Steer Creek Campground Corral

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William George Leonard
5 years ago
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Steer Creek Campground Corral Purpose and Need The purpose of this project is to increase the availability of camping experiences and services for equestrians at the Steer Creek Campground in the

Location This project would be located north of State Highway 16F on the southwest side of McKelvie National Forest.

2 Steer Creek Campground Corral Purpose and Need The purpose of this project is to increase the availability of camping experiences and services for equestrians at the Steer Creek Campground in the Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest. As such, there is a need for facilities to contain livestock. Location This project would be located north of State Highway 16F on the southwest side of McKelvie National Forest. Corrals would be installed on the east side of Steer Creek Campground (T31N, R33W, Sec 2, SW ¼ of SE¼). See included map. Figure 1: Entrance to the Steer Creek Campground. Existing Condition Figure 2: A typical campsite at the Steer Creek Campground. pump that is centrally located (see map). The Steer Creek Campground is a primitive campground that offers a quiet location for people to camp. It has 23 sites and is lightly used year-round, with the heaviest use typically during fall hunting season. All the campsites have room for tents, and most will accommodate trailers or RVs up to 30 feet long. The sites have a fire ring and a picnic table with two pit toilets nearby. No electricity is available. Water is obtained through a hand The Steer Creek Campground presently does not have designated facilities for horses and mules (stock). People wishing to keep stock while camping here must leave their stock approximately one mile to the east in an area designated for them. This area, however, contains no corrals or Page 1 of 4

3 water and no place to park a trailer or RV. Most people prefer to camp close to their stock in order to prevent mishaps. In the past, people have camped in the Steer Creek Campground with stock by setting up a temporary fenced area, or by tying the animals to trees. Temporary fencing can work, but it can result in patches of bare ground over time. Tying livestock to trees damages the trees, which is not acceptable because trees are a main feature of this particular campground. In 2016, members of the public approached staff from the Bessey Ranger District and asked for better facilities for stock at the campground. During the travel management revision of , several people wrote to express interest in having areas for stock be geographically separate from OHV use, stating that OHVs and stock do not mix well. 1 At this time, the Samuel R. McKelvie National Forest is not a popular destination for OHVs, and would thus lend itself well to equestrian use. Desired Condition The following desired conditions are taken from the 2009 Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) for the Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands: Goal 2.a: Improve the capability of the Nation's forests and grasslands to provide diverse, high-quality outdoor recreation opportunities (p. 1-4). Objectives: 4. As demand warrants, increase recreational opportunities where compatible with resource objectives (p. 1-4). Desired Conditions: Steer Creek campground will be maintained to provide a variety of recreation experiences and services to visitors (p. 2-13). Proposed Action To increase the availability of camping experiences and services for equestrians at the Steer Creek Campground, forest staff propose the following actions. 1. Build an 8-pen corral where each pen is 12 x12. The corral would be constructed of metal and require no maintenance to the structure itself. The panels would be installed by hand and no heavy machinery would be required. The metal panels would be secured to 8 wood posts that would be buried approximately 4 feet into the ground. 2. Remove and estimated five to ten trees that are at risk of falling on the corrals. 3. Stock would not be allowed in campsites except for the time it takes to saddle or unsaddle them. Any manure deposited in a campsite while saddling would need to be immediately removed to the designated location. 4. Pens would hold no more than 2 animals per pen. 1 Though the comments pertained to the Bessey Ranger District, equestrians clearly desire quiet places to camp, away from OHV use. Page 2 of 4

4 5. Campers would be required to clean pens at the end of their stay and deposit manure in the designated area. This manure staging area would have a wood frame and be constructed on existing asphalt near the current dumpster (see map). 6. An area would be designated as overflow where visitors would be allowed to stake out a horse or put up a small, temporary pen using personal panels or electric fencing. This area would be clearly signed along the boundary (see map). Categorical Exclusion We anticipate this project will be categorically excluded from documentation in an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement under the following category: 36 CFR (d) Categories of actions for which a project or case file and decision memo are not required: (5) Repair and Maintenance of Recreation Sites and Facilities. This category is appropriate because the campground is already a disturbed area and this project will maintain and enhance recreational activities. Page 3 of 4

5 Location of Proposed Steer Creek Horse Corrals Ü B! C! Legend Manure Staging Area (Proposed) Overflow Area,Temp Horse Pens (Proposed) Horse Corrals (Proposed) Steer Creek Campground State Highway 16F Hand Pump Well Blue Jay Hiking Trail Fenceline Map created by L. Eaton 1/25/2017 Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, IGN, and the GIS User Community Page AeroGRID, 4 of 4

Attachment B: Treatment Area Maps

Attachment B: Treatment Area Maps BEACH BOAT RENTAL LAUNCH NO.1 LAUNCH NO. 2 LAUNCH NO. 3 LAUNCH NO. 4 CHANNEL BOG Black Moshannon Lake 0 0.125 0.25 0.5 Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics,