Decision Memo 2015 Sun Valley Super Enduro & Cross-Country Mountain Bike Race Recreation Event USDA Forest Service Ketchum Ranger District, Sawtooth National Forest Blaine County, Idaho Background The Forest Service is proposing to issue a temporary Recreation Event special-use permit to Seth Delorey representing Mountain Sports International (MSI) to conduct the 2015 Sun Valley Super Enduro mountain bike race on National Forest System lands within the Ketchum Ranger District and Sawtooth National Recreation Area of the Sawtooth National Forest, and public lands within the Shoshone Resource Area of the Twin Falls District-Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Under an Interagency Agreement between the Sawtooth National Forest and Twin Falls District BLM, the Ketchum Ranger District is the lead unit for this Recreation Event special-use permit and the Ketchum District Ranger is the Authorizing Officer. Decision In making my decision, I have reviewed the project files, including the specialist's reviews and comments from the public. In addition, I have reviewed on-the-ground portions of the trails proposed for the race stages with MSI staff. I have decided to issue a Recreation Event specialuse permit for the 2015 Sun Valley Super Enduro & Cross-Country mountain bike race to MSI. The 2015 Sun Valley Super Enduro & Cross-Country mountain bike race will occur Saturday June 27th and Sunday June 28, 2015 on the Bald Mountain Ski Area and surrounding National Forest lands. Trails approved for the two downhill stages Saturday include Forest Service trails Easley Gulch (FST 148) and Oregon Gulch (FST 183). There will be two uphill stages on Saturday on Forest Service Roads Baker Creek (FSR162) and East Fork of Baker Creek (FSR168). Along with the uphill component there will be a transition stage along the Harriman Trail. Trails approved on Bald Mountain for riding on Sunday include an uphill stage on Roundhouse Lane and I-80, then a downhill stage on Trail# 4 (Saddle Up) continuing with an uphill portion on Broadway Trail and finishing with a downhill stage on the Warm Springs trail to the Warm Springs base area. Additional trails on the Sawtooth National Forest off of Bald Mountain approved for use on Sunday is a cross-country component that will utilize the Harriman Trail (12 miles) from Galena Lodge to the Baker Creek road (FSR 162) 3.5 miles uphill to the East Fork of Baker Creek road (FSR 168) 6 miles uphill to the junction with Fox Peak trail (FST 938) connecting with Adams Rib trail (FST 142), turning on Harpers Way trail (FST 323), and finish on Adams-Lake Creek Connector trail (FST 321) to the Adams Gulch trailhead.
All of the Super Enduro stages would be limited to 250 riders. No pre-race practice riding on these trails will be authorized. Up to 2,000 spectators are expected to watch the event on Baldy and the Criterion races in Ketchum. As with prior races, temporary trail closures will be needed to safely allow for competitor's racing. Trail corners and switchbacks will be signed, flagged, and taped to control competitor's speed and reduce impacts to trails. The Warm Springs base area and Adams Gulch Trailhead will be Sunday's finish lines and spectating areas. No new trails will be constructed on National Forest or ELM-managed lands for the stages of race event. Sun Valley Company and MSI staff will maintain all trails and service roads before and after racing is finished. Increased use of developed and dispersed campsites and trails within the Wood River Valley is expected during the event. See the attached Operations Plan for additional details, including race course maps. MSI will provide insurance coverage for the event along with a $2500 bond for trail maintenance following the event. Rationale While there will likely be some short-duration impacts from displacing other trail users during the race, strong effort will be made to limit the time these sections of trails are closed for public and race participant safety. An extensive system of trails occurs in the area, providing a variety of motorized and non-motorized opportunities. In the immediate area of the race there are approximately 40 miles of additional trails open and available to the public to use, so there should be minimal impact to someone desiring to hike or bike in the area by the short closures of these trails. This proposal has wide-spread community support and is in keeping with 2012 Sawtooth Forest Plan - Standard 0473 which reads: "Competitive events will be limited to those that are consistent with the management objectives of the area, and are in the public interest. Competitive events historically permitted will be allowed so long as they do not interfere with the management obj ectives of the area". I feel confident that resource impacts to the trail conditions will be minimized with required pre and post course maintenance, signing, taping, and pinning key areas. Scoping and Public Involvement A news release requesting public comment on the proposal was sent to local news outlets on March 13, 2015. A news brief requesting public comment on the proposal was printed in the April 1, 2015 edition of the Idaho Mountain Express. Comments were requested by April 6, 2015. 111 comments were received during the scoping period. The public comments fell into three general categories. The first category of comments was in strong support of the event. The second category of comments expressed concern that resource damage such as eroded trails, would occur and after the race the trail system would be in worse condition than pre-race conditions. Permit requirements for the race include pre and post course maintenance, signing, taping, and pinning key areas. Sun Valley Company and MSI staff will maintain all trails and 2
