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Biological Assessment Biological Assessment FOR Green Valley Trail Alignment San Mateo County, California Prepared by: Prepared for: Questa Engineering 1220 Brickyard Cove Rd. #206 Point Richmond, CA 94807 AND 333 Valencia Street, Suite 324, San Francisco, CA 94103 County of San Mateo (415) 255-8077 Parks Department th 455 County Center, 4 Floor Redwood City, CA 94063 April 5, 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES - REGULATORY BACKGROUND ............................................ 9 WETLANDS AND OTHER WATERS ................................................................................................ 9 WETLANDS, RIPARIAN COMMUNITIES AND SPECIAL-STATUS NATURAL COMMUNITIES ............ 10 SPECIAL-STATUS PLANT SPECIES ............................................................................................... 10 SPECIAL-STATUS WILDLIFE SPECIES .......................................................................................... 11 METHODS ................................................................................................................................... 12 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 12 SPECIAL-STATUS PLANT SPECIES ............................................................................................... 12 SPECIAL-STATUS WILDLIFE SPECIES .......................................................................................... 12 California Red-legged Frog .................................................................................................. 13 San Francisco Garter Snake.................................................................................................. 14 San Francisco Dusky-footed Woodrat ................................................................................... 14 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................... 15 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 16 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. General Location of Study Area……………………………….………..……...…....4 Figure 2. Trail Segments …………………………………………….……………......…….....5 Figure 3. Potential Wetlands/Waters of the US …………………………………......…….....7 APPENDICES Appendix A. Special-status Plant Species Table Appendix B. Special-status Wildlife Species Table Appendix C. Plant Species Observed in the Green Valley Trail Study Area Appendix D. Photos of the Green Valley Trail Study Area SUMMARY At the request of the County of San Mateo County, BioMaAS, Inc. conducted an assessment of biological resources in the vicinity of the proposed Green Valley Trail project. The site is located just below the western flanks of Montara Mountain, east of Highway One and immediately southeast of the newly completed Devil’s Slide tunnel in San Mateo County, California. The study area includes several potential trail alignments, as well as a “Preferred Alignment” under consideration for the construction necessary to complete an approximately one mile segment of the California Coastal Trail. The new Green Valley Trail segment will connect the recently completed California Coastal Trail at Devil’s Slide with an existing trail on McNee Ranch State Park that connects to a parking lot used for access to Gray Whale Cove State Beach. This report presents the results of our biological assessment. Based on a review of available biological databases and literature for the region of the study area, certain sensitive or “special-status” plant and animal species were identified as having at least some potential to occur in the vicinity of the study area. Reconnaissance-level field surveys were conducted on February 21 and 22, and March 13, 2015. The scope of the field surveys was to identify and characterize the various vegetation communities present within the study area, and to assess the potential for special-status plant or animal species to be present within the study area. The results of these studies are presented in this report. In addition to the identification of potentially-occurring sensitive plant and animal species, surveys were also conducted in order to determine the presence of wetlands or other aquatic resources that may fall under the jurisdiction of certain regulatory agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the California Coastal Commission. Certain activities are restricted in aquatic habitats for the protection of water quality as well as the protection of certain sensitive animal or plant species that may be present in wetland communities. A formal wetland delineation of the study area was prepared concurrently. Based on this biological assessment, there is at least some likelihood of the presence of certain special-status or sensitive animal species within the study area, including California red-legged frog and San Francisco garter snake, aquatic species potentially associated with the stream crossings where perennial water is present, including a large expanse of riparian willow scrub or woodland, and adjacent seeps, springs, or creek channels supporting freshwater marsh vegetation. In such areas, as well as adjacent uplands, there is a potential for sensitive animal species to use the site for habitation, protection from predators, breeding, movement, and foraging. Although active nests were not confirmed during reconnaissance surveys, the presence of San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat within the project construction area is high, given the observation of at least one stick nest near the construction area in the eastern portion of the study area. BioMaAS – Green Valley Trail Alignment, San Mateo County 1 In addition, several special-status plant species were considered to have at least some potential for occurrence within the study area. Such species were not identifiable during the present surveys because the timing of the surveys did not correspond to the appropriate season during which these plants can be accurately identified. Recommendations to avoid impacts to sensitive resources include the following: 1) Prior to trail construction, preconstruction surveys should be conducted to determine the presence or absence of potentially occurring sensitive animal species within and adjacent to project construction. If the presence of sensitive aquatic amphibians or reptiles including California red-legged frog or San Francisco garter snake is confirmed or suspected, protection measures such as appropriate placement of exclusion and silt fencing, and construction monitoring, especially during work in or near aquatic resources should be implemented, in order to avoid harm or harassment of any state or federally listed species during construction activities. 2) Based on the appropriate timing for proper identification, a focused botanical survey conducted by a qualified botanist during May should be completed to identify any of the potentially occurring plants if they are present. If sensitive plant species are determined to be present within the study area, consultation with appropriate agencies should be initiated, and measures should be devised to avoid impacts to these resources to the maximum extent possible. These could include local trail realignments or plant salvage operations. 3) In addition, if pre-construction surveys determine the presence of active nests of San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat or nesting birds within or adjacent to the project construction area, consultation with appropriate agencies should be initiated, and measures should be devised to avoid impacts to nests to the maximum extent possible. For woodrats this may include the dismantling and relocation of woodrat nests. For nesting birds this may include the establishment of nest buffers or the delay of construction beyond the nesting season. BioMaAS – Green Valley Trail Alignment, San Mateo County 2 INTRODUCTION Green Valley is located along the east side of Highway One in San Mateo County, California, immediately southeast of the Devil’s Slide tunnel project recently completed by The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). As a part of the Devil’s Slide project, a 1.2-mile stretch of abandoned highway west of the newly built tunnels has been improved and adopted as a segment of the California Coastal Trail. The California Coastal Conservancy in partnership with the County of San Mateo plans to extend an approximately one mile segment of the California Coastal Trail from the new Devil’s Slide Trail through Green Valley, connecting Highway One south of the tunnel with McNee Ranch State Park and Gray Whale Cove State Beach (Figure 1). The proposed Green Valley Trail alignment, including a fifty-foot wide buffer along the preferred alignment as well as alternatives, comprise the study area that is the subject of this biological assessment (Figure 2). Construction of the trail on the north side of Green Valley would likely consist of reconstructing an overgrown historic trail, including clearing brush from the immediate trail environment, widening the trail 4 to 5 feet, minor grading and leveling, installing trail drainage features,
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