III. Decision Support Tool for Habitat Fragmentation Solutions, continued

1. Project Scoping

For habitat fragmentation assessments conducted under NEPA, the Project Scoping phase is the initial opportunity to evaluate the project location within the context of the regional landscape and habitat fragmentation issues. The evaluation process begins with the assembly of existing information prior to the agency and public scoping meetings (pre-scoping meeting steps 1 through 3) so that key elements for the landscape and resource information can be collated and provided to agency partners. Through the scoping meetings, several decisions relative to habitat fragmentation assessment would be resolved (steps 4 through 8) prior to conducting the baseline habitat fragmentation analysis during the Alternatives Analysis phase.

Pre-Scoping Meeting

Prior to the Scoping Meeting it will be useful to assemble information that can be used to guide discussions of habitat fragmentation with the objective of refining the landscape scale of the study area, defining target or focal species, and setting objectives for habitat fragmentation analysis. The following steps serve as illustrative steps for practitioners to follow or amend per their specific needs.

FIGURE 4	STEPS:
Project Scoping	Pre-Scoping Meeting: 1.0 - Define/Refine landscape scale of Study Area 2.0 - Define terrestrial and aquatic habitat network 3.0 - Establish agency partners   Scoping Meeting: 4.0 - Set Goals and Objectives with agency partners 5.0 - Define target species 6.0 - Define minimum patch size for target species 7.0 - Define and map habitat cores, corridors, and islands 8.0 - Develop GIS maps of habitat linkages and hotspots Next Step: Alternatives Analysis
Alternatives Analysis	1.0 - Complete Habitat Fragmentation Impact Analysis 1.1 - Describe fragment impact for individual habitat cores/islands/corridors and/or connectivity 1.2 - Revise Alternatives, if possible, to reduce habitat fragmentation impacts 1.3 - Evaluate potential minimization solutions 2.0 - Summarize Habitat Fragementation Analysis results on project environmental matrix 3.0 - Select the Preferred Alternative Next step: DEIS, FEIS, Record of Decision, and Permits
DEIS, FEIS, Record of Decision, and Permits	1.0 - Identify Compensatory Mitigation Opportunities 2.0 - Evaluate Compensatory Mitigation Options 3.0 - Evaluate whether compensation efforts create a net gain of habitat/functions 4.0 - Select compensatory mitigation and define monitoring and maintenance requirements

 

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