Carbaryl, Carbofuran, and Methomyl - National Marine Fisheries ...

Environmental Baseline
By regulation, environmental baselines for Opinions include the past and present impacts
of all state, federal or private actions and other human activities in the action area, the
anticipated impacts of all proposed federal projects in the action area that have already
undergone formal or early section 7 consultation, and the impact of state or private
actions which are contemporaneous with the consultation in process (50 CFR §402.02).
The environmental baseline for this Opinion includes a general description of the natural
and anthropogenic factors influencing the current status of listed Pacific salmonids and
the environment within the action area.
Our summary of the environmental baseline complements the information provided in the
Status of Listed Resources section of this Opinion, and provides the background
necessary to understand information presented in the Effects of the Action, and
Cumulative Effects sections of this Opinion. We then evaluate these consequences in
combination with the environmental baseline to determine the likelihood of jeopardy or
adverse modification of designated critical habitat.
The proposed action under consultation is geographically focused on the aquatic
ecosystems in the states of California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Accordingly, the
environmental baseline for this consultation focuses on the general status and trends of
the aquatic ecosystems in these four states and the consequences of that status for listed
resources under NMFS’ jurisdiction. We describe the overall principal natural
phenomena affecting all listed Pacific salmonids under NMFS jurisdiction in the action
area.
We further describe anthropogenic factors through the predominant land and water uses
within a region, as land use patterns vary by region. Background information on
pesticides in the aquatic environment is also provided. This context illustrates how the
physical and chemical health of regional waters and the impact of human activities have
contributed to the current status of listed resources in the action area.
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