Laserfiche WebLink
<br />< <br /> <br />The three ranch parcels will comprise the proposed ALP Project mitigation area (MAl). The MA <br />encompasses approximately 1,135 acres of river valley bottomland (Table I). <br /> <br />Table 1. Acreage of river valley bottomland within the wetland/riparian portion of the <br />MA. <br /> <br />Huntington Ranch Parcel River Bottomland Total Acres <br /> Acres <br />Tract I Single Parcel 0 3758 <br />Tract II Main Parcel 370.6 <br /> Northern Parcel 152.7 1003 <br /> Western Parcel 0.0 . . <br />Tract III Single Parcel 611.5 1239.5 <br />Total All 1134.8 6000.5 <br /> <br />In the Spring of2001, Reclamation retained Frontier Corporation USA (Frontier) to assist with <br />the preparation of a wetland/riparian mitigation and monitoring plan for the newly acquired MA. <br />Frontier classified and delineated wetland/riparian and upland plant communities and created a <br />baseline inventory of existing habitat conditions which determined that 234 acres of <br />wetland/riparian habitat were available with Reclamation's MA. The baseline inventory was <br />incorporated into a GIS database. The database was used to support the assessment of existing <br />habitat conditions, evaluate potential mitigation measures, and to help develop monitoring <br />methods and success criteria. Figures 3 and 4 which describe general habitat types found within <br />the La Plata River's zone of influence and relative quality of riparian habitat types respectively <br />within the MA. <br /> <br />Reclamation has obtained fee title for the southern and central ranch riparian parcels (Tract II) <br />and the western parcel (Tract I). Reclamation has entered into a land purchase contract that <br />includes the purchase ofthe northern riparian parcel (Tract III) as well. The past and present land <br />use for all tracts of the ranch has been livestock grazing, fanming and hunting. <br /> <br />As indicated previously, the FSEIS, in section 5.4.4, estimates that 600 acres would need to be <br />purchased to reach the 200 acres of wetlands for mitigation credits. An estimate of 600 acres <br />was used because not every acre acquired would have wetland potential. The MA has well in <br />excess of 1,100 river valley bottom acres which contain 234 acres of wetland/riparian habitats <br />and exceeds the project mitigation needs. The acreages presented in this document (Tables 1 and <br />2) update and supercede those of the Wetlands Mitigation Opportunities Report in the 2000 <br /> <br />1 As defined in the report, the entire La Plata River Basin ranch parcels purchased for <br />purposes of mitigation actions, to include the tracts containing the lands for the wetland/riparian <br />mitigation are referred to as the Mitigation Area (MA) unless noted differently within the text. <br /> <br />-3- <br />