ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
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ALTERNATIVE A: NO ACTION
This section evaluates the potential impacts of the no-action alternative.
Biotic Communities
Vegetation
Under the no-action alternative, impacts to vegetation associated with the
existing Highway 62 West corridor would result from continued highway
maintenance activities. Maintenance activities would
occasionally remove vegetation from road shoulders as they are regraded for
safety or bladed during snow removal. Vegetation near the highway would be
subject to breakage under the deep snow removed from the road surface and
deposited adjacent to the highway. There would be no change to biotic
communities from the no-action alternative; however, the existing condition
constitutes a localized, long-term, negligible, and adverse effect to
vegetation.
Wildlife
Under the no-action alternative, impacts to wildlife associated with the
existing Highway 62 West corridor would result from continued traffic on the
highway. Wildlife species crossing this highway would be subject to injury and
death due to collision with vehicles. Some sensitive wildlife species would
probably avoid the highway due to vehicle noise, motion, and human presence, or
would only pass through the area when traffic had abated. There would be no
change to biotic communities from the no-action alternative; however, the
existing condition constitutes a localized, long-term, negligible, and adverse
effect to wildlife.
Cumulative Impacts. Past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions
include fire management using prescribed burning and construction projects
related to waterlines and lagoons in Munson Valley. Prescribed burns would
emulate a natural occurrence under controlled conditions that would result in
short-term, adverse impacts to vegetation, individual wildlife, and habitat;
however, the long-term effect from prescribed burns would be beneficial as the
health of the plant communities would improve, and habitat would be more diverse
for wildlife. Construction in the Munson Valley would result in temporary to
long-term adverse effects on biotic communities on a localized site. This
alternative would contribute negligibly to the cumulative impacts on biotic
communities.
Conclusion. There would be a continuing impact to vegetation invading onto and
growing adjacent to road shoulders and wildlife in general due to vehicle
collisions resulting from the no-action alternative. The impacts would be
limited to vegetation and wildlife habitat adjacent to highway and parking lot
surfaces and considered local, long term, negligible, and adverse. The
cumulative effect of the no-action alternative would be short and long term,
negligible, and adverse to vegetation and wildlife resources.
Because there would be no major adverse impacts to a resource or value whose
conservation is (1) necessary to fulfill specific purposes identified in the
park’s establishing legislation, (2) key to the natural or cultural integrity of
the park or to opportunities for enjoyment of the park, or (3) identified as a
goal in the park’s General Management Plan or other relevant National Park
Service planning documents, there would be no impairment of park resources or
values related to biotic communities at Crater Lake National Park.
