Adverse impacts to visual resources in a historic setting can result from modifying a significant characteristic of a historic structure or landscape resource, removing a significant structure or landscape resource, or adding new, incompatible facilities in proximity to a historic site or structure. The Proposed Action does not damage or remove significant structures or landscape resources. New facilities would be designed to be compatible with the NRHP setting, and be sited outside of sensitive view corridors to the south of the historic core. Viewer sensitivity is low to new interpretive, recreation, and research facilities in an interpretive area, as these are essential to the desired experience.

Short-term adverse impacts to the historic setting include construction activities (i.e., scaffolding surrounding a building during rehabilitation work), traffic, and dust.

Beneficial impacts to visual resources in a historic setting result from restoration or rehabilitation of resources, or removal of incompatible or noncontributing facilities. The Proposed Action rehabilitates ranch features and structures listed on the NRHP using historically appropriate materials and methods, resulting in beneficial effects, by creating a scene with greater historical integrity. The Proposed Action removes incompatible facilities, such as the non-historic tennis courts and lighting, temporary storage trailer, caretaker’s house, and inappropriate landscaping.

As described in Chapter 2, Alternatives, vehicular and pedestrian areas are not delineated; years of driving and walking through and around the site have resulted in an expanded network of social roads and parking areas, and in a disorganized and unnecessarily complex network of social trails throughout the site. The Proposed Action would utilize previously impacted areas of the site for new development, to the extent possible. All unnecessary, non-contributing roads would be closed and restored with native landscape. Similarly, all non-contributing pedestrian and cattle trails would be closed and restored. Definition of vehicular and pedestrian traffic would prevent damage to existing vegetation and enhance the pedestrian and residential scale of the parcel. These activities would result in long-term beneficial effects.

All site utilities, including the leach fields, water pipelines, and electrical and communication lines, have been located in existing disturbed areas, resulting in minimal disturbance to existing intact native vegetation or historic features. Overhead electrical lines would be buried, resulting in direct beneficial effects.

Two KOP s within and directed towards the 40-acre ranch headquarters parcel represent the most important viewpoints to the public.

Adverse impacts to visual resources in a historic setting can also result from physical changes to the regional viewshed surrounding the site. Walking Box Ranch is located in the Piute- Eldorado Valley, 0.75 miles southwest of Highway 164 (Joshua Tree Highway), a major eastwest thoroughfare in southern Nevada. The flat valley floor and height of creosote-Joshua Tree vegetation prevents the ranch from being visible from most locations along Highway 164. However, ranch features are visible from Highway 164 at two locations: 1) at the junction of Highway 164 and Walking Box Ranch Road, and 2) traveling westbound along Highway 164 from Highland Mountains through the Piute-Eldorado Valley towards the Walking Box Ranch. The ranch is not visible traveling eastbound.

At the junction of Highway 164 and Walking Box Ranch Road, Walking Box Ranch is not visible with the exception of the Water Tank which is highly visible as it is aligned with Walking Box Ranch Road and painted white. The white color creates an uncharacteristic glare and contrast in context with the native vegetation. A second, thinner but taller water tank is located further southwest, also painted white, and referred to as the existing Pumphouse and Treatment Facilities, which would be removed under the Proposed Action resulting in a beneficial, longterm effect. Under the Proposed Action, the Water Tank would be painted a Shadow Grey color (from the BLM Environmental Standard Colors) to reduce glare and return it to its original, unfinished grey, steel color. Other ranch features do not come into view through the vegetation until within 0.25 miles from the ranch complex on Walking Box Ranch Road. Safety and welcome signage and other minor improvements would be constructed at the junction of Highway 164 and Walking Box Ranch Road. Viewer sensitivity is low to safety and directional signage designed as described in Chapter 2, Alternatives. Therefore, views beyond the Walking Box Ranch property would not be affected by the Proposed Action alternative.

Traveling westbound along Highway 164, the Walking Box Ranch is visible for approximately 1-4.5 miles. At lower elevations on the valley floor within 2 miles, most ranch features are screened by the creosote-Joshua Tree vegetation though a series of rectangular rooftops can be seen. As a recreational destination, the partial screening would likely result in a sense of mystery and increased visual interest in the ranch’s appearance, which would be a beneficial effect. Beyond 2 miles at higher elevations from Highway 164 ( KOP #3), the Walking Box Ranch appears as a complex of rectangular buildings with bare areas from vehicle circulation and cattle. The absence of vegetation, combined with the colors (browns, whites) and rectangular forms creates a low degree of contrast. The ranch complex (5 acres) would be comparable in scale to existing conditions and with other housing developments that occur infrequently along Highway 164 around Searchlight, and would be compatible with VRM Class II requirements.

There would be no cumulative effects to visual resources as a result of the Proposed Action.

Mitigation measures are not recommended for this resource.