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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 4 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Environmental Consequences PAGE 4-105 Black-tailed jackrabbit have been documented in several locations within one mile of Route Segment NNR-2. All documented observations were in the 1990s. Potential impacts to black-tailed jackrabbits include a reduction and degradation of habitat, disturbance and displacement from habitats, increased predation from avian predators, increased human activity, introduction and spread of noxious weeds, and injury or mortality due to collision with construction equipment. RDFs to address the impacts are described in Sections 4.3.3.1 and 4.3.3.2. Impact levels to black-tailed jackrabbits are expected to be moderate for 4.9 miles. Pallid bats were detected via acoustic equipment in 1994. They were detected near the riparian vegetation in Selah Creek, approximately 0.75 mile from the route segments’ ROW corridor; though, the species commonly uses upland habitats like sagebrush-steppe, as well. The route segment will span the Selah Creek Canyon and avoid disturbing riparian vegetation. The RDFs to address habitat loss and degradation (Section 4.3.3.1) will reduce impacts to pallid bats. Route Segment NNR-2 is expected to have no identifiable impacts to pallid bats. The majority of habitat disturbance associated with Route Segment NNR-2 would be located within the Regularly Occupied Habitat MU for Sage-Grouse. Construction activities would disturb less than one percent of Regularly Occupied Habitat (Table 4.3-7). The majority of disturbance for this route segment would occur in habitat that has been disturbed in the past and is currently dominated by rabbitbrush, exotic annual grasses, and developed areas, such as agricultural and residential areas. Approximately 4.4 acres of disturbance is predicted to occur within suitable Sage-Grouse habitat, 11.5 acres of disturbance is anticipated to occur in marginal habitat, and 8.8 acres within unsuitable habitat (Table 4.3-8). But given the proximity of the route segment to surrounding disturbance and urban development, it is doubtful that the immediate area would be used by Sage-Grouse. With the implementation of RDFs (refer to Sections 4.3.3.1 and 4.3.3.2), the scale of disturbance and degradation to Sage-Grouse habitat is anticipated to be low for the entire 5.1 miles of the route segment. Existing perching, roosting and nesting sites for avian predators are available along Route Segment NNR-2 from buildings, trees, and fences associated with developed areas and existing low-voltage distribution and 230 kV H-frame transmission lines. Construction of Route Segment NNR-2 would require an estimated 48 new structures; approximately 21 (44 percent) would be located greater than 0.25 mile from an existing transmission line (Table 4.3-5). The estimated Sage-Grouse population range does not overlap the Route Segment NNR-2 ROW (Figure 3.3-4). Approximately 1.2 miles of Route Segment NNR-2 is within four miles of an active lek. All structures within four miles of the active lek would be visually obstructed by terrain and, therefore, not visible from the lek. The lek is described in Section 4.3.3.3 Sage-Grouse. Potential impacts to lekking Sage-Grouse would be minimized by the implementation of RDFs (refer to Sections 4.3.3.1 and 4.3.3.2). Lek impact levels are anticipated to be low for 3.9 miles and moderate for 1.2 miles. 4.3.4.12 Route Segment NNR-3 Approximately 45.3 acres of long-term and 7.1 acres of short-term disturbance would occur through the construction of Route Segment NNR-3. Permanently disturbed areas would include 39.8 acres of sagebrush/perennial grassland and 2.0 acres of sagebrush/annual grassland (Table 4.3-4). Perennial grassland accounts for most of the short-term (5.2 acres) and remaining long-term (2.9 acres) disturbance. Other disturbed habitat includes 0.6 acre of annual grassland/noxious weeds, 0.4 acre of agriculture/ disturbed, and 1.5 acres of rock/basalt cliffs. RDFs would be implemented to minimize habitat loss and degradation, as described in Section 4.3.3.1. Impact levels to habitat are expected to be low for 1.6 miles and moderate for 7.7 miles (sagebrush/perennial grassland for 7.0 miles and sagebrush/annual grassland for 0.7 miles).