November 15, 2011 Nate Farnsworth Planner/Development Services Department City of Rancho Santa Margarita 22112 El Paseo Rancho Santa Margarita, California 92688-2824 Subject: Chiquita Ridge Biological Assessment and Constraints Report Dear Mr. Farnsworth: This letter reports the methodology and results of a biological literature review, site visit, and a biological constraint assessment conducted for lands owned and managed by the City of Rancho Santa Margarita known as Chiquita Ridge. The Chiquita Ridge property encompasses 92-acres of mostly undeveloped lands located in the City of Rancho Santa Margarita, Orange County, California. Site Location The Chiquita Ridge property (study site) is located in the City of Rancho Santa Margarita in Orange County, California (Figures 1 and 2). The study site is located within Township 6 South, Range 7 West, Section 33 as mapped on the Canada Gobernadora, California U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 7.5-minute quadrangle (USGS 1997). Specifically, the site is located southeast of the intersection of Tijeras Creek Road and Antonio Parkway and is immediately south of Canada Vista Park. Regulatory Setting Regulatory setting as presented in the Attachment A refers to potentially applicable laws, regulations, and policies that provide protection to biological resources and pose requirements on project proponents when potentially affecting such resources. In terms of biology, these laws, regulations, and policies are enforced by responsible and trustee agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and CDFG, as well as local jurisdictions and habitat conservation plans such as the County of Orange and the Orange County Southern Subregion Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP/HCP). These laws, regulations, and policies were developed to protect special-status and other sensitive biological resources including but not limited to plants, wildlife, wetlands, streams and rivers and their associated riparian areas and other upland plant communities afforded special protection such as coastal sage scrub. A brief review of applicable laws, regulations, and policies considered here in the context of future development of the property is provided in Attachment A. Home Gardens Placentia Yorba Linda Woodcrest 91 SantaSanta AnaAna RiverRiver Anaheim 91 Corona Walnut Canyon Reservoir Olive Hills Reservoir El Cerrito LakeLake MathewsMathews Villa Park Orange Flood Control Basin Irvine Reg Park Lake Orange Irvine Reg Park Lake PetersPeters CanyonCanyon ReservoirReservoir 22 IrvineIrvine LakeLake 241 15 55 Tustin Foothills TemescalTemescal WashWash 5 55 LeeLee LakeLake Santa Ana 261 Tustin Rattlesnake Reservoir 261 SiphonSiphon ReservoirReservoir Heritage Park Lake 241 Cleveland National Forest 133 LambertLambert ReservoirReservoir Foothill Ranch Lake Elsinore Costa Mesa North Lake Portola Hills 241 SanSan DiegoDiego CreekCreek Irvine Lake Elsinore Upper Oso Reservoir Lake Elsinore William R Mason Reg Park Lake 405 Lake Forest LakeLake SantaSanta MargaritaMargarita SandSand CanyonCanyon ReservoirReservoir Study Site Lakeland Village Reservoir LagunaLaguna ReservoirReservoir LakeLake MissionMission ViejoViejoRancho Santa Margarita Newport Beach VeehVeeh ReservoirReservoir ElEl ToroToro ReservoirReservoir San Joaquin Hills Laguna Woods BarbarasBarbaras LakeLake Mission Viejo Newport Coast Laguna Hills Coto de Caza 74 Las Flores Crystal Cove State Park Aliso Viejo EmeraldEmerald BayBay Sulphur Creek Reservoir Crescent BayLaguna Beach Sulphur Creek Reservoir 73 1 Laguna Niguel Woods Cove San Juan Capistrano Lake SanSan JuanJuan CreekCreek Lake 5 Doheny State BeachPalisadesPalisades ReservoirReservoir EastEast BasinBasin Dana Point Harbor Kern Dana Point San Clemente Case Springs Lake San Bernardino Los Angeles San Clemente State Beach Riverside Orange 0 2.5 5 P a c i f i c San Diego Miles O c e a n Source: ESRI StreetMap North America (2008) PacificPacific OceanOcean USA MEXICO K:\Irvine\GIS\Projects\City_of_Rancho_Santa_Margarita\00794_11\mapdoc\RRFigure_1_chaquita_ridge_1122011.mxd) PulgasPulgas LakeLake Figure 1 Regional Vicinity Map Chiquita Ridge Iwata Legend Bella Charca Study Site Boundary Amantes Estero Verde Alondra Pinzon Sagrado Villena Skyline Empanada Pomelo Helena Telura Casanal La Noche Olympiad Rd Sillero Reata Botorrita Sendero Regato Tijeras Creek Antonio Pky Woodsong 0 250 500 1,000 Feet Source: Digital Globe Imagery CrestviewDr (2008) MeanderingTrl K:\Irvine\GIS\Projects\City_of_Rancho_Santa_Margarita\00794_11\mapdoc\RRFigure_2_chaquita_ridge_1122011.mxd & RR (11-03-11) SS K:\Irvine\GIS\Projects\City_of_Rancho_Santa_Margarita\00794_11\mapdoc\RRFigure_2_chaquita_ridge_1122011.mxd Oso Pky Figure 2 Study Site Boundary Chiquita Ridge City of