800 feet along the Escalante River in the
southeastern corner of the ISA. Major drainages in
the ISA include the Escalante River, Deer Creek,
Boulder Creek, The Gulch, Horse Canyon, and Harris
Wash.

Soils

The major part of the ISA is rockland. Rockland con-
sists of exposed bedrock, mostly sandstone and lime-
stone with gentle to steep slopes. These areas have
very little vegetation with native vegetation growing
in crevices and pockets of soil material (Wilson, et
al., 1975). Bare rock is estimated to be from 50 to
70 percent of the land type. Shallow and very shallow
soils make up 20 to 40 percent of this type. The re-
maining 5 to 10 percent are deep to moderately deep
soils.

Sandy soils occur in the northwest corner of the ISA
(New Home Bench). Runoff and sediment production
from these soils are low, and they are subject to soil
blowing.

Light-colored soils of valleys, terraces, and mesas
occur along the eastern boundary of the ISA. Runoff is
medium to rapid, and sediment production is moderate
to low.

Highly erodible soils occur adjacent to Harris Wash
and between Red Breaks and Big Horn Wash. Twenty
percent of this association consists of badland and
rock outcrop. Outcrops mainly consist of sandstone.
Runoff is moderate to high, and sediment production
is high. Erosion condition was determined by using
soil surface factors as summarized in Table 2 (terms
are defined in the Glossary).

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
Classification yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

2.385

2

6,440

Moderate

1.3

75.594

63

97,680

Slight

0.6

17,890

1 5

10,730

Stable

0.3

7.160

Total

1 19,752

100

122,010

Sources: USDI, BLM, 1978c and 1979c; Leifeste, 1978.

26

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

Soils in the ISA are classified as nonsaline and have
an estimated annual salt production of 31 lb per acre.

Approximately 80 percent (95,802 acres) of the ISA
is unsuitable for seeding because of rocklands and
steep slopes. Twenty percent of the ISA has a poor to
fair seeding potential where soil depths vary from 20
to 60 inches.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

Pinyon-juniper woodland (93,364 acres) is the most
common existing vegetation type in the ISA, which in-
cludes sagebrush and desert brush vegetation. Large
barren areas (26,188 acres) adjacent to the Esca-
lante River, The Gulch, Deer Creek, and Boulder
Creek Canyons are primarily slickrock and support
very sparse vegetation. Riparian vegetation is found
on about 200 acres along the Escalante River, Boulder
Creek, Deer Creek, Dry Hollow, The Gulch, and Wil-
low Gulch.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the ISA. However, the ISA does contain
two Category 1 candidate species, seven Category 2
candidate species, and one sensitive plant species.
The Category 1 candidate species are Lepidium mon-
tanum var. stellae and Silene petersonii var. minor.
The Category 2 Candidate species are Psoralea pari-
ansis. Lepidium montanum var. neeseae. goryphantha
missouriansis var. marstonii. Heterotheca jonesiL
EenstemPQ atwoodii. Xvlorhiza cronquistii. and
Spiranthes diluvialis. Astragalus barnebvi is the sensi-
tive plant species (refer to Appendix 4 in Volume I).
The habitats of all of these species extend beyond the
WSA boundary.

The North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA is in the
Colorado Plateau Province Ecoregion as shown on the
Bailey-Kuchler ecosystems map (USDI, USGS,
1978a). The PNV types of the ISA are juniper-pinyon
woodland (79,192 acres), galleta-threeawn shrub
steppe (27,160 acres), and saltbush greasewood
(13,400 acres).

Water Resources

The North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA is within
the Escalante River subbasin of the Upper Colorado
River hydrologic subregion.

The ISA contains nine developed and eight undeveloped
springs and approximately 42.4 miles of perennial
streams in the Escalante River drainage. These

streams include the Escalante River, Boulder Creek,
Deer Creek, The Gulch, Dry Hollow, and Harris Wash.
Flash floods are common on these streams from July
to mid-September during the thunderstorm season.
The water quality standards for Escalante River and
tributaries, from confluence with Boulder Creek to
headwaters are as follows: Class 2B (protected for
boating, waterskiing, and similar uses), Class 3A
(protected for cold water species of game fish and
other cold water aquatic life, including the necessary
aquatic organisms in their food chain), and Class 4
(protected for agricultural uses including irrigation of
crops and stockwatering). For the area close to Lake
Powell, the additional classification of Class 3C (pro-
tected for nongame fish and other aquatic life) is in-
cluded.

Utah's 1986 305(b) water quality assessment report
states that streams and tributaries entering Lake
Powell in the southern portions of the Upper Colorado
River drainage have impairments to their beneficial
uses from high levels of TDS and sodium. These im-
pairments result mainly from natural sources and low
flows. The most prevalent water quality problem re-
sults from suspended sediment which is a direct re-
sult of flooding.

The North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA is with-
in the Escalante River adjudication area 97. The Esca-
lante River and all tributaries are considered to be
fully appropriated, and the underground water direct-
ly connected to the surface is closed to appropriation,
with the exception of some limited applications for
0.015 cfs which have been approved on an individual
basis. The State Engineer will accept applications to
appropriate water from the underground aquifer locat-
ed in bedrock and consider them on the individual mer-
its of the applications (UDNRE, DWR 1988).

Water rights within the ISA total 95.39 acre-feet
annually. This water is allocated to BLM for livestock
watering. The State of Utah has been allocated 20.16
acre-feet of water for livestock watering in State
sections enclosed within the ISA.

Utah Power and Light has applications on file with the
State Water Engineer for over 200,000-acre feet
from the Escalante River system. Information on file
indicates that it would be used for coal-fired steam
power generation, mining, domestic, and agricultural
purposes.

27

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

Mineral and Energy Resources

The mineral and energy resource rating summary for
the North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA is given
in Table 3. See Appendix 5 in Volume I for a descrip-
tion of the mineral and energy rating system.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Rating

Resource

Favorability*

Certainty t>

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

f 3

cl

Between 10 and 50 million
barrels of oil; between 60 and
300 billion cubic-feet of gas

Tar Sand

t 3

c3

Between 10 and 50 million
barrels of oil

Uranium

<2

cl

Less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide

Copper

f 2

c2

Less than 50.000 metric-tons

Hydroelectric

12

C4

from 0.05 to 1 megawatts

Source: SAI, 1982; USDI, BLM, 1987.

^Favorability ot the WSA’s geologic environment for a resource (fl - lowest
favorability or smallest size deposit; f4 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

t>The degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

The ISA could contain deposits of copper, which is
currently listed as a strategic and critical material
(USDoD, 1988). Although listed as strategic, copper
is relatively common and supplies currently exceed
domestic demand.

• Leasable Minerals

Currently, there are no active drilling, mining, or
exploration activities for leasable minerals.

• Oil and Gas

Numerous oil shows (including oil-impregnated
rock deposits) have been reported from Cam-
brian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian,
Permian, and Triassic rocks in south-central Utah
(Heylmun, et al., 1965; Veal, 1976; and Campbell
and Ritzma, 1979). The older rocks generally are
only stained, whereas free oil has been recovered
from Mississippian rocks at Upper Valley (Doell-
ing, 1975). Numerous wildcat wells have been
drilled in central Garfield County including 11
wells within the ISA. Most of the wells within the
ISA were drilled on the Boulder-Collet Canyon
anticline into Permian strata (USDI, USGS,
1981b). Shows of oil and gas were rare, and all
the wells have been abandoned. Since most obvi-

ous structures in the area have already been ex-
plored, many investigators consider subtle strati-
graphic traps in Permian and Triassic rocks to
offer the best potential for future petroleum.

The only oil and gas production in south-central
Utah in the vicinity of the ISA comes from the
Upper Valley field located about 20 miles to the
southwest. This field was discovered on the
Upper Valley anticline in 1964 and stimulated
drilling activity on similar anticlinal structures
in south-central Utah. The oil reservoir is located
along the prominent Upper Valley anticline, but
the producing area is offset from the crest of the
of the anticline to the west flank and the southern
plunging nose. This offset is due to a regional,
southwest-directed hydrodynamic drive in the
Kaibab Formation (Sharp, 1976). Oil accumulation
in other anticlines within the region may be dis-
placed to the south. Total production from this
field is expected to approach 50 million barrels.
Production is from four distinct zones in the Timp-
oweap Formation (Triassic age) and the Kaibab
Formation (Permian age). Shows of oil were also
reported in the Permian Cedar Mesa and Missis-
sippian Redwall Formation (Sharp, 1976).

Although many potential structural targets re-
main in this large unit, the most favorable areas
may be associated with structural-stratigraphic
or stratigraphic traps, especially with respect to
the more deeply buried Pennsylvanian and Missis-
sippian rocks. To date, however, no commercial
oil and gas potential has been identified in the
ISA.

Based on the above, the ISA is assigned an oil and
gas favorability rating of (f3). The size of the hy-
drocarbon accumulation in such an environment is
anticipated to be between 10 and 50 million bar-
rels of oil or between 60 and 300 billion cubic-
feet of gas. Based on the available information,
the certainty of occurrence for oil and gas is
rated very low (cl).

In the current land use plan, 83,252 acres of the
ISA are in Category 1 (standard stipulations);
13,700 acres are in Category 3 (no surface occu-
pancy); and 22,800 acres are in Category 4
(closed to leasing). There are presently eight pre-
FLPMA leases (4,280 acres) and ten post-FLPMA
leases (8,600 acres), covering a total of 12,880
acres in the ISA.

28

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

• Tar Sand

Approximately 10,260 acres in the southeast por-
tion of the ISA are located within the Circle Cliffs
STSA. This portion of the Circle Cliffs STSA rep-
resents the western flank of the tar sand depos-
its. BLM estimates that the west flank deposit
covers about 15,000 acres and contains an esti-
mated 447 million barrels of oil in-place (USDI,
BLM, 1984b). About 1,700 acres of the ISA occur
within this minable portion of the deposit, and con-
tain an estimated 45 million barrels of oil in-
place. The remaining ISA acreage within the STSA
is not known to contain minable deposits of tar
sand. About 8,960 acres of existing oil and gas
leases located in the STSA are under application
for conversion to combined hydrocarbon leases.

The tar sand has been assigned a favorability rat-
ing of (f3), indicating a potential for 10 to 50 mill-
ion barrels of oil. The certainty level that this de-
posit exists is moderate (c3) due to surface expo-
sures and the extensive studies in the area.

Development of tar sand in the Circle Cliffs area
is very unlikely due to several factors. The depos-
its themselves are not generally considered to be
of a high quality. The tar sand is poorly saturated
with oil, the oil is unusually heavy, and the oil con-
tains a high percentage of sulfur (Wood and
Ritzma, 1972). Also, the deposit is very lean,
and it may not be feasible to recover the bitumen
by in-situ methods due to tar sand compaction,
low porosity, and low bitumen content (Glassett
and Glassett, 1976). Other factors include (1)
high clay and salt content of the ore, (2) remote-
ness and inaccessibility, and (3) lack of water for
processing and land reclamation (Glassett and
Glassett, 1976).

♦ Coal

The ISA is near the Kaiparowits Plateau coal
field, which is a few miles to the west. All coal-
bearing rocks in this field, as well as all other
fields in southern Utah, are of Cretaceous age
(Doelling and Graham, 1972). Since the ISA is en-
tirely underlain by rocks of pre-Cretaceous age,
there is no potential for coal resources in the ISA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in
the ISA. Sixty-six mining claims, covering 1,320
acres, are located in. the ISA.

• Uranium

The Chinle Formation is the only rock unit underly-
ing the ISA known to have potential for uranium
in this area. The Chinle occurs at depths ranging
from zero along the north and southeastern part
of the ISA to about 2,500 feet along the western
side. About 36,000 acres in the eastern portion
of the ISA are considered favorable for signifi-
cant deposits of uranium. The term significant is
defined, as an economically-extractable uranium
deposit that contains a total of at least 100 met-
ric-tons of uranium oxide at a grade of at least
0.01 percent (Peterson, et al., 1982). The criter-
ia used to evaluate the favorability in the area in-
cluded: (1) the distribution of potential host
rocks, which is inferred from the distribution of
sandstone-to-mudstone ratios; and (2) the distri-
bution of potential uranium source rocks, the Pet-
rified Forest Member of the Chinle Formation.
The remainder of the unit is not considered to be
favorable for significant uranium deposits.

The USGS and USBM examined the ISA and con-
cluded that it had a very low potential for uran-
ium occurrence (USDI, USGS, 1981b).

On the basis of the discussion above, the ISA is
assigned a uranium favorability rating of (f2)
(containing less than 500 metric-tons of uranium
oxide). The certainty that uranium deposits occur
in the ISA is very low (cl).

• Copper

Copper, associated with uranium mineralization,
occurs in the Shinarump Member of the Chinle For-
mation (Doelling, 1975) near the eastern bounda-
ry of the ISA. The copper minerals most often
associated with uranium deposits (malachite, azu-
rite, chalcopyrite, bornite, and chrysocolla)
seem to be controlled by the same factors that
have deposited the uranium minerals. Copper pros-
pects in the Chinle Formation in the vicinity of
the eastern boundary of the ISA have reported
assays of 0.1 to 13.2 percent copper (Doelling,
1975). The potential in the eastern part of the
ISA is rated (f2) (favorability for less than

29

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

50,000 metric-tons of copper). The certainty of
occurrence is low (c2).

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the tract.
These deposits are not unique or economically signifi-
cant due to the presence of ample similar materials
outside the ISA.

• Hydroelectric

The ISA has a favorability only for small-scale
hydroelectric developments (1 megawatt) (SAI,
1982). This is due largely to the fact that dis-
charge from the Escalante River can vary greatly
from one day to the next depending on the sever-
ity of thunderstorms. Under these conditions,
only small-scale hydroelectric facilities would be
practical. SAI has assigned the ISA a hydroelec-
tric rating of (f2) and a certainty of occurrence
rating of (c4). The largest opportunity for hydro-
electric power generation on perennial streams
within the ISA is on Boulder Creek which could
produce 0.85 megawatts 95 percent of the time
(Clyde, et al., 1979).

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

The North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA has habi-
tat that theoretically could support approximately 50
species of mammals, 170 species of birds, 17 spe-
cies of reptiles, five species of amphibians, and six
species of fish. The birds are mainly seasonal resi-
dents or migrants while the other species are pri-
marily residents (USDI, BLM, 1981a).

Major game species that inhabit or frequent the ISA
are mule deer, cottontail, cougar, mourning dove, and
waterfowl. Mule deer occur throughout the ISA in
limited numbers (fewer than 100 animals) on a year-
long basis. There is an additional influx of deer from
Boulder Mountain during the winter. The number of
wintering deer is variable, but probably does not ex-
ceed 200 deer most winters. Deer are most common-
ly associated with the pinyon-juniper woodland and
riparian habitats.

Elk were transplanted onto Boulder Mountain in 1977
and about 50 to 80 animals now winter in the Boulder
and Deer Creek areas. A few of these elk move into
the ISA from those areas occasionally during the win-

ter. Elk numbers within the ISA could increase as the
herd size increases.

Cougars are present throughout the ISA in small num-
bers (probably less than 10). A few may be resident,
but the majority are winter visitors. Cougars occur
in the pinyon-juniper woodland and riparian habitats
as well as rocky and cliff areas, usually in close prox-
imity to areas occupied by mule deer.

Chukar were introduced in the Escalante area in
1956. A few birds have been seen along Harris Wash
in the southern portion of the ISA.

Two endangered species, peregrine falcon and bald
eagle, are rare migrants and possibly winter visitors
of the ISA. Bald eagles commonly winter on Lake
Powell at the mouth of the Escalante River and may
occasionally move up the river into the ISA.

At least seven other raptors are known to nest in the
ISA, including the golden eagle (a BLM sensitive spe-
cies), but only the American kestrel could be consid-
ered common. The UDWR list of sensitive species in-
cludes two species that occur occasionally within the
ISA: Lewis woodpecker and western bluebird. There
are also seven Category 2 candidate species that
could inhabit the ISA as follows: Great Basin Silver-
spot butterfly, Salt Gulch pocket gopher, ferruginous
hawk, long-billed curlew, southern spotted owl,
Swainson's hawk, and white-faced ibis (see Appendix
4 in Volume I).

No critical habitat has been identified in the ISA. No
wildlife habitat plans or wildlife projects have been
developed within the ISA and none have been pro-
posed.

Brown and rainbow trout occur in Deer Creek, Bould-
er Creek, and possibly in the Escalante River near its
confluence with Deer Creek. Trout in Deer Creek are
restricted to a few deep pools cut in the sandstone
bottom. The ISA contains approximately 14 miles of
fish habitat.

Forest Resources

No significant forest resources occur in the ISA. The
Calf Creek recreation area (425 acres) is closed to
wood cutting. About 119,327 acres are open to the
collection of fuelwood; however, due to the remote-
ness of the area, lack of access, and sparse vegeta-
tion, current use is minimal (USDI, BLM, 1979a).
Some fence post cutting and fuelwood harvest by

30

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

local residents occurs in the New Home Bench area.
The type of fuelwood used is pinyon pine and juniper.
The quantity harvested is unknown.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The ISA encompasses three livestock grazing allot-
ment (cattle) and portions of eight others. Table 4
summarizes allotment information concerning the
ISA.

Existing range improvements in the ISA include: nine
spring developments, 15 reservoirs, 4 miles of pipe-
line, one stock tank, 3 miles of fence, four corrals, a
10-mile stock trail, and four cabins. Proposed range
improvements include: four spring developments,
three reservoirs, 8 miles of pipeline, one stock tank,
a 0.5 mile of fence, one well, four catchments, and
one retention dam. Proposed range improvements
would improve livestock distribution which is a prob-
lem in some areas due to lack of water.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the grazing allotments that com-

prise the North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA
(USDA, APHIS, 1988).

There are no wild horses or burros within the ISA.

Visual Resources

Approximately 51,752 acres are classified as Class
A, 53,700 acres as Class B, and 14,300 acres as
Class C scenery. The VRM classes for this unit are as
follows: Class I on 13,400 acres, Class II on 22,102
acres, Class III on 5,600 acres, and Class IV on
78,650 acres. Refer to Appendix 7 in Volume I for
more information regarding the BLM VRM system. In
the Glen Canyon NRA wilderness proposal, NPS evalu-
ated several areas common with the ISA and assigned
a Value Class of I (highest) to the Escalante River and
Harris Wash Canyons. Value Class III (next to lowest)
was given to Big Bown Bench and the V. Approximate-
ly 8 percent of the ISA was designated as ONAs in rec-
ognition of "unique scenic values and natural won-
ders." The landscapes of the ISA are derivative of
both the Escalante River canyonlands and the Circle
Cliffs. Portions of the remaining ISA also contain vis-
ual resources with unique scenic values.

Table 4

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in WSA

Total

AUMs

Number
of AUMs
in WSA

Number and
Kind of
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

Boulder Creek

2,032

2,032

63

63

48 Cattle

09/01-10/15

1

Haymaker

3,945

3,945

100

100

50 Cattle

11/01-12/31

2

King Bench

48,728

31,291

2,414

1,328

484 Cattle

11/01-03/31

1

Deer Creek

16,751

12,079

584

400

131 Cattle

11/01-04/30

2

Little Bowns Bench

4,284

4,284

130

130

26 Cattle

11/01-03/31

1

Death Hollow

17,883

6,740

1,005

400

194 Cattle

11/01-03/31

1

Wagon Box Mesa

25,256

4,120

632

105

110 Cattle

11/01-03/31

2

Big Bowns Bench

13,814

13,814

2,338

2,338

344 Cattle

10/16-02/28

4

Escalante River

67,891

5,254

2,959

238

364 Cattle

09/01-03/31

1

Upper Cattle

63,658

19,383

4,734

1,446

631 Cattle

11/01-06/15

4

Big Horn

50,224

16,810

2,994

1,006

399 Cattle

11/01-06/15

3

Total

314,466

119,752

17,953

7,554

22

Sources: BLM File Data.

31

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

Cultural Resources

A total of 60 archaeological sites have been recorded
in the ISA (USDI, BLM, 1988a). Approximately two-
thirds of these are prehistoric surface lithic scat-
ters. Most are small in size and many are located in
sand dune deposits in the ISA. Some of the scatters
are larger in size and may represent lithic quarries
or campsites. Thirteen rockshelters have been record-
ed in the ISA. Some of these contain storage cists and
some have associated rock art panels. One pithouse
village site and one structural habitation site, proba-
bly of Anasazi origin, have been recorded. The re-
maining sites are of unknown cultural or temporal
affiliation. Generally the lithic scatter sites are con-
fined to ridge tops and benches while the remaining
site types are found primarily on canyon bottoms and
sides. Most of the recorded sites are located in the
central and southwestern portions of the unit. Only
one historic site, a petroglyph panel, has been record-
ed. Sections of the Old Boulder Road or Boulder Mail
Trail, the main route between Escalante and Boulder
until the Civilian Conservation Corps built the Hell’s
Backbone road and Highway 12 in the 1930s, are
located in the ISA. Intact sections of the Old Boulder
road have been nominated to the National Register of
Historic Places in the Phipps-Death Hol-low ISA. Insuf-
ficient physical manifestations are present in this
unit to be included in the nomination. Some of the rock-
shelter and rock art sites and one campsite in the ISA
are potentially eligible for nomination to the National
Register.

Two Class II inventories have been conducted in the
boundaries of the ISA. Five 160-acre quadrants were
intensively surveyed and 32 sites were recorded in
the unit (USDI, BLM, 1978a). A total of 800 acres
were surveyed representing 0.67 percent of the
study unit. Two other sites were recorded in the ISA
(Tipps, et al., 1 988). Site densities for the Escalante
planning unit as a whole are estimated to be approxi-
mately 397 sites per 23,000 acres. Site densities in
the ISA are estimated to be from 576 to 637 per

23,000 acres. Neither inventory was specifically de-
signed for the ISA. Extrapolation of site density esti-
mates to a larger geographic units usually overesti-
mates total site quantities (Tipps, et al., 1988). How-
ever, the potential for finding additional sites in the
ISA is considered to be exceptionally high. Most of
the unrecorded sites in the ISA are likely to be small
lithic scatters; however, rockshelters, rock art
sites, pithouse villages, and Anasazi structural sites
are also likely to be found.

Recreation

Although the ISA offers important opportunities for
nonprimitive types of recreation use, most of the use
presently occurring within the ISA is probably associ-
ated with primitive recreation opportunities. The ISA
contains 10,082 acres of four ONAs designated on
December 23, 1970, for the purpose of preserving
"unique scenic values and natural wonders." The
ONAs include North Escalante Canyon (5,800 acres),
The Gulch (3,430 acres), tracts 2, 3, and 4 of the
Escalante Canyons (480 acres), and Phipps-Death
Hollow (12 acres). The ISA includes 110,030 acres
of lands contiguous to the ONAs. Within this contigu-
ous area are the Calf Creek recreation area (425
acres) and the Wolverine Petrified Wood NEA (2,213
acres). The area is closed to ORV use on 20,358
acres and open to ORV use on 99,394 acres. Closed
areas include all of the ONAs, Calf Creek recreation
area, and the Wolverine Petrified Wood NEA.

Other closed areas include 610 acres in Dry Hollow,
820 acres in Boulder Creek, 240 acres in Wolverine
Canyon, 930 acres in Death Hollow, and 5,038 acres
in Deer Creek.

On September 11, 1970, the Escalante River from its
source to Lake Powell, was identified by the Depart-
ment of the Interior as one of 47 candidate Wild and
Scenic Rivers under Section 5(d) of the Wild and Scen-
ic Rivers Act. The ISA contains 11.5 miles of the
Escalante River. BLM must, as part of its environ-
mental review process, mitigate adverse impacts to
the river and consult with the NPS before taking any
action that could foreclose wild, scenic, or recrea-
tional river status (CEO, 1980).

The ISA is viewed by occupants of approximately

121.000 motor vehicles per year traveling Highway
12 between the communities of Boulder and Esca-
lante. This use is particularly heavy on the Hogsback
portion of the route where there is an overview of
the Dry Hollow Canyon and the Boulder Creek conflu-
ence. Sightseeing use is also heavy where Highway
12 overlooks the Escalante River Canyon and upper
Phipps Wash. Since 1981, motor vehicle use of the
Burr Trail has increased from 5,000 vehicles to

10.000 vehicles per year. In addition, this road is
becoming a popular biking route. Car campers at Deer
Creek recreation area probably use Deer Creek in the
ISA. Motor vehicle tourists undoubtedly hike into the
Wolverine Petrified Wood area. Other uses of the ISA
include the collecting of "thunderball" iron concre-
tions along the Big Spencer Flat Road and the V road,

32

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

both of which have been cherry-stemmed, and light
fishing use of Boulder Creek and Deer Creek.

The overall recreation use for North Escalante Can-
yons/The Gulch ISA is estimated to be about 32,350
visitor days per year. ORV use of the open ORV areas
is estimated to be about 1,250 visitor days. This use
occurs mainly on the perimeter of the ISA and areas
near Spencer Flats and the V. Primitive recreation
use of the ISA is estimated to be about 31,100 visi-
tor days. Primitive recreation use levels seem to be
a function of both the national reputation of the area
and intrinsic factors such as the large number of hik-
ing route alternatives. Approximately 50 miles of hik-
ing routes associated with the major drainages (Esca-
lante River, Boulder Creek, Deer Creek, The Gulch,
Harris Wash, Horse Canyon, Wolverine Canyon, and
Death Hollow) are available. Trailheads for these hik-
ing routes are located at the Highway 12 crossing of
the Escalante River, Harris Wash, Silver Falls Can-
yon, and the Burr Trail road at Deer Creek and The
Gulch.

The ISA is used by survival groups. It is estimated
that 800 of the total visitor days of commercial
survival group training use occurs each year in the
ISA.

Land Use Plans

The ISA is located within the BLM Escalante planning
unit which is being managed under the land use deci-
sions of the Escalante MFP (USDI, BLM, 1 981 d). The
present principal uses within the ISA are livestock
grazing and recreation. Wilderness is not addressed in
the Escalante MFP. However, wilderness designation
is part of the BLM multiple-use concept and the BLM
land use plan is linked to the Statewide Wilderness EIS
through anaysis of the present plan as the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative.

The WSA is BLM-administered public land except for
12 State sections (7,623 acres) and 452 acres of
Federal surface and State minerals (split-estate). The
current policy of the State is to maximize economic
returns from State lands and to reserve its position
regarding the exchange of in-held lands (see Chapter
1 in Volume I). In 1986, the Utah State Legislature
passed S.C.R. No. 1 opposing any additional wilder-
ness designation in Utah and urging that State lands
not be exchanged out of wilderness areas. All of the
7,623 acres of in-held State lands are under lease
for grazing and 2,557 acres are under lease for oil,

gas, and hydrocarbons. Grazing is presently the only
use on in-held state land.

The Garfield County Master Plan makes recommenda-
tions for wilderness designation. The master plan rec-
ognizes that the county possesses "... some of the
most spectacular scenery in the United States . . .
The county is sparsely populated and most of it is in
its original pristine condition." (Five County Associa-
tion of Governments, 1984). The plan recommends
that 53,447 acres of the North Escalante Canyons/
The Gulch ISA be designated wilderness. The county
plan recommends that the remaining lands within the
county be retained for multiple use. The plan's con-
cept of multiple use includes forestry, livestock graz-
ing, mining, wildlife, and recreation. Regardless of
the Garfield County Master Plan, the Garfield County
Commission has endorsed the Consolidated Local Gov-
ernment Response to Wilderness (Utah Counties,
1986) that opposes wilderness designation of BLM
lands in Utah.

The northern boundary of the ISA is formed by the
Burr Trail road. According to Garfield County in
1982, this boundary should be adjusted to allow for
future improvements to the transportation route and
serve as a utility corridor should the need arise.
Also, the county suggested that the eastern boundary
of the ISA should be adjusted to allow for uranium
exploration and development.

With regard to State land, the 1982 Garfield County
position was that the State lands (7,623 acres)
should be traded with public lands outside of the wilde-
rness area but must remain in the geographical area
of Garfield County.

The Glen Canyon NRA forms the southern boundary of
the ISA. This contiguous area is recommended by NPS
for wilderness designation in the Glen Canyon NRA
Management Plan (USDI, NPS, 1979).

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA is located
in Garfield County, Utah. Most economic impacts are
expected to be restricted to this county. Garfield is a
rural county having an average population density of
less than one person per square mile. From 1970 to
1980, the population of Garfield County grew from
3,157 to 3,700, an overall increase of about 17 per-
cent. Table 5 presents the baseline and projected

33

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

population data for Garfield County. It is estimated
that between 1980 and 1987, population increased to
about 4,085. Population projections indicate that the
number of people living in Garfield County in the year
2010 will be about 4,850 for about a 19-percent
increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of Planning
and Budget, 1987).

Table 5

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Garlield County

1980

1990

2000

2010

Population

3.700

4.250

4,350

4,850

Employment

2,156

2,000

2,200

3,200

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

The community of Escalante lies along a major access
route to the ISA (Highway 12). Escalante is one of the
larger communities in the area having a 1980 popula-
tion of 652 persons (USDC, Bureau of the Census,
1981). Escalante is a main gateway and service area
for visitors to the ISA.

• Employment

Table 5 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Garfield County to the year 2010.

Garfield County is part of the Southwest MCD. Table
6 shows the baseline (1980) and projected employ-
ment by source for the MCD to the year 2010.

Table 6

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment*

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1.810

1,700

1.600

1.500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2.300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2.600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1.800

2.500

Trade

4,120

6.800

8,800

1 1,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1 .800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5.800

6,500

8.100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212

28,900

35.700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

■Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties.

In 1980 the leading employment sectors for the South-
west MCD were government (23 percent), trade (20
percent), and nonfarm proprietors (12 percent). Min-

ing provided approximately 2 percent of the direct
employment in the MCD.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 3 percent, Government to
18 percent, and mining to less than 1 percent of the
total MCD employment.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the ISA include mineral
exploration, livestock production, and recreation.
Table 7 summarizes the local sales and Federal reve-
nues from the ISA. Appendix 9 in Volume I identifies
the multipliers used to estimate sales and revenues.

Table 7

Saies and Revenues

Source

Estimated Annual
Local Sales*

Estimated Annual
Federal Revenues

Oil and Gas Leases

0

$25,760

Mining Claims

$6,600

0

Livestock Grazing

$151,080

$11,633

Recreational Use

$1 32.635

i

T otal

$290,315

$37,843

Sources: BLM File Data; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

■Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account for the
total income that would be generated by these expenditures.

The ISA has 66 mining claims that require assess-
ment work to remain valid. Regulations require a
$100 annual expenditure per claim for labor and
improvements, an undetermined part of which is
spent in the local economy. Not all of the claims are
current in assessment.

The geophysical exploration and oil and gas well
drilling that has been conducted in the ISA has gen-
erated some temporary local employment and income.

No oil and gas or mineral production has occurred in
the ISA. Therefore, mineral and energy resource pro-
duction from the ISA has not significantly contributed
to local employment or income.

Twenty-two livestock operators have a total grazing
privilege of 7,554 AUMs within the ISA. If all this
forage were utilized, it would account for $151,080
of livestock sales and $37,770 of ranchers' returns
to labor and investment.

34

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

Some woodland products have been harvested from
the ISA; however, the harvests have been small and
are insignificant to the local economy and only of mi-
nor significance to those involved in the harvest.

The ISA's primitive recreational use is high. Related
local expenditures, however, would be low due to the
spending pattern of the users. The ISA's motorized
recreational use is minimal and related local expend-
itures are also minimal. The actual amount of income
generated locally from recreational use in the ISA is
unknown. However, an approximate range of expend-
itures can be deduced (Dalton, 1982). This study indi-
cates that the Statewide average local expenditures
per recreational visitor day for all types of recrea-
tion in Utah are approximately $4.10. The recreation-
al use for North Escalante Canyons/The Gulch ISA is
estimated to be about 32,350 visitor days per year.

The ISA generates Federal revenues from recreation,
livestock grazing, and mineral leasing.

Oil and gas leases in the ISA cover approximately
12,880 acres. At $2 per acre, lease rental fees gen-
erate up to $25,760 of Federal revenues annually.
Half of these monies are allocated to the State, which
then reallocates these revenues to various funds, the
majority of which are related to energy development
and mitigation of local impacts of energy and mineral
development.

Average actual livestock use and, therefore, reve-
nues generated from grazing in the ISA are unknown;
however, the permittees in the ISA can use up to
7,554 AUMs per year. Based on a $1.54 per AUM
grazing fee, the ISA can potentially generate
$11,633 of grazing fee revenues annually, 50 per-
cent of which would be allocated back to the local BLM
District for the construction of rangeland improve-
ments.

Approximately $450 in Federal revenues have also
been generated annually from commercial recreation
use permits that have been issued for areas within
the ISA.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

Analysis assumptions and guidelines for all alter-
natives are described in the Introduction to Volume
lll-B. The following analysis is also based on imple-
mentation of the action scenarios presented in the
Description of the Alternatives.

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the ISA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the ISA
would be somewhat protected by limitations placed on
potential surface-disturbing activities (i.e., VRM
Class I management on 13,400 acres, VRM Class II
management on 22,102 acres, management under oil
and gas leasing Category 4 [closed to leasing] on
22,800 acres and oil and gas leasing Category 3 [no
surface occupancy] on 13,700 acres, and ORV clo-
sure on 20,358 acres).

In the foreseeable future, disturbance of approximate-
ly 104 acres from uranium, copper, and oil and gas
exploration, rangeland projects, development of ac-
cess to State in-holdings, and from the realigning and
paving of the Burr Trail, would result in a direct loss
of naturalness and opportunities for solitude and prim-
itive, unconfined recreation in the disturbed areas. In
the foreseeable future, special features, including
scenic values, geologic values, perennial streams and
rivers, endangered and sensitive species, wildlife
associated with wilderness, and historical and archae-
ological values, would not be significantly affected be-
cause the disturbance would be minor (involving 0.09
percent of the ISA). In addition, appropriate measures
would be taken to protect endangered and sensitive
species and cultural values prior to any surface-dis-
turbing activity. Proposed rangeland developments in-
volving water would benefit wildlife special features
associated with wilderness because of increased wa-
ter sources. Some Class A scenery or special scenic
features could be disturbed.

During the period of activity, the visual and audible
disturbance from mineral exploration, rangeland de-
velopment, and access road construction and use
would reduce the quality of opportunities for solitude
and primitive recreation not only on directly disturb-
ed areas, but also on adjacent portions of the ISA. As
much as 10 percent (11,975 acres) of the ISA could
be so affected in the foreseeable future.

The continued and increased vehicular use of 5 miles
of existing ways, new exploration and access roads,
and ORV activity in the Spencer Flats and the V areas
would detract from opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation.

35

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

The increased visitor use that would occur over time
would be expected to somewhat reduce the quality of
the opportunities for solitude and primitive recrea-
tion because although the ISA is large and the addi-
tional use would be largely primitive in nature, use is
expected to continue to be significant in this already
popular area. Primitive and vehicular uses would
clash in some areas, and primitive use could become
very heavy in some areas without management direc-
tion.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would occur is not accurately known.
Loss would occur, however, as intrusions increase.

This alternative would not complement and enhance
wilderness values, uses, and management of the con-
tiguous NRA which is proposed for wilderness desig-
nation by the NPS.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation, and loss would occur as in-
trusions increase. In the foreseeable future, natural-
ness and opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation would be directly lost on 104 acres and oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive recreation would
be indirectly reduced in quality on up to an additional
11,975 acres. Special features would not be signifi-
cantly affected, except that some Class A scenery
could be disturbed.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies

Implementation of the No Action/No Wilderness Alter-
native with 104 acres of direct surface disturbance
would not significantly alter any vegetation type in
the ISA because only 0.9 percent of the ISA would be
affected. Two Category 1 candidate species, seven
Category 2 candidate species, and one special statue
plant species may occur in the WSA. There is a slight
potential that individual plants of these species could
be disturbed by locatable minerals exploration. This
situation would only exist where such minerals oper-
ations would occur on sites of 5 acres or less, where
a plan of operations and approval are not required un-
der 43 CFR 3809 regulations. The Endangered Species
Act and subsequent regulations apply to these opera-
tions and any loss would be inadvertent. It is not anti-
cipated that mineral-related actions in the WSA would
threaten the continued existence of any of the special
status species. Before authorizing any surface-dis-
turbing activities (including realignment of the Burr

Trail, oil and gas exploration activities, development
of access to State land, and construction of rangeland
projects) BLM would conduct site-specific clearances
of the potentially disturbed areas. If any threatened
or endangered species are located, BLM would initiate
consultation with the FWS as required by the Endan-
gered Species Act and BLM policy. BLM would request
a biological opinion when appropriate (see Appendix 4
in Volume I). Appropriate mitigation measures, such
as avoidance of sensitive areas, would be implement-
ed. Continued ORV use in the Big Spencer Flat and the
V areas may impact special status plant species
which could occur there including Corvphantha mis-
souriensis var. marstonii. Heterotheca ionesii and
Astragalus barnebvi. Intensive monitoring efforts
would be established to determine if any special sta-
tus plant species actually occur in the ORV areas and
what impacts were occurring. Should it become neces-
sary, BLM would implement additional measures (clo-
sures) to protect the species. Because necessary mea-
sures would be taken to protect these species, the via-
bility of populations of special status plant species
would be preserved with the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative.

Conclusion: No vegetation types would be significant-
ly affected by implementation of the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative. There would not be signifi-
cant impacts to special status plant populations from
mineral access or BLM-initiated activities. With con-
tinued monitoring and management, ORV use would not
threaten special status plant species.

• Impacts on Water Resources

Since precipitation is low and existing streams carry
a lot of sediment within the ISA, no significant sedi-
mentation or change in TDS, including salt, is expect-
ed to occur from the 104 acres of surface disturb-
ance. In addition, restrictions on development impos-
ed by public water reserves, guidelines for protec-
tion of riparian habitat and existing restrictions in
the Escalante land use plan (22,800 acres closed to
mineral leasing, 13,700 closed to surface occupancy,
and 20,358 acres closed to ORVS), and wild and scen-
ic river inventory segment restrictions, would also
preserve water quality in the ISA.

Present use of water in and upstream of the ISA
would not be affected

Conclusion: The No Action/No Wilderness Alternative
would not alter present or future water quality or
uses.

36

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and
Development

The ISA would remain open to exploration and develop-
ment of mineral and energy resources without consid-
eration of wilderness values. Therefore, mineral and
energy resources would not be affected by the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Mineral exploration or production would
not be adversely affected.

• Impacts on Cultural Resources

Implementation of this alternative would result in
approximately 104 acres of surface disturbance in
the foreseeable future and may impact some archae-
ological sites. The entire ISA would remain open to
mineral location and all except 22,800 acres would
remain open to leasing. It is estimated that approxi-
mately 57 acres of disturbance due to mineral explor-
ation would occur in the foreseeable future. Some
sites could be subject to disturbance or loss in areas
where locatable mineral exploration occurs on areas
less than 5 acres in size and not subject to regula-
tions contained in 43 CFR 3809. However, sites in the
ISA would continue to receive protection under exist-
ing Federal and State antiquities laws, and the proba-
bility of such mineral development occurring on or
near cultural sites is low. Any surface disturbance
due to leasable mineral activities, road realignment,
etc., would be preceded by standard inventory and
mitigation procedures; however, some sites, espe-
cially those that cannot be identified by surface in-
spection, may be inadvertently damaged or lost. In
addition, increased activity in developed areas may
provide opportunities for illegal artifact collection.

The ISA would remain closed to ORV use on 20,358
acres. Although it is not likely to occur, there could
be some impacts to sites in the slickrock and sandy
areas near the V and Big Spencer's Flats due to ORV
activity.

Vandalism would continue to be a problem and would
increase with the general population growth and in-
creased recreational use of the area.

With this alternative, archaeological sites would be
subject to standard cultural resource management
procedures (Neumann and Reinburg, 1988). Stabil-
ization, interpretation, and excavation could proceed
without the restrictions of wilderness values main-
tenance.

Conclusion: Some impact on cultural resources in-
cluding 60 recorded sites would result with this
alternative. Some inadvertent loss or damage to ar-
chaeological sites as well as intentional vandalism due
to increased accessibility may occur, but would prob-
ably be minimal. Cultural resource management would
continue without regard to wilderness management.

• Impacts on Recreation

The quality of a user's primitive recreational experi-
ence would be reduced by surface-disturbing activi-
ties. A direct loss of opportunity would occur on the
104 disturbed acres, and an indirect reduction in the
quality would occur on adjacent acres involving up to
10 percent (11,975 acres) of the ISA. Under this
alternative mineral-related exploration is possible on
57 acres. Wherever access roads and drill pads are
located, primitive recreational opportunities could be
lost. In addition, primitive values could be reduced or
lost due to disturbance of 25 acres with realignment
of the Burr Trail, 16 acres with rangeland projects,
and 6 acres with development of access to State sec-
tions. However, roads and ways created for energy
and mineral exploration and development would im-
prove access into the area for nonprimitive recrea-
tion. About 99,394 acres and 5 miles of ways would
remain open to ORV use.

The future trends in recreational use of the ISA are
unknown. However, based on a review of several pro-
jections (UDNRE, ORA 1980; UDNRE, DPR 1985; Utah
Office of Planning and Budget, 1984; Jungst, 1978;
and Hof and Kaiser, 1981) it is estimated that out-
door recreation in Utah will increase at about 2 to 7
percent per year over the next 30 years. At this
rate, overall recreational use is expected to increase
from 32,350 current visitor days per year to be-
tween 60,965 and 281,939 visitor days at the end of
30 years. Vehicular use would continue to comprise
only about 4 percent of the use. Overflow from Capi-
tol Reef National Park and Glen Canyon NRA could fur-
ther increase use. In addition, if the Burr Trail road
is paved, improved access would increase recrea-
tional use of these areas.

Conclusion: The quality of primitive recreation oppor-
tunities would be directly reduced on 104 acres with
an indirect impact on about 11,975 acres of the WSA.
Both primitive and motorized recreation use would
increase and vehicular use would continue to com-
prise about 4 percent of the total use.

37

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

All Wilderness Alternative (119,752 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 119,752 acres as
wilderness would contribute to the preservation of
the wilderness values in the North Escalante Can-
yons/The Gulch ISA. The potential for surface-dis-
turbing activities would be reduced through closure of
the entire area to future mineral leasing and location
and to ORV use, and through management of the area
as VRM Class I which allows for only natural ecologi-
cal change. Naturalness would be protected on all
119,752 acres. Solitude would be protected on
approximately 89,500 acres that meet and 30,252
acres that do not meet the standards for outstanding
opportunities. Primitive and unconfined recreation
would be protected on approximately 94,200 acres
that meet and 25,552 acres that do not meet the
standards for outstanding opportunities. Resources
that could be considered as special features in the
ISA, including Class A scenery, other scenic fea-
tures, endangered and sensitive species, wildlife asso-
ciated with wilderness, archaeological and historical
features, geologic features, and perennial waters,
would also be protected. This alternative would en-
hance protection of the Escalante River segment being
studied for possible wild and scenic river designation.

Although protected, complete preservation of wilder-
ness values would not be assured because of the exis-
tence of valid existing rights. In the foreseeable fu-
ture, disturbance of up to 46 acres is anticipated
from exploration of valid claims, from rangeland pro-
jects, from development of access to State in-hold-
ings, and from the realigning and paving of the Burr
Trail. Wilderness values of naturalness and opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive recreation would be
directly lost on the disturbed areas. Opportunities for
solitude and primitive recreation would also be indi-
rectly reduced in quality on adjacent portions of the
WSA. As much as 3 percent (3,593 acres) of the
WSA could be so affected. Special features would not
be significantly affected because the direct disturb-
ance would be minor (involving only 0.04 percent of
the ISA). In addition, appropriate measures would be
taken to protect endangered and sensitive species and
archaeological and historic features prior to any sur-
face-disturbing activity. Although the disturbance
would generally not be located where the special fea-
tures are located, some Class A scenery could be dis-
turbed and reduced in quality. Spring developments
would benefit wildlife special features associated
with wilderness because of increased water sources.

Mitigation to protect wilderness values would be ap-
plied, but loss of wilderness values would be allowed
if development involving valid existing rights could
not be otherwise achieved. Rangeland projects, on the
other hand, would be designed to meet wilderness
management criteria and upon completion would not
be substantially noticeable in the area as a whole.

Vehicular use of existing ways and other ORV activity
would generally cease with ORV closure, improving
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
and naturalness.

Over the long term, there would be no potential for
loss of wilderness values due to development of new
leases and mining claims. The potential for long-term
development of existing mining claims and State in-
holdings are not accurately known but would be less
with this alternative than with No Action/No Wilder-
ness due to application of mitigation that would pro-
tect wilderness values subject to valid existing
rights.

Increased visitor use that would occur with time
would be primitive in nature and would be managed so
as to not result in the loss of wilderness values.
Some limitation of visitation may be necessary.

Designation of this ISA as wilderness could benefit
the values and uses of the contiguous NPS wilderness
proposal. These areas share a common watershed,
canyon system, extended recreation travel trails
(hiking and horseback riding), and archaeological
values.

Conclusion: Wilderness values in the ISA would be pre-
served overall. In the foreseeable future, naturalness
and opportunities for solitude and primitive recrea-
tion would be lost on 46 acres, and opportunities for
solitude and primitive recreation would be indirectly
reduced in quality on up to 3,593 acres of the ISA.
Some Class A scenery might be reduced in quality be-
cause of disturbance.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies

The vegetation resource, including the special status
species would be provided additional protection over
the entire ISA. Prior to any surface disturbance (esti-
mated 46 acres) due to beatable mineral exploration,
realignment of the Burr Trail, construction of range-
land projects, and development access to State land,
appropriate inventories, clearances, and, if required,

38

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

consultation with the FWS would be undertaken per
the Endangered Species Act and subsequent regula-
tions. Therefore, impacts would not be significant.

Conclusion: Vegetation including special status spe-
cies would be protected by the All Wilderness Alter-
native.

• Impacts on Water Resources

Since precipitation is low and the estimated soil dis-
turbance is only 46 acres, no significant sedimenta-
tion or change in TDS, including salt production, is
expected to occur.

Approximately 42 miles of perennial streams, includ-
ing 11.5 miles of the Escalante River, flow through
the ISA. All surface waters of the Escalante River
system are fully appropriated. However, projects
that would consumptively use water upstream of the
ISA would be hampered because changes in use,
changes in points of diversion, or transfer of water
rights could be protested by the Federal government
to maintain flow through the ISA. Potential upstream
water uses include steam-power generation, mining,
domestic, and agricultural uses.

Conclusion: In the short term, there would be no sig-
nificant impact on water quality or uses. In the long
term, future water diversions and new consumptive
uses in the Escalante River system upstream of the
ISA may be restricted or precluded.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

Approximately 12,880 acres are under oil and
gas leases, including 8,960 acres under applica-
tion for conversion to combined hydrocarbon
leases. However, no exploration or development
of oil and gas is presently occurring within the
ISA.

Existing leases could be explored and developed
subject to the stipulations issued at the time of
leasing. It is unlikely that existing leases will be
developed or a showing of commercial quantities
made prior to their expiration dates. Expired
leases will not be reissued and no new leasing
would be allowed.

Exploration for and development of a potential re-
source of up to 50 million barrels of oil in-place
and less than 300 billion cubic-feet of natural gas
could be foregone under this alternative. How-
ever, due to the very low certainty that these ex-
ist, and the low likelihood of development follow-
ing exploration, it is concluded that this alterna-
tive would not result in any significant loss of
potential oil and gas recovery.

The eastern side of the ISA has potential for tar
sand deposits. Approximately 10,260 acres of
the ISA are part of the Circle Cliffs STSA and
8,960 acres are under lease conversion applica-
tion. It is unlikely that the lease could be devel-
oped considering the wilderness protection stipu-
lations.

It is concluded that the potential for development
of 10,260 acres of tar sand (10 to 50 million bar-
rels of recoverable oil) would be foregone. How-
ever, the likelihood for development is thought to
be low because the deposit is considered to be low
quality, poorly saturated with a high sulfur con-
tent.

• Locatable Minerals

Approximately 1,320 acres are under mining
claim within the ISA, principally for uranium and
associated copper. Up to 500 metric-tons of urani-
um and up to 50,000 metric-tons of copper could
occur within the ISA. Development work, extrac-
tion, and patenting would be allowed to continue
on valid claims after wilderness designation under
unnecessary or undue degradation guidelines. How-
ever, because production of these metals is not
currently occurring and because of economic con-
siderations, low favorability and low certainty
that such deposits actually exist in the ISA, it is
unlikely that development will occur following ex-
ploration. Therefore, this alternative would not
result in a significant loss of recoverable uranium
or copper resources.

Conclusion: Potential exploration and development
opportunities for minerals that may occur in the ISA
would be limited to those areas under lease or mining
claim at the time of designation. However, no signifi-
cant leasable or locatable mineral production would be
foregone.

39

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

• Impacts on Cultural Resources

All surface disturbance expected with this alterna-
tive would be preceded by appropriate inventories
and protective stipulations if necessary. All vehicular
access would be completely eliminated within the
boundaries of the ISA. Approximately 15 miles of
cherry-stemmed roads would continue to provide
some access to sites in the interior of the ISA, how-
ever, resulting indirect impacts would probably be
minimal. Very little intentional or unintentional dam-
age to cultural resources is expected due to surface
development or continued vehicular access.

As recreational use of the unit increases in the fu-
ture, site vandalism and collection of small trans-
portable objects may increase. However, due to the
lack of vehicular access, collection of large artifacts
and illegal excavation of sites may decrease. If sites
containing valuable artifacts or specific features are
present in the ISA, the increased inaccessibility of
wilderness designation may encourage large scale
commercial looting. The rockshelters, rock art sites,
pit houses, and Anasazi structural sites in the ISA
may meet these requirements (Wylie, 1988). The
benefits of protection of cultural resources from all
ORV activity, vehicular access, and surface develop-
ment would, however, probably outweigh any ad-
verse effects from increases in vandalism due to
increased recreational use in the future.

All cultural resource management procedures would
be subject to the restrictions of wilderness designa-
tion (Neumann and Reinburg, 1988). Access to sites
for stabilization, interpretation, or excavation may
be limited or denied.

Conclusion: Cultural resources, including 60 recorded
sites, would benefit from reduction in potential sur-
face disturbance. Management may be restricted in
scope and execution due to wilderness designation.

• Impacts on Recreation

Primitive recreational use is currently about 31,100
visitor days a year. The ISA has outstanding primi-
tive recreational values. If the ISA is designated wil-
derness, those high quality recreational opportunities
would be further recognized, managed, and preserv-
ed.

As discussed for the No Action/No Wilderness Alter-
native, recreational use of the ISA is estimated to
increase about 2 to 7 percent per year over the next

30 years in relation to population increases and cur-
rent trends of recreational use. All use would be prim-
itive in nature. Because management provided through
a Wilderness Management Plan would attempt to con-
trol destructive increases in future recreation use,
the quality of the primitive recreation experience
would probably not be negatively affected by the in-
creased use.

Mineral-related surface disturbance on up to 5 acres
could cause localized impairment of values. If roads
for development of valid mining claims could not be
denied, the quality of primitive recreational opportuni-
ties would be reduced. Because the potential for min-
eral production is low and wilderness designation
would reduce the potential for surface disturbance,
the quality of the primitive recreational experience
would likely be preserved throughout the area. In addi-
tion, surface disturbance on 41 acres is anticipated
from realignment of the Burr Trail (25 acres), devel-
opment of access to State sections (6 acres), and
rangeland developments (10 acres). Indirect impacts
would affect up to 3 percent (3,593 acres) of the
ISA.

Conclusion: Primitive recreation opportunities would
benefit by reducing the likelihood for surface-disturb-
ing activities and increasing management attention
and recognition of recreational values. The quality of
primitive recreation opportunities would be directly
reduced on 46 acres and indirectly reduced on up to
3,593 acres. All use would be primitive in nature,
and would increase.

Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Pro-
posed Action) (91,558 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Wilderness designation of 91,558 acres would con-
tribute to the preservation of the area's wilderness
values. This Partial Wilderness Alternative would re-
duce the potential for surface-disturbing activities
that would impair wilderness values by almost half
that anticipated for the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative. Protection in the designated area would
include management under VRM Class I (which gener-
ally allows for only natural ecological change), ORV
closure, including closure of 4 miles of ways, and clo-
sure to future mineral leasing and location. Natural-
ness, outstanding opportunities for solitude (including
about 80,000 acres that meet and 11,558 acres that
do not meet the standards for outstanding), and primi-
tive recreation (including about 85,900 acres that

40

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

meet and 5,658 acres that do no meet the standards
of outstanding), and special features, including most
of the Class A scenery, scenic features and geologic
features, all water features including the Escalante
River, the historical features, and most of the archae-
ological values, would be protected. Special status
species and wildlife associated with wilderness would
benefit from the protection in the designated area.

In the foreseeable future, loss of naturalness and op-
portunities for solitude and primitive recreation due
to allowable surface disturbance from mineral explor-
ation, rangeland projects, access road development
to State in-holdings, and Burr Trail upgrading would
occur on up to 16 acres within the designated portion
and on up to 44 acres within the nondesignated por-
tion. Special features would be largely preserved be-
cause direct disturbance would involve only 0.05 per-
cent of the WSA and is generally not expected in
areas where special features are located. In addition,
appropriate measures would be taken to protect en-
dangered and sensitive species and cultural values
prior to any surface-disturbing activity. Some areas
of Class A scenery could be reduced in quality.

Sights and sounds from foreseeable development
would indirectly reduce the quality of opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation on areas adja-
cent to the disturbed areas, including up to 6 percent
(7,185 acres) of the ISA. Most of this type of impact
would be in the nondesignated area.

Elimination of ORV use in the designated area would
improve opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation overall in the ISA, although vehicular use of 1
mile of way of new exploration and access roads, and
of Spenser Flats and the V in the nondesignated area
would continue to detract from these opportunities
during the period of activity.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would occur is not accurately known.
Loss would be less than with the No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternative due to application of mitigation in
the designated area that would limit development sub-
ject to valid existing rights.

This alternative would complement and enhance wil-
derness values, uses, and management of contiguous
NRA lands proposed for wilderness designation by the
NPS.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would be preserved
overall in the designated area which is approximately
76 percent of the ISA. Naturalness and opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation would be direct-
ly lost on 60 acres and opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation would be indirectly reduced in
quality on up to 7,185 acres of the ISA. Some Class A
scenery would be reduced in quality by surface dis-
turbance.

This alternative would complement and enhance wil-
derness values, uses, and management on contiguous
NRA lands proposed for wilderness designation by
NPS.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status
Species

Impacts on vegetation types would not be significant
with this alternative because only 0.05 percent (60
acres) of the ISA would be disturbed. For the 91,558
acres that would be designated as wilderness, the im-
pacts would be the same as for the All Wilderness
Alternative. The entire 91,558 acres would be closed
to ORVs, mineral leasing, and location. Any surface
disturbance would be preceded by appropriate inven-
tories and clearances. Therefore, impacts on special
status species would not be significant.

For the 28,194 acres that would not be designated,
the impacts would be the same as for the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative. Individual special status
plant species could be disturbed by locatable minerals
exploration where a plan of operations and approvals
are not required under 43 CFR 3809 regulations as
described in the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive. Since the V and immediate vicinity would not be
designated with this alternative, the impacts due to
continued ORV use would be the same as analyzed for
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Because
necessary measures would be taken to protect these
special status species, the viability of populations of
special status plant species would be preserved with
the Large Partial Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Vegetation types would not be significant-
ly affected by implementation of the large Partial Wil-
derness Alternative. There would be no significant im-
pacts to special status plant populations from miner-
al, access, BLM initiated activities, Burr Trail rea-
lignment, or ORV use because of required mitigation
and continued monitoring and management actions.

41

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

• Impacts on Water Resources

Since precipitation is low and the estimated soil dis-
turbance is only 56 acres, no significant sedimenta-
tion or change in TDS, including salt production, is
expected to occur.

Approximately 42 miles of perennial streams, includ-
ing 11.5 miles of the Escalante River, flow through
that portion of the ISA that would be designated as
wilderness. All surface waters of the Escalante River
system are fully appropriated. However, projects
that would consumptively use water upstream of the
ISA would be hampered or precluded because changes
in use, changes in points of diversion, or transfer of
water rights could be protested by the Federal govern-
ment to maintain flow through the ISA. Potential up-
stream water uses include steampower generation,
mining, domestic, and agricultural uses.

Conclusion: In the short term, this partial wilderness
designation would not significantly alter water qual-
ity or uses. In the long term, future water diversions
and new consumptive uses in the Escalante River sys-
tem upstream of the ISA may be restricted or preclud-
ed.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

The area that would be designated wilderness
would be placed in Category 4 status with no new
leasing. There are approximately 10,200 acres of
oil and gas leases in the area that would be desig-
nated wilderness. Activities on these leases
would occur subject to the stipulations issued at
the time of leasing.

It cannot be determined how much of the existing
potential resource of between 10 to 50 million
barrels of in-place oil and between 60 to 300
billion cubic-feet of natural gas falls within the
area that would be designated as wilderness under
this alternative. The 28,194-acre nondesignated
portion of the ISA would be open to oil and gas de-
velopment as discussed in the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative. However, due to the small
size of the potential deposits, the low certainty
that these exist, and the low likelihood for devel-
opment in the foreseeable future, implementation
of this alternative would not result in any signifi-
cant loss in recovery of the oil and gas resource.

Approximately 9,700 acres of the Circle Cliffs
STSA are within the portion of the ISA that would
be designated wilderness. About 8,960 acres are
presently under lease conversion application. It is
assumed that conversion applications would either
be approved with wilderness nonimpairment stip-
ulations or denied and that future leasing would
not be allowed. Potential for development of the
tar sand resource would be foregone as discussed
for the All Wilderness Alternative.

In the nondesignated area, tar sand could be ex-
plored and developed as discussed for the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. However, the
potential for development of this resource is low
because the deposit is considered to be low qual-
ity. (poorly saturated with a high sulphur con-
tent).

• Locatable Minerals

Approximately 520 acres of mining claims are
within the area that would be designated wilder-
ness. Development work, extraction, and patent-
ing could continue on valid claims after wilder-
ness designation under unnecessary or undue deg-
radation guidelines. After designation, all other
lands (including claims not determined valid)
would be closed to prospecting and development
(USDI, BLM, 1981a).

Because locatable minerals are not being recover-
ed at present within the ISA and because of eco-
nomic considerations, low favorability and low
certainty that such deposits actually exist in the
ISA, implementation of this alternative would not
prevent recovery of significant amounts of urani-
um or associated copper.

Conclusion: Potential exploration and development
opportunities for minerals that may occur in the des-
ignated portion of the ISA would be limited to those
areas under lease or mining claims at the time of des-
ignation. However, no significant locatable or leasable
mineral production would be foregone.

• Impacts on Cultural Resources

Forty-three of the 60 recorded sites would be located
in the designated portion and would receive protection
under wilderness management. Only 16 acres of sur-
face disturbance is expected for the designated area
for the foreseeable future with this alternative and
all surface disturbance would be preceded by

42

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

inventories and clearances. Quadrants inventoried
(USDI, BLM 1978a) are included in the designated
portion. Site densities are probably similar to those
estimated for the All Wilderness Alternative. The
91,558 acres composing the wilderness would be
closed to ORV use, thus, protecting archaeological
sites from both intentional and unintentional impacts.
Approximately 15 miles of cherry-stemmed roads
would continue to provide some vehicular access to
sites in the interior of the ISA.

The remaining 17 recorded sites and all unrecorded
sites in the nondesignated portion would be protected
by existing Federal and State antiquities laws. Little
inventory work has been conducted in this area mak-
ing site densities difficult to estimate. The nondesig-
nated area would remain open to mineral location and
leasing, but potential impacts to cultural resources
are unknown. There is a slight possibility that some
sites may be damaged due to beatable mineral activi-
ties on operations not subject to 43 CFR 3809 regula-
tions as described in the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative. Only 10 acres of such surface disturb-
ance is expected in the foreseeable future and the
probabilities of damage or loss is slight.

Any surface disturbance due to leasable mineral
activities, road realignment, etc., would be preceded
by standard inventory and mitigation measures.

The nondesignated area would remain open to ORV
use. Although it is not likely to occur, there could be
some impact to sites in the slickrock and sandy areas
near the V due to ORV activity.

Conclusion: Forty-three of the 60 recorded sites
would receive protection from wilderness designation
with this alternative. Sites in the nondesignated por-
tion would continue to receive protection under exist-
ing laws but some inadvertent loss or damage to cul-
tural sites due to beatable mineral exploration and
ORV activity could occur. However, the likelihood of
significant damage or loss is minimal.

• Impacts on Recreation

Primitive recreational opportunities would be pro-
tected in the 91,558-acre designated area. Mineral-
related surface disturbance on about 7 acres could
cause localized impairment of those values. Surface
disturbance on 9 acres due to rangeland projects
would be temporary and not result in long-term im-
pacts. About 4 miles of way would be closed to ve-
hicle use.

In the 28,194-acre nondesignated area primitive
recreational opportunities could be impaired on 10
acres due to mineral exploration activities, 2 acres
due to development of access to State sections, 25
acres with realignment of the Burr Trail, and 7 acres
with rangeland projects. About 1 mile of way would
be open and vehicle-related recreational use and the
major ORV use areas near Spencer Flat and the V
could continue to provide vehicular use.

Recreation use will continue to increase as described
in the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. At least
96 percent of the use would continue to be primitive
in nature.

Conclusion: The quality of primitive recreational
opportunities would be protected in the designated
area. Opportunities for primitive recreation would be
reduced in quality, directly on 60 acres and indirect-
ly on up to 7,185 acres. The levels of recreational
use would increase and would continue to be at least
96 percent primitive in nature.

Small Partial Wilderness Alternative
(54,500 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Wilderness designation on 54,500 acres would con-
tribute to the preservation of the area's wilderness
values. This partial wilderness alternative would
reduce the potential for surface-disturbing activities
by almost half that anticipated for the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative. Protection in the designated
area would include management under VRM Class I
(which generally allows for only natural ecological
change), ORV closure (no miles of ways would be
closed), and closure to future mineral leasing and
location. Naturalness and outstanding opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation (all 54,500
acres meet the standards) and special features, in-
cluding most of the Class A scenery and other scenic
features, most archaeological and historical features,
and most perennial water features, including the Esca-
lante River, would be protected. Endangered and sen-
sitive species and wildlife associated with wilderness
would benefit from wilderness designation.

In the foreseeable future, loss of naturalness and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
due to allowable surface disturbance from mineral
exploration, rangeland projects, development from
access road development to State in-holdings, and
from upgrading the Burr Trail would directly occur on

43

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

up to 4 acres within the designated portion and on up
to 63 acres within the nondesignated portion. Special
features would be largely preserved because disturb-
ance would involve only 0.06 percent (67 acres) of
the ISA. In addition, appropriate measures would be
taken to protect endangered and sensitive species and
cultural values prior to any surface-disturbing activ-
ity. Some Class A scenery could be disturbed.

Sights and sounds from foreseeable development
would indirectly reduce the quality of opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation on areas adja-
cent to the disturbed areas, including up to 6 percent
(7,185 acres) of the ISA. Almost all of this type of
impact would be in the nondesignated area.

Elimination of ORV use in the designated area would
improve opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation, although vehicular use of all 5 miles of
ways, of future access and mineral exploration roads
and of Spenser Flats and the V in the nondesignated
area would detract from these opportunities during
the period of activity.

The extent that disturbance would occur on Federal
lands and State in-holdings over the long term and,
therefore, the long-term loss of wilderness values
that would occur is unknown, but would be less than
with the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative due to
application of mitigation in the designated area that
would limit development subject to valid existing
rights.

Lands designated with this alternative would not be
contiguous to the NRA lands proposed for wilderness
designation by the NPS. Therefore, this alternative
would not enhance or complement wilderness uses,
values, or management of the NRA lands.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would be preserved
overall in the designated area which is approximately
46 percent of the ISA. Naturalness and opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation would be direct-
ly lost on 67 acres, and opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation would be indirectly reduced in
quality on up to 7,185 acres. Some Class A scenery
could be reduced in quality.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status
Species

There would be no significant impact to vegetation
types with this alternative because only 0.06 percent
(67 acres) of the ISA would be disturbed. For the

54,500 acres that would be designated as wilder-
ness, the impacts would be the same as for the All
Wilderness Alternative. The entire 54,500 acres
would be closed to ORVs, and mineral leasing location.
Any surface disturbance would be preceded by appro-
priate inventories and clearances. Therefore, special
status species would not be significantly effected.

For the 65,252 acres that would not be designated,
the impacts would be the same as for the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative. Individual special status
plant species could be disturbed by locatable minerals
exploration where a plan of operations and approvals
are not required under 43 CFR 3809 regulations as de-
scribed in the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.
Since the V and immediate vicinity would not be desig-
nated with this alternative, the impacts due to contin-
ued ORV use would be the same as the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative. Because necessary measures
would be taken to protect these special status spe-
cies, the viability of populations of special status
plant species wold be preserved with the Small Par-
tial Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Vegetation types would not be significant-
ly affected by implementation of the Small Partial Wil-
derness Alternative. There would be no significant im-
pacts to special status plant populations from miner-
als access, BLM-initiated activities, realignment of
the Burr Trail, or ORV use because of required mitiga-
tion and continued monitoring and management
actions.

• Impacts on Water Resources

Since precipitation is low and the estimated soil dis-
turbance is only 67 acres, no significant sedimenta-
tion or change in TDS, including salt production, is
expected to occur.

Approximately 42 miles of perennial streams, includ-
ing 10.5 miles of the Escalante River, flow through
that portion of the ISA that would be designated as
wilderness. All surface waters of the Escalante River
system are fully appropriated. However, projects
that would consumptively use water upstream of the
ISA would be hampered or precluded because changes
in use, changes in points of diversion, or transfer of
water rights could be protested by the Federal govern-
ment to maintain flow through the ISA. Potential up-
stream water uses include steam power generation,
mining, domestic, and agricultural uses.

44

NORTH ESCALANTE CANYONS/THE GULCH ISA

Conclusion: In the short term, partial wilderness des-
ignation would not significantly alter water quality or
uses. In the long term, future water diversions and
new consumptive uses in the Escalante River system
upstream of the ISA may be restricted or precluded.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

The 54,500-acre area that would be designated
wilderness would be placed in Category 4 status
with no new leasing. There are approximately
360 acres of oil and gas leases in this area. Activ-
ities on these leases would occur subject to the
stipulations issued at the time of leasing. Oil and
gas development activities in the 65,252-acre
nondesignated portion could be explored and devel-
oped as discussed in the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative.

However, due to the small size of the potential
deposits, the low certainty that these exist, and
the low likelihood for development activities, this
alternative would not result in a significant loss
in recovery of the oil and gas resource.

There are no tar sand resources within the
54,500-acre designated area. Therefore, impacts
due to tar sand development would be the same as
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

• Locatable Minerals

There are seven mining claims (140 acres) within
the designated portion of the ISA. These seven
claims and future claims located prior to designa-
tion could be developed under unnecessary or un-
due degradation guidelines. After designation, all
other lands (including claims not determined val-
id) would be closed to prospecting and develop-
ment (USDI, BLM, 1981a) in the designated area.

Because locatable minerals are not being recover-
ed at present within the ISA and because of eco-
nomic considerations, low favorability, and low
certainty that such deposits actually exist in the
ISA, it is unlikely that development would occur
in the foreseeable future. Therefore, this alterna-
tive would not prevent recovery of significant
amounts of uranium or copper.

Conclusion: Potential exploration and development
opportunities for minerals that may occur in the desig-
nated portion of the ISA would be limited to those
areas under lease or mining claim at the time of desig-
nation. However, no significant leasable or locatable
mineral production would be foregone.

• Impacts on Cultural Resources

With this alternative, 37 of the 60 recorded sites in
the ISA would receive protection under wilderness
management. The remaining 23 recorded sites and all
unrecorded sites in the nondesignated portion would
continue to receive protection under existing Federal
and State antiquities laws. Cultural resource values
are similar and impacts would be similar to those de-
scribed in the All Wilderness and No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternatives for the designated and nondesignat-
ed portions respectively.

Conclusion: In the designated area, cultural resources
including 37 of the 60 recorded sites would receive
protection as a result of wilderness designation with
this alternative. All sites in the nondesignated area
would continue to be protected by existing laws.

• Impacts on Recreation

Primitive recreational opportunities would be pre-
served overall in the designated area. The quality of
opportunities for primitive recreation would be direct-
ly reduced on 67 acres and indirectly reduced on up
to 7,185 acres. Vehicular use would continue in all
present use areas.

Conclusion: The quality of primitive recreational
opportunities would be protected in the designated
area. Opportunities for primitive recreation would be
directly reduced on 67 acres and indirectly reduced
on up to 7,185 acres. The levels of both primitive and
vehicle recreational use would increase, but continue
to be at least 96 percent primitive.

45

>

CARCASS CANYON WSA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 2

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated From Detailed Study 2

Alternatives Analyzed 3

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 3

All Wilderness Alternative 5

Summary of Environmental Consequences 7

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 7

Wilderness Values 11

Air Quality 12

Geology and Topography 12

Soils 13

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 13

Water Resources 13

Mineral and Energy Resources 14

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 17

Forest Resources 17

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 17

Visual Resources 17

Cultural Resources 18

Recreation 18

Land Use Plans 19

Socioeconomics 19

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 21

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 21

All Wilderness Alternative 24

l

/

CARCASS CANYON WSA

(UT -040-076)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Carcass Canyon WSA is located in Garfield and
Kane Counties, approximately 2 miles south of Esca-
lante, Utah. The WSA contains 46,711 acres of BLM-
administered land of which 30,748 acres (66 per-
cent) are located in Garfield County and 15,963 acres
(34 percent) are in Kane County. It is administered by
the BLM Cedar City District Escalante Resource Area
Offfice. The WSA encloses 1,280 acres of State land,
plus 640 acres of split-estate land (State minerals
and Federal surface). The WSA is characterized by
pinyon-juniper woodland vegetation, rugged rimrock
topography, and the Straight Cliffs escarpment.

In general, the climate is temperate and arid with an-
nual precipitation averaging about 10 inches. The high-
est monthly precipitation occurs from November
through March. Intensive thunderstorms are common
during the summer months.

Summer temperatures in Escalante, Utah, range
approximately 30 degrees Fahrenheit (F) with highs
in the upper 80s and lows in the 50s. Winter tempera-
tures range about 27 degrees F with highs in the low
40s and lows of about 15 degrees F. Snowfall in Esca-
lante averages 28 inches and generally begins in Octo-
ber or November and ends in March or April.

Changes for the Final EIS

In addition to the changes noted in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B, the following changes specific to the
Carcass Canyon WSA have been made since publica-
tion of the Draft EIS.

1. A small portion of the boundary of the WSA (T. 38
S., R. 4 E., sec. 29) has been redrawn to correct an
error in the Draft EIS maps. In addition, several
cherry-stemmed roads were clarified and added to
the map. These changes did not require acreage adjust-
ments because acreage calculations were based on the
boundaries in the inventory document and Final EIS.

2. The anticipated surface disturbance presented in
the Draft EIS (4,710 acres) was based on the assump-
tion that all mineral and other resources potentially
within the WSA would be developed sometime in the
future without consideration of technical or economic

feasibility. In response to public comments relative to
the feasibility of developments, the disturbance esti-
mates have been revised to focus on activities pro-
jected to be feasible within the foreseeable future
(see Appendix 6 in Volume I). This resulted in a reduc-
tion of surface disturbance estimates from the 4,710
acres reported in the Draft EIS to 668 acres of sur-
face disturbance for the Final EIS.

