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3.6 Biological Resources

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3.6 Biological
Resources
The Lander County Master Plan describes the typical vegetation in the county, including
salt desert shrub, big sage, mountain shrub, and Pinyon-Juniper. Wildlife present in the
area includes rodents, rabbits, mule deer, coyotes, raptors, and other birds. The
federally protected species in the county, such as the bald eagle and Lahontan cutthroat
trout, are typically found near the Humboldt River. DOE estimates that 19 square
kilometers (4,700 acres) of land would be disturbed by construction of the entire Carlin
Alignment. The greatest disturbance would occur in the sagebrush, salt-desert scrub,
and creosote bursage land cover types. The alignments would cross two Bureau of
Land Management Herd Management Areas for wild horses and burros. All alignment
alternatives would bisect the Bald Mountain herd management area. The DOE FEIS
states that the disturbance would have no discernable impact on the availability of
habitat for plants or animals. A detailed study of habitat, wildlife and migration patterns
in Lander County should be completed inc close coordination with the Bureau of Land
Management and the Nevada Department of Wildlife. Locations and designs for wildlife
crossings should be identified. The following resources are identified in the DOE FEIS.
3.7 Cultural
Resources
The DOE FEIS reports that less then three percent of the area in the Carlin Corridor has
been surveyed for archaeological resources. Additional studies of historic and
archaeological sites should be conducted to more precisely identify cultural resources in
the area.

Historic Trails and Properties
The following historic resources are identified in the DOE FEIS:
Elements of historic mining districts or historic ranches are located in Crescent,
Brass, and Big Smoky Valleys.
Battle Mountain and Austin have a substantial number of surveyed historic
properties.
The following historic trails are in the Carlin corridor:
California Emigrant Trail (a designated National Historic Trail)
Western Pacific Railroad
Salt Lake to San Francisco Transcontinental Airways Route
Jedidiah Smith Exploration Route
Pony Express Trail (a designated National Historic Trail)
Pony Express Trail near Austin

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John C. Fremont Military Reconnaissance Route
James Simpson Federal Wagon Road Route Survey
Pacific Telegraph Line
Butterfield Overland Mail & State Route
Lincoln Highway
Las Vegas to Bullfrog Stage Road

Native American Interests
Lander County is part of the traditional territory of the Western Shoshone people, who
are also referred to as the Newe. Springs, mountains and prominent rock formations are
potentially important areas for Newe religious purposes. The DOE FEIS reports that
each valley in the study area has a medium to high potential for prehistoric and historic
Native American sites. The following resources are identified in the FEIS.

All routes traverse traditional holy lands of the Southern Paiute, Western
Shoshone, and Owens Valley Paiute and Shoshone peoples.
Two Native American cemeteries are located in Crescent Valley and one is
located in Grass Valley.
Several hot springs located in Crescent Valley are used by Western Shoshone
families for ceremonies.
Late
19
th
and early 20
th
century Western Shoshone village sites are present in
Grass Valley.
There is private land ownership by Native Americans in Crescent Valley and Big
Smoky Valley.
3.8
Visual Quality and Aesthetics
The DOE FEIS evaluates visual resources according to Bureau of Land Management
classifications. The land in the Carlin Corridor in Lander County is rated as a Class IV
resource, the classification of least visual value. However, the Lander County Master
Plan identifies multiple scenic corridors, including the I-80, U.S. 50 and S.R. 305
transportation corridors. The U.S. 50 corridor crosses the Carlin corridor. Big Smoky
Valley also contains some of the countys most valuable visual resources. The Lander
County Master Plan indicates that development should be set back from roadways to
maintain scenic resources. Design of the Carlin Alignment should minimize the visual
impact from roads and area residences.

3.9 Summary
The environmental impacts described in this chapter are summarized in Table 3-13
below. Physical constraints in the project area include roadway crossings, steep
topography, ground subsidence near the Cortez Gold Mine, and waterway and floodplain
crossings. Community-based impacts include potential for increased commercial
development, the influx of temporary construction workers and associated housing, and
impacts to rangelands, visual resources and cultural resources.







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Table 3.13 Impact Summary


Type of Impact
Impact
1.
Mining
Potential temporary negative impact if access to the Cortez Mine is
closed during construction. Potential moderate positive impact if
sidings are constructed for use by mine operations.
2.
Agricultural lands
Negative impact on grazing (up to 292 square miles of grazing
allotments are in the Carlin corridor), potential minor positive Impact on
equipment shipping costs.
3.
Increased
commercial/
industrial land
development
Minor positive impacts, with potential for development at industrial
areas in Battle Mountain, near the Austin airport and at the U.S. 50
interchange.
4.
Emergency
response
employment
Potential moderate positive impact if training, staffing, equipment and
emergency response facilities are funded by DOE.
5.
Yucca Mountain
Project economic
activities
Moderate positive impact from construction, operations and secondary
employment.
6.
Population
Initial temporary increase during construction. Minor population gain
over the long term.
7.
Employment
Minor impact from temporary construction employment and potential
mining employment increase if commercial access to rail spur is
provided.
8.
Housing
Minor impact from temporary need for housing for construction workers
& permanent housing need for new residents. Vacancy rates indicate
that housing is available.
9.
Displacements and
relocations
No impact (0 displacements).
10.
Private land
ownership
Minor impact: up to 13.6 square miles of private land are within the 3
mile corridor of the Primary Carlin Alignment, with between 0.3 and 0.7
square miles in the Alternative 1 and 2 corridors.
11.
Land use planning
Moderate impacts from increased residential and commercial
development. Potential negative impact if access limitations restrict
use of public lands in the corridor.
12.
Community
resources
No impact to community facilities (0 schools, churches or medical
facilities in the project corridor). Potential impact to hunting and
outdoor recreation activities.
13.
Environmental
Justice
Potential impact to low income communities.

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Type of Impact
Impact
14.
Transportation
Potential impacts: 16 road crossings for Primary Carlin Alignment, 11
crossings for Alternatives 1 & 2; potential road closures; construction of
new access roads.
15.
Visual
Potential impact in Big Smoky Valley and at the U.S. 50 crossing.
Source: Parsons Brinckerhoff

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4.0
Summary
This report evaluates the potential impacts that could result from the construction and
operation of the Carlin rail line in Lander County, with an emphasis on economic
development opportunities. The Lander County mining and agricultural industries could
experience positive economic impacts from the railroad, if commercial access is
permitted. Construction and operation of the rail line, as well as the associated
emergency response services, would generate employment opportunities. However,
access limitations, including restrictions on cattle movement if the right of way is fenced,
would cause negative impacts.

Community impacts of accident-free transportation are minimal due to the low population
density in the Carlin corridor. The potential exists for environmental impacts, including
impacts to floodplains, water resources, wildlife habitat and archaeolog