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Longhorn Fairy Shrimp Research EA

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Longhorn Fairy Shrimp Research EA Longhorn Fairy Shrimp Habitat Research in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties Environmental Assessment U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation March 2017 Mission Statements The Department of the Interior protects and manages the Nation's natural resources and cultural heritage; provides scientific and other information about those resources; and honors its trust responsibilities or special commitments to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and affiliated island communities The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. List of Abbreviations and Acronyms BPRP Brushy Peak Regional Preserve CCWD Contra Costa Water District CFR Code of Federal Regulations CVP Central Valley Project CVPCP Central Valley Project Conservation Program EBRPD East Bay Regional Park District Geographic Information System GPS Global Positioning System LARPD Livermore Area Recreation and Park District LFS Longhorn Fairy Shrimp NHPA National Historic Properties Act USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service VCRP Vasco Caves Regional Preserve Contents Page Section 1 Introduction ................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ........................................................................................... 1 1.2 Need for the Proposal............................................................................ 1 Section 2 Alternatives Including the Proposed Action............................... 3 2.1 No Action Alternative ........................................................................... 3 2.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................... 3 Section 3 Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences ....... 8 3.1 Resources Not Analyzed in Detail ........................................................ 8 3.1.1 Cultural Resources .......................................................................... 8 3.1.2 Indian Trust Assets ......................................................................... 8 3.1.3 Indian Sacred Sites .......................................................................... 8 3.1.4 Environmental Justice ..................................................................... 8 3.2 Biological Resources .......................................................................... 10 3.2.1 Affected Environment ................................................................... 10 3.2.2 Environmental Consequences ....................................................... 11 Section 4 Consultation and Coordination ................................................. 12 4.1 Central Valley Project Conservation Program Technical Team ......... 12 4.2 ESA Consultation................................................................................ 12 Section 5 References .................................................................................... 13 Appendix A Cultural Resources Compliance................................................... 15 Appendix B Indian Trust Assets Compliance .................................................. 17 Appendix C Sensitive Species Within 5 Miles of the Research Area ............. 21 Appendix D Endangered Species Act Compliance .......................................... 24 Section 1 Introduction 1.1 Background In conformance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508), and Department of the Interior Regulations (43 CFR Part 46), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) prepared this Environmental Assessment to evaluate and disclose potential environmental impacts associated with providing $121,691.78 to the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) to conduct a project to improve conservation and management of the federally endangered longhorn fairy shrimp (Branchinecta longiantenna; LFS) in the Central Valley Project service area in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Staff from EBRPD would compile and analyze available species documentation, remotely analyze documented occurrences in the field to identify spatial patterns and habitat parameters for use in future LFS habitat restoration and population recovery projects, conduct surveys for LFS, analyze soil samples for the presence and abundance of LFS cysts (resting eggs) to determine habitat suitability based on biotic and abiotic parameters, and use the resulting information to develop LFS habitat restoration methods and identify potential population recovery sites. Research would be conducted at rock outcrop vernal pool habitats (rock pools) in Contra Costa County at Vasco Caves Regional Preserve (VCRP) of the EBRPD and Los Vaqueros Reservoir of the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD). In Alameda County, research would be conducted at Brushy Peak Regional Preserve (BPRP) of the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District (LARPD), and at the Walker Family Ranches, LLC (Figure 1). An effort would be made to identify potentially suitable LFS habitat in other areas within the two county region. The project would last 4 years. Funding for the proposed action would be provided by the Central Valley Project Conservation Program (CVPCP). 1.2 Need for the Proposal Reclamation’s Central Valley Project (CVP) has impacted vernal pool systems in the Central Valley floor through habitat loss due to agricultural and urban development. Recent work suggests that the LFS populations may have dramatically declined in this area due to habitat loss. The proposed research project is needed to better understand LFS ecology in order to develop LFS habitat restoration methods and identify potential population recovery sites. 1 2 Section 2 Alternatives Including the Proposed Action 2.1 No Action Alternative Reclamation would not provide $121,691.78 to EBRPD to conduct a project to improve conservation and management of the federally endangered longhorn fairy shrimp (LFS) in the CVP service area in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. EBRPD would be required to obtain the $121,691.78 from other public or private sources to conduct this research. If alternative funding cannot be secured, the Proposed Action could not move forward. 2.2 Proposed Action Reclamation would provide $121,691.78 to EBRPD to conduct a project to improve conservation and management of the federally endangered LFS in the CVP service area in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. EBRPD would do the following: Objective 1. Compile, review, and analyze available LFS species documentation. At the onset of the project, the project team would seek out and compile all available LFS literature and occurrence data. An attempt would be made to obtain precise location data for as many of the known occurrences as possible. All of the data would then be entered into a digital library. All literature titles would be entered into a searchable Endnote bibliography with key words. Habitat characteristics for pools documented to contain LFS would be standardized and entered into an Access database. Spatial data would be compiled and standardized with respect to attributes within an ArcGIS GeoDatabase that can be tied into the Access database. Outcomes: A complete bibliography of available literature and other documents pertaining to longhorn fairy shrimp occurrence data and a refined and standardized spatial GeoDatabase of occurrences. Objective 2. Remotely analyze documented LFS occurrences to identify spatial patterns and habitat parameters; extrapolate to identify potential unknown occurrences and population recovery sites. The team would compile and analyze available geographical information system (GIS) data and develop maps of all documented occurrences of LFS, with particular emphasis on the rock outcrop pools and surrounding vicinity in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The data layers would include the complete occurrence data compiled as part of Objective 1; along with aerial photography (minimum 1-meter pixel resolution); geomorphic and; climate data. The data would be combined and displayed on large-scale maps and made available for use within GIS software in order to analyze spatial patterns and habitat parameters of documented LFS occurrences. Large rock outcrops with potential to support LFS habitat pools would be identified and recorded using GIS software with aerial photography layers, starting within areas featuring similar habitat conditions to those of the documented LFS occurrences. Outcome: A remote habitat model of 3 existing longhorn fairy shrimp occurrences. The model would be used to target new LFS occurrences and potential population recovery sites and also to guide field surveys. Objective 3. Obtain land access to areas with rock outcrop vernal pool habitat. Aside from lands for which access has already been obtained as described above, (EBRPD, LARPD, and CCWD lands), many additional properties with potentially suitable habitat for the species would require permission from landowners to survey their properties. Both the EBRPD and project contractor Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting, Inc. have connections to numerous landowners throughout the study area and would contact as many landowners as possible with identified rock pool habitat on their property to arrange for protocol level surveys. Outcome: Access to a maximum number of sites with potentially undocumented occurrences of LFS and/or suitable population recovery habitat for the species. Objective 4. Conduct
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