Klamath Falls Record of Decision: Special Areas

Special Areas

Objectives

Provide new special areas where needed to maintain or protect important values.

Maintain, protect, or restore relevant and important value(s) of areas of critical environmental concern.

Preserve, protect, or restore native species composition and ecological processes of biological communities (including Oregon Natural Heritage Plan terrestrial and aquatic cells) in research natural areas. These areas will be available for short- or long-term scientific study, research, and education and will serve as a baseline against which human impacts on natural systems can be measured.

Provide and maintain environmental education opportunities in environmental education areas. Control uses to minimize disturbance of educational values.

Protect, maintain, and/or restore botanical and wildlife habitat values in special botanical/wildlife habitat areas.

Land Use Allocations

Management Actions/Direction

Develop site-specific management plans for new special areas as needed. Protect resource values in new areas pending completion of management plans. Management plans will address other possible actions such as land acquisition, use of prescribed fire, and interpretation.

Apply the guidelines of the prevailing land use allocation(s) to candidate areas of critical environmental concern that were dropped from further consideration. See Appendix F for a list of these areas and the land use allocations under which they will be managed.

Use minimum impact suppression activities during wildfires.

The following areas are designated areas of critical environmental concern and are provided the following management:

Miller Creek: 2,000 acres, from Gerber dam to the Goodlow Rim, 200 feet either side of canyon rim. Maintain, protect, or restore natural processes, wildlife, and scenic values. Not available for planned timber harvest; restrict grazing; mineral leasing subject to no surface occupancy; close area to off-highway vehicle use (except Round Valley Road area); provide for primitive and semi-primitive recreation opportunities, including a trail along Miller Creek.
Upper Klamath River: 4,960 acres, 11 miles of the Klamath River canyon from rim to rim extending from J.C. Boyle powerhouse to the Oregon- California State line. Maintain, protect, or restore historic, cultural, scenic, fisheries, wildlife populations and habitat. Not available for planned timber harvest; limit off-highway vehicle use to designated roads; no developments allowed to enhance the potential for grazing; mineral leasing subject to no surface occupancy, not available for hydroelectric development. Manage area for semi-primitive motorized recreation opportunities.
Yainax Butte: 720 acres, isolated mountain eight miles south of Beatty, Oregon. Maintain, protect, or restore natural processes and systems. Not available for planned timber harvest; open to grazing, but fence if necessary to protect plant communities from grazing; limit off-highway vehicle use to existing roads; mineral leasing subject to no surface occupancy. Manage area for semi-primitive motorized recreation opportunities.

The following area are designated Areas of Critical Environmental Concern/Research Natural Area:

Old Baldy: 520 acres (Klamath Falls Resource Area +160 acres Medford District BLM). High elevation mixed conifer forests and associated brush fields to fill Research Natural Area cell. Preserve, protect, or restore natural processes or system. No timber harvest, firewood, or salvage sales; closed to off-highway vehicle use; area to remain free of cattle use with no developments allowed to enhance the potential for grazing. Mineral leasing subject to no surface occupancy; closed to mineral entry. Manage area for semi-primitive non-motorized recreation opportunities .

The following environmental education areas will be provided and maintained:

Clover Creek: 30 acres; an area adjacent to a tributary of Spencer Creek used by elementary classes for educational purposes (annual forestry tour). Manage and maintain area for educational values as presented in forestry tour and for recreation. Consider development of adjacent area for parking of large vehicles (busses) and provide day-use facilities. Make parking area available as a winter sno-park. Restrict timber harvest; open to off-highway vehicle use; open to grazing use; mineral leasing subject to no surface occupancy.
Surveyor Forest Area: 150 acres; an area adjacent to Surveyor Recreation site, old growth, mixed conifer forest with meadows along the headwaters of Johnson Creek. Manage and maintain educational values, natural processes, scenic values, and wildlife habitat. Not available for planned timber harvest; limit off-highway vehicle use to designated roads; control grazing by fencing; mineral leasing subject to no surface occupancy. Manage area for semi-primitive recreation opportunities. Develop informational, educational, interpretive trail to highlight old growth education and riparian-wetland ecosystems.

The following Special Botanical/Habitat Areas will be protected/maintained and/or restored:

Alkali Lake: 240 acres; wetland area in Yonna Valley between Dairy and Bonanza, Oregon. Protect, maintain, and/or restore wildlife habitat area. Open to off-highway vehicle use (no public access); actively pursue land exchange and legal access opportunities; mineral leasing subject to no surface occupancy; control grazing by fencing.
Tunnel Creek Wetlands: 280 acres; Lodgepole pine swamp located between Keno Road and Buck Lake. Protect, maintain, and/or restore natural systems or processes. Restrict timber harvest; limit off-highway vehicle use to designated roads; control grazing by fencing; mineral leasing subject to no surface occupancy.
Bumpheads: 50 acres; volcanic formations at the south end of the Gerber Block. Preserve, protect, or restore natural processes or system, and scenic resources; limit off-highway vehicle use to existing roads; control grazing by fencing; mineral leasing subject to no surface occupancy.

The following two areas, while not falling into one of the above land use allocations, will receive special management attention (see Appendix F).

Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail
Spencer Creek