County of Tuolumne Community Development Department 48 W
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APPENDIX Biological Resources Review Guide Draft November 17, 2011 Prepared for: County of Tuolumne Community Development Department 48 W. Yaney Avenue Sonora, CA 95370 Prepared by: Michael Brandman Associates 2000 ‘O’ Street, Suite 200 Sacramento, CA 95811 916-447-1100 Contents: Chapter 1: Special Status Species Information 4 Chapter 2 Special Status Plant Species Accounts 5 Table 2-1 Special Status Plant Species 5 Table 2-2 Status Key 6 Table 2-3 Special Status Plant Species by Habitat 33 Table 2-4 Habitat Codes 35 Table 2-5 First Priority Plant Species–Mitigation Measures 36 Chapter 3 Special Status Wildlife Species 37 Table 3-1 Special Status Wildlife Species 37 Table 3-2 Special Status Wildlife Species by Habitat 111 Table 3-3 Habitat Codes 115 Table 3-4 Raptor Species Protected Under Section 3503.5 116 Table 3-5 First Priority Wildlife Species–Mitigation Measures 118 Table 3-6 Second Priority Wildlife Species–Mitigation Measures 125 Chapter 4 Survey Protocols 134 Table 4-1 Established Survey Protocols 134 Chapter 5 Critical Habitats / Recovery Plans 135 Table 5-1 Recovery Plans by Species 136 Map 5-1 Vernal Pool Critical Habitat–Fleshy Owl’s Clover 137 Map 5-2 Vernal Pool Critical Habitat–Hoover’s Spurge 138 Map 5-3 Vernal Pool Critical Habitat–Colusa Grass 139 Map 5-4 Vernal Pool Critical Habitat–Greene’s Tuctoria 140 Map 5-5 Critical Habitat for the California Central Valley Steelhead 141 Map 5-6 Critical Habitat for the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Unit 1) 142 Map 5-7 Critical Habitat for the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Unit 2) 143 Map 5-8 Core Areas within the Southern Sierra Foothills vernal pool region 144 Chapter 6 Promoting Connectivity/Avoiding Barriers to Dispersal 145 Figure 6-1 Determining Potential Project Impacts 151 Chapter 7 Mitigation Monitoring 154 Chapter 8 Habitats 159 8.1 Annual Grassland (ags) 159 8.2 Aspen (ASP) 160 8.3 Barren (bar) 161 8.4 Blue Oak-Foothill Gray Pine (bop) 161 8.5 Blue Oak Woodland (bow) 162 8.6 Chaparral (chc, mch, mcp) 163 8.7 Cropland (crp) 164 Biological Resources Conservation Handbook Appendix Page 2 of 187 8.8 Ditches (DIT) 164 8.9 Fresh Emergency Wetland (FEW) 165 8.10 Irrigated Pasture (pas) 165 8.11 Jeffrey Pine (jpn) 166 8.12 Lake, Reservoir or Pond (LAK) 166 8.13 Lodgepole Pine Forest (lpn) 167 8.14 Montane Hardwood Conifer (mhc) 168 8.15 Montane Hardwood (mhw) 168 8.16 Montane Riparian (MRI) 169 8.17 Native Perennial Grassland (PGS) 169 8.18 Old Growth Conifer Forest (OGC) 170 8.19 Old Growth Oak (OGO) 170 8.20 Ponderosa Pine (ppn) 171 8.21 Red Fir (rfr) 171 8.22 Riverine (rivers and streams) 172 8.23 Residential park (rsp) 173 8.24 Subalpine Conifer Forest (scn) 173 8.25 Serpentine Soil (ser) 174 8.26 Sierran Mixed Conifer (smc) 174 8.27 Natural Springs and Seeps (SPR) 175 8.28 Seasonal Wetland (SW) 176 8.29 Valley Oak Woodland (VOW) 176 8.30 Vernal Pool (VPL) 177 8.31 Valley Foothill Riparian (VRI) 178 8.32 White Fir (wfr) 178 8.33 Wet Meadow (WTM) 179 Chapter 9 Glossary 181 Biological Resources Conservation Handbook Appendix Page 3 of 187 Chapter 1. Special Status Species Information The special-status species discussed in this section of the Appendix were compiled from queries (Tuolumne County) of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) On-Line Rare Plant Inventory (CNPS 2011), California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB 2011), and California Wildlife Habitat Relationships (WHR, CDFG 2005), and from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) list of endangered and threatened species that may occur or be affected by projects in Tuolumne County. Detailed species accounts are provided only for those species that are considered special-status. These include species that are: • Listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and those species formally proposed or candidates for listing. • Listed as threatened or endangered under the California ESA (CESA) or candidates for listing. • Designated as endangered or rare pursuant to the California Fish and Game Code (Section 1901). • Designated as fully protected pursuant to California Fish and Game Code (Section 3511, Section 4700, Section 5050). • Designated as a species of special concern by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG). • Designated as Medium or High Priority species by Western Bat Working Group (WBWG). • Plants listed as rare under the California Native Plant Protection Act or considered by the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) as List 1A, 1B, or 2 species. • Ranked as critically imperiled (S1), imperiled (S2) or vulnerable (S3) by the California Natural Diversity Database. The Tuolumne County Wildlife Habitat Maps and the Geographic Information System database, maintained by the Community Development Department, contain the locations of confirmed special status species sitings within the County. These maps are available for review by qualified professionals during regular business hours Biological