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Gemini Solar Project Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy

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Gemini Solar Project Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy Gemini Solar Project N-84631 Clark County, Nevada Prepared for: Arevia Power & Solar Partners XI, LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Valley of Fire, LLC) Prepared by: Phoenix Biological Consulting December 2019 Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Regulatory Setting .............................................................................................................................. 2 2.0 Baseline Conditions ................................................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Background Review ............................................................................................................................ 6 2.2 Existing Conditions............................................................................................................................ 12 2.3 Baseline Surveys ............................................................................................................................... 15 3.0 Risk Assessment .................................................................................................................................... 28 3.1 Direct Impacts ................................................................................................................................... 28 3.2 Indirect Impacts ................................................................................................................................ 31 3.3 Potential Impacts to Special-status Avian and Bat Species .............................................................. 32 4.0 Bird and Bat Conservation Measures ................................................................................................... 42 4.1 Project Siting ..................................................................................................................................... 42 4.2 General Design Features for Ecological Resources ........................................................................... 43 4.3 Facility Design and Construction ...................................................................................................... 44 4.4 Operations and Maintenance ........................................................................................................... 48 4.5 Reclamation and Decommissioning ................................................................................................. 50 4.6 Roles and Responsibilities of Key Personnel .................................................................................... 50 4.7 Exclusion Zones ................................................................................................................................. 51 5.0 Construction and Post-Construction Monitoring.................................................................................. 52 5.1 Construction Monitoring .................................................................................................................. 53 5.2 Post-construction Avian and Bat Fatality Monitoring ...................................................................... 54 6.0 Post-construction Reporting ................................................................................................................. 55 7.0 References ............................................................................................................................................ 56 Exhibit Exhibit 1. Gemini Solar Project Location ....................................................................................................... 3 Exhibit 2. Gemini Solar Project Study Area ................................................................................................... 4 Exhibit 3. Avian Point Count Transects in the Gemini Study Area .............................................................. 19 Exhibit 4. Number of Individuals of the Nine Most Common Species Detected during Point Count Surveys in the Gemini Study Area ............................................................................................................................ 21 Exhibit 5. Burrowing Owl Detections in the Gemini Study Area ................................................................. 27 Tables Table 1. Special-status birds and bats with potential to occur in the Study Area. ....................................... 7 Table 2. Number of known raptor and raven nests within 10 miles of the Study Area (NDOW 2017). ..... 12 Table 3. Average monthly precipitation and temperature from Valley of Fire State Park. ........................ 13 Table 4. Avian species observed during baseline surveys in the Study Area. ............................................. 16 Table 5. Avian point count survey results in the Gemini Study Area.......................................................... 18 Table 6. Number of detections and individuals of the nine most common species detected during point count surveys in the Gemini Study Area. .................................................................................................... 20 Table 7. Total species and birds per point and per season in the Gemini Study Area. .............................. 20 Table 8. Avian point count methods used for the Playa, Silver State South, and Gemini solar projects. .. 22 Table 9. Comparison of results of avian point count sampling between the Playa Solar, Silver State Solar, and Gemini Solar projects. .......................................................................................................................... 23 Table 10. Burrowing owl detections in the Gemini Study Area .................................................................. 25 Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy Phoenix Biological Consulting Gemini Solar Project December 2019 i Appendices Appendix A: Gemini Solar Project Avian and Bat Mortality Monitoring Plan Appendix B: Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) Survey Report for the Gemini Solar Project Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy Phoenix Biological Consulting Gemini Solar Project December 2019 ii Acronyms and Abbreviations ac alternating current AOU American Ornithologists’ Union Applicant Arevia Power & Solar Partners XI, LLC Avian-Solar Working Group Multiagency Avian-Solar Collaborative Working Group BBCM Bird and Bat Conservation Measure BBCS Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy BGEPA Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act BLM Bureau of Land Management CNRFC California Nevada River Forecast Center DOE Department of Energy EO Executive Order ESA Endangered Species Act GBBO Great Basin Bird Observatory gen-tie generation tie GPS global positioning system I-15 Interstate 15 kV kilovolt LADWP Los Angeles Department of Water and Power PBC Phoenix Biological Consulting PEIS Preliminary Environmental Impact Statement Project Gemini Solar Project PV photovoltaic MBTA Migratory Bird Treaty Act MOU memorandum of understanding MW megawatt NAC Nevada Administrative Code NDOW Nevada Department of Wildlife NRS Nevada Revised Statutes NWS COOP National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Program O&M operations and maintenance OHV off-highway vehicle ROD record of decision ROW right-of-way SCP Species of Conservation Priority SEZ Solar Energy Zone SWPPP Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan USDOI United States Department of the Interior USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS United States Geological Survey WEAP worker environmental awareness program Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy Phoenix Biological Consulting Gemini Solar Project December 2019 iii 1.0 Introduction This Bird and Bat Conservation Strategy (BBCS) was developed to analyze the potential impacts to birds and bats from the proposed Gemini Solar Project (Project) and to propose conservation measures that will be taken to avoid, minimize, and/or mitigate impacts. This report is comprised of the following sections: (1) relevant background and Project information, including the regulatory setting and the roles and responsibilities of the bird and bat biologists working on the Project; (2) methods and results of an assessment of the baseline conditions; (3) a risk assessment of Project impacts to birds and bats; (4) proposed risk reduction and conservation measures; and, (5) proposed construction and post- construction monitoring, including an Avian and Bat Mortality Monitoring Plan (Appendix A). The proposed Project is being undertaken by Solar Partners XI, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Valley of Fire, LLC (the Applicant). The Project is located on public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the northeastern portion of the Mojave Desert; approximately 33 miles northeast of the Las Vegas metropolitan area, in an unincorporated area of Clark County, Nevada (Exhibit 1). The Project site is situated immediately south of the Moapa River Indian Reservation and less than a half mile southeast of Interstate 15 (I-15) within the Piute Point and Dry Lake United States Geographical Survey (USGS) 7.5-minute topographic quadrangles. This Project includes the construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of an approximately 690-megawatt (MW) alternating current (MWac) photovoltaic (PV) solar project and ancillary
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