Rancho Santa Margarita November 15, 2011 Page 2 of 12 Methodology Literature Review Potential biological resource issues within the area of the study site were identified through a review of existing information, including a search of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) database and California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB). A query of the CNPS database and CNDDB included the following USGS 7.5-minute California quadrangles: Canada Gobernadora, and surrounding quadrangles: Santiago Peak, Alberhill, Sitton Peak, Margarita Peak, San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, and El Toro. Attachment B provides a list of special-status species and communities reported in the databases for these quadrangles. Additional information reviewed included the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Web Soil Survey (NRCS 2011) the latest USFWS critical habitat maps were reviewed for the study site. Field Investigation On October 26, 2011, ICF International staff biologists Phillip Richards and Paul Schwartz conducted a general biological reconnaissance of the study site. The site visit was conducted between 1238 and 1703 hours with weather conditions consisting of clear skies, temperatures ranging from 68 Fahrenheit (F) to 71 F, and winds ranging from 0 to 3 miles per hour (mph). The survey was performed by walking meandering transects throughout the study site. During the site visit, all ˚ plant and wildlife species˚ observed were recorded in field notes. Plants were detected and identified through direct sight based on previous experience with the species or using the Jepson Manual, Higher Plants of California (Hickman 1993). Nomenclature and common names were taken from The Vascular Plants of Orange County, California, an Annotated Checklist (Roberts 2008). Special-status rankings for plant species were identified through a review of the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) Special Plants, Bryophytes and Lichens List (CDFG 2011b). Wildlife species were detected by sight, calls, tracks, scat, or other sign. Special-status rankings for wildlife were identified through a review of the CDFG Special Animals List (CDFG 2011c). Unless otherwise stated, plant communities were mapped in accordance with the Orange County Habitat Classification System (OCHCS) (County of Orange 1992) which is based on the Preliminary Description of the Terrestrial Natural Communities (Holland 1986). Vegetation mapping was conducted in the field using a recent aerial photograph at a scale of approximately 1 inch = 300 feet. Observed plant and animal species observed are listed in Attachment C. Representative photographs are provided in Attachment D. Results Topography and Land Use The study site is in a mostly open area located between Antonio Parkway to the west, the 241 Toll Road to the east, and Canada Vista Park to the north. The only development on the study site City of Rancho Santa Margarita November 15, 2011 Page 3 of 12 consists of a paved road (accessed from Antonio Parkway), a large municipal water storage tank, and one single story ancillary structure. The developed portion of the study site is located near the center of the site and is completely surrounded by a chain-linked fence. The remainder of the site is undeveloped open space comprised of a mix of ridges and shallow canyons supporting a mixture of grasslands and coastal sage scrub. Several earthen drainage features are located on the site, including two primary ephemeral drainage features which convey flows east to west and off-site under Antonio Parkway into Tijeras Creek. The elevation of the site ranges from approximately 680 to 1,000 feet above mean sea level (AMSL). Soils According to the USDA NRCS soil survey, the soils associations located on and/or adjacent to the study site include the following: Bosanko Clay-9 to 15 percent slopes, Bosanko Clay-15 to 30 percent slopes, Bosanko Clay-30 to 50 percent slopes, Bosanko-Balcom Complex-15 to 30 percent slopes, Botella Clay Loam-2 to 9 percent slopes, Botella Clay Loam-9 to 15 percent slopes, Calleguas Clay Loam-50 to 75 percent slopes-eroded, Cieneba Sandy Loam-30 to 75 percent slopes-eroded, and Soboba Gravelly Loamy Sand-0 to 5 percent slopes. Plant Communities Plant communities mapped within the study site include: Developed, Cleared/Graded, Annual Grassland, California Sagebrush – California Buckwheat Scrub/Southern Coastal Needlegrass Grassland, California Sagebrush – California Buckwheat Scrub, and Mulefat Scrub. Figure 3 depicts the distribution of vegetation communities throughout the study site. Table 1 summarizes the approximate acreages of the vegetation communities mapped within the study site. Table 1. Plant Communities Abbreviation Vegetation