3. The Draft EIS identified 2,400 acres of vegetation
treatments within the WSA to improve mule deer habi-
tat and increase livestock forage production. How-
ever, BLM does not anticipate sufficient funding in the
foreseeable future to complete these projects. As a
result, the land treatment estimates have been revis-
ed downward to 600 acres in the Final EIS to reflect
more realistic funding projections. Estimates of poten-
tial increases in wildlife populations and livestock for-
age have been revised accordingly.

4. Three acres of the projected surface disturbance
would result from the construction of three livestock
reservoirs and is considered in the Final EIS.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B (i.e., impacts on air quality, water rights,
geology and topography, and land use plans), the fol-
lowing issues or impacts specific to the Carcass Can-
yon WSA were considered but are not analyzed in de-
tail in the Final EIS for the reasons described below.

1. Soils: Soil disturbance estimates have been revis-
ed downward from 4,710 acres analyzed in the Draft
EIS to 668 acres in the Final EIS. About 600 acres of
the projected disturbance would result from vegeta-
tion treatments which would be reclaimed and exist-
ing soil conditions would likely be improved over the

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP

WSA0*%

NO.

SEE VOL. I

1

CARCASS CANYON WSA

long term. Further, this disturbance would take place
in those portions of the WSA where reclamation poten-
tial is the highest. At any rate, given this new scenar-
io, the impacts of direct disturbance of soil would
affect only about 1.4 percent of the WSA. Therefore,
impacts on soils are not significant issues for analy-
sis in the Final EIS.

2. Water Resources: There are no perennial streams
in the Carcass Canyon WSA. Existing water develop-
ments could be maintained as in the past and would
not be affected. Existing use of water for livestock,
wildlife, and recreation would be compatible with wil-
derness management. There would not be large in-
creases in soil erosion because only 1.4 percent of
the WSA would be disturbed. Therefore, impacts on
water uses and quality are not discussed in detail.

3. Forest Resources: The forest resources in the
WSA consist of pinyon-juniper woodland. Demand for
forest resources in the WSA would continue to be
very low due mainly to more accessible and higher
quality areas located elsewhere. Therefore, impacts
on forest resources are not significant issues for anal-
ysis in the Final EIS.

4. Visual Resources: As already discussed, estimates
of surface disturbance have been substantially reduc-
ed for the Final EIS. The 668 acres of surface disturb-
ance projected to occur in the foreseeable future
would affect only about 1.4 percent of the WSA. Dis-
turbance would occur in Scenic Class B and C areas
and in VRM Class IV areas. Impacts on visual re-
sources are considered in the Final EIS as part of the
discussion of naturalness in the Wilderness Values
section.

5. Recreation: Recreational use of the Carcass Can-
yon WSA is light, approximately 100 visitor use days
per year. This use is generally restricted to the 12
miles of cherry-stemmed road and the 5 miles of way
and dry stream beds in canyon bottoms in the WSA.
Recreational changes resulting from designation or
nondesignation would not be significant due to limited
use now occurring and projected to occur in the fu-
ture in the WSA.

6. Kaiparowits Coal Transportation Corridor: A por-
tion of two Kaiparowits coal corridors extend across
the southern portion of the WSA. Commentors on the
Draft EIS expressed concern that designated wilder-
ness areas, including the Carcass Canyon WSA, could
block the use of these corridors. If wilderness desig-
nation were to occur, development of the coal trans-

portation systems would not be allowed within the
WSA. However, the transportation corridors describ-
ed in the ERT study extend beyond the WSA boundary,
therefore coal transportation systems could be sited
outside the WSA and still be within the designated cor-
ridors. Development of major rights-of-way in the
long term are not projected to occur within the WSA
due to topography and the presence of more favorable
routes elsewhere. Therefore, impact related to poten-
tial coal transportation systems are not analyzed fur-
ther for the Carcass Canyon WSA.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The significant issues for the Carcass Canyon WSA
are:

1. Impacts on the wilderness values of naturalness,
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation,
and special features.

2. Impacts on mineral and energy exploration and pro-
duction.

3. Impacts on vegetation including special status spe-
cies.

4. Impacts on wildlife habitat and populations includ-
ing special status species.

5. Impacts on livestock management.

6. Impacts on the preservation of cultural resources.

7. Impacts on local economic conditions.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the need for, and ade-
quacy of, the rationale for the BLM proposed action;
the need for further inventories of resource values;
and mineral values.

See Volume Vll-B for responses to general comments
applicable to all WSAs and/or the Statewide analysis
and Volume Vll-C, Section 32, for responses to spe-
cific comments about the Carcass Canyon WSA.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
From Detailed Study

An alternative that would add up to 12,289 acres of
Federal and State lands mostly located on the eastern

2

CARCASS CANYON WSA

side of the WSA was suggested in the public com-
ments. This alternative is not analyzed because the in-
clusion of State lands is not consistent with BLM's wil-
derness review guidelines (refer to Volume Vll-B,
General Comment Response 6.4) and because the addi-
tional public lands were dropped from study during
the inventory phase (refer to Volume Vll-B, General
Comment Response 3.1).

Alternatives Analyzed

Two alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness (Proposed Action); and (2) All
Wilderness (46,711 acres). A description of BLM's
management practices with each alternative follows.
Where management intentions have not been clearly
identified, assumptions are made based on manage-
ment projections for each alternative. These assump-
tions are indicated in each case. The assumed manage-
ment actions presented in the Introduction to Volume
lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action)

With this alternative, none of the 46,711 -acre Car-
cass Canyon WSA would be designated by Congress as
part of the NWPS. Although BLM's land use plans are
regularly updated, it is assumed that the area would
continue to be managed in accordance with the Esca-
lante Planning Unit MFP (USDI, BLM, 1 98 Id). The
1,280 acres of State land and 640 acres of split-
estate lands (Federal surface, State minerals) within
the WSA (refer to Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I)
have not been identified in the MFP for special Federal
acquisition through exchange or purchase. The figures
and acreages given are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 46,711 acres would remain open to mineral
location and sale. Development work, extraction,
and patenting would be allowed on 89 existing min-
ing claims (1,780 acres) and potential future min-
ing claims. Development would be regulated by un-
necessary or undue degradation guidelines (43
CFR 3809), without consideration for wilderness
values. Existing post-FLPMA oil and gas leases
(two leases totaling 1,071 acres) could be devel-
oped under leasing Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions). The balance of the WSA (44,931 acres)
would be open for new oil and gas leases under
Category 1. Existing coal leases (nine leases cov-
ering 18,494 acres) and future new coal leases

could be developed without wilderness considera-
tions. If all coal leasing factors are met, one ex-
isting Preference Right Lease Application (PRLA)
partially located in the WSA (35 acres) could be
approved and the lease issued. No oil and gas ex-
ploration or development is projected in the WSA
because the level of known resources and the
probability of their development is too low to sup-
port that assumption. Appendix 6 in Volume I ex-
plains the mineral and energy development pro-
jections. Exploration of a potential uranium re-
source in the short term and of the substantial
coal resource in the long term are projected.

Domestic livestock grazing use of the WSA would
continue as authorized at an estimated level of
154 AUMs. Existing developments for livestock,
including nine spring developments, one corral,
two reservoirs, and 2.5 miles of fence, identified
in the management plans would continue to be
maintained. The proposed range improvements
(three reservoirs and 600 acres of vegetation
treatments in the MFP) would be allowed. The 5
miles of way and 12 miles of cherry-stemmed
road would be available for vehicular access.

Use, maintenance, and development of facilities
for wildlife, water resources, etc., could be
allowed if in conformance with the MFP. The 600
acres of vegetation treatments and three reser-
voirs discussed for livestock would also improve
wildlife habitat.

The entire WSA acreage would continue to be open
to ORV use. The 5 miles of way and 12 miles of
cherry-stemmed road would be available for ve-
hicular access.

The entire 46,711 -acre area would be open to
woodland product harvest. There is some noncom-
mercial harvest of forest products (fuelwood and
fenceposts) at the present time adjacent to ways
and cherry-stemmed roads. Historical use has
been low and is anticipated to continue to be low
because of difficulty of access.

The entire area would continue to be managed un-
der VRM Class IV.

A 287.5-acre public water reserve withdrawal
would continue to remain in effect. The with-
drawn land is segregated from public land laws
and nonmetalliferous mining.

3

CARCASS CANYON WSA

T. 36 S.

T. 37 S.

T. 38 S.

Map 1

LAND STATUS
Carcass Canyon WSA
UT-040-076

Legend

WSA Boundary

State Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

Split-estate (federal surface-
state minerals) Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

BLM Administered Land
Within or Adjacent to WSA

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

1709

CtPck Stvintf

Lanafh^
Strip '

R. 3 E.

4

R. 4 E.

CARCASS CANYON WSA

• Action Scenario

It is projected that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would result in
approximately 668 acres of surface disturbance
in the foreseeable future. In the short term, about
600 acres of the assumed disturbance would re-
sult from vegetation treatments (pinyon-juniper
woodland chaining and seeding) to improve live-
stock forage and wildlife habitat. Three acres
would be disturbed due to the construction of
three livestock reservoirs. Less than 1 month of
actual on-the-ground work would be necessary to
complete these projects. Both the chainings and
seedings and the reservoirs would be maintained
over the long term. No additional rangeland, wild-
life habitat, watershed projects, or other develop-
ments are planned in the short term.

Twenty-three acres would be disturbed by urani-
um exploration activities in the central portion of
the WSA. Possible host rocks for uranium lie 700
and 3,500 feet below the surface. Surface dis-
turbance would be limited to up to 9 miles of road
building and exploration drilling along these roads.
Based on exploration activities typical of this
area, it is assumed that 20 employees and 50
days would be used in exploration activities in the
short term. Exploration would be under the unnec-
essary and undue degradation guidelines of the 43
CFR 3809 regulations. It is assumed that disturb-
ed areas would be reclaimed following abandon-
ment. About 3 to 5 years would be required to
determine successful reclamation.

It is also projected that up to 1 mile of access
road (2 acres of disturbance) would be construct-
ed to in-held State lands in the WSA. The purpose
of this access would be to explore for minerals,
including coal, on the State lands.

It is projected in the long term that exploration
and development of the extensive coal resource in
the WSA would occur. A PRLA partially located in
the WSA could be approved. Coal development
would most likely occur in the western and south-
ern portions of the WSA. Actual development oper-
ations would be by underground methods. Portal
locations would likely be situated in the canyon
area in the southern portion of the WSA where
the coal could be easily accessed. The size of indi-
vidual coal operations, typical of the intermoun-
tain area, differ. Each surface facility site, includ-
ing up to 5 miles of access roads, could occupy up

to 20 acres. Additional surface disturbance would
result from exploratory drilling activities.
Approximately 40 acres of direct surface disturb-
ance would occur in the WSA from long-term coal
development. Employees, including supervisory
personnel, would number from 20 to 300. Opera-
tions would last from 30 to 40 years. All disturb-
ed areas would be reclaimed upon abandonment.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected due to
rugged terrain that would restrict vehicle use to
5 miles of ways, cherry stemmed and future
roads, and to washes when disurbance would be
temporary.

Recreation use is projected to increase over the
current estimated use of 100 annual visitor days
at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. About 90 per-
cent of the use will continue to be vehicular in
nature.

• All Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, all 46,711 acres of the Car-
cass Canyon WSA would be designated by an act of
Congress as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). It
would be managed in accordance with the BLM Wilder-
ness Management Policy (BLM Manual 8560) to pre-
serve its wilderness character.

The policy of the State is to reserve its position re-
garding the exchange of in-held lands within any par-
ticular WSA (see Chapter 1 in Volume I). Based on
this policy regarding exchange of State lands, it is
projected that State lands would remain under exist-
ing ownership. There are two State sections (1,280
acres) and one tract of split-estate land (640 acres
of Federal surface and State minerals) within the
WSA (refer to Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I). No
private lands are located in the WSA. The figures and
acreages given with this alternative are for Federal
lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 46,711 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale. Develop-
ment work, extraction, and patenting on 89 exist-
ing mining claims would be allowed where they
are determined to be valid. Development of any
valid existing claims would be regulated by unne-
cessary or undue degradation guidelines, with con-
cern for wilderness values. Existing post-FLPMA

5

CARCASS CANYON WSA

T. 36 S.

T. 37 S.

T. 38 S.

Map 2

ALL WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE
Carcass Canyon WSA
UT-040-076

Legend

All Wilderness
Alternative (46,711 acres)

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

22m

: Si

r n ’V^ ]

Ml

l^CRrie

l anctlfi^ 'V

s,r|p \ ■

R. 3 E.

6

R. 4 E.

CARCASS CANYON WSA

oil and gas leases about 1,071 acres would not be
reissued upon expiration unless a find of oil or
gas in commercial quantities is shown. No new oil
and gas leases would be issued. No exploration or
development of existing oil and gas leases is pro-
jected. It is assumed that existing coal leases
(18,494 acres) would be terminated if diligent
development criteria are not met, and they would
not be extended or reissued. No new coal leases
would be issued on the 28,217 acres currently
not leased, including the existing PRLA that would
not be approved on 35 acres. No exploration or
development of existing leases is projected.

Present domestic livestock grazing would contin-
ue as authorized. The estimated 154 AUMs in the
WSA would remain available to livestock as pres-
ently allotted. After designation, existing range
facilities (as listed in the No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternative) could be maintained in a manner
least degrading to wilderness values. New range-
land developments would be allowed on a case-by-
case basis if necessary for resource protection
(rangeland and/or wilderness) and the effective
management of these resources, provided that
wilderness protection criteria are met. However,
the three proposed reservoirs and 600-acre vege-
tation treatment would not be allowed.

The entire 46,711 -acre area would be closed to
ORV use except for (1) users with valid existing
rights if approved by BLM in accordance with 43
CFR 8560 provisions; or (2) for occasional and
short-term vehicular access approved by BLM
for maintenance of approved livestock develop-
ments. About 5 miles of existing ways would be
closed. The 12 miles of cherry-stemmed road and
about 19 additional miles of dirt roads that bor-
der the WSA would remain open to vehicular use.

A 287.5-acre public water reserve withdrawal
would continue to remain in effect. The with-
drawn land is segregated from public land laws
and nonmetalliferous mining.

• Action Scenario

A total of 9 acres of surface disturbance would
occur in the WSA following wilderness designa-
tion. Seven of these acres of disturbance would
result from uranium exploration activities as
described in the No Action/No Wilderness Alter-
native but on a smaller scale limited to existing,
valid claims at the time of wilderness designa-

tion. It is assumed that six employees and 15
days would be used in exploration drilling. The
planned rangeland projects (600 acres of vege-
tation treatments and three reservoirs) would
not be allowed. No additional rangeland, wildlife
habitat, watershed projects or other develop-
ments are planned following wilderness designa-
tion.

No mineral resources exploration or development
is projected from existing mineral leases in the
WSA. It is also projected that the PRLA in the
WSA would not be approved. Implementation of
the All Wilderness Alternative would preclude
new mineral location and mineral leasing. There-
fore, no exploration or development of leasable
minerals, including coal, is projected following
wilderness designation. Up to 1 mile of access
road (2 acres of surface disturbance) would be
constructed to in-held State lands in the WSA.
The purpose of this access would be to explore
for minerals on the State lands.

No disturbance from ORV activity is projected
due to wilderness management and rugged ter-
rain.

Primitive recreation use is projected to increase
over the current estimated primitive use of about
10 annual visitor days at a rate of 2 to 7 percent
per year. Recreation involving use of vehicles
would be curtailed.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 presents the environmental consequences of
alternatives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEQ guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as the Envi-
ronmental Consequences of Alternatives in this WSA
analysis.

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

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CARCASS CANYON WSA

Wilderness Values

• Size

The Carcass Canyon WSA is approximately 20 miles
long (north to south) and 1 1 miles wide (east to west)
and encompasses 46,71 1 acres.

• Naturalness

Imprints in the WSA include 2.5 miles of fence, two
spring developments, one corral, and 5 miles of way.
Overall, the WSA appears natural, with the imprint of
man substantially unnoticeable. The high quality of nat-
uralness has not changed since the BLM Intensive Wil-
derness Inventory (USDI, BLM, 1980b) decision. No
surface-disturbing activities have occurred since the
inventory.

• Solitude

The WSA affords outstanding opportunities for soli-
tude where topographic and vegetation screening ele-
ments occur in combination. The size and configura-
tion of this WSA neither enhance nor detract from the
outstanding opportunities for solitude present in the
WSA.

The outstanding opportunities for solitude are located
in the Right Hand and Left Hand Collet drainages
where canyons and intervening rimrock ridges offer
superior topographic screening. This topographic
screening is enhanced by vegetation screening cre-
ated by pinyon-juniper, Douglas fir, and Ponderosa
pine forest. Most of the canyons within the WSA ex-
hibit outstanding opportunities for solitude. In much of
the remainder of the WSA, the benches and ridges be-
tween canyons are flat with a pinyon-juniper forest
cover of moderate density. In the Calf Canyon-Alvey
Wash area, the Carcass Canyon drainage, and the
area north of Willard Canyon, the intervening ridges
exhibit extensive lodging and shelving. These ridges
also possess a denser forest cover. It would be easy
for a visitor to find seclusion in the Carcass Canyon
system of canyons. Outstanding opportunities for soli-
tude are present on these ridges.

The sights and sounds of human activities are not
present from most places within the WSA. From the
top of the Straight Cliffs, vehicular activity on the
Hole-in-the-Rock road can be observed. This activity
is a minor aspect.

In summary, approximately 26,500 acres (57 per-
cent of the WSA) present opportunities for solitude
that meet the outstanding criterion for lands under
wilderness review due to topographic and vegetation
screening.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

The opportunity to explore is considered outstanding
in the Carcass Canyon WSA. No other outstanding indi-
vidual activity was identified, nor has a diversity of
primitive activities been identified.

This exploration opportunity is outstanding in com-
plex canyon systems, along the top of the Straight
Cliffs, and on the narrow ridges in the WSA. The Car-
cass Canyon drainage is an area of 15 square miles
that exhibits the most complex pattern of canyons in
the WSA. There are three major forks to Carcass Can-
yon, and these branches possess 16 miles of canyon
bottom. Numerous lateral canyons join the main
branches, and a total of 43 miles of canyons is pres-
ent within the drainage. At approximately 3 miles of
canyon bottom per square mile, the Carcass Canyon
drainage exhibits the highest density of canyons in
the WSA. Because of the density of canyons, the inter-
vening ridges between canyons in the Carcass Canyon
drainage are extremely narrow and precipitous and
represent the best opportunity for hiking and explora-
tion. The rim of the Straight Cliffs also exhibits this
opportunity, with an additional 1,700 acres present
north and south of the Carcass Canyon area.

Overall, outstanding opportunities for primitive recre-
ation are found on 11,800 acres (25 percent) of the
WSA. Approximately 10,500 of these acres also have
outstanding opportunities for solitude.

• Special Features

The Carcass Canyon WSA exhibits several special fea-
tures which are summarized below.

The paleontological values contained within the WSA
are of scientific value. Invertebrate and vertebrate
specimens are found in the Straight Cliffs, Tropic
Shale, and Dakota Formations. These scientific values
are likely to occur along the entire length of the
Straight Cliffs.

The ancient coal fires of Right Hand Collet Canyon
have left surface remains in the form of clinkers and
deep red ash. These remains dominate the visual char-
acter in portions of this drainage.

CARCASS CANYON WSA

The Straight Cliffs, rising 2,000 feet above the Esca-
lante Valley floor, are a scenic landmark in southern
Utah. These cliffs are the dominant topographic fea-
ture between the town of Escalante and Lake Powell.
From the cliffs are spectacular scenic views of the
Escalante River drainage, the Waterpocket Fold, Bould-
er Mountain, and the Henry Mountains. The remaining
canyon scenery of the Collet systems, Sarah Ann,
and Carcass Canyons are noteworthy but are typical
of the scenery found on the Kaiparowits Plateau. One
arch with a span of 40 feet is located in Calf Canyon
and is visible from the Alvey Wash road. It is an in-
teresting landmark.

Several archaeological sites have been recorded in
this WSA. The sites consist of open campsites, lithic
scatters, petroglyphs, and cave habitation sites.

The WSA has resource values that, although not iden-
tified as such during the wilderness inventory, could
be considered special features. There are two animal
species (peregrine falcon and bald eagle) listed as en-
dangered that may occasionally use the WSA. There
are nine animal species and seven plant species, con-
sidered sensitive that occur or may occur, in the
WSA. The WSA has a small population of cougar,
which is a wildlife species commonly associated with
wilderness (refer to the Vegetation and Wildlife Includ-
ing Special Status Species sections for additional in-
formation).

• Diversity

This WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Province Eco-
region and has the PNV type of juniper-pinyon wood-
land (refer to the Vegetation Including Special Status
Species section for more discussion on ecoregions and
PNV types). The ecoregion and PNV types represented
by this WSA are compared with existing and other
potential National Wilderness Preservation units in
the Wilderness Values section of Volume I.

This WSA is within a 5-hour drive from one standard
metropolitan statistical area, Provo-Orem, Utah.

Air Quality

The Carcass Canyon WSA and surrounding area have
been designated Class II under the PSD regulations. No
measurements of air pollution or visibility levels
have been made in the Escalante planning unit; how-
ever, data collected from various sites (Page, Ari-
zona, and Four Mile Bench, Utah) indicate the air is

generally free of pollutants and within National Ambi-
ent Air Quality Standards and State regulations.

The BLM will not consider or recommend any change
in air quality classification as part of the wilderness
study or wilderness recommendations. Any further
air quality reclassification is the prerogative of the
Utah State government (USDI, BLM, 1982b). The WSA
is midway between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef na-
tional parks that are PSD Class I areas. Capitol Reef
is approximately 28 miles east of the WSA and Bryce
Canyon is about the same distance to the west. Visi-
bility within the WSA is excellent. Good visibility
adds to the quality of the vistas, both within and from
the WSA.

Geology and Topography

The Carcass Canyon WSA is within the Canyonlands
section of the Colorado Plateau Physiographic Pro-
vince (Thornbury, 1965).

The WSA consists of several canyon systems cut into
the Kaiparowits Plateau and a section of the Straight
Cliffs. The Straight Cliffs run in a northwest to south-
east direction and form the eastern boundary of the
WSA. One arch with a span of 40 feet is located in
Calf Canyon.

Rocks of Cretaceous age totaling about 2,000 feet in
thickness crop out in the WSA. The Cretaceous
Straight Cliffs Formation forms the most extensive
outcrop in the WSA. The upper units of the Cretaceous
Tropic Shale and Dakota Sandstone Formations are
exposed along the eastern boundary, and the lower-
most units of the Cretaceous Wahweap Sandstone are
exposed along the western boundary.

The Wahweap, Straight Cliffs, Tropic Shale, and Dako-
ta Formations contain invertebrate and vertebrate
fossil specimens. Thirteen collection sites have been
recorded, containing gastropods and cephalopods in
the upper Cretaceous Formations, with vertebrate
samples occurring in the Dakota and Tropic Shales.
These specimens are likely to occur along the entire
length of the Straight Cliffs. The Dakota and Morrison
formations contain significant fossil specimens and
should be critically reviewed prior to surface disturb-
ances.

Two ill-defined structural axes, probably extensions
of the Rees anticline and the Croton syncline, cut
across the WSA in a roughly north to south direction

CARCASS CANYON WSA

(Doelling and Graham, 1972). Two miles west of the
WSA, the Alvey syncline separates the WSA structur-
ally from the east limb of the Upper Valley anticline.
No faults are known to occur within the WSA (Hintze,
1973).

Elevations vary from less than 5,400 feet in Left-
Hand Collet Canyon, at the southeast corner of the
WSA, to more than 7,500 feet on top of the Straight
Cliffs along the eastern side of the WSA.

The main drainages are Carcass Canyon, Right-Hand
Collet Canyon, and Willard Canyon, all flowing gener-
ally in an easterly direction.

Soils

The major part of the WSA is rockland. Rockland
areas occur primarily along the Straight Cliffs and
have minimal soil development and surface cover.
Bare rock is estimated to be from 50 to 75 percent of
the land type. Shallow and very shallow soils make up
20 to 40 percent of this type.

The remaining 5 to 10 percent are deep to moderately
deep soils. Runoff is high in this area due to the lack
of soil development and surface cover.

Highly erodible soils (silty and silty clay loams)
occur in Bull Run, Upper Carcass Canyon, and in por-
tions of the Lower Right-Hand Collet and Willard Can-
yons. Surface runoff is moderate to high and sediment
production is high.

The southeast corner of the WSA (Long, Willard, and
Horse Canyons) has shallow to moderately deep fine
sandy to coarse gravelly loam soils. Sediment pro-
duction is moderate to low. Erosion condition was
determined by using soil surface factors as summa-
rized in Table 2 (terms as defined in the Glossary).

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
Classification yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

42,000

90

113,400

Moderate

1.3

0

0

0

Slight

0.6

0

0

0

Stable

0.3

4.71 1

IQ

1-413

Total

46.71 1

100

114.813

According to an unpublished Kane County soil survey
conducted by BLM, 60 percent of the soils within the
WSA are classified as moderately saline, 20 percent
are classified as slightly saline, and 20 percent classi-
fied as nonsaline. The estimated annual salt yield
from undisturbed soils within the WSA is 32 lb per
acre.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

The major vegetation type in the WSA is pinyon-
juniper woodland. The dominant species in this type
are pinyon pine, juniper, sagebrush, and Indian rice-
grass. Scattered areas of Douglas fir and Ponderosa
pine occur at higher elevations. No riparian vegeta-
tion is found within the WSA.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, the WSA may contain
one Category 1 candidate species and six Category 2
candidate species. These are Lepidium montanum var.
stellae. (the Category 1 species), ElSgralea pariensis,
Lepidium montanum var. neeseae. Corvphantha mis-
souriensis var. marstonii. Mslaraltlflga jQnesii. Pen-
stemon atwoodii. and Xvlorhiza cronauistii (see
Appendix 4 in Volume I). Distribution of Lepidium
montanum var. stellae and Heterotheca ionesii is re-
stricted to minor plant communities in canyons and
upper elevations of the WSA while the remaining spe-
cies are found in the extensive pinyon-juniper wood-
land. The habitat of all of these species extends be-
yond the WSA boundary.

The Carcass Canyon WSA is in the Colorado Plateau
Province Ecoregion as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler
ecosystems map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). The PNV type
of the WSA is juniper-pinyon woodland.

Water Resources

The Carcass Canyon WSA is within the Escalante Riv-
er subbasin of the Upper Colorado River hydrologic
subregion. The WSA does not contain any perennial
streams. The major drainages in the WSA include Car-
cass Canyon, Right-Hand Collet Canyon, and Left-
Hand Collet Canyon, which drain into the Twenty-Five
Mile Wash (a tributary of the Escalante River). These
washes may flow periodically from July through mid-
September in response to summer thunderstorms.
Nine developed and two undeveloped springs are
known to occur in the WSA, but water quality is un-
known. There are also two livestock reservoirs in-
side the WSA.

Sources: USDI. BLM. 1978c and 1979c; Leifeste, 1978.

CARCASS CANYON WSA

The water quality standards for the Escalante River
and tributaries, from the confluence with Boulder
Creek to the headwaters are as follows: Class 2B
(protected for boating, waterskiing, and similar
uses), Class 3A (protected for cold water species of
game fish and other cold water food chain), and Class
4 (protected for agricultural uses including irrigation
of crops and stockwatering). For the areas closer to
Lake Powell, an additional classification of Class 3C
(protected for nongame fish and other aquatic life) is
included.

Utah's 1986 305(b) water quality assessment report
notes that streams and tributaries entering Lake
Powell in the southern portions of the Upper Colorado
River drainage have impairments to their beneficial
uses due to high levels of TDS and sodium. These im-
pairments result mainly from natural sources and low
flows.

The Carcass Canyon WSA is within the Escalante Riv-
er Adjudication Area 97. The Escalante River and its
tributaries are considered to be fully appropriated.
The underground water directly connected to the sur-
face is closed to appropriation, with the exception of
some limited applications for 0.015 cfs which have
been approved on an individual basis. The State-of-
Utah Engineer will accept applications to appropriate
water from the underground aquifer located in bed-
rock and consider them on the individual merits of the
applications (UDNRE, DWR, 1988).

Water rights within the WSA boundaries total 98.34
acre-feet of water annually. Private individuals have
the water rights to 6.44 acre-feet of water for live-
stock watering from Alvey Wash, adjacent to the
western boundary of the WSA. The BLM has the right
to 89.66 acre-feet of water for livestock watering.
The State of Utah has the water rights to 2.24 acre-
feet of water annually on State sections enclosed
within the WSA (UDNRE, DWR, 1969).

Utah Power and Light Company has filed an application
with the State of Utah to appropriate 5 second-feet of
groundwater. The applicant would utilize the appropri-
ated water (diverted from two point sources) to de-
velop coal leases. However, Utah Power and Light
Company has not filed a plan of operation to develop
these leases.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Carcass Canyon WSA is given in Table 3.

Appendix 5 in Volume I explains the mineral and
energy resource rating system.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Resource

Rating

Favorability* Certalntyb

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

f 3

cl

Between 10 and 50 million
barrels of oil; between 60 and
500 billion cubic-feet of gas

Coal

f 4

C4

0.55 billion metric tons

Uranium

f 3

cl

Between 500 and 1,000 metric-
tons of uranium oxldeb

Titanium

f 2

c4

Less than one million metric-
tons of titanium oxide

Source: SAI, 1982; USOI. BLM, 1987.

•Favorability of the WSA's geologic environment for a resource (fl - lowest
favorability or smallest size deposit; f4 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

bThe degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

The WSA contains deposits of titanium that is current-
ly listed as a strategic and critical mineral (USDoD,
1988).

• Leasable Minerals

Currently, there are no active drilling, mining, or ex-
ploration activities for leasable minerals.

• Oil and Gas

Numerous oil shows (including oil-impregnated
rock deposits) have been reported from Cam-
brian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian,
Permian, and Triassic rocks in south-central
Utah (Heylmun, et al., 1965; Veal, 1976; and
Campbell and Ritzma, 1979). The older rocks gen-
erally are only stained, whereas free oil has been
recovered from Mississippian rocks at Upper Val-
ley (Doelling, 1975). Because the most obvious
structures in the area have already been explor-
ed, many investigators considered subtle strati-
graphic traps in Permian and Triassic rocks to
offer the best potential for future petroleum dis-
coveries.

The only oil and gas production in south-central
Utah in the vicinity of the WSA comes from the
Upper Valley field located 6 miles to the west.
This field was discovered on the Upper Valley
anticline in 1964 and stimulated drilling activity
on similar anticlinal structures in south-central

14

CARCASS CANYON WSA

Utah. To date, however, no commercial oil and
gas potential has been identified in the WSA.

The oil reservoir is located along the prominent
Upper Valley anticline, but the producing area is
offset from the crest of the anticline to the west
flank and the southern plunging nose. This offset
is due to a regional, south to west directed hydro-
dynamic drive in the Kaibab Formation (Sharp,
1976). Oil accumulation in other anticlines within
the region may be displaced to the south. Total
production from this field is expected to approach
50 million barrels. Production is from four dis-
tinct zones in the Timpoweap Formation (Triassic
age) and the Kaibab Formation (Permian age)
(Sharp, 1976). Shows of oil were also reported in
the Cedar Mesa (Permian) and the Redwall Forma-
tion (Mississippian). The south-plunging Rees Can-
yon anticline, which runs approximately north to
south through the central and southern portions of
the WSA, may be the most favorable structure in
the WSA. However, closures on the Rees Canyon
anticline appear to be considerably less than on
the Upper Valley anticline (Irwin, 1976). Three
exploratory wells have tested the Rees Canyon
anticline immediately west of the WSA. One of the
wells (#11-9 Federal) was drilled in 1977 and
penetrated Cambrian rocks at a total depth of
10,285, with shows reported from the Cedar
Mesa Formation of Permian age. The other two
wells (#44-30 Federal; #1 Lyons Federal) pene-
trated Permian strata, with shows in the Cedar
Mesa Formation from the #44-30 well.

Three other wells tested the Rees Canyon anti-
cline approximately 6 to 10 miles southeast of
the WSA. One of these wells (#1 Byrd, drilled in
1954) penetrated Devonian rocks and bottomed at
a total depth of 10,045 feet. BLM well file data
indicates that no oil shows were reported. The
other two wells (#2 Unit, drilled in 1955; #1-16
State, drilled in 1968) penetrated Mississippian
and Permian Formations respectively, and no oil
shows were reported from either well.

Another test of this structure was made in 1973
about a mile east of the WSA (T. 36 S., R. 3 E.,
sec. 15) and penetrated the Cedar Mesa Forma-
tion. No oil shows have been reported from this
well.

Based on this discussion, the WSA is assigned an
oil and gas favorability rating of (f3). The size of
the hydrocarbon accumulation in such an environ-

ment is anticipated to be between 10 and 50 mill-
ion barrels of oil or between 60 and 300 billion
cubic-feet of gas. Based on the available informa-
tion, the certainty of occurrence for oil and gas
is rated very low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, all 46,711 acres
of the WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions). There are presently two post-FLPMA
leases covering 1,071 acres in the WSA.

• Coal

The WSA is on the eastern side of the Kaiparo-
wits Plateau coal field, and most of the tract is
underlain by the coal-bearing Cretaceous Straight
Cliffs Formation. Other minor coal-bearing rocks
occur in the Dakota Sandstone and Tropic Shale
that crop out in the southern part of the WSA.

Estimated coal reserves within the entire Kaiparo-
wits Plateau coal field total 15.2 billion tons
(Doelling and Graham, 1972). A total of approxi-
mately 42,000 acres, containing an estimated
0.55 billion tons of minable coal (based on coal
seams greater than 4 feet thick) occur within the
WSA. Approximately one-third to one-half of the
coal is recoverable.

Except for about 4,000 acres along the eastern
boundary, all of the WSA contains minable coal
(Doelling and Graham, 1972). All of these coal
seams are within the Straight Cliffs Formation,
and include, from oldest to youngest, the Chris-
tensen, Rees, and Alvey coal zones. Coalbeds
more than 10 feet thick have been measured in
the Christensen and Alvey zones in nearby areas
(Doelling and Graham, 1972). Although minable
coal occurs throughout most of the WSA, it
appears that about two-thirds of the coal occurs
in the western and southern portions of the WSA.
All of the coal zones thin to the east across the
WSA.

Approximately 42,000 acres of the WSA is in the
Kaiparowits Plateau KRCRA, which includes the
minable coal area. In accordance with the under-
ground mining exemption from the unsuitability
criteria (43 CFR 3401. 2[a]), none of the areas in
the KRCRA within the WSA were determined to be
unsuitable for mining as a result of the applica-
tion of the unsuitability criteria (USDI, BLM,

1 981 d).

CARCASS CANYON WSA

Based on the above discussion, the coal in the
WSA is assigned a favorability rating of (f4) (po-
tential for large tonnages of coal) with a high (c4)
certainty of occurrence. There are presently nine
coal leases, covering 18,494 acres in the WSA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are presently 89 mining claims, covering

1,780 acres in the WSA.

• Uranium

The Triassic Chinle and Jurassic Morrison Forma-
tions are the only rock units considered favorable
for uranium in south-central Utah (USDOE, 1979).
The Chinle lies at depths exceeding 3,500 feet
through the WSA (Hintze, 1973), and uranium de-
posits found in this formation nearby, such as the
Henry and Carrizo Mountains, tend to be small and
highly localized (Bendix, 1978).

The Morrison Formation is, therefore, the only
formation considered to be favorable for "signifi-
cant" uranium deposits in the vicinity of the WSA.
It lies at a depth of about 700 feet throughout
most of the WSA (Hintze, 1973). The term signifi-
cant is defined as an economically-extractable
uranium deposit that contains a total of at least
100 metric-tons of uranium oxide at a grade of at
least 0.01 percent (Peterson, et al., 1982). The
criteria used to judge the favorability of the Mor-
rison Formation for significant uranium deposits
included: (1) low fluvial energy regimes during
Morrison time, (2) active folding at the time of
sedimentation, (3) orientation of fold axes at
large angles to the direction of transport of paleo-
streams, and (4) the presence of gray mudstone
beds. On the basis of these criteria, it is conclud-
ed that the Morrison Formation underlying the cen-
tral portion of the WSA is favorable for one or
more significant uranium deposits in the Salt
Wash Member (Peterson, et al., 1982).

On the basis of the discussion above, the WSA is
assigned a uranium favorability rating of (f3)
(containing between 500 and 1,000 metric-tons
of uranium oxide). The certainty that uranium de-
posits occur in the WSA is very low (cl).

• Titanium

Large deposits of primary titanium ore have not
been reported in Utah, but sedimentary deposits

of titanium-bearing black sandstones, similar to
those found in other western States, occur in
several places (Adams, 1964). The known titani-
ferous black sandstone deposits in Utah are con-
tained in the Straight Cliffs Formation and the
Mancos Shale, both of Late Cretaceous age. The
deposits represent fossil beach placers that con-
tain very fine-grained ilmenite, zircon, and mona-
zite. The heavy metals were eroded from older
rocks to the west and then transported by
streams into eastward-retreating Late Cretace-
ous seas where they were winnowed and concen-
trated by waves and winds into large sandstone
lenses along northwest-trending beaches (Adams,
1964). Because these deposits are slightly radio-
active, many were discovered during the uranium
exploration boom on the Colorado Plateau in the
1950s.

Although titaniferous black sandstones are known
to occur in south-central Utah (Adams, 1964;
and Doelling, 1975), all the deposits discovered
to date contain only small tonnages of titanium.
Two titaniferous placer deposits occur in the
WSA in the upper part of the John Henry Member
of the Straight cliffs Formation (T. 36 S., R. 3 E.,
secs. 7 and 17) (Zeller, 1973b). The deposit in
Section 17 occurs as part of a channel in a mas-
sive white sandstone between the Alvey and
Christensen coal zones (Doelling, 1975). The ore
body is about 12 feet thick, 600 feet long, and
200 feet wide, although part of the deposit has
undoubtedly been removed by erosion (doelling,
1975). The upper 6 feet of this deposit contains
13.4 percent titanium oxide, 6.5 percent zircon-
ium oxide, 11.7 percent iron, and 0.09 percent
equivalent thorium oxide. The lower 6 feet con-
tains 24.1 percent titanium oxide, 18.1 percent
zirconium oxide, 17.8 percent iron, and 0.15 per-
cent equivalent thorium oxide (Dow and Batty,
1961).

It seems likely that similar, although covered,
titaniferous sandstone deposits occur sporadic-
ally in Late Cretaceous rocks throughout this
region. Partly on this basis, and in view of the
preceding discussion, the WSA has been assigned
a titanium favorability rating of (f2) (favorable
for less than 1 million metric-tons). Because
titanium deposits occur in the WSA and because
the generally recognized titanium-bearing forma-
tions underlie the WSA, the certainty of occur-
rence of titanium deposits within the tract is high
(c4).

CARCASS CANYON WSA

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the tract.
These deposits are not unique or economically signifi-
cant due to the presence of ample similar materials
outside the WSA.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

The Carcass Canyon WSA has habitat that could sup-
port approximately 43 species of mammals, 125
species of birds, 17 species of reptiles, and two spe-
cies of amphibians. No fish exist in the WSA due to
the lack of perennial streams or permanent bodies of
water.

Major game species include mule deer, cougar, mourn-
ing dove, and chukar. Mule deer are fairly common
throughout the WSA in the winter. A few cougar are
present during the winter months. Mourning dove are
common throughout the WSA from May to September.
Chukar were introduced into the Escalante area in
1956. They occur in several of the canyons in the
WSA and along the Straight Cliffs.

Two endangered species (peregrine falcon and bald
eagle) have been recorded within 10 miles of the
WSA. They may occasionally migrate through the
WSA.

There are also six Category 2 candidate species that
could inhabit the WSA. These are the Great Basin Sil-
verspot butterfly, ferruginous hawk, long-billed cur-
lew, southern spotted owl, Swainson’s hawk, and
white-faced ibis (see Appendix 4 in Volume I). If pres-
ent, most of these species would be associated with
riparian and wet meadow areas or cliff faces and
deep canyons, except for the ferruginous hawk and
Swainson's hawk. The ferruginous hawk inhabits
pinyon-juniper woodland areas where there are eco-
tones or edges that provide opportunities for nesting,
cover, and hunting activities. The Swainson's hawk in-
habits open plains, grasslands, and prairies. The
UDWR 1987 revised list of sensitive species includes
two species that occur in the WSA: Lewis woodpecker
and the western bluebird.

Approximately eight species of raptors are known to
nest in the WSA. The golden eagle (a BLM sensitive
species), red-tailed hawk, Cooper's hawk, and the
American kestrel are fairly common in the WSA.

No critical habitat has been identified in the WSA. No
existing or proposed wildlife habitat plans or projects
have been identified in the WSA.

Forest Resources

Pinyon pine and juniper trees are the forest re-
sources in the WSA. The entire WSA is open to fuel-
wood harvest but, due to limited access and the topo-
graphy of the area, use is minimal and is not expected
to substantially increase in the foreseeable future.
Approximately 150 cords of fuelwood and an unknown
number of juniper posts have been harvested from
the WSA in the past, primarily by residents of Esca-
lante, Utah. Use occurs primarily in the Alvey Wash
area along cherry-stemmed roads.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The WSA contains portions of five livestock grazing
allotments. There are an estimated 154 AUMs within
the WSA. Approximately 2,523 acres are suitable for
grazing, with 44,188 being unsuitable. Seven operat-
ors are licensed to graze cattle within the WSA (re-
fer to Table 4). At present there are 2.5 miles of
fence, nine spring developments, two reservoirs, and
one corral within the WSA. Six hundred acres of veg-
etation treatments and three reservoirs are proposed
for the WSA. The land treatment would provide
approximately 95 additional AUMs of livestock for-
age. The projects were identified to better distribute
livestock grazing in the allotments. Vehicles are used
within the WSA for the management of livestock and
maintenance of range developments. Use is restricted
to the 5 miles of way and 12 miles of cherry-stemm-
ed road in the WSA.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the grazing allotments that com-
prise the WSA (USDA, APHIS, 1988).

There are no wild horses or burros in the WSA.

Visual Resources

Approximately 43,91 1 acres as Class B and 2,800
acres are classified as Class C scenery. The entire
WSA has been assigned a VRM Class IV (refer to
Appendix 7 in Volume I for more information on the
BLM VRM system). The major visual resource of the
WSA is the Straight Cliffs which constitute a land-
mark in southern Utah.

CARCASS CANYON WSA

Table 4

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in WSA

Total

AUMs

Number
of AUMs
in WSA

Number and
Kind of
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

Alvey Wash

48,606

19,070

1,066

106

280 Cattle

05/15-09/23

1

Cedar Wash

12,807

1,250

Unallotted

Colletts

15,252

9,315

90

8

90 Cattle

09/15-10/15

1

Last Chance

229,724

16,986

3,708

31

309 Cattle

yearlong

1

Upper Cattle

63,658

90

4,734

9

631 Cattle

11/01-06/15

4

Total

370,047

46,711

9,598

154

7

Sources: BLM File Data.

Cultural Resources

A total of 105 archaeological sites have been record-
ed in the WSA (USDI, BLM, 1988a). The majority of
these (88) are prehistoric surface lithic scatters lo-
cated on pinyon-juniper woodland covered mesa tops.
Nearly all of these are located in stabilized dunes or
in shallow eolian deposits. Six of the lithic scatter
sites contain ceramic artifacts and ten of them con-
tain ground stone artifacts. Several of them exhibit
multiple components which may represent different
occupations. Buried deposits were reported to be pres-
ent at several of the sites. Temporally diagnostic arti-
facts from the Archaic, Late Prehistoric, and historic
Paiute periods were found at several of the lithic scat-
ter and indicate a long period of occupation in the
WSA. The cultural or temporal affiliation of the re-
maining lithic scatters is unknown.

Ten rockshelters have been recorded in the WSA.
Some of them contain storage cists or storage
caches, one has a masonry room, and three contain
granaries. Petroglyph or pictograph panels are asso-
ciated with some of the shelter sites.

These sites are associated with Anasazi or Fremont
occupation of the region. One prehistoric burial site
which is located in a talus slope has been recorded in
the unit. All of these sites are located in the canyon
sides and bottoms.

Two historic sites, a set of 1904 inscriptions and a
pre-1931 campsite, have been recorded in the unit.
No other historical resources or values are known to
exist in the WSA.

There are no sites in the unit which have been nomi-
nated for the National Register of Historic Places.
Several of the lithic scatters which contain buried
deposits and some of the rockshelter sites are con-
sidered to be eligible for nomination to the Register.
Many of the recorded sites have not been evaluated
for eligibility.

Six 160-acre quadrants have been intensively sur-
veyed within the boundaries of the WSA (USDI, BLM,
1978). A total of eight sites were recorded. Using
these data an average site density of approximately
190 sites per 23,000 acres was computed. This is
lower than the average site density for the sampling
unit (Escalante River planning unit) as a whole which
was estimated at nearly 400 sites per 23,000 acres
(USDI, BLM, 1978). The potential for finding addition-
al sites in the WSA is considered to be good. Most of
these would probably be small lithic scatters, how-
ever, additional rockshelters, rock art sites, and Fre-
mont or Anasazi structural sites may also be present.

Recreation

The Carcass Canyon WSA offers opportunities for
both primitive and nonprimitive types of recreation
use. Sightseeing use of the WSA by motor vehicle
tourists on the Hole-in-the-Rock road accounts for
the majority of use of the WSA.

The entire WSA is open to ORV use; however, terrain
generally limits vehicle access to existing ways,
cherry-stemmed roads, and washes. Camp Flat and
Big Sage Bench receive occasional ORV use, but this
use is primarily nonrecreational and associated with
ranch operations.

CARCASS CANYON WSA

The majority of recreational use is associated with
sightseeing use of the Straight Cliffs from the Hole-in-
the-Rock road. Approximately 7,500 visitors annual-
ly travel this road. Some motor vehicle sightseeing
also occurs from the Alvey Wash road at the western
boundary of the WSA. Both of these are outside the
WSA. Recreational use within the WSA is estimated to
be less than 100 visitor days per year. About 10 per-
cent of this use would be for primitive recreation use
and the remaining 90 percent for hunting or sightsee-
ing activities using vehicular access.

Land Use Plans

Public lands within the WSA are in the Escalante plan-
ning unit and are managed in accordance with the Esca-
lante MFP (USDI, BLM, 1981d). Grazing is the princi-
pal land use in the WSA. Wilderness is not addressed
in the MFP. Wilderness designation is part of the BLM
multiple-use concept and the BLM land use plan is link-
ed to the Statewide Wilderness EIS through analysis
of the present plan as the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative.

The WSA is BLM-administered public land except for
two State sections (1,280 acres) and 640 acres of
split-estate lands (Federal surface, State minerals).
The current policy of the State is to maximize eco-
nomic returns from State lands and to reserve its
position regarding exchange of in-held State land (see
Chapter 1 in Volume I). Of the 1,280 acres of in-held
State land, 640 acres are leased for grazing. The
only current activity on these lands is livestock graz-
ing. The 640 acres of split-estate lands are leased
for coal.

The WSA is adjacent to major portions of the Kai-
parowits. coal field (refer to Mineral and Energy Re-
sources Coal section). The Kaiparowits Coal Develop-
ment and Transportation Study (ERT, 1980) identified
potential coal transportation systems and corridors
necessary for the future development of the Kaiparo-
wits coal resources. The objective of the study was
to identify possible areas for construction and opera-
tion of future coal transportation systems within the
restrictions of general environmental and engineering
constraints. Corridor segments were required to con-
tain at least one potential route for a railroad or coal
slurry pipeline. Specific routes, however, were not
identified. By selecting corridors between 2 and 15
miles in width, maximum flexibility for future loca-
tion of specific routes was maintained. Corridors Cl 3
and Cl 7 extend into the southern portion of the Car-

cass Canyon WSA for a short distance. However, the
majority of the corridors remain outside of the WSA.

The Garfield County Master Plan covers this WSA.
The master plan recognizes that the county possesses
" . . . some of the most spectacular scenery in the
United States . . . The County is sparsely populated
and most of it is in its original pristine condition."
(Five County Association of Governments, 1984).
The county plan recommends that the area of the Car-
cass Canyon WSA be retained for multiple uses. The
Plan's concept of multiple-use includes forestry, live-
stock grazing, mining, wildlife, and recreation.

The Garfield County Commission has endorsed the Con-
solidated Local Government Response to Wilderness
(Utah Counties, 1986) that opposes wilderness desig-
nation of BLM lands in Utah.

The Kane County Master Plan states, "Kane County
supports the total concept of multiple use of lands. We
reject exclusionary recreational forms that cannot be
used by the average recreation visitor. Wilderness,
as conceived by the Federal land agencies, is rejected
because of the limited visitor utilization possibilities
and rejection of the multiple use concept." (Kane Coun-
ty Board of Commissioners, 1982).

In addition, the Consolidated Local Government Re-
sponse to Wilderness (Utah Counties, 1986) indicates
that Kane County opposes wilderness designation of
BLM lands in Utah.

Socioeconomics
• Demographics

The Carcass Canyon WSA is located in both Garfield
and Kane Counties, Utah. Most economic impacts
would be restricted to these two counties. Garfield
and Kane are rural counties having average population
densities of less than one person per square mile.
This density is very low when compared to the State-
wide average of 17 persons per square mile (USDC,
Bureau of the Census, 1981). Much of the population
in these counties (3,673 persons in Garfield and
4,024 in Kane County) is concentrated in small com-
munities rather than being evenly distributed through-
out the area.

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Kane County
grew from 2,421 to 4,050, an overall increase of
about 67 percent. Table 5 presents the baseline and

CARCASS CANYON WSA

projected population data for Kane County. It is esti-
mated that between 1980 and 1987, population in-
creased to about 4,890. Population projections indi-
cate that the number of people living in Kane County
in the year 2010 will be about 6,950 for about a 72-
percent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of
Planning and Budget, 1987).

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Garfield County
grew from 3,157 to 3,700, and overall increase of
about 17 percent. Table 5 presents the baseline and
projected population data for Garfield County. It is
estimated that between 1980 and 1987, population in-
creased to about 4,085. Population projections indi-
cate that the number of people living in Garfield Coun-
ty in the year 2010 will be about 4,850 for about a
19-percent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of
Planning and Budget, 1987).

Table 5

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Gartield and Kane Counties

1980

1990

2000

2010

Gailiald

Population

3,700

4,250

4,350

4,850

Employment

2,156

2,000

2,200

3,200

Kane

Population

4,050

5,250

5,750

6,950

Employment

1,403

1,900

2,300

2,900

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

The community of Escalante is located along a major
access route (Utah Highway 12) to the Carcass Can-
yon WSA. Escalante is one of the larger communities
in the area having a 1980 population of 652 persons
(USDC, Bureau of the Census, 1981). Escalante is a
gateway and service area for visitors to the WSA.

• Employment

The economies of Kane and Garfield Counties are some-
what similar in structure, both being dominated by
the government sector and having strong services
sectors in terms of employment (USDC, Bureau of Eco-
nomic Analysis, 1982). Table 5 shows the baseline
and projected total employment for Kane and Garfield
County to the year 2010. Garfield and Kane Counties
are part of the Southwest MCD. Table 6 shows the
baseline (1980) and projected employment by source
for MCD to the year 2010. In 1980 the leading em-
ployment sectors for the Southwest MCD were gov-
ernment (23 percent), trade (20 percent), and non-
farm proprietors (12 percent). Mining provided

approximately 2 percent of the direct employment in
the MCD.

Table 8

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment*

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

11,200

Finance, Insurance, Real

Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

■Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 3 percent, Government to
18 percent, and mining to less than 1 percent of the
total MCD employment.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the WSA include miner-
al leasing and livestock production. Table 7 summa-
rizes the local sales and Federal revenues from the
WSA. Appendix 9 in Volume I identifies the multipliers
used to estimate sales and revenues. The WSA has 89
mining claims. Regulations require a $100 annual ex-
penditure per claim for labor and improvements, an
undetermined part of which is spent in the local econ-
omy.

Table 7

Sales and Revenues

Source

Estimated Annual
Local Sales*

Estimated Annual
Federal Revenues

Oil and Gas Leases

0

$2,142

Coal

0

$55,482

Mining Claim Assessment

$8,900

0

Livestock Grazing

$3,080

$237

Recreational Use

i. 4 IQ

Q

Total

$12,390

$57,861

Sources: BLM File Data; Appendix 9 In Volume 1.

■Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do

not account for the

total Income that would be generated by these expenditures.

20

CARCASS CANYON WSA

No oil and gas or mineral production has occurred in
the WSA. Therefore, mineral and energy resource pro-
duction from the WSA has not significantly contrib-
uted to the local employment or income.

Seven livestock operators have a total grazing privi-
lege of approximately 154 AUMs within the WSA. If
all this forage were utilized, it would account for
approximately $3,080 of livestock sales including
$770 of ranchers' returns to labor and investment.

Some woodland products are harvested from the
WSA; however, the harvests have been small noncom-
mercial and are insignificant to the local economy and
only of minor significance to those involved in the har-
vest.

The WSA's nonmotorized and motorized recreational
use is low and related local expenditures are also
low. The actual amount of income generated locally
from recreational use in the WSA is unknown. How-
ever, an approximate range of expenditures can be
deduced (Dalton, 1982). This study indicates that the
Statewide average local expenditures per recreation-
al visitor day for all types of recreation in Utah are
approximately $4.10. The recreational use for Car-
cass Canyon WSA is estimated to be less than 100
visitor days per year.

The WSA generates Federal revenues from mineral
leases and livestock (refer to Table 7).

Oil and gas leases in the WSA cover approximately
1,071 acres and coal leases cover 18,494 acres. At
$2 per acre, oil and gas lease rental fees generate up
to $2,142 of Federal revenues annually. At $3 per
acre, coal lease rental fees generate up to $55,482
of Federal revenues annually. Half of these monies
are allocated to the State, which then reallocates
these revenues to various funds, the majority of
which are related to energy development and mitiga-
tion of local impacts of energy and mineral develop-
ment.

Average actual livestock use and, therefore, reve-
nues generated from grazing in the WSA are unknown;
however, the permittees in the WSA can use up to
154 AUMs per year. Based on a $1.54 per AUM graz-
ing fee, the WSA can potentially generate $237 of
grazing fee revenues annually, 50 percent of which
would be allocated back to the local BLM District for
the construction of rangeland developments.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. The analy-
sis is based on the BLM management actions and anti-
cipated activities presented in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B and the Description of the Alternatives for
the Carcass Canyon WSA.

A major long-term consideration in impact analysis
for this WSA is development of the Kaiparowits coal
field. For a detailed analysis of potential impacts of
coal development in southern Utah, the reader is re-
ferred to the Final EIS for "Development of Coal Re-
sources in Southern Utah" (USDI, USGS, 1979).

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative (Pro-
posed Action)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the protection afforded by applica-
tion of the BLM Wilderness Management Policy (BLM
Manual 8560).

In the short term, disturbance of approximately 628
acres from vegetation treatments, rangeland pro-
jects, access to State in-holdings, and uranium ex-
ploration mainly in the central portion of the WSA
would result in a direct loss of naturalness and oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive, unconfined recrea-
tion in the disturbed areas. Special features, including
scenic values, paleontological and archaeological val-
ues, endangered and sensitive species, and wildlife
associated with wilderness, would not be significant-
ly affected because the disturbance would involve
only 1.3 percent (628 acres) of the WSA and would
generally not be located where the special features
are located. In addition, appropriate measures would
be taken to protect special status species and archae-
ological and paleontological values prior to any sur-
face-disturbing activity, and no significant negative
impact would occur to these values. Proposed water
developments and vegetation treatments would bene-
fit wildlife special features associated with wilder-
ness because of increased water and forage sources.

During the period of activity, the visual and audible
disturbance from mineral exploration, vegetation
treatments, and rangeland developments would re-
duce the quality of opportunities for solitude and

21

CARCASS CANYON WSA

primitive recreation not only on directly disturbed
areas but also indirectly on adjacent portions of the
WSA. As much as 15 percent (7,007 acres) of the
WSA could be so affected in the foreseeable future.

Because future vehicular use would generally be limit-
ed by terrain to existing vehicular ways and to dry
washes, no additional disturbance from ORV activity
is anticipated in the future. The continued and increas-
ed use of 5 miles of existing ways and washes,
cherry-stemmed roads, and of future exploration
roads, would occasionally detract from opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation.

The increased visitor use that would occur over time
would be expected to reduce the quality of wilderness
opportunities because the additional use would be
largely vehicular in nature.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would result is not accurately
known. Coal development would occur in the canyons
where the WSA's best wilderness values are, and
direct loss of wilderness values over the long term
from direct impacts would involve only up to 0.09
percent (40 acres) of the WSA. Indirect reduction in
wilderness qualities would involve up to an additional
10 percent (4,671 acres) of the WSA.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation and loss would occur as in-
trusions increase. In the short term, naturalness and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
would be directly lost on 628 acres of the WSA, and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
would be indirectly reduced in quality on up to an addi-
tional 7,007 acres. Over the long term, naturalness
and opportunities for solitude and primitive recrea-
tion would be directly lost on 40 acres and opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive recreation would be in-
directly reduced in quality on an additional 467 acres.
Special features would not be significantly affected.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies

The 668 acres of surface disturbance projected for
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative would main-
ly occur in the pinyon-juniper woodland. On the 600-
acre vegetation treatments, vegetation composition
would change from woodland to grass-shrub. It is
assumed that the grass-shrub vegetation would be
maintained over the long term. However, once active

maintenance ceased, the area would eventually re-
vert back to pinyon-juniper woodland. The vegetation
treatments would be designed to provide forage for
livestock and browse for wildlife habitat. There
would also be a loss of naturalness in the disturbed
area. However, due to the small size of the disturb-
ance, the overall impact would not be significant. The
3 acres of surface disturbance due to the construc-
tion of three reservoirs would be committed to reser-
voir use over the long term. The 23 acres disturbed
by uranium exploration would be reclaimed following
completion of the exploration activities. In the long
term, anticipated coal development could disturb up
to 40 acres as a result of surface facility and access
roads construction. While no significant impacts to
vegetation or sensitive species are anticipated, it is
expected that this disturbance would remain for the
30- to 40-year life of the operations.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. Seven Category 1 and 2 candi-
date species may occur in the WSA. Many of these
species occur in the pinyon-juniper woodland. Surface-
disturbing activities could result in the inadvertent
loss of some individual plants of these species. How-
ever, the continued existence of any of these special
status species would not be threatened. Before author-
izing any surface-disturbing activities, BLM would
conduct site-specific clearances of the potentially dis-
turbed areas. If any threatened or endangered species
are located, BLM would initiate consultation with the
FWS as required by the Endangered Species Act and
BLM policy. BLM would request a biological opinion
when appropriate (refer to Appendix 4 in Volume I).
Appropriate mitigation measures, such as avoidance
of sensitive areas, would be implemented. Because
necessary measures would be taken to protect these
species, the viability of populations of threatened,
endangered, or other special status plant species
would be preserved with the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative.

Conclusion: Special status plant species would not be
significantly impacted. About 1.4 percent (628 acres)
of the pinyon-juniper woodland type in the WSA would
be altered.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

The WSA would remain open to exploration and devel-
opment of mineral and energy resources without con-
sideration of wilderness values. Therefore, mineral

22

CARCASS CANYON WSA

and energy resources would not be affected by the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Implementation of the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative would not adversely affect min-
eral exploration or production.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

Wildlife habitat would be improved by an increase in
the availability of water through the construction of
three livestock reservoirs. Also, wildlife habitat
would be improved through the 600 acres of potential
pinyon-juniper woodland and sagebrush vegetation
treatments. Deer, cougar, and other game and non-
game species would be dispersed from affected area
during the construction stage of these livestock pro-
jects (603 acres of surface disturbance) and project-
ed uranium exploration activities (23 acres of disturb-
ance). Less mobile wildlife would either perish or co-
exist with these disturbances, possibly at smaller or
less viable population levels. However, only about 1.4
percent (628 acres) of the WSA would be directly im-
pacted in the short term. An additional 40 acres
would be disturbed in the long term as a result of coal
development activities. This additional acreage would
generally not be available for use by wildlife. The ex-
tent and use of the WSA by the bald eagle, peregrine
falcon, or the six Category 2 candidate species and
other special status species that may occur is un-
known. Vegetation treatment proposals would not
affect most of these species because activities would
be in the flat pinyon-juniper woodland and sagebrush
areas. These species, if present, would inhabit the
riparian and cliff-face areas in the canyons where no
disturbance is anticipated.

The proposed vegetation-treatment projects would
create additional ecotones and edges which should
improve ferruginous hawk habitat. Also, Swainson's
hawk habitat would improve since vegetation treat-
ments would create additional grasslands.

BLM would conduct site-specific clearances of the
potentially disturbed areas. If any threatened or en-
dangered species are located, BLM would initiate con-
sultation with the FWS as required by the Endangered
Species Act and BLM policy. BLM would request a bio-
logical opinion when appropriate (refer to Appendix 4
in Volume I). Appropriate mitigation measures, such
as avoidance of sensitive areas, would be implement-
ed. Because necessary measures would be taken to
protect these species, potential populations of threat-

ened, endangered, or other special status animal
species would be preserved with the No Action/ No
Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Wildlife habitat and populations including
special status animal species would not be significant-
ly affected. Overall, implementation of the water and
vegetation-treatment projects would benefit wildlife
by providing additional water, forage, and ecotones.
About 1.4 percent (628 acres) of the wildlife habitat
in the WSA would be disturbed.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

Domestic livestock grazing would continue as author-
ized. The estimated 154 AUMs currently allocated in
the WSA are controlled by seven livestock permit-
tees. The three proposed reservoirs and 600 acres of
vegetation treatment could be developed and would re-
sult in improved livestock distribution and increased
carrying capacity of an estimated 95 AUMs. The 5
miles of way and 12 miles of cherry-stemmed road
would continue to be available for livestock manage-
ment and maintenance of rangeland developments.

Conclusion: Livestock management and grazing levels
would not be adversely affected by implementation of
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. The project-
ed rangeland developments would result in an addition-
al 95 AUMs annually.

• Impacts on Cultural Resources

In the short term, approximately 628 acres of sur-
face development resulting from rangeland develop-
ments and uranium exploration is expected with this
alternative. Projected 600 acres of vegetation treat-
ments would occur on the flat mesa tops where most
of the recorded cultural sites are located and site
densities are high. Some impact to cultural resources
is likely to occur as a result of any vegetation treat-
ment project. The nature and extent of potential im-
pact on archaeological sites from coal development in
the long term is currently unknown. However, all
sites in the WSA would continue to be protected under
existing State and Federal antiquities laws and appro-
priate inventory and mitigation procedures would pre-
cede any surface disturbance.

Many of the recorded sites in the WSA are located on
or in unconsolidated eolian deposits. These sites are
vulnerable to disturbance by vehicular traffic. ORV
activity may cause inadvertent damage to unrecorded
archaeological sites likely to be located in the dune

23

CARCASS CANYON WSA

deposits throughout the WSA. In addition, general ve-
hicular access to the unit would provide increased
opportunities for illegal artifact collecting (Nickens,
et al., 1981).

With this alternative, archaeological sites would be
subject to standard cultural resource management
procedures (Neumann and Reinburg, 1988). Stabil-
ization, interpretation, and excavation could proceed
without the restrictions of wilderness values main-
tenance.

Conclusion: Some impact to cultural resources is ex-
pected with this alternative, but archaeological sites
would continue to be protected by existing laws. Unin-
tentional damage to archaeological sites may occur as
a result of vegetation treatments and some vandalism
may occur due to continued vehicular access. Cultural
resource management would continue without regard
to wilderness management.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

There would not be a loss of local employment or in-
come as a result of implementing this alternative. The
existing ability to explore and develop mineral re-
sources would remain as at present. The employment
of 600 people (two mines) would represent only 1.3
percent of the projected Southwest MCD for the year
2010. However, it would be about 19 percent of the
Garfield County or 21 percent of the Kane County pro-
jected employment in the year 2010 and nearby local
communities would be significantly affected. There
would be both beneficial and adverse impacts. Benefi-
cial impacts would include increases in employment
and income while adverse impacts would include in-
creased demands for housing and infrastructure such
as schools, law enforcement, etc. The probability of
economic development of coal within the WSA is high
in the long term (refer to the Mineral and Energy Re-
sources section for a description of mineral and de-
velopment potentials).

There would be no livestock-related economic losses
because the existing grazing use (154 AUMs) and abil-
ity to maintain, replace, and build new range improve-
ments would remain as at present. The proposed vege-
tation treatments would produce 95 AUMs of new allo-
cated forage that could lead to an additional $1,900
of livestock sales and $475 of ranchers' returns to
labor and investment.

Recreational use and, therefore, recreation-related
local expenditures, could increase at a rate of 2 to 7

percent per year to the year 2020. Because overall
recreation-related expenditures average $4.10 per
visitor day, recreation-related expenditures attribut-
able to the WSA would likely not be significant to the
local economy.

Federal and State revenues would not be reduced by
this alternative. There are 44,931 acres open to leas-
ing for oil and gas and 28,217 acres open to leasing
for coal in the WSA that are currently not leased. If
leased they would bring up to $174,513 additional
Federal lease fee revenues per year, in addition to
new royalties from lease production and bonus bids.
Half of these monies would be allocated to the State,
a portion of which could reach the local economy. Col-
lection of livestock grazing fees ($238 per year)
would continue. The additional 95 AUMs of forage pro-
duced by proposed new range developments and allo-
cated to livestock under this alternative would in-
crease Federal revenues by $147 annually. About 50
percent of the increased revenues would be returned
to the local BLM District for use in range development
projects.

Conclusion: No loss of local employment of income
would occur. Federal and State revenues would not be
reduced. Economic opportunities could be realized
through mineral and energy resource exploration and
eventual development in the long term. There would
be major beneficial and adverse economic impacts in
Garfield and Kane Counties.

All Wilderness Alternative (46,711 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 46,71 1 acres as
wilderness would contribute to the preservation of
the wilderness values in the Carcass Canyon WSA.
The potential for surface-disturbing activities would
be reduced through closure of the entire area to fu-
ture mineral leasing and location and to ORV use, and
through management of the area as VRM Class I which
allows for only natural ecological change. Naturalness
would be protected on all 46,711 acres. Solitude
would be protected on approximately 26,500 acres
that meet and 20,21 1 acres that do not meet the
standards for outstanding opportunities. Primitive
and unconfined recreation would be protected on
approximately 11,800 acres that meet and 34,911
acres that do not meet the standards for outstanding
opportunities. Resources that could be considered as
special features in the WSA including scenic values,
endangered and sensitive species, archaeological and

24

CARCASS CANYON WSA

paleontological values, and wildlife associated with
wilderness, would also be protected.

Although protected, complete preservation of wilder-
ness values would not be assured because of the exist-
ence of valid existing rights. In the short term, dis-
turbance of up to 9 acres is anticipated from explor-
ation of valid uranium mining claims and for develop-
ment of access to State in-holdings. Wilderness val-
ues of naturalness and opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation would be lost in the disturbed
areas. Opportunities for solitude and primitive recre-
ation would also be indirectly reduced in quality on
adjacent portions of the WSA. As much as 3 percent
(1,400 acres) of the WSA could be so affected. Spe-
cial features would not be significantly affected be-
cause the direct disturbance would be minor involving
only 0.02 percent (9 acres) of the WSA and the dis-
turbance would generally not be located where the
special features are located. In addition, appropriate
measures would be taken to protect endangered and
sensitive species and archaeological and paleontologi-
cal values prior to any surface-disturbing activity,
and it can be assumed that no significant negative
impact would occur to these species. Mitigation to pro-
tect wilderness values would be applied, but loss of
wilderness values would be allowed if development in-
volving valid existing rights could not be otherwise
achieved. All in all, the disturbance would not be sub-
stantially noticeable in the area as a whole.

Vehicular use of existing ways and washes would
cease with ORV closure, improving opportunities for
solitude and primitive recreation and naturalness.

Over the long term, there would be no potential for
loss of wilderness values due to development of new
leases and mining claims. The potential for long-term
development of existing mining claims and State in-
holdings is not accurately known but would be less
with this alternative than with No Action/No Wilder-
ness due to application of mitigation that would pro-
tect wilderness values subject to valid existing
rights. Coal development would not occur, so no wil-
derness values would be lost due to that.

Visitor use that would occur would be primitive in na-
ture and would be managed so as to not result in loss
of wilderness values. It is likely that visitor use in
this WSA would actually decrease as a result of wil-
derness designation, which would additionally pre-
serve naturalness and improve opportunities for soli-
tude and primitive recreation.

Conclusion: Wilderness designation would preserve
wilderness values where found in the WSA. In the
foreseeable future, naturalness and opportunities for
solitude and primitive recreation would be lost on 9
acres, and opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation would be temporarily reduced in quality on
up to an additional 1,400 acres. Special values would
be preserved.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status
Species

Implementation of the All Wilderness Alternative
would not directly affect any vegetation type in the
WSA. The projected 600 acres of vegetation treat-
ments or livestock reservoirs would not be allowed.
Only 9 acres of surface disturbance is projected;
therefore, no impacts to any vegetation type would
occur. Wilderness designation would provide addi-
tional protection for special status plant species.

Conclusion: Implementation of the All Wilderness
Alternative would protect the vegetation resource,
including special status species, in the WSA, because
potential disturbance would be reduced to 9 acres.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

Approximately 1,071 acres are under oil and gas
leases; however, no exploration or development
of oil and gas is presently occurring within the
WSA. Existing leases could be developed subject
to the stipulations issued at the time of leasing. It
is unlikely that existing leases would be developed
or a showing of commercial quantities made prior
to their expiration dates, and expired leases will
not be reissued.

The WSA has an estimated 0.55 billion tons of in-
place coal, one-third to one-half of which is recov-
erable. About 18,494 acres are under existing
lease. These leases are not projected to be devel-
oped. It is also projected that the PRLA would not
be developed. Wilderness designation would pre-
clude issuance of additional leases and develop-
ment of the remaining coal resource. Since explor-
ation and development have been projected in the
long term with nondesignation, recovery of up to
0.28 billion tons of coal would be foregone with
designation.

25

CARCASS CANYON WSA

• Locatable Minerals

About 1,780 acres of mining claims are located in
the WSA. Limited uranium exploration would
occur. However, development is not anticipated in
the foreseeable future with or without wilderness
designation. Therefore, significant locatable min-
eral production would not be foregone.

• Salable Minerals

No exploration or development is anticipated. Be-
cause of low potential of the deposit, and the avail-
ability of better sources of material outside of
the WSA, any loss of salable mineral products
would be insignificant.

Conclusion: Potential exploration and development of
approximately 280 million tons of recoverable coal
would be foregone. Loss of exploration and develop-
ment opportunities for other mineral and energy re-
sources would not be significant.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

With this alternative, some wildlife could benefit due
to the preservation of solitude. However, the loss of
three livestock reservoirs and the 600 acres of vege-
tation treatments would have a negative impact on
wildlife (loss of additional sources of water, eco-
tones, and edges).

Potential disturbance (9 acres) due to exploration and
development of locatable mineral resources would not
significantly disrupt wildlife populations or result in
species leaving the area.

The wildlife including special status animal species
that may occur would be provided additional protec-
tion and solitude with wilderness designation.

Conclusion: Vegetation treatments on 600 acres and
the three reservoirs could be precluded, but all spe-
cies would be protected. The 9 acres of potential min-
ing activities would not adversely affect species di-
versity or populations.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

Present domestic livestock grazing would continue as
authorized. The estimated 154 AUMs currently allo-
cated in the WSA are controlled by seven livestock
permittees. The proposed 600-acres of vegetation

treatment would not be allowed. Therefore, an addi-
tional 95 AUMs of livestock forage would be fore-
gone. The three proposed livestock reservoirs would
also not be allowed.