service roads before and after racing is finished. Finally, the race company is posting a bond for trail maintenance. With these mitigations in place, I believe the resource concerns are adequately addressed. The third category of comments expressed concern about closure of Forest trails to the public during this two-day period. An extensive system of trails occurs in the area, providing a variety of motorized and non-motorized opportunities. In the immediate area of the race there are approximately 40 miles of additional trails open and available to the public to use, so there are ample opportunities readily available during the periods a trail(s) are closed over these two days for someone desiring to hike or bike in the area. The proposal to authorize this special use permit was analyzed with interdisciplinary team input consisting of range, wildlife, fisheries, botany, recreation, and heritage personnel from the Sawtooth National Forest. The team identified noxious weed seed spread as a potential issue. To mitigate this concern, the special use permit issued for this event will authorize only Sun Valley Company and promoter's vehicles on Bald Mountain roads. Washing of all vehicles to remove mud and potential noxious weed seed will be required prior to driving on Bald Mountain and Forest roads. Bikes will go through a technical inspection at check-in, which will include inspection for and removal of any mud or vegetation. Closing trails to public use during racing will encourage spectators to watch the race from Warm Springs base areas, further reducing the chance of noxious weed seed spread up Bald Mountain. The interdisciplinary team identified no other resource concerns or issues for this proposal. Design Criteria Specific to Mountain Bike Racing Permittee will work with the Ketchum Ranger District, Sun Valley Company, and local user groups to perform pre and post event trail reviews and maintenance. Permittee will post a $2500.00 reclamation and performance bond prior to the event. A portion or the entirety of the bond may be retained if resource damage or violations of the permit occur prior to or during the event. Maintenance of the trails used for the race stages will be completed in the days immediately following the race days and will be signed-off by the KRD permit administrator. Course monitors will be placed in key locations and intersections to discourage widening of the single-track trail. The race course will be taped and signed at key locations which the permittee and agency managers determine could potentially pose a risk to riders, the public or the resource. Permittee will post event information at the applicable trailhead locations prior to the event. Signage shall include minimal information: closures, alternate routes, date and times of the event and map of the race route. 3
Reasons for Categorically Excluding the Proposed Action This action is categorically excluded from documentation in an environmental impact statement or an environmental assessment because it falls within 36 CFR 220.6(e)(3) (category 32.2.3 of Forest Service Handbook 1909.15 Environmental Policy and Procedures), which states, "Approval, modification or continuation of minor special uses of National Forest System lands that require less than five contiguous acres of land". The categorical exclusion is appropriate in this situation because there are no extraordinary circumstances potentially having effects, which may significantly affect the environment. In regard to extraordinary circumstances, the Forest Service Handbook lists several topics that must be considered (36 CFR 200.6(b)). Forest Service resource specialists have previously visited the project area, reviewed relevant studies and other published 'information, and documented their findings regarding these and other potential extraordinary circumstances in the project file and are summarized below. Federally listed threatened or endangered species or designated critical habitat, species proposed for Federal listing or proposed critical habitat, or Forest Service sensitive species. A programmatic biological assessment and biological evaluation (BA/BE) has been prepared for recreation events. This proposal falls within the scope of that analysis. The determination reached was that no federally listed or candidate plant or animal, or fish species will be affected. The biological evaluation (BE) concluding that the recreation event would not impact any Forest Service sensitive