Supplemental Biological Results
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Supplemental Biological Results RE Rosamond One and Two RE Barren Ridge 1 RE Distributed Solar Biological Resources Assessment Kern County, California Prepared for: Recurrent Energy 300 California Street, 8th Floor San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 956-3433 Prepared by: Rincon Consultants, Inc. 180 North Ashwood Avenue Ventura, CA 93003 (805) 644-4455 July 2011 This page intentionally left blank. RE Distributed Solar Supplemental Biological Results TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1 ʹ Introduction................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Project Locations .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Project Description ....................................................................................................................... 3 1.3 Regulatory Overview .................................................................................................................... 3 1.3.1 Significance Criteria ............................................................................................................ 3 Section 2 ʹ Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 5 2.1 Literature Review.......................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Focused Surveys ........................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Special Status Plant Species ............................................................................................... 8 2.2.2 Desert Tortoise .................................................................................................................. 9 2.2.3 Burrowing Owl ................................................................................................................. 10 2.2.4 Special Status Raptors ...................................................................................................... 10 2.2.5 Other Sensitive Species ..................................................................................................... 11 2.3 Jurisdictional Waters Evaluation ................................................................................................ 11 Section 3 ʹ Site-specific Biological Resources and Effects Analysis ............................................................ 12 3.1 Rosamond Generation Tie-Line .................................................................................................. 12 3.1.1 Project Location ................................................................................................................ 12 3.1.2 Environmental Setting ...................................................................................................... 14 3.1.3 Rosamond Generation Tie-Line Vegetation ..................................................................... 14 3.1.4 Rosamond Generation Tie-Line Special Status Species .................................................... 15 3.1.5 Rosamond Generation Tie-Line Jurisdictional Evaluation ................................................ 17 3.1.6 Rosamond Potential Environmental Effects .................................................................... 18 3.2 Barren Ridge ............................................................................................................................... 20 3.2.1 Project Location ............................................................................................................... 20 3.2.2 Environmental Setting ..................................................................................................... 20 3.2.3 Barren Ridge Vegetation .................................................................................................. 22 3.2.4 Barren Ridge Special Status Species ................................................................................ 22 3.2.5 Barren Ridge Jurisdictional Evaluation ............................................................................ 25 3.2.6 Barren Ridge Potential Environmental Effects ................................................................ 25 Section 4 ʹ Recommended Mitigation Measures ....................................................................................... 27 Section 5 ʹ Summary and Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 33 5.1 Rosamond ................................................................................................................................... 33 5.2 Barren Ridge ............................................................................................................................... 33 Section 6 ʹ References ................................................................................................................................ 35 July 2011 i RE Distributed Solar Supplemental Biological Results Section 7 ʹ List of Preparers ....................................................................................................................... 39 TABLES Table 1 ʹ Location Information for the RE Distributed Solar Sites ...................................................... 3 Table 2 ʹ 2011 Field Survey Dates for the RE Distributed Solar Sites.................................................. 6 Table 3 ʹ Special Status Species Potentially Occurring in the Project Region ..................................... 6 FIGURES Figure 1 ʹ Regional Location Map........................................................................................................ 2 Figure 2 ʹ Rosamond Survey Area ..................................................................................................... 13 Figure 3 ʹ Rosamond Biological Resources ....................................................................................... 16 Figure 4 ʹ Barren Ridge Survey Area ................................................................................................. 21 Figure 5 ʹ Barren Ridge Biological Resources .................................................................................... 24 APPENDICES Appendix A ʹ Summary Tables of Focused Survey Results for the Rosamond and Barren Ridge Sites Appendix B ʹ Site Photographs Appendix C ʹ Botanical Compendia Appendix D ʹ Summary of Mitigation Measures Applicable to Each Site Appendix E ʹ Sub-consultant Technical Reports July 2011 ii RE Distributed Solar Supplemental Biological Results SECTION 1 ʹ INTRODUCTION Rincon Consultants, Inc. (Rincon) has prepared supplemental results for the Biological Resources Assessment for the Recurrent Energy (RE) Distributed Solar project. A comprehensive biological resource assessment, including vegetative mapping, protocol surveys and jurisdictional delineations, was conducted for seven Kern Desert sites (RE Rosamond One and Two, RE Rio Grande, RE Columbia, Columbia Two, and Columbia 3, RE Great Lakes, RE Barren Ridge 1, RE Tehachapi Solar, and RE Tehachapi 2). Results were presented in RE Distributed Solar Biological Resources Assessment, Kern County, California (Rincon Consultants, Inc. 2011). However, the RE Rosamond One and Two (Rosamond) generation tie-line route and the RE Barren Ridge 1 (Barren Ridge) project site and associated generation tie-line route were added after the survey window for most protocol surveys. Therefore, this report presents the results of additional surveys conducted at the Barren Ridge and Rosamond sites. These include: protocol surveys for special status species and a jurisdictional evaluation along a proposed generation tie-line route at the Rosamond site; protocol surveys at the Barren ridge main site; and protocol surveys and a jurisdictional evaluation of a proposed generation tie- line route at the Barren Ridge project. This report also includes updated mitigation measures for the two sites based on the survey findings, which are intended to supersede those outlined for the two sites in the comprehensive biological resources assessment. This report is organized as follows: Section 1 ʹ Introduction provides location information, project description, and significance criteria for evaluation of biological effects; Section 2 ʹ Methodology details the study methods employed at each site; Section 3 ʹ Site-Specific Biological Resources and Effects Analysis presents the biological survey results and evaluates potential environmental effects at each site; Section 4 ʹ Mitigation Measures lists proposed mitigation measures for the projects, and Section 5 ʹ Summary and Conclusions provides a summary of potential effects and recommended mitigations measures for each site. References are included in Section 6, a List of Preparers is in Section 7, and summary tables of focused survey results, site photographs, botanical compendia, and a summary of mitigation measures applicable to each site are included in Appendices A-D. This report has been prepared for RE Rosamond One, RE Rosamond Two, and RE Barren Ridge 1 ;͞ůŝĞŶƚs͟Ϳ͘dŚŝƐƌĞƉŽƌƚŵĂLJďĞƵƐĞĚĂŶĚƌĞůŝĞd upon by Clients, any entity that has an ownership interest in any of these Clients, any of Clients͛ subsidiaries and/or affiliates, and any successor in interest to Clients͛ interest in the project. 1.1 PROJECT LOCATIONS The two RE Distributed Solar project sites addressed in this report are located