Existing rangeland developments would be maintained
as in the past, based on practical necessity and rea-
sonableness. No new rangeland developments are pro-
jected following wilderness designation. The use of 5
miles of way would be restricted; however, the 12
miles of cherry-stemmed road would continue to be
open for livestock management purposes.

Conclusion: Current livestock management practices
would not be significantly affected. Slight increases
in management costs and inconvenience to seven per-
mittees could occur. The opportunity for an increase
of 95 AUMs through vegetation treatment would be
foregone.

• Impacts on Cultural Resources

Only 9 acres of surface disturbance is expected with
this alternative and vehicular access would be re-
stricted within the boundaries of the WSA. Approxi-
mately 12 miles of cherry-stemmed road would re-
main open and provide some access to archaeological
sites located in the WSA’s interior. Little intentional
or unintentional damage to cultural resources is ex-
pected due to surface development or continued vehic-
ular access.

As recreational use of the unit increases in the fu-
ture, site vandalism and collection of small transport-
able objects may increase. Due to the lack of vehicu-
lar access, collection of large artifacts and illegal ex-
cavation of sites could decrease. However, if sites
containing valuable artifacts or specific features are
present in the WSA, wilderness designation may en-
courage large-scale commercial looting. The rock-
shelters in the WSA may meet these requirements
(Wylie, 1988). The benefits of protection of cultural
resources from vehicular access and surface develop-
ment would, however, probably outweigh any nega-
tive affects from increases in vandalism due to in-
creased recreational use.

All cultural resource management procedures would
be subject to the restrictions of wilderness designa-
tion (Neumann and Reinburg, 1988). Access to sites
for stabilization, interpretation, or excavation may
be limited or denied.

26

CARCASS CANYON WSA

Conclusion: Cultural resources including 105 known
sites, would provide additional protection. Manage-
ment may be restricted in scope and execution due to
wilderness designation.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

Overall there would be no significant changes in cur-
rent trends of population, employment, and local in-
come distribution in the short term.

Because of restrictions placed on the use of re-
sources under wilderness designation, there could be
losses in local income and Federal revenues currently
provided by resource uses in the WSA (refer to Table
7), as well as loss of potential increases in income
and Federal revenues that could occur under the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Valid existing oil and gas leases and mining claims
could be developed but designation would preclude
new leases and claims from being established in the
WSA. No development of existing leases is projected.
Exploration of existing mining claims could occur but
no development is anticipated. Precluding exploration
and development of minerals would not alter existing
economic conditions, but would alter future economic
conditions from what they would be with mineral de-
velopment under the No Action/No Wilderness Alter-
native. Because the potential for coal development is
high in the long term, it is estimated that potential
mineral-related local income would be significantly
reduced by wilderness designation. Major beneficial
and adverse economic impacts in Garfield and Kane
Counties from coal development in the WSA would not
occur.

Livestock use and ranchers' income would continue as
at present with $3,080 of livestock sales and $770
of ranchers' return to labor and investment. Proposed
livestock developments would be foregone along with
about $1,900 per year in livestock sales, including
$475 in ranchers' return to labor and investment.

Nonmotorized recreation use would increase; how-
ever, motorized recreational use would decline. Re-
lated local expenditures would be small (average of
$4.10 per visitor day).

The loss of 1,071 acres currently leased for oil and
gas and 28,217 acres now leased for coal would
cause an eventual loss of up to $57,630 per year of
lease fees to the Federal Treasury. There would also
be a potential loss of $174,513 annually in Federal

revenues from the 44,931 acres for oil and gas and
28,217 acres for coal that could be leased without
designation. In addition to these rental fees, any po-
tential royalties from new lease production and bonus
bid revenues from new leases could also be foregone.

If the proposed vegetation treatments are not devel-
oped and used, an estimated annual $147 of Federal
grazing revenues from an increase of 95 AUMs would
be foregone.

Conclusion: Present local or regional economic con-
ditions would not significantly be affected. However,
new leasing in the WSA would not be allowed; there-
fore, potential sales and revenues from coal develop-
ment would be foregone.

27

SCORPION WSA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 3

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 3

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated From Detailed Study 3

Alternatives Analyzed 3

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 3

All Wilderness Alternative 5

Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 7

Summary of Environmental Consequences 9

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 9

Wilderness Values 9

Air Quality 12

Geology and Topography 13

Soils 13

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 13

Water Resources 14

Mineral and Energy Resources 14

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 16

Forest Resources 16

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 16

Visual Resources 16

Cultural Resources 17

Recreation 17

Socioeconomics 18

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 20

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 20

All Wilderness Alternative 20

Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 21

i

■

SCORPION WSA

( UT -040-082)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Scorpion WSA is located in Kane and Garfield
Counties approximately 25 miles southeast of the
town of Escalante and adjacent to the western bound-
ary of the Glen Canyon NRA. The WSA contains
35,884 acres of BLM-administered land, of which
9,631 acres are in Garfield County and 26,253 acres
are in Kane County. The WSA encloses 1,280 acres
(two sections) of State land. It is managed by the BLM
Cedar City District, Escalante Resource Area Office.

The Scorpion WSA includes two major tributaries
(Twenty-Five Mile Wash and the Dry Fork of Coyote
Wash) which eventually drain into the Escalante Riv-
er. Narrow, winding canyons total 56 miles in length
and cover over 5,000 acres. The dominant vegetation
type is desert shrub, and much of the area is com-
prised of colorful slickrock.

ments received on the Draft EIS, the Partial Wilder-
ness Alternative has been revised for the Final EIS.
The new Partial Wilderness Alternative and BLM pro-
posed action is 14,978 acres (refer to Map 3).

2. The anticipated surface disturbance presented in
the Draft EIS (200 acres) was based on the assump-
tion that all mineral and other resources potentially
within the WSA would be developed sometime in the
future without consideration of technical or economic
feasibility. In response to public comments relative to
the feasibility of developments, the disturbance esti-
mates have been revised to focus on activities pro-
jected to be feasible within the foreseeable future
(see Appendix 6 in Volume I). This resulted in a reduc-
tion of surface disturbance estimates from the 200
acres reported in the Draft EIS to 4 acres of surface
disturbance for the Final EIS.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

In general, the climate is temperate and arid with
annual precipitation averaging about 10 inches. From
June through early September convection-type thun-
derstorms advance from the Pacific Ocean off the
coast of Mexico and southern California. Frontal-type
storms out of the northwest move over the area from
October through June. The highest precipitation rates
generally occur from November through March.

Summer temperatures in Escalante, Utah, range
approximately 30 degrees Fahrenheit (F) with highs
in the upper 90s and lows in the mid 60s. Winters in
Escalante, Utah, have a temperature range of about

27 degrees F, with highs in the low 40s and lows
about 15 degrees F. Snowfall in Escalante averages

28 inches and begins in October or November and ends
in March or April.

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B (i.e., impacts on air quality, water rights,
geology and topography, and land use plans and poli-
cies), the impacts of surface disturbance on soils,
vegetation including special status species, and visual
resources discussed in the Draft EIS would be insignif-
icant because only 4 acres of surface disturbance is
projected in the WSA in the foreseeable future. There-
fore, these impacts and issues are not analyzed in de-
tail in the Final EIS.

The following issues and impacts are also insignifi-
cant for the Final EIS for the reasons described be-
low:

Changes for the Final EIS

In addition to the changes noted in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B, the following changes specific to the
WSA have been made since publication of the Draft

EIS.

1. The Draft EIS analyzed a Partial Wilderness Alter-
native of 9,620 acres. This alternative was designed
to analyze the portion of the WSA with the most out-
standing wilderness values. In response to public com-

1. Water Resources: The Escalante River and tributar-
ies are fully appropriated. Water rights inside the
WSA are allocated to BLM and there are no major pro-
posals for consumptive use of water upstream of the

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP
WSA00
NO. wO
SEE VOL. I

1

SCORPION WSA

WSA on Twenty-Five Mile Wash, the only perennial
stream in the unit. The only potential uses of water in
the drainage are livestock, wildlife, and recreation.
Only 4 acres of disturbance is projected, therefore,
impacts on water uses and quality are not significant
issues for the Scorpion WSA.

2. Mineral Resources: The public has expressed con-
cern that wilderness designation would interfere with
or prevent mineral exploration, development, and pro-
duction. There are no oil and gas leases within the
WSA. Potential oil and gas deposits are small with a
very low certainty that they exist.

There are no mining claims in the WSA. BLM believes
that projected uranium and other locatable mineral
deposits are small and/or could not be economically
developed in the foreseeable future (see Appendix 6
in Volume I). More accessible deposits of salable min-
erals exist outside the WSA. For these reasons, it is
determined that mineral exploration or development
would not occur in the foreseeable future with or
without wilderness designation. Therefore, impacts
on mineral and energy exploration and production are
not analyzed in detail for the Scorpion WSA.

3. Wildlife Including Special Status Species: The pub-
lic is concerned that without wilderness designation
mineral or other developments would destroy wildlife
habitat and lead to reductions in wildlife populations.
They are also concerned that use of ORVs would dis-
turb wildlife and destroy habitat. The Scorpion WSA
provides habitat for a variety of animal species, but
populations are low and no one species can be describ-
ed as abundant. Two endangered and nine other special
status species may be found in the WSA. Because no
mineral developments are expected in the WSA in the
foreseeable future, wildlife habitats would not be
lost. Recreation use (estimated at 175 visitor days
use per year) is not expected to be a problem in the
foreseeable future because 1,740 acres would be
closed to vehicle use by the Escalante MFP, if neces-
sary, and the area is remote from population centers.
Given these conditions, the potential impacts on wild-
life habitat and populations are not significant issues
for the Final EIS.

4. Forest Resources: There are no significant forest
resources in the WSA. Vegetation is sparse and the
area is remote resulting in little demand for fuel
wood. Therefore, there would not be significant im-
pacts on forest resources.

5. Livestock: The public is concerned that wilderness
designation would interfere with livestock manage-
ment by placing restrictions on access for mainte-
nance of existing range improvements, moving of live-
stock, and by preventing future range improvements.
Restrictions would be placed on predator control, and
livestock losses could increase in both the wilderness
area and on adjacent lands.

The Scorpion WSA comprises a portion of five grazing
allotments utilized by 18 ranchers. However, only
about 1.5 miles of way in the WSA are utilized by the
permittees in the WSA. The only existing range im-
provement is 1.5 miles of fence and it is expected
that a proposed water pipeline, storage tank, and a
0.75 mile of fence would be allowed in the wilderness
area. Predators have not been controlled in the area
for several years. For these reasons, impacts on live-
stock management are not significant issues for the
Scorpion WSA.

6. Cultural Resources: Cultural resources could be de-
stroyed by surface-disturbing projects, use of ve-
hicles or vandalism. Twenty cultural resource sites
have been recorded in the WSA; however, no mineral-
related surface disturbance is projected. Total visita-
tion is light (175 visitor days per year) and mainly
primitive. ORV use is light (estimated 25 visitor days
per year) and is expected to remain low in the fore-
seeable future because of closure of certain areas un-
der the BLM land use plan and the remoteness of the
area. Additionally, inventories for the purpose of site
recordation and mitigation of impacts would take
place prior to any surface disturbance in the future.
Given these conditions, impacts on cultural resources
are not significant issues for the Scorpion WSA.

7. Recreation: The public has expressed concern that
wilderness designation would change recreational use
from motorized to primitive or conversely that with-
out wilderness designation motorized recreation will
eliminate or reduce opportunities for primitive recre-
ation. Recreational use of the WSA is light (estimated
175 visitor days per year) and would remain largely
primitive with or without wilderness designation.
Therefore, impacts on recreation use would not be sig-
nificant and they are not analyzed in detail in the Final
EIS.

8. Economic Conditions: The public, including the
State and local governments, is concerned that wilder-
ness designation would preclude mineral or other eco-
nomic developments and adversely affect local eco-
nomic conditions. Others believe that primitive

2

SCORPION WSA

recreation use would increase following wilderness
designation and would contribute to the local econo-
my.

There are no existing or anticipated mineral develop-
ments or proposals for lands or realty activities
which would be impaired with or without wilderness
designation. Because no economic developments are
expected and because recreational use is only 175
visitor days per year, potential impacts on economic
conditions are not significant issues for the Final EIS.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The only issue analyzed in detail for the Scorpion
WSA is impacts on the wilderness values of natural-
ness, opportunities for solitude and primitive recre-
ation, and special features.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft were voluminous and centered mainly on the
inadequacies of the BLM wilderness inventory, the
need to protect the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch, BLM's
assessment of wilderness values, the assessment of
uranium potential, and the relationship of the WSA to
the values and management of the adjacent Glen
Canyon NRA.

See Volume Vll-B for responses to general comments
applicable to all WSAs and/or the Statewide analysis
and Volume Vll-C, Section 33, for responses to specif-
ic comments about the Scorpion WSA.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
From Detailed Study

Alternatives of 38,380 and 35,400 acres that would
designate 504 and 3,484 acres less than the All Wil-
derness Alternative were suggested in the public com-
ments. These alternatives are not analyzed because
the proposed deletions would not result in impacts
appreciably different than BLM's All Wilderness Alter-
native and, therefore, offer no major distinctions be-
yond the alternatives analyzed in the Final EIS.

Alternatives Analyzed

Three alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness; (2) All Wilderness (35,884
acres); and (3) Partial Wilderness (Proposed Action)
(14,978 acres). A description of each alternative fol-
lows. Where management intentions have not been

clearly identified, assumptions are made based on
management projections under each alternative.
These assumptions are indicated in each case. The
assumed management actions presented in the Intro-
duction to Volume lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 35,884-acre Scor-
pion WSA would be designated by Congress as part of
the NWPS. Although BLM's land use plans are regular-
ly updated, it is assumed that the area would continue
to be managed in accordance with the Escalante plan-
ning unit MFP (USDI, BLM, 1979d). The two sections
(1,280 acres) of State land within the WSA (refer to
Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I) has not been identi-
fied in the MFP for special Federal acquisition through
exchange or purchase. No private or split-estate
lands are located in the WSA.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 35,884 acres would remain open to mineral
location, leasing, and sale. Forty acres of public
water reserve withdrawals would continue to be
segregated from nonmetalliferous mining. No min-
ing claims are presently located in the WSA. De-
velopment work, extraction, and patenting would
be allowed on future mining claims under unneces-
sary or undue degradation guidelines (43 CFR
3809), without concern for wilderness values.
There are no mineral leases in the WSA. Future
leases could be developed under leasing Category
1 (standard stipulations) in the entire WSA.

Although minerals would be managed as describ-
ed, mineral exploration and development are not
anticipated because the level of known resources
and the probability of their development are too
low to support a development assumption. Append-
ix 6 in Volume I explains the mineral exploration
and development assumptions.

The present domestic livestock grazing use in the
WSA would continue at an estimated level of
2,866 AUMs. The range developments presently
in the WSA are 1.3 miles of fence and 1.5 miles of
way used to haul salt to the allotments. A propos-
ed 0.75 mile of fence and a pipeline, storage tank,
and trough would be allowed without wilderness
considerations.

The WSA, including 4 miles of vehicular way,
would be open to ORV use until such time that

3

SCORPION WSA

Map 1

LAND STATUS
Scorpion WSA
UT-040-082

Legend

WSA Boundary

Glen Canyon NRA Boundary

State Land Within or J

Adjacent to WSA

h

National Park Service
Administered Land

BLM Administered Land
Within or Adjacent to WSA

SCALE IN MILES

o i 2

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

0 12 3

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

4

SCORPION WSA

vehicle use becomes a problem. If necessary, 780
acres in the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch and 960
acres in Twenty-Five Mile Wash will be closed to
vehicle use in order to protect the canyons. The
Scorpion Flat and canyon bottoms are accessible
to vehicles; however, ORV use is presently low
(25 visitor days per year) and is likely to remain
low in the foreseeable future because of the
remoteness of the area and the presence of more
attractive use areas outside the WSA.

The entire WSA would be open to woodland pro-
duct harvest; however, there is no harvest of
forest products at the present time, nor is any
expected because of the sparseness of trees and
remoteness of the area.

The area would continue to be managed under VRM
Class II on 7,700 acres, Class III on 3,200 acres,
and Class IV on 24,984 acres.

• Action Scenario

It is projected that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would result in
4 acres of surface disturbance in the foreseeable
future. This disturbance would result from the
construction of rangeland projects, including a
0.75 mile of fence, up to 2 miles of pipeline, a
storage tank, and a trough. These projects could
be completed in 1 month of on-site work, how-
ever, they would likely be built over a period of
several years. No additional rangeland, wildlife
habitat, watershed projects, or other types of
development are planned in the WSA in the fore-
seeable future.

No locatable or leasable mineral resources explor-
ation or development is projected in the foresee-
able future.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected due to
the remoteness of the WSA and the presence of
more attractive use areas outside the WSA and
restriction on ORV use imposed by the BLM land
use plan.

Recreation use is projected to increase over the
current estimated use of 175 annual visitor use
days at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. Approx-
imately 14 percent of the use would continue to
involve vehicles.

• All Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, all 35,884 acres of the Scor-
pion WSA would be designated by an act of Congress
as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). It would be man-
aged in accordance with the BLM Wilderness Manage-
ment Policy (BLM Manual 8560) to preserve its wil-
derness character.

The policy of the state is to reserve its position re-
garding the exchange of in-held lands within any par-
ticular WSA (see Chapter 1 in Volume I). Based on
this policy regarding exchange of State lands, it is
assumed that State land would remain in State owner-
ship. There are two State sections (1,280 acres)
within the WSA (refer to Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Vol-
ume I). The figures and acreages given with this alter-
native are for Federal lands only. No private or split-
estate lands are located in the WSA.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 35,884 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale. Currently,
no mining claims are located in the WSA. Should
any be located prior to wilderness designation,
development would be regulated by unnecessary
or undue degradation guidelines (43 CFR 3809)
with consideration given to wilderness values.
BLM does not anticipate location or development
of mining claims following wilderness designation
because of low resource potentials. There are no
leases in the WSA and none would be issued follow-
ing designation. Therefore, leasable minerals
would not be explored or developed following des-
ignation.

Present domestic livestock grazing would contin-
ue as authorized. The 2,866 AUMs in the WSA
would remain available to livestock as presently
allotted. The 1.3 miles of fence in the WSA could
be maintained in the same manner as in the past
based on practical necessity and reasonableness.

It is assumed that after designation, the proposed
fence, pipeline, storage tank, and trough would be
designed and constructed consistent with wilder-
ness protection guidelines.

Forty acres of public water reserve withdrawals
would continue.

5

SCORPION WSA

R. 6 E.

R 7 E.

6

SCORPION WSA

The entire WSA would be closed to ORV use ex-
cept for: (1) users with valid existing rights if
approved by BLM in accordance with 43 CFR
8560 provisions; or (2) for occasional and short-
term vehicular access approved by BLM for main-
tenance of approved rangeland developments.
About 4 miles of existing vehicular ways would
not be available for vehicular use except as indi-
cated above. The approximately 3 miles of dirt
and gravel roads that border the WSA and approx-
imately 2 miles of cherry-stemmed roads would
remain open to vehicular use.

Harvest of forest products would not be allowed
except for harvest of pinyon nuts or noncommer-
cial gathering of dead-and-down wood, if accom-
plished by other than mechanical means for use in
the wilderness.

Visual resources would be managed in accordance
with VRM Class I standards, which generally
allow for only natural ecological change.

• Action Scenario

In summary, a total of 4 acres of surface disturb-
ance would occur in the WSA following wilderness
designation. This disturbance would result from
construction of rangeland projects as described in
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. It is
assumed that these projects would be designed
and installed consistent with wilderness protec-
tion standards. No additional rangeland, wildlife
habitat, watershed projects, or other develop-
ments are planned following wilderness designa-
tion.

No disturbance from ORV activity is anticipated
due to wilderness management constraints.

Recreation use is projected to increase over the
current estimated use of 175 annual visitor days
at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. All of the
use would be primitive in nature.

• Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action)
(14,978 Acres)

With this alternative, 14,978 acres of the Scorpion
WSA would be designated as wilderness (refer to Map
3). The objective of this alternative is to analyze as
wilderness those portions of this WSA that have the
best wilderness values. BLM believes that wilderness
values are of a higher quality in areas where outstand-

ing opportunities for solitude and/or primitive rec-
reation exist, preferably in combination with special
features. In forming this alternative, the portions of
the WSA with outstanding opportunities for solitude,
primitive recreation, and special features were in-
cluded where possible within a manageable boundary.
The remaining 20,906 acres in the southern portion
of the WSA would be managed in accordance with the
Escalante MFP as described for the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative. The 14,978-acre area desig-
nated as wilderness would be managed in accordance
with the BLM Wilderness Management Policy (BLM
Manual 8560) as described in the All Wilderness
Alternative. State or private lands would not be in-
volved because none are located in the area that
would be designated wilderness. There are two State
sections (1,280 acres) in the portion of the WSA that
would not be designated. The figures and acreages giv-
en in the following description are for Federal lands
only (refer to Appendix 3 in Volume I for further in-
formation on State in-holdings).

• Management Conditions and Constraints

The 14,978-acre wilderness would be withdrawn
from mineral entry and closed to new mineral
leasing and sale. Currently, there are no mining
claims located in the WSA. Should any be located
in the designated area prior to wilderness desig-
nation, they would be regulated by unnecessary
or undue degradation guidelines (43 CFR 3809)
with consideration given to wilderness values.
There are no oil and gas leases in the WSA and
leasing would not be in the designated area. The
20,906-acre area not designated wilderness
would be open to mineral location, leasing, and
sale. Development work, extraction, and paten-
ting of future mining claims could occur if the
claims are valid. Development of future leases
could occur without concern for wilderness val-
ues. The area (20,906 acres) not designated wil-
derness would be managed as oil and gas leasing
Category 1 (standard stipulations). Although min-
erals would be managed as described, mineral ex-
ploration and development are not anticipated in
either the designated or nondesignated area be-
cause the level of known resources and the proba-
bility of their development are too low to support
a development assumption. Appendix 6 in Volume I
explains the mineral exploration and development
assumptions.

Domestic livestock grazing would continue as au-
thorized in the Escalante MFP. The 1,053 AUMs

7

SCORPION WSA

R. 6 E.

R. 7 E.

Bucka\roo

1500

C OyfJ}jl\0

E a r!\y

01556

nset

0 1501

Washbox

Map 3
PARTIAL
WILDERNESS
ALTERNATIVE

Scorpion WSA
UT-040-082

Legend

WSA Boundary

Partial Wilderness
Alternative (14,978 acres)

Glen Canyon NRA Boundary

Chimney

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

SCORPION WSA

in the wilderness area would remain available to
livestock as presently allotted. In the wilderness,
the existing fences (2,000 feet in length) would
continue to be used and maintained in the same
manner as in the past based on practical neces-
sity and reasonableness. The 1.5 miles of way
used by livestock permittees to haul salt would be
in the nondesignated area and could be used with-
out wilderness consideration. In the 20,906-acre
nonwilderness area, grazing use of 1,813 AUMs
would also continue as authorized in the MFP. The
proposed fence, pipeline, storage tank, and trough
would be in the nondesignated area and would be
constructed without wilderness considerations.

Forty acres of public water reserve withdrawals
would continue in the designated area.

The 14,978-acre wilderness area would be
closed to ORV use. The nondesignated portion of
the WSA would be open to ORV use unless such
use becomes a problem. If necessary, 780 acres
in the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch would be closed
to vehicle use in order to protect the canyon. In
the nondesignated area the Scorpion Flat is access-
ible to vehicles. However, ORV use is presently
low (25 visitor days per year for the entire
WSA) and is likely to remain low in the foresee-
able future because of the remoteness of the area
and the presence of more attractive use areas
outside the WSA. Approximately 1 of 4 miles of
existing vehicular ways is within the wilderness
portion and would no longer be available for vehic-
ular use except for purposes identified under the
All Wilderness Alternative.

Harvest of forest products in the wilderness area
would not be allowed except for the harvest of
pinyon nuts or noncommercial gathering of dead-
and-down wood, if accomplished by other than
mechanical means for use in the wilderness. The
area not designated wilderness would be open to
woodland harvest, but none is expected because
of the sparseness of the vegetation and the
remote location of the WSA.

Visual resources in the wilderness would be man-
aged in accordance with VRM Class I standards,
which generally allow for only natural ecological
change. The area not designated as wilderness
would be managed as Class II on 2,342 acres,
Class III on 1,940 acres, and Class IV on 16,624
acres as currently set forth in the Escalante MFP.

• Action Scenario

No surface disturbance is projected for the desig-
nated portion of the WSA following wilderness des-
ignation. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, water-
shed projects, or other developments are planned.
No new mineral location or mineral leasing would
be allowed following wilderness designation.
Therefore, no exploration or development of min-
eral resources is projected in the designated por-
tion of the WSA.

It is projected that 4 acres of surface disturbance
would occur in the nondesignated portion of the
WSA in the foreseeable future. This disturbance
would result from construction of rangeland pro-
jects as described in the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative. No additional rangeland, wildlife habi-
tat, watershed projects, or other developments
are planned.

No disturbance from ORV activity is projected due
to wilderness management constraints and remote-
ness of the WSA.

Recreation is projected to increase over the cur-
rent estimated use of 175 annual visitor days at a
rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. About 14 percent
of the use would continue to involve vehicular
activity.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 presents the environmental impacts of alter-
natives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

Wilderness Values

• Size

The WSA includes 35,884 acres and is approximately
13 miles wide and 13 miles long. It consists of two
separate blocks of land connected at their southeast
and northwest corners. They are joined, however, by
a portion of the Glen Canyon NRA that is administra-
tively endorsed for wilderness by the NPS.

• Naturalness

Imprints of man within the WSA include 4 miles of
ways, a fence across Twenty-Five Mile Wash, a
fence above the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch, and a fence

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Ei5

SCORPION WSA

in the Dry Fork below Brimstone Gulch. These im-
prints combined involve about 8 acres (less than 1
percent of the WSA) and are substantially unnotice-
able. The entire WSA is considered to meet natural-
ness standards.

In the Scorpion WSA, the high naturalness quality has
not changed since the BLM Intensive Wilderness Inven-
tory (USDI, BLM, 1980b). No additional imprints have
occurred in the WSA.

• Solitude

The opportunity for solitude is dependent on topo-
graphic screening and combinations of vegetation and
topographic screening. Narrow and winding canyons
(56 miles within the WSA) are the major topographic
influences on the solitude opportunity. Twenty-Five
Mile Wash and its side canyons, the Dry Fork of Coy-
ote Gulch and especially its narrows, and the side can-
yons to the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch, are narrow and
winding canyons that provide opportunities for soli-
tude. Areas containing opportunities for solitude with-
in the WSA aggregate approximately 9,700 acres.
Areas within the WSA that exhibit no opportunity for
solitude include the Big Hollow Wash and Black Ridge
areas southwest of the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch,
Early Weed Bench, and Allen Dump. Approximately 73
percent of the WSA (26,184 acres) lacks outstanding
opportunity for solitude.

The Scorpion Flat area is a relatively flat, undifferen-
tiated, and sparsely vegetated flat extending to the
rim of the Escalante River Canyon. The other factor
identified as possibly contributing to the opportunity
for solitude is the broken topography of the Scorpion
Flat area. The Scorpion Flat landscape consists of
broken patchwork patterns of sand and slickrock.
About 14,700 acres of the Scorpion Flat are within
the WSA. The remainder is within the boundaries of
the Glen Canyon NRA. The terrain exhibits only medi-
ocre topographic screening situations, and provides
little opportunity for solitude.

The Twenty-Five Mile Wash portion of the WSA is a
large slickrock basin. This basin topographical config-
uration enhances the opportunity for visitors to find
isolation and seclusion. The tributaries to the Twenty-
Five Mile Wash and the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch ex-
hibit concentrations of deep slots that are not equaled
elsewhere in the Escalante River drainage. The main
stream channel of Twenty-Five Mile Wash is entrench-
ed and sinuous along its entire length. Thus, all of the

Twenty-Five Mile Wash Canyon exhibits an outstand-
ing opportunity for solitude.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

The WSA offers outstanding opportunities for back-
packing, horseback riding, hiking, sightseeing, and
photography. The outstanding opportunities for prim-
itive and unconfined recreation in the WSA are deriv-
ative of the individual quality of several activities
rather than the presence of a wide spectrum of
activities.

The dayhiking activity is often associated with the
sightseeing and photography activities. The narrow
tributary canyons and intervening slickrock areas of
Twenty-Five Mile Wash; the tributary canyons to the
Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch, such as Spooky Gulch and
Brimstone Gulch; portions of upper Brimstone Gulch;
and various sections of the Dry Fork exhibit some
unique and highly aesthetic landscapes. These canyons
are intriguing and provide challenging photographic
subjects. Because they are so narrow and tortuous,
they are ideal canyons for exploratory hiking.

The backpacking and horseback riding activities occur
in the same areas of the WSA. In most cases, these
two activities are related to overnight or longer trips
into the Glen Canyon NRA where the Escalante River
and Coyote Gulch Canyons are backpacking-horseback
riding destinations. The Twenty-Five Mile Wash Can-
yon provides direct access to the Escalante River.
The Egypt slickrock area provides access to the river
via Fence Canyon from the roadhead at the Allen
Dump promontory. In both cases, the routes through
the WSA possess high quality photographic-sightsee-
ing attributes and the routes themselves provide qual-
ity backpacking-horseback riding experiences. The
tributary canyon to Twenty-Five Mile Wash near the
Glen Canyon NRA in Sections 24 and 25 could be con-
sidered a destination within the WSA for overnight
foot or horseback trips. The other area having out-
standing backpacking-horseback riding activity oppor-
tunity in the WSA occurs in the Dry Fork of Coyote
Gulch. The Dry Fork provides backpacking access to
Coyote Gulch and the Escalante River. As does the
Twenty-Five Mile Wash Canyon, the Dry Fork repre-
sents a quality activity experience, as well as access
to destinations in the NRA.

Sightseeing and photographic activities are of out-
standing quality in the Twenty-Five Mile Wash drain-
age in areas where the backpacking, horseback riding,
and hiking opportunities lack outstanding qualities.

SCORPION WSA

The upper Twenty-Five Mile Wash drainage area ex-
hibits the largest expanse of exposed Navajo Sand-
stone slickrock in the middle Escalante River drain-
age. The sightseeing and photographic opportunities in
the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch are of high quality.

The total acreage providing outstanding opportunities
for primitive and unconfined recreation is approxi-
mately 11,400 acres, while 24,484 acres do not
meet the standard.

• Special Features

The Scorpion WSA contains several landscapes that
possess scenic values that were identified as special
features during the BLM wilderness inventory. These
are landscapes characteristic of the scenic geology of
the Escalante River basin. The aggregate area of scen-
ic special features is about 11,100 acres.

The Twenty-Five Mile Wash Canyon and one tributary
canyon are entrenched and meandering. They are cut
into red Navajo Sandstone and possess a riparian veg-
etative system. These are the ingredients of color
contrast and form which contribute to one of the clas-
sic scenic amenities of the Glen Canyon-Escalante Can-
yon region. The canyon is a typical example of the
western tributary canyons to the Escalante River
from Davis Gulch to Harris Wash.

Twenty-Five Mile Wash is entrenched in a large basin
or bowl below the Alien Dump cliffline and the Early
Weed Bench-Scorpion cliffline. This physiographic
feature is of esthetic value because it is composed
almost entirely of exposed slickrock. It represents
the largest rock exposure of this type on the west
side of the Escalante River below Highway 12. Cer-
tain areas of this slickrock exhibit parallel cracks,
small domes, and winding slots that enhance its scen-
ic value.

The Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch Canyon is an unusual
landscape feature because it is one of the few major
western drainages to the Escalante River lacking ri-
parian vegetation. The Dry Fork landscape consists of
a shallow, winding canyon containing dune areas and
several narrows. The scenic value of the Dry Fork of
Coyote Gulch is enhanced by several extremely nar-
row and tortuous side canyons. Spooky Gulch and
Brimstone Gulch are named examples.

The upper Brimstone Gulch-Cat Pasture area below
Early Weed Bench is a small area with impressive

scenic features. These features include colorful slick-
rock domes, short box canyons, and small buttes.

The WSA has resource values that, although not iden-
tified as such during the wilderness inventory, could
be considered special features. There are two animal
species (peregrine falcon and bald eagle) listed as en-
dangered that may occasionally use the WSA. There
are seven animal species and five plant species that
are considered sensitive which occur, or may occur,
in the WSA. The WSA has a small population of cougar
which is a wildlife species associated with wilderness
(refer to the Vegetation and Wildlife Including Special
Status Species sections for additional information).
Approximately 1 percent of the WSA is rated Class A
for scenic quality. The WSA has approximately 6
miles of perennial streams.

• Diversity

This WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Province Ecore-
gion and has the PNV types juniper-pinyon woodland
and galleta-threeawn shrub steppe (refer to the Veg-
etation Including Special Status Species section for
more discussion on ecoregions and PNV types). The
ecoregion and PNV types represented by this WSA are
compared with existing and other potential National
Wilderness Preservation units in the Wilderness Val-
ues section of Volume I.

This WSA is not within a 5-hour drive from any stand-
ard metropolitan statistical areas.

Air Quality

The Scorpion WSA and surrounding area, including
Glen Canyon NRA, have been designated PSD Class II
air quality as per the 1977 Clean Air Act amend-
ments. Capitol Reef National Park, approximately 15
miles east of the WSA is the nearest PSD Class I
area. BLM will not consider or recommend any change
in air quality classification as part of the wilderness
study or wilderness recommendation. Air quality
reclassification is the prerogative of the State gov-
ernment, not of BLM (USDI, BLM, 1982b).

No measurements of air pollution or visibility levels
have been made in the Escalante planning unit; how-
ever, data collected from various sites (Page, Ari-
zona and Four Mile Bench) indicate the air is generally
free of pollutants and within National Ambient Air
Quality Standards and State regulations. The WSA is
not visible from any high-use areas.

SCORPION WSA

Geology and Topography

The Scorpion WSA is in the Canyonlands section of the
Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province (Thornbury,
1965). Deep canyons are more common in this pro-
vince than any other area of the United States.

Rocks of Jurassic age totalling about 2,000 feet in
thickness and thin deposits of Quaternary Age crop
out in the WSA. The underlying Mesozoic and Paleo-
zoic rocks in the region are more than 4,000 feet
thick (USDI, USGS, 1981a). Crossbedded Navajo Sand-
stone forms the most extensive outcrop. Younger
units are exposed along the western boundary of the
WSA. The dominant structures consist of a north to
south trending syncline and the north to south trend-
ing Collet anticline, the axes of which are located
about 1 mile and 5 miles west of the WSA, respective-
ly.

Elevations in the WSA range from approximately
5,600 feet on a bench in the extreme northern part of
the tract to about 4,400 feet at the bottom of Dry
Fork Coyote Gulch in the southern part of the tract.

The major drainages in the WSA are Twenty-Five
Mile Wash, which extends from west to east through
the northern portion of the tract, and Dry Fork Coy-
ote Gulch, which runs northwest to southeast through
the southern portion of the unit. Numerous other drain-
ages within the area flow into these drainages which,
in turn, flow into the Escalante River east of the
WSA.

Long narrow winding canyons (Spooky Gulch and Brim-
stone Gulch), benches, and flats cutting into Mesozoic
sedimentary rocks are the major landforms in the
area. Twenty-Five Mile Wash is entrenched in a large
basin below the Allen Dump cliffline and the Early
Weed Bench-Scorpion cliffline.

Soils

The major soil associations in the WSA are the light-
colored soils of valleys, terraces, and mesas. They
are deep soils (fine sandy loam) which occur in the
Scorpion Flat area and adjacent to the Dry Fork of
Coyote Gulch. Runoff is medium to rapid and sediment
production is moderate to low (USDI, BLM, 1979d).

Highly erodible soils occur on the western end of the
WSA (approximately 1,450 acres) which is severely
dissected with stream channels. These highly erodible

soils are silt loams that are of moderate depth and
have a high surface runoff and sediment production
(1.0 to 3.0 acre-feet per square mile per year).
Twenty percent of the soil associations consist of
badland and rock outcrop. Outcrops are mainly sand-
stone bedrock. Most erosion problems are due to geo-
logic rather than man-caused erosion.

Rockland areas consist of exposures of bare bedrock,
mostly sandstone and limestone, with gentle to steep
slopes. Rockland areas occur north of Twenty-Five
Mile Wash. The rockland grouping has very little vege-
tation with native vegetation growing in crevices and
pockets of soil.

Sandy deep soils occur along the Dry Fork of Coyote
Gulch. Runoff and sediment production from these
soils are low. Erosion condition was determined by
using soil surface factors as summarized in Table 2
(terms are defined in the Glossary).

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
Classification yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

1,795

5

4,850

Moderate

1.3

26,909

75

34,982

Slight

0.6

0

0

0

Stable

0.3

7.180

ZQ

2.150

Total

35,884

100

41 .982

Sources: USDI, BLM, 1978c and 1979c; Leifeste, 1978.

Soil salinity class estimates indicate that 80 percent
of the WSA is nonsaline with 20 percent moderate in
salinity. Estimated average salinity production is 20
lb of salt per acre per year.

Seeding potential varies from unsuitable on 20 per-
cent of the WSA to poor on 80 percent due to steep
slopes. Areas unsuitable for seeding include rock out-
crops, sandy (droughty) and shallow soils.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

The current major vegetation type in the WSA is
desert shrub (33,094 acres). Dominant species in
this type are juniper, sandsage, Brigham tea, Indian
ricegrass, and sand dropseed. Approximately 2,788
acres of the WSA are primarily slickrock and support
very sparse vegetation. Riparian vegetation (2 acres)
exists along Twenty-Five Mile Wash.

SCORPION WSA

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, the WSA could con-
tain one Category 1 and six Category 2 candidate
species. These are Lepidium montanum var. stellae.
(the Category 1 species), Psoralea pariensis. Lepidi-
um manianum var. naassafi, Corvphantha missourien-
ais. var. marstonii, Heterotheca ionesii. Penstemon
atWQQtiii, and Xvlorhiza cronquistii (see Appendix 4 in
Volume I). The habitat for all of these species extends
beyond the WSA boundary.

The Scorpion WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Pro-
vince Ecoregion as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler eco-
systems map (USDI, 1978a). The PNV types of the
WSA are juniper-pinyon woodland (5,884 acres) and
galleta-threeawn shrub steppe (30,000 acres).

Water Resources

The Scorpion WSA is within the Escalante River sub-
basin of the Upper Colorado River hydrologic subre-
gion.

The WSA contains six undeveloped springs and one
perennial stream (6 miles). Other major drainages in
which water flows intermittently are the Dry Fork of
the Coyote Gulch and Brimstone Gulch. Flash floods
are common in these washes from July through mid-
September during the thunderstorm season.

The water quality standards for Escalante River and
tributaries, from Lake Powell to the confluence with
Boulder Creek, are as follows: Class 2B (protected
for boating, waterskiing, and similar uses), and Class
3C (protected for nongame fish and other aquatic life,
including the necessary aquatic organisms in their
food chain).

Utah's 1986 305(b) water quality assessment report
states streams and tributaries entering Lake Powell
in the southern portions of the upper Colorado River
drainage have impairments to their beneficial uses
from high levels of TDS and sodium. These impair-
ments results mainly from natural sources and low
flows. The most prevalent water quality problem
results from suspended sediment, a direct result of
flooding. Primary water uses are for livestock and
wildlife.

The Scorpion WSA is within the Escalante River Ad-
judication Area 97. The Escalante River and all tribu-
taries are considered to be fully appropriated, and
the underground water directly connected to the sur-
face is closed to appropriation, with the exception of

some limited applications for 0.015 cfs which have
been approved on an individual basis. The State Engi-
neer will accept applications to appropriate water
from the underground aquifer located in bedrock and
consider them on the individual merits of the applica-
tions (UDNRE, DWR, 1988).

Water rights within the WSA boundaries total 103.94
acre-feet annually. This water is allocated to the BLM
for livestock watering. No water rights in the WSA
have been allocated to individuals or the State of Utah
(UDNRE, DWR, 1969).

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Scorpion WSA is given in Table 3. Refer to Append-
ix 5 in Volume I for a description of the energy and
mineral rating system.

There are no strategic or critical minerals known to
occur within the WSA (USDoD, 1988).

• Leasable Minerals

There are no known deposits of any leasable minerals
in the WSA. Currently, there are no active drilling,
mining, or exploration activities for leasable miner-
als.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Rating

Resource

Favorability* Certainty^

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

f 2

Cl

Less than 10 million barrels of
oil; less than 60 billion cubic-
feet of gas

Uranium

f 2

cl

Less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide

Source: SAI, 1982; USDI. BLM, 1987.

aFavcrability of the WSA's geologic environment for a resource (f 1 - lowest
favorability or smallest size deposit; f4 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

t>The degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

• Oil and Gas

Numerous oil shows (including oil-impregnated
rock deposits) have been reported from Cam-
brian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian,
Permian, and Triassic rocks in south-central
Utah (Heylmun, et al., 1965; Veal, 1976; and

1 4

SCORPION WSA

Campbell and Ritzma, 1979). The older rocks gen-
erally are only stained, whereas free oil has been
recovered from Mississippian rocks at Upper Val-
ley (Doelling, 1975). Because the most obvious
structures in the area have already been explor-
ed, many investigators considered subtle strati-
graphic traps in Permian and Triassic rocks to off-
er the best potential for future petroleum discov-
eries.

The only oil and gas production in south-central
Utah in the vicinity of the WSA comes from the
Upper Valley field located 20 miles to the north-
west. This field was discovered on the Upper Val-
ley anticline in 1964 and stimulated drilling activ-
ity on similar anticlinal structures in south-
central Utah. To date, however, no commercial oil
and gas potential has been identified in the WSA.

The oil reservoir is located along the prominent
Upper Valley anticline, but the producing area is
offset from the crest of the anticline to the west
flank and the southern plunging nose. This offset
is due to a regional, south-west directed hydrody-
namic drive in the Kaibab Formation (Sharp,
1976). Oil accumulation in other anticlines within
the region may be displaced to the south. Total
production from this field is expected to approach
50 million barrels. Production is from four dis-
tinct zones in the Timpoweap Formation (Triassic
age) and the Kaibab Formation (Permian age)
(Sharp, 1976). Shows of oil were also reported in
the Cedar Mesa (Permian) and the Redwall Forma-
tion (Mississippian).

Numerous wells have been drilled in the vicinity
of the WSA on the Collet anticline to the north-
west and the Rees Canyon anticline to the south-
west. In all, a total of 15 wells have been drilled
4 to 12 miles from the WSA, eight of which are
associated with these two structures. Two of
these eight wells had slight oil stains reported in
the Cedar Mesa Formation, one on each anticline.
The other seven wells do not appear to be associ-
ated with obvious structural traps. Of these
wells, two had dead oil stains in the Cedar Mesa
and two had similar shows in the Kaibab Forma-
tion.

Based on this discussion, the WSA is assigned an
oil and gas favorability rating of (f2). The size of
the hydrocarbon accumulation in such an environ-
ment is anticipated to be less than 10 million bar-
rels of oil or less than 60 billion cubic-feet of

gas. Based on the available information, the cer-
tainty of occurrence for oil and gas is rated very
low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, all 35,884 acres
of the WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions). There are presently no oil and gas leases
in the WSA.

• Coal

The WSA is a few miles east of the Kaiparowits
Plateau coal field. All coal-bearing rocks in this
field, as well as all other fields in southern Utah,
are of Cretaceous age (Doelling and Graham,
1972). Since the WSA is entirely underlain by
rocks of pre-Cretaceous age, there is no poten-
tial for coal resources in the WSA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in

the WSA, and there are no mining claims in the WSA.

• Uranium

The Triassic Chinle Formation, the only rock unit
underlying the WSA known to have potential for
uranium, lies at depths in excess of 1,000 feet.
Within the WSA, only about 1,800 acres or 5 per-
cent of the WSA is considered favorable for "sig-
nificant" uranium deposits in the vicinity of the
WSA. The term significant is defined as an eco-
nomically extractable uranium deposit that con-
tains a total of at least 100 metric tons of urani-
um oxide at a grade of at least 0.01 percent
(Peterson, et al., 1982), . The criteria used to
judge the favorability of the area included: (1)
the distribution of potential host rocks, which is
inferred from the distribution of sandstone-to-
mudstone ratios; and (2) the distribution of po-
tential uranium source rocks, the Petrified For-
est Member of the Chinle Formation.

On the basis of these criteria, the Chinle Forma-
tion underlying about 1,800 acres along the east-
ern portion of the WSA is favorable for one or
more significant uranium deposits in the Shina-
rump Member (Peterson, et al., 1982). These
rocks are nearly always in contact with the un-
derlying more impermeable mudstone and silt-
stones of the Moenkopi Formation.

SCORPION WSA

The area in which the WSA is located is not fav-
orable for uranium mineralization and recovery
(USDI, USBM, 1986c).

On the basis of the discussion above, the WSA is
assigned a uranium favorability rating of (f2)
(containing less than 500 metric-tons of uranium
oxide). The certainty that uranium deposits occur
in the Chinle Formation in the WSA is very low
(cl).

• Gypsum

A small gypsum deposit of unknown quality and
quantity outcrops in the northeastern portion of
the WSA. This deposit is in the Carmel Formation
and is inferred to occur over a large area outside
the WSA.

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the tract.
Sandstone, suitable for industrial uses, also occurs
(USDI, USBM, 1986c). These deposits are not unique
or economically significant due to the presence of
ample similar materials outside the WSA.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

The Scorpion WSA has habitat that could support
approximately 50 species of mammals, 170 species
of birds, 17 species of reptiles, and five species of
amphibians. Birds are mainly seasonal residents or
migrants while the other species are primarily resi-
dents.

The WSA provides yearlong range for mule deer; how-
ever, deer populations are extremely low. Riparian
areas are the most important use areas for the resi-
dent population.

Cougar are present throughout the WSA in small num-
bers. A few may be resident, but the majority are
winter visitors. Cougars occur in the pinyon-juniper
and riparian habitats, as well as rocky and cliff
areas, usually in close proximity to areas occupied
by mule deer.

Two endangered species, peregrine falcon (Falco per-
egrinus) and bald eagle l Haliaeetus leucocephalus),
are rare migrants and possibly winter visitors of the
WSA. A peregrine falcon was seen along the Escalante
River above Harris Wash in Glen Canyon NRA during

April 1978. Bald eagles commonly winter on Lake
Powell at the mouth of the Escalante River and may
occasionally move up the river in the WSA.

At least seven other raptors are known to nest in the
WSA, including the golden eagle (a BLM sensitive spe-
cies), but only the American kestrel could be consid-
ered common. The UDWR list of sensitive species in-
cludes two species that occur occasionally within the
WSA (Lewis woodpecker and western bluebird). There
are also six Category 2 candidate species that could
inhabit the WSA as follows: Great Basin Silverspot
butterfly, ferruginous hawk, long-billed curlew,
southern spotted owl, Swainson's hawk, and white-
faced ibis (see Appendix 4 in Volume I).

No critical habitat has been identified in the WSA. No
wildlife habitat plans or wildlife projects have been
developed within the WSA and none have been pro-
posed.

Forest Resources

No significant forest resources occur in the WSA. The
entire WSA is open to the collection of fuelwood, but,
due to the remoteness of the area and sparse vegeta-
tion, current use is nonexistent and no use is expect-
ed in the foreseeable future.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The WSA encompasses portions of five livestock graz-
ing (cattle) allotments. Table 4 summarizes livestock
use and the existing and proposed range improve-
ments in the WSA. There are no wild horses or burros
within the WSA.

Visual Resources

According to the BLM visual resource inventory,
approximately 400 acres of the WSA are Class A,
29,384 acres are Class B, and 6,100 acres are Class
C scenery. VRM class ratings within the WSA are:
Class II on 7,700 acres; Class III on 3,200 acres; and
Class IV on 24,984 acres (refer to Appendix 7 in
Volume I for more detail on the BLM VRM system). In
the Glen Canyon NRA wilderness proposal, the NFS
assigned a Value Class of I (highest) to Twenty-Five
Mile Wash. A Value Class of III (next to lowest) was
assigned to the NRA portion of the Scorpion. For a
discussion of the scenic values in the WSA (refer to
Special Features in the Wilderness Values section).

SCORPION WSA

Cultural Resources

A total of 20 archaeological sites have been recorded
in the WSA (USDI, BLM, 1988a). Over half of these
are pre-historic surface lithic scatters located on
eolian deposits. Three of the lithic scatters also con-
tain ceramics and the sherds in one site have been
attributed to Kayenta Anasazi occupation. There are
three rockshelter sites recorded in the unit. None of
these contain any structural features, but one has
been attributed to Fremont occupation. Most of the
sites are located in the northern and southwestern
portions of the WSA. Of the sites that have been eval-
uated for National Register of Historic Places eligibil-
ity, none are considered to be significant. No historic
sites have been recorded in the unit.

Parts of four 160-acre quadrants constituting approx-
imately 1.8 percent (646 acres) of the unit have been
intensively inventoried (USDI, BLM, 1978a). A total
of six sites were recorded within the boundaries of
the unit. Using these data, an average site density of
approximately 216 sites per 23,000 acres was com-
puted. This is substantially lower than the site densi-
ty of 397 sites per 23,000 acres computed for the
region (Escalante planning unit) as a whole (USDI,
BLM, 1978a). This inventory was not designed for
the WSA specifically, thus, statistics based on it may
be unreliable. However, the potential for finding addi-
tional sites in the unit are probably good. Most of
these would probably be small lithic scatters, but
additional rockshelters or Fremont and Anasazi sites
are also likely to be found.

Recreation

The entire WSA is open to ORV use. Present ORV use
of the WSA is essentially nonexistent (25 visitor
days per year). The Escalante MFP recommends the
closure of 780 acres in the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch
and 960 acres in Twenty-Five Mile Wash if it be-
comes necessary to protect these canyons.

The current nonmotorized use of the WSA is also low.
Most of this use is associated with the Dry Fork of
Coyote Gulch and Twenty-Five Mile Wash drainages
which provide access to the Escalante River in the
Glen Canyon NRA. Trailheads for these access routes
are located at the intersection of the Dry Fork of Coy-
ote Gulch and the Hole-in-the-Rock road and at the
Coyote Gulch and the Hole-in-the-Rock Road and at
the intersection of the Egypt Road and Twenty-Five
Mile Wash. The NPS has indicated it would be desire-
able to designate these canyons as nonwilderness cor-
ridors. NPS has proposed exchanges with BLM for
establishing trailheads at these canyon entrances to
the Escalante River. The proposal does not envision
these additions as wilderness, but rather as recrea-
tion and resource utilization zones where necessary
development might take place (USDI, NPS, 1979).

Two other trailheads and access routes to the Esca-
lante River are located at the WSA. Sites for these
trailheads would be within setbacks along the normal
wilderness boundary roads of cherry-stemmed roads
in the WSA. A trailhead at the terminus of the Egypt
Road leads to the Escalante River via Fence Canyon.

Table 4

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in WSA

Total

AUMs

Number
of AUMs
in WSA

Number and
Kind of
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

Lower Cattle

72,611

25,354

4,101

2,112

983 Cattle

10/01-04/1 5

7

Upper Cattle

63,658

2,492

4,734

196

631 Cattle

11/01-06/15

3

40 Mile

56,381

2,024

4,155

202

599 Cattle

11/01-06/1 5

6

Escalante River

67,891

3,684

2,956

123

364 Cattle

09/01-03/31

1

Black Ridge

9,917

2,330

845

233

141 Cattle

10/15-04/15

1

Total

270,458

35,884

16,791

2,866

18

1 7

Sources: BLM File Data.

SCORPION WSA

Approximately a 0.25 mile of this route within the
WSA has been cherry-stemmed. The Early Weed
Bench cherry-stem also is used to provide access to
Scorpion Gulch and Fools Canyon in Glen Canyon NRA.
The access routes are across the Scorpion Flat area
of the WSA. It is estimated that the WSA receives
175 visitor days per year. ORV use accounts for 25
visitor days and back country use accounts for 150
visitor days.

If primitive recreation use levels do increase within
the WSA, most of the use would probably involve the
WSA's access routes to Escalante River destinations
in the Glen Canyon NRA. Some increase in day use of
the short slot canyons at the head of the Dry Fork
such as Spooky Gulch can also be expected. How-
ever, use of the remainder of the WSA as a desti-
nation backpacking area will probably continue to re-
main low.

Land Use Plans

Federal lands in the WSA are being managed according
to the land use decisions of the Escalante MFP (USDI,
BLM, 1 981 d). Principle uses are recreation and graz-
ing. Wilderness is not addressed in the Escalante MFP.
However, wilderness designation is part of the BLM
multiple-use concept. The BLM land use plan is linked
to the Statewide Wilderness EIS through analysis of
the present plan as the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative.

Two sections of State land (1,280 acres) are enclos-
ed within the boundaries of the WSA. There are no
rights-of-way within the WSA nor are there private
lands (surface or subsurface) within the WSA.

The current policy of the State is to maximize eco-
nomic returns from State lands and to reserve its
position regarding the exchange of in-held lands (see
Chapter 1 in Volume I). In 1986, the Utah State Legis-
lature passed S.C.R. No. 1 opposing any additional wil-
derness designation in Utah and urging that State
lands not be exchanged out of wilderness areas. Both
in-held State sections are under grazing permits, and
grazing is the only current activity on these lands.

The General Management Plan for Glen Canyon NRA
(USDI, NPS, 1979) identifies the area adjacent to the
WSA as a natural zone. The natural zone includes the
recreation area's outstanding scenic resources, rela-
tively undisturbed areas isolated and remote from the
activities of man, and areas bordering on places with
established land use practices complementary to

those of the natural zone. This natural zone is precise-
ly congruent with the NPS wilderness recommenda-
tion (USDI, NPS, 1979). The Glen Canyon NRA Manage-
ment Plan also proposes a boundary adjustment with
the BLM to add land in Twenty-Five Mile Wash and
Coyote Gulch to the NRA for use as an access corri-
dor. The NPS proposes this addition as a recreation
and resource utilization zone where necessary devel-
opment might take place.

The WSA is in Garfield and Kane Counties. The Gar-
field County Master Plan covers portions of this
WSA. The Master Plan recognizes that the county
possesses "... Some of the most spectacular scen-
ery in the United States . . . The County is sparsely
populated and most of it is in its original pristine con-
dition." (Five County Association of Governments,
1984) The master plan recommends that the 38,884
acres in the WSA be retained for multiple uses. The
plan's concept of multiple use includes forestry, live-
stock grazing, mining, wildlife, and recreation.

The Kane County Master Plan (Kane County Board of
Commissioners, 1982) identifies the land in the WSA
as open range. Kane County's Master Plan is opposed
to all wilderness designation. Both the Kane and Gar-
field County Commissions have endorsed the Consoli-
dated Local Government Response to Wilderness (Utah
Counties, 1986), that opposes wilderness designation
of BLM lands in Utah.

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The Scorpion WSA is located in both Garfield and Kane
Counties, Utah. The primary area of economic impact
is identified as Garfield County, Utah. Within this re-
gion, expected impacts would be focused within the
municipality of Escalante, which is located approxi-
mately 25 road miles north of the WSA.

Garfield and Kane are rural counties having average
population densities of less than one person per
square mile. This density is very low when compared
to the Statewide average of 17 persons per square
mile (USDC, Bureau of the Census, 1981). Much of
the population in these counties is concentrated in
small communities rather than being evenly distri-
buted throughout the area.

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Garfield County
grew from 3,157 to 3,700, an overall increase of
about 17 percent. Table 5 presents the baseline and

SCORPION WSA

project population data for Garfield County. It is esti-
mated that between 1980 and 1987 population in-
creased to about 4,085. Population projections indi-
cate that the number of people living in Garfield Coun-
ty in the year 2010 will be about 4,850 for about a
19-percent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of
Planning and Budget, 1987).

Table 5

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Garfield and Kane Counties

1980

1990

2000

2010

Garfield

Population

3.700

4,250

4,350

4,850

Employment

2,156

2,000

2,200

3,200

Kane

Population

4.050

5,250

5,750

6,950

Employment

1,403

1,900

2,300

2,900

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Kane County
grew from 2,421 to 4,050, an overall increase of
about 67 percent. Table 5 presents the baseline and
projected population data for Kane County. It is esti-
mated that between 1980 and 1987 population in-
creased to about 4,890. Population projections indi-
cate that the number of people living in Kane County
in the year 2010 will be about 6,950 for about a 72-
percent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of
Planning and Budget, 1987).

• Employment

Table 5 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Garfield and Kane Counties to the year
2010.

Garfield and Kane Counties are part of the Southwest
MCD. Table 6 shows the baseline (1980) and project-
ed employment by source for MCD to the year 2010.
In 1980 the leading employment sectors for the South-
west MCD were government (23 percent), trade (20
percent), and nonfarm proprietors (12 percent). Min-
ing provided approximately 2 percent of the direct
employment in the MCD.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 5 percent, government to
18 percent, and mining to less than 1 percent of the
total MCD employment.

Table 6

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment •

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

1 1,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

■Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron,

Kane, and Washington Counties.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the WSA include live-

stock production and

recreation. Table

7 summarizes

local sales and Federal revenues from the WSA.

Appendix 9 in Volume

1 identifies the multipliers used

to estimate sales and

revenues.

Table 7

Sales and Revenues

Estimated Annual

Estimated Annual

Source

Local Sales*

Federal Revenues

Livestock Grazing

$57,320

$4,414

Recreational Use

Jl.

_21fl

Q

Total

$58,038

$4,414

Sources: BLM File Data; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

■Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account for the
total income that would be generated by these expenditures.

No oil and gas or minerals have been produced in the
WSA. Therefore, mineral and energy resource pro-
duction from the WSA has not contributed to local
employment or income.

Eighteen livestock operators have a total estimated
grazing privilege of 2,866 AUMs within the WSA. If
all this forage were utilized, it would account for
$57,320 of livestock sales and $14,330 of ranchers'
returns to labor and investment.

The WSA’s motorized and nonmotorized recreational
use is low. Related local expenditures are low and
insignificant to both the local economy and individual
businesses. The actual amount of income generated
locally from recreational use in the WSA is unknown.

SCORPION WSA

However, an approximate range of expenditures can
be deduced (Dalton, 1982). This study indicates that
the Statewide average local expenditures per recre-
ational visitor day for all types of recreation in Utah
are approximately $4.10. The recreational use for
the Scorpion WSA is estimated to be about 175 visi-
tor days per year.

The WSA generates Federal revenues from livestock
grazing (refer to Table 7). There are no oil and gas
leases in the WSA.

Average actual livestock use and, therefore, reve-
nues generated from grazing in the WSA, are un-
known; however, the permittees in the WSA can use
up to 2,866 AUMs per year. Based on a $1.54 per
AUM grazing fee, the WSA can potentially generate
$4,414 of grazing fee revenues annually, 50 percent
of which would be allocated back to the local BLM Dis-
trict for the construction of rangeland improvements.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. The analy-
sis is based on the BLM management actions and anti-
cipated activities presented in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B and the Description of the Alternatives for
the Scorpion WSA.

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the WSA
would be somewhat protected by limitations placed on
potential surface-disturbing activities (i.e., VRM
Class II management on 7,700 acres).

In the foreseeable future, disturbance of approximate-
ly 4 acres from development of rangeland projects
would result in a direct reduction in the quality of nat-
uralness and opportunities for solitude and primitive,
unconfined recreation in the disturbed areas until rec-
lamation is complete. Special features including scen-
ic features, Class A scenery, endangered and sensi-
tive species, wildlife associated with wilderness, and
perennial water would not be significantly affected
because the disturbance would be minor involving

only 0.01 percent of the WSA, and the disturbance
would not be located where the special features are
located. In addition, appropriate measures would be
taken to protect endangered and sensitive species
prior to any surface-disturbing activity. Any nega-
tive impacts to these species would not be significant.

Because of the area’s remoteness and because the
Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch and Twenty-Five Mile Wash
which are likely recipients of any such use would be
closed to ORV activity if necessary to protect these
canyons, no additional disturbance from ORV activity
is anticipated in the future. The continued and increas-
ed use of 4 miles of existing ways would occasionally
detract from opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation.

The increased visitor use that would occur over time
would not be expected to significantly reduce wilder-
ness values because the additional use would be large-
ly primitive in nature and the WSA in conjunction
with contiguous lands is large enough to incorporate
the additional use adequately.

The degree that disturbance would occur over the
long term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wil-
derness values that would occur, is not accurately
known. Loss would occur as intrusions increase.

This alternative would not complement the NPS pro-
posal for wilderness designation and management of
contiguous NRA lands. However, portions of Twenty-
Five Mile Wash and Coyote Gulch in the WSA could be
considered for use as an access corridor to the park
wilderness with development.

Conclusion: In the foreseeable future, naturalness and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
would be reduced in quality on 4 acres of the WSA.
Special features would not be significantly affected.

All Wilderness Alternative (35,884 Acres)

/

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 35,884 acres as
wilderness would contribute to the preservation of
the wilderness values in the Scorpion WSA. The poten-
tial for surface-disturbing activities would be reduc-
ed through closure of the entire area to future miner-
al leasing and location and to ORV use, and through
management of the area as VRM Class I which allows
for only natural ecological change. Naturalness would
be preserved on all 35,884 acres. Solitude would be

20

SCORPION WSA

preserved on approximately 9,700 acres that meet
and 26,184 acres that do not meet the standards for
outstanding opportunities. Primitive and unconfined
recreation would be protected on approximately
1 1 ,400 acres that meet and 24,484 acres that do not
meet the standards for outstanding opportunities. Re-
sources that could be considered as special features
in the WSA, including scenic features, Class A scen-
ery, special status species, wildlife associated with
wilderness, and perennial streams, would also be
protected.

In the foreseeable future, disturbance of up to 4
acres is anticipated from development of rangeland
projects. Wilderness values of naturalness and oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive recreation would
be reduced in quality on the disturbed areas until
activities and noise cease and reclamation is com-
plete. Special features would not be affected because
the disturbance would only involve about 0.01 per-
cent of the WSA, and the disturbance would not be
located where the special features are. Appropriate
measures would be taken to protect endangered and
sensitive species prior to any surface-disturbing
activity, and no significant negative impact would
occur to these species. Rangeland projects would be
designed to meet wilderness management criteria and
upon completion would not be substantially noticeable
in the area as a whole.

Vehicular use of existing ways would cease with ORV
closure, improving opportunities for solitude and
primitive recreation.

Increased visitor use that would occur with time
would be primitive in nature and would be managed so
as to not result in the loss of wilderness values.

This alternative would complement and enhance the
NPS proposal for wilderness designation and manage-
ment of contiguous NRA lands. However, development
related to providing access to the proposed contigu-
ous NPS Wilderness may not be allowed.

Conclusion: Wilderness designation would preserve
wilderness values in the WSA. In the foreseeable fu-
ture, wilderness values would be reduced in quality
on 4 acres of the WSA, but wilderness management
criteria would be met.

Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action) (14,978 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Wilderness designation of 14,978 acres would contrib-
ute to preservation of the area’s wilderness values.
Wilderness values would be preserved over the long
term in the designated area. Protection in the desig-
nated area would include management under VRM
Class I which generally allows for only natural ecolog-
ical change, ORV closure including closure of 1 mile of
way, and closure to future mineral leasing and loca-
tion. Naturalness, opportunities for solitude, including
7,300 acres that meet and 7,678 acres that do not
meet the standards for outstanding, primitive recrea-
tion including 7,300 acres that meet and 7,678 acres
that do not meet the standards of outstanding, and
most special features are in this portion of the WSA
and would be protected.

In the foreseeable future, reduction in the quality of
naturalness and opportunities for solitude and primi-
tive recreation due to surface disturbance from devel-
opment of rangeland projects would occur on up to 4
acres within the nondesignated portion until reclama-
tion is complete. Special features would be unaffected
because disturbance would involve only 0.01 percent
(4 acres) of the WSA and development is not expected
in areas where special features are located. In addi-
tion, appropriate measures would be taken to protect
endangered and sensitive species prior to any surface-
disturbing activity, and any negative impact that
would occur to these species would not be significant.

Elimination of ORV use in the designated area would
slightly improve opportunities for solitude and prim-
itive recreation overall in the WSA, although vehicu-
lar use of 3 miles of ways in the nondesignated area
would continue to detract from these opportunities
during the period of activity.

The degree that disturbance would occur over the
long term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wil-
derness values that would occur, is not accurately
known.

This alternative would complement and enhance in
part the NPS proposal for wilderness designation and
management of the contiguous NRA lands. However,
developments related to access to the proposed NPS
Wilderness may not be allowed.

21

SCORPION WSA

Conclusion: Wilderness values would be preserved
overall in the designated area which is approximately
42 percent of the WSA. In the foreseeable future, nat-
uralness and opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation would be reduced in quality on 4 acres of
the WSA.

22

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA COMPLEX

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 3

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated From Detailed Study 3

Alternatives Analyzed 3

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 3

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 5

Summary of Environmental Consequences 5

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 5

Wilderness Values 8

Air Quality 8

Geology and Topography 9

Soils 9

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 9

Water Resources 9

Mineral and Energy Resources 10

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 11

Forest Resources 11

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 11

Visual Resources 11

Cultural Resources 12

Recreation 12

Land Use Plans 12

Socioeconomics 12

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 14

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 14

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 15

i

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA contains 760
acres of BLM-administered land. It is located in Kane
County, approximately 41 miles from Escalante,
Utah, and is adjacent to the Glen Canyon NRA. The ISA
includes the entire 320 acres of the disjunct tract of
the Escalante Canyons ONA and 440 acres of contigu-
ous public land. There are no State or private lands
within the boundaries of the ISA. The ISA is managed
by the BLM Cedar City District, Escalante Resource
Area Office.

Coyote Gulch is a major drainage that passes through
the tract. It flows through the ISA from west to east
and drains into the Escalante River. Sheer sandstone
cliffs surround Coyote Gulch while the southern por-
tion of the ISA has more gentle topography sloping
toward Coyote Gulch. Vegetation is characterized by
a variety of desert shrubs.

The climate is arid with annual precipitation averag-
ing about 10 inches. From June through early Septem-
ber, convection-type thunderstorms advance from
the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico and south-
ern California. Frontal-type cyclonic storms out of
the northwest move over the area from October
through June. The highest precipitation rates occur
primarily from November through March.

Summer temperatures in Escalante, Utah, range from
approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit (F) with highs
in the upper 90s and lows in the mid 50s. Winters in
Escalante, Utah, have a temperature range from
about 27 degrees F with highs in the low 40s and lows
about 15 degrees F. Snowfall in Escalante averages
28 inches and begins in October or November and ends
in March or April.

Changes for the Final EIS

In addition to the changes noted in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B, the surface disturbance estimate pre-
sented in the Draft EIS has changed for the Final EIS.
The anticipated surface disturbance presented in the
Draft EIS (20 acres) was based on the assumption
that all mineral and other resources potentially with-
in the WSA would be developed sometime in the future
without consideration of technical or economic feasi-
bility. In response to public comments relative to the

feasibility of developments, the disturbance esti-
mates have been revised to focus on activities pro-
jected to be feasible within the foreseeable future
(see Appendix 6 in Volume I). This resulted in a reduc-
tion of surface disturbance estimates from the 20
acres reported in the Draft EIS to no acres of surface
disturbance for the Final EIS.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B (i.e., impacts on air quality, geology and to-
pography, water rights, and land use plans and poli-
cies), impacts on soils, vegetation including special
status species, wildlife habitat, and visual resources
are not analyzed in detail in the Final EIS. This is be-
cause impacts to these resources would not be signifi-
cant because no surface disturbance is projected in
the ISA in the foreseeable future. Water resources,
mineral resources, wildlife including special status
species, forest resources, livestock, cultural re-
sources, recreation, and economic conditions are also
not analyzed in detail in the Final EIS. Impacts to
these values have been determined to be insignificant
for reasons described below.

1. Water Resources: The public is concerned that wil-
derness designation would interfere with water uses
and quality. There are no perennial streams in the
ISA. No developments are projected for the foresee-
able future. Therefore, the potential effects of wilder-
ness designation on water uses and quality are insig-
nificant for the ISA and they are not discussed in de-
tail in the Final EIS.

2. Mineral Resources: The public has expressed con-
cern that wilderness designation would interfere with
or prevent mineral exploration, development, and pro-
duction.

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP

1

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

There are no oil and gas leases within the ISA. Poten-
tial oil and gas deposits are small with a very low cer-
tainty that they exist.

There are no mining claims in the ISA. The projected
uranium and other locatable mineral deposits are
small and/or could not be economically developed in
the foreseeable future (see Appendix 6 in Volume I).
More accessible deposits of salable minerals exist
outside the ISA. For these reasons, mineral explora-
tion or development would not occur in the foresee-
able future with or without wilderness designation.
Therefore, impacts on mineral and energy exploration
and production are not analyzed in detail in the Final
EIS.

3. Wildlife Including Special Status Species: The pub-
lic is concerned that, without wilderness designation,
mineral or other developments would destroy wildlife
habitat and lead to reductions in wildlife populations.
They are also concerned that the use of ORVs would
disturb wildlife and destroy habitat for a variety of
animal species. Wildlife populations are low and no
one species can be described as abundant. Two endan-
gered and one sensitive species may be found in the
ISA. Because no mineral development is expected in
the ISA in the foreseeable future, wildlife habitats
would not be lost. Rough terrain and lack of access
generally prevent the use of ORVs. Recreation use
(estimated at 155 visitor days per year) is mainly
primitive. Given these conditions, potential impacts
on wildlife habitat and populations are not significant
issues for the Final EIS.

4. Forest Resources: There are no forest resources
in the ISA; therefore, impacts on forest resources
are not significant issues for analysis in the Final EIS.

5. Livestock: The public is concerned that wilderness
designation would interfere with livestock manage-
ment by placing restrictions on access for mainte-
nance of existing range improvements, moving of live-
stock, and by preventing future range improvements.
Restrictions would be placed on predator control, and
livestock losses could increase in both the wilderness
area and on adjacent lands. The ISA comprises a por-
tion of two grazing allotments, utilized by 1 1 ranch-
ers. Three hundred and twenty acres of the area are
closed to motorized vehicles. There are no ways or
roads and no present or proposed range develop-
ments. Predators have not been controlled in the area
for several years. For these reasons, impacts on
livestock management are not significant issues for
the ISA.

6. Cultural Resources: Cultural resources could be
destroyed by surface-disturbing projects, use of
vehicles, or vandalism. However, no cultural re-
source sites have been recorded in the ISA. No min-
eral-related surface disturbance is projected. Visi-
tation is light (155 visitor days per year) and mainly
primitive. Rough terrain and lack of access generally
prevent vehicle use inside the ISA. Additionally, in-
ventories for the purpose of site recordation and mit-
igation of impacts would take place prior to any sur-
face disturbance in the future. Given these conditions,
impacts on cultural resources are not significant is-
sues for the ISA.

7. Recreation: The public has expressed concern that
wilderness designation would change recreational use
from motorized to primitive or, conversely, that
without wilderness designation motorized recreation
will eliminate or reduce opportunities for primitive
recreation. Recreational use of the ISA is light (esti-
mated at 155 visitor days per year), primitive, and
would remain primitive with or without wilderness
designation due to the rough terrain of the ISA and
limited access. Therefore, impacts on recreation use
would not be significant and they are not analyzed in
detail in the Final EIS.

8. Economic Conditions: The public, including the
State and local governments, is concerned that wilder-
ness designation would preclude mineral or other eco-
nomic developments and adversely affect local eco-
nomic conditions. Others believe that primitive recre-
ation use would increase following wilderness designa-
tion and would contribute to the local economy.

