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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 4 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Environmental Consequences PAGE 4-18 present. For the proposed Project, direct impacts to Nuttall’s sandwort could occur due to habitat loss from ground disturbance, injury and/or mortality from vehicle and human trampling during construction and maintenance and increased OHV activity. Indirect impacts could occur through the degradation in habitat quality through the establishment of noxious weeds and invasive plants [e.g., cheatgrass] and increased wildland fire. In addition to RDFs described above, the following RDFs would be also be implemented to reduce direct and indirect impacts to Nuttall’s sandwort from the proposed Project: maintain intact vegetation wherever possible; minimize the blading of native plant communities during construction, consistent with safe construction practices; utilize overland travel where feasible; reseed disturbed areas using an agency approved mixture of native and non-native species or seed for revegetation as detailed in POD; and develop and incorporate a Noxious Weed and Invasive Plant Management Plan and a Fire Protection and Control Plan into the final POD. It was assumed that the occurrence of Nuttall’s sandwort will be spanned and no construction activities will disturb this occurrence. With the implementation of RDFs described above and the assumption that this occurrence will be spanned, Project construction, operation, and maintenance could impact individuals or habitat (moderate impact), but would not contribute a trend toward federal listing. Snowball Cactus Snowball cactus is a BLM Sensitive and Washington Sensitive Species. Snowball cactus ranges from eastern Washington to Nevada. In Washington, it has been found in Yakima, Kittitas, Chelan, Douglas, and Grant counties. At the regional level, fourteen populations occupying approximately 11,895 acres are known to occur. Two occurrences of snowball cactus were documented during the special status plant survey along Route Segment 1b. This species was not added to the BLM sensitive plant list until after the surveys were complete; therefore, its mapped location is based on field notes and retrospective mapping. As such, information on number of individuals and acres occupied was not collected. As all potential habitat was not surveyed, additional snowball cactus occurrences could be present. Approximately 0.3 acre of long-term disturbance and 1.9 acres of short-term disturbance in known occupied habitat are anticipated to occur along this route segment, less than 0.1 percent of the known occupied habitat of snowball cactus in the region. WNHP indicates that an additional snowball cactus occurrence is located along a 0.4-mile section of Route Segment 1b. Direct and indirect impacts that could occur and RDFs that would be implemented for snowball cactus are similar to those described above for Nuttall’s sandwort. In addition, closing access roads that are not required for operation and maintenance would minimize potential impacts from cactus collectors. With the implementation of RDFs described above and the assumption that occurrences will be spanned and avoided, Project construction, operation, and maintenance activities could impact individuals or habitat (moderate impact), but would not contribute a trend toward federal listing. 4.2.4.3 Route Segment 1c General Vegetation Route Segment 1c parallels Route Segment 1b for the majority of the route segment. Long-term disturbance to approximately 33.5 acres of land (Table 4.2-4) would occur with the construction of Route Segment 1c. Over half of the long-term disturbance, 17.2 acres, would occur in areas classified as sagebrush/perennial grassland. Construction would result in the long-term disturbance of 13.6 acres of annual grasslands, small amounts of intermittent stream/gully (0.1 acre), perennial grassland (2.0 acres), and rabbitbrush/annual grasslands (0.6 acre). Short-term disturbance would occur to approximately 32.3 acres of vegetation. General vegetation impacts are similar to those described above for Route Segment 1a/NNR-1. Disturbance would be minimized by RDFs described above that are designed to reduce impacts to vegetation resources. RDFs include using existing public roads to access structure sites, minimizing blading and disturbance to plant communities, revegetating following construction, and implementing a Noxious Weed and Invasive Plant Management Plan. Refer to Section 2.3 - Required Design Features Common to Action Alternatives for a complete list and description of RDFs.