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Dry Lake Desert Tortoise Surveys Field Survey Report

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Dry Lake Desert Tortoise Surveys Field Survey Report November 7, 2014 NV ENERGY Dry Lake Desert Tortoise Surveys Field Survey Report PROJECT NUMBER: 135975 PROJECT CONTACT: Alison Pruett EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE: 702-496-5629 POWER ENGINEERS, INC. Field Survey Report Dry Lake Desert Tortoise Survey Report PREPARED FOR: NV ENERGY PREPARED BY: ALISON PRUETT 702-496-5629 [email protected] POWER ENGINEERS, INC. Field Survey Report TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 1 PURPOSE ............................................................................................................................................. 1 PROJECT AREA DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................... 1 SPECIES DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................... 1 REGULATORY STATUS ........................................................................................................................ 1 DISTRIBUTION AND POPULATION TREND ........................................................................................... 3 HABITAT AND LIFE HISTORY .............................................................................................................. 3 SURVEY METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................................. 4 SURVEY RESULTS ............................................................................................................................ 8 DEVELOPMENT AREA ......................................................................................................................... 9 SOUTHERN TRANSLOCATION AREA ................................................................................................... 9 NORTHERN TRANSLOCATION AREA ................................................................................................. 13 OTHER WILDLIFE .............................................................................................................................. 13 SUMMARY DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................... 18 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 18 FIGURES: FIGURE 1 PROJECT AREA OVERIVEW ................................................................................................. 2 FIGURE 2 SOLAR DEVELOPMENT AREA ............................................................................................. 5 FIGURE 3 SOUTHERN TRANSLOCATION AREA ................................................................................... 6 FIGURE 4 NORTHERN TRANSLOCATION AREA ................................................................................... 7 FIGURE 5 SOLAR DEVELOPMENT AREA SURVEY RESULTS .............................................................. 10 FIGURE 6 SOUTHERN TRANSLOCATION AREA SURVEY RESULTS .................................................... 11 FIGURE 7 NORTHERN TRANSLOCATION AREA SURVEY RESULTS ................................................... 14 FIGURE 8 OTHER WILDLIFE AND SIGNS ........................................................................................... 15 TABLES: TABLE 1 CLASSIFICATION OF DESERT TORTOISE CARCASSES ......................................................... 8 TABLE 2 CLASSIFICATION OF DESERT TORTOISE BURROWS ............................................................ 8 TABLE 3 CLASSIFICATION OF DESERT TORTOISE SCAT .................................................................... 8 TABLE 4 AREA AND TRANSECT MILES SURVEYED BY LOCATION ................................................... 8 TABLE 5 LIVE TORTOISES IN DEVELOPMENT AREA ......................................................................... 9 TABLE 6 SIGNS WITHIN DEVELOPMENT AREA BY CLASS ................................................................. 9 TABLE 7 LIVE TORTOISES IN SOUTHERN TRANSLOCATION AREA .................................................. 12 TABLE 8 SIGNS WITHIN SOUTHERN TRANSLOCATION AREA BY CLASS ......................................... 12 TABLE 9 LIVE TORTOISES IN NORTHERN TRANSLOCATION AREA ................................................. 13 TABLE 10 SIGNS WITHIN NORTHERN TRANSLOCATION AREA BY CLASS ......................................... 13 TABLE 11 OTHER WILDLIFE SIGNS ................................................................................................... 16 TABLE 12 OTHER WILDLIFE SPECIES OBSERVED ............................................................................. 