Ellwood Mesa/Sperling Preserve Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan
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Ellwood Mesa/Sperling Preserve Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan Initial Study – Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared by City of Goleta 130 Cremona Drive, Suite B Goleta, California 93117 Anne Wells, Advance Planning Manager prepared with the assistance of Rincon Consultants, Inc. 209 East Victoria Street Santa Barbara, California 93101 January 2019 Ellwood Mesa/Sperling Preserve Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan Initial Study – Mitigated Negative Declaration prepared by City of Goleta 130 Cremona Drive, Suite B Goleta, California 93117 Anne Wells, Advance Planning Manager prepared with the assistance of Rincon Consultants, Inc. 209 East Victoria Street Santa Barbara, California 93101 January 2019 This report prepared on 50% recycled paper with 50% post-consumer content. Table of Contents Table of Contents Initial Study ............................................................................................................................................. 1 1. Project Title ......................................................................................................................... 1 2. Lead Agency Name and Address ......................................................................................... 1 3. Contact Person and Phone Number ................................................................................... 1 4. Project Location .................................................................................................................. 1 5. Project Sponsor’s Name and Address ................................................................................. 1 6. General Plan Designation .................................................................................................... 1 7. Background Information ..................................................................................................... 4 8. Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan ................................................................... 8 9. Approval Required by Other Public Agencies ...................................................................27 10. Site Information ................................................................................................................27 11. Environmental Setting ......................................................................................................27 12. Have California Native American Tribes Traditionally and Culturally Affiliated with the Project Area Requested Consultation Pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21080.3.1? ............................................................................................................28 Environmental Factors Potentially Affected .........................................................................................29 Determination ......................................................................................................................................29 Environmental Checklist .......................................................................................................................31 1 Aesthetics ..........................................................................................................................31 2 Agriculture and Forestry Resources ..................................................................................37 3 Air Quality .........................................................................................................................41 4 Biological Resources ..........................................................................................................45 5 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................................81 6 Energy ...............................................................................................................................85 7 Geology and Soils ..............................................................................................................89 8 Greenhouse Gas Emissions ...............................................................................................93 9 Hazards and Hazardous Materials ....................................................................................97 10 Hydrology and Water Quality .........................................................................................101 11 Land Use and Planning ....................................................................................................107 12 Mineral Resources ..........................................................................................................111 13 Noise ...............................................................................................................................113 14 Population and Housing ..................................................................................................119 15 Public Services .................................................................................................................121 16 Recreation .......................................................................................................................125 17 Transportation ................................................................................................................127 18 Tribal Cultural Resources ................................................................................................131 19 Utilities and Service Systems ..........................................................................................133 20 Wildfire............................................................................................................................139 21 Mandatory Findings of Significance ................................................................................143 Initial Study – Mitigated Negative Declaration i City of Goleta Ellwood Mesa/Sperling Preserve Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan References ..........................................................................................................................................147 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................147 List of Preparers ..........................................................................................................................153 Tables Table 1 Prescription Guidance for Butterfly Aggregation Areas Adjacent to Structures ................ 8 Table 2 MBHMP Programs, Policies, and Actions with Potential Effects on the Environment .....16 Table 3 Habitat Types in the Coverage Area with Current Classification ......................................48 Table 4 Special-status Plant Species in the Vicinity of the Coverage Area ....................................57 Table 5 Special-status Animal Species in the Vicinity of the Coverage Area .................................60 Table 6 BAAQMD/Santa Barbara County Interim Thresholds of Significance ...............................95 Table 7 Typical Construction Equipment Noise Levels ................................................................117 Figures Figure 1 Regional Location ................................................................................................................ 2 Figure 2 MBHMP Coverage Area Location ........................................................................................ 3 Figure 3 Monarch Butterfly Aggregation Sites .................................................................................. 6 Figure 4 Peak Monarch Populations at Ellwood Main, 1997-2018 ................................................... 7 Figure 5 Site Photographs ...............................................................................................................33 Figure 6 Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas ..........................................................................49 Figure 7 Drainages and Vegetation Communities ..........................................................................50 Figure 8 Site Photographs ...............................................................................................................51 Figure 9 Western Monarch Population, 1997-2017 .......................................................................65 Appendices Appendix A Draft Ellwood Mesa/Sperling Preserve Open Space Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan Appendix B Public Comments and City of Goleta responses on the Draft Ellwood Mesa/Sperling Preserve Open Space Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan ii Initial Study Initial Study 1. Project Title Ellwood Mesa/Sperling Preserve Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan (MBHMP) 2. Lead Agency Name and Address City of Goleta, Planning and Environmental Review 130 Cremona Drive, Suite B Goleta, California 93117 3. Contact Person and Phone Number Anne Wells, Advance Planning Manager (805) 961-7557 4. Project Location The coverage area for the MBHMP (Coverage Area) encompasses approximately 75 acres of habitat supporting monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) seasonal aggregation areas in Ellwood Mesa/Sperling Preserve Open Space (Ellwood Mesa Open Space), a 137-acre open space area located on Ellwood Mesa and owned by the City of Goleta (City). The Coverage Area is south of Hollister Avenue, north of Ellwood Bluffs, east of Sandpiper Golf Club, and west of Ellwood Beach Drive and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Figure 1 shows the MBHMP’s regional location,