Greene County Solar Facility Case No

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Greene County Solar Facility Case No Greene County Solar Facility Case No. 17-F-0619 Attachment 22C Revised Exhibit 22 Appendices Revised Appendix 22-C. Habitat Assessment and Preliminary Impact Determination Report Revised Appendix 22-E. Avian Cumulative Impact Assessment Report Supplement Greene County Solar Facility Greene County Solar Facility Case No. 17-F-0619 Attachment 22C Revised Exhibit 22 Appendices Revised Appendix 22-C. Habitat Assessment and Preliminary Impact Determination Report Revised Appendix 22-E. Avian Cumulative Impact Assessment Report Supplement Greene County Solar Facility Habitat Assessment and Preliminary Impact Determination for Federal and State Protected Species (Revision 2.0) for the Greene County Solar Facility Town of Coxsackie, Greene County, New York March 2020 Prepared for: Hecate Energy Greene 1 LLC, Hecate Energy Greene 2 LLC, and Hecate Energy Greene County 3 LLC 621 W. Randolph Street Chicago, Illinois 60661 Prepared by: Tetra Tech, Inc. 301 Ellicott Street Buffalo, New York 14203 Greene County Solar Facility Protected Species Habitat Assessment and Preliminary Impact Determination TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................................1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................................... 1 SITE BACKGROUND INFORMATION.................................................................................................... 2 METHODS .....................................................................................................................................................3 DESKTOP DATA REVIEW ...................................................................................................................... 3 FIELD SURVEY ....................................................................................................................................... 3 AGENCY COORDINATION .................................................................................................................... 3 PRESENCE/ABSENCE SURVEYS ........................................................................................................ 4 PROTECTED SPECIES PRELIMINARY IMPACT DETERMINATION ................................................... 4 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................................................5 HABITATS IDENTIFIED AND PROPOSED IMPACTS ........................................................................... 5 Agricultural Land .................................................................................................................. 5 Open Land ........................................................................................................................... 5 Immature hardwood forest................................................................................................... 6 Mature hardwood forest ....................................................................................................... 6 Scrub-shrub ......................................................................................................................... 6 Residential ........................................................................................................................... 6 Commercial/Industrial .......................................................................................................... 6 Roads .................................................................................................................................. 7 AGENCY COORDINATION .................................................................................................................... 7 Indiana Bat .......................................................................................................................... 8 Northern Long-eared Bat ..................................................................................................... 9 Bald Eagle ........................................................................................................................... 9 Northern Harrier ................................................................................................................... 9 Peregrine Falcon ............................................................................................................... 10 Short-eared Owl ................................................................................................................ 11 Cooper’s Hawk .................................................................................................................. 11 Grasshopper Sparrow ....................................................................................................... 11 Horned Lark ....................................................................................................................... 12 Northern Goshawk ............................................................................................................. 12 Osprey ............................................................................................................................... 12 i Greene County Solar Facility Protected Species Habitat Assessment and Preliminary Impact Determination Sharp-shinned Hawk ......................................................................................................... 13 American Kestrel ............................................................................................................... 13 Barred Owl ......................................................................................................................... 13 Bobolink ............................................................................................................................. 14 Eastern Meadowlark .......................................................................................................... 14 SPECIES-SPECIFIC SURVEYS ........................................................................................................... 14 STATE-Regulated Occupied Habitat ..................................................................................................... 15 IMPACT ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................ 17 PROPOSED HABITAT IMPACTS ......................................................................................................... 17 IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION FOR LISTED SPECIES ............... 17 Indiana Bat ........................................................................................................................ 17 Northern Long-eared Bat ................................................................................................... 18 Bald Eagle ......................................................................................................................... 18 Northern Harrier ................................................................................................................. 18 Peregrine Falcon ............................................................................................................... 20 Short-eared Owl ................................................................................................................ 20 Cooper’s Hawk .................................................................................................................. 21 Grasshopper Sparrow ....................................................................................................... 21 Horned Lark ....................................................................................................................... 22 Northern Goshawk ............................................................................................................. 22 Osprey ............................................................................................................................... 22 Sharp-shinned Hawk ......................................................................................................... 23 American Kestrel ............................................................................................................... 23 Barred Owl ......................................................................................................................... 23 Bobolink ............................................................................................................................. 24 Eastern Meadowlark .......................................................................................................... 24 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 26 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 27 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Habitats Identified and Proposed to be Impacted ........................................................................................5 Table 2. Protected Species Identified Near the Facility Area .....................................................................................8 ii Greene County Solar Facility Protected Species Habitat Assessment and Preliminary Impact Determination LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX
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