Resources Conservation Handbook Appendix Page 4 of 187 Chapter 2. Special Status Plant Species Accounts The County is home to approximately 61 special-status plant species, representing 20 plant families. They range from the lowest to some of the highest elevations in the County, and occur in every natural habitat type identified in the County. The following is a description of each species, which includes details from the CNDDB and CNPS such as federal and state listing status, the BRRG priority, range, habitat associations, known occurrences, life history/special habitat conditions and the blooming period of the plant. Table 2-3 located at the end of the species accounts lists each species along with its preferred habitat. Table 2-1: SPECIAL STATUS PLANT SPECIES Map Scientific Common Code Name Name Ag he Agrostis hendersonii Henderson’s bent grass Ag hu Agrostis humilis Mountain bent grass Al jep Allium jepsonii Jepson’s onion Al tri Allium tribracteatum Three bracted onion Al tu Allium tuolumnense Rawhide hill onion Al yo Allium yosemitense Yosemite onion Arc nis Arctostaphylos nissenana Nissenan manzanita Bal ma ma Balsamorhiza macrolepis var. macrolepis Big scale balsamroot Bo lu Botrychium lunaria Common moonwort Br bo Bruchia bolanderi Bolander’s bruchia Br pa Brodiaea pallida Chinese camp brodiaea Ca lim Carex limosa Mud sedge Ca pr Carex praticola Northern meadow sedge Ca sc p Carex scirpoidea ssp. pseudoscirpoidea Single-spike sedge Ca ti Carex tiogana Tioga pass sedge Ca vi vi Carex viridula var. viridula Green yellow sedge Or ca s Castilleja campestris ssp. Succulenta Succulent (fleshy) owl’s clover Ch do a Chaenactis douglasii var. alpine Alpine dusty maidens Ch ho Chamaecyse hooveri Hoover’s spurge Ch gr Chlorogalum grandiflorum Red hills soaproot Cl au Clarkia australis Small’s southern clarkia Cl bi a Clarkia biloba ssp. Australis Mariposa clarkia Cl ro Clarkia rostrata Beaked clarkia Cla me Claytonia megarhiza Fell fields claytonia Cr cr Cryptantha crymophila Subalpine cryptantha Cr ma Cryptantha mariposae Mariposa cryptantha Di no Didymodon norrisii Norris’ beard moss Dr as a Draba asterophora var. asterophora Tahoe draba Dr pr Draba praealta Tall draba El sc Elymus scribneri Scribner’s wheat grass Ep ho Epilobium howellii Subalpine fireweed Er lu sa Eriogonum luteolum var. saltuarium Jack’s wild buckwheat Er nu Eriophyllum nubigenum Yosemite woolly sunflower Biological Resources Conservation Handbook Appendix Page 5 of 187 Map Scientific Common Code Name Name Er pi Eryngium pinnatisectum Tuolumne button celery Er sp Eryngium spinosepalum Spiny sepaled button celery Er tu Erythronium tuolumnense Tuolumne fawn lily Er ta Erythronium taylorii Pilot ridge fawn lily Fe mi Festuca minutiflora Small-flowered fescue Fr ag Fritillaria agrestis Stinkbells Hu br Hulsea brevifolia Short leaved hulsea Ir ha c Iris hartwegii ssp. Columbiana Tuolumne iris Le di Lewisia disepala Yosemite lewisia Lo co Lomatium congdonii Congdon’s lomatium Lo st Lomatium stebbinsiii Stebbins’ lomatium Lu gr Lupinus gracilentis Slender lupine Lu sp Lupinus spectabilis Shaggyhair lupine Mi fi Mimulus filicaulis Slender stemmed monkeyflower Mi pu Mimulus pulchellus Yellow lip pansy monkeyflower Mo do v Monardella douglasii ssp. Venosa Veiny monardella Ne co Neostapfia colusana Colusa grass Se la Packera layneae Layne’s ragwort Pe hy Peltigera hydrothyria Aquatic felt lichen Po ep nu Potamogeton epihydrus ssp. nuttallii Nuttal’s ribbon-leaved pondweed Po ro Potamogeton robbinsii Robbins’ pondweed Ps ba Pseudobahia bahiifolia Hartweg’s golden sunburst Sa ni Salix nivalis Snow willow Sc su Schoenoplectus subterminalis Water bulrush Se ci Senecio clevelandii var. heterophyllus Red hills’ ragwort St ol Streptanthus oliganthus Masonic Mountain Jewel flower Tu gr Tuctoria greenei Greene’s tuctoria Ve ca Verbena californica Red Hills vervain Table 2-2: STATUS KEY CODE DEFINITION CNPS California Native Plant Society. CNPS 1A Plants presumed extinct in California. CNPS 1B Plants rare and endangered in California and elsewhere. CNPS 1B.1 Seriously threatened in California (high degree/immediacy of threat) CNPS 1B.2 Fairly threatened in California (moderate degree/immediacy of threat) Not very threatened in California (low degree/immediacy of threat or no CNPS 1B.3 current threat known) Plants rare, threatened or endangered in California, but more common CNPS 2 elsewhere CNPS 2.2 Fairly threatened in California (moderate degree/immediacy of threat) Not very threatened in California (low degree/immediacy of threat or no CNPS 2.3 current threat known) Biological Resources Conservation Handbook Appendix Page 6 of 187 Plants lacking the necessary information to assign them to another list or to CNPS 3.2 reject them. Suspected to be fairly threatened in California. Plants of limited distribution throughout California. Plants on this list are CNPS 4.2 uncommon enough that their status should be monitored regularly. Critically imperiled in the State because of extreme rarity or of some other CNDDB S1 factors, such as very steep declines, making it especially vulnerable to extirpation from the State.