Berners Bay is considered to be the most sensitive environmental area of concern with substantial resource and recreational values. There are serious public concerns that increased access to Berners Bay would alter recreation and resource values and change the character of the area. Although designed to minimize impacts on Berners Bay, Alternative 2 and, to a lesser extent, Alternative 4, options B and D would have substantial unavoidable impacts. These alternatives would also provide recreational access opportunities not readily available to most people. There is a substantial concentration of bald eagle nests located along the Alternative 2 alignment.
Federal requirements protect bald eagles and their nests from harm.
The alignment of Alternative 2 has been adjusted to avoid taking any trees with nests and to minimize disturbance to eagles. Continued coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and detailed engineering analysis would be necessary to ensure federal requirements are met should Alternative 2 be selected. A Steller sea lion haulout is located adjacent to Alternative 2 at Gran Point which has been designated as a Critical Habitat Area by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act and the federal Endangered Species Act protect the Steller sea lion, a threatened species, from harm. Should Alternative 2 be selected continued coordination and detailed engineering analysis would be necessary to ensure federal requirements are met.