Appendix D to ERP Application Listed Species Occurrences and Project
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Appendix D to ERP Application NUCOR Steel Micro Mill Appendix D to ERP Application Listed Species Occurrences and Project Effects for Nucor Steel Micro Mill in Avon Park, Polk County, Florida This listed species occurrence information and project effects discussion is supplemental to the Wetlands and Habitat Assessment Technical Memorandum (Appendix C), which is also attached to the ERP application. See Appendix C for project description and location map. This supplemental information is provided to assist the technical review of the project’s potential effect on Federal and State listed species and/or their habitats. Included with this supplemental information are these figures: Figure D1 – Wildlife Observations Onsite and within 1 Mile Radius Figure D2 – Wildlife Observation Records and Crossings within 5 Mile Radius Figure D3 – Site Photographs May-June 2018 Wildlife and Habitat Onsite Habitat The entire area is currently managed citrus cultivation. No natural upland habitats remain in the project area. A small area of mature oak trees near the former home site remains near Pabor Lake to the south. Construction contractors’ trailers will be parked in that area. Access roads of compacted imported clay fill soil or compacted sand and densely grass, encircle and traverse the groves. These conditions can be seen in site photographs attached to this Appendix D. The citrus groves offer minimal habitat requirements for very few listed species. No wetland habitats or other surface water habitats occur within the project footprint, including the proposed rail spur, and access roads. Offsite Habitat The micro mill will be over 1000 feet from any remaining non-cultivated uplands east and west of the proposed development site. Impacts on Habitats The project will have no direct, indirect, or secondary adverse effects on natural upland or wetland habitats in the area. No cumulative impacts are anticipated, because there are no plans for future expansion. Listed Species Found Onsite Two listed species were found on site: Florida sand skink and gopher tortoise. These species and other potentially occurring species area discussed below. Wildlife Potentially Found in the Area Listed in Table D1 are the protected species, listed by the Federal Endangered Species Act and the State of Florida as Federally Endangered (FE), Federally Threatened (FT), State Threatened (ST), or State Species of Special Concern (SSC), potentially found in this region of Polk County; and for which occurrence records exist for the site or in the surrounding 1 mile radius. Figure D1 – Wildlife Observations Onsite and within 1 Mile Radius depicts the approximate location of these occurrence records. Table D2 lists all species observed (including commonly occurring species) in the surrounding area during field investigations in 2018. Page 1 of 11 Appendix D to ERP Application NUCOR Steel Micro Mill Table D1 Protected Species Potentially Occurring in Project Vicinity USFWS /FWC Scientific Name Common Name Status Habitat Preference Potential Occurrence Reptiles Drymarchon corais Eastern indigo Upland and wetland habitat, hydric ecotonal Low. Some potential refuge FT couperi snake areas, gopher tortoise burrows burrows, fallen logs Gopherus Xeric uplands, pine flatwoods, pastures, and Observed 1 burrow onsite; Gopher tortoise ST polyphemus open, ruderal habitats < 10 offsite Excessively well-drained soils at elevations 82 Neoseps reynoldsi Sand skink FT Observed tracks onsite feet above mean sea level or higher. Plestiodon Blue tailed mole Excessively well-drained soils at elevations 82 Presumed onsite with sand FT egregious lividus skink feet above mean sea level or higher. skink Pituophis Florida pine Open canopy uplands with dry soils, sandhills, Low. Disturbed area, active melanoleucus ST snake pastures, gopher tortoise burrows groves mugitus Stilosoma Short-tailed Dry uplands, principally xeric hammock and None. No suitable habitat ST extenuatum snake sand pine scrub remains Birds Ammodramus Florida Large, treeless, relatively poorly- None. No suitable habitat savannarum grasshopper FE drained grasslands that have a history of exists floridanus sparrow frequent fires Aphelocoma Fire-maintained low growing oak scrub on None. No suitable habitat; Florida scrub-jay FT coerulescens sandy soils records within 1 mile High sparsely vegetated sandy ground, Athene cunicularia Florida None. No suitable habitat ST extensive use of pastures, ball fields, parks, floridana burrowing owl exists airports None. No suitable nesting Wetlands, streams, lakes, swamps, manmade Egretta caerulea Little blue heron ST or foraging habitat exists impoundments and ditches onsite None. No suitable nesting Wetlands, streams, lakes, swamps, manmade Egretta tricolor Tricolored heron ST or foraging habitat