There are no existing or anticipated mineral develop-
ments or proposals for lands or realty activities
which would be impaired with or without wilderness
designation. Because no economic developments are
expected and because recreational use is only 155
visitor days per year, potential impacts on economic
conditions are not significant issues for the Final EIS.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The only issue analyzed for the ISA is impacts on the
wilderness values of naturalness, opportunities for
solitude and primitive recreation, and special fea-
tures.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the inadequacies of
the BLM wilderness inventory, support for the Wilder-
ness Coalition Alternative, the need to protect Coyote

2

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

Gulch, and BLM's assessment of wilderness values.
See Volume Vll-B for responses to general comments
applicable to all WSAs and/or the Statewide analysis
and Volume Vll-C, Section 34, for responses to specif-
ic comments about the Escalante Canyons Tract 5
ISA.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
From Detailed Study

In addition to the alternatives analyzed in detail, two
alternatives were suggested during scoping. Both
were considered and eliminated from detailed study.

One suggestion was for a partial alternative that
would have no resource conflicts. Due to the small
size of the ISA, a partial alternative would not be
meaningful. A determination has been made that the
entire 760-acre ISA would not be a viable indepen-
dent candidate for designation as wilderness if Con-
gress does not designate contiguous Federal land in
the Glen Canyon NRA.

The other alternative suggested was the transfer of
the ISA from BLM to NPS administration. Such an
action would be pursued independent of the wilderness
study process and, therefore, is not addressed fur-
ther in this document.

An alternative of 4,400 acres that would add 3,640
acres of Federal lands south of the ISA was suggested
in the public comments. This alternative is not ana-
lyzed because these lands were dropped from study
during the inventory phase (refer to Volume Vll-B,
General Comment Response 3.1) due to a lack of man-
datory wilderness characteristics.

Alternatives Analyzed

Two alternatives are analyzed for this ISA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness; and (2) All Wilderness (Pro-
posed Action) (760 acres). A description of each
alternative follows. Where management intentions
have not been clearly identified, assumptions are
made based on management projections under each
alternative. These assumptions are indicated in each
case. The assumed management actions presented in
the Introduction to Volume lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 760-acre ISA would
be designated by Congress as part of the NWPS.
Although BLM's land use plans are regularly updated,
it is assumed, for this analysis, that the area would
continue to be managed in accordance with the Esca-
lante MFP (USDI, BLM, 1 981 d). There are no State or
private lands within or adjacent to the ISA. The Glen
Canyon NRA, administered by the NPS, borders the
ISA on two sides (refer to Map 1).

• Management Conditions and Constraints

The 760 acres in the ISA would be open to mineral
location, and development work, extraction, and
patenting would be allowed. Development would be
regulated by unnecessary or undue degradation
guidelines (43 CFR 3809) without concern for wil-
derness values. There are no leases in the ISA. Fu-
ture oil and gas leases could be issued and develop-
ed under Category 1 (standard stipulations) on all
760 acres.

Although minerals would be managed as describ-
ed, mineral exploration and development are not
anticipated because the level of known resources
and the probability of their development are too
low to support a development assumption. Append-
ix 6 in Volume I explains the mineral exploration
and development assumptions. Also, see the
Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail
section.

The present estimated 55 AUMs allocated for
domestic livestock grazing use in the ISA would
continue as authorized. There are no rangeland
developments in the ISA and none are proposed.

It is assumed that because of the unique scenic
values and natural wonders for which 320 acres
of this area was designated as Escalante Canyons
ONA, the ONA designation and accompanying man-
agement actions would continue.

The ONA portion (320 acres) would continue to be
closed to ORV use and the balance of the ISA (440
acres) would remain open to ORV use. ORV use is
not expected because of lack of access and rough
terrain.

3

The entire ISA would continue to be closed to
woodland product harvest because no forest
resources occur in the ISA.

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

4

R. 7 E.

R. 8 E.

^TO>

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

The ONA portion (320 acres) would continue to be
managed as VRM Class I, while the remaining acre-
age would be managed as VRM Class III on 220
acres and VRM Class IV on 220 acres.

• Action Scenario

It is projected that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would not re-
sult in any surface-disturbing activities in the
foreseeable future. No locatable or leasable miner-
al resource exploration or development is antici-
pated. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed
projects, or other developments are planned, nor
is any ORV use projected. Recreation use in the
foreseeable future would be primitive in nature
and would increase over the current estimated
use of 155 annual visitor days at a rate of 2 to 7
percent per year.

• All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action)

With the All Wilderness Alternative, all 760 acres of
the ISA would be designated by an act of Congress as
part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). It would be manag-
ed in accordance with the BLM Wilderness Manage-
ment Policy (BLM Manual 8560) to preserve its wil-
derness character. There are no State lands within or
adjacent to the ISA. The figures and acreages given
are for Federal lands only. No private or split-estate
lands are located in or adjacent to the ISA.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 760 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale. There are
no claims or leases existing in the ISA. Mining-
related development work, extraction, and paten-
ting would be allowed on any new mining claims
located prior to wilderness designation. However,
because of low resource potential, new mining
claims and related developments are not expect-
ed. No oil and gas leases or other mineral leases
would be issued. Therefore, leasable minerals
would not be developed following wilderness
designation.

Present domestic livestock grazing would be
allowed to continue as authorized. The estimated
55 AUMs in the ISA would remain available to
livestock as presently allotted. There are no ex-
isting rangeland developments that would involve

continued use and maintenance. New rangeland
developments have not been proposed.

The entire 760-acre area would be closed to ORV
use except for users with valid existing rights if
approved by BLM in accordance with 43 CFR 8560
provisions. A 320-acre portion of the area is cur-
rently closed to vehicular use as part of the ONA.
There are no existing ways to be closed and there
are no roads or ways bordering the ISA that
would provide for continuing open vehicular use.
The nearest vehicular access is a jeep trail about
0.25 mile southwest of and outside of the ISA; it
would remain open to vehicular use.

Harvest of forest products would not be allowed.

Visual resources would be managed in accordance
with VRM Class I standards, which generally
allow for only natural ecological change.

• Action Scenario

No surface disturbance is projected in the fore-
seeable future. Implementation of the All Wilder-
ness Alternative would preclude mining claim
location and mineral leasing. Therefore, no locat-
able or leasable mineral resource exploration or
development would occur following wilderness
designation. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, water-
shed projects, or other developments are planned
following wilderness designation. Recreation use
in the foreseeable future would be primitive in
nature and would increase over the current esti-
mated use of 155 annual visitor days at a rate of
2 to 7 percent per year.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 presents the environmental consequences of
alternatives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEQ guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as for analy-
sis of the environmental consequences of alternatives
for this ISA.

5

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

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ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The ISA encompasses 760 acres. It is approximately
1.75 miles long (east to west) and a 0.75 mile wide
(north to south).

• Naturalness

The entire ISA is in a natural condition with no im-
prints of man. The high quality of naturalness has not
changed since the BLM's Intensive Wilderness Inven-
tory (USDI, BLM, 1980b).

• Solitude

The outstanding opportunity for solitude in this ISA is
directly associated with the topographic screening
provided by the canyon of Coyote Gulch. The canyon
is separated geographically from the remainder of the
ISA by the steep canyon walls. Views within the can-
yon are limited to a 0.25 mile or less. The topograph-
ic screening in the canyon provides opportunities for
seclusion when considered in conjunction with contig-
uous NPS lands in the Glen Canyon NRA that are pro-
posed for wilderness designation. Outside sights and
sounds are an insignificant influence on solitude in
this ISA.

Approximately 230 acres (30 percent) of the ISA
have outstanding opportunities for solitude and 530
acres (70 percent) do not meet the standards.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

Opportunities for hiking, backpacking, horseback rid-
ing, and geological sightseeing are all considered out-
standing in quality in Coyote Gulch when considered in
conjunction with contiguous NRA lands that are pro-
posed for wilderness designation. The ISA canyon
bottom constitutes a short but integral portion of the
Coyote Gulch hiking opportunity provided in the Esca-
lante River drainage. The immediate canyon bottom
and inner walls occupy approximately 33 acres of the
ISA.

The primitive recreation opportunities are outstand-
ing on 33 acres (4 percent) of the ISA. The remaining
727 acres (96 percent) do not meet the criterion.

• Special Features

Scenic features identified during the BLM wilderness
inventory include the enclosed red Navajo Sandstone
and sheer canyon walls associated with Coyote Gulch.
An alcove-type natural arch is present in Coyote
Gulch. During the inventory, approximately 230
acres were identified as possessing special scenic
features.

The ISA has resource values that, although not iden-
tified as such during the wilderness inventory, could
be considered special features. There are two animal
species (peregrine falcon and bald eagle) listed as
endangered that may occasionally use the ISA. There
are seven animal species and five plant species that
are considered sensitive which occur, or may occur,
in the ISA. Refer to the Vegetation and Wildlife Includ-
ing Special Status Species sections for additional in-
formation. Approximately 42 percent (319 acres) of
the ISA is rated Class A for scenic quality.

• Diversity

This ISA is in the Colorado Plateau Province Ecore-
gion and has the PNV type of blackbrush. Refer to the
Vegetation Including Special Status Species section
for more information. The ecoregion and PNV type rep-
resented by this ISA are compared with existing and
other potential National Wilderness Preservation
units in the Wilderness Values section of Volume I.

This ISA is not within a 5-hour drive from any stand-
ard metropolitan statistical area.

Air Quality

The ISA and surrounding area have been designated
Class II under the PSD regulations. BLM will not con-
sider or recommend any change in air quality classifi-
cation as part of the wilderness study or wilderness
recommendations. Any further air quality reclassi-
fication is the prerogative of the State government,
rather than BLM (USDI, BLM, 1982b). Capitol Reef
National Park, located approximately 12 miles north-
east of the ISA, has a Class I designation under the
PSD regulations.

No measurements of air pollution or visibility levels
have been made in the Escalante planning unit; how-
ever, data collected from various sites (Page, Ari-
zona, and Four Mile Bench) approximately 35 miles
southwest of the ISA indicate the air is generally free

8

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

of pollutants and within National Ambient Air Quality
Standards and State regulations.

Geology and Topography

The ISA is in the Canyonlands section of the Colorado
Plateau Physiographic Province. Elevations in the
tract range from approximately 4,715 feet at a point
overlooking Coyote Gulch on the south rim, to 4,200
feet at the bottom of Coyote Gulch. An alcove-type
natural arch occurs in Coyote Gulch, which is the
major drainage in the tract. It is fed by northeast
tributaries and flows east to the Escalante River.

The surrounding topography consists of steep-walled
canyons, mesas, and plateaus. The ISA itself is pri-
marily in the southern half of Coyote Gulch, extending
from the bottom of the gulch to the top of the south-
ern rim.

Rocks of Jurassic age, totaling about 2,000 feet in
thickness, cover the northern and eastern portions of
the tract. Thin Quaternary deposits, consisting chief-
ly of windblown silt, cover the western and southern
portions of the tract. Underlying Mesozoic and Paleo-
zoic rocks in the region are more than 4,000 feet
thick (USDI, USGS, 1981a). Cross-bedded Navajo
Sandstone forms the most extensive outcrop. No sig-
nificant structures are known to exist within the
immediate vicinity of the ISA.

Soils

Rockland areas occurring on approximately 80 per-
cent (608 acres) of the ISA consist of exposures of
bedrock, mostly sandstone and limestone. The rock-
land grouping has very little vegetation with native
vegetation growing in crevices and pockets of soil
(USDI, BLM, 1 980d).

Sandy soils occupying approximately 20 percent (152
acres) of the ISA occur in the southwest corner of
the unit. Runoff and sediment production from these
soils are low (USDI, BLM, 1980d).

Erosion condition was determined by using soil sur-
face factors as summarized in Table 2 (terms are
defined in the Glossary).

Sediment yields vary from slight to moderate.

Soil salinity class estimates indicate that the area is
nonsaline. There is an estimated average production
of 15 lb of salt per acre per year.

Seeding potential varies from unsuited for seeding to
poor due to steep slopes, rock outcrops, and sandy
(drougthy) and shallow soils.

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Classification

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

0

0

0

Moderate

1.3

608

80

790

Slight

0.6

0

0

0

Stable

0.3

1L2

2£

Total

760

100

840

Sources: USDI,

BLM. 1978c and

1979c;

Leifeste, 1978.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

Desert shrub (610 acres) is the major vegetation
type in the ISA. Predominant species in this type are
blackbrush, Mormon tea, sand dropseed, and Indian
ricegrass. One hundred and forty-seven acres of the
ISA are primarily slickrock and contain very little
vegetation. Approximately 3 acres of riparian vege-
tation exist in the bottom of Coyote Gulch and extend
about a 0.5 mile along the stream.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the ISA. However, the ISA could contain
one Category 1 candidate species and six Category 2
candidate species. These are Lepidium montanum var.
stellae (Category 1), Psoralea pariensis. Lepidium
montanum var. neeseae. Coryphantha missQuriensis
var. marstonii. Heterotheca jQn.esii, Penstemon ak
woodii- and Xvlorhiza cronquistii (see Appendix 4 in
Volume I).

The Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA is in the Colorado
Plateau Province Ecoregion as shown on the Bailey-
Kuchler ecosystems map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). The
PNV type of the ISA is blackbrush.

Water Resources

The Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA is in the Escalante
River subbasin of the Upper Colorado River hydro-
logic subregion.

The ISA does not contain any perennial streams; how-
ever, water does flow intermittently in Coyote Gulch
for approximately a 0.5 mile. Flash floods are com-
mon in the gulch from July to mid-September during
the thunderstorm season. No springs occur in the ISA.

9

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

The Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA is in the Escalante
River Adjudication Area 97. The Escalante River and
all tributaries are considered to be fully appropri-
ated, and the underground water directly connected
to the surface is closed to appropriation, with the
exception of some limited applications for 0.015 cfs
which have been approved on an individual basis. The
State Engineer will accept applications to appropriate
water from the underground aquifer located in bed-
rock and consider them on the individual merits of the
applications (UDNRE, DWR, 1988).

Water rights within the ISA's boundary total 25.62
acre-feet annually from Coyote Gulch. This water is
allocated to the BLM for livestock watering (UDNRE,
DWR, 1969).

The water quality standards for Escalante River and
tributaries, from Lake Powell to confluence with
Boulder Creek, are as follows: Class 2B (protected
for boating, waterskiing, and similar uses) and Class
3C (protected for nongame fish and other aquatic life,
including the necessary aquatic organisms in their
food chain).

Utah's 1986 305(b) Water Quality Assessment
Report states that streams and tributaries entering
Lake Powell in the southern portions of the Upper Colo-
rado River drainage have impairments to their benefi-
cial uses from high levels of TDS and sodium. These
impairments result mainly from natural sources and
low flows.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA is given in Table 3.
Appendix 5 in Volume I provides a detailed description
of the mineral and energy resource rating system.

There are no strategic or critical minerals known to
occur within the ISA (USDoD, 1988).

• Leasable Minerals

There are no known deposits of any leasable minerals
in the ISA. Currently, there are no active drilling,
mining, or exploration activities for leasable miner-
als.

• Oil and Gas

The only oil and gas production in south-central
Utah in the vicinity of the ISA comes from the

Upper Valley field located about 40 miles to the
northwest. This field was discovered on the Upper
Valley anticline in 1964. Its discovery stimulated
drilling activity on similar anticlinal structures in
south-central Utah. To date, however, no commer-
cial oil and gas potential has been identified in the
ISA.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Rating

Resource

Favorability* Certainty^

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

12

Cl

Less than 10 million barrels of
oil; Ies6 than 60 billion cubic-
feet of gas

Uranium

12

cl

Less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide

Source: SAI, 1982; USDI. BLM, 1987; USDOE, 1983.

aFavorability of the WSA's geologic environment for a resource (fl - lowest
favorabllity or smallest size deposit; f4 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

t>The degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

There are no known structures within or near the
ISA that might represent potential exploration
targets. The favorability of the tract for oil and
gas is rated (f2) (SAI, 1982). The size of the hy-
drocarbon accumulation in such an environment is
anticipated to be less than 10 million barrels of
oil or less than 60 billion cubic-feet of gas. Based
on the available information, the certainty of
occurrence for oil and gas is rated very low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, all 760 acres of
the ISA are in Category 1 (standard stipulations).
There are presently no oil and gas leases in the
ISA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in
the ISA, and there are presently no mining claims.

• Uranium

The Chinle Formation is the only rock unit under-
lying the ISA known to have potential for uranium
in the area. The Chinle generally lies at a depth of
about 1,000 feet below the surface in the ISA.

It was concluded that the area encompassed by
the ISA is not favorable for significant deposits
of uranium (Peterson, et al., 1982). They define

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

a significant deposit as one which contains eco-
nomically extractable uranium oxide deposit that
contains a total of at least 100 metric-tons of ura-
nium oxide at a grade of at least 0.01 percent.
The area in which the ISA is located is unfavor-
able for uranium mineralization (USDI, USBM,
1986c).

Based on the above discussion, the ISA is assigned
an uranium favorability rating of (f2) (containing
less than 500 metric-tons of uranium oxide). The
certainty that uranium deposits occur in the Chin-
le Formation within the tract is very low (cl).

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the ISA.
These deposits are not unique or economically signif-
icant due to the presence of ample similar materials
outside the ISA.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

The Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA has habitat that
could support approximately 50 species of mammals,
170 species of birds, 17 species of reptiles, and five
species of amphibians. The birds are mainly seasonal
residents or migrants while the other species are pri-
marily residents.

The ISA provides yearlong range for mule deer; how-
ever, deer populations are extremely low.

Two endangered species, the peregrine falcon (Falco
peregrinus) and bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
are rare migrants through the ISA. The UDWR lists
two sensitive species that occur occasionally through-

out the ISA; western and mountain bluebirds (UDNRE,
UDWR, 1982). In addition, the golden eagle (BLM sen-
sitive species) and the following six Category 2 can-
didate species could inhabit the ISA: Great Basin Sil-
verspot butterfly, ferruginous hawk, long-billed cur-
lew, southern spotted owl, Swainson's hawk, and
white-faced ibis (see Appendix 4 in Volume I). No
other sensitive, threatened, or endangered species
are known to occur within the ISA. There is no iden-
tified crucial or critical habitat in the ISA.

Forest Resources

No forest resources occur in the ISA. The desert-
shrub vegetation type does not contain any plant spe-
cies suitable for timber or fuel wood harvesting.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The ISA is within the Forty Mile Ridge and Lower
Cattle grazing allotments. There are no existing or
proposed range improvements in the ISA. Table 4
summarizes livestock grazing use in the ISA. There
are no wild horses or burros within the ISA.

Visual Resources

VRM classes for the ISA are as follows: Class I on
320 acres, Class III on 220 acres, and Class IV on
220 acres). In the Glen Canyon NRA wilderness pro-
posal, NPS assigned a Value Class of I (highest) to
Coyote Gulch and Value Class III (next to lowest) to
the area adjacent to the canyon (USDI, NPS, 1979).
Approximately 320 acres are classified as Class A,
185 acres as Class B, and 255 acres as Class C scen-
ery. Refer to Appendix 7 in Volume I for a detailed de-
scription of the BLM VRM system. Portions of the ISA
contain visual resources with unique scenic values.

Table 4

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in WSA

Total

AUMs

Number
of AUMs
in WSA

Number and
Kind of
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

40 Mile Range

39,813

720

2,214

52

599 Cattle

11/01-06/15

4

Lower Cattle

55,311

40

3,523

3

1,582 Cattle

10/14-04/15

7

Total

95,124

760

5,737

55

1 1

1 1

Sources BLM File Data

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

Cultural Resources

Based on a Class I and II survey, archaeological site
densities in the ISA are moderate (37 to 360 sites
per 23,000 acres) (USDI, BLM, 1978a). The ISA does
not contain any recorded historical or archaeological
sites.

Recreation

Most of the use presently occurring within the ISA is
associated with primitive recreation opportunities in
Coyote Gulch. Only about a 0.50 mile of Coyote Gulch
is in the ISA. However, this 15.5-mile-long canyon is
a major destination canyon in the Glen Canyon NRA.
Coyote Gulch is also the major hiking access route to
the Escalante River in this portion of the NRA.

The ISA contains 320 acres of the 129,000-acre
Escalante Canyons ONA designated on December 23,
1970, for the purpose of preserving unique scenic val-
ues and natural wonders. The ISA includes 440 acres
of lands contiguous to the ONA. Of the 129,000 acres
designated in 1970, 127,840 acres have been trans-
ferred by public law to the Capitol Reef National Park
and Glen Canyon NRA. The remaining 1,160 acres are
divided among three ISAs. ORV use is closed on the
320 acres of the ISA that comprise the ONA. Recrea-
tional use is minimal on the remaining 440 acres of
the ISA as there are no ways within the ISA.

Access to Coyote Gulch is via the Red Well Trailhead
located outside of the ISA. In 1981, approximately
155 hikers registered at this trailhead. The ISA is
primarily used as an access route to the NRA and it
would be difficult to determine the magnitude of the
minor use that is directed only to the ISA. It is esti-
mated that the ISA has 155 visitor days per year.

Land Use Plans

The ISA contains 760 acres of public land admini-
stered by BLM. Public lands in the ISA are within the
BLM Escalante planning unit and are being managed
according to the land use decisions of the Escalante
MFP (USDI, BLM, 1 98 1 d). Principal uses include rec-
reation and grazing. There are no existing or propos-
ed rights-of-way within the ISA. Wilderness is not
addressed in the Escalante MFP. However, wilderness
designation is part of the BLM multiple-use concept.
The BLM land use plan is linked to the Statewide Wil-
derness EIS through analysis of the present plan as
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. The ISA is
located in Kane County and no State, private, or split-

estate lands are enclosed within the boundaries of the
ISA.

The General Management Plan for the Glen Canyon
NRA identifies the area adjacent to the ISA as a "natu-
ral zone" which is proposed for wilderness designa-
tion. The natural zone covers some 668,670 acres of
the NRA. This zone includes the recreation area's out-
standing scenic resources, relatively undisturbed
areas isolated and remote from the activities of man,
and areas bordering on places with established land
use practices complementary to those of the natural
zone (USDI, NPS, 1979).

The ISA is contiguous to the Escalante Wilderness
Study Unit in the Glen Canyon NRA administered by
the NPS. The Escalante Wilderness Study Unit con-
taining 326,150 acres is located east of the ISA.

The Glen Canyon NRA Management Plan proposes a
boundary adjustment with BLM to add land in Coyote
Wash (including this tract) to the NRA for use as an
access corridor. The NPS proposes this addition as a
recreation and resource utilization zone where neces-
sary development might take place (USDI, NPS,
1979).

The Kane County Master Plan identifies the land in the
ISA as multiple use . The plan states, "Kane County
supports the total concept of multiple use of lands. We
reject exclusionary recreational forms that cannot be
used by the average recreation visitor. Wilderness,
as conceived by the Federal land agencies, is rejected
because of the limited visitor utilization possibilities
and rejection of the multiple-use concept. The Kane
County wilderness policy is opposed to designation of
this ISA as wilderness." (Kane County Board of Com-
missioners, 1982). The Kane County Commission has
endorsed the Consolidated Local Government Response
to Wilderness that opposes wilderness designation of
BLM lands in Utah (Utah Counties, 1986).

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA is located entirely
within Kane County. However, since most access is
from the north, the primary area of economic impact
is identified as Garfield County. Within this region,
impacts as expected would be focused within the mun-
icipality of Escalante, located approximately 41 miles
north of the ISA.

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

The community of Escalante lies along a major access
route to the ISA, Utah Highway 12. Escalante is one
of the larger communities in the area, having a 1980
population of 652 persons (USDC, Bureau of the Cen-
sus, 1981). Escalante is a gateway and service area
for visitors to the Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA.

Garfield and Kane are rural counties having average
population densities of less than one person per
square mile. This density is very low when compared
to the Statewide average of 17 persons per square
mile (USDC, Bureau of the Census, 1981). Much of
the population in these counties is concentrated in
small communities rather than being evenly distri-
buted throughout the area.

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Garfield County
grew from 3,157 to 3,700, an overall increase of
about 17 percent. Table 5 presents the baseline and
projected population data for Garfield County. It is
estimated that between 1980 and 1987, the popula-
tion increased to about 4,085. Population projections
indicate that the number of people living in Garfield
County in the year 2010 will be about 4,850 for
about a 19-percent increase over 1980 levels (Utah
Office of Planning and Budget, 1987).

Table 5

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Garfield and Kane Counties

1980

1 990

2000

2010

Garfield

Population

3,700

4,250

4,350

4,850

Employment

2,156

2,000

2,200

3,200

Kane

Population

4,050

5,250

5,750

6,950

Employment

1,403

1,900

2,300

2,900

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Kane County
grew from 2,421 to 4,050, an overall increase of
about 67 percent. Table 5 presents the baseline and
projected population data for Kane County. It is esti-
mated that between 1980 and 1987, the population
increased to about 4,890. Population projections in-
dicate that the number of people living in Kane County
in the year 2010 will be about 6,950 for a 72-per-
cent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of Plan-
ning and Budget, 1987).

• Employment

Table 5 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for the Garfield and Kane Counties to the year
2010.

Garfield and Kane Counties are part of the Southwest
MCD. Table 6 shows the baseline (1980) and project-
ed employment by source for the MCD to the year
2010. In 1980, the leading employment sectors for
the Southwest MCD were government (23 percent),
trade (20 percent), and nonfarm proprietors (12 per-
cent). Mining provided less than 3 percent of the em-
ployment in the MCD.

Table 6

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment »

1 980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

1 1 .200

Finance. Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

T otals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

•Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 5 percent, government to
18 percent, and mining to less than 1 percent of the
total.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic activities in the ISA are limited and include
livestock production and recreation. Table 7 summa-
rizes the local sales and Federal revenues from the
ISA. Appendix 9 in Volume I identifies the multipliers
used to estimate sales and revenues.

If mining claims are located within the ISA, regula-
tions require a $100 annual expenditure per claim for
labor and improvements, an undetermined part of
which would be spent in the local economy. There are
no mining claims presently in the ISA.

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

Table 7

Sales and Revenues

Source

Estimated Annual
Local Sales*

Estimated Annual
Federal Revenues

Livestock Grazing

$1,100

$85

Recreational Use

j 636

Q

Total

$1,736

$85

Sources: BLM File Data; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

■Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account for the
total income that would be generated by these expenditures.

No oil and gas or mineral production has occurred in
the ISA. Therefore, mineral and energy resource pro-
duction from the ISA has not contributed to local em-
ployment or income.

Eleven livestock operators have a total grazing privi-
lege of 55 AUMs within the ISA. If all this forage
were utilized, it would account for $1,100 of live-
stock sales and $275 of ranchers' returns to labor
and investment.

The ISA's nonmotorized recreational use and related
local expenditures are low and are insignificant to
both the local economy and individual businesses.
There is no motorized recreational use being made in
this ISA. The actual amount of income generated local-
ly from recreational use in the ISA is unknown. How-
ever, an approximate range of expenditures can be
deduced (Dalton, 1982). This study indicates that the
Statewide average local expenditures per recreation-
al visitor day for all types of recreation in Utah are
approximately $4.10. The recreational use for the
Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA is estimated at about
155 visitor days per year. Only a portion of the ex-
penditures for recreational use of the ISA contri-
butes to the local economy of Garfield County.

The ISA generates Federal revenues from livestock
sources (refer to Table 6). Livestock permittees in
the ISA can use up to 55 AUMs per year. Based on a
$1.54 per AUM grazing fee, the ISA can potentially
generate $85 of grazing fee revenues annually, 50
percent of which would be allocated back to the local
BLM District for the construction of rangeland im-
provements. There are no oil and gas leases in the
ISA.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. The analy-
sis is based on the BLM management actions and anti-
cipated activities presented in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B and the Description of the Alternatives for
the Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA.

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the ISA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the ISA
would be somewhat protected by limitations placed on
potential surface-disturbing activities (i.e., VRM
Class I management on 320 acres) and ORV closure on
320 acres.

No development would be expected in the foreseeable
future that would affect wilderness values. Also, be-
cause future vehicular use would generally be limited
by ORV closure and by terrain, no disturbance from
ORV activity is anticipated in the foreseeable future.
Therefore, no loss of wilderness values including
naturalness on 760 acres; opportunities for solitude
(outstanding on 230 acres); opportunities for primi-
tive recreation (outstanding on 33 acres); and such
special features as Class A scenery, other scenic fea-
tures, and endangered or sensitive species, is antici-
pated.

The anticipated 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visi-
tor use would not be expected to reduce wilderness
values because the additional use would be primitive
in nature and the contiguous NRA lands would absorb
the additional use adequately.

Although no loss of wilderness values would occur in
the foreseeable future, an undetermined loss of wil-
derness values would occur over the long-term fu-
ture. Nondesignation would not complement the NPS
proposal for wilderness designation and management
of contiguous Glen Canyon NRA lands.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation. No disturbance that would
affect wilderness values would be expected in the
foreseeable future.

ESCALANTE CANYONS TRACT 5 ISA

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action) (760 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 760 acres as wil-
derness would preserve the wilderness values in the
Escalante Canyons Tract 5 ISA Complex. The potential
for surface-disturbing activities would be eliminated
through closure of the entire area to future mineral
leasing and location and to ORV use, and through man-
agement of the area as VRM Class I which allows for
only natural ecological change. Naturalness would be
preserved on all 760 acres. Solitude would be pre-
served on approximately 230 acres that meet and
530 acres that do not meet the standards for out-
standing opportunities. Primitive and unconfined rec-
reation would be preserved on approximately 33
acres that meet and 727 acres that do not meet the
standards for outstanding opportunities. Resources
that could be considered as special features in the
ISA, including Class A scenery, special scenic fea-
tures, and endangered or sensitive species, would
also be preserved.

Designation of this ISA as wilderness would comple-
ment and enhance wilderness management and use of
the contiguous NRA lands that are proposed by the
NPS for wilderness designation.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would be preserved
wherever found in the WSA.

n

o

Uff

/a

0

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 2

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 2

Issues Analyzed in Detail 3

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 3

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated from Detailed Study 3

Alternatives Analyzed 3

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 3

All Wilderness Alternative 7

Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) (91,361 Acres) 8

Small Partial Wilderness Alternative (51,540 Acres) 14

Summary of Environmental Consequences 17

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 17

Wilderness Values 22

Air Quality 24

Geology and Topography 24

Soils 24

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 25

Water Resources 25

Mineral and Energy Resources 26

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 23

Forest Resources 23

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 29

Visual Resources 30

Cultural Resources 30

Recreation 30

Land Use Plans 31

Socioeconomics 32

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 33

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 33

All Wilderness Alternative 37

Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) (91,361 Acres) 40

Small Partial Wilderness Alternative (51,540 Acres) 43

i

f

'

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

( UT-040-080)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Fifty Mile Mountain WSA is located on the eastern
edge of the Kaiparowits Plateau approximately 20
miles southeast of Escalante, Utah. The WSA contains
146,143 acres of public land and encloses 12,341.4
acres of State land and 2,658.8 acres of split-estate
lands (Federal surface and State minerals). It is man-
aged by the BLM Cedar City District Kanab and Esca-
lante Resource Areas Office. Approximately 146,053
acres of the WSA are in Kane County and 90 acres
are in Garfield County. The WSA's southern boundary
borders the Glen Canyon NRA.

Topography of the WSA is dominated by the Straight
Cliffs and Fifty Mile Mountain. The major vegetation
type is pinyon-juniper woodland. The WSA contains
the Fifty Mile Mountain Archaeological District,
which has been nominated to the National Register of
Historic Places.

In general, the climate is temperate and arid with
annual precipitation averaging about 10 inches. The
highest precipitation rates occur primarily from
November through March. Intensive thunderstorms
are common during the summer months.

Summer temperatures in Escalante, Utah, vary with
highs in the mid 90s and lows in the mid 60 degrees
Fahrenheit (F) range. Winter temperatures vary with
highs in the low 40s and lows about 15 degrees F.
Snowfall in Escalante averages 28 inches per year
and generally begins in October or November and ends
in March or April.

require acreage adjustments because acreage calcula-
tions were based on the boundaries as shown in the
Final EIS.

2. The Draft EIS identified a Partial Wilderness Alter-
native of 92,441 acres. This alternative was design-
ed to minimize conflicts with future coal development
and to focus on outstanding wilderness characteris-
tics. In response to public comments received on the
Draft EIS, the Large Partial Wilderness has been re-
vised for the Final EIS. The new Large Partial Wilder-
ness Alternative and BLM proposed action is 91,361
acres (refer to Map 3).

3. The anticipated surface disturbance presented in
the Draft EIS (21,265 acres) was based on the
assumption that all mineral and other resources
potentially within the WSA would be developed some-
time in the future without consideration of technical
or economic feasibility. In response to public com-
ments relative to the feasibility of developments, the
disturbance estimates have been revised to focus on
activities projected to be feasible within the foresee-
able future (see Appendix 6 in Volume I). This result-
ed in a reduction of surface disturbance estimates
from the 21,265 acres reported in the Draft EIS to
3,106 acres of surface disturbance for the Final EIS.

The surface disturbance reduction is broken down as
follows:

The mineral-related surface disturbance has been re-
duced from 2,365 acres reported in the Draft EIS to
87 acres for the Final EIS. Sixty acres of the project-
ed mineral related disturbance would be from coal
development in the long-term future.

Changes for the Final EIS

In addition to the changes noted in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B, the following changes specific to the
Fifty Mile Mountain WSA have been made since publi-
cation of the Draft EIS.

1. Small portions of the boundary of the WSA (T. 38
S., R. 5 E., sec. 6; T. 39 S., R. 4 E., sec. 1; T. 39 S.,
R. 5 E., sec. 34; T. 40 S„ R. 5 E., sec. 29; T. 40 S.,

R. 7 E., sec. 31; T. 41 S., R. 7 E., sec. 6; and T. 41

S. , R. 8 E., sec. 16) have been redrawn to correct

errors in the Draft EIS maps. These changes did not

Ten acres of surface disturbance resulting from
access road construction to in-held State land, and 9
acres of surface disturbance resulting from construc-
tion of rangeland developments were not considered
in the Draft EIS, but are in the Final EIS.

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP

WSAOC
NO. OD

SEE VOL.I

1

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

The Draft EIS identified 18,900 acres of proposed
vegetation treatments within the WSA to improve
mule deer habitat. However, BLM does not anticipate
sufficient funding in the foreseeable future to com-
plete this project. As a result, the vegetation treat-
ment estimates have been revised downward to
3,000 acres in the Final EIS to reflect more realistic
funding projections. Estimates of potential increases
to wildlife populations have been revised accordingly.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B (i.e., impacts on air quality, water rights,
geology and topography, and land use plans and poli-
cies), the following issues or impacts specific to the
Fifty Mile Mountain WSA were considered but are not
analyzed in detail in the Final EIS for the reasons de-
scribed below.

1. Soils: Soil disturbance estimates have been re-
vised downward from 21,265 acres analyzed in the
Draft EIS to 3,106 acres in the Final EIS. About
3,000 acres of the projected disturbance would re-
sult from vegetation treatments which, upon recla-
mation, would likely improve existing soil conditions
over the long term. Further, this disturbance would
take place in those portions of the WSA where recla-
mation potential is the highest. Mineral development
in the long term could disturb up to 60 additional
acres; however, no significant soil loss would be ex-
pected. At any rate, given this new scenario, the im-
pacts of direct disturbance of soil would affect only
about 2.1 percent of the WSA. Therefore, impacts on
soils are not significant issues for analysis in the
Final EIS.

2. Water Resources: Concern has been expressed that
wilderness designation would interfere with water
uses and quality. There are no perennial streams in
the Fifty Mile Mountain WSA, with the exception of a
small portion of a stream in Rogers Canyon. Existing
water developments could be maintained as in the
past and would not be affected. No water develop-
ments are proposed in the WSA. Of the 3,106 acres
of projected disturbance, 3,000 would be from vege-
tation treatments where erosion would eventually be
reduced to below present conditions. Therefore, the
impacts of wilderness designation on water uses and
quality are not discussed in detail.

3. Forest Resources: The forest resources in the
WSA consist of approximately 87,686 acres of pin-
yon and juniper trees and some scattered aspen
stands. Opportunities for forest resource harvest in
the WSA are limited. Demand for forest resources in
the WSA would continue to be very low due mainly to
more accessible and higher quality areas located else-
where. Therefore, impacts on forest resources are
not significant issues for analysis in the Final EIS.

4. Visual Resources: As already discussed, estimates
of surface disturbance have been substantially reduc-
ed for the Final EIS. The 3,061 acres of surface dis-
turbance projected to occur in the foreseeable would
affect only about 2.1 percent of the WSA. Because
some of the disturbance would occur in Scenic Class
A (high quality) areas, impacts on visual resources
are considered in the Final EIS as part of the discus-
sion of naturalness and special features in the Wilder-
ness Values section.

5. Recreation: Recreational use of the Fifty Mile Moun-
tain WSA is light, approximately 150 visitor use
days per year. About 90 percent of this use is primi-
tive recreation. Vehicular use is generally restricted
to the 17 miles of cherry-stemmed roads and 6 miles
of way and dry streambeds in canyon bottoms in the
WSA. Recreational changes resulting from designation
or nondesignation would not be significant due to limit-
ed use now occurring and projected to occur in the fu-
ture in the WSA.

7. Kaiparowits Coal Transportation Corridors: A p-
tential coal transportation and railroad corridor
passes through the WSA (ERT, 1980). Commentors on
the Draft EIS expressed concern that designated wil-
derness areas, including the Fifty Mile Mountain
WSA, could block the use of these corridors. If wilder-
ness designation were to occur, development of a coal
transportation system would not be allowed in the
WSA. However, the transportation corridors describ-
ed in the ERT study extend beyond the WSA boundary,
therefore, coal transportation systems could be sited
outside the WSA and still be within the designated cor-
ridors. Even if no wilderness designation occurred,
corridor development is not projected to occur in the
WSA due to topographic constraints and the presence
of more favorable routes elsewhere. Therefore, im-
pacts related to potential coal transportation systems
are not analyzed further for the Fifty Mile Mountain
WSA.

2

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The significant issues for the Fifty Mile Mountain
WSA are:

1. Impacts on the wilderness values of naturalness,
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation,
and special features.

2. Impacts on locatable and leasable mineral explora-
tion and production.

3. Impacts on vegetation including special status spe-
cies.

4. Impacts on wildlife habitat and populations includ-
ing special status species.

5. Impacts on livestock management.

6. Impacts on cultural resources.

7. Impacts on local economic conditions.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the need for, and ade-
quacy of, the rationale for the BLM proposed action;
the need for further inventories of resource values;
and BLM's assessment of wilderness values, visual re-
sources, and mineral values. See Volume Vll-B, for
responses to general comments applicable to all WSAs
and/or the Statewide analysis and Volume Vll-C, Sec-
tion 35, for responses to specific comments about the
Fifty Mile Mountain WSA.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
from Detailed Study

An alternative that would delete 143 acres of lands
from the southwest corner of the WSA was suggested
in the public comments. This alternative is not ana-
lyzed because impacts would be comparable to those
of the All Wilderness Alternative of 146,143 acres.

Alternatives Analyzed

Four alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness, (2) All Wilderness (146,143
acres), (3) Large Partial Wilderness (Proposed
Action) (91,361 Acres), and (4) Small Partial Wilder-
ness (51,540 Acres). A description of each alterna-
tive follows. Where management intentions have not

been clearly identified, assumptions are made based
on management projections for each alternative.
These assumptions are indicated in each case. The
assumed management actions presented in the Intro-
duction to Volume lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 146,143-acre Fifty
Mile Mountain WSA would be designated by Congress
as part of the NWPS. Although BLM's land use plans
are regularly updated, it is assumed for this analysis
that the area would continue to be managed in accord-
ance with the Escalante and Paria MFPs (USDI, BLM,

1 981 d and 1981c). There are 12,341.4 acres of
State land and 2,658.8 acres of split-estate lands
(Federal surface, State minerals) within the WSA (re-
fer to Map 1). The fig-ures and acreages given for
the WSA are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 146,143 acres would remain open to mineral
location. Development work, extraction, and pat-
enting would be allowed on 108 existing mining
claims (2,160 acres) and potential future mining
claims. Development would be regulated by unnec-
essary or undue degradation regulations (43 CFR
3809) without concern for wilderness values.
One existing post-FLPMA oil and gas lease (40
acres) could be developed under stipulations is-
sued at the time of leasing. Future leases could be
developed under leasing Category 1 (standard
stipulations) on about 76,300 acres and Category
3 (no surface occupancy) on about 27,500 acres.
The remaining 42,343 acres in the WSA would
remain closed (Category 4) to oil and gas leasing.
Some 43,300 acres of the Kaiparowits coal field
(approximately 147 million metric-tons of in-
place coal) are located in the WSA. Of this
amount, 7,505 acres are currently under lease
and could be developed with the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative. Applications for additional
coal leases would be considered.

The present domestic livestock grazing use in the
WSA would continue as authorized. The estimated
3,175 AUMs in the WSA would remain available
to livestock grazing. Use of the existing range de-
velopments would continue. New range develop-
ments could be implemented without wilderness
considerations. Proposed developments include
7.5 miles of fences and two spring developments.
The 6 miles of way and 17 miles of cherry-

3

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

stemmed roads would be open to vehicular use for
livestock management purposes.

Use, maintenance, and construction of develop-
ments for wildlife, water resources, etc., could
be allowed if in conformance with the MFP.
Approximately 3,000 acres of vegetation treat-
ments are proposed on the bench lands northeast
of Willow Gulch and Rogers Canyon to improve
mule deer habitat.

Approximately 106,800 acres in the WSA would
remain open to ORV use while ORV use on 39,343
acres would be limited to des-ignated roads and
trails.

The entire WSA would remain open to woodland
product harvest. Currently, no harvest of forest
products occurs nor is any harvest expected in
the foreseeable future due to limited access and
the presence of more favorable areas outside of
the WSA.

The entire WSA would continue to be managed
under VRM Class II.

About 1,470 acres of public water reserve with-
drawals would continue to remain in effect. The
withdrawn lands are segregated from public land
laws and nonmetalliferous mining.

• Action Scenario

It is projected that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would result in
about 3,106 acres of surface disturbance in the
foreseeable future.

In the short term, about 3,000 acres of the pro-
jected disturbance would result from vegetation
treatments (pinyon-juniper woodland chainings
and seedings) to improve mule deer habitat on the
bench lands north and east of Willow Gulch and
Rogers Canyon. Nine acres would be disturbed due
to the construction of 7.5 miles of fence and two
spring developments to improve livestock manage-
ment and distribution. About 12 months of actual
on-the-ground work would be required to com-
plete these projects. The chainings and seedings
would be maintained over the long term. No addi-
tional rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed pro-
jects, or other developments are projected in the
foreseeable future.

Approximately 27 acres would be disturbed by
uranium exploration activities in the northern
and central portions of the WSA. Exploration drill-
ing would be conducted along up to 10 miles of
access roads built in accessible areas, mostly on
benches and in drainages. Based on exploration
activities typical of the area, it is projected that
24 employees would be used for a total of 60
days. Exploration activities would be under the
unnecessary and undue degradation guidelines of
the 43 CFR 3809 regulations. Upon abandonment,
drill sites and access roads would be reclaimed.
Three to five years would be necessary to deter-
mine successful reclamation.

It is also projected that up to 5 miles of access
roads would be constructed to State sections in
the WSA, disturbing about 10 acres. The purpose
of this access would be to explore for minerals,
including coal, on the State lands.

In the long term, it is projected that exploration
and development of the extensive coa! resource
in the WSA would occur. Mining would be by un-
derground methods and access would be from
drainages or at the base of the Straight Cliffs
where coal could be easily accessed. The size of
individual coal operations, typical for the inter-
mountain area, differ. Each surface facility site,
including up to 5 miles of access roads, would
occupy up to 20 acres. Additional surface disturb-
ance would result from exploratory drilling activ-
ities. Up to 60 acres could be occupied by surface
facilities and access roads. Employees, including
supervisory personnel, would number from 20 to
300 for each operation. Operations would last
from 30 to 40 years. All disturbed areas would
be reclaimed upon abandonment.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected in the
foreseeable future. Because of rugged terrain and
management restrictions, vehicular use would be
limited to future roads and 6 miles of ways, or
washes where disturbance would be temporary.

It is projected that overall recreation use will
increase over the current estimated use of 150
visitor days annually at a rate of 2 to 7 percent
per year. Only 15 of the 150 visitor days are
associated with ORV use, and recreation use
would continue to be 90 percent primitive in
nature.

4

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Map 1

LAND STATUS

Fifty Mile Mountain WSA
UT-040-080

Legend

WSA Boundary

— — Glen Canyon NRA Boundary

Private Land Within
or Adjacent to WSA

State Land Within or f

Adjacent to WSA N

National Park Service
Administered Land

Split-estate (federal surface-
slate minerals) Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

BLM Administered Land
Within or Adiacent to WSA

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

• All Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, all 146,143 acres of the Fifty
Mile Mountain WSA would be designated by an act of
Congress as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). It
would be managed in accordance with the BLM Wilder-
ness Management Policy to preserve its wilderness
character (BLM Manual 8560).

The policy of the State is to reserve its position re-
garding the exchange of in-held lands within any par-
ticular WSA (see Chapter 1 in Volume I). Based on
this policy regarding exchange of State lands, it is
assumed that State lands would remain under existing
ownership. There are 19 State sections (12,341.4
acres) and 2,658.8 acres of split-estate (Federal
surface, State minerals) land within the WSA (refer
to Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I). No private
lands are located in the WSA. The figures and acre-
ages given with this alternative are for Federal lands
only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 146,143 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale. Develop-
ment work, extraction, and patenting would be
allowed to continue on that portion of the approx-
imately 2,160 acres of the 108 existing mining
claims that may be determined to be valid at the
time of designation. Development would be regu-
lated by unnecessary or undue degradation guide-
lines (43 CFR 3809) with consideration for wil-
derness values. An existing post-FLMPA oil and
gas lease involving about 40 acres would not be
reissued upon expiration unless a find of oil or
gas in commercial quantities is shown. No new oil
and gas leases would be issued. No exploration or
development of the existing oil and gas leases is
projected. No new leasing of coal would be
allowed. However, the six existing coal leases in
the WSA could still be developed according to mea-
sures and stipulations determined at lease issu-
ance. If these leases are allowed to expire, they
would not be renewed. No exploration or develop-
ment of existing coal leases is projected.

Present domestic livestock grazing would contin-
ue as authorized. The estimated 3,175 AUMs in
the WSA would remain available to livestock as
presently allotted. The use and maintenance of
rangeland developments existing at the time of
designation could continue in the same manner as

in the past based on practical necessity and rea-
sonableness. After designation, new develop-
ments, including 7.5 miles of fence and two
spring developments, would be designed and in-
stalled with wilderness protection criteria (refer
to Appendix 1 in Volume I). Vehicular use of the 6
miles of way would be restricted. The 17 miles
of cherry-stemmed roads would remain open to
vehicular use.

The projected 3,000 acres of vegetation treat-
ments to improve mule deer habitat would not be
allowed.

The entire 146,143-acre WSA would be closed to
ORV use except for: (1) users with valid existing
rights if approved by BLM in accordance with 43
CFR 8560 provisions; or (2) occasional and short-
term vehicular access approved by BLM for main-
tenance of approved livestock developments. The
various cherry-stemmed roads would remain
open to vehicular travel. The approximately 6
miles of existing vehicular way in the WSA would
not be available for vehicular use except as indi-
cated above. About 27 miles of the WSA bounda-
ry follow existing gravel and dirt roads that
would remain open to vehicular travel.

Visual resources in the WSA would be managed in
accordance with VRM Class I standards, which
generally allow for only natural ecological
change.

Harvest of forest products in the wilderness
would not be allowed except for harvest of pin-
yon nuts or noncommercial gathering of dead-and-
down wood if accomplished by other than mechani-
cal means for use in the wilderness.

The approximately 1,470 acres of public water
reserve withdrawals would continue to remain in
effect. The withdrawn lands are segregated from
public land laws and nonmetalliferous mining.

• Action Scenario

A total of 26 acres of surface disturbance would
occur in the WSA following wilderness designa-
tion.

About 8 acres of the disturbance would result
from the construction of 7.5 miles of fence and
two spring developments to improve livestock
management. These projects would be designed

7

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

and installed consistent with wilderness protec-
tion standards. The 3,000 acres of vegetation
treatments planned for wildlife habitat improve-
ment would not be allowed. No other develop-
ments are planned following wilderness designa-
tion.

About 8 acres of the surface disturbance would
result from uranium exploration activities as de-
scribed in the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive. Exploration would be limited to existing, val-
id claims at the time of wilderness designation. It
is assumed that eight employees and 20 days
would be used in exploration drilling activities.
Exploratory activities would be under that unne-
cessary and undue degradation guidelines of the
43 CFR 3809 regulations. Drill sites and up to 2
miles of access roads would be reclaimed follow-
ing abandonment. It is projected that 3 to 5 years
would be necessary to determine successful rec-
lamation. No new mineral location or mineral leas-
ing would be allowed following wilderness designa-
tion. No leasable minerals, including coal, would
be explored or developed following wilderness
designation.

Up to 5 miles of access roads (10 acres of sur-
face disturbance) would be constructed to State
sections in the WSA. The purpose of this access
would be to explore for minerals, including coal,
on State lands.

No disturbance from ORV use would occur with
this alternative due to wilderness management
and rugged terrain. Recreation use would be
entirely primitive in nature and would increase
over the current estimated use of 150 visitor
days annually at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per
year.

• Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action) (91,361 Acres)

With this alternative, 91,361 acres of the Fifty Mile
Mountain WSA would be designated as wilderness (re-
fer to Map 3). The 54,782 acres within the WSA but
outside of that designated as wilderness would be man-
aged in accordance with the Escalante and Paria MFPs
as described for the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive. The 91,361 acres designated as wilderness
would be managed in accordance with the BLM Wilder-
ness Management Policy (BLM Manual 8560) as de-
scribed in the All Wilderness Alternative.

The objective of this alternative is to reduce con-
flicts of wilderness designation with coal develop-
ment in the long-term future, while analyzing as
wilderness those portions of this WSA that have the
most outstanding wilderness values. BLM believes
that wilderness values are of a higher quality in
areas where outstanding opportunities for solitude
and/or primitive recreation exist, preferably in com-
bination with special features. In forming this alterna-
tive, the portions of the WSA with outstanding oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive recreation were
included where possible within a manageable bound-
ary.

Based on the policy of the State is to reserve its posi-
tion regarding the exchange of in-held lands within
any particular WSA. Based on this policy, it is assum-
ed that State and split-estate lands would remain un-
der existing ownership. There are nine State sections
(5,849.4 acres) and 1,858.78 acres of split-estate
lands (Federal surface, State minerals) in the portion
of the WSA that would be designated wilderness (re-
fer to Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I). There is no
private land in the WSA. The figures and acreages giv-
en for this alternative are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

The 91, 361 -acre wilderness area would be with-
drawn from mineral entry and closed to new min-
eral leasing and sale. Development work, extrac-
tion, and patenting would be allowed to continue
on 160 acres of the eight existing mining claims,
provided that they are valid. Development would
be regulated by unnecessary or undue degrada-
tion guidelines with consideration given to wilder-
ness values (43 CFR 3809). An existing post-
FLPMA oil and gas lease, covering 40 acres,
would not be reissued upon expiration unless a
find in commercial quantities is shown. No new
leasing would be allowed. No oil and gas explor-
ation or development is projected for the desig-
nated portion of the WSA. No coal leases are
located in the designated portions and no leasing
of coal would be allowed following designation.

The 54,782 acres not designated wilderness
would be open to mineral location, leasing, and
sale. Development work, extraction, and pat-
enting of existing mining claims on 2,000 acres
and future mining claims could occur if claims
are valid. Presently, there are no oil and gas
leases in the nondesignated portions of the WSA.

8

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Map 2

ALL WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE

Fifty Mile Mountain WSA
UT-040-080

Legend

_ All Wilderness

Alternative (146,143 acres)

— — Glen Canyon NRA Boundary

t

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Development of future oil and gas leases in this
area could be allowed. Oil and gas leasing would
be managed as Category 1 (standard stipulations)
on 50,250 acres and Category 3 (no surface occu-
pancy) on 3,880 acres. About 652 acres would re-
main closed to leasing (Category 4). All of the
acreage currently under lease for coal (7,505
acres) is located in the nonwilderness area and
could be developed. Additional leasing of coal
could also occur in the nonwilderness area. Devel-
opment of the coal resource is projected only in
the long-term future.

Domestic livestock grazing would continue to
occur in the 91, 361 -acre wilderness area with
approximately 2,485 AUMs remaining available
to livestock as presently allotted. The existing
range developments would continue to be used and
maintained in the same manner as in the past
based on practical necessity and reasonableness.
Any future development that may be proposed
would have to meet wilderness protection stand-
ards. The 7.5 miles of fence and two spring devel-
opments are located in the designated portions
and could be constructed subject to wilderness
protection standards. In the 54,782-acre nonwil-
derness area, grazing use would continue as au-
thorized. This area contains approximately 690
AUMs. Existing facilities could be used and main-
tained and new range developments could be devel-
oped without concern for wilderness values. No
new developments are proposed.

The approximately 1,470 acres of public water
reserve withdrawals would be located in both the
designated and nondesignated portions of the
WSA. All of the withdrawals would continue to
remain in effect. The withdrawn lands are segre-
gated against public land laws and nonmetallif-
erous mining.

Approximately 1,500 acres of the projected vege-
tation treatments to improve mule deer habitat
would be located in the area not designated wilder-
ness and would be allowed as directed by the
MFPs.

The 91,361 -acre wilderness area would be
closed to ORV use. There are no ways in the desig-
nated wilderness area. The Grand Bench cherry-
stemmed road (approximately 7 miles in length)
would be in the designated wilderness area and
would remain open to vehicular travel. The
54,782 remaining acres in the unit, including 6

miles of way, 10 miles of cherry-stemmed
roads, and the existing dirt roads bordering the
WSA, would remain open to vehicular travel.

Harvest of forest products in the wilderness
area would not be allowed in the designated area
except for the harvest of pinyon nuts or noncom-
mercial gathering of dead-and-down wood, if
accomplished by other than mechanical means.
The remaining area would be open to woodland
harvest.

Visual resources in the wilderness area would be
managed in accordance with VRM Class I stand-
ards, which generally allow for only natural eco-
logical change. The area not designated would be
managed as VRM Class II.

• Action Scenario

Twelve acres of surface disturbance would occur
in the designated portion of the WSA. Four acres
would be disturbed due to uranium exploration
activities as described in the All Wilderness
Alternative. No new mineral location or mineral
leasing would be allowed. Therefore, no leasable
mineral exploration would occur following wilder-
ness designation. Locatable mineral exploration
would be restricted to existing, valid mining
claims at the time of wilderness designation. Up
to 1 mile of access road is projected. Eight acres
of disturbance would result from construction of
rangeland projects as described in the All Wilder-
ness Alternative. About 1,500 acres of vegeta-
tion treatments would not be allowed. No addition-
al rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed pro-
jects, or other developments are assumed follow-
ing wilderness designation.

It is projected that approximately 1,525 acres
of surface disturbance would occur in the 54,782-
acre nondesignated portion of the WSA in the fore-
seeable future. Fifteen acres would be disturbed
due to uranium exploration activities (including
up to 7 miles of access roads) as described in the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. About
1,500 acres of vegetation treatment to improve
wildlife habitat would be allowed. No additional
rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed projects,
or other developments are projected for the fore-
seeable future. Access to State lands would also
occur for the purpose of exploration and develop-
ment of the mineral resources located on those
lands. About 10 acres of surface disturbance

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Map 3

PARTIAL WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE

Fifty Mile Mountain WSA
UT-040-080

Legend

WSA Boundary

Partial Wilderness
Alternative (11,361 acres)

— — Glen Canyon NRA Boundary

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

would result due to construction of the access
roads.

It is projected that the coal resources in the non-
designated portion of the WSA would be explored
and developed in the long-term future as discus-
sed in the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative,
resulting in approximately 60 acres of disturb-
ance.

No disturbance from ORV activity is projected in
the foreseeable future in either the designated or
nondesignated area. Because of terrain and man-
agement restrictions, ORV use would not occur in
the designated area and would be mainly limited
to future roads and 6 miles of existing ways in
the nondesignated area. It is projected that over-
all recreation will increase over the current esti-
mated use of 150 total visitor days annually at a
rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. Only 15 of the
150 total visitor days are associated with ORV
use in the nondesignated area, the overall recre-
ation use in the WSA would continue to be 90 per-
cent primitive in nature.

• Small Partial Wilderness Alternative (51,540
Acres)

With this alternative, 51,540 acres of the Fifty Mile
Mountain WSA would be designated as wilderness (re-
fer to Map 4). The objective of this alternative is to
identify and analyze the portion of the WSA with the
most outstanding wilderness values and to further re-
duce or eliminate potential conflicts with coal and ura-
nium development. The 94,603-acre area within the
WSA but outside of that designated as wilderness
would be managed in accordance with the Escalante
and Paria MFPs as described for the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative. The area designated as wil-
derness would be managed in accordance with the
BLM Wilderness Management Policy (BLM Manual
8560) as described in the All Wilderness Alternative.

Since the policy of the state is to reserve its posi-
tion regarding the exchange of in-held lands within
any particular WSA, it is assumed that State and split-
estate lands would remain under existing ownership.
There are three State sections (1,920 acres) and
1,858.8 acres of split-estate lands in the portion of
the WSA that would be within the designated wilder-
ness (refer to Map 1 and Appendix 3 in Volume I). The
figures and acreages given for this alternative are
for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

The 51,540-acre wilderness would be withdrawn
from mineral entry and closed to new mineral
leasing and sale. No mining claims are currently
located in the designated portion. Development of
any valid claims located prior to designation
would be regulated by unnecessary or undue deg-
radation regulations with consideration of wilder-
ness values (43 CFR 3809). It is projected that a
minor amount of surface disturbance (2 acres)
would result from locatable mineral exploration.
No oil and gas or coal leases are located in the
designated portion and no new leasing would be
allowed. Therefore, it is projected that no leas-
able mineral exploration or development would
occur in the designated portion of the WSA. The
94,603-acre area not designated wilderness
would be open to mineral location, leasing, and
sale. Development work, extraction, and patent-
ing of existing (2,160 acres) and future mining
claims could occur in the area if claims are valid.
Development of an existing post-FLPMA oil and
gas lease (40 acres) and future leases could be
developed without concern for wilderness values.
The area not designated would be managed as oil
and gas leasing Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions) on 64,148 acres and Category 3 (no sur-
face occupancy) on 27,500 acres. About 2,955
acres would remain closed to leasing (Category
4). All of the acreage currently under lease for
coal (7,505 acres) is located in the nonwilder-
ness area and could be developed. New leases
could be issued. It is projected that coal develop-
ment would occur in the long-term future, as dis-
cussed in the No Action/ No Wilderness Alterna-
tive.

Domestic livestock grazing would continue to
occur in the 51,540-acre wilderness area. The
estimated 2,013 AUMs would remain available to
livestock as presently allotted. The use and main-
tenance of range developments located in the wil-
derness area could continue in the same manner
as in the past based on practical necessity and
reasonableness. No new developments are pro-
jected. No ways or cherry-stemmed roads are
located in the designated areas. In the 94,603-
acre nonwilderness area, grazing use would con-
tinue as authorized (approximately 1,162
AUMs). New range developments as previously
described could be developed in this area without
concern for wilderness values. The 6 miles of

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

T 39 S

1 5

R 4 E

R 5 E

R 6 E

R 7 E

■

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

way and 17 miles of cherry-stemmed roads
would be available for vehicular use.

None of the lands proposed for vegetation treat-
ments would be located in the designated wilder-
ness area. Therefore, 3,000 acres of vegetation
treatments would occur. The purpose of the vege-
tation treatments would be to improve wildlife
habitat.

The approximately 1,470 acres of public water
reserve withdrawals would be located in both des-
ignated and nondesignated portions of the WSA.
All of the withdrawals would continue to remain
in effect. The withdrawn lands are segregated
against public land laws and nonmetalliferous min-
ing.

Visual resources in the 51,540-acre wilderness
would be managed in accordance with VRM Class I
standards, which generally allow for only natural
ecological change. The remaining 94,603 acres
would be managed as VRM Class II.

The wilderness area would be closed to ORV use.
No ways or cherry-stemmed roads are located in
the designated wilderness area. The remainder of
the unit would remain open to vehicular travel.

Harvest of forest products in the wilderness area
would not be allowed except for harvest of pinyon
nuts or noncommercial gathering of dead-and-
down wood for use in the wilderness, if accom-
plished by other than mechanical means for use in
the wilderness. The remaining acres would be
open to woodland harvest.

• Action Scenario

Two acres of surface disturbance would occur in
the designated portion of the WSA (including less
than 1 mile of access road). This would result
from uranium exploration activities as described
in the All Wilderness Alternative. No new mineral
location or mineral leasing would be allowed.
Therefore, no leasable mineral exploration would
occur. Locatable mineral exploration would be re-
stricted to existing, valid claims at the time of
wilderness designation. No rangeland, wildlife hab-
itat, watershed projects, or other developments
are planned in the designated portion.

It is projected that approximately 3,039 acres of
surface disturbance would occur in the 94,603-

acre nondesignated portion of the WSA in the
short term. Twenty acres would be disturbed due
to uranium exploration activities as described in
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. About
3,000 acres of vegetation treatments to improve
wildlife habitat as described in the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative would be allowed. Nine
acres would be disturbed from the construction
of rangeland projects as described in the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Access to
State lands would occur for the purpose of explor-
ation and development of the mineral resources.
About 10 acres of surface disturbance would re-
sult due to construction of access roads in the
nondesignated area.

It is assumed that the coal resources in the non-
designated portion of the WSA would be explored
and developed in the long term as described in the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative, resulting
in 60 acres of disturbance.

No disturbance from ORV activity is projected in
the foreseeable future in either the designated or
nondesignated area. Because of terrain and man-
agement restrictions, vehicular use would not
occur in the designated area and would be mainly
limited to 6 miles of ways and future roads in the
nondesignated area. It is projected that overall
recreation use will increase over the current
estimated use of 150 total visitor days annually
at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year. Only 15 of
the 150 visitor days are associated with ORV use
in the nondesignated area, and overall recreation
use in the WSA would continue to be 90 percent
primitive in nature.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 presents the environmental consequences of
alternatives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEO guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as for the
analysis of the Environmental Consequences of Alter-
natives for this WSA.

Table 1

Summary of Environmental Consequences

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8

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The 146,143-acre WSA is one of the largest WSAs in
Utah. It is approximately 24 miles in length (north-
west to southeast) and 12 miles wide (east to west).

• Naturalness

Natural areas are areas where the evidences of man
are substantially unnoticeable to the average visitor.
Imprints of man in the WSA include: a vehicular way
6 miles long from the abandoned airstrip on Grand
Bench Neck into the Rock Creek drainage, several
fences (approximately 7 miles), developed spring,
and three cabins (two on Fifty Mile Mountain and one
in Rogers Canyon). These imprints combined involve
about 100 acres or less than 0.1 percent of the WSA
and are substantially unnoticeable.

Since establishment of the WSA, approximately 9
acres of the WSA have been disturbed. This disturb-
ance is the result of an Exxon uranium drilling project
on BLM and State lands during 1980. This drilling
activity occurred in T. 39 S., R. 5 E., secs. 26 and
27. The disturbance amounts to approximately 8.5
acres of road development and a 0.5 acre of drill pads
and mud pits. All work was completed as described in
the approved Plan of Operations and as analyzed in an
environmental assessment (UT-040-80-89). These
areas have been reclaimed to a substantially unnotice-
able condition.

Overall, the entire WSA meets the Wilderness Act
criteria for naturalness.

• Solitude

The WSA affords outstanding opportunities for soli-
tude due to the size and topographic makeup of the
WSA. The configuration of the WSA neither enhances
nor detracts from the outstanding opportunities pres-
ent.

The Fifty Mile Mountain plateau is totally isolated
from the remainder of the WSA by an encircling cliff-
line that includes the Straight Cliffs; the cliffs of the
Dry Rock Creek, Rock Creek, and Little Valley Creek
basins; and the walls of Sunday, Monday, and Basin

Canyons. Between the upper and middle trail access
points (Basin Canyon to Blackburn Canyon), the cliffs
of the Fifty Mile Bench enhance the isolating effect of
the upper Straight Cliffs escarpment. Because this
area is a true plateau, the top is a characteristically
level tableland. Topographic screening exists where
canyons such as Steer, Blackburn, Mudholes and
Llewellyn, Sunday-Gates-Pocket Hollow, and West
End-Monday Canyons cut into the top. Topographic
screening is also present on the upper end of the pla-
teau on the points between canyons such as West End
Point where numerous rock outcroppings, ledges, and
draws exist.

Outstanding opportunities for solitude exist where the
WSA is heavily dissected by canyons in the Rogers
Canyon drainage, Little Valley Creek Basin, and Rock
Creek Basin. In the Rogers Canyon drainage, the can-
yon dissection is extensive between Rogers Canyon
and the Straight Cliffs. Here the numerous drainages
have cut canyons either to or through the upper por-
tion of the Straight Cliffs escarpment. The remnant
benches possess outstanding opportunities for soli-
tude because they are geographically isolated by the
canyons and the Straight Cliffs. Many of these
benches also possess topographic screening because
of the extensive rock outcroppings on their surface.
Immediately north and west of the Rogers Canyon-
Left Hand Collet Canyon divide are several canyons
that are tributaries to Left Hand Collet Canyon. Can-
yons in the Little Valley Creek and Rock Creek Basins
provide outstanding opportunities for solitude where
Navajo Sandstone is exposed. These canyons are nar-
row, winding slot type of canyons characteristic of
Navajo Sandstone.

The Straight Cliffs possess outstanding opportunities
for solitude in areas where the upper cliff face is al-
coved and moist, and where the aspen and shrubby
vegetation provide vegetative screening.

Sights and sounds of human activities are not present
from most places within the WSA. From the top of the
Straight Cliffs, vehicular activity on the Hole-in-the-
Rock Road can be observed. From the western rim be-
tween Spencer Point to Mudholes Point, boating activ-
ity on Lake Powell and the plume from the Navajo
Powerplant are visible. These are minor aspects of
the panoramas.

Overall, approximately 69,000 acres of the WSA
possess outstanding opportunities for solitude and
77,143 acres do not.

22

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

The WSA offers outstanding opportunities for hiking,
backpacking, horseback riding, photography, and
sightseeing.

A major destination of backpackers and riders is the
Fifty Mile Mountain Plateau from West End Point
south to Fifty Mile, Navajo, and Spencer Points in
Glen Canyon NRA. The Fifty Mile Mountain is the high-
est large land mass in the lower Glen Canyon region,
and it thus exhibits a landscape and climate unique to
the region. The vegetation is predominantly pinyon-
juniper and includes aspen and isolated stands of Pon-
derosa pine. Water sources are adequate for backpack-
ing and horseback activities. The sightseeing and pho-
tography opportunities are outstanding along the
Straight Cliffs rim and on the west rim, where there
are unobstructed views of the Escalante River can-
yons, Lake Powell, and Navajo Mountain. The plateau
portion of the WSA provides backpacking and sightsee-
ing opportunities to a degree not often equalled in the
lower Glen Canyon region.

Archaeological sites are numerous on the top of the
Fifty Mile Mountain and in the bordering cliffline. The
terrain is not difficult to traverse on top and archaeo-
logical sightseeing is an interesting activity.

The dissected region between the Straight Cliffs and
Rogers Canyon offers opportunities for challenging
backpacking trips because the terrain is exceedingly
difficult to traverse, being broken in places by can-
yons such as Basin Canyon.

Another area within the WSA that offers an outstand-
ing opportunity for primitive recreation is the bench
below the Fifty Mile Mountain between Steer Canyon
and Navajo Point in the Glen Canyon NRA. Here there
are sightseeing and photographic opportunities. The
bench has been characterized by the NPS as offering
"spectacular views."

Overall, the primitive recreation opportunities on
67,000 acres of the WSA are outstanding. The remain-
der of the WSA (79,143 acres) has less than outstand-
ing opportunities for primitive recreation.

• Special Features

The WSA is best known as a location for viewing the
panoramas of the lower Glen Canyon region. Features
that can be viewed from the Fifty Mile Mountain WSA
include Lake Powell, Navajo Mountain-Rainbow Pla-

teau, Glen Canyon, and the canyonlands of Escalante
River.

Ninety-three percent of the WSA acreage is rated as
Class A for scenic quality.

The Rock Creek and Little Valley Basins are areas of
scenic value that are viewed from the west rim of
Fifty Mile Mountain. The characteristic scenery is
that of colorful Navajo Sandstone basins rimmed by
high cliffs. Sand dunes and slickrock are present in
both basins. Woolsey Arch is located in the Rock
Creek Basin.

Navajo Canyon in the extreme southwestern portion
of the WSA also possesses scenic value. This canyon
contains colorful yellow and grey badlands of Tropic
Shale.

Fifty Mile Mountain is unique in the sense that the pla-
teau is the only island of green in the midst of red and
yellow canyonlands and Lake Powell. The presence of
aspen in the Pleasant Grove, Steer Canyon, and Pinto
Mare Canyons contribute to the aesthetic landscape.
The garden on the west rim is a scenic area. Window
Wind Arch above the middle trail has scenic value be-
cause of its location on the very edge of the Straight
Cliffs. The Straight Cliffs escarpment is a major land-
mark in south-central Utah. The Straight Cliffs is an
important scenic feature within view from the Hole-
in-the-Rock road. Similarly, the west rim cliff from
Spencer Point to Mudhole Point is a scenic feature as
viewed from Lake Powell.

The WSA contains a 47,325-acre archaeological dis-
trict that has been nominated to the National Register
of Historic Places (refer to the Cultural Resources
section). In addition to its historical values, this arch-
aeological resource is also of important scientific val-
ue. Fifty Mile Mountain archaeology was a major sub-
ject of investigation during the conduct of the Glen
Canyon Archaeological Salvage Project. The WSA is a
prominent plateau in immediate proximity to Glen Can-
yon. This makes it an important area from which occu-
pational patterns and chronologies in the greater Glen
Canyon region can be determined. Because of its scien-
tific value, the archaeological resource also pos-
sesses educational values. In the past, the scientific
investigation of this resource has involved student
participation from Utah institutions of higher educa-
tion. Future investigations would undoubtedly involve
student participation from universities in the region.

23

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

The WSA has resource values that, although not iden-
tified as such during the wilderness inventory, could
be considered special features. There are two animal
species (peregrine falcon and bald eagle) listed as en-
dangered that occasionally use the WSA. There are
nine animal species and seven plant species that are
considered sensitive which occur, or may occur, in
the WSA. The WSA has a population of cougar, which
is a wildlife species associated with wilderness. Re-
fer to the Vegetation and Wildlife Including Special Sta-
tus Species sections for additional information. A
short section of Rogers Canyon has perennial water.
There is also a small seasonal pond of 2 acres in Lake
Draw.

• Diversity

The WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Province Ecore-
gion and has the PNV types of juniper-pinyon wood-
land and saltbush-greasewood. Refer to the Vegeta-
tion Including Special Status Species section for more
discussion of ecoregions and PNV types. The ecore-
gion and PNV types represented by this WSA are com-
pared with existing and other potential National Wil-
derness Preservation units in the Wilderness Values
section of Volume I.

This WSA is not within a 5-hour drive from any stand-
ard metropolitan statistical area.

Air Quality

The Fifty Mile Mountain WSA and surrounding area
have a Class II PSD classification under the Clean Air
Act Amendments of 1977. The nearest Class I area is
Capitol Reef National Park located approximately 24
miles northeast of the WSA.

No measurements of air pollution or visibility levels
have been made in the Escalante planning unit. Data
collected from various nearby sites such as Page,
Arizona, (approximately 24 miles southwest of the
WSA) and Four Mile Bench, Kane County, Utah, indi-
cate the air is generally free of pollutants and within
National Ambient Air Quality Standards and State reg-
ulations. Visibility is excellent.

