Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority (RCA)
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Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) Biological Monitoring Program Stream Survey Report 2007 18 MARCH 2008 Stream Survey Report 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 1 Survey Goals....................................................................................................................... 1 Arroyo Toad (Bufo californicus; “BUCA”)........................................................................ 1 Coast Range Newt (Taricha torosa torosa; “TATO”) ....................................................... 2 California Red-legged Frog (Rana aurora draytonii; “RAAU”) ....................................... 2 Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (Rana muscosa; “RAMU”)............................................... 2 METHODS .................................................................................................................................... 3 Protocol Development ........................................................................................................ 3 Personnel and Training ....................................................................................................... 3 Study Site Selection............................................................................................................ 4 Survey Methods .................................................................................................................. 4 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Arroyo Toad (BUCA)......................................................................................................... 7 Coast Range Newt (TATO) .............................................................................................. 10 California Red-legged Frog (RAAU) ............................................................................... 13 Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (RAMU).......................................................................... 13 Habitat Conditions ............................................................................................................ 14 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................................. 14 Recommendations for Future Surveys.............................................................................. 15 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................ 18 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1. Core Area designation by species (denoted with ‘X’) and whether or not each area was surveyed in 2007................................................................................................................. 5 Table 2. Survey locations, dates, and amphibian species during stream surveys in 2007............. 6 Western Riverside County MSHCP ii Biological Monitoring Program Stream Survey Report 2007 Table 3. Habitat characteristics for stream survey locations in 2007. ........................................... 8 Table 4. Coast range newt (TATO) detections in 2007. Note that abundances are estimates. .... 10 Table 5. Habitat characteristics at TATO locations..................................................................... 12 Figure 1. Start locations for stream reaches surveyed in 2007. ................................................... 16 Figure 2. Coast range newt (TATO) detections along stream survey reaches in 2007. .............. 17 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A: USGS Stream Survey Protocol. ............................................................................. 19 Appendix B: Monitoring program hardcopy datasheets.............................................................. 43 Western Riverside County MSHCP iii Biological Monitoring Program Stream Survey Report 2007 NOTE TO READER: This report is an account of survey activities undertaken by the Biological Monitoring Program for the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP). The MSHCP was permitted in June 2004. The Biological Monitoring Program monitors the distribution and status of the 146 Covered Species within the Conservation Area to provide information to Permittees, land managers, the public, and the Wildlife Agencies (i.e., the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Monitoring Program activities are guided by the MSHCP species objectives for each Covered Species, the information needs identified in MSHCP Section 5.3 or elsewhere in the document, and the information needs of the Permittees. While we have made every effort to accurately represent our data and results, it should be recognized that our database is still under development. Any reader wishing to make further use of the information or data provided in this report should contact the Monitoring Program to ensure that they have access to the best available or most current data. The primary preparer of this report was the 2007 Herpetology Program Lead, Natalie Marioni. If there are any questions about the information provided in this report, please contact the Monitoring Program Administrator. If you have questions about the MSHCP, please contact the Executive Director of the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority (RCA). For further information on the MSHCP and the RCA, go to www.wrc-rca.org. Contact Info: Executive Director Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority 4080 Lemon Street, 12th Floor P.O. Box 1667 Riverside, CA 92502-1667 Ph: (951) 955-9700 Western Riverside County MSHCP Monitoring Program Administrator c/o Karin Cleary-Rose 4500 Glenwood Drive, Bldg. C Riverside, CA 92501 Ph: (951) 782-4238 Western Riverside County MSHCP iv Biological Monitoring Program Stream Survey Report 2007 INTRODUCTION Four MSHCP Covered amphibian species inhabit stream environments in southern California: arroyo toad (Bufo californicus; “BUCA”), coast range newt (Taricha torosa torosa; “TATO”), California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii; “RAAU”), and mountain yellow- legged frog (Rana mucosa; “RAMU”). Each of these species has specific objectives that require the monitoring of known breeding populations within the Conservation Area once a year for the first 5 years of the permit, or across any consecutive 5 year period (BUCA). The Monitoring Program has been collaborating with the U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center (USGS WERC) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) on amphibian stream surveys in the Conservation Area since 2003 to reduce overlapping survey efforts and to ensure consistent data collection methods. The purpose of stream surveys is to assess the suitability of stream habitats in the Conservation Area for BUCA, RAAU, TATO, and RAMU and to document breeding locations within species-specific Core Areas and other potentially suitable habitat in the Conservation Area. The species objectives, suitable habitat, and MSHCP-identified Core Areas for each species are described under each species section below. The following were the overall survey goals for 2007: Survey Goals: A) Document breeding locations for BUCA, TATO, RAAU, and RAMU within as many species-specific Core Areas and potential habitat stream segments as possible (Table 1). B) Assess stream habitat (e.g., water quality, upland and riparian vegetation, etc.) across the Conservation Area. C) Refine the stream survey protocol to optimize methods for future surveys. D) Provide data to land managers for use in management decisions. Arroyo Toad (Bufo californicus; “BUCA”) BUCA has narrow habitat requirements, typically being restricted to the middle reaches of third order streams (Dudek & Associates 2003). BUCA are additionally constrained by not inhabiting areas with a landscape slope of greater than 3 percent (Miller and Miller 1936; Sweet 1992). Records of BUCA within the MSHCP Plan Area date from the mid 1930s to early 2000s. BUCA’s specific breeding habitat requirements limit the potential areas they are likely to inhabit. Currently, the known distribution of BUCA in western Riverside County includes: Temecula Creek, Arroyo Seco Creek, Tenaja Creek, Los Alamos Creek, San Jacinto River, Bautista Creek, and Wilson Creek. Many historic records of BUCA locations are taken from incidental sightings during surveys for other amphibian species and do not necessarily reflect habitats most preferred by BUCA (Stebbins 1951; Sweet 1989; Sweet 1992). The species objectives for BUCA require the conservation of 9 Core Areas in the MSHCP Conservation Area. These Core Areas include: 1) San Juan Creek; 2) Los Alamos Creek; 3) San Jacinto River; 4) Indian Creek; 5) Bautista Creek; 6) Wilson Creek; 7) Temecula Creek; 8) Arroyo Seco, and 9) Vail Lake. Species objective 6 for BUCA states: Western Riverside County MSHCP 1 Biological Monitoring Program Stream Survey Report 2007 …within the MSHCP Conservation Area, Reserve Managers will maintain breeding populations at a minimum of 80 percent of the conserved breeding locations as measured by the presence/absence of juvenile toads, tadpoles, or egg masses across any 5 consecutive years (Dudek and Associates 2003). Coast Range Newt (Taricha torosa torosa; “TATO”) TATO also has narrow habitat requirements and requires specific breeding conditions. Its distribution in the MSHCP Plan Area is limited