plant, animal or fish species. Based on these considerations, threatened and endangered species or their critical habitat does not constitute an extraordinary circumstance for this proposed action. Flood plains, wetlands, or municipal watersheds. No ground disturbance is proposed with this recreation event. Based on these considerations, flood plains, wetlands, or municipal watersheds do not constitute an extraordinary circumstance for this event. Congressionally designated areas, such as wilderness, wilderness study areas, or national recreation areas. The proposal is not inside any Wilderness, or Wilderness Study Areas. A portion of the proposed race is within the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, but does not affect the values for which the Area was created. Inventoried roadless areas. The Buttercup Mountain IRA borders the western edge of the Bald Mountain Ski Area Special Use Permit. However, event organizers do not propose to build any roads or cut vegetation within the Idaho Roadless Area. All race activities are on existing roads and trails found on the Sawtooth Motorized Vehicle Use Map (MVUM). Thus the activities do not constitute an extraordinary circumstance.. 4
Research Natural Areas. The event organizers do not propose to use land in any Research Natural Areas, so such areas do not constitute an extraordinary circumstance for this proposed action. American Indian and Alaska Native religious or cultural sites. No Native American sites have been found in or near the venues proposed by event organizers. Based on this consideration, American Indian and Alaska Native religious or cultural sites do not constitute an extraordinary circumstance for this proposed action. Archaeological sites, or historic properties or areas. No ground disturbance is proposed with this project. All race activities are on existing roads and trails found on the Sawtooth MVUM. The Sawtooth National Forest Archeologist considers this project a "No Potential to Cause Effect" activity. Based on these considerations, archaeological sites, or historic properties or areas, do not constitute an extraordinary circumstance for this proposed action. Per 36 CFR 220.6 (b), "The mere presence of one or more of these resource conditions does not preclude use of a categorical exclusion (CE). It is the existence of a cause-effect relationship between a proposed action and the potential effect on these resource conditions, and if such a relationship exists, the degree of the potential effect of a proposed action on these resource conditions that determines whether extraordinary circumstances exist. " I have reviewed the proposed action and the project record and while there are resource conditions present, the record shows the potential effects from the proposed action do not warrant further analysis. For these reasons, I am excluding this decision from further documentation. Based on the findings summarized above, I am categorically excluding this decision from documentation in an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement. Based on experience with management activities similar to this, and upon the environmental analysis conducted for this project, the effects of implementing this action will be limited in context and intensity. Appropriate categories for exclusion have been established by law and documented in the Forest Service Handbook, and our review indicates no extraordinary circumstances to preclude their application. Findings Required by Other Laws The Forest Land and Resource Management Plan for the Sawtooth National Forest was amended in June 2012. The plan provides direction for the management of the Sawtooth National Forest. The trails and venues requested for the 20 15 Sun Valley Super Enduro on Sawtooth National Forest managed lands are located in Management Area: Big Wood River snf04. The Management Prescription Category proposed for operation within this Management Area is 4.3, Concentrated Recreation and 4. lc Undeveloped Recreation 5
Recreation Events are permitted in this Management Area and within the Management Prescription Category mentioned above. Recreation Special Use Guidelines for the Forest include: REGU 27: Special-use authorizations for public recreation uses should have operation plans. These plans should address adequate public service, health and safety, and resource protection. This recreation event proposal includes an adequate operating plan. Floodplains, wetlands, threatened and endangered species, minerals, fisheries, wildlife, range, watershed, soils, plant communities, fire management, recreation, visuals, and heritage resource management implications have peen considered by the interdisciplinary team. It was determined that these will not be adversely affected. Implementation Date This temporary permit will be issued in June of 2015. Contact Person For additional information concerning this decision contact: Zach Poff Recreation Program Manager Ketchum Ranger District Sawtooth National Forest PO Box 2356 Ketchum, Idaho 83340 (208) 622-0090 zpoff@fs.fed.us Date: June 3, 2015 6
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