Laserfiche WebLink
Envimnmental Assessment <br />August 2005 <br />3.3.3.2 Environmental Consequences <br />Proposed Action <br />Bowie Resources, L.L.C. <br />Federal Coal Exploration License (I50- 2005A3) <br />Effects to recreational opportunities from activities associated with the Proposed Action would <br />result in both beneficial and adverse impacts. Activities directly affecting recreation would <br />result from the construction of temporary roads and improvements to existing roads. The most <br />likely affect on recreational uses would be the increased traffic on existing roads due to drilling <br />activities. The period of time when this would be most detrimental is during the hunting season. <br />Improved access may also increase recreational use of the area. The location of the exploration <br />holes and pump sites may have short-term displacement effects on hunting activities, as well as <br />other dispersed recreation activities, including camping and picnicking; however, due to the <br />temporary nature of the Proposed Action, there would be no long -term effects. Recreational <br />users who may camp overnight or extend recreational activities beyond a day -use period may <br />experience a reduced quality of their recreational experience due to drilling activities occurring <br />24 -hours a day and the related nighttime lighting and noise. <br />Worker activities associated with exploration holes, temporary and improved access roads, <br />and/or water pumps would reduce the quality of the hunting experience for some individuals. <br />People who use the area have varying levels of attachment to the area. The degree to which <br />these recreation participants would be affected by the Proposed Action would depend on <br />individual expectations and perceptions. Short-term effects may include the potential for <br />displacement of recreational activities and reduced landscape scenic quality as a result of <br />landscape modifications caused by the Proposed Action. <br />No Action Alternative <br />For the No Action Alternative, effects to recreational opportunities would remain as they are in <br />the present condition. No changes to dispersed recreation activities would occur in the area of <br />potential affect. <br />3.3.3.3 Mitigation Measures <br />Conditions prescribed by the GMUG (Section 2.1.1) detail requirements for preserving the <br />recreational experience. Other mitigations may include the following: <br />Light shields would be installed to minimize fugitive light and restore a dark sky <br />condition for nighttime drilling activities. <br />33.4 Visual Quality <br />The area of potential affect for visual quality consists of the viewshed for each of the Proposed <br />Action components. In this analysis, viewshed is defined as the geographic area from which <br />each of the project components may be observed. Due to the remote location of the Proposed <br />Action, no sensitive visual receptors have been identified. <br />3 -37 <br />