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Recommendations for Desert Tortoise and Coachella Valley Milk-Vetch

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Recommendations for Desert Tortoise and Coachella Valley Milk-Vetch BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT STATELINE SOLAR FARM PROJECT BLM CASE FILE NUMBER CACA-48669 SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Prepared for DESERT STATELINE, LLC 1111 Broadway St, 4th Floor Oakland, CA 94607 Prepared by: IRONWOOD CONSULTING INC. 1412 S. Center Street Redlands, CA 92373 Revised August 30, 2012 Table of Contents SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... i 1.0 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................1 1.1 Purpose .............................................................................................................................1 1.2 Site Location ......................................................................................................................1 1.3 Site Characteristics .............................................................................................................1 1.4 Study Area .........................................................................................................................4 1.5 Project Summary ...............................................................................................................6 2.0 METHODS ............................................................................................................................ 11 2.1 Special Status Species Definition ...................................................................................... 11 2.2 Preliminary Surveys ......................................................................................................... 11 2.3 Desert Tortoise Focused Surveys ...................................................................................... 12 2.4 Western Burrowing Owl Surveys ...................................................................................... 14 2.5 Special Status Wildlife Species Surveys ............................................................................. 15 2.6 Botanical Study ................................................................................................................ 15 2.6.1 Special Status Plant Species .................................................................................................. 15 2.6.2 Cacti and Yucca...................................................................................................................... 17 2.7 Rainfall Analysis ............................................................................................................... 17 2.8 Baseline Sampling ............................................................................................................ 19 2.8.1 Selection of Sampling Stations .............................................................................................. 19 2.8.2 Vegetation Sampling ............................................................................................................. 19 2.8.3 Avian Point Counts ................................................................................................................ 19 2.8.4 Small Mammal Surveys ......................................................................................................... 21 2.9 Golden Eagle Surveys ....................................................................................................... 21 2.9.1 Aerial Surveys ........................................................................................................................ 21 2.9.2 Seasonal Point Counts ........................................................................................................... 22 2.9.3 Ground-Based Nest Monitoring ............................................................................................ 22 2.10 Raptor Nest Surveys ......................................................................................................... 22 2.11 Raven Surveys ................................................................................................................. 22 2.12 Bat Surveys ...................................................................................................................... 23 3.0 RESULTS .............................................................................................................................. 24 3.1 Vegetation Communities .................................................................................................. 24 3.2 Wildlife Communities ....................................................................................................... 24 3.3 Special Status Plant Species .............................................................................................. 26 3.4 Cacti and Yucca ................................................................................................................ 31 3.5 Special Status Wildlife Species .......................................................................................... 32 3.5.1 Birds ....................................................................................................................................... 36 3.5.1.1 Raptor Nests ..................................................................................................................... 40 3.5.2 Reptiles .................................................................................................................................. 40 3.5.3 Mammals ............................................................................................................................... 46 3.6 Bat Species ...................................................................................................................... 47 3.7 Sensitive Habitats ............................................................................................................ 48 4.0 RECOMMENDED PROTECTION MEASURES ............................................................................ 50 4.1 General Measures ............................................................................................................ 50 4.2 Desert Tortoise Protection Measures ................................................................................ 52 4.3 Other Biological Resource Protection Measures ................................................................ 54 4.4 Compensatory Mitigation................................................................................................. 55 5.0 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 56 List of Tables Table 1 - Adjacent Land Use................................................................................................................4 Table 2 - Legal Description of Stateline Primary Study Area .................................................................4 Table 3 - Full-Coverage Desert Tortoise Survey Periods and Area ....................................................... 12 Table 4 - Desert Tortoise Data Recorded ........................................................................................... 14 Table 5 - Historical Winter Rainfall Data............................................................................................ 18 Table 6 - Recent Winter Rainfall Data ............................................................................................... 18 Table 7 - Special Status Plant Species ................................................................................................ 26 Table 8 - Succulents Occurring within Project Site ............................................................................. 32 Table 9 - Desert Tortoise Estimates ................................................................................................... 42 Table 10 - Relative Abundance and PEP Values ................................................................................. 44 List of Figures Figure 1 - Regional Setting ..................................................................................................................2 Figure 2 - Project Location ..................................................................................................................3 Figure 3 – Primary Study Area ............................................................................................................5 Figure 4 - Site Layout Alternatives ......................................................................................................7 Figure 5 - Desert Tortoise Full-Coverage Surveys ............................................................................... 13 Figure 6 - Botanical Study Area ......................................................................................................... 16 Figure 7 - Baseline Sampling Stations ................................................................................................ 20 Figure 8 - Vegetation Communities ................................................................................................... 25 Figure 9 - Special Status Plant Species ............................................................................................... 29 Figure 10 - Special Status Wildlife Species ......................................................................................... 35 Figure 11 - Golden Eagle Nests .......................................................................................................... 37 Figure
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