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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 4 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Environmental Consequences PAGE 4-10 4.2.3.2 Special Status Plants Special status plants may be directly or indirectly impacted by construction activities. They can be directly impacted when the plants or their habitats are destroyed or altered in a way such that they can no longer survive. Special status plants growing outside the construction zone could be indirectly impacted if the effects of construction activities degrade their habitat. This could occur through soil erosion, invasion by non-native species, increased off-highway vehicle (OHV) usage, and an increase in fire (Olson 1999; Ouren et al. 2007). In addition to RDFs described above to reduce impacts to general vegetation, the following RDFs would be implemented during construction, operation, and maintenance to minimize impacts to special status plants: adhering to measures and terms and conditions developed during the consultation period under Section 7 of the ESA as specified by the USFWS; taking appropriate action (e.g., avoiding or spanning areas supporting plants, transplanting) to avoid adverse impacts on identified special status species and their habitats; delineating populations of special status plants for avoidance during construction; and developing a Plant Protection Plan to identify specific measures for the protection of special status plants. Effects Determination Effects determinations for BLM Sensitive and federally listed species that occur or have the potential to occur in the Project area are based on: known occurrences in the Project area; surveys that were conducted during the appropriate time of the year by qualified botanists; available suitable habitat in surveyed and unsurveyed areas; potential impacts from the proposed Project; and known range and rarity (Table 4.2-3). Federally Threatened, Endangered and Candidate Species Impacts to federal threatened, endangered, and candidate species are discussed below and impacts to state-listed and BLM Sensitive species are discussed further by route segment. In addition, a separate Biological Assessment, which assesses these ESA-listed species, would be prepared for the Agency Preferred Alternative. There are no known occurrences of federally listed, proposed, or candidate species within any of the route segments. Three candidate and two listed species are known or suspected to occur within the region the proposed Project is located in. To provide a regional context for special status plants, the region is defined as the Yakima River Basin and Upper Columbia River Basin watersheds. Impacts to these species are discussed below. Umtanum Desert Buckwheat The entire known range of Umtanum desert buckwheat (Eriogonum codium) is on federally owned land within the Hanford National Monument, Washington. Other potential locations within the lower Columbia River Basin were intensively searched for additional populations in 1996 and 1997; however no other populations were found. Potential threats to Umtanum desert buckwheat include fire, OHV use, low germination rates and high seedling mortality (USFWS 2010b). No occurrences of this species were found during the special status plant surveys and it is unlikely to occur in the Project area because limited potential habitat is present. Critical Habitat for Umtanum desert buckwheat, which was designated December 2013, is located outside of the Project area, approximately 1.5 miles from Route Segment 3c (USFWS 2013a). For all route segments, no effects are anticipated to occur to Umtanum desert buckwheat with the construction of the proposed Project because intensive surveys have been conducted in suitable habitat throughout the region and limited potential habitat is present within the Project area. Ute Ladies’-Tresses Ute ladies’-tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis) is known to occur in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and Canada (British Columbia). In Washington, there are four known populations: three small occurrences near the Columbia River in Chelan County and one occurrence in Okanogan County (USFWS 1995). The USFWS is currently in a review period to consider whether delisting Ute ladies’-tresses is warranted (USFWS 2004b). The riparian habitat on which Ute