Geology and Topography

The Fifty Mile Mountain WSA is within the Canyon-
lands section of the Colorado Plateau Physiographic
Province Ecoregion. Deep canyons characterize the
region.

Rocks of Jurassic and Cretaceous ages, totalling
approximately 3,000 feet in thickness, crop out in
the WSA. The Cretaceous Straight Cliffs Formation
forms the most extensive outcrop in the WSA, con-
sisting predominately of interbedded yellow-gray
sandstone, mudstone, and coal. Beneath that, the Cre-
taceous Tropic Shale and Dakota Sandstone Forma-
tions form slopes along the eastern part of the WSA.
The Jurassic Morrison Formation crops out in a con-
tinuous belt along the base of the Straight Cliffs.

Three prominent structural axes (Collet, Rees Can-
yon, and Rock Creek anticlines) traverse portions of
the WSA in a roughly north to south direction (Doel-
ling and Graham, 1972). The southernmost 10 miles
of the 40-mile long south-plunging Collet anticline are
located in the northern portion of the WSA. Approxi-
mately 15 miles of the 20-mile long south-plunging
Rees anticline are located along the western side of
the WSA. The northernmost 10 miles of the 30-mile
long doubly plunging Rock Creek anticline are located
in the southern part of the WSA. No major faults are
known to occur in the WSA.

The WSA consists of several canyon systems cut into
the Kaiparowits Plateau, as well as a section of the
Straight Cliffs. The southwest side of Fifty Mile Moun-
tain is incised by numerous drainages, all flowing in
south or southwest directions. The Straight Cliffs run
in a northwest to southeast direction and form the
eastern boundary of the WSA. Window Wind Arch
occurs on the edge of the Straight Cliffs, and Woolsey
Arch is located in Rock Creek Basin. Elevations range
from less than 4,000 feet in Little Valley in the south-
western corner of the WSA to about 7,650 feet along
the Straight Cliffs in the southeastern part of the
WSA.

Soils

The major part of the WSA consists of rockland and
badland soils. These occur in the canyons, the south-
western part of the WSA, and along the Straight
Cliffs. Barren sandstone rock, shale, or interbedded
sandstone and shale make up about 50 to 75 percent
of these land types. Shallow to very shallow loamy
soils make up about 20 to 40 percent, and 5 to 10
percent are loamy deep to moderately deep soils.
Runoff is mainly rapid and very rapid. Sediment yield
is high. Erosion condition was determined by using
soil sur-face factors as summarized in Table 2
(terms are defined in the Glossary).

24

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
Classification yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
ot WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

21,924

1 5

59,190

Moderate

1.3

94,992

65

123,490

Slight

0.6

26,305

1 8

15,780

Stable

0.3

2-922

_2

Sfi2

Total

146,143

100

199,340

Sources: USDI. BLM, 1978c and 1979c; Leifeste, 1978.

The upland parts, benches, and ridges are mainly shal-
low to moderately deep loamy soils over bedrock or
shale. Rock outcrop is common. Runoff is mainly medi-
um to rapid.

According to an unpublished Kane County soil survey
conducted by BLM, 45 percent of the soils within the
WSA are classified as moderately saline and 55 per-
cent as slightly saline. The estimated annual salt yield
from undisturbed soils within the WSA is 70 lb per
acre.

Reclamation potential is low on the majority of the
area which contains rock outcrops or sandy soils.
Potentials for seeding establishment is considered
fair on loam soil sites scattered throughout the WSA.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

The major existing vegetation types in the WSA are
pinyon-juniper woodland, desert shrub, and sage-
brush. See Table 3 for acreages and percentages
within the WSA.

Table 3

Existing Vegetation Types

Existing Vegetation Type

Acres

Percent
ot WSA

Desert Shrub

36,536

25

Pinyon-juniper woodland

87,686

60

Sagebrush

21.921

15

Total 146,143

100

Source: USDI. BLM. 1980a

Pinyon-juniper woodland is the most common vegeta-
tion type in the WSA (87,686 acres). This type
occurs primarily on Fifty Mile Mountain with the ma-
jor species being pinyon pine and juniper.

Desert-shrub type vegetation occurs in the southwest
corner of the WSA (Rock Creek, Little Valley, Croton,
and Lower Rogers Canyon). Major species in the
desert-shrub type include juniper, sandsage, and
Brigham tea. West-End Point and Steer Point Benches
are primarily sagebrush type (21,921 acres). Small
areas of riparian vegetation are found in Roger's Can-
yon. Communities of aspen, maple, and oak occur in
some of the canyons. Stands of aspen also occur on
top of Fifty Mile Mountain (Steer Point and Buck
Ridge).

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, the WSA may contain
one Category 1 and six Category 2 candidate species.
These are Lepidium montanum var. stellae. (Category
1), Psoralea pariensis, Lepidium montanum var.
neeseae, Corvphantha missouriensis var. marstonii.
Heterotheca joneeii, Penstemon atwoodii. and
Xvlorhiza cronquistii (see Appendix 4 in Volume I).
Distribution of Lep ilium montanum var. stellae and
Heterotheca jonesii is restricted to minor plant com-
munities in canyons and upper elevations of the WSA,
while the remaining five species are found in the ex-
tensive pinyon-juniper woodland.

The Fifty Mile Mountain WSA is in the Colorado Pla-
teau Province Ecoregion as shown on the Bailey-
Kuchler ecosystems map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). The
PNV types of the WSA are juniper-pinyon woodland
(102,343 acres) and saltbush-greasewood (43,800
acres).

Water Resources

The Fifty Mile Mountain WSA is located in the Croton
Creek subbasin of the Upper Colorado River hydrology-
ic subregion. The WSA does not contain any perennial
streams, except in a portion of Rogers Canyon. One
small, seasonal pond (approximately 2 acres) occurs
in Lake Draw. Major drainages in the WSA include
Rogers Canyon, Croton Canyon, Basin Canyon, Mon-
day Canyon, Little Valley, and Rock Creek. These
washes may flow from July through mid-September
in response to summer thunderstorms.

The Fifty Mile Mountain WSA is located in Paria River
Adjudication Area 89. The waters within this adjudi-
cation area are considered to be fully appropriated
both for surface water and for any directly connected
underground aquifer (UDNRE, DWR 1988).

The water quality standards for Croton Creek, a
tributary of Lake Powell, are as follows: Class 2B

25

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

(protected for boating, waterskiing, and similar
uses), Class 3B (protected for warm water species
of game fish and other warm water aquatic life), and
Class 4 (protected for agriculture uses).

Utah's 1986 305(b) water quality assessment report
notes that streams and tributaries entering Lake
Powell in the southern portions of the Upper Colorado
River drainage have impairments to their beneficial
uses from high levels of TDS and sodium. These im-
pairments result mainly from natural sources and low
flows. The quality of runoff from Croton Canyon is
very poor due to high TDS, notably sulfates, arsenic,
lead, and manganese.

Thirty-four small seeps/springs exist in the WSA.
Groundwater throughout the WSA is considered slight-
ly saline (500 to 3,000 milligrams of TDS per liter).

It is not known if this water is potable for human con-
sumption. The only current water use is for live-
stock.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Fifty Mile Mountain WSA is given in Table 4.
Appendix 5 in Volume I describes the mineral and ener-
gy resource rating system.

Table 4

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary
Rating

Resource

Favorability*

Certaintyb

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

f 3

Cl

Less than 50 million barrels ol
oil; less than 300 billion cubic
leet of gas

Coal

f 4

C4

147 million metric tons

Uranium

f 3

c2

Less than 1.000 metric tons ol
uranium oxide

Gold

12

Cl

Little to none

Silver

12

cl

Little to none

Titanium

12

C2

Less than 1,000 metric tons of
titanium oxide

Source: SAI. 1982; USDI, BLM,

1987.

•Favorability ot

the WSA's geologic environment lor a resource (11 - lowest

favorability or
size deposit).

smallest size

deposit; 14

- highest favorability or largest

bThe degree ol

certainty that

the resource

does or does not exist within the

WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

The WSA may contain deposits of titanium that is cur-
rently listed as a strategic and critical mineral
(USDoD, 1988).

• Leasable Minerals

Currently, there are no active drilling, mining, or

exploration activities for leasable minerals.

• Oil and Gas

Numerous oil shows (including oil-impregnated
rock deposits) have been reported from Cam-
brian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian,
Permian, and Triassic rocks in south-central
Utah (Heylmun, et al., 1965; Veal, 1976; and
Campbell and Ritzma, 1979). The older rocks gen-
erally are only stained, whereas free oil has been
recovered from Mississippian rocks at Upper Val-
ley (Doelling, 1975). Because the most obvious
structures in the area have already been explor-
ed, many investigators considered subtle strati-
graphic traps in Permian and Triassic rocks to
offer the best potential for future petroleum dis-
coveries.

The only oil and gas production in south-central
Utah in the vicinity of the WSA comes from the
Upper Valley field located approximately 15
miles to the northwest. This field was discovered
on the Upper Valley anticline in 1964 and stimulat-
ed drilling activity on similar anticlinal struc-
tures in south-central Utah. To date, however, no
commercial oil and gas potential has been identi-
fied in the WSA.

The oil reservoir is located along the prominent
Upper Valley anticline, but the producing area is
offset from the crest of the anticline to the west
flank and the southern plunging nose. This offset
is due to a regional, southwest directed hydrody-
namic drive in the Kaibab Formation (Sharp,
1976). Oil accumulation in other anticlines within
the region may be displaced to the south. Total
production from this field is expected to approach
50 million barrels. Production is from four dis-
tinct zones in the Timpoweap Formation (Triassic
age) and the Kaibab Formation (Permian age)
(Sharp, 1976). Shows of oil were also reported
in the Cedar Mesa (Permian) and the Redwall
Formation (Mississippian).

Geologically favorable structures for oil and gas
within the WSA include the Rees and Rock Creek
anticlines and the southern-plunging part of the
Collet anticline. Three wells have tested the Rees
anticline immediately west of the WSA. One of

26

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

these wells (#1 Byrd drilled in 1954), penetrated
Devonian rocks and bottomed at a total depth of
10,045 feet. BLM well file data indicates that no
oil shows were reported. The other two wells (#2
Unit drilled in 1955, and #1-16 State drilled in
1968) penetrated Mississippian and Permian For-
mations, respectively. No oil shows were report-
ed from either well.

The Collet anticline was tested 16 miles north of
the WSA (Kunkel, 1965). The well (#1-A Gates)
penetrated the Molas Formation (Lower Pennsyl-
vanian) with oil shows reported in the Kaibab,
Toroweap, and Molas Formations. The Rock Creek
anticline was tested in the southern part of the
WSA. The well (#1 Federal-Rock Creek) had
shows in the Upper Kaibab Formation.

The WSA is assigned an oil and gas favorability
rating of (f3). The size of the hydrocarbon accu-
mulation in such an environment is anticipated to
be between 10 and 50 million barrels of oil or be-
tween 60 and 300 billion cubic-feet of gas. Based
on the available information, the certainty of
occurrence for oil and gas is rated very low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, 76,300 acres of
the WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions); 27,500 acres are in Category 3 (no sur-
face occupancy); and 42,343 acres are in Cate-
gory 4 (closed to leasing). There is presently one
post-FLPMA lease, covering 40 acres in the WSA.

• Coal

The WSA is on the eastern side of the Kaiparo-
wits Plateau coal field, and most of the WSA is
underlain by the coal-bearing Cretaceous Straight
Cliffs Formation. Other minor coal-bearing rocks
occur in the Dakota Sandstone and Tropic Shale
that crop out in the southern part of the WSA.

Estimated coal reserves within the entire Kaipar-
owits Plateau coal field total 15.2 billion tons
(Doelling and Graham, 1972). A total of approxi-
mately 43,300 acres, containing an estimated
147 million tons of minable coal (based on coal
seams greater than 4 feet thick) occur within the
WSA. Approximately one-third to one-half of the
coal is recoverable. All of these coal seams are
within the Straight Cliffs Formation and include,
from oldest to youngest, the Christensen, Rees,
and Alvey coal zones. In the western part of the
WSA, individual coalbeds more than 14 feet thick

have been measured in the Christensen and Alvey
zones (Doelling and Graham, 1972). All of the
coal zones thin to the east across the WSA.

Part of the WSA is in the Kaiparowits Plateau
KRCRA, which includes the minable coal area. In
accordance with the underground mining exemp-
tion from the unsuitability criteria (43 CFR
3401. 2[a]), none of the areas in the KRCRA with-
in the WSA were determined to be unsuitable for
mining as a result of the application of the unsuit-
ability criteria (USDI, BLM, 1 981 d).

Based on the above discussion, the coal in the
WSA is assigned a favorability rating of (f4) (po-
tential for large tonnages of coal) with a high
(c4) certainty of occurrence. The presence of
vast resources of higher quality coal outside the
WSA minimizes the economic potential value of
coal within the WSA (USDI, USBM, 1988). There
are presently six coal leases covering 7,505
acres in the WSA.

Analysis of heat value and ash and sulphur con-
tent from coalbeds in the study area compare
unfavorably with Kaiparowits Plateau averages
(USDI, USBM, 1986a).

• Locatable Minerals

There are presently 108 mining claims covering

2,160 acres in the WSA.

• Uranium

The Triassic Chinle Formation and the Jurassic
Morrison Formation are the only rock units con-
sidered favorable for uranium in south-central
Utah (USDOE, 1979). The Chinle lies at depths
exceeding 3,500 feet through the WSA and urani-
um deposits found in this formation nearby, such
as the Henry and Carrizo Mountains, tend to be
small and highly localized (Hintze, 1973; and
Bendix, 1976).

The Morrison Formation is, therefore, the only
formation considered to be favorable for "signifi-
cant" uranium deposits in the vicinity of the
WSA. It lies at a depth of about 700 feet through-
out most of the WSA (Hintze, 1973). The term
significant is defined by as an economically ex-
tractable uranium deposit that contains a total of
at least 100 metric-tons of uranium oxide at a
grade of at least 0.01 percent (Peterson, et al.,

27

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

1982). The criteria used to judge the favorability
of the Morrison Formation for significant uranium
deposits included: (1) low fluvial energy regimes
during Morrison time, (2) active folding at the
time of sedimentation, (3) orientation of fold axes
at large angles to the direction of transport of
paleostreams, and (4) the presence of gray
mudstone beds. On the basis of these criteria, it
was concluded that the Morrison Formation
underlying the central portion of the WSA is
favorable for one or more significant uranium
deposits in the Salt Wash Member (Peterson, et
al., 1982).

On the basis of the discussion above, the WSA is
assigned an uranium favorability rating of (f3)
(containing between 500 and 1,000 metric-tons
of uranium oxide). The certainty that uranium
deposits occur in the WSA is low (c2).

• Titanium

Large deposits of primary titanium ore have not
been reported in Utah, but sedimentary deposits
of titanium-bearing black sandstones, similar to
those found in other western states, occur in sev-
eral places (Adams, 1964). The known titanifer-
ous black sandstone deposits in Utah are contain-
ed in the Straight Cliffs Formation and the Mancos
Shale, both of Late Cretaceous age. The deposits
represent fossil beach placers that contain very
fine-grained ilmenite, zircon, and monazite. The
heavy metals were eroded from older rocks to
the west and then transported by streams into
eastward-retreating Late Cretaceous seas where
they were winnowed and concen-trated by waves
and winds into large sandstone lenses along north-
west-trending beaches (Adams, 1964). Because
these deposits are slightly radioactive, many
were discovered during the uranium exploration
boom on the Colorado Plateau in the 1950s.

Although titaniferous black sandstones are known
to occur in south-central Utah, all the deposits
discovered to date contain only small tonnages of
titanium (Adams, 1964; and Doelling, 1975). Two
titaniferous placer deposits occur in the upper
part of the John Henry Member of the Straight
Cliffs Formation, a few miles north of the WSA in
T. 36 S., R. 3 E., secs. 7 and 17 (Zeller, 1973b).
The deposit in section 17 occurs as part of a chan-
nel in a massive white sandstone between the Al-
vey and Christensen coal zones (Doelling, 1975).
The ore body is about 12 feet thick, 600 feet

long, and 200 feet wide, although part of the
deposit has undoubtedly been removed by erosion
(Doelling, 1975). The upper 6 feet of this deposit
contains 13.4 percent titanium oxide, 6.5 percent
zirconium oxide, 11.7 percent iron, and 0.09 per-
cent equivalent thorium oxide. The lower 6 feet
contains 24.1 percent titanium oxide, 18.1 per-
cent zirconium oxide, 17.8 percent iron, and
0.15 percent equivalent thorium oxide (Dow and
Batty 1961).

It is likely that similar, although covered, titani-
ferous sandstone deposits occur sporadically in
Late Cretaceous rocks throughout this region. Be-
cause of the apparent widespread distribution of
these deposits and because of the small amount of
titanium contained deposits already discovered,
profitable mining of these deposits (especially
those covered by younger strata) seems unlikely.
Partly on this basis and in view of the preceding
discussion, the WSA has been assigned a titanium
favorability rating of (f2) (favorable for less
than 1 million metric-tons). Because of the prox-
imity of titanium deposits to the tract and be-
cause the titanium-bearing formations underlie
the WSA, the certainty of occurrence of titanium
deposits within the tract is low (c2).

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the tract.
These deposits are not unique or economically signif-
icant due to the presence of ample similar materials
outside the WSA.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

The Fifty Mile Mountain area supports approximately
45 species of mammals, 125 species of birds, 17 spe-
cies of reptiles, and three amphibians. Thirteen spe-
cies of raptors are known or suspected of nesting in
the WSA. No fish exist in the WSA. No Federally des-
ignated or other crucial or critical habitat has been
identified in the WSA. Game species in the WSA are
mule deer, cougar, cottontail rabbits, and mourning
doves. Mule deer are common yearlong residents, and
altitudinal migrations of deer from higher bench areas
to canyons occur during the winter. Small numbers of
cougar also are yearlong residents of the WSA. Cot-
tontails occur throughout the area and mourning
doves are fairly common throughout the area from
May to September. Water is a limiting factor on wild-
life population throughout most of the WSA.

28

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Approximately 32 desert bighorn sheep were trans-
planted into the Rock Creek area of Glen Canyon NRA
in 1981 and 1982 by the UDWR. As the herd size in-
creases, it is likely that a few sheep will move into
the southern end of the WSA.

Two endangered species, the peregrine falcon and
bald eagle, have been recorded within the WSA as
migrants. Both species are present along Lake Powell
and can be expected to migrate through the WSA. In
addition, the golden eagle (BLM sensitive species) and
six Category 2 candidate species could inhabit the
WSA: Great Basin Silverspot butterfly, ferruginous
hawk, long-billed curlew, southern spotted owl,
Swainson's hawk, and white-faced ibis (see Appendix
4 in Volume I). If present, most of these species
would be associated with riparian and wet meadow
areas or cliff faces and deep canyons, except for the
ferruginous hawk and Swainson's hawk. The ferrugi-
nous hawk inhabits pinyon-juniper woodland areas
where there are ecotones or edges that provide oppor-
tunities for nesting, cover, and hunting activities.
The Swainson's hawk inhabits open plains, grass-
lands, and prairies and preys upon species associated
with these communities, such as rodents and insects.
The UDWR list of sensitive species includes two spe-
cies that occur in the WSA: Lewis woodpecker and the
western bluebird.

No wildlife facilities exist within the WSA. However,
approximately 3,000 acres of vegetation treatments

have been proposed in the Escalante and Paria MFPs
for the benches north and east of Willow Gulch and
Rogers Canyon to improve mule deer habitat. There
are two small areas with riparian vegetation in
Rogers Canyon and a small pond in Lake Draw.

Forest Resources

Forest resources in the WSA are mainly limited to
87,686 acres of pinyon and juniper trees. The entire
WSA is open to woodland harvest but, due to limited
access and the remoteness of the area, use has been
minimal and undoubtedly will continue to be so for the
foreseeable future. Small aspen stands are located in
canyon areas and on Fifty Mile Mountain. No harvest
of aspen has occurred in the WSA.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The WSA contains portions of six livestock grazing
allotments. Table 5 summarizes livestock (cattle) use
in the WSA. Table 6 identifies existing and proposed
range developments in the WSA.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the grazing allotments that
comprise the Fifty Mile Mountain WSA (USDA, APHIS,
1988).

There are no wild horses or burros in the WSA.

Table 5

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in WSA

Total

AUMs

Number
of AUMs
in WSA

Number and
Kind of
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

Forty-Mile Ridge

59,931

7,325

4,155

208

599 Cattle

09/01-03/31

4

Last Chance

229,224

71,552

3,708

407

283 Cattle

yearlong

1

Lake

18,596

18,596

1,308

1,151

332 Cattle

06/01-09/30

3

Lower Cattle

72,611

7,855

6,877

171

1,151 Cattle

10/15-04/15

7

Rock Creek-Mudholes

107,975

32,956

2,100

1,196

175 Cattle

03/10-02/28

1

Black Ridge

11,156

1,308

845

42

141 Cattle

10/15-04/15

2

Unallotted

6,551

Total

499,493

146,143

18,993

3,175

18

Sources: BLM File Data

29

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Table 6

Existing and Proposed Range Improvements

Allotment

Existing Range Improvement

Proposed Improvement

Forty-Mile Ridge

None

None

Last Chance

1 Cabin, 1 Mile of Fence

None

Lake

3 Spring Developments,

1 Cabin. 1 Corral,

1 Reservoir, 2 Miles of Fence

2 Miles of Trails

5.0 Miles of fence
2 Spring
Developments

Lower Cattle

None

None

Rock Creek-Mudholes 1 Spring Development,

1 Cabin,

10 Miles of Trail, 1 Corral.
4 Miles of Fence

2.5 Miles of Fence

Black Ridge

None

None

Source: USDI, BLM.

1980a.

Visual Resources

The WSA possesses a variety of landscape characters
and features. Approximately 135,343 acres are clas-
sified as exceptional quality (Class A) and 10,800
acres as high to moderate quality (Class B) scenery.
The entire WSA is a VRM Class II area (USDI, BLM,
1981c and 1 981 d). In the Glen Canyon NRA Wilder-
ness Proposal, the NPS evaluated the various areas
of landscape character and assigned a Value Class of
II (superior) to the Straight Cliffs and Rock Creek
Basin clifflines, which extend across the WSA/NPS
boundary (USDI, NPS, 1979). The top of the Fifty
Mile Mountain, the Rock Creek peninsula, and Croton
Bench, basically pinyon-juniper woodland covered
plateaus, are Value Class IV. The Fifty Mile Bench and
Rock Creek Basin are Value Class III. Refer to Append-
ix 7 in Volume I for a description of the BLM VRM rat-
ing system)

Cultural Resources

The Fifty Mile Mountain WSA contains a 47,325-acre
archaeological district that has been nominated to the
National Register of Historic Places. The district con-
tains approximately 400 recorded prehistoric sites
and is estimated to contain hundreds of additional
sites (USDI, BLM, 1988a). The archaeological sites
considered as a whole in the WSA comprise some of
the most significant cultural resources in the Four
Corners area. Vandalism and illegal artifact collecting
has been minimal and sites are largely in pristine con-
dition. This is probably due to the isolated nature of
the WSA.

A majority of the recorded sites are masonry struc-
tures consisting of one to ten rooms. Most of these
are located on the mesa tops overlooking sagebrush
flats that may have been prehistoric fields used by
the village inhabitants. Other masonry sites are lo-
cated in alcoves in the Straight Cliffs area. The re-
maining sites are lithic scatters located on mesa or
ridge tops that may represent temporary or extended
camps or hunting sites and other limited activity
sites. The earliest sites in the unit may be represent-
ed by slab lined pit houses.

Most of the sites in the WSA are of Virgin Anasazi cul-
tural affiliation (USDI, BLM, 1988a). Other sites in
the unit are attributed to Fremont, Hopi, and Paiute
origin based on ceramic assemblages. The Navajo are
reported to have occupied the area, but no Navajo
sites have yet been recorded. The presence of sever-
al archaeologically represented groups may facilitate
research on occupational patterns using the cultural
resources present in the unit.

Archaeological survey first began on the Kaiparowits
Plateau in the 1920s. However, the first substantive
inventories were conducted in the region as a result
of the Glen Canyon Project (Gunnerson, 1959; and
Aikens, 1962). These inventories resulted in the rec-
ordation of approximately 300 sites in the Fifty Mile
Mountain WSA. Eleven of these sites were excavated
in 1961. Completion of the Southern Coal Project re-
sulted in the systematic survey of six 160 quadrants
within the boundaries of the WSA comprising 0.65 per-
cent of the unit (USDI, BLM, 1978a). A total of 25
sites were recorded. Using these data, an average
site density of approximately 600 sites per 23,000
acres was computed. Thus, nearly 4,000 sites may
be located within the boundaries of the WSA. Addition-
al sites would probably be similar to those already re-
corded in the unit: Anasazi masonry sites, lithic and
ceramic scatters, and possibly some pit house sites.

Recreation

The Fifty Mile Mountain WSA offers outstanding oppor-
tunities for backcountry recreation activities such as
hiking, backpacking, and sightseeing. There is no visi-
tor use attributed to hunting. Although there is great
potential for horseback riding opportunities, current
use is low.

Current use is limited to groups and individuals taking
extended backcountry trips on Fifty Mile Mountain,
and probably amounts to three or four trips per year.
At the present time, the Kanab and Escalante

30

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

resource areas receive only a few inquiries each
year concerning the WSA's recreation potential. No
data are available on visitor use. Estimates are 50
visits and 150 visitor days per year. Ninety percent
(135 visitor days) of the use is for primitive recrea-
tion and the other 10 percent (15 visitor days) could
be associated with ORV use.

Exploration and sightseeing of the archaeological sites
on Fifty Mile Mountain and the Straight Cliffs are po-
tential recreation pursuits.

The WSA use is open to ORV use on approximately
106,800 acres. Vehicular use in the remaining
39,343 acres is limited to designated roads and
trails. Due to the topography, remote location of the
WSA, and the lack of roads and trails, ORV use is
practically nonexistent in the WSA.

Land Use Plans

The WSA is located in the BLM Escalante and Paria
planning units which are being managed under the land
use decisions of the Escalante and Paria MFPs (USDI,
BLM, 1 981 d and 1981c). The present principal use
within the WSA is livestock grazing.

Wilderness is not addressed in the MFPs. Wilderness
designation is part of the BLM multiple-use concept
and the BLM land use plans are linked to the Statewide
Wilderness EIS through analysis of the present plan as
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

The WSA is BLM-administered public land except for
19 State sections (12,341.4 acres) and 2,658.8
acres of split-estate lands (Federal surface and State
minerals). The current policy of the State is to maxi-
mize economic returns from State lands and to re-
serve its position regarding the exchange of in-held
lands (see Chapter 1 in Volume I). In 1986, the Utah
State Legislature passed S.C.R. No. 1 opposing any
additional wilderness designation in Utah and urging
that State lands not be exchanged out of wilderness
areas. Of the 12,341.4 acres of in-held State land,
1,920 acres are under lease for coal, and 9,781.4
acres are under lease for grazing. The only current
activity on these lands is livestock grazing.

The Kane County Master Plan states, "Kane County
supports the total concept of multiple use of lands .
We reject exclusionary recreational forms that can
not be used by the average recreation visitor. Wilder-
ness, as conceived by the Federal land agencies, is re-
jected because of the limited visitor utilization possi-

bilities and rejection of the multiple-use concept."
(Kane County Board of Commissioners, 1982).

In addition, the Consolidated Local Government Re-
sponse to Wilderness indicates that Kane County
opposes wilderness designation of BLM lands in Utah
(Utah Counties, 1986).

The Garfield County Master Plan covers portions of
this WSA (Five County Association of Governments,
1984). The master plan recognizes that the county
possesses "... Some of the most spectacular scen-
ery in the United States . . . The County is sparsely
populated and most of it is in its original pristine con-
dition." The county plan recommends that the area
comprising the Fifty Mile Mountain WSA be retained
for multiple uses. The plan’s concept of multiple use
includes forestry, livestock grazing, mining, wildlife,
and recreation.

The Garfield County Commission has endorsed the
Consolidated Local Government Response to Wilder-
ness that opposes wilderness designation of BLM
lands in Utah (Utah Counties, 1986).

The Kaiparowits Coal Development and Transportation
Study (ERT, 1980) has identified a number of poten-
tial transportation corridors and truck haul routes
considered necessary for the future development of
the Kaiparowits coal resource. The objective of the
study was to identify possible areas for construction
and operation of future coal transportation systems
within the restrictions of general environmental and
engineering constraints. Corridor segments were re-
quired to contain at least one potential route for a rail-
road or coal slurry pipeline. Specific routes, how-
ever, were not identified. By selecting corridors be-
tween 2 and 15 miles in width, maximum flexibility
\

for future location of specific routes was maintained.
Corridor C 17 extends into the extreme northwest
portion of the Fifty Mile Mountain WSA for a short dis-
tance. However, the majority of the corridor remains
outside the WSA.

The Glen Canyon NRA forms 14 miles of the southern
boundary of the unit. In the Glen Canyon Management
Plan, a portion of the area adjacent to this unit mak-
ing up 10.5 miles of the common boundary was recom-
mended for wilderness designation (USDI, NPS,
1979). Section 8 of the Glen Canyon Enabling Legisla-
tion directed the NPS to study routes for a potential
road from Glen Canyon City to Bullfrog Basin. One of
four studied routes crosses the Fifty Mile Mountain

31

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

WSA (USDI, NPS, 1979). The NPS has not proposed
that the road be built.

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

Garfield and Kane Counties are rural, having an aver-
age population density of less than one person per
square mile. This density is very low when compared
to the Statewide average of 17 persons per square
mile (USDC, Bureau of the Census, 1981). Much of
the population in these counties is concentrated in
small communities rather than being evenly distrib-
uted throughout the area.

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Kane County
grew from 2,421 to 4,050, an overall increase of
about 67 percent. Table 7 presents the baseline and
projected population data for Kane County. It is esti-
mated that between 1980 and 1987, population in-
creased to about 4,890. Population projections indi-
cate that the number of people living in Kane County
in the year 2010 will be about 6,950 for about a 72-
percent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of
Planning and Budget, 1987).

Table 7

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Garlield and Kane Counties

1980

1990

2000

2010

Garfield

Population

3,700

4,250

4,350

4,850

Employment

2,156

2,000

2,200

3,200

Kane

Population

4,050

5,250

5,750

6,950

Employment

1,403

1,900

2,300

2,900

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

From 1970 to 1980, the population of Garfield County
grew from 3,157 to 3,700, an overall increase of
about 17 percent. Table 7 presents the baseline and
projected population data for Garfield County. It is
estimated that between 1980 and 1987, population
increased to about 4,085. Population projections indi-
cate that the number of people living in Garfield Coun-
ty in the year 2010 will be about 4,850 for about a
19-percent increase of 1980 levels (Utah Office of
Planning and Budget, 1987).

The community of Escalante lies along a major access
route to the Fifty Mile Mountain WSA, Utah Highway
12. Escalante is one of the larger communities in the

area having a 1980 population of 652 persons (USDC,
Bureau of the Census, 1981). Escalante is the main
gateway and service area for visitors to the Fifty
Mile Mountain WSA.

• Employment

The economies of Kane and Garfield Counties are some-
what similar in structure, both being dominated by
the government sector and having strong service sec-
tors in terms of employment (USDC, Bureau of Eco-
nomic Analysis, 1982). Table 7 shows the baseline
and projected total employment for Kane and Garfield
Counties to the year 2010. Garfield and Kane Counties
are part of the Southwest MCD. Table 8 shows the
baseline (1980) and projected employment by source
for the MCD to the year 2010. In 1980, the leading
employment sectors for the Southwest MCD were
government (23 percent), trade (20 percent), and
nonfarm proprietors (12 percent) of the direct em-
ployment. Mining provided less than 3 percent of the
direct employment in the MCD.

Table 8

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment*

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

11,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

alncludes Beaver, Garlield, Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 3 percent, mining to less
than 1 percent, and government to 18 percent of the
total.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the WSA include min-
eral leasing and livestock production. Table 9 summa-
rizes local sales and Federal revenues from the WSA.

32

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Appendix 9 in Volume I identifies the multipliers used
to estimate sales and revenues.

Table 9

Sales and Revenues

Source

Estimated Annual
Local Sales*

Estimated Annual
Federal Revenues

Oil and Gas Leases

0

$80

Coal Leases

0

$22,515

Mining Claim Assessment

$10,800

0

Livestock Grazing

$63,500

$4,890

Recreational Use

i .SIS

Q

Total

$74,915

$27,485

Sources: BLM File Data; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

•Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account lor the
total income that would be generated by these expenditures.

The WSA has 108 mining claims. Regulations require
a $100 annual expenditure per claim for labor and
improvements, an undetermined part of which is
spent in the local economy.

Eighteen livestock operators have a total grazing priv-
ilege of approximately 3,175 AUMs within the WSA.
If all this forage were utilized, it would account for
$63,500 of livestock sales and $15,875 of ranchers'
returns to labor and investment.

The WSA's nonmotorized and motorized recreational
use is low. Consequently, related local expenditures
are low. The actual amount of income generated local-
ly from recreational use in the WSA is unknown. How-
ever, an approximate range of expenditures can be
deduced (Dalton, 1982). This study indicates that the
Statewide average local expenditures per recreation-
al visitor day for all types of recreation in Utah are
approximately $4.10. The recreational use for Fifty
Mile Mountain WSA is estimated to be about 150 visi-
tor days per year.

The WSA generates Federal revenues from mineral
leasing and livestock grazing (refer to Table 9).

Mineral leases in the WSA cover approximately 40
acres for oil and gas and 7,505 acres for coal. Lease
rental fees, at $2 an acre for oil and gas and $3 an
acre for coal, generate up to $22,595 of Federal rev-
enues annually. Half of these monies are allocated to
the State, which then reallocates these revenues to
various funds, the majority of which are related to
energy development and mitigation of local impacts of
energy and mineral development.

Average actual livestock use and, therefore, reve-
nues generated from grazing in the WSA are unknown;
however, the permittees in the WSA can use up to
3,175 AUMs per year. Based on $1.54 per AUM graz-
ing fee, the WSA can potentially generate $4,890 of
grazing fee revenues annually, 50 percent of which
would be allocated back to the local BLM District for
the construction of rangeland developments.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. The analy-
sis is based on the BLM management actions and antici-
pated activities presented in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B and the Description of the Alternatives for
the Fifty Mile Mountain WSA.

A major long-term consideration in impact analysis
for this WSA is development of the Kaiparowits coal
field. For a detailed analysis of potential impacts of
coal development in southern Utah, the reader is
referred to the Final EIS for "Development of Coal
Resources in Southern Utah" (USDI, USGS, 1979).

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the WSA
would be somewhat protected by limitations placed on
potential surface-disturbing activities (i.e., VRM
Class II management on all 146,143 acres, manage-
ment under oil and gas leasing Category 4 [closed to
leasing] on 42,343 acres and under oil and gas leasing
Category 3 [no surface occupancy] on 27,500 acres,
and ORV limitations on 39,343 acres).

In the short term, direct disturbance of approximate-
ly 3,046 acres from uranium exploration, vegetation
treatments, rangeland projects, and from providing
access to State in-holdings would result in a loss of
naturalness and opportunities for solitude and primi-
tive, unconfined recreation in the disturbed areas.
Most special features, including scenic vistas, endan-
gered and sensitive species, wildlife associated with
wilderness, perennial streams, and archaeological
values, would not be significantly affected because
the disturbance would involve only about 2.1 percent

33

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

of the WSA and generally, the disturbance would not
be located where the special features are located.
Some Class A scenery would be reduced in quality in
the disturbed areas. Proposed spring developments
and vegetation treatments would benefit wildlife
special features associated with wilderness because
of increased forage and water. In addition, appropri-
ate measures would be taken to protect endangered
and sensitive species and cultural values prior to any
surface-disturbing activity. Refer to the Cultural
Resources; and Vegetation and Wildlife Including
Special Status Species sections for more informa-
tion.

During the period of activity, the visual and audible
disturbance from mineral exploration, vegetation
treatments, rangeland developments, and from devel-
opment of roads to State in-holdings would reduce the
quality of opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation and scenic quality not only on directly disturb-
ed areas, but also indirectly on adjacent portions of
the WSA. As much as 20 percent (30,000 acres) of
the WSA could be so affected in the foreseeable fu-
ture.

Because future vehicular use would generally be limit-
ed by terrain to existing vehicular ways, future
roads, or washes where tracks would be temporary,
no additional disturbance from ORV activity is antici-
pated in the future. The continued and increased vehic-
ular use of 6 miles of existing way and use of future
exploration and access roads would occassionally de-
tract from opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase of visitor use that
is anticipated to occur would not be expected to signif-
icantly reduce wilderness values because the addition-
al use is expected to be small and the WSA is large
enough to incorporate the additional use adequately.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would result is not accurately
known, but loss would occur as intrusions increase.
Coal development over the long term would result in a
direct loss of wilderness values, including natural-
ness and opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation, Class A scenery, and scenic vistas on up to
0.04 percent (60 acres) in the vicinity of the
Straight Cliffs. Indirect reduction in quality of these
wilderness values from sights, sounds, and dust
would occur on up to an additional 10 percent

(14,600 acres) of the WSA in the vicinity of the
Straight Cliffs for a period of 30 to 40 years.

This alternative would not complement or enhance wil-
derness values, uses, and management of the contigu-
ous NRA lands that are proposed by the NPS for wil-
derness designation.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation, and loss would occur as in-
trusions increase. In the short term, naturalness and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
would be directly lost on 3,046 acres of the WSA and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
would be indirectly reduced on up to an additional
30,000 acres. Class A scenery would be reduced in
quality in disturbed areas and in areas adjacent to the
disturbance. Other special features would not be sig-
nificantly affected. Over the long term, direct loss of
wilderness values, including naturalness and opportu-
nities for solitude and primitive recreation, Class A
scenery, and scenic vistas, would occur on an addi-
tional 60 acres of the WSA. Indirect reduction in the
quality of these wilderness values would occur on up
to an additional 14,600 acres of the WSA.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status
Species

The 3,046 acres of surface disturbance projected for
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative would main-
ly occur in the pinion-juniper woodland. On the 3,000
acres of projected vegetation treatments, vegetation
composition would change from woodland to grass-
shrub. It is assumed that the grass-shrub vegetation
would be maintained over the long term. However,
once active maintenance ceased, the area would even-
tually revert back to pinyon-juniper woodland. The
projected surface disturbance would affect only about
2.1 percent of the WSA or 3.5 percent of the pinyon-
juniper woodland in the WSA, therefore, the overall
change would not be significant. The 9 acres of sur-
face disturbance resulting from the construction of
rangeland projects would be reclaimed within a 3 to 5
year period. The 27 acres disturbed by uranium ex-
ploration would be reclaimed following completion of
the exploration activities. In the long term, anticipat-
ed coal development could disturb up to 60 acres as a
result of surface facility and access road construc-
tion. While no significant impacts to any vegetation
type is anticipated, this disturbance would remain for
the 30 to 40 year life of the operations.

34

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Four of the special status species that may occur in
the WSA are located in the pinyon-juniper woodland.
The habitats of all of the special status species ex-
tends beyond the WSA boundary. Before authorizing
any surface-disturbing activities, BLM would conduct
site-specific clearances of the potentially disturbed
areas. If any threatened or endangered species are
located, BLM would initiate consultation with the FWS
as required by the Endangered Species Act and BLM
policy. BLM would request a biological opinion when
appropriate (refer to Appendix 4 in Volume I). Appro-
priate mitigation measures, such as avoidance of sen-
sitive areas, would be implemented. Therefore, while
surface-disturbing activities could result in the inad-
vertent loss of some individual plants of these spe-
cies, threats to the continued existence of any of the
species would not occur. Because necessary mea-
sures would be taken to protect these species, the via-
bility of populations of special status plant species
would be preserved with the No Action/No Wilderness
Alterna-tive.

Conclusion: Special status plant species would not be
significantly impacted. About 3.5 percent of the
pinyon-juniper woodland type in the WSA would be
converted to a grass shrub type. No other vegetation
types would be altered.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

The WSA would remain open to exploration and devel-
opment of mineral and energy resources without con-
sideration of wilderness values. Therefore, mineral
and energy resources would not be affected by the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative

Conclusion: Implementation of the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative would not adversely affect min-
eral exploration or production.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Population Including
Special Status Species

Wildlife habitat would be improved by an increase in
the availability of water through the construction of
two spring developments. Also, wildlife habitat would
be improved by 3,000 acres of vegetation treatments
(pinyon-juniper woodland chaining and subsequent
seeding). Mule deer would especially benefit from the
vegetation treatments with the resulting increase in
browse.

Deer, cougar, mobile game, and nongame species
would be dispersed from the rangeland, wildlife, and
energy and mineral disturbed areas during the con-
struction phase of projects. Less mobile wildlife
would either perish or co-exist with these disturb-
ances at smaller or less viable population rates. The
proposed vegetation treatment projects would create
additional ecotones and edges which should improve
ferruginous hawk habitat. Also, Swainson’s hawk
habitat should improve since vegetation treatment
would create additional grasslands.

The extent and use of the WSA by the bald eagle,
peregrine falcon, or the six Category 2 candidate
species and other sensitive species that may occur
there is unknown. Vegetation treatment proposals
would not affect most of these species because activ-
ities would be in the flat pinyon-juniper woodland
area, and if present, these species would inhabit the
riparian and cliff-face areas in the canyons.

BLM would conduct site-specific clearances of the po-
tentially disturbed areas. If any threatened or endan-
gered species are located, BLM would initiate consul-
tation with FWS as required by the Endangered Spe-
cies Act and BLM policy. BLM would request a biologi-
cal opinion when appropriate (refer to Appendix 4 in
Volume I). Appropriate mitigation measures, such as
avoidance of sensitive areas, would be implemented.
Because necessary measures would be taken to pro-
tect these species, it can be reasonably concluded
that potential populations of special status animal spe-
cies would be preserved with the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative.

Conclusion: Wildlife habitat and populations including
special status animal species would not be significant-
ly affected. Overall, implementation of the water and
vegetation treatment projects would benefit wildlife
by providing additional water, forage, and ecotones.
About 1.2 percent (3,106 acres) of the wildlife habi-
tat in the WSA would be disturbed.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

Domestic livestock grazing would continue as author-
ized. The estimated 3,175 AUMs currently allocated
in the WSA are controlled by 18 livestock permittees.
Few changes in livestock management practices are
expected. Motorized vehicles are currently used on a
limited basis to manage livestock in the WSA and is
generally restricted to the 6 miles of way and 17
miles of cherry-stemmed road. The proposed 7.5
miles of fence and two spring developments would be

35

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

developed and would result in improved livestock dis-
tribution. Even though the 3,000 acres of vegetation
treatments would primarily benefit wildlife, addition-
al forage would also be made available for livestock.

Conclusion: Livestock management and grazing levels
would not be adversely affected by implementation of
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

• Impacts on Cultural Resources

The 3,000 acres of vegetation treatments would be
located in the northwestern portion of the WSA on
flat mesa tops. Few sites have been recorded in this
area, however, little formal inventory work has been
conducted. Some sites are likely to be present and
could be inadvertently damaged or destroyed by the
vegetation treatment projects. Exploration activities
that would disturb about 27 acres in the short term,
would probably have little impact on cultural re-
sources. The entire 146,143 acres would remain
open to mineral location and leasing in the future.
Some minable coal is present in the WSA and would
eventually be extracted. The nature and extent of
potential impacts to cultural resources due to these
activities is presently unknown. However, all sites in
the WSA would continue to be protected under exist-
ing State and Federal antiquities laws and appropriate
inventory and mitigation procedures would precede
any surface disturbance. Some inadvertent damage to
archaeological sites, especially those that cannot be
detected by surface inspection, may occur despite all
management efforts. In addition, increased access due
to road construction and increased human presence
would provide opportunities for intentional vandalism
and illegal artifact collection (Nickens, et al., 1981).

The entire WSA would remain open to ORV use and ve-
hicular access. In general, the WSA is quite inacces-
sible and all types of motorized traffic are currently
restricted to existing roads and ways. Most of the ar-
chaeological sites in the unit are protected from both
intentional and unintentional damage from vehicular
traffic due to topographic constraints.

Although vandalism has not been a significant problem
at the Fifty Mile Mountain sites, incidence could in-
crease in the future due to the general population in-
crease. Many of the sites in the WSA would attract
vandals seeking salable artifacts or additions to per-
sonal collections.

With this alternative, archaeological sites would be
subject to standard cultural resource management

procedures (Neumann and Reinburg, 1988). Stabili-
zation of vandalized sites, inventory, interpretation -
of significant sites or resources, and research-
orientated excavation could proceed without the
restrictions of wilderness values maintenance.

Conclusion: Some impacts to cultural resources are
expected with this alternative, but all sites in the
unit would continue to receive protection under exist-
ing laws. The unit would continue to be open to vehicu-
lar access, but impacts to cultural resources are ex-
pected to be minimal. As population increases, vandal-
ism may increase due to the attractive nature of the
resources present. Cultural resource management
would continue without regard to wilderness manage-
ment.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

There would not be a loss of local employment or in-
come as a result of implementing the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative. The opportunity to explore
and develop mineral resources would continue. A por-
tion of the $100 per year assessment fee required
for each mining claim would reach the local economy.
The employment of 900 people (three mines) would
represent only 2 percent of the projected Southwest
MCD for the year 2010. However, it would be about
28 percent of the Garfield County or 31 percent of
the Kane County projected employment in the year
2010 and nearby local communities would be signifi-
cantly affected. There would be both beneficial and
adverse impacts. Beneficial impact would include in-
creases in employment and income while adverse
impacts would include increased demands for housing
and infrastructure such as schools, law enforcement,
ect. The probability of economic development of coal
within the WSA is high in the long term (refer to the
Mineral and Energy Resources section for a descrip-
tion of minerals and development potentials).

There would be no livestock-related economic losses
because the existing grazing use (3,175 AUMs) would
remain as at present. The forage use in the allotment
would continue to produce $63,500 annually in live-
stock sales and $15,875 of ranchers’ return to labor
and investment.

It is projected that recreational use and, therefore,
recreation-related local expenditures, would increase
at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year over the next 20
years (from 49 to 285 percent increase over 20
years). At this rate, recreational use in the area is
estimated to increase from 74 to 428 visitor days

36

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

per year over the next 20 years. With overall recrea-
tion related expenditures averaging $4.10 per visitor
day, recreation-related expenditures attributable to
the WSA would likely not be significant to the local
economy.

Federal and State revenues would not be reduced by
the alternative. No mineral leasing would be allowed
in the 42,843 acres classified as Category 4 (closed
to leasing). However, the leasing of coal and oil and
gas on presently unleased areas in the remainder of
the WSA would increase annual Federal leasing reve-
nues by up to $496,405 annually, in addition to new
royalties from lease production and bonus bids. Half
of these monies would be allocated to the State, a
portion of which could reach the local economy.

Collection of livestock grazing fees ($4,890 per
year) would continue. About 50 percent of the reve-
nues would be returned to the local BLM office for use
in range development projects.

Overall, the local economic impact would be consid-
ered insignificant for the short term. Long-term im-
pacts could increase if the coal resource in the WSA
were developed.

Conclusion: No loss of local employment or income
would occur. Federal and State revenues would not be
reduced. Economic opportunities could be realized
through mineral and energy resource exploration and
eventual development in the long term. There would
be major beneficial and adverse economic impacts in
Garfield and Kane Counties.

All Wilderness Alternative (146,143 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 146,143 acres as
wilderness would contribute to the preservation of
the wilderness values in the Fifty Mile Mountain WSA.
The potential for surface-disturbing activities would
be reduced through closure of the entire area to fu-
ture mineral leasing and location and to ORV use, and
through management of the area as VRM Class I which
allows for only natural ecological change. Naturalness
would be protected on all 146,143 acres. Solitude
would be protected on approximately 69,000 acres
that meet and 77,143 acres that do not meet the
standards for outstanding opportunities. Primitive
and unconfined recreation would be protected on
approximately 67,000 acres that meet and 79,143
acres that do not meet the standards for outstanding

opportunities. Resources that could be considered as
special features in the WSA, including Class A scen-
ery, scenic vistas, endangered and sensitive species,
wildlife associated with wilderness, perennial water,
and archaeological values, would also be protected.

Although protected, complete preservation of wilder-
ness values would not be assured because of the exist-
ence of valid existing rights. In the foreseeable fu-
ture, disturbance of up to 26 acres is anticipated
from exploration of valid mining claims, rangeland
projects, and from providing access to State in-
holdings. Wilderness values of naturalness and oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive recreation would
be directly lost on the disturbed 26 acres (at least
until activities and noise cease and reclamation is
complete). During the period of activity, opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive recreation would also
be reduced in quality on adjacent portions of the WSA.
As much as 2 percent (about 2,900 acres) of the
WSA could be so affected. Special features would not
be significantly affected because the direct disturb-
ance would be minor (involving about 0.02 percent)
and would generally not be located where the special
features are located. Some Class A Scenery would be
reduced in quality in areas of both direct and indirect
disturbance. Spring developments would benefit wild-
life special features associated with wilderness be-
cause of increased water sources. In addition, appro-
priate measures would be taken to protect special sta-
tus species and cultural values prior to any surface-
disturbing activity, and no significant negative impact
would occur to these values (refer to the Vegetation
and Wildlife Including Special Status Species, and Cul-
tural Resource sections for more information). In all
cases, mitigation to protect wilderness values would
be applied. Loss of wilderness values would be allow-
ed if development involving valid existing rights could
not be otherwise achieved. Rangeland projects, on the
other hand, would be designed to meet wilderness
management criteria and, upon completion, would not
be substantially noticeable in the area as a whole. All
in all, the disturbance would probably not be substan-
tially noticeable in the area as a whole.

Vehicular use of existing ways would generally cease
with ORV closure, improving opportunities for soli-
tude and primitive recreation and naturalness.

Over the long term, there would be no potential for
loss of wilderness values due to development of new
leases and mining claims. The potential for long-term
development is not currently known, but would be
less with this alternative than with the No Action/No

37

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Wilderness Alternative due to application of mitiga-
tion that would protect wilderness values subject to
valid existing rights. The coal resources would not be
developed, so no loss of wilderness values would be
incurred from that.

Increased visitor use that would occur with time
would be primitive in nature and would be managed so
as to not result in loss of wilderness values.

Designation of the WSA as wilderness would comple-
ment and enhance wilderness values, uses, and man-
agement of the contiguous portion of Glen Canyon NRA
which is proposed for wilderness designation by NPS.
These areas share a common watershed, canyon sys-
tem, recreation trails, and archaeological and scenic
values.

Conclusion: Overall, wilderness designation would
preserve the wilderness values in the WSA. Because
of valid existing rights, naturalness and opportunities
for solitude and primitive recreation would be direct-
ly lost in the foreseeable future on about 26 acres,
and opportunities for solitude and primitive recrea-
tion would be indirectly reduced in quality on up to
2,900 acres. Special features, would be preserved
overall, although Class A scenery would be reduced in
quality in disturbed areas and areas adjacent to the
disturbance.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies

Implementation of the All Wilderness Alternative
would not directly affect any vegetation type in the
WSA. The projected 3,000 acres of vegetation treat-
ments would not be allowed. Only 8 acres of surface
disturbance from mineral and energy resource explor-
ation or development is assumed. Wilderness designa-
tion would provide additional protection for special
status plant species.

Conclusion: Implementation of the All Wilderness
Alternative would protect the vegetation resource,
including special status species in the WSA because
potential disturbance would be reduced to 26 acres.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

Approximately 40 acres are under oil and gas
lease. However, no exploration or development of

oil and gas is presently occurring within the WSA.

It is unlikely that this existing lease will be devel-
oped or a showing of commercial quantities made
prior to its expiration date. Once expired, the
lease would not be reissued with this alternative.
Due to the small size of the potential deposits, the
low certainty that these exist, and the low likeli-
hood of exploration and development activities, it
is projected that this alternative would not result
in a significant loss of oil and gas resource recov-
ery.

The northwest side of the WSA has potential for
coal development. Approximately 7,505 acres of
the WSA are presently leased. It is projected that
diligent development requirements will not be met
before the leases expire because of poor accessi-
bility, lack of water, high cost of underground
mining, and competition from other coal areas.
With this alternative, new leases would not be
issued after expiration.

Therefore, it is concluded that the potential for
development of up to 73.5 million tons of recover-
able coal in the WSA would be foregone.

• Locatable Minerals

Approximately 2,160 acres are under mining
claim within the WSA, principally for uranium. De-
velopment work, extraction, and patenting would
be allowed to continue on valid claims after wil-
derness designation under unnecessary or undue
degradation guidelines. If the potentially recover-
able minerals are not located within mining claims
filed before designation, the potential for recov-
ery of titanium and uranium oxide would be fore-
gone.

Because production of these metals is not current-
ly occurring and because economic considerations
(e.g., transportation, low potential, etc.) are un-
favorable, it is unlikely that development would
occur following exploration. Therefore, this alter-
native would not result in any significant loss of
recoverable uranium and titanium resources.

• Salable Minerals

No exploration or development is anticipated.
Because of low potential of the deposit and the
availability of better sources of material outside
of the WSA, any loss of salable mineral products
would be insignificant.

38

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Conclusion: Wilderness designation would preclude
potential exploration and development of up to 73.5
million tons of recoverable coal. Loss of exploration
and development opportunities for other mineral and
energy resources would not be significant.

• Impact on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Including
Special Status Species

With this alternative, some wildlife could benefit due
to the preservation of solitude. However, the loss of
3,000 acres of vegetation treatments would have a
negative impact on wildlife (loss of additional sources
of water, ecotones, and edges). The development of
two springs would provide additional water for wild-
life.

Potential disturbance (26 acres) due to exploration
and development of locatable mineral resources would
not significantly disrupt wildlife populations or result
in species leaving the area.

The wildlife including special status animal species
that may occur would be provided additional protec-
tion and solitude with wilderness designation.

Conclusion: Vegetation treatments on 3,000 acres
could be precluded, but all species would be protect-
ed. The 26 acres of potential mining activities would
not adversely affect species diversity or populations.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

Present domestic livestock grazing would continue as
authorized. The estimated 3,175 AUMs currently allo-
cated in the WSA are controlled by 18 livestock per-
mittees. There is limited use of motorized vehicles on
the 6 miles of way in the WSA for management of live-
stock. Restriction on access would be an inconveni-
ence to the 18 permittees and would result in slight
increases in management costs. The 17 miles of
cherry-stemmed roads could continue to be available
for vehicular use.

Existing rangeland developments would be maintained
as in the past, based on practical necessity and rea-
sonableness. The proposed new rangeland develop-
ments (7.5 miles of fences and two spring develop-
ments) would be allowed subject to wilderness pro-
tection standards.

Conclusion: Wilderness designation would not signifi-
cantly affect current livestock management prac-

tices. Restricting motorized use of the 6 miles of way
could slightly increase management costs and incon-
venience to 18 permittees.

• Impacts on Cultural Resources

Surface disturbance, estimated at 26 acres, would
have little impact on cultural resources in the WSA.
Restrictions on vehicular traffic would help protect
the sites from intentional and unintentional damage
resulting from continued vehicular use.

As recreational use of the unit increases, site vanda-
lism and collection of small transportable objects
may also increase. Due to the lack of vehicular
access, collection of large artifacts and illegal exca-
vation of sites could decrease. However, sites con-
taining valuable artifacts or specific features may ex-
perience large scale commercial lootings. Many of the
alcove and masonry sites in the unit may meet these
requirements (Wylie, 1988). The benefit of protec-
tion of cultural resources from all ORV activity, ve-
hicular access, and surface development would, how-
ever, probably outweigh any negative effects from
increases in vandalism due to increased recreational
use.

Standard education and protection measures such as
warning and interpretive signs may be disallowed
with wilderness management. In addition, it may be
difficult to stabilize sites already vandalized while
maintaining wilderness values. Research potential in
the WSA is high, however, wilderness designation
may restrict access to the unit for inventory and
excavation of specific sites.

Conclusion: Surface disturbance with this alternative
is expected to be minimal, therefore, cultural re-
sources including 400 recorded sites would be pro-
tected from most intentional and unintentional dam-
age. Increased recreational use may increase certain
types of vandalism. Cultural resource management
may be restricted in scope and execution due to wil-
derness designation.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

Overall, there would not be significant changes in cur-
rent trends of population, employment, and local in-
come distribution.

Because wilderness designation would restrict the
use of resources, there would be slight losses in local
income and Federal revenues currently provided by

39

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

resource uses in the WSA (refer to Table 9). There
would also be a loss of potential increases in income
and Federal revenues that could occur with coal devel-
opment under the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive.

No development of the existing oil and gas lease is
projected. Exploration of existing, valid mining
claims could occur, but no development is expected.
Precluding exploration and development of minerals
would not alter existing economic conditions, but
would alter future economic conditions from what
they would be with mineral development under the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Because the poten-
tial for coal development is high in the long term, it is
estimated that potential mineral-related local income
would be significantly reduced by wilderness designa-
tion. Major beneficial and adverse economic impacts
in Garfield and Kane Counties from coal development
in the WSA would not occur.

Livestock use and ranchers’ income would continue as
at present with $63,500 of livestock sales and
$15,875 of ranchers' return to labor and investment.

Nonmotorized recreational use would increase, how-
ever, motorized use would decline. Related local ex-
penditures would be small (average of $4.10 per vis-
itor day).

The loss of 40 acres currently leased for oil and gas
and 7,505 acres now leased for coal would cause an
eventual loss of up to $22,625 per year of lease fees
to the Federal Treasury. There would also be a poten-
tial loss of $399,591 annually in Federal revenues
from the 146,103 acres that could be leased for oil
and gas and 35,795 acres that could be leased for
coal without designation.

Conclusion: Wilderness designation would not signifi-
cantly affect present local or regional economic con-
ditions. However, new leasing in the WSA would not
be allowed; therefore, potential sales and revenues
from coal development would be foregone.

Large Partial Wilderness Alternative (Pro-
posed Action) (91,361 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Wilderness designation of 91,361 acres would contrib-
ute to the preservation of the area's wilderness val-
ues. In the short term, impacts to wilderness values
would be about half as much as was identified for the

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Protection in
the designated area would include management under
VRM Class I (which generally allows for only natural
ecological change), ORV closure (the 6 miles of way
are in the nondesignated portion and would remain
open), and closure to future mineral leasing and loca-
tion. Naturalness, outstanding opportunities for soli-
tude (including approximately 64,792 acres that
meet and 26,569 acres that do not meet the stand-
ards for outstanding), primitive recreation (including
approximately 62,795 acres that meet and 28,566
acres that do not meet the standards of outstanding),
special features (including 60 percent of Class A scen-
ery), most scenic overlooks, water, and most archae-
ological values would be protected. Endangered or sen-
sitive species and wildlife associated with wilderness
would also benefit from protection provided in the des-
ignated area.

In the short term, loss of naturalness and opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive recreation due to allow-
able surface disturbance from uranium exploration,
rangeland projects, vegetation treatments, and from
providing access to State in-holdings would occur on
up to 12 acres within the designated portion and on up
to 1,525 acres within the nondesignated portion. Spe-
cial features would be preserved because disturbance
would directly involve only about 1.1 percent of the
WSA. In addition, appropriate measures would be tak-
en to protect endangered and sensitive species and cul-
tural values prior to any surface-disturbing activity,
no significant negative impact would occur to these
values. Refer to the Vegetation and Wildlife Including
Special Status Species, and Cultural Resources sec-
tions).

Sights and sounds from short-term development
would reduce opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation on areas adjacent to the disturbed areas,
including up to 10 percent (about 14,600 acres) of
the WSA. Most of this type of impact would be in the
nondesignated area.

Elimination of ORV use in the designated area would
help preserve opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation in that portion of the WSA, vehicular use
of 6 miles of way and future access roads and explor-
ation roads in the nondesignated area would detract
from these opportunities during the period of activ-
ity.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would occur in the WSA, is not

40

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

accurately known, but would be less than with the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative due to application
of mitigation in the designated area that would limit
development subject to valid existing rights. Coal de-
velopment would occur in the nondesignated area to
the same degree identified in the No Action/No Wilder-
ness Alternative. Wilderness values, including natural-
ness, opportunities for solitude and primitive and un-
confined recreation, and Class A scenery, would be
lost on about 60 acres because of direct disturbance.
These values including scenic vistas would be reduced
in quality on up to an additional 10 percent (about
14,600 acres) of the WSA due to indirect sights,
sounds, and emissions from coal development. These
impacts would continue for 30 to 40 years.

This alternative would complement and enhance wil-
derness uses, values, and management of the contig-
uous Glen Canyon NRA which is proposed by the NPS
for wilderness designation.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would be preserved
overall in the designated area which is approximate-
ly 63 percent of the WSA. In the short term, natural-
ness and opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation would be directly lost on 1,537 acres, and
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation
would be indirectly reduced in quality on up to an addi-
tional 14,600 acres of the WSA. Class A scenery
would be reduced in quality in both the directly and
indirectly impacted areas. Long-term development in
the nondesignated area would result in loss or reduc-
tion of wilderness values to the same degree as the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies

Approximately 1,525 acres of surface-disturbing
activities would occur in the nondesignated portion of
the WSA. About 1,500 acres would be disturbed as a
result of vegetation treatments. Projected impacts to
the vegetation resource would be essentially the
same as described in the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative. Only 12 acres of surface disturbance is
projected for the designated portion of the WSA. The
total area disturbed would be about 1.1 percent
(1,537 acres) of the WSA or 1.8 percent of the
pinyon-juniper woodland in the WSA. No significant
impacts to vegetation types are anticipated in either
the desig-nated or nondesignated portions of the WSA.

The seven special status species that may occur in
the WSA would not be affected in the area designated

wilderness. Before authorizing any surface-disturb-
ing activities in the nondesignated portion of the
WSA, BLM would conduct site-specific clearances of
the potentially disturbed areas as described for the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. If any threat-
ened or endangered species are located, BLM would
initiate consultation with the FWS as required by the
Endangered Species Act and BLM policy. BLM would re-
quest a biological opinion when appropriate (see
Appendix 4 in Volume I). Appropriate mitigation mea-
sures, such as avoidance of sensitive areas, would be
implemented. Because necessary measures would be
taken to protect these species, the viability of popula-
tions of special status plant species would be preserv-
ed with the Large Partial Wilderness Alternative.

The 60 acres of surface disturbance associated with
long-term coal development would occur in the nondes-
ignated portion of the WSA. While no significant im-
pacts to any vegetation type are projected, this dis-
turbance would remain for the 30 to 40 year life of
the operations.

Conclusion: Special status plant species would not be
significantly impacted. Approximately 1.8 percent
(1,537 acres) of the pinyon-juniper woodland in the
WSA would be altered.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

The nondesignated portion of the WSA would re-
main open to exploration and development of min-
eral and energy resources without consideration
of wilderness values as discussed in the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Therefore,
mineral and energy resources located in the non-
designated portion would not be affected by imple-
mentation of the Large Partial Wilderness Alter-
native.

That portion of the coal resource most likely to be
recovered is located in the nondesignated portion
of the WSA and could be mainly developed in the
long term, as projected in the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative. Therefore, implementation
of the Large Partial Wilderness Alternative would
not result in a significant loss of development
opportunities for coal.

The designated portion of the WSA would be
placed in Category 4 status (no leasing). About 40

41

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

acres are under oil and gas lease. It is projected
that this lease would expire without any explor-
ation or development occurring. No new leasing
would be allowed. Therefore, no oil and gas devel-
opment would occur. However, no oil and gas ex-
ploration or development is not projected for this
WSA even for the No Action/No Wilderness Alter-
native. Therefore, implementation of the Large
Partial Wilderness Alternative would not result in
the loss of a significant oil and gas resource devel-
opment opportunity.

• Locatable Minerals

Approximately 160 acres of mining claims are
located within the area that would be designated
wilderness. Development work, extraction, and
patenting could continue on valid claims after wil-
derness designation under unnecessary or undue
degradation guidelines. After designation, all
other lands (including claims not determined val-
id) would be closed to mineral location. BLM pro-
jects that a small amount of exploration would
take place in the designated portion but that locat-
able mineral resources are not sufficient for de-
velopment. The nondesignated portion of the WSA
would remain open to mineral location as discuss-
ed in the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Because locatable minerals are not being recov-
ered at present within the WSA and because eco-
nomic considerations (e.g., transportation, low
potential, etc.) are unfavorable, it is projected
that development would not occur in the foresee-
able future in any case. Therefore, implementa-
tion of this alternative would not prevent recov-
ery of significant amounts of uranium or titanium.

• Salable Minerals

No exploration or development is anticipated in
either the designated or nondesignated portions of
the WSA. Because of low potential of the deposit
and the availability of better sources of material
outside of the WSA, loss of development potential
for salable mineral products would not be insignif-
icant.

Conclusion: The coal resource is located in the non-
designated portion of the WSA and could be developed
in the long term. Loss of exploration and development
opportunities for other mineral and energy resources
would not be significant.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

Approximately 12 acres of surface disturbance is pro-
jected to occur in the designated portion of the WSA.
This surface disturbance would not adversely affect
wildlife species or wildlife habitat. The proposed
spring developments would be allowed and would bene-
fit wildlife, especially mule deer and desert bighorn
sheep. Approximately 1,500 acres of proposed wild-
life land treatments would not be allowed.

It is projected that approximately 1,525 acres of sur-
face disturbance would occur in the nondesignated por-
tion of the WSA. Overall, wildlife species would bene-
fit from the 1,500 acres of vegetation treatments,
especially mule deer and possibly desert bighorn
sheep. The vegetation treatments would provide addi-
tional forage and improve habitat for these species.

The affects upon less mobile nongame species and any
threatened, endangered, or other special status spe-
cies would be essentially the same as discussed for
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Wildlife habitat and populations including
special status animal species would not be significant-
ly affected. Overall, development of two springs and
vegetation treatments would benefit wildlife by pro-
viding additional water, forage, and ecotones.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

The effect of designation of 91,361 acres of the WSA
as wilderness on domestic livestock grazing would be
essentially the same as discussed for the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative. Of the estimated 3,175
AUMs allocated, 2,485 AUMs would be within the des-
ignated portion of the WSA and 690 AUMs within the
nondesignated portion. Grazing would continue in both
areas. The proposed 7.5 miles of fence and two spring
developments would be located in the designated por-
tion, but could be constructed subject to wilderness
protection standards. Motorized vehicles are used on
a limited basis for livestock management. The 6 miles
of way and 17 miles of cherry-stemmed road are
located in the nondesignated portion of the WSA and
would be available for vehicular use. Little effect on
the management of livestock is projected through im-
plementation of this alternative.

Conclusion: Implementation of the Large Partial Wil-
derness Alternative would not result in a change in
the level of livestock use. Restricting motorized use

42

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

in the designated portion would not adversely affect
management practices because the areas where vehic-
ular use primarily occurs is located in the nondesig-
nated portion of the WSA.

• Impacts on Cultural Resources

Three hundred and ninety-two of the 400 recorded
cultural sites are located within the designated por-
tion of the WSA. These cultural resources would be
managed as described for the All Wilderness Alterna-
tive. Only 12 acres of surface disturbance is project-
ed. The entire designated area would be closed to fu-
ture mineral location and leasing. Therefore, wilder-
ness designation would protect cultural resources
from surface-disturbing activities.

Visitor use would increase due in part to the presence
of significant archaeological sites (USDI, BLM,
1988a). Standard education and protection measures
such as warning and interpretive signs may be disal-
lowed under wilderness management. In addition, it
may be difficult to stabilize sites already vandalized
while maintaining wilderness values. Research poten-
tial in the designated portion is high and wilderness
designation may restrict access to the area for gen-
eral inventory and excavation of specific sites.

Little inventory has been conducted in the nondesig-
nated portion and very few sites have been recorded.
About 1,500 acres of vegetation treatments are pro-
jected in the northwestern portion of the unit. The
nondesignated portion would remain open to mineral
location and leasing and vehicular access. All sites
would continue to be protected by existing State and
Federal antiquities laws and appropriate inventory
and mitigation procedures would precede any surface
development. Nevertheless, inadvertent damage to
cultural sites could result from surface-disturbing
activities.

Conclusion: Cultural resources, including 392 of the
400 recorded sites in the unit, would be protected by
wilderness designation, although wilderness manage-
ment may restrict certain cultural resource manage-
ment practices. Some impact to sites in the nondesig-
nated portion is expected but all sites would continue
to be protected under existing laws.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

Partial wilderness designation is not expected to re-
sult in any changes in existing patterns and trends of
population, employment, and local income distribu-

tion. Coal development would take place as discussed
in the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative, as the
resource is in the nondesignated portion of the WSA.
This would lead to increased income and revenue as
well as other major beneficial and adverse economic
impacts in Garfield and Kane Counties. The estimated
3,175 AUMs would remain available to cattle in the
six allotments. Revenue, sales, and returns to ranch-
ers would be the same as discussed in the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative. Approximately $80 per
year in Federal oil and gas leasing revenue that would
continue under the No Action/No Wilderness Alterna-
tive would be lost as the 40 acres under lease in the
designated portion expires. Existing coal lease reve-
nues would not change. No new leasing would be allow-
ed in the designated portion, resulting in an undeter-
mined loss of potential revenues. Overall, the local
economic impacts from this alternative would be simi-
lar to the impacts of the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative.

Conclusion: No loss of local employment or income
would occur. Federal and State revenues would not be
significantly reduced. Economic opportunities could be
realized through mineral and energy resource explora-
tion and eventual development of the nondesignated
portion of the WSA in the long term. There would be
major beneficial and adverse economic impacts in
Garfield and Kane Counties.

Small Partial Wilderness Alternative
(51,540 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Wilderness designation of 51,540 acres would contrib-
ute to the preservation of the area's wilderness val-
ues. Although overall impacts would be about the
same as identified for the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative, the Small Partial Wilderness Alternative
would protect wilderness values in the designated
area. Protection in the designated area would include
management under VRM Class I (which generally
allows for only natural ecological change), ORV clo-
sure (the 6 miles of way are in the nondesignated por-
tion and would remain open), and closure to future
mineral leasing and location. Naturalness, outstanding
opportunities for solitude (including 38,200 acres
that meet and 13,340 acres that do not meet the
standards for outstanding), primitive recreation (in-
cluding 43,000 acres that meet and 8,540 acres that
do not meet the standards of outstanding), and special
features (including approximately 30 percent of the
Class A scenery), the perennial pond but not the

43

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

stream, 50 percent of the scenic overviews, and the
majority of archaeological sites, would be protected.
Wildlife associated with wilderness and endangered
and sensitive species would also receive protection in
the designated area.

In the short term, loss of naturalness and opportun-
ities for solitude and primitive recreation due to
allowable surface disturbance from uranium explora-
tion, rangeland projects, and vegetation treatments
would occur from direct disturbance on up to 2 acres
(uranium exploration) within the designated portion
and on up to 3,039 acres within the nondesignated por-
tion. Special features would be largely unaffected be-
cause disturbance would involve only about 2.1 per-
cent of the WSA. In addition, appropriate measures
would be taken to protect endangered and sensitive
species and cultural values prior to any surface-dis-
turbing activity, and no significant negative impact
would occur to these values. Refer to the Vegetation
and Wildlife Including Special Status Species, and Cul-
tural Resource sections. Class A scenery would be
reduced in quality in the disturbed areas.

Sights and sounds from short-term development
would reduce opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation on areas adjacent to the disturbed areas,
including up to 20 percent (30,000 acres) of the
WSA. Most (99 percent) of this type of impact would
be in the nondesignated area.

