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CHAPTER FOUR Impacts from Recreation Management. Increased surface disturbance and lowering of scenic quality would result from OHV use that could occur in areas that are now closed to OHV use (42,862 acres) or where motorized traffic is noW limited to designated routes yearlong (92,<n:1 acres). CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ON VISUAL RESOURCES The combined effect of management actions identified in this alternative could result in a reduction of the visual quality in most of the planning area, as a result of changes in 0 HV designations, and VRM class objectives on VRM class I lands (-35,750 acres), VRM class II lands (-37,8n acres), VRM class III lands (-115,834 acres), and VRM class IV lands (+ 291,464 acres). IMPACTS ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES IMPACTS FROM PROPOSED MANAGEMENT ACTIONS Impacts from Archaeological and Historical Resource Management. The gathering of archaeological or historical information required by law in response to project development or disturbance would contribute to our current knowledge and data base. However, any physical disturbance and extraction of information from sites, other than that for documentation, would remove that data from context, and destroy the integrity of sites. Impacts from Recreation Management. Vandalism, damage to, and illegal removal of archaeological or historical materials from sites would result from recreation visitor use, such as OHV use and hiking at some locations in the Planning Area. CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES Existing policies, procedures, and regulations would provide for the protection, preservation and enhancement of archaeological sites from authorized projects. Effects from other dispersed activities, and nature, are not subject to standard operating procedures; thus these effects would not be mitigated, and preventative or corrective actions would not be implemented. Recreation visitor use would result in some increased vandalism, theft, and destruction of archaeological sites. IMPACTS ON RIGHTS-OF-WAY IMPACTS FROM PROPOSED MANAGEMENT ACTIONS Impacts from Rights-of-Way and Rights-of-Way Corridor Management. Designation of east-to-west . and north-to-south rights-of-way corridors would allow major utility applicants to plan for and design projects without the need to investigate and analyze alternate routes. Designating 120 acres of public lands as rights-of-way exclusion areas and 1,150 acres as rights-of-way avoidance areas would result in additional costs to utility companies in planning, designing, and constructing facilities around these areas. Seasonal restrictions on rights-of-way related construction, such as powerlines and waterlines, could increase applicant's costs. CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ON RIGHTS-OF-WAY Designating 1,270 acres of public land as either rights- of-way exclusion or avoidance areas, and restricting rights-of-way related construction on 8,322 acres seasonally would increase the cost of these projects. Designating east-to-west and north-to-south rights-of- way corridors would decrease the cost of those projects which would be authorized in the corridors. SHORT- TERM VB. LONG- TERM PRODUCTIVITY Trade-offs between short-term uses and long-term productivity of resources have been identified. For this analysis, short-term refers to the period of implementation of this plan which is approximately 10 years, and long-term refers to at least a 2O-year period or beyond during which the adverse or beneficial impacts of the proposal would still occur. 4-38