St. Johns/New Madrid RSEIS - Endangered Species & Wetlands ...

2.1.3 Shorebird Habitat
An interagency team developed a HEP model to analyze impacts to shorebirds in the
project area. A description of the impacts to shorebird habitat are found in section 5.4 of
the 2002 RSEIS and Appendix D of the USFWS CAR (2000). Constructing flood
damage reduction features in the St. Johns Bayou Basin would impact a total of 761.2
shorebird AAHUs. Recommended mitigation includes flooding 1,523 acres of cropland
that is shallowly flooded at a depth less than or equal to 18 inches during April and May
or 765 acres of herbaceous areas (moist soil areas).
2.1.4 Waterfowl Habitat
The Waterfowl Assessment Methodology (WAM) developed by the USFWS and the
National Biological Service was used to quantify waterfowl impacts associated with the
project. A description of the impacts to waterfowl resources is found in Section 5.5 of
the 2002 RSEIS, Appendix B of the USFWS CAR (2000), and Sections 3.3.2 and 4.3.4
of this RSEIS 2. Constructing the flood damage reduction project would result in an
increase of 545,856 and 53,374 DUDs in the St. Johns Bayou Basin and New Madrid
Floodway, respectively. However, there would be a decrease in waterfowl habitat of
204,039 DUDs during February and March in the New Madrid Floodway. There are a
variety of methods that compensate for the impacts to waterfowl during February and
March. These methods include but are not limited to flooding fallow fields/moist soil
units, flooding agricultural fields (corn, soybeans), or replanting bottomland hardwoods
on cropland with a variety of red oaks.
2.1.5 Fisheries
Impacts to fisheries are found in Section 5.6 and Appendix G (Killgore and Hoover,
2001) of the 2002 RSEIS, Appendix E of the USFWS CAR (2000), and Section 4.3.1 of
this RSEIS 2. The HEP was used to quantify impacts to fisheries. Constructing flood
damage reduction features in the St. Johns Bayou Basin and closure of the New Madrid
Floodway would impact 145 HUs of riverine habitat (in-stream habitat due to channel
modifications) and 4,213 HUs of floodplain habitat (reduction in floodplain habitat that is
utilized for spawning and rearing).
Mitigation measures that compensate for losses to riverine habitat remain unchanged
from what was discussed in Sections 6.1.3 and Section 9.1 (3) of Appendix L of the 2002
RSEIS. In-stream impacts would be mitigated by the avoidance of channel work where
the state endangered golden topminnow exists, reducing channel enlargement bottom
widths by as much as 60% of what was originally authorized, reducing channel
enlargement reaches to less than 20% of the 144 miles that were originally authorized,
avoidance of bottomland hardwoods within the ROW (66 acres) by conducting work on
one side, placement of riprap at channel intersections, installation of in-stream habitat
improvement structures, and the avoidance of a 9-foot strip along the right descending
bank in the Setback Levee Ditch.
Draft RSEIS 2
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