Elimination of ORV use in the designated area would
help preserve opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation in the designated area, although vehicular
use of 6 miles of way and of future exploration and
access roads in the nondesignated area would detract
from these opportunities during the period of activ-
ity.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would occur, is not accurately
known, but would be less than with the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative due to application of mitiga-
tion in the designated area that would limit develop-
ment subject to valid existing rights. Coal develop-
ment would occur over the long term in the nondesig-
nated area to the same degree identified for the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Wilderness val-
ues, including naturalness, opportunities for solitude
and primitive and unconfined recreation, and Class A
scenery, would be lost on 0.04 percent (60 acres) of
the WSA due to direct disturbance. These values, plus
scenic vistas, would be reduced in quality on up to 10

percent (14,600 acres) of the WSA due to indirect
sights, sounds, and emissions from coal development.
These impacts would continue for 30 to 40 years.

This alternative would complement and enhance wil-
derness uses, values, and management of the contig-
uous Glen Canyon NRA which is proposed by the NPS
for wilderness designation.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would be preserved
overall in the designated area which is approximately
35 percent of the WSA. The short-term and long-
term loss of wilderness values would be about the
same as identified for the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative.

• Impacts on Vegetation Including Special Status
Species

Approximately 3,099 acres of surface-disturbing
activities would occur in the nondesignated portion of
the WSA. About 3,000 acres would be disturbed as a
result of vegetation treatments. Projected impacts to
the vegetation resource would be essentially the
same as described in the No Action/No Wilderness
Alternative. Only 2 acres of surface disturbance are
projected for the designated portion of the WSA. The
total area disturbed would be about 2.1 percent of the
WSA or 3.5 percent of the pinyon-juniper woodland in
the WSA. No significant impacts to vegetation types
are anticipated in either the designated or nondesignat-
ed portions of the WSA.

The seven special status species that may occur in
the WSA would not be affected in the area designated
wilderness. Before authorizing any surface-disturb-
ing activities in the nondesignated portion of the
WSA, BLM would conduct site-specific clearances of
the potentially disturbed areas as described for the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. If any threat-
ened or endangered species are located, BLM would
initiate consultation with the FWS as required by the
Endangered Species Act and BLM policy. BLM would
request a biological opinion when appropriate (see
Appendix 4 in Volume I). Appropriate mitigation mea-
sures, such as avoidance of sensitive areas, would be
implemented. Because necessary measures would be
taken to protect these species, the viability of popu-
lations of special status plant species would be pre-
served with the Small Partial Wilderness Alternative.

The 60 acres of surface disturbance associated with
long-term coal development would occur in the nondes-
ignated portion of the WSA. While no significant

44

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

impacts to any vegetation type are anticipated, this
disturbance would remain for the 30 to 40 year life
of the operations.

Conclusion: Special status species would not be sig-
nificantly impacted. Approximately 3.5 percent
(3,101 acres) of the pinyon-juniper woodland in the
WSA would be altered.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

The nondesignated portion of the WSA would re-
main open to exploration and development of min-
eral and energy resources without consideration
of wilderness values, as discussed in the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Therefore,
mineral and energy resources located in the non-
designated portion would not be affected by imple-
mentation of the Small Partial Wilderness Alter-
native.

The coal resource is located in the nondesignated
portion of the WSA and could be developed in the
long term, as projected in the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative. Therefore, implementation
of the Small Partial Wilderness Alternative would
not result in the loss of development opportunities
for coal.

The designated portion of the WSA would be
placed in Category 4 status (no leasing). There
are no leases located in the designated portion of
the WSA. No new leasing would be allowed. There-
fore, oil and gas development would occur. How-
ever, no oil and gas exploration or development is
projected for this WSA even for the No Action/No
Wilderness Alternative. Therefore, implementa-
tion of the Small Partial Wilderness Alternative
would not result in the loss of a significant oil and
gas resource development opportunity.

• Locatable Minerals

No mining claims are located within the area that
would be designated wilderness. Development
work, extraction, and patenting could continue on
valid claims after wilderness designation under
unnecessary or undue degradation guidelines.
After designation, all other lands (including
claims not determined valid) would be closed to
mineral location. BLM projects that a small

amount of exploration would take place in the
designated portions, but that locatable mineral
resources are not sufficient for development.

The nondesignated portion of the WSA would re-
main open to mineral location as discussed in the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Because lo-
catable minerals are not being recovered at pres-
ent within the WSA and because economic consid-
erations (e.g., transportation, low potential, etc.)
are unfavorable, it is not assumed that develop-
ment would occur in the foreseeable future. There-
fore, implementation of this alternative would not
prevent recovery of significant amounts of urani-
um or titanium.

• Salable Minerals

No exploration or development is anticipated in
either the designated or nondesignated portions of
the WSA. Because of low potential of the deposit
and the availability of better sources of material
outside of the WSA, loss of development potential
for salable mineral products would not be signifi-
cant.

Conclusion: The coal resource is located in the nondes-
ignated portion of the WSA and could be developed in
the long term. Loss of exploration and development
opportunities for other mineral and energy resources
would not be significant.

• Impacts on Wildlife Habitat and Populations Includ-
ing Special Status Species

The 2 acres of surface disturbance that would occur
in the designated portion of the WSA from uranium ex-
ploration activities would not adversely affect wild-
life species. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed
projects, or other developments are projected for
the designated portion.

It is projected that approximately 3,099 acres of sur-
face disturbance would occur in the 94,603 acres
that would not be designated wilderness. The majori-
ty of wildlife species, especially mule deer and
desert bighorn sheep, should benefit from the project-
ed vegetation treatments and springs development
projects as discussed in the No Action/ No Wilderness
Alternative.

The affects upon less mobile nongame species and any
threatened, endangered, or other special status

45

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

species would be essentially the same as discussed
for the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Conclusion: Wildlife habitat and populations including
special status animal species would not be significant-
ly affected. Overall, development of two springs and
3,000 acres of vegetation treatments would benefit
wildlife by providing additional water, forage, and
ecotones.

• Impacts on Livestock Management

The effects of designation of 51,540 acres of the
WSA as wilderness on domestic livestock grazing
would be essentially the same as with the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative. Of the estimated 3,175
AUMs allocated, 1,162 would be within the desig-
nated portion of the WSA and 2,013 within the non-
designated portion. Grazing would continue in both
areas. The two spring developments and 7.5 miles of
fence would be located in the nondesignated portion of
the WSA. Motorized vehicles are used on a limited
basis for livestock management. The 6 miles of way
and 17 miles of cherry-stemmed road are located in
the nondesignated portion of the WSA and would con-
tinue to be available for vehicular use. Little effect on
the management of livestock is projected by imple-
mentation of this alternative.

Conclusion: Implementation of the Small Partial Wil-
derness Alternative would not result in a change in
the level of livestock use. Restricting motorized use
in the designated portion would not adversely affect
management practices as the areas where vehicular
use primarily occurs is located in the nondesignated
portion of the WSA.

• Impacts on Cultural Resources

Three hundred and eighty-four of the 400 recorded
cultural sites are located within the designated por-
tion of the WSA. These cultural resources would be
managed as described under the All Wilderness Alter-
native. Only 2 acres of surface disturbance is project-
ed. The entire designated area would be closed to fu-
ture mineral location and leasing. Therefore, wilder-
ness designation would protect cultural resources
from surface-disturbing activities.

Visitor use would increase, due in part to the signifi-
cant archaeological sites (USDI, BLM, 1988a). Stand-
ard education and protection measures such as warn-
ing and interpretive signs may be disallowed under
wilderness management. In addition, it may be diffi-

cult to stabilize sites already vandalized while main-
taining wilderness values. Research potential in the
designated portion is high and wilderness designation
may restrict access to the area for general inventory
and excavation of specific sites.

Little inventory has been conducted in this area and
few sites have been recorded in the nondesignated por-
tion. About 3,000 acres of vegetation treatments are
projected in the northwestern portion of the unit. The
nondesignated portion would remain open to mineral
location and leasing and vehicular access. All sites
would continue to be protected by existing State and
Federal antiquities laws and appropriate inventory
and mitigation procedures would precede any surface
development. Nevertheless, inadvertent damage to
cultural sites could result from surface-disturbing
activities.

Conclusion: Cultural resources, including 384 if the
400 recorded sites in the unit, would be protected by
wilderness designation, although wilderness manage-
ment may restrict certain cultural resource manage-
ment practices. Some impact to sites in the nondesig-
nated portion is expected but all sites would continue
to be protected under existing laws.

• Impacts on Economic Conditions

Partial wilderness designation is not expected to re-
sult in any changes in existing patterns or trends in
population, employment, and local income distribu-
tion. The estimated 3,175 AUMs would remain avail-
able to cattle in the six allotments. The revenues,
sales, and returns to ranchers continue as discussed
in the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

No mineral leases are located in the designated por-
tion, therefore, no revenue loss from expiration of
existing leases would occur. However, revenues from
potential future leases would be foregone. Approxi-
mately 94,563 acres currently not leased would be in
the nondesignated area and could be leased for oil and
gas at up to $189,126 per year. Revenues from exist-
ing coal leases would continue and 35,795 additional
acres could be leased for coal to bring up to
$107,385 per year in Federal revenues plus royal-
ties and bonus bids. Coal development is projected to
occur in the WSA in the long term. This would lead to
increased income and revenue as well as other major
beneficial and adverse economic impacts in Kane and
Garfield Counties.

46

FIFTY MILE MOUNTAIN WSA

Conclusion: No loss of local employment or income
would occur. Federal and State revenues would not be
significantly reduced. Economic opportunities could be
realized through mineral and energy resource explora-
tion and eventual development of the nondesignated
portion of the WSA in the long term. There would be
major beneficial and adverse economic impacts in
Garfield and Kane Counties.

47

.

RED BUTTE WSA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 3

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated from Detailed Study 3

Alternatives Analyzed 3

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 3

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 5

Summary of Environmental Consequences 5

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 5

Wilderness Values 5

Air Quality * 9

Geology and Topography 9

Soils 9

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 10

Water Resources 10

Mineral and Energy Resources 10

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 11

Forest Resources 12

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 12

Visual Resources 12

Cultural Resources 12

Recreation 12

Land Use Plans 12

Socioeconomics 13

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 14

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 14

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 14

i

.

RED BUTTE WSA

(UT-040-1 50)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Red Butte WSA, containing 804 acres, is in Wash-
ington County. The WSA adjoins the boundary of Zion
National Park for approximately 1 mile along its
northern side. The portion of the NPS land it is contig-
uous with is administratively endorsed for wilder-
ness. The NPS proposal encompasses about 120,620
acres. The WSA is approximately 15 road miles from
Virgin, Utah, and is administered by the BLM Cedar
City District.

The area's topography is dominated by a red sand-
stone butte in the southeast part of the unit. Eleva-
tions vary from 7,400 feet above sea level to 5,400
feet.

Changes for the Final EIS

The changes noted in the Introduction to Volume lll-B
are applicable to this WSA. In addition, the surface
disturbance estimate presented in the Draft EIS has
changed. The anticipated surface disturbance pre-
sented in the Draft EIS (180 acres) was based on the
assumption that all mineral and other resources poten-
tially within the WSA would be developed sometime in
the future without consideration of technical or eco-
nomic feasibility. In response to public comments rela-
tive to the feasibility of developments, the disturb-
ance estimates have been revised to focus on activ-
ities projected to be feasible within the foreseeable
future (see Appendix 6 in Volume I). This resulted in a
reduction of surface disturbance estimates from the
180 acres reported in the Draft EIS to no surface dis-
turbance for the Final EIS.

Average annual precipitation is approximately 15
inches. Approximately half of the precipitation falls
from December through March in the form of snow.
Intense thunderstorms from the southwest are com-
mon during the summer months.

Temperatures vary greatly with aspect and altitude,
but are generally mild. July and January are the
warmest and coldest months, respectively. Tempera-
tures range from extremes of 0 degrees to 105 de-
grees Fahrenheit.

This WSA was dropped from wilderness study status
by the Secretary of the Interior on December 30,
1982, due to its small size. As a result of a decision
of the Eastern District Court of California (Sierra
Club vs. Watt, Civil No. 5-83-035 LKR, dated April
18, 1985), and because of the WSA's wilderness val-
ues, it is included in the EIS for analysis. This is in
line with the general land use planning provisions of
Section 202 of the FLPMA and in accordance with
BLM guidance that allows for wilderness considera-
tion of areas less than 5,000 acres in size if they are
adjacent to land with wilderness potential administer-
ed by other Federal agencies.

There are no private, State, or split-estate lands
located within the WSA.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B (i.e., impacts on air quality, water rights,
geology and topography, and land use plans and poli-
cies), impacts on soils, vegetation and wildlife includ-
ing special status species, forest resources, and visu-
al resources are not issues in this Final EIS. This is be-
cause estimates of surface disturbance without wil-
derness designation have been revised downward
from the 180 acres reported in the Draft EIS to none.
Given this new scenario, impacts to these resources
would not occur in the foreseeable future. Also, there
are no proposals for improvements, harvests, or
other uses which would be precluded for these re-
source values by wilderness designation.

Impacts on water resources, mineral resources, live-
stock, cultural resources, recreation, and economic

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP
WSA

SEE VOL.I

1

RED BUTTE WSA

conditions are also not analyzed in the Final EIS. Im-
pacts on these values have been determined to be in-
significant for the reasons described below.

1 . Water Resources: The public is concerned that wil-
derness designation would interfere with water uses
or that without designation future surface disturb-
ance would increase erosion and reduce water quali-
ty. There are no perennial streams or proposed water
developments in the Red Butte WSA. Therefore, the
impacts of wilderness designation on water uses and
quality are not discussed in detail.

2. Mineral Resources: The public has expressed con-
cern that wilderness designation would interfere with
or prevent mineral exploration, development, and pro-
duction.

There are no existing oil and gas leases within the
WSA. Potential oil and gas deposits are small with a
low certainty that they exist. Uranium and other lo-
catable mineral deposits are thought to be small with
a low certainty of occurrence. More accessible depos-
its of sandstone and limestone and other salable miner-
als exist outside the WSA. For these reasons, mineral
exploration or development would not occur in the
foreseeable future with or without wilderness desig-
nation (see Appendix 6 in Volume I). Therefore, im-
pacts on mineral and energy exploration and
production are not analyzed in detail in the Final EIS.

3. Livestock: Concerns were raised that wilderness
designation would cause prohibitions in grazing or re-
duce levels of grazing, restrict access and develop-
ment of rangeland projects, and interfere with preda-
tor control. Under the BLM Wilderness Management
Policy (BLM Manual 8560), there shall be no curtail-
ments in grazing simply because an area is designated
as wilderness. No changes in the grazing level of 25
AUMs are proposed in planning documents. There are
no ways where vehicle use would be precluded by wil-
derness designation and there are no present or pro-
posed range developments. Predator control has not
been required or conducted in the area for several
years. For these reasons, impacts on livestock man-
agement are not significant issues for the Red Butte
WSA.

4. Cultural Resources: Cultural resources could be de-
stroyed by surface-disturbing projects, use of ve-
hicles, or vandalism. However, no cultural resource
sites have been recorded in the Red Butte WSA. No
surface disturbance is projected. Recreation use is
primitive. Terrain limits vehicle use inside the WSA.

Additionally, inventories for the purpose of site rec-
ordation and mitigation of impacts would take place
prior to any surface disturbance in the future. Given
these conditions, impacts on cultural resources are
not significant issues for the Red Butte WSA.

5. Recreation: The public has expressed concern that
wilderness designation would change recreational use
from motorized to primitive or, conversely, that
without wilderness designation motorized recreation
will eliminate or reduce opportunities for primitive
recreation. The recreational use occurring in the Red
Butte WSA is light (estimated at less than 100 visitor
days annually), is primitive, and would remain primi-
tive with or without wilderness designation due to the
terrain of the WSA and limited access. Therefore, im-
pacts on recreation use would not be significant and
are not analyzed in detail in the Final EIS.

6. Economic Conditions: The public, including the
State and local government, is concerned that wilder-
ness designation would preclude mineral or other eco-
nomic developments and adversely affect local eco-
nomic conditions. Others believe that primitive recre-
ation use would increase following wilderness designa-
tion and would contribute to the local economy.

There are no existing or anticipated mineral develop-
ments or proposals for lands or realty activities
which would be impaired with or without wilderness
designation. Because no economic developments are
expected and because recreational use would remain
primitive, potential impacts on economic conditions
for the Red Butte WSA are not significant issues for
the Final EIS.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The only significant issue for the Red Butte WSA is
impacts on the wilderness values of naturalness,
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation,
and special features.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the inventory phase
of the wilderness review, BLM's assessment of the
value of wilderness vs. other resource values, and
relationship to NPS management. See Volume Vll-C,
Section A for responses to specific comments about
the Red Butte Canyon WSA, and see Volume Vll-B for
responses to comments applicable to all WSAs and/or
the Statewide analysis.)

2

RED BUTTE WSA

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
from Detailed Study

One alternative considered was to transfer the WSA
to the NPS administration. Such a transfer could
occur in the future regardless of wilderness status
and is not analyzed as an alternative in this EIS.

The question of which agency should manage the WSA
to achieve overall management effectiveness will be
addressed in the Wilderness Study Report. This deci-
sion will be based primarily on factors affecting both
BLM and NPS jurisdictions (i.e., relative amounts of
the total wilderness area administered by each agen-
cy, principal public ingress and exit points, agency
staffing and workload in the region, and similar non-
environmental items). Environmental differences, if
any, would be due to variations in BLM and NPS man-
dates and policy (e.g., national parks are closed to
hunting while public lands are not) rather than from
wilderness designation. These differences would exist
with or without wilderness designation and, there-
fore, are not relevant to the analyses of the impacts
from wilderness designation.

A partial alternative was not considered reasonable
because of the area’s small size and lack of resource
conflicts. The Red Butte WSA would not be a viable
independent wilderness if adjacent NPS land is not
also designated as wilderness.

Alternatives Analyzed

Two alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness; and (2) All Wilderness (Pro-
posed Action) (804 Acres). A description of each
alternative follows. Where management intentions
have not been clearly identified, assumptions are
made based on management projections under each
alternative. These assumptions are indicated in each
case. The assumed BLM management actions pre-
sented in the Introduction to Volume lll-B are also
applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 804-acre Red Butte
WSA would be designated by Congress as part of the
NWPS. Although BLM's land use plans are regularly
updated, it is assumed for this analysis that the area
would be managed in accordance with the Virgin River
MFP (USDI, BLM, 1979a). There are no State lands

within the WSA (refer to Map 1). Figures and acre-
ages in this analysis are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 804 acres would remain open to mineral loca-
tion, leasing, and sale. There are no mining claims
in the WSA. Development work, extraction, and
patenting would be allowed on any future mining
claims. Development would be regulated by unnec-
essary or undue degradation guidelines (43 CFR
3809). Future oil and gas leases could be develop-
ed under standard stipulations (Category 1) on all
804 acres. There are presently no leases in the
WSA. Although mineral resources would be manag-
ed as described above, no locatable or leasable ex-
ploration or developments are projected in the
WSA because the level of known resources and
the probability of their development are too low
to support a development assumption. Appendix 6
in Volume 1 explains the mineral exploration and
development projections.

The present domestic livestock grazing use of 25
AUMs would continue as authorized in the Virgin
River planning unit MFP and Hot Desert Grazing
Management EIS (USDI, BLM, 1978b). There are
no existing range developments in the WSA.

The WSA would be open to vehicular use. How-
ever, vehicular use is not expected to occur due
to rugged terrain and because there are no vehicu-
lar ways in the WSA.

The area would continue to be managed under VRM
Class II on 804 acres.

• Action Scenario

BLM projects that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would not re-
sult in any surface-disturbing activities in the
foreseeable future. No locatable or leasable min-
eral resource exploration or development is anti-
cipated. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed
projects, or other developments are planned, nor
is any ORV use projected due to rugged terrain.
Recreation use in the foreseeable future would be
primitive in nature and would increase over the
current estimated use of less than 100 visitor
days annually at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per
year.

3

RED BUTTE WSA

R. 12 W.

R. 11 W.

Map 1

LAND STATUS
Red Butte WSA
UT-040-147

Legend

WSA Boundary

Zion National Park Boundary

State Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

National Park Service
Administered Land

Private Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

BLM Administered Land
Within or Adjacent to WSA

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

T. 39

T. 40

4

RED BUTTE WSA

• All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action)

With this alternative, all 804 acres of the Red Butte
WSA would be designated by an act of Congress as
part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). This WSA lies
adjacent to Zion National Park and is contiguous with
a 120,620-acre NPS-proposed wilderness. Because
this WSA lacks the necessary size to constitute a wil-
derness area by itself, it would be managed in con-
junction with the NPS-proposed wilderness. As a re-
sult, the Red Butte WSA could be retained by BLM or
transferred to the NPS along with nine other small
WSAs (refer to Map 3) who would then assume man-
agement responsibilities. For the purposes of this anal-
ysis, it is assumed that BLM would retain the Red
Butte WSA and would manage it in accordance with
the BLM Wilderness Management Policy (BLM Manual
8560) to preserve its wilderness character. No State
lands are located in the WSA (refer to Map 1). The
figures and acreages given under this alternative are
for Federal lands only. No private or split-estate
lands are located in the WSA.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 804 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale. There are
no oil and gas leases in the WSA and the area
would be closed to leasing. Therefore, no oil and
gas or other leasable minerals would be devel-
oped.

Present domestic livestock grazing would be
allowed to continue as authorized in the Virgin
River MFP and Hot Desert Grazing Management
EIS. The 25 AUMs in the WSA would remain
available to livestock as presently allotted.

Visual resources in the wilderness would be man-
aged in accordance with VRM Class I standards,
which generally allow for only natural ecological
change.

The entire 804-acre area would be closed to ORV
use except for: (1) users with valid existing
rights if approved by BLM in accordance with 43
CFR 8560 provisions; or (2) for occasional and
short-term vehicular access approved by BLM
for maintenance of approved livestock develop-
ments.

• Action Scenario

BLM does not project any surface disturbance in
the foreseeable future. Implementation of the All
Wilderness Alternative would preclude mining
claim location and mineral leasing. Therefore, no
locatable or leasable mineral resource explora-
tion or development would occur following wilder-
ness designation. No rangeland, wildlife habitat,
watershed projects, or other developments are
planned nor would ORV use be allowed following
wilderness designation. Recreation use in the fore-
seeable future would be primitive in nature and
would increase over the current estimated use of
less than 100 annual visitor days at a rate of 2 to
7 percent per year.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 summarizes the environmental consequences
of the alternatives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEQ guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as for the
analysis of the environmental consequences of alter-
natives for this WSA.

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The Red Butte WSA is approximately 1.7 miles wide
(east to west), 1.5 miles long (north to south), and
encompasses 804 acres.

• Naturalness

The WSA is in a natural condition with no known intru-
sions. The high quality of naturalness has not changed
since BLM's intensive wilderness inventory (USDI,
BLM, 1980b).

5

RED BUTTE WSA

R. 12 W.

R. 11 W.

T. 39

T. 40

6

R. 12 W.

RED BUTTE WSA

R. 11 W.

LOCATION MAP

Co-op

Knoll

Mountai

WASHING N

Pino

Knoll

:reek

:anyoh

\ unto \
[ Mountain

Sony 0rr

trap Cat

\33730

Virgin River

(09

Map 3

LOCATION MAP

Ordervllle Canyon WSA (UT-040-145)
Deep Creek WSA (UT-040-146)

North Fork Virgin River WSA (UT-040-150)
La Verkin Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-153)
Taylor Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-154)
Goose Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-176)
Red Butte WSA (UT-040-147)

The Watchman WSA (UT-040-149)
Beartrap Canyon WSA (UT-040-177)
Parunuweap WSA (UT-040-230)

Spring Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-148)

runuweap

T. 39

T. 40

T. 41

7

Table 1

Summary of Environmental Consequences

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RED BUTTE WSA

• Solitude

Outstanding opportunities for solitude are found on
approximately 75 percent (603 acres) of the unit.
The factors that contribute to solitude are the unit’s
isolation, difficulty of access, and vegetation screen-
ing. Red Butte, Smith Creek Canyon, and the mesa are
the most isolated portions of the unit. With the excep-
tion of a small open park area of Ponderosa pine, the
mesa is heavily vegetated with Ponderosa pine, oak
brush, and other shrubs.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

The Red Butte WSA offers outstanding opportunities
for hiking and backpacking in conjunction with Zion
National Park. The WSA also offers outstanding tech-
nical and nontechnical rock climbing and geologic stu-
dy opportunities. Technical routes are challenging and
the entire butte offers an outstanding climbing oppor-
tunity. Overall, outstanding opportunities for primi-
tive and unconfined recreation are found on approxi-
mately 180 acres (22 percent) of the WSA.

• Special Features

The WSA has resource values that, although not neces-
sarily identified as such during the wilderness inven-
tory, could be considered special features. Two ani-
mal species (bald eagle and peregrine falcon) listed as
endangered may occur in the WSA. There are 13 ani-
mal species and four plant species that are consider-
ed sensitive. Refer to the Vegetation and Wildlife In-
cluding Special Status Species sections for more infor-
mation. The WSA also has cougar, which is a wildlife
species commonly associated with wilderness. All of
the WSA (804 acres) is rated Class A for scenic qual-
ity.

• Diversity

This WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Province Ecore-
gion and has the PNV types of mountain mahogany-oak
scrub and juniper-pinyon woodland. Refer to the Veg-
etation Including Special Status Species section for
more discussion on ecoregions and PNV types. To see
how the ecoregion and PNV types represented by this
WSA compare Statewide and nationally with existing
and potential National Wilderness Preservation Units,
refer to the Wilderness Values section in Volume I.

This WSA is within a 5-hour drive from one standard
metropolitan statistical area, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Air Quality

Air quality data for the WSA were obtained from the
automated visibility measuring station at Lava Point
in Zion National Park. This station scans across the
area of the WSA, focusing on the Kaibab Plateau in
Arizona. The preliminary figures from this relatively
new system give an average visibility of 155 miles.
This indicates extremely clean air in the area. The
area is presently classified as Class II air under the
PSD regulations.

Geology and Topography

The Red Butte WSA is within the Grand Staircase sec-
tion of the Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province.
The WSA consists essentially of Red Butte and a por-
tion of the mesa on which it is located.

The lowest elevation is approximately 5,400 feet
above sea level and occurs at Smith Creek in the
northwestern part of the WSA. The highest elevation
is approximately 7,400 feet above sea level on top of
Red Butte. Smith Creek is the main drainage in the
WSA, and it flows from east to west through the
northern part of the WSA. Rocks of Jurassic and Tri-
assic ages totaling about 2,000 feet and thin deposits
of Quaternary basalt crop out in the WSA. Underlying
Mesozoic and Paleozoic rocks may be as much as
10,000 feet thick (Hintze, 1973). Cross-bedded eoli-
an sandstone of the Jurassic Navajo Formation forms
the most extensive outcrop in the WSA, with about
1,400 feet exposed in the higher elevations. Approxi-
mately 600 feet of the Jurassic-Triassic Kayenta
Formation are exposed in the lower elevations.

No faults or other geologic structures are known to
occur within the WSA.

Soils

The erosion classes are stable, 200 acres (25 per-
cent), and slight, 604 acres (75 percent). Erosion
condition was determined by using soil surface fac-
tors. Refer to Table 2 (terms are defined in the Glos-
sary). Salinity in the WSA ranges from slight in 70
percent (568 acres) of the area to nonsaline. Esti-
mated annual loss of salt is 19 lb per acre.

There are some isolated pockets of productive soils
within the WSA, but they are very small and undelin-
eated. Most of the soils are mapped by the Washington
County Soil Survey (USDA, SCS, 1977) as Paunsau-
gunt-Kolob-Dalcan association or rock outcrop-

9

RED BUTTE WSA

rockland association. These are excessively drained,
nearly level to very steep, shallow to deep graveling
silt loams, fine sandy loams, cobbly loams, and bare
bedrock. These soil types are used for range, wild-
life, and recreation and are unsuitable for agricul-
ture. Seeding potential is rated unsuitable due to rock
outcrop, steep slopes, and low annual precipitation.

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
Classification yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

0

0

0

Moderate

1.3

0

0

0

Slight

0.6

604

75

362

Stable

0.3

200

Z5

_£C

Total

804

100

422

Sources: USDI, BLM, 1979c; Leifeste, 1978.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

The vegetation in the WSA is the mountain-shrub
type. The dominant species in this type are Gambel's
oak, Ponderosa pine, big sagebrush, serviceberry,
pinyon, juniper, and manzanita. The understory con-
sists of bitterbrush, rabbitbrush, and bunch grasses.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, the WSA could contain
four Category 2 candidate species. These are Asple-
nium andl&wsii, Eriqeron sionis. tifiterolhgca jonesii.
and Sphaeromeria ruthiae (see Appendix 4 in Volume

I).

The Red Butte WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Pro-
vince Ecoregion as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler eco-
systems map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). The PNV types of
the WSA is mountain mahogany-oak scrub on 536
acres and juniper-pinyon woodland on 268 acres.

Water Resources

The Red Butte WSA is located in the Virgin River sub-
basin of the Lower Colorado River Basin hydrologic
subregion. There are no perennial surface waters of
streams or springs within the WSA. Smith Creek, an
ephemeral stream, is the main drainage of the WSA.
It flows from east to west through the northern part
of the WSA and enters LaVerkin Creek outside of the
WSA. The unit does have potential for well develop-
ment due to the underlying Navajo Sandstone Forma-
tion. This formation is known to be a good ground-

water producer. There is no present demand for well
development in the area.

The WSA water right status is fully appropriated
(UDNRE, DWR 1988). Surface and groundwater
sources are closed to further water right applica-
tions. There are no withdrawals present in the WSA.
There is an ongoing water right adjudication being
conducted by the Fifth Judicial District Court for the
Virgin River drainage for the general determination of
rights to the use of both surface and underground
water.

The waters from this WSA drain into the LaVerkin
Creek. The water quality standards for it are the
same as for the Virgin River. The State water quality
standards for the Virgin River and tributaries from
the State line to Quail Creek diversion are: Class 2B
(protected for boating, water skiing, and similar
uses, excluding recreation bathing [swimming]),
Class 3B (protected for warm water species of game
fish and other warm water aquatic life), and Class 4
(protected for agricultural uses including irrigation of
crops and stockwatering).

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Red Butte WSA is given in Table 3. Appendix 5 in
Volume I explains the mineral and energy rating sys-
tem.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Rating

Resource

Favorability® Certainty^

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

12

cl

Less than 10 million barrels of
oil; less than 60 billion cubic-
feet of gas.

Uranium

12

c2

Less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide

Source: SAI. 1982; USDI, BLM. 1987.

•Favorability o) the WSA's geologic environment lor a resource (11 - lowest
lavorability or smallest size deposit; 14 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

bThe degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

There are no strategic or critical minerals known to
occur within the WSA (USDoD, 1988).

RED BUTTE WSA

• Leasable Minerals

There are no known deposits of any leasable minerals
in the WSA. Currently, there are no active drilling,
mining, or exploration activities for leasable min-
erals.

• Oil and Gas

Based on similarities between the WSA and the
nearby Anderson Junction oil field (8 miles south-
west) and the Virgin oil field (10 miles south), the
WSA has potential for small accumulations of hy-
drocarbons. An exploration well, drilled in 1986
about 5 miles south of the WSA, had good oil
shows in several formations. To date, however,
no commercial oil and gas potential has been identi-
fied in the WSA.

The favorability of the tract for oil and gas is
rated (f2) (SAI, 1982). The size of the hydrocar-
bon accumulation in such an environment is antici-
pated to be less than 10 million barrels of oil or
less than 60 billion cubic-feet of gas. Based on the
available information, the certainty of occurrence
for oil and gas is rated very low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, all 804 acres of
the WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions). There are presently no oil and gas leases
in the WSA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in
the WSA. There are presently no mining claims.

• Uranium

The WSA is approximately 15 miles northeast of
the Silver Reef Mining District, a known uranium-
producing area. Although known primarily for its
past silver production, uranium has been found
there in the Springdale Sandstone Member of the
Moenave Formation. The Moenave Formation
crops out about a 0.50 mile west of the WSA, and
in the WSA is estimated to be at an average depth
of 1,000 feet below the surface. The WSA has
been assigned a uranium favorability rating of
(f2) (containing less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide). Based on available information,
the certainty that uranium deposits occur in the
WSA is low (c2) (SAI, 1982).

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the WSA.
These deposits are not unique or economically signif-
icant due to the presence of ample similar materials
outside the WSA.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

The WSA supports a variety of animal species. There
are approximately 300 vertebrate animal species
that could inhabit the WSA. These include 60 mammal
species, 208 bird species, 20 reptile species, six
amphibian species, and three fish species (USDI, BLM,
1979a).

Raptors may include bald eagle, peregrine falcon,
prairie falcon, American kestrel, red-tailed hawk,
and Cooper's hawk. The red-tailed and Cooper's
hawks are the most common species. The bald eagle
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and peregrine falcon
(Falcon pereqrinusL are included on the Federal en-
dangered species list. Bald eagles winter in the Virgin
River drainage south of the WSA and also in the Kanar-
raville and New Harmony valleys west of the WSA.
Occasional sightings of these birds have been made
with most reports occurring in the Deep Creek-Goose
Creek area. Nesting or roosting sites are not known
to occur in the WSA. The golden eagle which inhabits
the WSA is a BLM sensitive species.

There is an active peregrine falcon nest in nearby
Zion National Park. Peregrine falcons have been
reported in the Deep Creek-Goose Creek area and in
Taylor Creek Canyon, but nesting is not confirmed.

No other threatened or endangered species are known
to occur within the WSA. However, the Great Basin
Silverspot butterfly (Speveria nokomis nokomis) and
Virgin River montane vole (Microtus montanus rivu-
larisl are Category 2 candidate species that may
occur in the WSA (see Appendix 4 in Volume I).

Big game animals include mule deer and cougar. The
Red Butte WSA contains cougar habitat and is within
Utah Cougar Management Unit 30, Cedar Mountain.
Cougar populations and harvest by sport hunters and
by the Animal Damage Control Program has been high-
er in this management unit than in any other location
in Utah. During the 11 -year period (1977 through
1987) a total of 217 cougars were taken from the
Cedar Mountain Management Unit. This harvest aver-
aged nearly 20 animals per year (UDNRE, DWR,

RED BUTTE WSA

1988). It has not been determined how many of these
may have been taken from within the WSA. The WSA
is within the boundaries of Deer Herd Unit 58 and
provides winter forage. Hunting pressure is light be-
cause access is blocked by private and NPS lands.

No critical or crucial ranges are found within the
WSA. There are no existing or proposed improve-
ments for wildlife in this area.

Forest Resources

The major forest resources found in the WSA consist
of pinyon-juniper woodland and scattered Ponderosa
pine. The WSA has forest resources suitable for fire-
wood, fenceposts, pine nuts, and Christmas tree cut-
ting. However, because of the area's lack of access
and the same resources being available in abundance
elsewhere, there is currently no demand for these re-
sources in the WSA, and none is projected for the
foreseeable future.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The Red Butte WSA covers parts of two allotments
(Red Butte and Lamoreaux) (see Table 4). The Red
Butte Allotment has 14 AUMs within the WSA. The
Lamoreaux Allotment has 11 AUMs in the WSA. Two
permittees are allowed to graze cattle on these allot-
ments. There are no existing or proposed range
improvements in the WSA.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the grazing allotments that include
the Red Butte WSA (USDA, APHIS, 1988).

No wild horses or burros use the WSA.

Visual Resources

The entire Red Butte WSA is rated as VRM Class II.
All 804 acres are rated as Class A scenery. The to-
pography in the Red Butte WSA is steep and rugged,
making for interesting scenery. Refer to Appendix 7
in Volume I for an explanation of the BLM VRM sys-
tem.)

Cultural Resources

No archaeological, paleontological, or cultural re-
sources have been recorded in the Red Butte WSA.
Inventories have not been conducted within the WSA;
thus, the cultural resource potential of the WSA is
unknown.

Recreation

Recreational use of the Red Butte WSA is very limit-
ed. The WSA is isolated from the Zion National Park
by open terrain and is not a major use area. Recrea-
tional use would be associated with deer hunting and
rock climbing. Use of vehicles inside the WSA is ex-
tremely unlikely due to terrain. It is estimated that
there are less than 100 visitor days annually. There
are no developed recreation facilities or vehicular
ways in the WSA.

Land Use Plans

The U.S. Government has surface and subsurface own-
ership of all 804 acres of public land within the WSA.
There are no private or State in-holdings or valid ex-
isting rights. The BLM is managing the lands through
general guidance of the Virgin River MFP which
allows multiple uses as noted in the description of the
No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

Table 4

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in WSA

Total

AUMs

Number
ot AUMs
in WSA

Number and
Kind of
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

Lamoreaux

160

160

1 1

11

2 Cattle

05/01-10/15

1

Red Butte

894

644

14

14

2 Cattle

03/01-02/28

1

Total

1,054

804

25

25

2

1 2

Sources: BLM File Data.

RED BUTTE WSA

The Red Butte WSA is contiguous with 120,620 acres
in Zion National Park that are recommended for wil-
derness by the NPS. In response to H.R. 1214,
(Ninety-Eighth Congress of the U.S., 1983), the NPS
assessed the value of the Red Butte WSA, for poten-
tial addition to the adjacent NPS unit (USDI, NPS,
1984c).

The NPS concluded that the WSA would add a minor
buffer to the park boundary but would not be signifi-
cant in terms of its value and contribution to the NPS
area. The Red Butte WSA was recommended for inclu-
sion into the adjacent unit of the national park system
(U.S. Secretary of the Interior, 1985a). Although the
WSA did not meet all the NPS criteria for inclusion
into the park, there was no objection for transferring
the WSA from BLM to NPS because the WSA is isolat-
ed by park and private lands and is uneconomical for
BLM to manage. No Congressional action has been tak-
en on that recommendation.

The Washington County Master Plan (Planning and Re-
search Associates, 1971) identifies the WSA as an
open space zone, and the Washington County Commis-
sion policy does not support wilderness designation
for this WSA. The Washington County Commission has
endorsed the Consolidated Local Government Response
to Wilderness (Utah Counties, 1986) that opposes wil-
derness designation of BLM lands in Utah.

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The WSA is in Washington County. From 1970 to
1980, the population of Washington County grew from
13,699 to 24,600, an overall increase of about 93
percent. Table 5 presents the baseline and projected
population data for Washington County. It is estimated
that between 1980 and 1987, the population increas-
ed to about 39,720.

Table 5

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Washington County

1980

1990

2000

2010

Population

Employment

26,400

8,100

45,500

14,400

51,000

18,400

65,600

24.100

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

Population projections indicate that the number of
people living in Washington County in the year 2010
will be about 65,600 for about a 148-percent

increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of Planning
and Budget, 1987).

• Employment

Table 5 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for the Southwest MCD to the year 2010.

Washington County is part of the Southwest MCD.
Table 6 shows the baseline (1980) and projected em-
ployment by source for the MCD to the year 2010. In
1980 the leading employment sectors for the South-
west MCD were government (23 percent), trade (20
percent), and nonfarm proprietors (12 percent). Min-
ing provided less than 3 percent of the employment in
the MCD.

Table 6

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment ®

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1 ,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1 .300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

1 1,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

•Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 3 percent, mining to less
than 1 percent, and government to 18 percent of the
total.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the WSA include live-
stock production and recreation. Table 7 summarizes
the local sales and Federal revenues from the WSA.
Appendix 9 identifies the multipliers used to estimate
sales and revenues.

Mineral and energy resource production from the
WSA has not contributed to local employment or
income.

RED BUTTE WSA

Table 7

Sales and Revenues

Source

Estimated Annual
Local Sales*

Estimated Annual
Federal Revenues

Livestock Grazing

$500

$39

Recreational Use

i.. .4ia

_Q

Total

$910

$39

Sources: USDI, BLM, file data ; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

•Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account for the
total income that would be generated by these expenditures.

Two livestock operators have a total grazing privi-
lege of 25 AUMs within the WSA. If all this forage
were utilized, it would account for $500 of livestock
sales and $125 of ranchers’ returns to labor and
investment.

The WSA's recreational use and related local expendi-
tures are low. They are insignificant to both the local
economy and individual businesses. The actual amount
of income generated locally from recreational use in
the WSA is unknown. However, an approximate range
of expenditures can be deduced (Dalton, 1982). This
study indicates that the Statewide average local ex-
penditures per recreational visitor day for all types
of recreation in Utah are approximately $4.10. The
recreational use for the Red Butte WSA is estimated
to be about 100 visitor days per year.

Average actual livestock use and, therefore, reve-
nues generated from grazing in the WSA are unknown;
however, the permittee in the WSA can use up to 25
AUMs per year. Based on a $1.54 per AUM grazing
fee, the WSA can potentially generate $39 of grazing
fee revenues annually, 50 percent of which would be
allocated back to the local BLM District for the con-
struction of rangeland improvements.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. The analy-
sis is based on the BLM management actions and anti-
cipated activities presented in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B and the Description of the Alternatives for
the Red Butte WSA.

No Actlon/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the WSA
would be somewhat protected by limitations placed on
potential surface-disturbing activities (i.e., VRM
Class II management on all 804 acres).

No development would be expected in the foreseeable
future that would affect wilderness values, including
804 acres of naturalness, 603 acres of outstanding
solitude, 180 acres of outstanding opportunities for
primitive recreation, and such special features as
Class A scenery, endangered or sensitive species,
and wildlife associated with wilderness. Also, be-
cause future vehicular use would generally be limited
by terrain, no disturbance from ORV activity is antici-
pated.

Although little change in wilderness values is antici-
pated in the foreseeable future, an undetermined loss
of wilderness values would occur from disturbance
over the long-term future.

The anticipated 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visi-
tor use would not be expected to reduce wilderness
values because the use would be in conjunction with
use of the contiguous NPS lands and would be primi-
tive in nature. This alternative would not, however,
complement the NPS proposal for wilderness desig-
nation of the contiguous portion of Zion National Park.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation. In the foreseeable future,
no disturbance that would affect wilderness values is
anticipated.

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action) (804 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 804 acres as wil-
derness would preserve the wilderness values in the
Red Butte WSA. The potential for surface-disturbing
activities would be eliminated through closure of the
entire area to future mineral leasing and location and
to ORV use, and through management of the area as
VRM Class I which allows for only natural ecological

RED BUTTE WSA

change. Naturalness would be preserved on all 804
acres. Solitude would be preserved on approximately
603 acres that meet and 201 acres that do not meet
the standards for outstanding opportunities. Primitive
and unconfined recreation would be preserved on
approximately 180 acres that meet and 624 acres
that do not meet standards for outstanding opportuni-
ties. Resources that could be considered as special
features in the WSA, including Class A scenery, en-
dangered or sensitive plants and animals, and wildlife
associated with wilderness, would also be preserved.

The anticipated 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visi-
tor use would be primitive in nature and would be man-
aged so as to not result in loss of wilderness values.

Wilderness designation of this WSA would enhance and
complement the wilderness management of contiguous
lands in Zion National Park as proposed by the NPS.

Conclusion: All wilderness values would be preserved
where found in the WSA.

/

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 2

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 2

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated from Detailed Study 2

Alternatives Analyzed 3

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 3

All Wilderness Alternative 5

Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 5

Summary of Environmental Consequences 9

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 9

Wilderness Values 11

Air Quality 11

Geology and Topography 12

Soils 12

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 12

Water Resources 12

Mineral and Energy Resources 13

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 14

Forest Resources 14

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 14

Visual Resources 15

Cultural Resources 15

Recreation 15

Land Use Plans 15

Socioeconomics 16

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 17

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 17

All Wilderness Alternative 18

Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 18

i

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

(UT-040-1 48)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Spring Creek Canyon WSA contains 4,433 acres
of land administered by the BLM Cedar City District.
The WSA is adjacent to the boundary of Zion National
Park in the southeast corner of Iron County. The por-
tion of the NPS lands it is contiguous with are admini-
stratively endorsed for wilderness. The NPS propos-
al encompasses about 120,620 acres.

The WSA's topography is dominated by Spring Creek
and Kanarra Creek drainages and the Hurricane Cliffs.
The top of the Hurricane Cliffs is 2,000 to 3,000 feet
above the valley floor. The climate within the WSA is
mild with average temperatures ranging from the low
40s during the winter months to the high 80s during
mid-summer. Temperature extremes can vary from
18 degrees Fahrenheit (F) to 100 degrees F. Average
annual precipitation is 17 inches with about half occur-
ring in the form of winter snow and half in the form
of rain during summer thunderstorms. Winds usually
prevail from the southwest with the strongest winds
occurring in March and April.

This WSA was dropped from wilderness study status
by the Secretary of the Interior on December 30,
1982, due to its small size. As a result of a decision
of the Eastern District Court of California (Sierra
Club vs. Watt, Civil No. 5-83-035 LKR, dated April
18, 1985) and because of the WSA's wilderness val-
ues, it is included in the EIS for analysis. This is in
line with general land use planning provisions of Sec-
tion 202 of the FLPMA and with BLM guidance that
allows for wilderness consideration of areas less
than 5,000 acres in size if they are adjacent to land
with wilderness potential administered by other Fed-
eral agencies.

There are no private or State lands located within the
WSA; however, two adjacent State sections almost
cut the WSA in half.

Changes for the Final EIS

In addition to the changes noted in the Introduction to
Volume lll-B, the following changes specific to the
WSA have been made since publication of the Draft
EIS.

The anticipated surface disturbance presented in the
Draft EIS (180 acres) was based on the assumption
that all mineral and other resources potentially with-
in the WSA would be developed sometime in the future
without consideration of technical or economic feasi-
bility. In response to public comments relative to the
feasibility of developments, the disturbance esti-
mates have been revised to focus on activities pro-
jected to be feasible within the foreseeable future
(see Appendix 6 in Volume I). This resulted in a reduc-
tion of surface disturbance estimates from the 180
acres reported in the Draft EIS to 21 acres of surface
disturbance for the Final EIS. The analysis of environ-
mental consequences has been revised accordingly.

The proposed action in the Draft EIS was the All Wil-
derness Alternative. A new Partial Wilderness Alter-
native of 1,607 acres has been analyzed in the Final
EIS and is the BLM proposed action.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

In addition to the issues discussed and eliminated
from further consideration in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B (i.e., impacts on air quality, water rights,
geology and topography, and land use plans), impacts
on soils, forest resources, and vegetation and wild-
life including special status species are not issues in
the Final EIS. This is because estimates of surface dis-
turbance without wilderness designation have been re-
vised downward from the 180 acres reported in the
Draft EIS to 21 acres. Given this new scenario, signif-
icant impacts to these resources would not occur in
the foreseeable future. Conversely, there are no pro-
posals for improvements, harvests, or other uses
which would be precluded for these resource values
by wilderness designation.

Impacts to livestock, visual resources, cultural re-
sources, recreation, and economic conditions are also
not analyzed in the Final EIS. Impacts to these values
have been determined to be insignificant for the rea-
sons stated below.

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP
WSA q

SEE VOL.I

1

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

1. Livestock: Concerns were raised that wilderness
designation would cause prohibitions in grazing or re-
source levels of grazing permitted. However, the
WSA is presently unalloted for livestock grazing.

2. Visual Resources: As discussed above, only minor
surface disturbance is projected for the WSA in the
Final EIS. Therefore, visual resources would not be
significantly affected. Visual resources are not
addressed in the Final EIS as a separate topic, but are
addressed in relation to naturalness and special fea-
tures in the Wilderness Values section.

3. Cultural Resources: Cultural resources could be de-
stroyed by surface-disturbing projects, use of ORVs,
or vandalism. However, no cultural resource sites
have been recorded in the Spring Creek Canyon WSA.
Minor (20 acres) mineral-related surface disturbance
is projected. Recreation use is low. Rugged terrain
limits ORV use inside the WSA. Additionally, inven-
tories for the purpose of site recordation and mitiga-
tion of impacts would take place prior to any surface
disturbance in the future. Given these conditions, im-
pacts on cultural resources are not significant issues
for the Spring Creek Canyon WSA.

4. Recreation: The public has expressed concern that
wilderness designation would change recreational use
from motorized to primitive or, conversely, that
without wilderness designation motorized recreation
will eliminate or reduce opportunities for primitive
recreation. Ninety percent of the recreational use
occurring in the Spring Creek Canyon WSA would re-
main primitive with or without wilderness designa-
tion due to the terrain of the WSA and limited access.
Therefore, impacts on recreation use would not be
significant.

5. Economic Conditions: The public, including the
State and local government, is concerned that wilder-
ness designation would preclude mineral or other eco-
nomic developments and adversely affect local eco-
nomic conditions. Others believe that primitive recre-
ation use would increase following wilderness designa-
tion and would contribute to the local economy.

There are no existing mineral developments, nor are
these proposals for lands or realty activities in the
WSA. It is unlikely that mineral development would
occur with or without wilderness designation. Be-
cause little or no economic development is expected
and because recreational use would remain primitive,
impacts on economic conditions are not significant
issues for analysis in the Final EIS.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

The significant issues for the Spring Creek Canyon
WSA are:

1. Impacts on the wilderness values of naturalness,
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation,
and special features.

2. Impacts on water resources including municipal
water for the town of Kanarraville.

3. Impacts on mineral resources.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the inventory phase
of the wilderness review, BLM's assessment of the
value of wilderness vs. other resource values, and
relationship to NPS management. See Volume Vll-C,
Section B for responses to specific comments about
the Spring Creek Canyon WSA; and Volume Vll-B for
responses to general comments applicable to all WSAs
and/or the Statewide analysis.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
from Detailed Study

One alternative considered was to transfer the WSA
to the NPS administration. Such a transfer could
occur in the future regardless of wilderness status,
and is not analyzed as an alternative in the Final EIS.
BLM has determined that the Spring Creek Canyon
WSA would not be a viable independent wilderness if
adjacent NPS land is not also designated as wilder-
ness. The question of which agency should manage the
WSA to achieve overall management effectiveness
will be addressed in the wilderness study report. It
will be based primarily on factors affecting both BLM
and NPS jurisdictions, such as relative amounts of
the total wilderness area administered by each agen-
cy, principal public ingress and exit points, agency
staffing and workload in the region, and similar non-
environmental items. Environmental differences, if
any, would be due to variations in BLM and NPS man-
dates and policy (for example national parks are
closed to hunting while public iands are not) rather
than from wilderness designation. These differences
would exist with or without wilderness designation
and, therefore, are not relevant to the analyses of
the impacts from wilderness designation.

2

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

Alternatives Analyzed

Three alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness, (2) All Wilderness (4,433
acres), and (3) Partial Wilderness (Proposed Action)
(1,607 acres). A description of BLM's management
practices for each alternative follows. Where manage-
ment intentions have not been clearly identified,
assumptions are made based on management projec-
tions under each alternative. These assumptions are
indicated in each case. The assumed BLM management
actions presented in the Introduction to Volume lll-B
are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 4,433-acre Spring
Creek Canyon WSA would be designated by Congress
as part of the NWPS. Although BLM's land use plans
are regularly updated, it is assumed that the area
would be managed in accordance with the Cedar Bea-
ver Garfield Antimony Resource Management Plan
(CBGA RMP) (USDI, BLM, 1986b). Two State sections
are adjacent to the WSA but none are within the WSA.
(refer to Map 1). Figures and acreages in this analy-
sis are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 4,433 acres would remain open to mineral
location, leasing, and sale. There are 21 mining
claims (420 acres) in the WSA at the present
time. Development work, extraction, and patent-
ing would be allowed on existing and future min-
ing claims. Development would be regulated by
unnecessary or undue degradation guidelines (43
CFR 3809). There are no mineral leases in the
WSA. Future oil and gas leases could be developed
under special stipulations (Category 2) on the
4,433-acre area. It is anticipated that about 20
acres in the WSA could be affected by exploration
associated with future leases. Mineral develop-
ment is not projected following exploration be-
cause the level of known resources and the proba-
bility of their development are too low to support
a development assumption. Appendix 6 in Volume I
explains the mineral exploration and development
projections.

Currently there is no domestic livestock grazing
in the WSA. Grazing of up to 33 AUMs could be au-
thorized according to the CBGA RMP. There are
no existing range developments in the WSA. About
a 0.5 mile of a water pipeline is within the WSA,

but no water from the pipeline is available inside
the WSA.

Although no applications have been filed, Kanarra-
ville has proposed construction of a water pipe-
line in the WSA to pipe water from Spring Creek
for municipal purposes. It is assumed that this
pipeline would be constructed in the foreseeable
future.

The entire WSA acreage would be open to ORV
use. There is approximately a 0.5 mile of vehicu-
lar way in the WSA. ORV use is slight (probably
no more than 70 visitor days annually) and is ex-
pected to remain low because of rough terrain and
limited access.

The entire area would continue to be managed un-
der VRM Class II.

• Action Scenario

BLM projects that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would result in
approximately 21 acres of surface disturbance in
the foreseeable future. Twenty of these acres
would be disturbed by oil and gas exploration ac-
tivities. Geophysical operations conducted through-
out the WSA and surrounding area would deter-
mine where to locate exploration wells. It is
assumed that two wells would be drilled to deter-
mine the potential of structures and traps that
may lie beneath the WSA. Up to 10 acres would be
disturbed for each well and access road. Access
roads would not exceed 3 miles in length. It is
assumed that an average of 10 employees would
operate each well for a period of 3 to 6 months. It
is assumed that both drill sites and access roads
would be reclaimed following abandonment. About
2 years would be necessary to determine success-
ful reclamation.

It is further assumed that about 1 acre would be
disturbed in Spring Creek for construction of a
water pipeline to carry municipal water to Kanar-
raville.

No disturbance from ORV use is projected because
rough terrain would restrict vehicle use to the
0.5 mile of vehicular way and to drainage areas
where tracks would be temporary.

It is assumed that recreation use in the foresee-
able future would increase over the current

3

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

T. 36

T. 37 S

T 38 £

R. 12 W.

4

R. 11 W.

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

estimated use of approximately 700 visitor days
annually, at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year.
Ninety percent of the use would continue to be
primitive in nature.

Approximately 10 percent of the use (70 visitor
days) would be vehicular in nature.

• All Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, all 4,433 acres of the Spring
Creek Canyon WSA would be designated by an act of
Congress as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). This
WSA lies adjacent to Zion National Park and is contigu-
ous with a 120,620-acre NPS-proposed wilderness.
Because this WSA lacks the necessary size to consti-
tute a wilderness area by itself, it could only be man-
aged in part with the NPS-proposed wilderness. As a
result, the Spring Creek Canyon WSA could be retain-
ed by BLM or transferred along with nine other small
WSAs (refer to Map 3). NPS would then assume man-
agement responsibilities. For the purposes of this anal-
ysis, it is assumed that BLM would retain manage-
ment of the Spring Creek Canyon WSA and would man-
age it in accordance with the BLM Wilderness Manage-
ment Policy (BLM Manual 8560) to preserve its wil-
derness character. Two State sections are located
adjacent to the WSA (refer to Map 1). No private,
State, or split-estate lands are located in the WSA.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 4,433 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale. Explora-
tion or development could occur on that portion of
21 existing mining claims (420 acres) that may
be determined to be valid. Neither exploration nor
development are expected in the foreseeable fu-
ture because of low reserve potential. There are
no existing oil and gas leases and new leases
would not be issued.

Domestic livestock grazing (33 AUMs) could be
allowed.

The 0.5 mile of water pipelines in the WSA could
be maintained.

A proposed water pipeline in Spring Creek would
not be allowed.

The entire 4,433-acre area would be closed to
ORV use except for: (1) users with valid existing

rights if approved by BLM in accordance with 43
CFR 8560 provisions; or (2) for occasional and
short-term vehicular access approved by BLM for
maintenance of approved livestock developments.
There is a 0.5 mile of way in the WSA that would
be closed to use. Roads that form the boundary of
the WSA for approximately 2 miles would remain
open to use.

Visual resources in the wilderness would be man-
aged in accordance with VRM Class I standards,
which generally allow for only natural ecological
change.

• Action Scenario

No surface disturbance is projected in the foresee-
able future. No mineral exploration or develop-
ment is projected on existing leases in the WSA.
Implementation of the All Wilderness Alternative
would preclude new mining claim location and min-
eral leasing. Therefore, no locatable or leasable
mineral resources exploration or development
would occur following wilderness designation. No
rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed projects,
or other developments are planned following wil-
derness designation, nor would ORV use be allow-
ed. Recreation use in the foreseeable future would
be primitive in nature and would increase over
the current estimated primitive use of approxi-
mately 630 annual visitor days at a rate of 2 to 7
percent per year.

• Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action)
(1,607 Acres)

With this alternative, 1,607 acres in the southern
part of the Spring Creek Canyon WSA would be desig-
nated as wilderness (refer to Map 4). The objective
of this alternative is to analyze as wilderness that
portion of the WSA that is contiguous with the pro-
posed wilderness in Zion National Park, while elimi-
nating the northern part (2,826 acres) that is sepa-
rated basically from the southern part by State and
private lands. The northern part is tied to the 1,607-
acre southern part by only a section corner.

The 2,826 acres within the WSA but outside of that
designated as wilderness would be managed in accord-
ance with the CBGA RMP as described for the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. The 1,607-acre
area designated as wilderness would be managed in
accordance with the BLM Wilderness Management
Policy (BLM Manual 8560) as described in the All

5

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

Hollow

Hi 1 1 Sr,

rV909

'ine Spring
'noil

. springs

CO-op

Knoll

°u main

WASH

Map 2

ALL WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE
Spring Creek Canyon WSA
UT-040-148

Legend

All Wilderness Alternative
(4,433 acres)

Zion National Park Boundary

SCALE IN MILES

0 1 2
SCALE IN KILOMETERS
0 12 3

0 12 3

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

■xi

Well s

T. 36 S.

T. 37 S.

T. 38 S.

R. 12 W.

6

R. 11 W.

R. 12 W.

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

R. 11 W.

LOCATION MAP

Mounts,

WASHING M

WASHI

reek

•anyoi

I \

( Mountain

trap Cat

Virgin

flats

Virgin

fjfpU

Knoll

It 4i s

| Phantom

Map 3

LOCATION MAP

Orderville Canyon WSA (UT-040-145)
Deep Creek WSA (UT-040-146)

North Fork Virgin River WSA (UT-040-150)
La Verkin Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-153)
Taylor Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-154)
Goose Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-176)
Red Butte WSA (UT-040-147)

The Watchman WSA (UT-040-149)
Bear-trap Canyon WSA (UT-040-177)
Parunuweap WSA (UT-040-230)

Spring Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-148)

W:

turn National Park Boundar\

T. 39

T. 4(

T. 4

7

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

H)allow

Jills-.

'.iter Yepksf*

'4- springs

°untain

■t-riVy!

Map 4

PARTIAL WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE

Spring Creek Canyon WSA
UT-040-148

Legend

WSA Boundary

Partial Wilderness
Alternative (1607 acres)

— Zion National Park Boundary

SCALE IN MILES

0 1
SCALE IN KILOMETERS
0 1 2

0 12 3

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

T. 36 S

T. 37 S.

T. 38 S.

R 12 W.

8

R. 11 W.

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

Wilderness Alternative. There are no State, private,
or split-estate lands involved in the Partial Wilder-
ness Alternative. The figures and acreages given for
this alternative are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

The 1,607-acre wilderness would be withdrawn
from mineral entry and closed to new mineral
leasing and sale. Oil and gas leases in the desig-
nated portion of the WSA would not be reissued
unless a find of oil or gas resources in commer-
cial quantities is shown. The 2,826-acre northern
part of the WSA not designated wilderness would
be open to future mineral location, leasing, and
sale. The area not designated would be managed
as leasing Category 2 (open with special stipula-
tions). Future leases in this area could be develop-
ed without concern for wilderness values. Two
acres of surface disturbance is projected in the
foreseeable future.

Domestic livestock grazing would be allowed in
the wilderness area and the nondesignated area.
Thirty-three AUMs would remain available for
livestock. No additional livestock, wildlife, or
watershed developments are planned or expected
in the foreseeable future.

In the 2,826-acre nonwilderness area, future
water resource facility developments would be
allowed without concern for wilderness values, if
in accordance with the RMP. None are expected.
The proposed water pipeline in Spring Creek
would be in the designated area and would not be
allowed.

The 1,607-acre wilderness would be closed to
ORV use. Part of the 0.5 mile of way is in the non-
designated portion would remain open to vehicular
travel. Although the nondesignated portion would
be open to ORV use, ORV use is slight and expect-
ed to stay that way because of rough terrain and
limited access.

Visual resources in the wilderness would be man-
aged in accordance with VRM Class I standards,
which generally allow for only natural ecological
change. The remaining acres would be managed as
Class II, as outlined in the CBGA RMP.

• Action Scenario

No surface disturbance is projected for the desig-
nated portion of the WSA. Implementation of this
alternative would preclude new mineral location
and mineral leasing in the designated portion.
Therefore, no locatable or leasable mineral re-
source exploration or development would occur
following wilderness designation. No rangeland,
wildlife habitat, watershed projects, or other
developments are planned following wilderness
designation.

It is projected that 2 acres of surface disturbance
would occur in the 2,826-acre nondesignated por-
tion of the WSA in the short term due to oil and
gas exploration on future leases as described for
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

No disturbance is projected from ORV use because
of rough terrain and management constraints in
the designated area and because of terrain con-
straints in the nondesignated area that would
mostly limit vehicular activity to less than a 0.5
mile of way.

Recreation use in the foreseeable future would in-
crease overall in the WSA at a rate of 2 to 7 per-
cent annually. All of the use in the designated area
would be primitive and 90 percent of the use in
the nondesignated area would be primitive in na-
ture. The current ORV use in the portion that
would not be designated is approximately 35 visi-
tor days per year.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 1 summarizes the environmental consequences
of the alternatives analyzed in detail.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting for the Spring Creek Canyon WSA. This informa-
tion allows for independent assessment by the public
as required by the CEO guidelines and provides a data
base for the cumulative Statewide analysis found in
Volume I, as well as for the Environmental Conse-
quences of Alternatives section of this WSA analysis.

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

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SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

Wilderness Values

• Size

The Spring Creek Canyon WSA is approximately 6
miles long and 3 miles wide, encompassing 4,433
acres.

• Naturalness

Short ways are found in the mouths of Spring Creek
and Kanarra Canyon. Combined they are about a 0.5
mile long. There is also a water pipeline in Kanarra
Canyon that crosses about a 0.5 mile of the WSA. A
fenced community dump site near the mouth of Spring
Creek Canyon is outside the WSA boundaries.

• Solitude

The WSA is an extremely rugged area. Topographic
screening is the major factor contributing to the
opportunity for solitude in the WSA. Forests and
dense riparian vegetation in Kanarra and Spring Creek
Canyons enhance the topographic screening in the
WSA.

Kanarra and Spring Creek Canyons occupy over 66
percent of the WSA. The Spring Creek Canyon system
is extremely dissected. The upper elevations and
upper portions of the canyon possess a moderately
dense spruce-fir cover. The northern area which in-
cludes Kanarra Canyon exhibits features similar to
those contributing to solitude in the Spring Creek Can-
yon area.

An elevation drop of almost 3,000 feet in 1 mile is
maintained throughout the unit. At the base of the
WSA, the flats and the face of the initial ridge do not
provide an opportunity for solitude. In the upper por-
tion of the WSA the opportunity is also lacking where
Woods Hollow and Oak Spring Flat extend into the
WSA.

Overall, approximately 3,728 acres (84 percent) of
the WSA possess outstanding opportunities for soli-
tude.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

The Spring Creek and Kanarra Canyon systems offer
outstanding hiking, exploring, and backpacking oppor-
tunities. Almost 50 percent of the 6.5-mile Spring
Creek Canyon system is within the unit, including the
most entrenched portion of the canyon system.

The sandstone ridge and cliffs that extend north of
Kanarra Canyon also provide numerous options for hik-
ing and backpacking. Much of this rugged area lacks
well-defined routes, but is conducive to exploration.
Woods Hollow, the Saucer, and Oak Springs Flat in the
WSA are excellent hiking areas. Some of the lower
ridges in this area would offer only mediocre foot tra-
vel experiences.

Overall, outstanding opportunities for primitive and
unconfined recreation are present on approximately
3,568 acres (81 percent) of the WSA.

• Special Features

The WSA has resource values that, although not iden-
tified as such during the wilderness inventory, could
be considered special features. Two animal species
(bald eagle and peregrine falcon) listed as endangered
may occur in the WSA. There are 14 animal species
and 4 plant species that are considered sensitive (re-
fer to the Vegetation and Wildlife Including Special Sta-
tus Species sections for more information). The WSA
also has cougar, which is a wildlife species commonly
associated with wilderness. Approximately 73 per-
cent (3,233 acres) of the WSA is rated Class A for
scenic quality. The WSA has scenic values similar to
those found in contiguous Zion National Park.

• Diversity

This WSA is in the transition zone of the Intermoun-
tain Sagebrush and Rocky Mountain Forest Province
ecoregions with the PNV type of juniper-pinyon wood-
land (refer to the Vegetation Including Special Status
Species section for more discussion on ecoregions and
PNV types). To see how the ecoregion and PNV types
represented by this WSA compare Statewide and
nationally with existing and potential National Wilder-
ness Preservation Units, refer to the Wilderness
Values section in Volume I.

The WSA is within a 5-hour drive from two standard
metropolitan statistical areas, Las Vegas, Nevada;
and Provo-Orem, Utah.

Air Quality

The air quality is excellent (PSD Class II). Visual
ranges in excess of 100 miles occur 75 percent of
the time, and ranges in excess of 155 miles occur 10
percent of the time (USDI, BLM, 1980c). Zion National
Park is designated as Class I under the PSD regula-
tions.

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

Geology and Topography

The Spring Creek Canyon WSA is within the Grand
Staircase section of the Colorado Plateau Physio-
graphic Province. Flat uplands, dissected by deep
narrow canyons with vertical walls as much as
several hundred feet high, are common.

Sedimentary rocks of Permian, Triassic, and Juras-
sic ages are exposed in the WSA. These include strata
of the Kaibab, Moenkopi, Chinle, Moenave, Kayenta,
Navajo, and Carmel Formations. Most of the WSA is
very steep terrain, dissected by the east to west
Hurricane Fault which has a 2,300-foot escarpment.

Cedar Valley forms the western edge of the unit at an
elevation of 5,500 feet. Intermittent and perennial
drainages dissipate as they emerge onto the valley
floor forming alluvial valley fans.

Soils

The erosion condition, as determined by using soil sur-
face factors, is summarized in Table 2 (terms are de-
fined in the Glossary).

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
Classification yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

0

0

0

Moderate

1.3

700

16

910

Slight

0.6

533

12

320

Stable

0.3

3.200

12

960

Total

4,433

100

2,190

Sources: USDI, BLM, 1978c and 1979c; Leifesle, 1978.

Erosion classes are stable, 3,200 acres (72 per-
cent); slight, 533 acres (12 percent); and moderate,
700 acres (16 percent). The salinity class is rated as
slight. Salt production may be up to 66 lb per acre un-
der undisturbed conditions.

The soils on this unit are highly erodible, shallow,
rocky, gravelly loams derived from sedimentary par-
ent material. Bedrock (often limestone) lies at a depth
of 10 to 20 inches. Slopes are steep to very steep.
These soils are among the poorest classes and are
highly susceptible to erosion. They are unsuitable for
seeding because of steep slopes, rockland, and rock
outcrop with no soil.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

This WSA is located in a vegetation transition zone.
Plant species representative of the high elevations
include aspen, Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine, and Gam-
bol's oak with an understory of mountain mahogany,
snowberry, chokecherry, manzanita, currant, and
elderberry. Associated grasses include bluebunch
wheatgrass, slender wheatgrass, mountain brome,
orchard-grass, and needle-and-thread grass. There is
seldom a dense cover of vegetation. Plants are spaced
to take advantage of available moisture; therefore,
vegetation is more dense on the more moist north-
and west-facing slopes. The lower elevations are
characterized by dry slopes hosting pinyon pine, Utah
juniper, Gambel's oak, Utah serviceberry, curl-leaf
mountain mahogany, cliffrose, single-leaf ash, and
sagebrush with associated grasses, such as, galleta,
Indian ricegrass, squirreltail, threeawn, mutton-
grass, and cheatgrass. These open exposures have 10
to 20 percent cover resulting in a scrubby landscape
with much exposed rock.

Dissecting the WSA are drainages where limited
amounts of riparian vegetation can be found. Sedges,
rushes, willows, cottonwoods, velvet ash, maples,
blackberry, chokecherry, birch, and associated
grasses are found in the riparian area.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, the WSA may contain
four Category 2 candidate species. These are Aspleni-

m. an<jrew?ii, Erigeron sionis, Heterotheca jonegii,

and Sphaeromeria ruthiae (see Appendix 4 in Volume

I).

This WSA is in the transition of the Intermountain
Sagebrush and Rocky Mountain Forest Province Ecore-
gions, as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler ecosystems
map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). The PNV type of the WSA
is juniper-pinyon woodland.

Water Resources

The Spring Creek Canyon WSA is located in the Virgin
River subbasin of the Lower Colorado River Basin
hydrologic subregion. There are two main perennial
water drainages (2.5 miles) in the WSA, Kanarra
Creek and Spring Creek. They are tributaries of Ash
Creek.

The unit has potential for well development due to the
underlying Navajo Sandstone Formation. This forma-
tion is known to be a good groundwater producer.

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

There are no known wells within the WSA and there is
no present demand for well development in the area.

The water rights in the WSA are fully appropriated.
Surface and groundwater sources are closed to fur-
ther water right applications (UDNRE, DWR 1988).
There is an ongoing water right adjudication being
conducted by the Fifth Judicial District Court for the
Virgin River Drainage for the general determination
of rights to the use of water both surface and
underground.

The town of Kanarraville (population of 250) pipes its
culinary water from Kanarra Creek within the WSA.
An additional pipeline has been proposed. One individu-
al has rights on a spring within the unit.

The water quality classification for Ash Creek and
tributaries, from confluence with the Virgin River to
headwaters are: Class 1C (protected for domestic
purposes with prior treatment by treatment pro-
cesses as required by the Utah Department of
Health), Class 3A (protected for cold water species
of game fish and other cold water aquatic life), and
Class 4 (protected for agricultural uses including
irrigation of crops and stock watering). The water
quality is suitable for these uses and there are no
point sources of pollution within the WSA.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Spring Creek Canyon WSA is given in Table 3. The
mineral and energy rating system is explained in
Appendix 5 in Volume I.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Resource

Ralino

Favorability* Certaintyb

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

12

Cl

Less than 10 million barrels of
oil; less than 60 billion cubic-
feet of gas

Uranium

12

c2

Less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide

Hydroelectric

12

C4

From 0.05 to 15 megawatts

Source: SAI, 1982; USDI. BLM. 1987.

•Favorability of the WSA's geologic environment lor a resource (11 - lowest
tavorabillty or smallest size deposit; 14 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

bThe degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

There are no strategic or critical minerals known to
occur within the WSA (USDoD, 1988).

• Leasable Minerals

There are no known deposits of any leasable minerals
in the WSA. Currently, there are no active drilling,
mining, or exploration activities for leasable miner-
als.

• Oil and Gas

Based on similarities between the WSA and the
nearby Anderson Junction oil field (located
approximately 18 miles south), the WSA has
potential for small accumulations of hydrocar-
bons. Three exploration wells have been drilled
north of the tract, and good oil shows have been
reported from two of these wells. To date, how-
ever, no commercial oil and gas potential has
been identified in the WSA.

The favorability of the tract for oil and gas is
rated (f2) (SAI, 1982). The size of the hydrocar-
bon accumulation in such an environment is anti-
cipated to be less than 10 million barrels of oil or
less than 60 billion cubic-feet of gas. Based on
the available information, the certainty of occur-
rence for oil and gas is rated low (c2).

Under the current land use plan, all 4,433 acres
of the WSA are in Category 2 (special stipula-
tions). There are presently no oil and gas leases
in the WSA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in
the WSA. There are presently 21 mining claims, cov-
ering 420 acres.