16 BOI 199-227 (PER 02 01) NV ENERGY (11/7/2014) 135975 AP PAGE i POWER ENGINEERS, INC. Field Survey Report APPENDICES: APPENDIX A USFWS DESERT TORTOISE SURVEY PROTOCOL FOR 2010 APPENDIX B PHOTOS APPENDIX C COMPLETED DATA SHEETS BOI 199-227 (PER 02 01) NV ENERGY (11/7/2014) 135975 AP PAGE ii POWER ENGINEERS, INC. Field Survey Report INTRODUCTION PURPOSE NV Energy is proposing to construct a solar generating facility within the Dry Lake Valley in Clark County, Nevada. As this solar facility will be constructed within habitat of the Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), surveys are required to be conducted. PROJECT AREA DESCRIPTION The Project is located within the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) located within Clark County, Nevada approximately 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada (Figure 1). The Project encompasses three areas: Project Development Area, Southern Translocation Area, and Northern Translocation Area. The Project Development Area (945 acres) is where the solar generating facility will be constructed adjacent to the Harry Allen Generation Facility. The Southern and Northern Translocation Areas (1,400 acres and 1,120 acres, respectively) are located on the western and northern areas of the Dry Lake Valley and are where tortoises from the Project Development Area will be translocated to prior to construction of the solar facility. The Project is located within Mojave Desert scrub habitat. The Mojave Desert scrub biome, the smallest of the four desert biomes in North America, is intermediate between the Sonoran Desert scrub and the Great Basin Desert scrub. Plants and animals occupying Mojave desert scrub are similar to those observed in the Lower Colorado River Valley Subdivision of Sonoran desert scrub, particularly within the creosote bush series and Larrea tridentata-Ambrosia dumosa association. These open-plant communities occupy areas characterized by gravelly bajadas and inconspicuous low plains (Brown 1994). Other plants typically associated with this biome include box-thorn (Lycium andersonii), Mormon tea (Ephedra spp.), and ratany (Krameria spp.). The Mojave Desert is especially rich in ephemeral plants, many of which are endemic. These short-lived plants are attuned to winter conditions and those that germinate and grow in response to summer conditions. Seed germination of winter annuals is triggered by critical rains between late September and early December, usually arriving in one storm; however, if the storm arrives too early in the year, germination will be ineffective unless temperatures have shifted from summer to autumn (Brown 1994). SPECIES DESCRIPTION REGULATORY STATUS Major declines and die-offs of desert tortoises were observed in the Mojave Desert in the 1980s leading to the emergency listing of the Mojave population of desert tortoises as threatened in 1989 (54 FR 32326). The designation of threatened status for the Mojave population of desert tortoises became permanent on 2 April 1990 (55 FR 12178). The Mojave population was defined as those tortoises west or north of the Colorado River. Those south and east of the Colorado River are considered to be the Sonoran population. Since the time of listing, these two populations have been determined to be separate species with the Sonoran population becoming Morafka’s desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) and the Mojave (Agassiz’s) desert tortoise remaining as Gopherus agassizii (Murphy et al. 2011). Currently, the listing status continues to reflect the population designations and has not been updated per the recent species separation. BOI 199-227 (PER 02 01) NV ENERGY (11/7/2014) 135975 AP PAGE 1 Il Northern Translocation Area Southern Translocation Area Harry Allen "J #I Project Site Apex Generating !"`$ Station "J#I #I "J Silverhawk Il Legend Figure 1: Project Project Features Elko Transmission Line ! Area Overview Project Site Transportation ! Reno NEVADA Dry Lake Tortoise Report Northern Translocation Area Interstate Highway ^Carson City UTAH 0 0.25 0.5 1 Southern Translocation Area US Highway Miles Utility Features Other Road CALIFORNIA Area of Detail "J Power Plant Biological Features Pahrump ! !! Desert Tortoise Las Vegas Henderson #I Substation Critical Habitat µ Path: W:\135975_NV_Energy_Tortoise\Apps\Figure_1_Project_Area_Overview.mxd Path: Date: 11/6/2014 POWER ENGINEERS, INC. Field Survey Report In 2011, the USFWS published a Revised Recovery Plan for the desert tortoise. Under this recovery plan, there are five recovery units for management and recovery of the Mojave desert tortoise. Recovery units are defined as distinct areas that are “necessary to conserve the genetic, behavioral, behavioral, morphological, and ecological diversity necessary for long-term sustainability of the entire
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