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Focused Desert Tortoise Survey Report FOCUSED DESERT TORTOISE SURVEY REPORT MARATHON SOLAR PROJECT Cougar Buttes USGS 7.5’ quadrangle Section 27, Township 4 North, Range 1 East APNs 0449-631-02 and 0449-172-75 SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Submitted by the Project Applicant: Marathon Solar, LLC P.O. Box 31159 Santa Barbara, California 93130 (805) 617-0309 Prepared for: WDG Capital Partners, LLC P.O. Box 31159 Santa Barbara, California 93130 (805) 617-0309 Prepared by: 130 Robin Hill Road, Suite 100 Santa Barbara, California 93455 (805) 692-0600 Fax: (805) 739-1135 Project Number 28907132 June 2012 FOCUSED DESERT TORTOISE SURVEY REPORT MARATHON SOLAR PROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... ES-1 SECTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ..................................................... 1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 PROJECT SITE ................................................................................................... 1-1 SECTION 2.0 SUMMARY PROJECT DESCRIPTION........................................................ 2-1 2.1 PROJECT LOCATION AND LEGAL DESCRIPTION .................................... 2-1 2.4 PROJECT LAYOUT AND CONSTRUCITON .................................................. 2-2 2.5 SUPPORT PEDESTAL DRAINAGE AND EROSION DESIGN ..................... 2-3 2.6 INCREASE IN IMPERVIOUSNESS DUE TO CONSTRUCTION .................. 2-4 2.7 SITE DRAINAGE ............................................................................................... 2-4 2.8 PROJECT CONSTRUCTION AND SCHEDULE ............................................. 2-5 SECTION 3.0 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 3-1 3.1 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PROTOCOL MOJAVE DESERT TORTOISE SURVEYS ................................................................................................... 3-1 SECTION 4.0 GENERAL BIOLOGICAL SURVEY RESULTS .......................................... 4-1 4.1 REGIONAL SETTING ....................................................................................... 4-1 4.1.1 Topography ........................................................................................................ 4-1 4.1.2 Hydrology........................................................................................................... 4-1 4.1.3 Soils .................................................................................................................... 4-2 4.1.4 Vegetation Communities in the Project Region ................................................. 4-3 4.2 VEGETATION COMMUNITY .......................................................................... 4-4 4.2.1 Creosote Bush-White Burr Sage Scrub .............................................................. 4-4 4.3 HYDROLOGY .................................................................................................... 4-5 4.4 PLANT SPECIES ................................................................................................ 4-5 4.5 WILDLIFE SPECIES .......................................................................................... 4-6 SECTION 5.0 PROTOCOL MOJAVE DESERT TORTOISE SURVEY RESULTS ......... 5-1 5.1 MOJAVE DESERT TORTOISE HABITAT REQUIREMENTS ...................... 5-1 5.2 SURVEY RESULTS ........................................................................................... 5-2 SECTION 6.0 PROJECT IMPACTS TO THE MOJAVE DESERT TORTOISE ............... 6-1 6.1 IMPACTS TO INDIVIDUAL MOJAVE DESERT TORTOISES ..................... 6-1 6.2 IMPACTS RELATED TO LOSS OF SUITABLE HABITAT ........................... 6-1 P:\28907132 WDG Solar\Marathon\BUOW & DT & CDNPA Surveys\DT Survey Report\FINAL\Marathon DT.docx i FOCUSED DESERT TORTOISE SURVEY REPORT MARATHON SOLAR PROJECT SECTION 7.0 MITIGATION MEASURES ............................................................................ 7-1 SECTION 8.0 REFERENCES CITED ..................................................................................... 8-1 List of Tables Table 1 Field Conditions Summary ........................................................................................ 3-2 List of Figures Follows Page Figure 1 Topographic Map of Project Area ............................................................................. 1-2 Figure 2 Proposed Site Plan ..................................................................................................... 2-2 Figure 3 Special-status species in the Project Vicinity ............................................................ 3-2 Figure 4 Vegetation Map .......................................................................................................... 