• Uranium

Uranium-bearing veins are found in carbonate and
plastic sedimentary rocks in the Permian Kaibab
Limestone, in an area along the Hurricane Fault.
Minor production may have occurred at the Kolob
Mine, located approximately 6 miles southwest
of the WSA. At the Silver Reef District, located
about 23 miles south of the WSA, minor amounts
of uranium have been obtained from the Spring-
dale Sandstone Member of the Moenave Forma-
tion. The Kaibab, the Moenave, and the Chinle
(also somewhat favorable for uranium) crop out

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

in the WSA. SAI has assigned the WSA an uranium
favorability rating of (f2) (containing less than
500 metric-tons of uranium oxide) (SAI, 1982).
Based on available information, the certainty that
uranium deposits occur in the WSA is very low
(cl).

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the WSA.
These deposits are not unique or economically signifi-
cant due to the presence of ample similar materials
outside the WSA.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

The WSA is an unusual area for wildlife. Near Kanarra-
ville is the southernmost extension of the Great
Basin, with the eastern boundary being the Hurricane
Cliffs. These cliffs are also a dramatic divider be-
tween the Basin and Range and the Colorado Plateau to
the east. Therefore, these two regions allow some
overlap of species distribution common to each.

Approximately 198 vertebrate animal species inhabit
in the WSA. These include 45 mammal species, 130
bird species, five amphibian species, and 18 reptile
species.

One active peregrine falcon (Falco perearinusl nest is
known to exist in the WSA in Spring Creek Canyon.
One other Federally endangered wildlife species, bald
eagle (Haliaetus leucocephalusl. is also suspected to
be using the WSA. Bald eagles winter in the Cedar and
Kanarraville valleys and can be regularly sighted
from late October through mid-April. These birds are
suspected of nesting or roosting in some of the steep
canyons of the WSA. Bald eagles perch in the cotton-
wood trees along the western boundary and the pere-
grine falcon has been sighted near Quichapa Lake west
of the WSA. However, these birds are considered mi-
grants. The adjacent Zion National Park is supporting
a breeding pair of peregrine falcons. The habitat in
Spring Canyon and Kanarra Creek supports a terres-
trial prey-based prairie falcon population and con-
tains nesting terrain. Numerous active and inactive
golden eagle nests have been located in Spring Creek
and Kanarra Creek drainages outside the WSA. Other
sensitive wildlife species that could exist in this WSA
are: spotted bat, long-tailed pocket mouse, short-
tailed weasel, Utah tiger salamander, Utah milk
snake, Utah mountain king snake, merlin, road run-

ner, spotted owl, Lewis woodpecker, and western and
mountain bluebirds.

The Category 2 candidate threatened or endangered
species which may be present in the WSA include the
Great Basin Silverspot butterfly and Virgin River mon-
tane vole (see Appendix 4 in Volume I).

Mule deer and cougar are the important big game spe-
cies. The western and northern foothills and slopes of
the WSA are considered crucial winter range for mule
deer. The remainder of the unit is generally yearlong
range. The Spring Creek Canyon WSA contains cougar
habitat and is within Utah Cougar Management Unit
30, Cedar Mountain. Cougar populations and harvest
by sport hunters and by the Animal Damage Control
Program has been higher in this management unit than
in any other location in Utah. During the 11 -year
period (1977 through 1987), a total of 217 cougars
were taken from the Cedar Mountain Management
Unit. This harvest averaged nearly 20 animals per
year (UNDRE, DWR, 1988). It has not been determined
how many of these may have been taken from within
the WSA.

No acres are planned for vegetation treatment nor
are any wildlife facilities proposed.

Forest Resources

The forest resources found in the WSA consist of
scattered pinyon-juniper woodland, aspen, Douglas
fir, Ponderosa pine, and Gambel's oak. However, be-
cause of the WSA’s lack of access and the availabil-
ity of these resources in abundance elsewhere, there
is no current demand for forest products in the WSA
and no demand is projected in the foreseeable future.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

Most of this WSA is not conducive to livestock graz-
ing because of steep terrain, fragile soils, low forage
production, and no potential for range improvement.

A total of 33 AUMS of forage per year are available
for livestock. One permittee on the Kanarra Moun-
tain allotment has not utilized grazing privileges in
recent years. The Graff Point allotment is currently
unalloted.

There are no range improvement structures and none
are planned.

1 4

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the grazing allotments that com-
prise the Spring Creek Canyon WSA (USDA, APHIS,
1988).

There are no wild horses or burros within the WSA.

Visual Resources

The entire WSA is rated as VRM Class II for manage-
ment.

Approximately 3,233 acres are Class A scenery be-
cause of predominant relief features, exceptionally
striking color contrasts, variety of vegetation types,
cascading water, unusual canyons, and no discordant
sites and influences of man. Approximately 1,200
acres in the northern portion of the unit are rated as
Class B scenery because, although there are some out-
standing features similar to those found in the Class
A area, most of the unit is fairly common to the physi-
ographic region. Refer to Appendix 7 in Volume I for a
description of the BLM VRM rating system.

Cultural Resources

No archaeological inventory exists for this specific
WSA and no cultural values have been identified.

Recreation

Access from the west side is via primitive dirt ways
up Kanarra Creek and Spring Creek. The county-
maintained road from Cedar Mountain to Kolob Reser-
voir parallels the east boundary. This road is common-
ly used by wheeled vehicles for 8 months and snowmo-
biles for 4 months per year. Many people wander
over to the ridges to view the scenery, hunt, picnic,
and hike into the WSA, but use figures are not avail-
able. Some limited ORV use occurs in Spring Creek
Canyon, mostly outside the WSA. Use usually termi-
nates in State Section 2 because of rough terrain.
There is approximately a 0.5 mile of vehicular way in
the WSA.

The colorful canyons offer excellent hiking, photog-
raphy, backpacking, ice climbing, rock climbing,
horseback riding, and hunting. The latter two are
somewhat restricted due to the rough topography. Ice
climbing was added to the list of recreational opportu-
nities as a result of public comments during the Inten-
sive Wilderness Inventory (USDI, BLM, 1980b).
Apparently, this activity is enjoyed at Kanarra Creek

during winter months, but the extent of use is not
known.

Overall, it is estimated that recreational use does not
exceed 700 visitor days annually. No more than 10
percent of the use would be vehicular in nature.

Land Use Plans

The WSA is managed under the CBGA RMP (USDI,
BLM, 1986b) as discussed in the description of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Wilderness is not
addressed in the RMP. However, wilderness is part of
the BLM multiple-use concept and the BLM land use
plan is linked to the Statewide Wilderness EIS through
analysis of the present plan as the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative.

There are no State or private in-holdings or subsur-
face rights in the WSA.

Presently, the WSA is being used as open space.
There are no significant specific land uses in pro-
gress. There is a short easement (approximately a
0.5 mile) for crossing of a water pipeline at the south-
west corner of the unit. This was issued to the Kanar-
raville Town Corporation on July 29, 1969. There is
a proposal for another water pipeline down Spring
Creek (within the WSA boundary) to Kanarraville and
a proposed rights-of-way outside the east boundary
for a water line from Kolob Reservoir to Cedar City.
However, there are no pending applications.

The Spring Creek Canyon WSA is contiguous with
120,620 acres in Zion National Park that are recom-
mended for wilderness by NPS. In response to H.R.
1214 (Ninety-Eighth Congress of the U.S., 1983), the
NPS assessed the WSA to determine its value for po-
tential addition to the adjacent NPS unit (USDI, NPS,
1984c). The NPS concluded that the WSA would add a
minor buffer to the park boundary, but would be insig-
nificant in terms of its value and contribution to the
NPS area.

Part of Spring Creek Canyon WSA (1,607 acres) was
recommended as suitable for inclusion into the adja-
cent unit of the national park system (U.S. Secretary
of the Interior, 1985b). Although the WSA did not
meet all the NPS criteria for inclusion into the park,
there was no objection to transferring the WSA from
BLM to NPS because the WSA is isolated by park and
private lands and is uneconomical for BLM to manage.
No Congressional action has been taken on that
recommendation.

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

The Iron County Planning Commission appears to have
no land use plans for this unit. The Iron County Land
Management Code identifies the WSA as an open space
zone, and the Iron County Commission has indicated
that they do not support wilderness designation for
this area. The Commission has endorsed the Consoli-
dated Local Government Response to Wilderness that
opposes wilderness designation of BLM lands in Utah
(Utah Counties, 1986).

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The WSA is in Iron County. From 1970 to 1980, the
population of Iron County grew from 12,177 to
17,500, an overall increase of about 44 percent.
Table 4 presents the baseline and projected population
data for Iron County. Population projections indicate
that the number of people living in Iron County in the
year 2010 will be about 26,400 for about a 51 -per-
cent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of Plan-
ning and Budget, 1987).

Table 4

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Iron County

1980

1 990

2000

2010

Population

Employment

17,500

6,968

21,000

8,600

22.500

10.500

26,400

12,300

Source: Utah Ottice of Planning and Budget, 1987.

• Employment

Table 4 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Iron County to the year 2010.

Iron County is part of the Southwest MCD. Table 5
shows the baseline (1980) and projected employment
by source for the MCD to the year 2010.

In 1980 the leading employment sectors for the
Southwest MCD were government (23 percent), trade
(20 percent), and nonfarm proprietors (12 percent).
Mining provid-ed less than 3 percent of the
employment in the MCD.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double, and services will
increase to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the
total. Agriculture will decline to 3 percent, mining to
less than 1 percent, and government to 18 percent of
the total.

Table 5

Southwest

1 Multi-County
Employment*

District

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

11,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212 28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

■Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron,

Kane, and Washington Counties.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the WSA

include

mining

claim assessment and

recreation.

Table 6 summarizes

the local sales and Federal revenues

from the WSA.

Appendix 9 in Volume

1 identifies the

multipliers used

to estimate sales and

revenues.

Table 6

Sales and Revenues

Estimated

Annual

Estimated Annual

Source

Local Sales*

Federal Revenues

Mining Claim Assessment

$2,100

0

Recreational Use

S2.870

_a

Total

$4,970

0

Sources: BLM File Data; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

■Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account for the
total income that would be generated by these expenditures.

No oil and gas or mineral production has occurred in
the WSA. Therefore, mineral and energy resource
production from the WSA has not contributed to local
employment or income. The WSA has 21 mining
claims. Regulations require a $100 annual expendi-
ture per claim for labor and improvements, an unde-
termined part of which is spent in the local economy.

There is no livestock grazing of the 33 AUMS in the
WSA, and therefore, no sales or revenues from this
source are attributed to the WSA.

The WSA's nonmotorized recreational use and related
local expenditures are low. These expenditures are
insignificant to the local economy. The actual amount

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

of income generated locally from recreational use in
the WSA is unknown. However, an approximate range
of expenditures can be deduced (Dalton, 1982). This
study indicates that the Statewide average local ex-
penditures per recreational visitor day for all types
of recreation in Utah are approximately $4.10. The
recreational use for the Spring Creek Canyon WSA is
estimated to be about 700 visitor days per year.

The WSA does not generate any Federal revenues
from leasable minerals at the present time.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. The analy-
sis is based on the BLM management actions and anti-
cipated activities presented in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B and the Description of the Alternatives for
the Spring Creek Canyon WSA.

No Actlon/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the WSA
would be somewhat protected by limitations placed on
potential surface-disturbing activities (i.e., VRM
Class II management on all 4,433 acres).

Disturbance of approximately 21 acres from a water
pipeline and oil and gas exploration and access roads
is likely in the foreseeable future and would result in
a loss of naturalness, solitude, and opportunities for
primitive, unconfined recreation in the disturbed
areas involving less than 1 percent (21 acres) of the
WSA, but not in the area as a whole. During the period
of activity, the visual and audible disturbance from
these activities would reduce opportunities for soli-
tude and primitive recreation not only on directly dis-
turbed areas, but also on adjacent portions of the
WSA. As much as 4 percent (180 acres) of the WSA
could be so affected in the foreseeable future.

Because vehicle use would continue to be mainly re-
stricted by terrain to the 0.5 mile of existing way
where it is currently occurring, and to any new
access roads developed for mineral exploration, no

increased loss of naturalness is anticipated from this
activity.

Because projected disturbance is minimal, the only
special feature that would be affected is the area's
high quality scenery, which would be reduced in qual-
ity in disturbed and adjacent areas. Appropriate mea-
sures would be taken to protect endangered and sen-
sitive species prior to any surface-disturbing activ-
ity, and it can be assumed that no significant negative
impact would occur to these species.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visitor use that
would occur over time would not be expected to sig-
nificantly reduce wilderness values because the use
would be mostly (90 percent) primitive in nature. Ve-
hicular use of ways would occassionly destract from
the quality of solitude and opportunity for primitive
recreation.

The extent that disturbance would occur over the long
term and, therefore, the long-term loss of wilder-
ness values that would occur, is not accurately
known, but loss would occur as intrusions increase.

This alternative would not complement the NPS pro-
posal for wilderness management of the contiguous
portion of Zion National Park.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation, and loss would occur as
intrusions increase. In the foreseeable future, natural-
ness and opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation would be directly lost on 21 acres and oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive recreation would
be indirectly reduced in quality on up to an additional
180 acres. Special features would not be significantly
affected except for loss of scenic quality in disturbed
and adjacent areas.

• Impacts on Water Resources

This alternative would have no affect on the continued
use of Kanarra Creek as a municipal water source. A
proposed water pipeline in Spring Creek Canyon could
be constructed to supply additional water to Kanarra-
ville.

Conclusion: Existing and future use of the water re-
sources in the WSA by the town of Kanarraville would
not be affected by implementation of the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative.

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

This alternative would not affect exploration of min-
eral and energy resources in the WSA, because min-
eral leasing, location of mining claims, and develop-
ment of mineral would occur without the restrictions
of wilderness management.

Conclusion: Implementation of the No Action/No Wil-
derness Alternative would not affect mineral explor-
ation in the WSA.

All Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 4,433 acres as wil-
derness would preserve the wilderness values in the
Spring Creek Canyon WSA. The potential for surface-
disturbing activities would be eliminated through clo-
sure of the entire area to future mineral leasing and
location and to ORV use, and through management of
the area as VRM Class I which allows for only natural
ecological change. Naturalness would be preserved on
all 4,433 acres. Solitude would be preserved on
approximately 3,728 acres that meet and 705 acres
that do not meet the standards for outstanding oppor-
tunities. Primitive and unconfined recreation would be
preserved on 3,568 acres that meet and 865 acres
that do not meet the standards for outstanding oppor-
tunities. Resources that could be considered special
features in the WSA, including scenic values, endan-
gered or sensitive species, and wildlife species asso-
ciated with wilderness, would also be preserved.

Vehicular use of the existing 0.5 mile of way would
cease, improving opportunities for solitude and primi-
tive recreation.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visitor use
would be primitive in nature and would be managed so
as to not result in loss of wilderness values.

This alternative would complement the NPS proposal
to manage the contiguous portion of Zion National Park
as wilderness.

Conclusion: All wilderness values would be preserved
where found in the WSA.

• Impact on Water Resources

The town of Kanarraville's current use of Kanarra
Creek for culinary purposes would not be affected.
Future development of water would be curtailed in-
cluding a proposed water pipeline to deliver water
from Spring Creek Canyon to Kanarraville.

Conclusion: Implementation of this alternative would
not affect current use of Kanarra Creek. Future devel-
opment of a pipeline to deliver water from Spring
Creek Canyon to Kanarraville would not occur.

• Impact on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction

• Leasable Minerals

Opportunities to explore for oil and gas in an area
with good oil shows would be foregone. However,
due to the small size of the potential deposits, and
the low certainty that these exist, it is unlikely
that the resource would be developed even with-
out wilderness designation.

• Locatable Minerals

Recovery of less than 500 metric tons of uranium
oxide located in the WSA could be foregone. However,
no development of locatable minerals is projected in
the foreseeable future regardless of wilderness desig-
nation.

• Salable Minerals

No impacts are projected for salable minerals as no
deposits are known to occur in the WSA.

Conclusion: Opportunities for oil and gas exploration
in the WSA would be eliminated. However, develop-
ment is not anticipated even without wilderness
designation.

Partial Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action) (1607 Acres)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of 1,607 acres at wilder-
ness would contribute to the preservation of wilder-
ness values in the Spring Creek Canyon WSA. The po-
tential for surface-disturbing activities would be eli-
minated in the designated portion through closure of
the designated area to future mineral leasing and

SPRING CREEK CANYON WSA

location and to ORV use, and through management of
the designated area as VRM Class I which allows for
only natural ecological change. Naturalness and out-
standing opportunities for solitude would be preserv-
ed on all 1,607 designated acres. Primitive and uncon-
fined recreation would be preserved in the designated
area on 1,167 acres that meet and 440 acres that do
not meet standards for outstanding opportunities. All
1,607 acres have high quality scenic values that
would be preserved. Endangered or sensitive species
and wildlife associated with wilderness would receive
additional protection through designation of at least
part of the WSA.

In the foreseeable future, naturalness and opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive recreation would be di-
rectly lost on 2 acres and indirectly reduced in qual-
ity on up to an additional 18 adjacent acres in the non-
designated area due to disturbance from oil and gas
exploration. Class A scenery would be reduced in qual-
ity in disturbed and adjacent areas.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visitor use
would be mostly primitive in nature, and in the wilder-
ness area visitor use could be managed so as not to
result in the loss of wilderness values. Vehicular use
of less than a 0.5 mile of way in the nondesignated
area would continue to occasionally detract from
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation.

This alternative would complement the NPS proposal
to manage the contiguous portion of Zion National Park
as wilderness.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would be preserved in
the designated portion which is approximately 36 per-
cent of the WSA in the foreseeable future, natural-
ness and opportunities for solitude and primitive rec-
reation would be directly lost on 2 acres and indirect-
ly reduced in quality on up to 18 adjacent acres in the
nondesignated portion. Class A scenery would be dis-
turbed in the nondesignated area, but only minimally.

• Impacts on Water Resources

The town of Kanarraville's present source of culinary
water in Kanarra Creek would not be affected. Future
development of water and construction of a water
pipeline in Spring Creek Canyon would not be allowed.

Conclusion: Present water use would not be affected
by this alternative. Future development of water and
construction of a water pipeline in Spring Creek Can-
yon would not be allowed.

• Impacts on Mineral and Energy Exploration and Pro-
duction'

• Leasable Minerals

it cannot be determined how much of the existing po-
tential resource of less than 10 million barrels of oil
and less than 60 billion cubic feet of natural gas is
within the area that would be designated as wilder-
ness under this alternative. No new leasing would be
allowed in the designated portion following wilderness
designation. The nondesignated portion would remain
open to leasable mineral exploration and development.
However, due to the small size of the deposits, only
exploration is projected in the foreseeable future re-
gardless of wilderness designation.

Due to the small size of the potential deposits, the
Sow certainty that these exist, and the low likelihood
for development activities, this alternative would not
result in a significant loss in production of the oil and
gas resource.

• Locatable Minerals

There is very low potential for locatable mineral de-
posits and no locatable mineral-related activity is ex-
pected regardless of wilderness designation.

• Salable Minerals

No impacts are projected as no salable mineral
resource occurs.

Conclusion: Opportunities for mineral exploration
would be eliminated in the designated portion. How-
ever, no mineral production is anticipated in the
WSA, even with wilderness designation. Mineral re-
sources could be explored in the nondesignated por-
tion of the WSA.

/

THE WATCHMAN WSA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 1

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 2

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated from Detailed Study 2

Alternatives Analyzed 2

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 2

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 4

Summary of Environmental Consequences 4

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 4

Wilderness Values 4

Air Quality 8

Geology and Topography 8

Soils 8

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 9

Water Resources 9

Mineral and Energy Resources 9

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 10

Forest Resources 11

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 11

Visual Resources 11

Cultural Resources 11

Recreation 11

Land Use Plans 11

Socioeconomics 12

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 13

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 13

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 13

i

THE WATCHMAN WSA

(UT-040-149)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Watchman WSA, containing 600 acres, is in
Washington County, less than 1 mile east of Spring-
dale. It is administered by the BLM Cedar City Dis-
trict. The unit adjoins Zion National Park for approx-
imately 1.5 miles along the east side of the WSA. The
portion of the NPS lands it is contiguous with is an
administratively endorsed wilderness proposal encom-
passing about 120,620 acres.

Changes for the Final EIS

The changes noted in the Introduction to Volume lll-B
are applicable to the WSA. In addition, impacts to wil-
derness values has been analyzed as an issue in the
Final EIS. No other changes have been made since publi-
cation of the Draft EIS.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

The area's topography is dominated by Johnston Moun-
tain, The Watchman, and the East and North Forks of
the Virgin River. The unit is located on a talus slope
between the two mountains and river drainages. Eleva-
tions vary from 3,700 to 5,200 feet above sea level.

Average annual precipitation is approximately 15
inches. Approximately half of the precipitation falls
from December through March, in the form of snow.
Intense thunderstorms from the southwest are com-
mon during the summer months.

Temperatures vary greatly with aspect and altitude,
but are generally mild. July and January are the
warmest and coldest months, respectively. Tempera-
tures range from extremes of 0 to 105 degrees Fahr-
enheit.

This WSA was dropped from wilderness study status
by the Secretary of the Interior on December 30,
1982, due to its small size. As a result of a decision
of the Eastern District Court of California (Sierra
Club vs. Watt, Civil No. 5-83-05 LKR, dated April
18, 1985) and because of the WSA's wilderness val-
ues, it is included in the EIS for analysis. This is in
line with general land use planning provisions of Sec-
tion 202 of the FLPMA and in accordance with BLM
guidance that allows for wilderness consideration of
areas less than 5,000 acres in size if they are adja-
cent to land with wilderness potential administered
by other Federal agencies.

There are no private, State, or split-estate lands
located within the WSA.

No issues were analyzed in detail in the Draft EIS for
The Watchman WSA. The WSA is located on the talus
slopes of Johnston Mountain and The Watchman. The
terrain is very steep, rough, and broken. The WSA
encompasses only 600 acres. The potential for any
development of the WSA is practically nonexistent
because of its site characteristics and its extremely
low mineral potential.

No change in use of the WSA's environment is fore-
seen in either the No Action/No Wilderness or the All
Wilderness Alternatives. Therefore, no environment-
al impacts would result from wilderness designation
or nondesignation.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

Although not analyzed as an issue in the Draft EIS,
impacts on wilderness values including naturalness,
opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation,
and special features is analyzed as the only issue in
the Final EIS.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the inventory phase
of the wilderness review, BLM's assessment of the
value of wilderness vs. other resource values, and
the relationship to NPS management. See Volume Vll-C

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP
WSA

1

THE WATCHMAN WSA

Section C for responses to specific comments about
The Watchman WSA, and Volume Vll-B for responses
to general comments applicable to all WSAs and/or
the Statewide analysis.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
from Detailed Study

One alternative considered was to transfer the WSA
to NPS administration. Such a transfer could occur in
the future regardless of wilderness status, and is not
analyzed as an alternative in this EIS.

The question of which agency should manage the WSA
to achieve overall management effectiveness will be
addressed in the wilderness study report, but it will
be based primarily on factors affecting both BLM and
NPS jurisdictions, such as relative amounts of the
total wilderness area administered by each agency,
principal public ingress and exit points, agency staff-
ing and workload in the region, and similar nonenvi-
ronmental items. Environmental differences, if any,
would be due to variations in BLM and NPS mandates
and policy (for example national parks are closed to
hunting while public lands are not) rather than from
wilderness designation. These differences would exist
with or without wilderness designation, and, there-
fore, are not relevant to the analyses of the impacts
from wilderness designation.

A partial wilderness alternative was not considered
reasonable because of the area's small size and be-
cause of a lack of resource conflicts. BLM has deter-
mined that The Watchman WSA would not be a viable
independent wilderness if adjacent NPS land is not
also designated as wilderness.

Alternatives Analyzed

Two alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness; and (2) All Wilderness (Pro-
posed Action) (600 acres). A description of each
alternative follows. Where management intentions
have not been clearly identified, assumptions are
made based on management projections under each
alternative. These assumptions are indicated in each
case. The assumed BLM management actions pre-
sented in the Introduction to Volume lll-B are also
applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 600-acre WSA
would be designated by Congress as part of the NWPS.
Although BLM land use plans are regularly updated, it
is assumed for this analysis that the area would con-
tinue to be managed in accordance with the Virgin
River MFP (USDI, BLM, 1979a). No State, private, or
split-estate lands are within the WSA (refer to Map
1). Figures and acreages in this analysis are for Fed-
eral lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 600 acres would remain open to mineral loca-
tion, leasing, and sale. Development work, extrac-
tion, and patenting would be allowed on future
mining claims. Development would be regulated
by unnecessary or undue degradation guidelines
(43 CFR 3809). Future oil and gas leases could be
developed under standard stipulations (Category
1) on 480 acres and no surface occupancy stipu-
lations (Category 3) on 120 acres. There are
presently no leases or mining claims in the WSA.

Although mineral resources would be managed as
described, mineral exploration or development
are not anticipated because the level of known re-
sources and the probability of their development
are too low to support that assumption. Appendix
6 in Volume I explains the mineral exploration and
development assumptions.

The present domestic livestock grazing use of 24
AUMs would continue as authorized in the Virgin
River MFP and Hot Desert Grazing Management
EIS (USDI, BLM, 1978b). The 0.25 mile of exist-
ing fence could be maintained.

The WSA would be open to ORV use. However,
none is anticipated because of rugged terrain and
lack of vehicular ways or cherry-stemmed
roads.

The WSA would continue to be managed under
VRM Class II on 600 acres.

• Action Scenario

It is projected that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would not re-
sult in any surface-disturbing activities in the
foreseeable future. No locatable or leasable

2

THE WATCHMAN WSA

41 S.

3

R. 10 W.

THE WATCHMAN WSA

mineral resource exploration or development is
anticipated. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, water-
shed projects, or other developments are plann-
ed, nor is any ORV use projected due to the rug-
ged terrain of teh WSA. Recreation use in the fore-
seeable future would be primitive in nature and
would increase over the current estimated use of
less than 100 visitor days annually at a rate of 2
to 7 percent per year.

• All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action)

With this alternative, all 600 acres of the WSA would
be designated by an act of Congress as part of the
NWPS (refer to Map 2). This WSA is adjacent to Zion
National Park and is contiguous with a 120,620-acre
NPS-proposed wilderness. Because this WSA lacks
the necessary size to constitute a wilderness area by
itself, it could only be managed in conjunction with
the NPS-proposed wilderness. As a result, the WSA
could be retained by BLM or transferred to the NPS
along with nine other small WSAs (refer to Map 3),
who would then assume management responsibilities.
For the purposes of this analysis, it is assumed that
BLM would retain the WSA and would manage it in
accordance with the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560) to preserve its wilderness
character. No State, private, or split-estate lands
are located in the WSA.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 600 acres
would be withdrawn from mineral location and
closed to new mineral leasing and sale. Currently,
there are no mining claims or leases in the WSA.

Present domestic livestock grazing would be
allowed to continue as authorized in the Virgin
River MFP and Hot Desert Grazing Management
EIS. The 24 AUMs in the WSA would remain avail-
able to livestock as presently allotted. The 0.25
mile of fence would be maintained.

Visual resources in the wilderness would be man-
aged in accordance with VRM Class I standards,
which generally allow for only natural ecological
change.

The entire 600-acre area would be closed to ORV
use except for: (1) users with valid existing
rights if approved by BLM in accordance with 43
CFR 8560 provisions; or (2) for occasional and
short-term vehicular access approved by BLM

for maintenance of approved livestock develop-
ments.

• Action Scenario

No surface disturbance is projected in the fore-
seeable future. Implementation of the All Wilder-
ness Alternative would preclude new mining
claim location and mineral leasing. Therefore, no
locatable or leasable mineral resource explora-
tion or development would occur following wilder-
ness designation. No rangeland, wildlife habitat,
watershed projects, or other developments are
planned nor would ORV use occur following wilder-
ness designation. Recreation use would be primi-
tive in nature and would increase over the cur-
rent estimated use of less than 100 annual visi-
tor days at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Only impacts on wilderness values are analyzed in
detail. Refer to Table 1 for a summary of impacts.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEO guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as for the an-
alysis of the Environmental Consequences of Alterna-
tives section for this WSA.

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The Watchman WSA is approximately 1.50 mile long
(north to south), 1 mile wide (east to west), and en-
compasses 600 acres.

• Naturalness

The WSA is in a natural condition. A microwave trans-
mitter site was installed at the base of Johnston
Mountain in the WSA in 1975. There is little surface
disturbance because this transmitter was installed
and is maintained by helicopter.

4

THE WATCHMAN WSA

T. 41

Map 2

ALL WILDERNESS ALTERNATIVE
The Watchman WSA
UT-040-149

Legend

All Wilderness Alternative
(600 acres)

Zion National Park Boundary

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

\c.kviHe

Rimropk\j
Sppng ,

5

I eg end

WSA BouncUrv

Zion National Park Boundary

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

fl EVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

Map 3

LOCATION MAP

Orderville Canyon WSA (UT-040-145)
Deep Creek WSA (UT-040-146)

North Fork Virgin River WSA (UT-040-150)
La Verkin Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-153)
Taylor Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-154)
Goose Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-176)
Red Butte WSA (UT-040-147)

The Watchman WSA (UT-040-149)
Beartrap Canyon WSA (UT-040-177)
Parunuweap WSA (UT-040-230)

Spring Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-148)

THE WATCHMAN WSA

R. 11 W.

LOCATION MAP

6

Table 1

Summary of Environmental Consequences

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THE WATCHMAN WSA

• Solitude

Opportunities for solitude are found in the WSA be-
cause of topographic screening. The unit contains the
lower slopes and rugged foothills below Johnston
Mountain and The Watchman. The area is only sparse-
ly vegetated, but the rough topography provides out-
standing opportunities for solitude on about 450 of
the 600 acres.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

The Watchman WSA offers outstanding opportunities
for hiking, exploring, rock climbing, and geologic stu-
dy. These activities are enhanced by the adjacent Zion
National Park. Outstanding opportunities for primitive
and unconfined recreation are found on approximately
450 of the 600 acres.

• Special Features

The WSA has resource values that, although not iden-
tified as such during the wilderness inventory, could
be considered special features. Two animal species
(bald eagle and peregrine falcon) listed as endangered
may occur in the WSA. There are four animal species
and four plant species that are considered sensitive
(refer to the Vegetation and Wildlife Including Special
Status Species sections for more information). Des-
ert bighorn sheep occasionally inhabit the WSA during
the summer. The WSA also is in an area with cougar,
which is a wildlife species commonly associated with
wilderness. All of the WSA (600 acres) is rated Class
A for scenic quality.

• Diversity

This WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Province Ecore-
gion and has the PNV type of juniper-pinyon woodland.
Refer to the Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies section for more discussion on ecoregions and
PNV types. To see how the ecoregion and PNV types
represented by this WSA compare Statewide and
nationally with existing and potential National Wil-
derness Preservation Units, refer to the Wilderness
Values section in Volume I.

The WSA is within a 5-hour drive from one standard
metropolitan statistical area, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Air Quality

Air quality data for the WSA were obtained from the
automated visibility measuring station at Lava Point

in Zion National Park. This station scans across the
area of the WSA, focusing on the Kaibab Plateau in
Arizona. The preliminary figures from this relatively
new system give an average visibility of 155 miles.
This indicates extremely clean air in the area. The
area is presently classified as Class II air under the
PSD regulations. Zion National Park, contiguous to the
WSA, has a PSD Class I designation under existing reg-
ulations.

Geology and Topography

The Watchman WSA is in the Grand Staircase section
of the Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province. The
WSA consists essentially of the foothills and lower
slopes of Johnston Mountain and The Watchman.

Rocks of the Triassic age, totaling about 1,400 feet,
and minor amounts of Quaternary deposits crop out in
the WSA. Underlying Mesozoic and Paleozoic rocks
may be as much as 10,000 feet thick (Hintze, 1973).
Sandstones and strata of the Triassic, Moenave, and
Chinle Formations form the most extensive outcrops
in the WSA. The Quaternary deposits occur in the ex-
treme northern and southern portions of the WSA. No
faults or other geologic structures are known to
occur in the WSA.

Elevations range from approximately 3,800 feet
above sea level along the East Fork of the Virgin
River in the southwestern corner of the WSA to a
little more than 5,200 feet above sea level on the
western slope of Johnston Mountain. Drainage is
north, south, and west into the North Fork and East
Fork of the Virgin River.

Soils

Erosion classes are slight, 200 acres (34 percent);
and moderate, 400 acres (66 percent). Erosion condi-
tion was determined by using soil surface factors as
summarized in Table 2 (terms are defined in the Glos-
sary).

Most of the soils are mapped by the Washington Coun-
ty Soil Survey (USDA, SCS, 1977) as Paunsaugunt-
Kolob-Dalcan Association or rock outcrop-rockland
association. These are excessively drained, nearly
level to very steep, shallow to deep gravelly silt
loams, fine sandy loams, cobbly loams, and bare bed-
rock. The erosion potential is moderate to severe.
These soils are used for range, wildlife, and recrea-
tion, and are unsuitable for agriculture. Seeding poten-
tial is rated as unsuitable due to rock outcrop, steep

8

THE WATCHMAN WSA

slopes ranging from 20 to 50 percent, and very
stony, loamy, sandy soils.

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Classification

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

0

0

0

Moderate

1.3

400

66

520

Slight

0.6

200

34

120

Stable

0.3

Q

_Q

_Q

T otal

600

100

640

Sources: USDI,

BLM. 1978c and

1979c;

Leifeste, 1978.

The salinity class is estimated as moderate. Up to 40
lb of salt per acre may be lost annually.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

The Watchman WSA is located in a transition zone be-
tween the hot desert and the cold desert ecosystems.
The existing vegetation is primarily characterized as
desert shrub. Many of these plants have woody
stems, deep roots, and extremely small or spiny
leaves. The dominating vegetation is creosote bush,
blackbrush, and saltbush. A few pinyon pine and juni-
per trees are scattered across the unit. Less than 15
percent of the vegetation is herbaceous, with Indian
ricegrass, galleta grass, eriogonum, and penstemon
being the dominant herbaceous plants. This herbace-
ous zone has a cover of 10 to 20 percent, resulting in
a scrubby landscape with much exposed rock.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, the WSA may contain
four Category 2 candidate species. These are AspleEE
ium andrewsii. Erigeron sionis. Heterotheca jQnes.ii,
and Sphaeromeria ruthiae. (see Appendix 4 in Volume

I).

The Watchman WSA is in the Colorado Plateau Pro-
vince Ecoregion as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler eco-
systems map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). The PNV type of
the WSA is juniper-pinyon woodland.

Water Resources

This WSA is located in the Virgin River subbasin of
the Colorado River Basin hydrologic region. There are
no existing water rights and the area is presently
closed to applications, although the Utah State Water
Engineer has stated that some applications could be

considered depending on water use and location. There
are no withdrawals in the unit. No perennial surface
water occurs in the WSA.

The WSA water right status is considered to be fully
appropriated (UDNRE, DWR, 1988). Surface and
groundwater sources are closed to further water
right applications. There are no withdrawals present
in the WSA. The Fifth Judicial District Court is cur-
rently adjudicating underground and surface water
rights for the Virgin River drainage.

Water Quality Standards for the North Fork of the Vir-
gin River as established by the State of Utah are:
Class 1C (protected for domestic purposes with treat-
ment), Class 2B (protected for recreational uses ex-
cluding swimming), Class 3A (protected for cold
water fisheries), and Class 4 (protected for agricul-
ture and livestock). In addition to assigned use
classes, an Anti-Degradation Segment has been assign-
ed the East Fork of the Virgin River to headwaters.
Water quality within this drainage is mostly affected
by the natural geology of the area. Sedimentary sand-
stones and limestones contribute to dissolved and sus-
pended solids primarily during runoff periods and
storm events. Utah's 1986 305(b) Water Quality
Assessment Report shows the North Fork of the Vir-
gin River to have water quality problems for public
water supply, secondary contact, and cold water
fishery.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the WSA is given in Table 3. Refer to Appendix 5 in
Volume I for a description of the energy and mineral
resource rating system.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Ralino

Resource

Favorability8 Certainty^

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

f 2

cl

Less than 10 million barrels of
oil; less than 60 billion cubic-

Uranium

f 2

c2

feet of gas

Less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide

Source: SAI, 1982; USDI. BLM. 1987.

•Favorabllity of the WSA's geologic environment lor a resource (<1 - lowest
favorabllity or smallest size deposit; 14 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

bThe degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

9

THE WATCHMAN WSA

There are no strategic or critical minerals known to
occur within the WSA (USDoD, 1988).

• Leasable Minerals

There are no known deposits of any leasable minerals
in the WSA. Currently, there are no active drilling,
mining, or exploration activities for leasable min-
erals.

• Oil and Gas

Based on similarities between the WSA and the
nearby Virgin oil field (8 miles northwest), the
WSA has potential for small accumulations of hy-
drocarbons. The Virgin field has produced small
amounts of oil intermittently since 1907. To date,
however, no commercial oil and gas potential has
been identified in the WSA.

The favorability of the tract for oil and gas is rat-
ed (f2) (SAI, 1982). The size of the hydrocarbon
accumulation in such an environment is anticipat-
ed to be less than 10 million barrels of oil or less
than 60 billion cubic-feet of gas. Based on the
available information, the certainty of occur-
rence for oil and gas is rated very low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, 120 acres of the
WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipulations) and
480 acres are in Category 3 (no surface occupan-
cy). There are presently no oil and gas leases in
the WSA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in
the WSA. There are presently no mining claims.

• Uranium

The WSA is approximately 22 miles east of the
Silver Reef Mining District, a known uranium-
producing area. Although known primarily for its
past silver production, uranium has been found
there in the Springdale Sandstone Member of the
Moenave Formation. The Moenave Formation
crops out in a wide belt throughout the WSA. SAI
has assigned the WSA an uranium favorability
rating of (f2) (containing less than 500 metric-
tons of uranium oxide) (SAI, 1982). Based on
available information, the certainty that uranium
deposits occur in the WSA is low (c2).

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the WSA.
These deposits are not unique or economically signif-
icant due to the presence of ample similar materials
outside the WSA.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

The WSA supports a variety of animal species. There
are approximately 300 vertebrate animal species
that could inhabit the WSA. These include 60 mammal
species, 208 bird species, 20 reptile species, six
amphibian species, and three fish species (USDI, BLM,
1979a). No critical or crucial wildlife habitat areas
have been identified in the WSA.

Raptors may include the bald eagle, peregrine falcon,
prairie falcon, American kestrel, red-tailed hawk,
and Cooper’s hawk. The red-tailed and Cooper's
hawks are the most common species. The bald eagle
(Haliaeetus leucocephalusl and peregrine falcon
(Falcon perearinusl are on the Federal endangered
species list. Bald eagles winter in the Virgin River
drainage adjacent to the WSA and also in Kanarraville
and New Harmony valleys northwest of the WSA. The
golden eagle is a sensitive species that may inhabit
the WSA. No other threatened or endangered species
are known to occur within the WSA. Candidate threat-
ened or endangered species that may be present in the
WSA include the Great Basin Silverspot butterfly and
the Virgin River montane vole (See Appendix 4 in Vol-
ume I).

There is an active peregrine falcon nest in nearby
Zion National Park. Peregrine falcons have been re-
ported in the Deep Creek-Goose Creek area and in
Taylor Creek Canyon, but nesting is not confirmed.

The Watchman WSA contains cougar habitat and is
within the Utah Cougar Management Unit 30, Cedar
Mountain. Cougar populations and harvest by sport
hunters and by the Animal Damage Control Program
has been higher in this management unit than in any
other location in Utah. During the 11 -year period
(1977 through 1987), a total of 217 cougars were
taken from the Cedar Mountain Management Unit. This
harvest averaged nearly 20 animals per year
(UDNRE, UDWR, 1988). It has not been determined
how many of these may have been taken from within
the WSA.

THE WATCHMAN WSA

Forest Resources

The only forest resources found in the WSA consist of
scattered pinyon pine and juniper trees. The WSA has
almost no forest resources suitable for firewood,
fenceposts, pine nuts, or Christmas tree cutting. No
harvest is occurring in the WSA and none is projected
for the foreseeable future.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

Table 4 summarizes livestock grazing use data. The
Watchman WSA contains part of one custodial grazing
allotment (Zion Park Allotment). There are 24 AUMs
within the WSA. One permittee is allowed to graze
cattle on this allotment. The only range improvement
is a 0.25 mile of fence. No additional livestock devel-
opments are proposed.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period within The Watchman WSA (USDA,
APHIS, 1988).

There are no wild horses or burros within the WSA.

Visual Resources

Under the VRM system, the entire WSA is rated VRM
Class II. Refer to Appendix 7 in Volume I for an expla-
nation of the BLM VRM rating system. The scenery
quality rating for The Watchman WSA is Scenic Class
A. This designation indicates outstanding or dominat-
ing features. The unit exhibits the same type of fea-
tures as Zion National Park.

Cultural Resources

No sampling inventory for archaeological and other
cultural resources has been conducted in the WSA.
There are no known sites.

Recreation

Recreational use of The Watchman WSA is very limit-
ed. The WSA is isolated from Zion National Park by
rough terrain around Johnston Mountain and The
Watchman. Most recreational use would be associated
with The Watchman campground inside the park. Visi-
tors walk down the river and cross into the WSA. It
is estimated that there are less than 100 visitor days
annually. There are no developed recreation facilities
in the WSA.

Land Use Plans

The WSA is managed under the BLM Virgin River MFP
which allows the uses discussed in the description of
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. The MFP
does not address wilderness. However, wilderness
designation is part of the BLM multiple-use concept
and the BLM land use plan is linked to the Statewide
Wilderness EIS through analysis of the present plan as
the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

In response to H.R. 1214 (Ninety Eighth Congress of
the U.S., 1983), the NPS assessed the WSA to deter-
mine its value for potential addition to the adjacent
NPS unit (USDI, NPS, 1984c). The NPS found that The
Watchman WSA contains significant recreational val-
ues that provide an important supplement to those
within the Zion National Park. The Watchman WSA
was recommended as suitable for inclusion into the
adjacent unit of the National Park System. No Congres
sional action has been taken on that recommendation.

There are no existing or proposed rights-of-way with
in this WSA.

The Washington County Master Plan (Planning and Re-
search Associates, 1971) identifies the WSA as an

Table 4

Livestock Grazing Use Data

Allotments

Total

Acres

Acres
in WSA

Total

AUMs

Number
ot AUMs
in WSA

Number and
Kind ot
Livestock

Season of Use

Number of
Operators

Zion Park

600

600

24

24

2 Cattle

yearlong

1

Sources BLM File Data

THE WATCHMAN WSA

open space zone and Washington County does not sup-
port wilderness designation for this WSA. The Wash-
ington County Commission has endorsed the Consoli-
dated Local Government Response to Wilderness (Utah
Counties, 1986) that opposes wilderness designation
of BLM lands in Utah.

There are no State of Utah, private, or split-estate
owned lands in the WSA.

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The WSA is in Washington County. From 1970 to
1980, the population of Washington County grew from
13,699 to 24,600, an overall increase of about 93
percent. Table 5 presents the baseline and projected
population data for Washington County. It is estimated
that between 1980 and 1987, the population increas-
ed to about 39,720. Population projections indicate
that the number of people living in Washington County
in the year 2010 will be about 65,600 for about a
148-percent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office
of Planning and Budget, 1987).

Table 5

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Washington County

1 980

1990

2000

2010

Population

Employment

26.400

8,100

45,500

14,400

51,000

18,400

65.600

24,100

Source: Utah Office

of Planning and Budget, 1987.

• Employment

Table 5 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Washington County to the year 2010.

Washington County is part of the Southwest MCD.
Table 6 shows the baseline (1980) and projected em-
ployment by source for the MCD to the year 2010. In
1980 the leading employment sectors for the South-
west MCD were government (23 percent), trade (20
percent), and nonfarm proprietors (12 percent). Min-
ing provided less than 3 percent of the employment in
the MCD.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 3 percent, mining to less

than 1 percent, and government to 18 percent of the
total.

Table 6

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment*

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1.006

1.300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4.120

6,800

8,800

11,200

Finance, Insurance. Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4.616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

^Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron,

Kane, and Washington Counties.

• Sales and Revenues

Economic-related activities in the WSA include live-

stock production and

recreation.

Table

7 summarizes

the local sales and Federal revenues from the WSA.

Appendix 9 in Volume

1 identifies the multipliers used

to estimate sales and

revenues.

Table 7

Sales and Revenues

Estimated Annual

Estimated Annual

Source

Local Sales*

Federal Revenues

Livestock Grazing

$480

$37

Recreational Use

$420

0.

Total

$900

$37

Sources: USDI, BLM. tile data; Appendix 9 in Volume I.

“Local sales represent money potentially spent. They do not account for the
total income that would be generated by these expenditures.

/*

Mineral and energy resource production from the
WSA has not contributed to local employment or
income.

One livestock operator has a total grazing privilege of
24 AUMs within the WSA. If all this forage were uti-
lized, it would account for $480 of livestock sales
and $120 of ranchers' returns to labor and invest-
ment.

The actual amount of income generated locally from
recreational use in the WSA is unknown. However, an

1 2

THE WATCHMAN WSA

approximate range of expenditures can be deduced
(Dalton, 1982). This study indicates that the State-
wide average local expenditures per recreational
visitor day for all types of recreation in Utah are
approximately $4.10. The recreational use for The
Watchman WSA is estimated to be about 100 visitor
days per year. Only a portion of the expenditures for
recreational use of the WSA contributes to the local
economy of Washington County.

Average actual livestock use and, therefore, reve-
nues generated from grazing in the WSA are unknown;
however, the permittee in the WSA can use up to four
AUMs per year. Based on a $1.54 per AUM grazing
fee, the WSA can potentially generate $37 of grazing
fee revenues annually, 50 percent of which would be
allocated back to the local BLM District for the con-
struction of rangeland improvements.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. Impacts on
wilderness values is the only resource analyzed in
detail. The analysis is based on implementation of the
Action Scenarios presented in the Description of
Alternatives section.

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the WSA
would be somewhat protected by limitations placed on
potential surface-disturbing activities, i.e., VRM
Class II management on 600 acres and management
under oil and gas leasing Category 3 (no surface occu-
pancy) on 120 acres.

No development would be expected in the foreseeable
future that would affect wilderness values.

Because future ORV use would generally be limited by
terrain, no disturbance from ORV activity is antici-
pated.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visitor use
would not be expected to reduce wilderness values
because the additional use is expected to be small,

primitive in nature, and it would be related to use in
the contiguous Zion National Park.

Overall, no disturbance of the WSA's wilderness val-
ues, including 600 acres of naturalness, 450 acres
having outstanding opportunities for solitude and prim-
itive recreation and such special features as Class A
scenery, endangered or sensitive species, and wild-
life associated with wilderness, would be expected in
the foreseeable future.

The degreee to which wilderness values would be re-
duced in quality from disturbance over the long term
is not accurately known.

This alternative would not complement the NPS pro-
posal to manage the contiguous portion of Zion Nation-
al Park as wilderness.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness disturbance. No disturbance that woulld
affect wilderness values would be expected in the
foreseeable future.

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 600 acres as wil-
derness would preserve the wilderness values in The
Watchman WSA. The potential for surface-disturbing
activities would be eliminated through closure of the
entire area to future mineral leasing and location and
to ORV use, and through management of the area as
VRM Class I (which allows for only natural ecological
change). Naturalness would be preserved on all 600
acres. Solitude would be protected on approximately
450 acres that meet and 150 acres that do not meet
the standards for outstanding opportunities. Re-
sources that could be considered as special features
in the WSA, including Class A scenery, endangered or
sensitive species, and wildlife associated with wilder-
ness, would also be preserved.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visitor use
would be primitive in nature and would be managed so
as to not result in loss of wilderness values.

Wilderness designation of the WSA would complement
the NPS proposal to manage the contiguous portion of
Zion National Park as wilderness.

THE WATCHMAN WSA

Conclusion: All Wilderness values would be preserved
where found in the WSA.

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA
TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 1

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 2

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated from Detailed Study 2

Alternatives Analyzed 2

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 2

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 2

Summary of Environmental Consequences 5

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 5

Wilderness Values 5

Air Quality 8

Geology and Topography 8

Soils 8

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 8

Water Resources 9

Mineral and Energy Resources 9

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 10

Forest Resources . 10

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 10

Visual Resources 10

Cultural Resources 10

Recreation 10

Land Use Plans 11

Socioeconomics 11

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 12

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action)

12

13

• '
1

,

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

(UT-040-1 54)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Taylor Creek Canyon WSA contains 35 acres.
Taylor Creek is located along the boundary of Zion
National Park in the northeast corner of Washington
County. It is contiguous with a NPS administratively
endorsed wilderness proposal encompassing 120,620
acres. It is administered by the BLM Cedar City Dis-
trict.

The WSA's topography is dominated by the Middle
Fork of Taylor Creek. The canyon rim is 1,000 feet
above the creek bottom exposing various rock forma-
tions. The climate within the WSA is considered mild
with average temperatures ranging from the low 40s
during the winter months to the high 80s during mid-
summer. Temperature extremes can vary from 0 to
105 degrees Fahrenheit. Average annual precipitation
in Zion National Park is 14.5 inches with about half
occurring in the form of winter snow and half in the
form of rain during summer thunderstorms. Winds
usually prevail from the southwest with the strong-
est winds occurring in March and April.

This WSA was dropped from wilderness study status
by the Secretary of the Interior on December 30,
1982, due to its small size. As a result of a decision
of the Eastern District Court of California (Sierra
Club vs. Watt, Civil No. 5-83-035 LKR, dated April
18, 1985) and because of the WSA's wilderness val-
ues, it is included in the EIS for analysis. This is in
line with general land use planning provisions of Sec-
tion 202 of the FLPMA and in accordance with BLM
guidance that allows for wilderness consideration of
areas less than 5,000 acres in size if they are adja-
cent to land with wilderness potential administered
by other Federal agencies.

There are no private, State, or split-estate lands
located within the WSA.

Changes for the Final EIS

The changes noted in the Introduction to Volume lll-B
are applicable to the WSA. In addition, impacts to wil-
derness values have been analyzed in the Final EIS. No
other changes have been made since publication of the
Draft EIS.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

No issues were analyzed in detail in the Draft EIS for
the Taylor Creek Canyon WSA. The WSA is located at
the very extreme upper end of the Middle Fork of Tay-
lor Creek. The WSA encompasses only 35 acres con-
fined into a steep narrow canyon, most of which is
barren rock outcrop. Vertical walls and narrow can-
yon bottoms make the unit impassable. The potential
for any development of the WSA is practically nonex-
istent because of its site characteristics and extreme-
ly low mineral potential. No change in use of the
WSA's environment is foreseen under the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative or the All Wilderness Alter-
native. Therefore, no environmental impacts would re-
sult from wilderness designation or nondesignation.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

Although not analyzed as an issue in the Draft EIS,
impacts on the wilderness values of naturalness,
opportunities for solitude and primitive and uncon-
fined recreation, and special features is analyzed as
an issue in the Final EIS.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the inventory phase
of the wilderness review, BLM's assessment of the
value of wilderness vs. other resource values, the
size of the WSA, and the relationship to NPS manage-
ment. (See Volume Vll-C, Section D for responses to
specific comments about the Taylor Creek Canyon
WSA, and Volume Vll-B for responses to general com-
ments applicable to all WSAs and/or the Statewide
analysis.)

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP
WSA q

SEE VOL.I

1

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
from Detailed Study

One alternative considered was to transfer the WSA
to the NPS administration. Such a transfer could
occur in the future regardless of wilderness status,
and it is not analyzed as an alternative in this EIS.
The question of which agency should manage the WSA
to achieve overall management effectiveness will be
addressed in the wilderness study report, but it will
be based primarily on factors affecting both BLM and
NPS jurisdictions, such as relative amounts of the
total wilderness area administered by each agency,
principal public ingress and exit points, agency staff-
ing and workload in the region, and similar nonenvi-
ronmental items. Environmental differences, if any,
would be due to variations in BLM and NPS mandates
and policy (for example national parks are closed to
hunting while public lands are not) rather than from
wilderness designation. These differences would exist
with or without wilderness designation, and, there-
fore, are not relevant to the analyses of the impacts
from wilderness designation.

A partial wilderness alternative was not considered
reasonable because of the area's small size and be-
cause of a lack of resource conflicts. BLM has deter-
mined that the Taylor Creek Canyon WSA would not
be a viable independent wilderness if adjacent NPS
land is not also designated as wilderness.

Alternatives Analyzed

Two alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness; and (2) All Wilderness (Pro-
posed Action) (35 acres). A description of each alter-
native follows. Where management intentions have
not been clearly identified, assumptions are made
based on projections under each alternative. These
assumptions are indicated in each case. The assumed
BLM management actions presented in the Introduc-
tion to Volume lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 35-acre Taylor
Creek Canyon WSA would be designated by Congress
as part of the NWPS. Although BLM land use plans are
regularly updated, it is assumed that the area would
continue to be managed in accordance with the Virgin
River Planning Unit MFP (USDI, BLM, 1979a). No pri-

vate, State, or split-estate lands are within the WSA
(refer to Map 1).

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 35 acres would remain open to mineral loca-
tion, leasing, and sale. There are no mining claims
in the WSA at the present time. Development
work, extraction, and patenting would be allowed
on future mining claims. Development would be
regulated by unnecessary or undue degradation
guidelines (43 CFR 3809). There are no oil and
gas leases in the WSA. Future oil and gas leases
could be developed under Category 1 (standard
stipulations) on the 35-acre area. Although min-
erals would be managed as described, mineral
exploration and development are not anticipated
because the level of known resources and the
probability of their development are too low to
support a development assumption. Appendix 6 in
Volume I explains the mineral exploration and
development assumptions. The WSA is part of a
grazing allotment but, due to the steep terrain, no
grazing occurs on the WSA.

The entire WSA acreage would be open to ORV use
but none is expected because of the steep terrain.

The entire area would continue to be managed
under VRM Class II.

• Action Scenario

It is projected that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would not re-
sult in any surface-disturbing activities in the
foreseeable future. No locatable or leasable min-
eral resource exploration or development is anti-
cipated. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed
projects, or other developments are planned, nor
is any ORV use projected due to steep terrain.
Recreation use in the foreseeable future would be
primitive in nature and would increase over the
current estimated use of less than 50 visitor
days annually at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per
year.

• All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action)

With this alternative, all 35 acres of the Taylor
Creek Canyon WSA would be designated by an act of
Congress as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). This
WSA is adjacent to Zion National Park and is contigu-
ous with a 120,620-acre NPS-proposed wilderness.

2

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

R. 12 W.

R. 11 W.

T. 38 S.

T. 39 S

3

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

T. 38 S.

T. 39 S

R. 12 W.

R. 11 W.

4

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

Because this WSA lacks the necessary size to consti-
tute a wilderness area by itself, it could only be man-
aged in conjunction with the NPS-proposed wilder-
ness. As a result, the Taylor Creek Canyon WSA
could be retained by BLM or transferred (along with
nine other small WSAs [refer to Map 3]) to the NPS,
who would then assume management responsibilities.
For the purposes of this analysis, it is assumed that
BLM would retain the Taylor Creek Canyon WSA and
would manage it in accordance with the BLM Wilder-
ness Management Policy (BLM Manual 8560) to pre-
serve its wilderness character. No State, private, or
split-estate lands are located in the WSA (refer to
Map 1). The figures and acreages given under this
alternative are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 35 acres would
be withdrawn from mineral location and closed to
new mineral leasing and sale. Currently, no min-
ing claims have been located in the WSA and the
area is not leased for oil and gas.

No livestock use has occurred in the WSA and non-
use would continue.

The entire 35-acre area would be closed to ORV
use except for: (1) users with valid existing
rights if approved by BLM in accordance with 43
CFR 8560 provisions. There are no ways in the
WSA. The dirt road that forms part of the eastern
boundary of the WSA would remain open for use.

Visual resources in the wilderness would be man-
aged in accordance with VRM Class I standards,
which generally allow for only natural ecological
change.

• Action Scenario

No surface disturbance is projected in the fore-
seeable future. Implementation of the All Wilder-
ness Alternative would preclude mining claim
location and mineral leasing. Therefore, no locat-
able or leasable mineral resource exploration or
development would occur following wilderness
designation. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, water-
shed projects, or other developments are planned
following wilderness designation nor would ORV
use occur. Recreation use would be primitive in
nature and would increase over the current esti-
mated use of less than 50 visitor days annually at
a rate of 2 to 7 percent per year.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Only impacts on wilderness values are analyzed in
detail. Refer to Table 1 for a summary of impacts.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEO guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as for analy-
sis of the Environmental Consequences of Alterna-
tives for this WSA.

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The 35-acre Taylor Creek Canyon WSA is in the
shape of a square, approximately 0.25 miles wide and
long.

• Naturalness

The WSA is in a natural condition. There are no known
intrusions.

• Solitude

The narrow sheer-walled canyon of the Middle Fork
of Taylor Creek that continues into Zion National Park
offers outstanding opportunities for solitude if con-
sidered in conjunction with Zion National Park.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

The canyon bottoms of the Middle Fork of Taylor
Creek offer primitive and unconfined recreation oppor-
tunities such as hiking, backpacking, and photography.
The opportunities for primitive and unconfined recrea-
tion are considered outstanding if considered in con-
junction with the proposed wilderness area in Zion
National Park.

• Special Features

Special features identified during the wilderness in-
ventory include excellent raptor habitat and excep-
tional scenic values similar to those of Zion National

5

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

R. 12 W.

R. 11 W.

LOCATION MAP

Spring Creek Can

Co-op

Knoll

Mounts,

Kinsrra

WASHING!

P'M

Knoll

Hors a K\ioll

:reek

:anyo;

\ LKtla
[ Moontai

Kolob

Pan*

Virgin

Flats

Virgin River

ffrapil

Knoll

[T il S

Map 3

LOCATION MAP

Orderville Canyon WSA (UT-040-145)
Deep Creek WSA (UT-040-146)

North Fork Virgin River WSA (UT-040-150)
La Verkin Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-153)
Taylor Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-154)
Goose Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-176)
Red Butte WSA (UT-040-147)

The Watchman WSA (UT-040-149)
Beartrap Canyon WSA (UT-040-177)
Parunuweap WSA (UT-040-230)

Spring Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-148)

WSA Boundarv

/ion National Park Houndars

SCALE IN MILES

l-l EVATION expressed in miters

T. 39 S.

T. 40 S.

T. 41 S.

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TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

Park. The entire WSA is rated Class A for scenic
quality.

The WSA has resource values that, although not
identified as such during the wilderness inventory,
could be considered special features. There are two
animal species (peregrine falcon and bald eagle) listed
as endangered that may occasionally use the WSA.
There are 13 animal species and four plant species
that are considered sensitive that may occur in the
WSA.

Cougar, which is a wildlife species associated with
wilderness, use the WSA. Refer to the Vegetation and
Wildlife Including Special Status Species sections for
additional information.)

• Diversity

This WSA is in a transition zone between the Colorado
Plateau and Rocky Mountain Forest Province Ecore-
gions and has the PNV type of Arizona pine forest.
Refer to the Vegetation Including Special Status
Species section for more discussion on ecoregions and
PNV types. To see how the ecoregion and PNV types
represented by this WSA compare Statewide and
nationally with existing and potential National Wilder-
ness Preservation Units, refer to the Wilderness
Values section in Volume I.

This WSA is within a 5-hour drive from one standard
metropolitan statistical area, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Air Quality

The Taylor Creek Canyon WSA is located in a PSD
Class II area as defined in the Clean Air Act, as
amended. Air quality is considered excellent. The adja-
cent Zion National Park is designated as PSD Class I.
Visual ranges in excess of 100 miles occur 75 per-
cent of the time, and ranges in excess of 155 miles
occur 10 percent of the time.

Geology and Topography

The Taylor Creek Canyon WSA is within the Grand
Staircase section of the Colorado Plateau Physiograph-
ic Province. The WSA is adjacent to Zion National
Park and consists essentially of the head of the Mid-
dle Fork of Taylor Creek.

Rocks of Jurassic age totaling about 1,000 feet crop
out in the WSA. Underlying Mesozoic and Paleozoic
rocks may be as much as 10,000 feet thick (Hintze,

1973). Marine sediments of the Carmel Formation
form the most extensive outcrops in the WSA, with
about 400 feet exposed on the higher elevations.
Approximately 600 feet of cross-bedded eolian sand-
stone of the Navajo Formation is exposed within the
canyon.

No faults or other structures are known to occur with-
in the WSA. However, the north-south trending Hurri-
cane Fault is located 4 miles west of the WSA.

The lowest elevation is approximately 6,800 feet and
is found along the western boundary of the WSA at
the bottom of the Middle Fork of Taylor Creek Can-
yon. The highest elevation is approximately 7,700
feet and is found along the eastern boundary of the
WSA on the ridge above the Middle Fork of Taylor
Creek Canyon.

Soils

The soils are mapped by the Washington County Soil
Survey as Paunsaugunt-Kolob-Dalcan Association or
rock outcrop-rockland association (USDA, SCS,
1977). These are excessively drained, nearly level
to very steep, shallow to deep gravelly silt loams,
fine sandy loams, cobbly loams, and bare bedrock.
The erosion potential is moderate to severe, and the
erosion condition classification is slight. Erosion con-
dition as determined by using soil surface factors Is
summarized in Table 2 (terms are defined in the Glos-
sary). Salinity class is estimated as nonsaline. Be-
cause of the moderately high sediment production, up
to 33 lb of salt per acre may be lost annually. Seeding
suitability is estimated to be fair.

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic

Classification yards/acre) Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

0

0

0

Moderate

1.3

0

0

0

Slight

0.6

35

100

21

Stable

0.3

_Q

_Q

Total

35

100

21

Sources: USDI, BLM, 1978c and 1979c; Leifeste, 1978.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

Existing vegetation in the WSA is comprised of two
types, coniferous forest (6 acres) and mountain
shrub (8 acres). Over 60 percent (21 acres) of the
WSA is barren rock outcrops.

8

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, the WSA could contain
four Category 2 candidate species. These are Aspleni-
iim andrew?ii, Eriaeron sionis. Heterotheca ionesii.
and Sphaeromeria ruthiae (see Appendix 4 in Volume
')•

This WSA is located in a transition zone between the
Colorado Plateau and Rocky Mountain Forest Province
Ecoregions, as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler ecosys-
tems map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). This transition has a
diverse vegetation, with plants from each of these
ecoregions being represented. The PNV type of the
WSA is Arizona pine forest.

Water Resources

The WSA is located in the Virgin River subbasin of the
Colorado River Basin hydrologic region. There are no
existing water rights in the area. There are no peren-
nial surface waters in the WSA.

The WSA water right status is considered fully appro-
priated (UDNRE, DWR, 1988). Surface and ground-
water sources are closed to further water right appli-
cations. There are no withdrawals in the WSA.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Taylor Creek Canyon WSA is given in Table 3.
Refer to Appendix 5 in Volume I for a description of
the mineral and energy rating system.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Ratina

Resource

Favorability* Certaintyb

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

f 2 cl

Less than 10 million barrels ot
oil; less than 60 billion cubic-
feet of gas

Uranium

*2 cl

Less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide

Source: SAI, 1982; USDI, BLM, 1987.

aFavorability of the WSA's geologic environment for a resource (f 1 - lowest
favorability or smallest size deposit; 14 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

>>The degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (ct - lowest and c4 - highest).

There are no strategic or critical minerals know to
occur within the WSA (USDoD, 1988).

• Leasable Minerals

There are no known deposits of any leasable minerals
in the WSA. Currently, there are no active drilling,
mining, or exploration activities for leasable miner-
als.

• Oil and Gas

Based on similarities between the WSA and the
nearby Anderson Junction oil field (located 13
miles southwest) and the Virgin oil field (15
miles south), the WSA has potential for small
accumu-lations of hydrocarbons. To date, how-
ever, no commercial oil and gas potential has
been identi-fied in the WSA.

The favorability of the tract for oil and gas is rat-
ed (f2) (SAI, 1982). The size of the hydrocarbon
accumulation in such an environment is anticipat-
ed to be less than 10 million barrels of oil or less
than 60 billion cubic feet of gas. Based on the
available information, the certainty of occur-
rence for oil and gas is rated very low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, all 35 acres of
the WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions). There are presently no oil and gas leases
in the WSA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in
the WSA. There are presently no mining claims.

• Uranium

The WSA is approximately 20 miles northeast of
the Silver Reef Mining District, a known uranium-
producing area. Although known primarily for its
past silver production, uranium has been found
there in the Springdale Sandstone Member of the
Moenave Formation. The Moenave Formation
occurs at depths of about 2,500 feet below the
surface of the WSA. The Chinle Formation is also
favorable for uranium, but it occurs at depths ex-
ceeding 3,000 feet. SAI has assigned an uranium
favorability rating of (f2) (containing less than
500 metric-tons of uranium oxide). Based on
available information, the certainty that uranium
deposits occur in the WSA is very low (cl) (SAI,
1982).

9

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the WSA.
These deposits are not unique or economically signifi-
cant due to the presence of ample similar materials
outside the WSA.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

Because this WSA occurs in the transition zone of two
vegetation ecoregions, it may support a variety of
animal species. The Virgin River Unit Resource Anal-
ysis indicates approximately 300 vertebrate animal
species could inhabit the WSA (USDI, BLM, 1979a).
These include 60 mammal species, 208 bird species,
20 reptile species, six amphibian species, and three
fish species. No critical wildlife habitat areas have
been identified within the WSA.

Raptors may include the golden eagle, bald eagle,
peregrine falcon, prairie falcon, American kestrel,
red-tailed hawk, and Cooper's hawk. The red-tailed
and Cooper's hawks are the most common. The bald
eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalusl and peregrine falcon
(Falco perearinusl are included on the Federal endan-
gered species list. Bald eagles winter in the Virgin
River drainage south of the WSA and also in Kanarra-
ville and New Harmony valleys west of the WSA. An
active peregrine falcon nest occurs in Taylor Creek
Canyon in Zion National Park downstream of the WSA.
Occasional sightings of these birds have been made,
with most reports occurring in the Deep Creek-Goose
Creek area. No other threatened or endangered spe-
cies are known to inhabit the WSA. The golden eagle,
which may inhabit the WSA, is a BLM sensitive spe-
cies. The FWS Category 2 candidate species, the
Great Basin Silverspot butterfly and Virgin River
montane vole, may be present in the WSA.

Cougar activity in the vicinity is heavy compared to
other areas in Utah. The Taylor Creek Canyon WSA
contains cougar habitat and is within the Utah Cougar
Management Unit 30, Cedar Mountain. Cougar popula-
tions and harvest by sport hunters and by the Animal
Damage Control Program has been higher in this man-
agement unit than in any other location in Utah. During
the 11 -year period, 1977 through 1987, a total of
217 cougars were taken from the Cedar Mountain
Management Unit. This harvest averaged nearly 20
animals per year (UDNRE, DWR, 1988). It has not
been determined how many of these may have been
taken from within the WSA.

Forest Resources

The forest resource in the WSA is restricted to 6
acres of scattered conifer trees. As a whole, the
limited forest resources in the WSA have no commer-
cial value. There is presently no production of forest
resources in the WSA and none is projected for the
foreseeable future because of the limited resource
and lack of access.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The Taylor Creek Canyon WSA lies within the Cedar
Mountain Allotment which is grazed by 800 sheep
from June 16 to October 15. Only 3 percent of this
allotment is Federal range (20 AUMs). One permittee
uses the allotment. All of the WSA is unsuitable for
livestock use due to the steep terrain. There are no
other agricultural uses. There are no existing range
improvements and none proposed. There is no poten-
tial for land treatment.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the Taylor Creek Canyon WSA.
(USDA, APHIS, 1988).

There are no wild horses or burros within the WSA.

Visual Resources

The VRM Class for the WSA is Class II (refer to
Appendix 7 in Volume I for a description of the BLM
VRM rating system). The WSA's scenic quality is
Class A, exceptional. The WSA exhibits the same type
of features as Zion National Park, one of the nation's
most important tourist attractions with a worldwide
reputation for scenic splendor.

Cultural Resources

Petroglyphs, stone granaries, and rock shelters are
known to exist in Zion National Park and the general
vicinity. However, no archaeological inventory exists
on this specific WSA and no cultural values have been
identified.

Recreation

Recreational use of the WSA is nearly nonexistent due
to its steep terrain. Access to Zion National Park can-
not be reached through the WSA because of high
cliffs.

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

The WSA receives some recreational use by sight-
seers peering over the rim and looking down Taylor
Creek. It is estimated that visitor use would be less
than 50 visitor days per year. Motorized recreational
use does not occur on this WSA because of the rugged
terrain.

Land Use Plans

There are no State or private in-holdings, subsurface
rights, or rights-of-way in the WSA. The land is pre-
sently used for primitive forms of outdoor recreation
and wildlife habitat. The NPS land adjacent to the
WSA has been administratively endorsed for wilder-
ness.

The Statement of Management for Zion National Park
is "... to maintain the quality and flow of water
from all natural water resources that have been tradi-
tionally important in serving domestic needs and in
perpetuating the park's ecological communities"
(USDI, NPS, 1976). NPS has shown interest in the
nondevelopment of adjacent lands in order that the
park's watershed remain unimpaired.

In response to H.R. 1214 (Ninety-Eighth Congress of
the U.S., 1983), the NPS assessed the WSA to deter-
mine its value for potential addition to the adjacent
NPS unit (USDI, NPS, 1984a). The NPS concluded that
the Taylor Creek Canyon WSA would add a minor buff-
er zone to the park but value and contribution to the
NPS unit would be insignificant. The Taylor Creek Can-
yon WSA was recommended as suitable for inclusion
into the adjacent unit of the national park system
(U.S. Secretary of the Interior, 1985c). Although the
WSA did not meet all of the NPS criteria for inclusion
into the park, there was no objection to transferring
the WSA from BLM to NPS administration because the
WSA is isolated by park and private lands and is un-
economical for BLM to manage. No Congressional
action has been taken on that recommendation.

There are no existing or proposed rights-of-way
within this WSA.

There are no State of Utah or private lands in the
WSA.

The Washington County Master Plan (Planning and
Research Associates, 1971) identifies the WSA as an
open space zone, and Washington County policy does
not support wilderness designation for this WSA.

The Washington County Commission has endorsed the
Consolidated Local Government Response to Wilder-
ness that opposes wilderness designation of BLM
lands in Utah (Utah Counties, 1986).

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The WSA is in Washington County. From 1970 to
1980, the population of Washington County grew from
13,699 to 24,600, an overall increase of about 93
percent. Table 4 presents baseline and projected popu-
lation data for Washington County. It is estimated that
between 1980 and 1987, the population increased to
about 39,720. Population projections indicate that the
number of people living in Washington County in the
year 2010 will be about 65,600 for about a 148-per-
cent increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of Plann-
ing and Budget, 1987).

Table 4

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Washington County

I960

1990

2000

2010

Population

26,400

45.500

51 .000

65,600

Employment

8,100

14,400

18.400

24.100

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

• Employment

Table 4 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Washington County to the year 2010.

Washington County is part of the Southwest MCD.
Table 5 shows the baseline (1980) and projected em-
ployment by source for the MCD to the year 2010. In
1980 the leading employ-ment sectors for the South-
west MCD were government (23 percent), trade (20
percent), and nonfarm proprietors (2 percent). Min-
ing provided less than 3 percent of the employment in
the MCD.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 3 percent, mining to less
than 1 percent, and government to 18 percent of the
total.

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

Table 5

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment*

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

1 1,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1.400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.7QQ

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

•Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties.

• Sales and Revenues

The only economic-related activity in the WSA is rec-
reation.

The WSA has no mining claims or oil and gas leases.
Therefore, mineral and energy resource production
from the WSA has not contributed to local employ-
ment or income.

There is no livestock grazing in the WSA, so no in-
come or revenues are generated.