exists impoundments and ditches onsite Southeastern Open pine habitat, woodland edges, prairies, Low. No suitable nesting Falco sparverius American ST and pastures; Kestrel observed in February, habitat exists onsite. paulus kestrel species unconfirmed. None observed in June. Foraging potential. None. No suitable nesting Grus canadensis Florida sandhill Prairies, freshwater marshes, and pasture, ST habitat exists onsite. pratensis crane will frequent agricultural areas and feedlots Observed foraging in grove. None. No suitable habitat Haliaeetus Not Bald eagle Nest in large pine tree, often near large lake onsite. Record within 1 leucocephalus listed mile; none within 660 ft Nests in forested wetlands and mangroves, None. No suitable nesting Mycteria americana Wood stork FT utilizes shallow wetlands, ditches, and lakes or foraging habitat exists for foraging onsite Not Nest on pole tops, dead tree top near open Moderate. Nest observed Pandion haliaetus Osprey listed water on power pole adj. to site Red-cockaded Mature upland pine communities with sparse Picoides borealis FE None. No habitat exists. woodpecker canopy Freshwater marshes permanently flooded Rostrhamus Everglade snail None. No suitable habitat FE and vegetated shallow lake edges where sociabilis plumbeus kite exists apple snails, the kite’s sole food source, occur Page 2 of 11 Appendix D to ERP Application NUCOR Steel Micro Mill USFWS /FWC Scientific Name Common Name Status Habitat Preference Potential Occurrence Nest on barren to sparsely vegetated sandbars along rivers, sand and gravel pits, None. No suitable habitat Sterna antillarum Least tern ST lake and reservoir shorelines, and exists occasionally gravel rooftops, exposed sand. Mammals Habitat generalists - upland hardwood forest, wetland forest, pinelands, and coniferous None. Outside of breeding Puma concolor coryi Florida panther FE forest; swamps and marshes, pastures range. No habitat onsite. with dense, ground-level cover for stalking prey, denning, and resting during the day Sciurus niger Sherman's fox Sandhills, pine flatwoods, pastures, and open, Low. A few remaining oaks SSC sherman squirrel ruderal habitats with scattered pine and oak and pine. Habitat generalists – denning occurs in Ursus americanus Florida black Not Low. No denning habitat thickets and fallen tree cavity; upland hand floridanus bear listed onsite. wetland forest Plants – Listed plant species found in various scrub habitats of the Lake Wales Ridge: open scrub, sand pine scrub, and sandhill, yellow sands in sandhill (high pine), white sand gaps in rosemary scrub, and oak-hickory scrub, or xeric scrubby flatwoods. None of these habitats exist on the project site. USFWS USFWS Scientific Name Common Name Status Scientific Name Common Name Status Bonamia grandiflora Florida bonamia FT Lupinus westianus scrub lupine FE Chionanthus pygmaeus Pygmy fringe-tree FE Nolina brittoniana Britton's beargrass FE Cladonia perforata perforate reindeer lichen FE Paronychia chartacea Papery whitlow-wort FT Clitoria fragrans Pigeon wings FT Polygala lewtonii Lewton's polygala FE Conradina brevifolia short-leaved rosemary FE Polygonum basiramia Florida jointweed FE Crotalaria avonensis Avon Park rabbit-bells FE Polygonum dentoceras Small's jointweed FE Dicerandra frutescens scrub balm FE Pseudoziziphus celata scrub ziziphus FE Eriogonum longifolium Scrub buckwheat FT Prunus geniculata Scrub plum FE Hypericum cumulicola Highlands scrub hypericum FE Warea amplexifolia Wide-leaf warea FE Liatris ohlingerae Scrub blazing star FE USFWS = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service FT = Federally listed as Threatened FE = Federally listed as Endangered FWC = Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ST = State listed as Threatened SSC = Species of Special Concern State-listed plants are not protected on private property. Table D2 Wildlife Observed during Field Investigations in 2018 Common Name Scientific Name Common Name Scientific Name American crow Corvus brachyrhynchos Ground dove Columbina passerina American kestrel Falco sparverius Marsh wren Cistothorus palustris Anhinga Anhinga anhinga Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos Anole Anolis carolinensis Mourning dove Zenaida macroura Belted kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon Northern bobwhite Colinus virginianus Page 3 of 11 Appendix D to ERP Application NUCOR Steel Micro Mill Common Name Scientific Name Common Name Scientific Name Black vulture Coragyps atratus Northern cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis Blue headed vireo Vireo solitaries Osprey Pandion haliaetus Blue jay Cyanocitta cristata Palm warbler Setophaga palmarum Blue-gray gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea Pig frog Rana grylio Carolina wren Thryothorus ludovicianus Pileated woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus Cattle egret Bubulcus ibis