Biological Opinion: Blaine Road Rehabilitation Project (Oregon Forest Highway164) Tillamook County, Oregon

摘要

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Western Federal Lands Division, inpartnership with the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and Tillamook County, proposes to rehabilitate a 4.1 mile section (milepost 6.7 to 10.8) of Blaine Road in Tillamook County, Oregon. The existing highway subgrade and embankment have been damaged by flood scour and poor subsurface drainage. The proposed action is the second phase of an overall road improvement project for Blaine Road. Phase one, which involved rehabilitation of 3.3 miles of road (milepost 10.8 to 14.1), was completed in 1994. Phase two activities would address road surface deterioration and irregularities, absent or inadequate drainage facilities, and slope failures. The intent of the proposed action is to improve traffic safety, reduce ongoing maintenance efforts and cost, and improve slope stability at various locations. The proposed action would parallel the Nestucca River between river miles 24 and 29. The Nestucca River supports Oregon Coast (OC) coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), OC steelhead (O. mykiss), and OC cutthroat trout (O. clarki clarki). The OC coho salmon Evolutionarilay Significant Unit (ESU)1 was listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on August 10, 1998 (63 FR 42587). The ESU includes all naturally spawned populations of coho salmon in Oregon coastal streams south of the Columbia River and north of Cape Blanco. Critical habitat for this species was designated on February 16, 2000 (65 FR 7764).