The WSA's recreational use is for primitive recrea-
tion and related local expenditures are low. These
expenditures are insignificant to both the local econ-
omy and individual businesses. The actual amount of
income generated locally from recreational use in the
WSA is unknown. However, an approximate range of
expenditures can be deduced (Dalton, 1982). This
study indicates that the Statewide average local ex-
penditures per recreational visitor day for all types
of recreation in Utah are approximately $4.10. The
recreational use for the Taylor Creek Canyon WSA is
estimated at about 50 visitor days per year.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. The analy-
sis is based on the BLM management actions and antici-
pated activities presented in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B and the Description of the Alternatives sec-
tion for the Taylor Creek Canyon WSA.

The WSA has low mineral potential, no mining claims
or mineral leases, no livestock grazing, and is inac-
cessible to vehicles. Primitive recreational use is
low, estimated to be less than 50 visitor days per
year.

The only issue identified and analyzed in detail for the
Taylor Creek WSA is the impact to the wilderness val-
ues of naturalness, opportunities for solitude and
primitive and unconfined recreation, and special fea-
tures.

No Actlon/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the WSA
would be somewhat protected by limitations placed on
potential surface-disturbing activities (i.e., VRM
Class II management on 35 acres).

No development would be expected in the foreseeable
future that would affect wilderness values.

Because ORV use would be limited by steep, rugged
terrain, no disturbance from ORV activity is antici-
pated in the future.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visitor use that
would occur would not be expected to reduce wilder-
ness values because the additional use is expected to
be small and primitive in nature.

Overall, no disturbance of the WSA's wilderness val-
ues, including naturalness, outstanding opportunities
for solitude and primitive and unconfined recreation,
and special features including Class A scenery, endan-
gered or sensitive species (including raptors), and
wildlife associated with wilderness, would be expect-
ed in the foreseeable future. The degree to which wil-
derness values would be reduced in quality due to dis-
turbance over the long term is not acccurately
known.

Nondesignation would not complement the NPS propos-
al for wilderness management of the contiguous por-
tion of Zion National Park.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be preserved
by wilderness designation. No disturbance that would

TAYLOR CREEK CANYON WSA

affect wilderness values would be expected in the
foreseeable future.

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 35 acres as wilder-
ness would preserve the wilderness values in the
Taylor Creek Canyon WSA. The potential for surface-
disturbing activities would be reduced through clos-
ure of the entire area to future mineral leasing and
location and to ORV use, and through management of
the area as VRM Class I which allows for only natural
ecological change. Naturalness, and outstanding oppor-
tunities for solitude and primitive and unconfined rec-
reation would be preserved on all 35 acres. Re-
sources that could be considered as special features
in the WSA, including Class A scenery, endangered or
sensitive species (including raptors), and wildlife
associated with wilderness, would also be preserved.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visitor use that
would occur would be primitive in nature and would
be managed in conjunction with Zion National Park so
as not to result in a loss of wilderness values.

Designation would complement the NPS proposal for
wilderness management of the contiguous portion of
Zion National Park.

Conclusion: Wilderness designation would preserve
wilderness values throughout the WSA.

n

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 1

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 2

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated from Detailed Study 2

Alternatives Analyzed 2

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 2

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 2

Summary of Environmental Consequences 4

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 4

Wilderness Values 4

Air Quality 8

Geology and Topography 8

Soils 8

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 8

Water Resources 9

Mineral and Energy Resources 9

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 10

Forest Resources 10

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 10

Visual Resources 11

Cultural Resources 11

Recreation 11

Land Use Plans 11

Socioeconomics 11

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 12

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 12

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 13

I

<

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

(UT-040-1 76)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Goose Creek Canyon WSA contains 89 acres
administered by the BLM Cedar City District. Goose
Creek Canyon WSA is at the boundary of Zion National
Park in the northeast corner of Washington County. It
is adjacent to a NPS administratively endorsed wilder-
ness proposal encompassing 120,620 acres.

WSA's topography is dominated by Goose Creek drain-
age. The canyon rims are approximately 2,000 feet
above the creek exposing various rock formations.
The climate within the WSA is considered mild with
average temperatures ranging from the low 40s dur-
ing the winter months to the high 80s during mid-
summer. Temperature extremes can vary from 0 to
105 degrees Fahrenheit. Average annual precipitation
in Zion National Park is 14.5 inches with about half
occurring in the form of winter snow and half as rain
during summer thunderstorms. Winds usually prevail
from the southwest with the strongest winds occur-
ring in March and April.

This WSA was dropped from wilderness study status
by the Secretary of the Interior on December 30,
1982, due to its small size. As a result of a decision
of the Eastern District Court of California (Sierra
Club vs. Watt, Civil No. 5-83-035 LKR, dated April
18, 1985) and because of the WSA's wilderness val-
ues, it is included in the EIS for analysis. This is in
line with general land use planning provisions of Sec-
tion 202 of the FLPMA and in accordance with BLM
guidance that allows for wilderness consideration of
areas of less than 5,000 acres in size if they are
adjacent to land with wilderness potential admini-
stered by other Federal agencies.

There are no private, State, or split-estate lands
located within the WSA.

Changes for the Final EIS

The changes noted in the Introduction to Volume lll-B
are applicable to the WSA. In addition, impacts to wil-
derness values has been analyzed as an issue in the
Final EIS. No other changes have been made since pub-
lication of the Draft EIS.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

No issues were analyzed in detail in the Draft EIS for
the Goose Creek Canyon WSA. The WSA is located at
the upper end of the Goose Creek. It encompasses only
89 acres, 20 percent of which is confined into a
steep, narrow canyon. Vertical walls and narrow can-
yon bottoms make the unit difficult to dross. The po-
tential for any development of the WSA is practically
nonexistent because of its site characteristics and its
extremely low mineral potential. No change in the use
of the WSA's environment is foreseen under the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative or the All Wilder-
ness Alternative. Therefore, no environmental im-
pacts would result from wilderness designation or
nondesignation.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

Although not analyzed as an issue in the Draft EIS,
impacts on the wilderness values of naturalness,
outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation, and special features is analyzed in the
Final EIS.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the inventory phase
of the wilderness review, BLM's assessment of the
value of wilderness vs. other resource values, and
the relationship to NPS management.

See Volume Vll-C, Section E for responses to specific
comments about the Goose Creek Canyon WSA; and
Volume Vll-B for responses to general comments appli-
cable to all WSAs and/or the Statewide analysis.

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP
WSA g

SEE VOL.I

1

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
from Detailed Study

One alternative considered was to transfer the WSA
to NPS administration. Such a transfer could occur in
the future regardless of wilderness status and is not
analyzed as an alternative in this EIS. The question of
which agency should manage the WSA to achieve over-
all management effectiveness will be addressed in the
wilderness study report, but it will be based primar-
ily on factors affecting both BLM and NPS jurisdic-
tions, such as relative amounts of the total wilder-
ness area administered by each agency, principal pub-
lic ingress and exit points, agency staffing and work-
load in the region, and similar nonenvironmental
items. Environmental differences, if any, would be
due to variations in BLM and NPS mandates and policy
(for example national parks are closed to hunting
while public lands are not) rather than from wilder-
ness designation. These differences would exist with
or without wilderness designation, and, therefore,
are not relevant to the analyses of the impacts from
wilderness designation.

A partial wilderness alternative was not considered
reasonable because of the area's size and because of
lack of resource conflicts. BLM has determined that
the Goose Creek Canyon WSA would not be a viable
independent wilderness if adjacent NPS land is not
also designated as wilderness.

Alternatives Analyzed

Two alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness; and (2) All Wilderness (Pro-
posed Action) (89 acres). A description of each alter-
native follows. Where management intentions have
not been clearly identified, assumptions are made
based on management projections under each alterna-
tive. These assumptions are indicated in each case.
The assumed BLM management actions presented in
the Introduction to Volume lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 89-acre Goose
Creek Canyon WSA would be designated by Congress
as part of the NWPS. Although BLM land use plans are
regularly updated, it is assumed for this analysis that
the area would continue to be managed in accordance
with the Virgin River MFP (USDI, BLM, 1979a). No
State, private, or split-estate lands are within the

WSA (refer to Map 1). Figures and acreages in this
analy-sis are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 89 acres would remain open to mineral loca-
tion, leasing, and sale. There are no mining claims
in the WSA at the present time. Development
work, extraction, and patenting would be allowed
on future mining claims. Development would be
regulated by unnecessary or undue degradation
guidelines (43 CFR 3809). Future oil and gas
leases could be developed under standard stipu-
lations (Category 1) on the 89-acre area. Al-
though mineral resources would be managed as
described above, mineral exploration and develop-
ment are not anticipated because the level of
known resources and the probability of their de-
velopment are too low to support that assump-
tion. Appendix 6 in Volume 1 explains the mineral
exploration and development assumptions.

There is no present domestic livestock grazing
use in the WSA. Part of the WSA is potentially
suitable, but there is no authorized use. There are
no existing range developments in the WSA.

The entire WSA acreage would be open to vehicu-
lar use, but none is expected because of the rug-
ged terrain.

The entire area would continue to be managed un-
der VRM Class II.

• Action Scenario

BLM projects that the implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would not re-
sult in any surface-disturbing activities in the
foreseeable future. No locatable or leasable miner-
al resource exploration or development is antici-
pated. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed
projects, or other developments are planned, nor
is any ORV use projected due to rugged terrain.
Recreation use in the foreseeable future would be
primitive in nature, and would increase over the
current estimated use of approximately 100 visi-
tor days annually at a rate of 2 to 7 percent per
year.

• All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action)

With this alternative, all 89 acres of the Goose Creek

2

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

R. 11 W

R. 10 W.

Map 1

LAND STATUS
Goose Creek Canyon WSA
UT-040-176

Legend

o '/it V?

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

6 '-it Vj

ELEVATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

BLM Administered Land
Within or Adjacent to WSA

SCALE IN MILES

WSA Boundary

Zion National Park Boundary

National Park Service
Administered Land

Private Land Within or
Adjacent to WSA

3

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

Canyon WSA would be designated by an act of Con-
gress as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). This
WSA lies adjacent to Zion National Park and is contigu-
ous with a 120,620-acre NPS-proposed wilderness.
Because this WSA lacks the necessary size to consti-
tute a wilderness area by itself, it can only be man-
aged in conjunction with the NPS-proposed wilder-
ness. As a result, the possibility exists that the
Goose Creek Canyon WSA could be retained by BLM or
transferred along with nine other small WSAs (refer
to Map 3) to the NPS, who would then assume manage-
ment responsibilities. For the purposes of this analy-
sis it is assumed that BLM would retain the Goose
Creek Canyon WSA and would manage it in accordance
with the BLM Wilderness Management Policy (BLM
Manual 8560) to preserve its wilderness character.

No State, private, or split-estate lands are located in
the WSA (refer to Map 1). The figures and acreages
given for this alternative are for Federal lands only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 89 acres would
be withdrawn from mineral location and closed to
new mineral leasing and sale. Currently, there
are no mining claims or leases in the WSA.

No livestock use has occurred within the WSA,
and non-use would continue.

The entire 89-acre area would be closed to ORV
use except for users with valid existing rights if
approved by BLM in accordance with 43 CFR
8560 provisions. The dirt road forming the north-
ern boundary would remain open for vehicle use.

Visual resources in the wilderness would be man-
aged in accordance with VRM Class I standards,
which generally allow for only natural ecological
change.

• Action Scenario

No surface disturbance is projected in the fore-
seeable future. Implementation of the All Wilder-
ness Alternative would preclude mining claim loca-
tion and mineral leasing. Therefore, no locatable
or leasable mineral resource exploration or devel-
opment is projected following wilderness designa-
tion. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed
projects, or other developments are planned, nor
would ORV use occur following wilderness designa-
tion. Recreation use would be primitive in nature

and would increase over the current estimated
use of approximately 100 annual visitor days at a
rate of 2 to 7 percent per year.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Only impacts on wilderness values are analyzed in
detail. Refer to Table 1 for a summary of impacts.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEO guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as for the
analysis of the Environmental Consequences of Alter-
natives section for this WSA.

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The Goose Creek Canyon WSA is in the shape of a rec-
tangle approximately a 0.25 mile wide and a 0.5 mile
long, encompassing 89 acres.

• Naturalness

The WSA is in a natural condition. No surface-disturb-
ing activities have occurred since the wilderness in-
ventory.

• Solitude

The narrow, sheer-walled canyons of Goose Creek
offer outstanding opportunities for solitude when
considered in conjunction with the contiguous Zion
National Park.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

The canyon bottoms of Goose Creek offer primitive
and unconfined recreation opportunities such as hik-
ing, backpacking, technical rock climbing, and photog-
raphy. The opportunities are outstanding when consid-
ered in conjunction with opportunities provided by
contiguous Zion National Park.

4

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

R. 11 W

R. 10 W.

T. 40

5

R. 12 W.

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

R. II W

Legend

WSA Boundary

Zion National Park Boundary
— SCALE IN MILES

Map 3

LOCATION MAP

Orderville Canyon WSA (UT-040-145)
Deep Creek WSA (UT-040-146)

North Fork Virgin River WSA (UT-040-150)
La Verkin Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-153)
Taylor Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-154)
Gooae Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-176)
Red Butte WSA (UT-040-147)

The Watchman WSA (UT-040-149)
Beartrap Canyon WSA (UT-040-177)
Parunuweap WSA (UT-040-230)

Spring Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-148)

LOCATION MAP

T. 39 S.

T. 40 S.

T. 41 S.

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GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

• Special Features

During the wilderness inventory, the steep canyons
of the WSA which provide raptor habitat and excep-
tional scenic values, were identified as special fea-
tures. All of the WSA is rated Class A for scenic
quality. In addition, the WSA may have two wildlife
species (bald eagle and peregrine falcon) listed as
endangered, and 13 animal species and four plant
species that are considered sensitive. Refer to the
Wildlife and Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies sections for more information.) The WSA has
cougar which is a wildlife species commonly associ-
ated with wilderness.

• Diversity

This WSA is in a transition zone between the Colorado
Plateau and Rocky Mountain Forest Province Ecore-
gion and has the PNV type of Arizona pine forest. Re-
fer to the Vegetation Including Special Status Species
section for more discussion on ecoregions and PNV
types. To see how the ecoregion and PNV types repre-
sented by this WSA compare Statewide and nationally
with existing and potential National Wilderness Pre-
servation Units, refer to the Wilderness Values sec-
tion in Volume I.

The WSA is within a 5-hour drive from one standard
metropolitan statistical area, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Air Quality

The Goose Creek Canyon WSA is located in a PSD
Class II area as defined in the Clean Air Act, as
amended. Air quality is considered excellent. The
adjacent Zion National Park is designated as PSD
Class I. Visual ranges in excess of 100 miles occur
75 percent of the time, and ranges in excess of 155
miles occur 10 percent of the time.

Geology and Topography

The Goose Creek Canyon WSA is in the Grand Stair-
case section of the Colorado Plateau Physiographic
Province. The WSA is adjacent to Zion National Park
and consists of the upper end of Goose Creek Canyon.

Elevations range from about 7,000 feet above sea
level along the ridgetop forming the north boundary of
the WSA to about 5,000 feet above sea level in the
bottom of Goose Creek Canyon along the southern
boundary of the WSA.

Rocks of Jurassic age, totaling about 1,700 feet in
thickness, crop out in the WSA. Underlying Mesozoic
and Paleozoic rocks may be as much as 10,000 feet
thick (Hintze, 1973). Marine sediments of the Juras-
sic Carmel Formation form the most extensive out-
crops in the WSA, with approximately 1,000 feet
exposed in the higher elevations. Approximately 700
feet of cross-bedded eolian sandstone of the Jurassic
Navajo Formation is exposed in the lower elevations.
The only drainage is Goose Creek Canyon.

Soils

All soils in the WSA (89 acres) are in the "slight" ero-
sion class. Erosion condition was determined using
soil surface factors as summarized in Table 2 (terms
are defined in the Glossary).

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic

Classification yards/acre) Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

0

0

0

Moderate

1.3

0

0

0

Slight

0.6

89

100

53

Stable

0.3

_Q

_£>

Total

89

100

53

Sources: USDI, BLM, 1978c and 1979c; Leifeste, 1978.

There are some isolated pockets of productive soils
within this WSA, but they are very small and unde-
lineated. Most of the soils are mapped by the Wash-
ington County Soil Survey (USDA, SCS, 1977) as
Paunsaugunt-Kolob-Dalcan Association or rock out-
crop/rockland association. These are excessively
drained, nearly level to very steep, shallow to deep
gravelly silt loams, fine sandy loams, cobbly loams,
and bare bedrock. The soils are unsuitable for agricul-
ture. The soils are classified as nonsaline. The annual
salt loss would be up to 15 lb per acre.

Seeding suitability is estimated as 20 percent unsuit-
able and 80 percent fair. The unsuitable areas are
comprised of rock outcrop with slopes in excess of
20 percent. Sites with fair seeding suitability have
shale loam soils with slopes between 5 and 50 per-
cent.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

Existing vegetation in the WSA is comprised pri-
marily of coniferous forest. It is characterized by

8

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, white fir, aspen, and
Rocky Mountain juniper. Approximately 20 percent of
the WSA is barren rock outcrop.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, the WSA could contain
four Category 2 candidate species. These are Asplen-
ium. antirewsii, Eriaeron sionis. Heterotheca jQnesii,
and Sphaeromeria ruthiae (see Appendix 4 in Volume

I).

This WSA is in a transition zone between the Colorado
Plateau and Rocky Mountain Forest Province Ecore-
gions, as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler ecosystems
map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). This transition has a di-
verse vegetation with plants from each of these eco-
regions being represented. The PNV type of the WSA
is Arizona pine forest.

Water Resources

This WSA is located in the Virgin River subbasin of
the Colorado River Basin hydrologic region.

Goose Creek Canyon WSA has no permanent surface
waters present, although some water may be present
in Goose Creek during the rainy season (July through
September). Water quantity is sufficient for the exist-
ing wildlife use. Goose Creek runs north to south for
about 0.25 mile on the west side of the area. The Nav-
ajo Sandstone Formation is known to be a good water
producer. There are no proposals or plans for develop-
ment of ground water in the WSA. Flash floods in
Goose Creek could be a hazard during the summer
rainy season.

The WSA's water right status is considered to be
fully appropriated. There are no existing water rights
within the WSA. Surface and ground water sources
are closed to further water right applications. The
Utah State Water Engineer has stated that some appli-
cations could be considered, depending on water use
and location (UDNRE, DWR, 1988). An ongoing water
right adjudication is being conducted by the Fifth Judi-
cial District Court for the Virgin River Drainage. The
court is determining rights to the use of underground
and surface water. There are no withdrawals present
in the WSA.

Water Quality Standards for the North Fork of the Vir-
gin River as established by the State of Utah are:
Class 1C (protected for domestic purposes with treat-
ment), Class 2B (protected for recreational uses ex-
cluding swimming), Class 3A (protected for cold
water fisheries), and Class 4 (protected for agricul-

ture uses, both irrigation and livestock). In addition
to assigned use classes an Anti-Degradation Segment
has been assigned the East Fork Virgin River to head-
waters. Water quality within this drainage is mostly
affected by the natural geology of the area. Sedimen-
tary sandstones and limestones contribute to dissolv-
ed and suspended solids primarily during runoff peri-
ods and storm events. Utah's 1986 305(b) Water Qual-
ity Assessment Report shows the North Fork Virgin
River to have water quality problems for public
water supply, secondary contact, and cold water fish-
ery.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Goose Creek Canyon WSA is given in Table 3.
Appendix 5 in Volume I explains the methodology for
the mineral and energy resource rating system.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Ratina

Resource

Favorability* Certaintyb

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

f 2 cl

Less than 10 million barrels of
oil; less than 60 billion cubic-
feet of gas

Uranium

f 2 c2

Less than 500 metric-tons of
uranium oxide

Source: SAI, 1982; USDI, BLM, 1987.

aFavorability ol the WSA's geologic environment for a resource (fl - lowest
favorability or smallest size deposit; 14 « highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

bThe degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

There are no strategic or critical minerals known to
occur within the WSA (USDoD, 1988).

• Leasable Minerals

There are no known deposits of any leasable minerals
in the WSA. Currently, there are no active drilling,
mining, or exploration activities for leasable miner-
als.

• Oil and Gas

Based on similarities between the WSA and the
nearby Virgin oil field (13 miles southwest), the
WSA has potential for small accumulations of hy-
drocarbons. To date, however, no commercial oil
and gas potential has been identified in the WSA.

9

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

The favorability of the tract for oil and gas is rat-
ed (f2) (SAI, 1982). The size of the hydrocarbon
accumulation in such an environment is anticipat-
ed to be less than 10 million barrels of oil or less
than 60 billion cubic-feet of gas. Based on the
available information, the certainty of occur-
rence for oil and gas is rated very low (cl ).

Under the current land use plan, all 89 acres of
the WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions). There are presently no oil and gas leases
in the WSA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in
the WSA. There are presently no mining claims.

• Uranium

The WSA is approximately 28 miles northeast of
the Silver Reef Mining District, a known uranium-
producing area. Although known primarily for its
past silver production, uranium has been found
there in the Springdale Sandstone Member of the
Moenave Formation. The Moenave Formation
occurs at depths of about 3,000 feet below the
surface of the WSA. The Chinle Formation is also
favorable for uranium, but it occurs at depths
exceeding 4,000 feet. SAI has assigned a uranium
favorability rating of f2 (containing less than 500
metric tons of uranium oxide) (SAI, 1982). Based
on available information, the certainty that uran-
ium deposits occur in the WSA is low (c2).

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the WSA.
These deposits are not unique or economically sig-
nificant due to the presence of ample similar mater-
ials outside the WSA.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

Because this WSA occurs in the transition of two veg-
etation ecoregions, it supports a variety of animal
species. The Virgin River Unit Resource Analysis indi-
cates approximately 300 vertebrate animal species
could inhabit this WSA (USDI, BLM, 1979B). These in-
clude 60 mammal species, 208 bird species, 20 rep-
tile species, seven amphibian species, and three fish
species. No critical or crucial wildlife habitat areas
have been identified within the WSA.

Raptors may include the bald eagle, peregrine falcon,
prairie falcon, American kestrel, red-tailed hawk,
and Cooper's hawk. The red-tailed and Cooper's
hawks are the most common. The bald eagle (Haliaee-
tus leucocephalusl and peregrine falcon (Falcon p,ere:
qrinusl. are on the Federal endangered species list.
Bald eagles winter in the Virgin River drainage south
of the WSA and also in Kanarraville and New Harmony
valleys west of the WSA. Occasional sightings of
these birds have been made with most reports occur-
ring in the Deep Creek-Goose Creek area. Nesting or
roosting sites are not known to occur in the vicinity.
The golden eagle, which may inhabit the WSA, is a
BLM sensitive species. No other sensitive, threat-
ened, or endangered species are known to inhabit the
WSA. Candidate threatened or endangered species
that may occur in the WSA are the Great Basin Sil-
verspot butterfly and Virgin River montane vole.

Cougar activity in the vicinity is heavy compared to
other areas in Utah. The Goose Creek Canyon WSA con-
tains cougar habitat and is within Utah Cougar Manage-
ment Unit 30, Cedar Mountain. Cougar populations and
harvest by sport hunters and by the Animal Damage
Control Program has been higher in this management
unit than in any other location in Utah. During the 11-
year period, 1977 through 1987, a total of 217 cou-
gars were taken from the Cedar Mountain Manage-
ment Unit. This harvest averaged nearly 20 animals
per year (UDNRE, UDWR, 1988) how many of these
may have been taken from within the WSA.

Forest Resources

The forest resource in the WSA consists of scattered
Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, white fir, aspen, and
Rocky Mountain juniper. However, as a whole, the for-
est resources in the WSA have no commercial value.
There is presently no forest production in the WSA
and none is projected for the foreseeable future be-
cause of the lack of resource and access.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The Goose Creek Canyon WSA is within the Park Allot-
ment. Although 58 percent of the unit is suitable and
the remaining 42 percent is potentially suitable (lack-
ing water) for livestock use, there is presently no au-
thorized grazing use. There are no existing or propos-
ed range improvements and no land treatment poten-
tial.

Predator control was not conducted during the 1986
to 1987 period in the grazing allotment that com-

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

prises the Goose Creek Canyon WSA (USDA, APHIS,
1988).

There are no wild horses or burros within the WSA.

Visual Resources

This WSA is VRM Class II. Refer to Appendix 7 in
Volume I for a description of the BLM VRM rating sys-
tem. This WSA is Scenic Class A, exceptional (USDI,
BLM, 1979a). The WSA exhibits the same type of feat-
ures as Zion National Park, an area with a worldwide
reputation for scenic splendor.

Cultural Resources

Petroglyphs, stone granaries, and rock shelters are
known to exist in Zion National Park and the general
vicinity. However, no archaeological inventory exists
on this specific WSA and no cultural values have been
identified.

Recreation

Recreational use of the WSA low. Vertical rockwalls
require technical rock climbing to access the Zion
National Park portion of the canyon from the WSA.

Visitor use data does not exist. It is assumed, how-
ever, that approximately 100 visitor days occur
annually in the WSA. Most of this use would be from
people using the dirt road that forms the northern
boundary of the WSA, and hiking into the WSA to view
Goose Creek Canyon. Rugged terrain prevents use of
ORVs in the WSA.

Land Use Plans

A 120,620-acre proposed wilderness in Zion National
Park is contiguous to the WSA on the western border.
In the past the NPS has expressed interest in some of
the drainages that flow through the park but which ori-
ginate outside park boundaries. The Statement of Man-
agement for Zion National Park is "to maintain the
quality and flow of water from all natural water
sources that have been traditionally important in
serving domestic needs and in perpetuating the park's
ecological communities" (USDI, NPS, 1976). In this
light, the NPS has shown interest in nondevelopment
of adjacent lands in order to not impair the park's
watershed.

In response to H.R. 1214 (Ninety-Eighth Congress of
the U.S., 1983), the NPS assessed the WSA to deter-

1 1

mine its value for potential addition to the adjacent
NPS unit (USDI, NPS, 1984c). The NPS found that the
Goose Creek Canyon WSA contained significant recrea-
tional values that supplement those within Zion Nation-
al Park. The Goose Creek Canyon WSA was recom-
mended as suitable for inclusion into the adjacent unit
of the National Park System (U.S. Secretary of the
Interior, 1985d). No Congressional action has been
taken on that recommendation.

There are no existing or proposed rights-of-way with-
in this WSA.

The Washington County Master Plan (Planning and Re-
search Associates, 1971) identifies the WSA as an
open space zone, and the Washington County policy
does not support wilderness designation for this WSA.
The Washington County Commission has endorsed the
Consolidated Local Government Response to Wilder-
ness (Utah Counties, 1986) that opposes wilderness
designation of BLM lands in Utah.

The WSA is managed according to the BLM Virgin
River MFP (USDI, BLM, 1979a) which allows multi-
ple uses as noted in the Description of the No Action/
No Wilderness Alternative.

There are no State-of-Utah or privately owned lands
in the WSA.

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The WSA is in Washington County. From 1970 to
1980, the population of Washington County grew from
13,699 to 24,600, an overall increase of about 93
percent. Table 4 presents the baseline and projected
population data for Washington County. It is estimated
that between 1980 and 1987, the population increas-
ed to about 39,720.

Table 4

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Washington County

1980

1990

2000

2010

Population

Employment

26,400

8.100

45.500

14.400

51,000

18,400

65,600

24,100

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

Population projections indicate that the number of
people living in Washington County in the year 2010
will be about 65,600 for about a 148-percent

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

increase over 1980 levels (Utah Office of Planning
and Budget, 1987).

• Employment

Table 4 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Washington County to the year 2010.
Washington County is part of the Southwest MCD.
Table 5 shows the baseline (1980) and projected em-
ployment by source for the MCD to the year 2010. In
1 980 the leading employment sectors for the South-
west MCD were government (23 percent), trade (20
percent), and nonfarm proprietors (12 percent). Min-
ing provided less than 3 percent of the employment in
the MCD.

Table 5

Southwest Multi-County District
Employments

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

11,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8,900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.7QQ

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

^Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the district will more than double and that services
will increase to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of
the total. Agriculture will decline to 3 percent, gov-
ernment to 18 percent, and mining to less than 1 per-
cent of the total district employment.

• Sales and Revenues

The only economic related activity in the WSA is rec-
reation.

No grazing occurs in the WSA, therefore, no income
or revenues are generated.

The WSA's nonmotorized recreational use and related
local expenditures are low. These expenditures are
insignificant to both the local economy and individual
businesses. The actual amount of income generated
locally from recreational use in the WSA is unknown.

However, an approximate range of expenditures can
be deduced (Dalton, 1982). This study indicates that
the Statewide average local expenditures per recrea-
tional visitor day for all types of recreation in Utah
are approximately $4.10. The recreational use for
the Goose Creek Canyon WSA is estimated to be about
100 visitor days per year.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. The analy-
sis is based on implementation of the Action Scenari-
os presented in the Description of Alternatives sec-
tion.

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management Poli
cy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the WSA
would be somewhat protected by limitations placed on
potential surface-disturbing activities, i.e. , VRM
Class II management on 89 acres.

No development would be expected in the foreseeable
future that would affect wilderness values.

Because future ORV use would be limited by terrain,
no disturbance from ORV activity is anticipated.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visitor use
would not be expected to reduce the quality of wilder-
ness values because the additional use is expected to
be small and primitive in nature.

All in all, no disturbance of wilderness values, includ-
ing 89 acres having naturalness, outstanding opportu-
nities for solitude and primitive recreation, and spe-
cial features including Class A scenery, endangered
or sensitive species, and wildlife associated with wil-
derness, would be expected in the foreseeable future.
The degree to which wilderness values would be re-
duced in quality due to disturbance over the long term
is not accurately known.

Nondesignation would not complement the NPS propos-
al to manage the contiguous portion of Zion National
Park as wilderness.

GOOSE CREEK CANYON WSA

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be protected
by wilderness designation. No disturbance that would
affect wilderness values would be expected in the
foreseeable future.

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 89 acres as wilder-
ness would preserve the wilderness values in the
Goose Creek WSA. Any potential for surface-disturb-
ing activities would be eliminated through closure of
the entire area to future mineral leasing and location
and to ORV use, and through management of the area
as VRM Class I which allows for only natural ecologi-
cal change. Naturalness would be preserved on all 89
acres. Resources that could be considered as special
features in the WSA, including Class A scenery, en-
dangered or sensitive species, and wildlife associated
with wilderness, would also be protected.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visitor use
would be primitive in nature and would be managed so
as to not result in loss of wilderness values.

Designation would complement the NPS goals, to man-
age the contiguous portion of Zion National Park as wil-
derness.

Conclusion: Wilderness designation would preserve
wilderness values where found throughout the WSA.

0

D

L

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA
TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 1

General Description of the Area 1

Changes for the Final EIS 1

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping and Public Comment 1

Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail 1

Issues Analyzed in Detail 1

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES 2

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated from Detailed Study 2

Alternatives Analyzed 2

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative 2

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) 4

Summary of Environmental Consequences 4

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 4

Wilderness Values 4

Air Quality 8

Geology and Topography 8

Soils 8

Vegetation Including Special Status Species 9

Water Resources 9

Mineral and Energy Resources 9

Wildlife Including Special Status Species 10

Forest Resources 10

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros 10

Visual Resources 10

Cultural Resources 11

Recreation 11

Land Use Plans 11

Socioeconomics 11

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNATIVES 12

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action) .

. 12
. 13

Jr

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

( UT-040-1 77)

INTRODUCTION

General Description of the Area

The Beartrap Canyon WSA contains 40 acres. The
Beartrap Canyon WSA is located along the boundary
of Zion National Park in the northeast corner of Wash-
ington County. It is contiguous with a NPS administra-
tively endorsed wilderness proposal encompassing
120,620 acres. It is administered by the BLM Cedar
City District.

The WSA's topography is dominated by Beartrap Can-
yon and its side drainages. The canyon rims are
1,300 feet above the creek exposing various rock for-
mations. The climate within the WSA is considered
mild with average temperatures ranging from the low
40s during the winter months to the high 80s during
mid-summer. Temperature extremes can vary from
0 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (F). Average annual pre-
cipitation in Zion National Park is 15 inches, with
about half occurring in the form of winter snow and
half as rain during summer thunderstorms. Winds usu-
ally prevail from the southwest with the strongest
winds occurring in March and April.

This WSA was dropped from wilderness study status
by the Secretary of the Interior on December 30,
1982, due to its small size. As a result of a decision
of the Eastern District Court of California (Sierra
Club vs. Watt, Civil No. 5-83-035 LKR, dated April
18, 1985) and because of the WSA’s wilderness val-
ues, it is in WSA status and is included in the EIS for
analysis. This is in line with general land use planning
provisions of Section 202 of the FLPMA and in accord-
ance with BLM guidance that allows for wilderness
consideration of areas of less than 5,000 acres in
size if they are adjacent to land with wilderness po-
tential administered by other Federal agencies.

There are no private, State, or split-estate lands
located within the WSA.

Changes for the Final EIS

The changes noted in the Introduction to Volume lll-B
are applicable to the WSA. In addition, impacts to wil-
derness values has been analyzed as an issue in the
Final EIS. No other changes have been made since pub-
lication of the Draft EIS.

Specific Issues Identified Through Scoping
and Public Comment

• Issues Considered But Not Analyzed in Detail

No issues were analyzed in detail in the Draft EIS for
the Beartrap Canyon WSA. The WSA is located at the
very extreme upper end of the Beartrap Canyon. It en-
compasses only 40 acres confined into a steep nar-
row canyon, most of which is barren rock outcrop.
Vertical walls and narrow canyon bottoms make the
unit basically impassable. The potential for any devel-
opment of the WSA is practically nonexistent because
of its site characteristics. The WSA has low mineral
potential, no mining claims or mineral leases, no live-
stock grazing, and is inaccessible to vehicles. Primi-
tive recreational use is low, estimated to be only 10
visitor days per year. No change in use of the WSA's
environment is foreseen under the No Action/ No Wil-
derness Alternative or the All Wilderness Alterna-
tive. Therefore, no environmental impacts would re-
sult from wilderness designation or nondesignation.

• Issues Analyzed in Detail

Although not analyzed as an issue in the Draft EIS,
impacts on wilderness values including naturalness,
opportunities for solitude and primitive and uncon-
fined recreation, and special features is analyzed as
the only issue in the Final EIS.

Comments made during the public comment period for
the Draft EIS centered mainly on the inventory phase
of the wilderness review, BLM's assessment of the
value of wilderness vs. other resource values, the
size of the WSA, recreation, and the relationship to
NPS management. (See Volume Vll-C, Section F for
responses to specific comments about the Beartrap
Canyon WSA, and Volume Vll-B for responses to gen-
eral comments applicable to all WSAs and/or the
Statewide analysis.)

C \

STATEWIDE
POCKET MAP
WSA p

SEE VOL. I ,

1

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

DESCRIPTION OF THE ALTERNATIVES

Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
from Detailed Study

One alternative considered was to transfer the WSA
to the NPS administration. Such a transfer could
occur in the future regardless of wilderness status,
and is not analyzed as an alternative in this EIS.

The question of which agency should manage the WSA
to achieve overall management effectiveness will be
addressed in the wilderness study report, but it will
be based primarily on factors affecting both BLM and
NPS jurisdictions, such as relative amounts of the
total wilderness area administered by each agency,
principal public ingress and exit points, agency staff-
ing and workload in the region, and similar nonenvi-
ronmental items. Environmental differences, if any,
would be due to variations in BLM and NPS mandates
and policy (for example national parks are closed to
hunting while public lands are not) rather than from
wilderness designation. These differences would exist
with or without wilderness designation, and, there-
fore, are not relevant to the analyses of the impacts
from wilderness designation.

A partial wilderness alternative was not considered
reasonable because of the area's small size and be-
cause of lack of resource conflicts. BLM has deter-
mined that the Beartrap Canyon WSA would not be a
viable independent wilderness if contiguous NPS land
is not also designated as wilderness.

Alternatives Analyzed

Two alternatives are analyzed for this WSA: (1) No
Action/No Wilderness; and (2) All Wilderness (Pro-
posed Action) (40 acres). A description of each alter-
native follows. Where management intentions have
not been clearly identified, assumptions are made
based on management projections under each alter-
native. These assumptions are indicated in each case.
The assumed BLM management actions presented in
the Introduction to Volume lll-B are also applicable.

• No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

With this alternative, none of the 40-acre Beartrap
Canyon WSA would be designated by Congress as part
of the NWPS. Although BLM land use plans are regular-
ly updated, it is assumed for this analysis that the
area would continue to be managed in accordance with
the Virgin River MFP (USDI, BLM, 1979a). No pri-
vate, State, or split-estate lands are within the WSA

(refer to Map 1). Figures and acreages in this analy-
sis are for Federal land only.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

All 40 acres would remain open to mineral loca-
tion, leasing, and sale. There are no mining claims
in the WSA at the present time. Development
work, extraction, and patenting would be allowed
on future mining claims, and development would
be regulated by unnecessary or undue degradation
guidelines (43 CFR 3809). The existing 40-acre
post-FLPMA lease could be developed according to
stipulations issued at the time of leasing.

Future oil and gas leases could be developed under
standard stipulations (Category 1) on the 40-acre
area.

Although minerals would be managed as describ-
ed, mineral exploration and development are not
anticipated because the level of known resources
and the probability of their development are too
low to support a development assumption. Appen-
dix 6 in Volume I explains the mineral exploration
and development assumptions.

The Beartrap Canyon WSA is unallotted for live-
stock grazing due to steep and rough terrain.

The entire WSA acreage would be open to vehicu-
lar use, but none is expected because of the steep
terrain. There are no ways or cherry-stemmed
roads in the WSA.

The entire area would continue to be managed un-
der VRM Class II.

• Action Scenario

BLM projects that implementation of the No
Action/No Wilderness Alternative would not re-
sult in any surface-disturbing activities in the
foreseeable future. No locatable or leasable min-
eral resource exploration or development is anti-
cipated. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed
projects, or other developments are planned, nor
is any ORV use projected due to rugged terrain
and lack of access. Recreation use in the foresee-
able future would be primitive in nature, and
would increase over the current estimated use of
10 visitor days annually at a rate of 2 to 7
percent per year.

2

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

R. 11 W.

3

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

• All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed Action)

With this alternative, all 40 acres of the Beartrap
Canyon WSA would be designated by an act of Con-
gress as part of the NWPS (refer to Map 2). This
WSA lies adjacent to Zion National Park and is con-
tiguous with a NPS 120,620-acre proposed wilder-
ness. Because this WSA lacks the necessary size to
constitute a wilderness area by itself, it could only
be managed in conjunction with the NPS-proposed wil-
derness. As a result, the Beartrap Canyon WSA could
be retained by BLM or transferred to the NPS along
with nine other small WSAs (refer to Map 3). The
NPS would assume management responsibilities in
this case. For the purposes of this analysis, it is
assumed that BLM would retain the Beartrap Canyon
WSA, and would manage it in accordance with the
BLM Wilderness Management Policy (BLM Manual
8560) to preserve its wilderness character. The fig-
ures and acreages given under this alternative are
for Federal lands only. No State, private, or split-
estate lands are located in the WSA.

• Management Conditions and Constraints

After wilderness designation, all 40 acres would
be withdrawn from mineral location and closed to
new mineral leasing and sale. Currently, no min-
ing claims have been located in the WSA. The 40-
acre post-FLPMA lease could be developed sub-
ject to wilderness protection standards. Because
of the low certainty of oil and gas occurrence and
wilderness protection stipulations, development
of the lease is not anticipated.

No livestock use has occurred in the WSA, and
non-use would continue.

The entire 40-acre area would be closed to ORV
use except for users with valid existing rights if
approved by BLM in accordance with 43 CFR
8560 provisions. There are no ways in the WSA
nor are there any cherry-stemmed roads or
roads along the boundary of the WSA.

• Action Scenario

No surface disturbance is projected in the foresee-
able future. No oil and gas exploration or develop-
ment is assumed on the existing mineral lease in
the WSA. Implementation of the All Wilderness
Alternative would preclude new mining claim loca-
tion and mineral leasing. Therefore, no locatable
or leasable mineral resource exploration or devel-

opment would occur following wilderness designa-
tion. No rangeland, wildlife habitat, watershed
projects, or other developments are planned nor
would ORV activity occur following wilderness
designation. Recreation use would be primitive in
nature, and would increase over the current esti-
mated use of 10 annual visitor days at a rate of 2
to 7 percent per year.

Summary of Environmental Consequences

Only impacts on wilderness values are analyzed.
Refer to Table 1 for a summary of impacts.

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

This section describes the overall environmental set-
ting. This information allows for independent assess-
ment by the public as required by the CEO guidelines
and provides a data base for the cumulative State-
wide analysis found in Volume I, as well as for the
analysis of the environmental consequences of alter-
natives for this WSA.

Unless otherwise indicated, information for this sec-
tion was taken from BLM staff specialists, technical
reports, and file documents.

Wilderness Values

• Size

The 40-acre Beartrap Canyon WSA is rectangular in
shape, approximately a 0.5 mile wide and a 0.13 mile
long.

• Naturalness

The WSA is in a natural condition. No surface-disturb-
ing activities have occurred since the wilderness in-
ventory.

• Solitude

The narrow, sheer-walled canyons of Beartrap Can-
yon that continue into Zion National Park offer out-
standing opportunities for solitude when considered in
conjunction with the contiguous NPS lands.

• Primitive and Unconfined Recreation

The canyon bottoms of Beartrap Canyon offer primi-
tive and unconfined recreation opportunities such as
hiking, backpacking, and photography. The WSA is

4

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

R. 11 W.

19 S.

5

R. 12 W.

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

R. 11 W.

LOCATION MAP

ng Cre<

Mounts,

WASHINGT4

\uni* \
' Mountain '

Csnytr,

i|trap Car

Virgin

flats

Butte

It 4i s

Phantom

Valiav

Map 3

LOCATION MAP

Orderville Canyon WSA (UT-040-145)
Deep Creek WSA (UT-040-146)

North Fork Virgin River WSA (UT-040-150)
La Verkin Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-153)
Taylor Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-154)
Goose Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-176)
Red Butte WSA (UT-040-147)

The Watchman WSA (UT-040-149)
Beartrap Canyon WSA (UT-040-177)
Parunuweap WSA (UT-040-230)

Spring Creek Canyon WSA (UT-040-148)

WSA Boundary

Zion National Park Boundary

SCALE IN MILES

SCALE IN KILOMETERS

El f VATION EXPRESSED IN METERS

T. 39 S.

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BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

considered to have outstanding opportunities for prim-
itive and unconfined recreation when considered in
conjunction with Zion National Park.

• Special Features

During the BLM Wilderness Inventory, the WSA was
found to have exceptional scenic values (the entire
WSA is rated Class A for scenic quality) as the WSA
is a natural extension of Zion National Park, and
excellent raptor habitat.

The WSA also has resource values that, although not
identified as such during the wilderness inventory,
could be considered special features. There are two
animal species (peregrine falcon and bald eagle) listed
as endangered that may use the WSA. There are 13
animal species and four plant species that are consid-
ered sensitive that may occur in the WSA. Cougar,
which is a wildlife species associated with wilder-
ness, occurs in the WSA. Refer to the Vegetation and
Wildlife Including Special Status Species sections for
additional information.

• Diversity

This WSA is in the transition zone of the Colorado
Plateau and Rocky Mountain Forest Province Ecore-
gions, and has the PNV type of Arizona pine forest.
Refer to the Vegetation Including Special Status Spe-
cies section for more discussion on ecoregions and
PNV types.) To see how the ecoregion and PNV types
represented by this WSA compare Statewide and
nationally with existing and potential National Wil-
derness Preservation Units refer to the Wilderness
Values section in Volume I.

This WSA is within a 5-hour drive from one standard
metropolitan statistical area, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Air Quality

Air quality is excellent (PSD Class II). Visual ranges
in excess of 100 miles occur 75 percent of the time,
and ranges in excess of 155 miles occur 10 percent
of the time (USDI, BLM, 1980c). Zion National Park,
contiguous within the WSA, is designated as Class I
under the PSD regulations.

Geology and Topography

The Beartrap Canyon WSA is within the Grand Stair-
case section of the Colorado Plateau Physiographic
Province. The WSA is adjacent to Zion National Park

and consists essentially of the upper portion of Bear-
trap Canyon.

Rocks of Jurassic age, totalling about 1,000 feet,
crop out in the WSA. Underlying Mesozoic and Pale-
ozoic rocks may be as much as 10,000 feet thick
(Hintze, 1973). Cross-bedded eolian sandstones of
the Navajo Formation form the most extensive out-
crops in the WSA, with about 700 feet exposed in the
canyons. Approximately 300 feet of marine sedi-
ments of the Carmel Formation are exposed in the
higher elevations.

No faults or other structures are known to occur with-
in the WSA. The north to south trending Hurricane
Fault is located approximately 8 miles west of the
WSA.

Elevations range from 6,600 feet at the bottom of
Beartrap Canyon to about 7,600 feet on the west side
of Kolob Peak. The main drainage is Beartrap Canyon.

Soils

All soils in the WSA are in the "slight" erosion class.
Erosion condition was determined by using soil sur-
face factors as summarized in Table 2 (terms are
defined in the Glossary).

Table 2

Erosion Condition

Classification

Annual Soil
Loss (cubic
yards/acre)

Acres

Percent
of WSA

Total Annual
Soil Loss
(cubic yards)

Severe

5.4

0

0

0

Critical

2.7

0

0

0

Moderate

1.3

0

0

0

Slight

0.6

40

100

24

Stable

0.3

_Q

__Q

Total

40

100

24

Sources: USDI,

BLM, 1978c and

1979c;

Leifeste, 1978.

The soils are mapped by the Washington County Soil
Survey (USDA, SCS, 1977) as Paunsaugunt-Kolob-
Dalcan Association or rock outcrop-rockland associa-
tion. Soils are unsuitable for agriculture. These soils
are excessively drained, nearly level to very steep,
shallow to deep gravelly silt loams, fine sandy loams,
cobbly loams, and bare bedrock. Erosion potential is
moderate to severe. The soils are classified as non-
saline.

8

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

Seeding potential is rated as unsuited because the
area is composed mainly of rock outcrop with slopes
in excess of 20 percent.

Vegetation Including Special Status Species

Existing vegetation in the WSA is comprised primar-
ily of a coniferous forest type. This type is character-
ized by Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, white fir, aspen,
and Rocky Mountain juniper. However, over 60 per-
cent of the WSA (approximately 25 acres) is barren
with rock outcrops. There are also hanging gardens in
the WSA.

No threatened or endangered plant species are known
to occur in the WSA. However, the WSA could contain
four Category 2 candidate species. These are Asple-
niiim andrewsii. Erigeron sionis. Heterotheca jonesii.
and Sphaeromeria ruthiae (see Appendix 4 in Volume

I).

This WSA is located in a transition zone between the
Colorado Plateau and Rocky Mountain Forest Province
Ecoregions, as shown on the Bailey-Kuchler ecosys-
tems map (USDI, USGS, 1978a). The PNV type of the
WSA is Arizona pine forest.

Water Resources

This WSA is located in the Virgin River subbasin of
the Colorado River Basin hydrologic region. There are
no existing water righis for use in the WSA. There
are no perennial surface waters in the WSA.

The WSA water right status is considered to be fully
appropriated. Surface and ground-water sources are
closed to further water right applications (UDNRE,
DWR 1988). There are no withdrawals present in the
WSA. An ongoing water right adjudication for the
Virgin River Drainage is currently being conducted by
the Fifth Judicial District Court. The purpose is to
determine rights to the use of underground and sur-
face water.

Water quality standards for the North Fork of the Vir-
gin River as established by the State of Utah are:
Class 1C (protected for domestic purposes with treat-
ment), Class 2B (protected for recreational uses ex-
cluding swimming), Class 3A (protected for cold
water fisheries), and Class 4 (protected for agricul-
ture uses, both irrigation and livestock). In addition
to assigned use classes an Anti-Degradation Segment
has been assigned the East Fork Virgin River to head-
waters. Water quality within this drainage is mostly

affected by the natural geology of the area. Sedimen-
tary sandstones and limestones contribute to dissolv-
ed and suspended solids primarily during runoff peri-
ods and storm events. Utah's 1986 305(b) Water Qual-
ity Assessment Report shows the North Fork Virgin
River to have water quality problems for public
water supply, secondary contact, and cold water fish-
ery.

Mineral and Energy Resources

The energy and mineral resource rating summary for
the Beartrap Canyon WSA is given in Table 3. Refer
to Appendix 5 in Volume I for a description of the
energy and mineral resource rating system.

Table 3

Mineral and Energy Resource Rating Summary

Rating

Resource

Favorability® Certaintyb

Estimated Resource

Oil and Gas

f 2

Cl

Less than 10 million barrels of
oil; less than 60 billion cubic
feet of gas

Uranium

f 2

cl

Less than 500 metric tons of
uranium oxide

Source: SAI. 1982; USDI. BLM, 1987.

aFavorability of the WSA's geologic environment for a resource (f 1 - lowest
favorability or smallest size deposit; 14 - highest favorability or largest
size deposit).

t>The degree of certainty that the resource does or does not exist within the
WSA (cl - lowest and c4 - highest).

There are no strategic or critical minerals known to
occur within the WSA (USDoD, 1988).

• Leasable Minerals

There are no known deposits of any leasable minerals
in the WSA. Currently, there are no active drilling,
mining, or exploration activities for leasable min-
erals.

• Oil and Gas

Based on similarities between the WSA and the
nearby Anderson Junction oil field (located
approximately 13 miles southwest) and the Vir-
gin oil field (14 miles south), the WSA has poten-
tial for small accumulations of hydrocarbons. To
date, however, no commercial oil and gas poten-
tial has been identified in the WSA.

The favorability of the tract for oil and gas is rat-
ed (f2) (SAI, 1982). The size of the hydrocarbon

9

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

accumulation in such an environment is anticipat-
ed to be less than 10 million barrels of oil or less
than 60 billion cubic feet of gas. Based on the
available information, the certainty of occur-
rence for oil and gas is rated very low (cl).

Under the current land use plan, all 40 acres of
the WSA are in Category 1 (standard stipula-
tions). There is presently one post-FLPMA oil and
gas lease (40 acres) in the WSA.

• Locatable Minerals

There are no known deposits of locatable minerals in
the WSA. There are presently no mining claims.

• Uranium

The WSA is approximately 20 miles northeast of
the Silver Reef Mining District, a known uranium-
producing area. Although known primarily for its
past silver production, uranium has been found
there in the Springdale Sandstone Member of the
Moenave Formation. The Moenave Formation
occurs at depths of about 2,500 feet below the
surface of the WSA. The Chinle Formation is also
favorable for uranium, but it occurs at depths ex-
ceeding 4,000 feet. SAI has assigned the WSA an
uranium favorability rating of (f2) (containing
less than 500 metric-tons of uranium oxide).
Based on available information, the certainty that
uranium deposits occur in the WSA is very low
(cl) (SAI, 1982).

• Salable Minerals

Stream gravel and other loose rock material that
could be used for construction occur within the WSA.
These deposits are not unique or economically signifi-
cant due to the presence of ample similar materials
outside the WSA.

Wildlife Including Special Status Species

Because this WSA is in the transition of two vegeta-
tion ecoregions, it supports a variety of animal spe-
cies. The Virgin River Unit Resource Analysis indi-
cates approximately 300 vertebrate animal species
could inhabit the WSA (USDI, BLM, 1979a). These in-
clude 60 mammal species, 208 bird species, 20 rep-
tile species, and six amphibian species. No critical or
crucial wildlife habitat areas have been identified
within the WSA.

Raptors may include the golden eagle, bald eagle, pere-
grine falcon, prairie falcon, American kestrel, red-
tailed hawk, and Cooper's hawk. The red-tailed and
Cooper's hawks are the most common. The bald eagle
(Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and peregrine falcon (Falco
peregrinusl are included on the Federal endangered
species list. Bald eagles winter in the Virgin River
drainage south of the WSA and also in Kanarraville
and New Harmony valleys west of the WSA. Occasion-
al sightings of these birds have been made, with most
reports occurring in the Deep Creek-Goose Creek
area. No other threatened or endangered species are
known to inhabit the WSA. The golden eagle, which in-
habits the WSA, is a BLM sensitive species. The FWS
Category 2 candidate threatened or endangered spe-
cies, Great Basin Silverspot butterfly and Virgin
River montane vole, may inhabit the WSA.

The Beartrap Canyon WSA contains cougar habitat and
is within Utah Cougar Management Unit 30, Cedar
Mountain. Cougar populations and harvest by sport
hunters and by the Animal Damage Control Program
has been higher in this management unit than in any
other location in Utah. During the 11 -year period,
1977 through 1987, a total of 217 cougars were tak-
en from the Cedar Mountain Management Unit. This
harvest averaged nearly 20 animals per year
(UDNRE, UDWR, 1988). It has not been determined
how many, if any, of these may have been taken from
within the WSA.

Forest Resources

The forest resources in the WSA consists of scat-
tered Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, white fir, aspen,
and Rocky Mountain juniper. However, as a whole,
the forest resources in the WSA have no commercial
value. There is presently no production of forest re-
sources in the WSA and none is projected in the fore-
seeable future due to the steep terrain, lack of
access, and the small acreage involved.

Livestock and Wild Horses/Burros

The Beartrap Canyon WSA is unallotted for livestock
use because of steep terrain and lack of forage. Wild
horses and burros do not use the WSA.

Visual Resources

The VRM Class for the WSA is Class II. Refer to
Appendix 7 for a description of the BLM VRM rating
system. The WSA is Scenic Class A, exceptional.

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

Cultural Resources

Petroglyphs, stone granaries, and rock shelters are
known to exist in Zion National Park and the general
vicinity. However, no archaeological inventory has
been conducted in this WSA, and no cultural values
have been identified.

Recreation

Recreational use of the WSA is nearly nonexistent due
to its steep terrain. Access to Zion National Park can-
not be obtained through the WSA because of high
cliffs.

Visitor use data do not exist, but it is estimated that
the WSA receives 10 visitor days per year.

Land Use Plans

The WSA is managed under the BLM Virgin River MFP
which allows multiple use as discussed in the descrip-
tion of the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative. Wil-
derness is not addressed in the MFP. However, wilder-
ness designation is part of the BLM multiple-use con-
cept and the BLM land use plan is linked to the State-
wide Wilderness EIS through analysis of the present
plan as the No Action/No Wilderness Alternative.

In response to H.R. 1214 (Ninety-Eighth Congress of
the U.S., 1983), the NPS assessed the WSA to deter-
mine its value for potential addition to the adjacent
NPS unit (USDI, NPS, 1984c). The NPS concluded that
the Beartrap Canyon WSA would add a minor buffer
zone to the park but value and contribution to the NPS
unit would be insignificant. The Beartrap Canyon WSA
was recommended as suitable for inclusion into the
adjacent unit of the National Park System (U.S. Secre-
tary of the Interior, 1985e). Although the WSA did
not meet all of the NPS criteria for inclusion into the
park, there was no objection to transferring the WSA
from BLM to NPS administration because the WSA is
isolated by park and private lands and is uneconomi-
cal for BLM to manage. No Congressional action has
been taken on that recommendation.

There are no existing or proposed rights-of-way
within this WSA.

The Washington County Master Plan identifies the
WSA as an open space zone, and Washington County
policy does not support wilderness designation for
this WSA (Planning and Research Associates, 1971).
The Washington County Commission has endorsed the

Consolidated Local Government Response to Wilder-
ness that opposes wilderness designation of BLM
lands in Utah (Utah Counties, 1986).

There are no private, State of Utah, or split-estate
lands in the WSA.

Socioeconomics

• Demographics

The WSA is in Washington County. From 1970 to
1980, the population of Washington County grew from
13,699 to 24,600, an overall increase of about 93
percent. Table 4 presents baseline and projected popu-
lation data for Washington County.

Table 4

Baseline and Projected Population and Employment Growth
Washington County

1980

1990

2000

2010

Population

26,400

45,500

51,000

65,600

Employment

8,100

14,400

18,400

24,100

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987.

It is estimated that between 1980 and 1987, the popu-
lation increased to about 39,720. Population projec-
tions indicate that the number of people living in Wash-
ington County in the year 2010 will be about 65,600
for about a 148-percent increase over 1980 levels
(Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987).

* Employment

Table 4 shows the baseline and projected total employ-
ment for Washington County to the year 2010.

Washington County is part of the Southwest MCD.
Table 5 shows the baseline (1980) and projected em-
ployment by source for the MCD to the year 2010.. In
1980 the leading employ-ment sectors for the South-
west MCD were government (23 percent), trade (20
percent), and nonfarm proprietors (12 percent). Min-
ing provided less than 3 percent of the employment in
the MCD.

It is projected that by the year 2010, employment in
the MCD will more than double. Services will increase
to 20 percent and trade to 25 percent of the total.
Agriculture will decline to 3 percent, mining to less
than 1 percent, and government to 18 percent of the
total.

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

Table 5

Southwest Multi-County District
Employment*

1980

1990

2000

2010

Agriculture

1,810

1,700

1,600

1,500

Mining

499

300

300

400

Construction

1,308

1,700

2,300

3,100

Manufacturing

1,498

2,000

2,600

3,300

Transportation, Utilities

1,006

1,300

1,800

2,500

Trade

4,120

6,800

8,800

1 1,200

Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

785

1,100

1,400

1,800

Services

2,184

5,100

6,900

8.900

Government

4,616

5,800

6,500

8,100

Nonfarm Proprietors

2.386

3.100

3.500

4.700

Totals

20,212

28,900

35,700

45,500

Source: Utah Office of Planning and Budget, 1987.

•Includes Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane, and Washington Counties.

• Sales and Revenues

The only economic-related activity in the WSA is
recreation.

The WSA has no mining claims or oil and gas leases.
Therefore, mineral and energy resource production
from the WSA has not contributed to local employ-
ment or income.

There is no livestock grazing in the WSA and, there-
fore, no sales or revenue from this source that are
attributable to the WSA.

The WSA’s recreational use is for primitive recrea-
tion and related local expenditures are low. They are
insignificant to both the local economy and individual
businesses. The actual amount of income generated
locally from recreational use in the WSA is unknown.
However, an approximate range of expenditures can
be deduced (Dalton, 1982). This study indicates that
the Statewide average local expenditures per rec-
reational visitor day for all types of recreation in
Utah are approximately $4.10. The recreational use
for the Beartrap Canyon WSA is estimated at about
10 visitor days per year.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALTERNA-
TIVES

This section describes the environmental conse-
quences of implementing the alternatives. The analy-
sis is based on the BLM management actions and antici-
pated activities presented in the Introduction to Vol-
ume lll-B and the Description of the Alternatives for
the Beartrap Canyon WSA. „

The only significant issue analyzed for this WSA is im-
pacts to the wilderness values including naturalness,
outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive
recreation, and special features.

No Action/No Wilderness Alternative

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Because the WSA would not be designated wilderness
with this alternative, the identified wilderness values
would not receive the degree of protection afforded
by application of the BLM Wilderness Management Poli-
cy (BLM Manual 8560). Wilderness values in the WSA
would be somewhat protected by limitations placed on
potential surface-disturbing activities (i.e., VRM
Class II management on 40 acres).

No development would be expected in the foreseeable
future that would affect wilderness values.

Because vehicular use would be limited by terrain, no
disturbance from ORV activity is anticipated in the fu-
ture.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visitor use
would not be expected to reduce wilderness values
because the additional use is expected to be small and
primitive in nature.

Overall, no disturbance of wilderness values including
naturalness, outstanding opportunities for solitude
and primitive recreation, and special features includ-
ing Class A scenery, endangered or sensitive species
(including raptors), and wildlife associated with wil-
derness, would be expected in the foreseeable future.
The degree to which wilderness values would be re-
duced in quality from disturbance over the long term
is not accurately known.

This alternative would not complement the NPS pro-
posal to manage the contiguous portion of Zion Nation-
al Park as wilderness.

Conclusion: Wilderness values would not be preserved
by wilderness designation. No disturbance that would
affect wilderness values would be expected in the
foreseeable future.

BEARTRAP CANYON WSA

All Wilderness Alternative (Proposed
Action)

• Impacts on Wilderness Values

Designation and management of all 40 acres as wilder-
ness would preserve the wilderness values in the
Beartrap Canyon WSA. The potential for surface-dis-
turbing activities would be eliminated through closure
of the entire area to future mineral leasing and loca-
tion and to ORV use, and through management of the
area as VRM Class I which allows for only natural eco-
logical change. Naturalness and outstanding opportuni-
ties for solitude and primitive recreation would be
protected on all 40 acres. Special features including
Class A scenery, endangered or sensitive species,
and wildlife associated with wilderness, would also
be preserved.

The 2 to 7 percent annual increase in visitor use
would be primitive in nature, and would be managed
so as not to result in the loss of wilderness values.

This alternative would complement the NPS proposal
to manage the contiguous portion of Zion National Park
as wilderness.

Conclusion: All wilderness values would be preserved
where they occur in the WSA.

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2

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Scoping Issues and Alternatives. July 20, 1984.
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Man-
agement. 1986a. BLM Utah State Office Manual
5400, Sales of Forest Products, Utah Supplement-
al Guidance, Management of Woodland Resources.
Utah State Office Instruction Memorandum No.
Ut-86-371 . Salt Lake City, Utah.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Man-
agement. 1986b. Cedar. Beaver. Garfield. Anti-
mony. Record of Decision. Resource Management
Plan. Cedar City District, Cedar City, Utah.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Man-
agement. 1987. "BLM Geologist Minerals Data
Review Reports" (file material). Utah State Office,
Salt Lake City, Utah.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Man-
agement. 1988a. "BLM Cultural Resource Site
Maps" (file data). Utah State Office, Salt Lake
City, Utah.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Man-
agement. 1988b. "A Cultural Resource Manage-
ment Plan for Fifty Mile Mountain", Escalante
Resource Area, Cedar City District (unpublished
document). July 1988. Cedar City District Office,
Cedar City, Utah.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.

1980. Mineral Yearbooks 1933-1980. Salt Lake
City, Utah.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.
1986a. Mineral investigation of a part of the Paria-
Hackberrv Wilderness Study Area (UT-040-247L
Kane Countv. Utah. MLA 34-86, Intermountain
Field Operations Center, Denver, Colorado.

6

BIBLIOGRAPHY - VOLUME III (A and B)

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.
1986b. Mineral investigation of a part of the
Canaan Mountain Wilderness Study Area. Kane
and Washington Counties. Utah (UT-040-143) and
Mohave County, Arizona (AZ-01 0-041). MLA 43-
86, Intermountain Field Operations Center,

Denver, Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.
1986c. Mineral Investigation of a Part of the
Scorpion Wilderness Study Area fUT-040-082)
Garfield Countv. Utah and North Escalante Canvon
(v) Instant Study Area. Kane Countv. Utah. MLA
59-86. Intermountain Field Operations Center,
Denver, Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.
1987a. Mineral investigation of a part of the
Cottonwood Canvon (UT-040-046) and Red
Mountain fUT-040-132) Wilderness Study
Areas, Washington County. Utah- mla 43-87,

Intermountain Field Operations Center, Denver,
Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.

1987b. Mineral Resources of the Cockscomb fUT-
040-275) and a part of the Wahweap (UT-045-
248) Wilderness Study Areas. Kane County.

Utah. MLA 73-87. Intermountain Field
Operations Center, Denver Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.
1987c. Mineral Investigation of 11 Wilderness
Study Areas adjacent to Zion National Park.
Southwestern. Utah. MLA 77-87. Intermountain
Field operations Center, Denver, Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.

1 987d. Mineral Investigation of a Part of the
Steep Creek Wilderness Study Area (UT-040-
061). Garfield Countv. Utah. MLA 21-87. Inter-
mountain Field Operations Center, Denver,
Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines.

1988. Mineral Investigation of an additional Part
of the Fifty Mine Mountain Wilderness Study
Area (UT-040-080). Kane Countv. Utah. MLA 27-
88 Intermountain Field Operations Center,

Denver, Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclama-
tion. 1975. Salinity and Sediment Study. Upper
Colorado River Basin. Utah. Colorado. Wyoming.
June 1975. Salt Lake City, Utah.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Ser-
vice. 1987. Federal Register/Volume 52, No. 208/
Wednesday, October 28, 1987/Rules and Regula-
tions. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife
Service 50 CFR Part 17. Endangered and Threat-
ened Wildlife and Plants, Final Rule Determining
Asclepias welshii (Welsh’s Milkweed) to be a
Threatened Species with Critical Habitat. Salt Lake
City, Utah.

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Sur-
vey. 1976. "Some Engineering Geologic Factors
Controlling Coal Mine Subsidence in Utah and Colo-
rado." Geological Survey Professional Paper No.
969.

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Sur-
vey. 1978a. Ecosystems of the United States
(Map). Reston, Virginia.

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Sur-
vey. 1978b. Development of Coal Resources in
Southern Utah. Draft Environmental Impact State-
ment. U.S. Government Printing Office, Denver,
Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Sur-
vey. 1981a. Mineral Resources of the Phipps-
Death Hollow Instant Study Area. Garfield County.
Utah. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 81-
558. Salt Lake City, Utah.

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Sur-
vey. 1981b. Mineral Resources of the Escalante
Canvon Instant Study Area. Garfield Countv. Utah.
U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 81-559,
Salt Lake City, Utah.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park SEr-
vice. 1974. Wilderness Recommendation. Canvon-
lands National Park. Utah. October 1974. Denver
Service Center, Denver, Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Ser-
vice. 1976. Final Environmental Impact Statement
for the Proposed Zion Master Plan. July 7, 1976.
U.S. Government Printing Office, Denver,
Colorado.

7

BIBLIOGRAPHY - VOLUME III (A and B)

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Ser-
vice. 1979. Glen Canvon National Recreation
Area. Arizona-Utah. Proposed General Manage
ment Plan. Wilderness Recommendation. Road
Study Alternatives. Final Environmental State-
ment. July 1979. U.S. Government Printing
Office, Denver, Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Ser-
vice. 1982. Nationwide Rivers Inventory. Janu-
ary 1982. U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D. C.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Ser-
vice. 1984a. Resource Assessment for LaVerkin
Creek Canvon Wilderness Study Area: Zion
National Park. Utah. July 1984. Rocky Mountain
Regional Office, Denver, Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Ser-
vice. 1984b. Resource Assessment for Order-

ville Canyon Wilderness .Smdy..Area; Zion
National Park. Utah. July 1984. Rocky Mountain
Regional Office, Denver, Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Ser-
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for Wilderness Study Areas Contained in HR-
1214. Part 2 Resource Assessments for Wilder-
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Utah. July 1984. Rocky Mountain Regional Office,
Denver, Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Ser-
vice. 1984d. Resource Assessment for Deep
Creek Wilderness Study Area: Zion National Park.
July 1984. Rocky Mountain Regional Office,
Denver, Colorado.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Surface
Mining. 1980. Southern Utah Petition Evaluation
Document. November 1980. Office of Surface
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Denver,
Colorado.

U.S. General Accounting Office. 1987. Cultural

Resources: Problems Protecting and Preserving
Federal Archaeological Resources. Report to Con-
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U.S. Secretary of the Interior. 1980. "Decision on
Southern Utah Coal Unsuitability Petition". U.S.
Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior. 1985a. "Suitability of
Red Butte Wilderness Study Area for Addition to
Zion National Park" (personal communication).
February 6, 1985. U.S. Department of the
Interior, Washington, D.C.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior. 1985b. "Suitability of
Spring Creek Canyon Wilderness Study Area for
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cation) Febuary 6, 1985. U.S. Department of the
Interior, Washington D.C.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior. 1985c. "Suitability of
Taylor Creek Canyon Wilderness Study Area for
Addition to Zion National Park" (personal communi-
cation) Febuary 6, 1985. U.S. Department of the
Interior, Washington D.C.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior. 1985d. "Suitability of
Goose Creek Canyon Wilderness Study Area for
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communication) Febuary 6, 1985. U.S. Department
of the Interior, Washington D.C.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior. 1985e. "Suitability of
Beartrap Canyon Wilderness Study Area for Addi-
tion to Zion National Park" (personal communica-
tion) Febuary 6, 1985. U.S. Department of the
Interior, Washington D.C.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior. 1985f. "Suitability of
the Laverkin Creek Canyon Wilderness Study Area
for Addition to Zion National Park" (personal com-
munication). Feburary 6, 1985. U.S. Department of
the Interior, Washington, D.C.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior. 1985g. "Suitability of
the Deep Creek Wilderness Study Area for Addition
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February 6, 1985. U.S. Department of the
Interior, Washington, D.C.

U.S. Secretary of the Interior. 1985h. "Suitability of
the North Fork Virgin River for Addition to Zion
National Park (personal communication) February
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Washington, D.C.

Utah Counties. 1986. Consolidated Local Government
Response to the Utah BLM Statewide Wilderness
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (personal
communication). June 27, 1986. Salt Lake City,
Utah.

8

BIBLIOGRAPHY - VOLUME III (A and B)

Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy.
1982. "Report of the Department of Natural Re-
sources and Energy Technical Review Committee
on the BLM's Site-Specific Analysis of Utah's
WSAs" (personal communication). November
1982. State of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy,
Division of Water Resources. 1969. "Proposed
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Natural Resources, Escalante River Division, Salt
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Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy,

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. 1982.

"Status of Selected Nongame Wildlife and Plant
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Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy,

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. 1983b. The
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Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy,
Division of Wildlife Resources. 1988. Utah
Cougar Harvest. 1986-1987. Publication No. 88-
2. March 1988. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy,
Divisionof Parks and Recreation. 1985. 1 985
Utah Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recrea-
tion Plan (SCORPL Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy,
Board of State Lands and Forestry. 1986.
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Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy,
Division of Water Rights. 1987. "Water Filings
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Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy,
Division of Water Rights. 1988. "Surface Water
Supplies", (personal communication from William
L. Burton). March 18, 1988. Salt Lake City,

Utah.

Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy,
Division of State Lands and Forestry. 1988. "File
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Utah Department of Natural Resources and Energy,
Outdoor Recreation Agency. 1980. Utah Outdoor
Recreation Plan. 1980 SCORP. Salt Lake City,

Utah.

Utah Department of Transportation. 1982. Traffic on
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Utah.

Utah Geological and Mineral Survey. 1979. Map 47.
Oil-Impregnated Rock Deposits of Utah. January
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Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1 984. Utah Base-
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Utah Office of Planning and Budget. 1987. 1987
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Utah Office of State Planning Coordinator. 1980. Utah:

1 000. March 1980. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Veal, H. K. 1976. "Oil Shows in Significant Test Wells
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Walsh. R. G.; Gillman, R. A.; and Loomis, J. B. 1981.
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Washington County Commission. 1982. "Recommenda-
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(personal communication). August 16, 1982. St.
George, Utah.

9

BIBLIOGRAPHY - VOLUME III (A and B)

Welsh, Dr. Stanley L. 1979. Illustrated Manual of
Proposed Endangered and Threatened Plants of
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Welsh, Dr. Stanley L.; Atwood, N. Duane; Goodrich,
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Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.

Westfall, Deborah A. 1983. The EFN Vermillion Cliffs
Project: Cultural Resource Inventory and
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Bluff, Utah.

Wildesen, Leslie E. 1985. Dilemma: Should Wilderness
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Wilson, L.; Olsen, M.; Hutchings, T.; Southard, A.; and
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Wood and Ritzma. 1972. "Analyses of Oil Extracted
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Wylie, Jerry. 1988. Archaeological Vandalism,

Graphic Information System (GIS), San Juan
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April 29, 1988.

Zeller, H. D. 1973a. Geologic map and coal and oil

resources of the Death Ridge quadrangle, Garfield
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Zeller, H. D. 1973b. Geologic map and coal and oil
resources of the Dave Canyon quadrangle,

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Zeller, H. D. 1980. Geologic map and coal resources of
the Collet Top quadrangle, Kane County, Utah:
U.S. Geological Survey, Coal Investigations Map
C-80.

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