4-4 List of Appendices Appendix A Photograph Location Map and Site Photographs Appendix B Plant Species Observed Within the Marathon Site Appendix C Wildlife Species Observed Within the Marathon Site Appendix D USFWS 2010 Desert Tortoise Pre-project Survey Data Sheets P:\28907132 WDG Solar\Marathon\BUOW & DT & CDNPA Surveys\DT Survey Report\FINAL\Marathon DT.docx ii FOCUSED DESERT TORTOISE SURVEY REPORT MARATHON SOLAR PROJECT CERTIFICATION “I hereby certify that the statements furnished above and in the attached exhibits present the data and information required for this biological evaluation, and that the facts, statements, and information presented are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. Field work conducted for this assessment was performed by me or under my direct supervision. I certify that I have not signed a nondisclosure or consultant confidentiality agreement with the project applicant or applicant’s representative and that I have no financial interest in the project.” DATE: SIGNED: Report Author Julie Love Senior Biologist Prepared by: URS Corporation 130 Robin Hill Road, Suite 100 Santa Barbara, CA 93117 (805) 692-0600 Field work Performed by: Christopher Julian Project Biologist/Regulatory Specialist Julie Love Senior Biologist William Fletcher Assistant Staff Biologist P:\28907132 WDG Solar\Marathon\BUOW & DT & CDNPA Surveys\DT Survey Report\FINAL\Marathon DT.docx iii FOCUSED DESERT TORTOISE SURVEY REPORT MARATHON SOLAR PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Marathon Solar, LLC (the Applicant) has retained URS Corporation (URS) to prepare this Focused Desert Tortoise Survey Report for the Marathon Solar Project (Project), a proposed 20-megawatt (MW) alternative current (AC) solar photovoltaic (PV) electrical power generating facility on approximately 130 acres in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California. The Project site is approximately 152 acres in size. The proposed Project will connect with an existing Southern California Edison (SCE) 33-kilovolt (kV) transmission line. No new off-site transmission line is proposed. During USFWS protocol surveys, no live Mojave desert tortoises or signs of tortoise presence (burrows, scat, tracks) were found. Although the site appears to be suitable for this species based on habitat requirements and nearby historical occurrences, survey results indicate that the Mojave desert tortoise does not currently occur within the Marathon project site. P:\28907132 WDG Solar\Marathon\BUOW & DT & CDNPA Surveys\DT Survey Report\FINAL\Marathon DT.docx ES-1 FOCUSED DESERT TORTOISE SURVEY REPORT MARATHON SOLAR PROJECT SECTION 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 1.1 INTRODUCTION The Applicant proposes to construct and operate a 20-megawatt (MW) alternating current (AC) renewable solar photovoltaic (PV) electrical power generating facility on 130 acres. The proposed Marathon Solar Project (Project) will connect with the existing Southern California Edison (SCE) 33-kilovolt (kV) transmission line that runs north-south along Camp Rock Road (adjacent to the Project's eastern boundary). No new off-site transmission line is proposed. This Focused Desert Tortoise Survey Report presents the results of focused surveys for the Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), a federally- and state-listed threatened species, that have been undertaken within the Marathon Solar Project site, describes the Project’s impacts on Mojave desert tortoise, and identifies feasible mitigation measures that would reduce impacts to less than significant levels. This Focused Desert Tortoise Survey Report and any recommended mitigation measures included do not constitute authorization for incidental take of the Mojave desert tortoise. In accordance with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Mojave desert tortoise survey protocol (USFWS 2010), results of this pre-project survey are valid for no more than one year. The Applicant will submit a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application to the County of San Bernardino, and the Planning Division of the County Land Use Services Department (Planning) will initiate review of the proposed Project as required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 1.2 PROJECT SITE The Project site evaluated in this Focused Desert Tortoise Survey Report comprises approximately 152 acres in the Lucerne Valley, in the western Mojave Desert in unincorporated San Bernardino County. The site is located approximately six miles southeast of the intersection of State Route (SR) 18 and SR 247, which occurs in the unincorporated town of Lucerne Valley. Access to the site
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