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• <br />Cumulative Impacts - Due to the short-term nature of the proposed activities, it is not <br />likely that the CEL activities would result in a change in cumulative noise conditions within and <br />adjacent to the CEL area. <br />No Action Alternative - There would be no alteration of ambient noise levels within or <br />adjacent to the proposed CEL area. <br />RECREATION <br />Affected Environment: Recreational resource values on USFS lands are well described in <br />the 2005 Spruce Stomp EA, and remain accurate for USFS lands. The general types and <br />intensity of recreation uses described in that document would also describe the BLM land <br />resources and uses. Big game and lion hunting remain major activities within the CEL area. <br />Currently there are 5 big game outfitters, 6 lion outfitters, and 1 horseback-riding outfitter <br />operating under Special Recreation Permits in this area. <br />Environmental Consequences/Mitigation: <br />Proposed Action - <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 />Mitigation: Drilling equipment (except for personnel conveyance) would not be mobilized <br />on or off the CEL area during the two days prior, on opening day, or on weekends during the <br />first two rifle hunting seasons. <br />Cumulative Impacts - The proposed CEL activities are unlikely to result in a detectable <br />change in recreation activities within the CEL area or surrounding areas of the Terror Creek <br />• watershed. <br />DOI-BLM-CO-S050-2010- 0017 EA Page 37 of 43 May 2010