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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 3 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Affected Environment PAGE 3-102 The estimated Sage-Grouse population range does not overlap the Route Segment 3a ROW, and none of the population range is within four miles of the route segment (Figure 3.3-4). No active or inactive leks are known to occur within four miles of this route segment; one historic lek occurs within four miles of this route segment (Table 3.3-5). 3.3.4.9 Route Segment 3b Route Segment 3b roughly parallels the western side of the Columbia River and Priest Rapids Reservoir for the entirety of its 21.7-mile length, at a distance from the river ranging from approximately 30 feet to 0.7 mile. This route segment would cross five creeks as well as several un-named ephemeral drainages that are seasonally moist and with little or no riparian vegetation present. Terrestrial vegetation is dominated by sagebrush/perennial grassland (16,272 acres, 55 percent) and perennial grassland (3,877 acres, 13 percent; Table 3.3-2). Open water composes 25 percent of the landcover (7,368 acres) and riparian vegetation comprises 1.4 percent of the area (414 acres). The area provides habitat for upland shrub-steppe and grassland species, as well as fish and other aquatic and riparian species. Numerous special status species and priority habitats occur within and along the Columbia River and nearby upland habitats. The Hanford Reach supports the larger of the only two remaining healthy naturally spawning fall Chinook salmon populations in the Columbia River System (Nugent et al. 2002). Route Segment 3b parallels the Hanford Reach for 2.7 miles and parallels the Priest Rapids Reservoir for the remainder of its length. Bull trout, steelhead (Upper Columbia River), coho salmon, chum salmon, leopard dace, mountain sucker, pacific lamprey, sockeye salmon, tui chub, and Umatilla dace also are known or likely to occur in the Columbia River near Route Segment 3b. Priest Rapids Reservoir is a waterfowl concentration area. Other aquatic species such as white pelicans, common loons, Caspian terns, and Forester’s terns concentrate in Priest Rapids Reservoir as well, though breeding has not been documented. A breeding colony of black-crowned night-heron and great blue heron occurs on an island near the south end of Priest Rapids Reservoir, and large numbers of Canada geese breed on islands at the north end of the Reservoir. The Moran Slough wetlands, located just downstream of Priest Rapids Dam and north of the river also provide habitat for waterfowl and other aquatic species. Night snake and sagebrush lizard, occur in sandy grasslands along this route. Loggerhead shrike and black-tailed jackrabbit occur in the shrub-steppe habitat west of the Columbia River. Pallid bats have been detected acoustically along the route segment. Most of Route Segment 3b is within a mule deer regular concentration area, and several large pockets of steep rocky are chukar concentration areas. Designated elk winter range occurs just within one mile of the route segment, at the southern end. Basalt cliffs and bluffs along the route segment provide nesting substrates for raptors. Several nests of golden eagles, peregrine falcons, and prairie falcons have been documented on these cliffs. Two bald eagle nests have been documented along the Priest Rapid Reservoir shoreline and winter roost habitat on the east side of the Reservoir is also within one mile of Route Segment 3b. Some of the patchy riparian/wetland/upland habitat along the east shore of Priest Rapids Reservoir also hosts a population of ring-necked pheasants. Most of the route segment ROW is within the Yakima Training Center Sage-Grouse MU (Regularly Occupied Habitat) and the remainder is within a Tier 3 MU (Occasionally Occupied Habitat; Table 3.3- 8). The eight-mile wide Sage-Grouse analysis area also encompasses area set aside by JBLM YTC as a primary protection zone for Sage-Grouse. Fire history records indicate that large portions of Route Segment 3b have burned since the late 1980s. The eight-mile wide Sage-Grouse analysis area for Route Segment 3b contains 81,970 acres of suitable Sage-Grouse habitat (59 percent of the analysis area), 2,888 acres of marginal habitat (2 percent), and 55,339 acres of unsuitable habitat (39 percent; Table 3.3-9).