Craters of the Moon National Monument
XIV. Protection Of Sensitive Resources
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Wildland Fire Management Plan Craters of the Moon National Monument XIV. Protection Of Sensitive Resources |
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A. Cultural Resource Sites
1. Craters of the Moon National Monument lacks a cultural resource base map indicating the location of archeological and historic sites. The availability of such a map is invaluable is preventing damage to such sites from emergency suppression operations or rehabilitation projects. A GIS compatible map of these resources should be developed and maintained in a secure location at the monument. Only a small percentage of the monument has been surveyed (contemporary survey standards) for cultural resources. The lack of a recorded site in any given area does not necessarily indicate that no sites are present.
2. Areas where ground disturbance activities are planned will be assessed by a cultural resource specialist and Sec. 106 compliance completed prior to initiation of such action. Suppression operations are generally considered emergencies exempt from Sec. 106 requirements.
B. Protection of Sensitive Natural Resources
There are no federally listed endangered species known to occur in the park. There are several species of special concern within the monument. A detailed discussion of these is the attached Environmental Assessment (Appendix C). An inventory of where these species occur in the park would be ideal for management purposes. Species locations and or habitat requirements would be helpful when planning fire activities. Some species may benefit from fire and others may not. For more information reference the environmental assessment of the Fire Management Plan.
Sage grouse are a species of special concern which are particularly influenced by fire. A fire that creates a mosaic of habitat with open areas supporting grasses and forbs adjacent to mature sagebrush improves brood-rearing habitat quality; however, the overall habitat quality for breeding sage grouse is improved only if adequate amounts of sagebrush remain for nesting. At the population level, sage grouse are more limited by nesting habitat (quantity and quality) than by brood habitat. The sage grouse breeding season is comprised of nesting and brood-rearing periods. Nesting and early brood habitat should have 15 to 25 percent sagebrush canopy coverage and about 7 inches or more of grass and forb understory. Late summer brood habitat consists of a variety of habitats including meadows and riparian areas. One third of the sagebrush habitat within the monument occurs in Fire Management Unit I, a fire suppression unit.
All paleontological remains will be protected and preserved during all fire activities and all newly discovered sites will be reported to park managers.
C. Modern Infrastructure and Developments
Urban-interface mitigation techniques should be applied to prevent or reduce negative impacts to modern developments within the monument's boundaries. Few other developments exist within a five mile radius of the monument boundaries.
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