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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 4 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Environmental Consequences PAGE 4-63 training Pacific Power and its contractors on fire safety, minimizing fire hazards, and how to safely suppress a fire until firefighters can respond. See Section 4.12 - Wildland Fire Ecology and Management for more information on potential wildland fire impacts. Habitat Connectivity Impairment A potential indirect effect of habitat loss is habitat fragmentation, which may affect wildlife habitat connectivity and predation risk. Fragmentation of habitat may be caused by the replacement of sagebrush- steppe with early successional grassland habitat or by the presence of the infrastructure which may cause wildlife behavioral avoidance of the Project ROW, even where habitat is not directly removed. Loss of connectivity through habitat fragmentation may inhibit daily movements of animals within their home- ranges as well as migration movements. Fragmentation may also inhibit dispersal ability, leading to greater isolation among habitat patches (Saunders et al. 1991; WHCWG 2010 and 2012; Robb and Schroeder 2012). Fragmentation may increase the risk of predation by attracting predators. Howe et al. (2014) found a positive correlation between sagebrush-steppe/annual grassland habitat edge and density of common ravens (Corvus corax), a common predator of many wildlife species. Maintenance and restoration of habitat connectivity has important implications for the genetic and demographic health of wildlife populations. Anthropogenic features and land uses can reduce connectivity by fragmenting habitat and hindering the movement of wildlife. Fragmented landscapes with reduced connectivity support fewer animals and isolated local populations face higher local extinction rates and lower likelihood of recolonization as well as loss of genetic diversity (Beissinger and McCullough 2002). Given predicted climate change, connectivity conservation may have especially important implications in the future as species must move to adapt to changing vegetation patterns and shifting habitats (Heller and Zavaleta 2009). Development and agriculture have fragmented sagebrush- steppe within Washington and habitat connectivity is degraded and threatened for many species (WHCWG 2010). The WHCWG was formed to address the need to identify the most important areas for maintaining and enhancing habitat connectivity within the state. The partnership is among several state and federal agencies, tribes, and non-governmental organizations and is co-led by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The WHCWG has completed a statewide connectivity analysis (WHCWG 2010) and a Columbia Plateau connectivity analysis (WHCWG 2012). The general WHCWG analyses identified the “Connected Backbone”, running north-south through JBLM YTC, as the most important linkage zone in the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion. A second important corridor in the JBLM YTC area was identified as the “Lower Crab Creek Linkage Zone”, stretching east from JBLM YTC and facilitating east-west movement between the “Connected Backbone” and another north-south band in eastern Washington, the Braided Scablands Swath” (WHCWG 2012). The proposed Project has potential to impede connectivity among wildlife populations, with implications for the genetic and demographic health of the populations. While the most important linkage areas vary by species, each of the Action Alternatives has potential to reduce connectivity for wildlife species. RDFs aimed at reducing effects of habitat loss, human disturbance, and predation are anticipated to minimize impairment of connectivity for wildlife species. These include: minimizing construction sites within native plant communities; maintaining intact vegetation wherever possible; minimizing the blading of native plant communities during construction while being consistent with safe construction practices; utilizing overland travel where feasible; reseeding disturbed areas using an agency-approved mixture of native and non-native species or seed for revegetation as detailed in the POD; restricting construction and maintenance activities during sensitive periods; avoiding construction during the bird nesting season when possible or conducting pre-construction clearance surveys and buffering active nests by at least 100 feet; conducting pre-construction clearance surveys for Sage-Grouse in overland access areas; restricting