What does “hydrologic connectivity” mean in RCO #2?
In RCO #2, “hydrologic connectivity” refers to the ease of movement, or rates of exchange, with which water, energy, nutrients, and organisms pass from one area to another. Human activities such as construction of roads and trails or degradation of stream banks and meadows can alter or disrupt hydrologic connectivity. This disruption can negatively affect nutrient availability to organisms, limit the availability of suitable habitat, change the pattern of streamflow resulting in different hydrologic processes and result in the decline of riparian or aquatic dependent species. A more detailed explanation can be found in SNFPA FEIS Volume 2, Chapter 3, part 3.4 – page 201. The scale of landscape analysis to assess the opportunities to restore or maintain hydrologic connectivity need not be a “huge undertaking” and is tied to the scale of the local project being considered.
