California Spotted Owl and Northern Goshawk Surveys for Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins
Project #3540-03
Prepared for:
Blair, Church & Flynn Consulting Engineers 451 Clovis Avenue, Suite 200 Clovis, CA 93612
Prepared by:
H. T. Harvey & Associates
August 2015
7815 N Palm Avenue, Suite 310 Fresno, CA 93711 Ph: 559.476.3160 F: 559.476.3170
Table of Contents
Section 1.0 Introduction ...... 1 1.1 Site Conditions ...... 4 1.2 Potential Occurrence of California Spotted Owl and Northern Goshawk ...... 4 Section 2.0 Methods ...... 5 2.1 California Spotted Owl Surveys ...... 5 2.2 Northern Goshawk Surveys ...... 5 Section 3.0 Results ...... 7 3.1 California Spotted Owl Surveys ...... 7 3.2 Northern Goshawk Survey ...... 7 Section 4.0 Discussion...... 8 Section 5.0 References ...... 9
Figures
Figure 1. Vicinity Map ...... 2 Figure 2. Survey Area ...... 3
Preparers
Brian Boroski, Ph.D., Vice President, Principal Amy Sparks, J.D., Senior Regulatory Specialist Susan V. Christopher, Ph.D., Senior Wildlife Ecologist, Project Manager Jeff L. Seay, B.A., Senior Wildlife Ecologist Douglas A. Drynan, B.S., Senior Wildlife Ecologist Cissy Fu, Geographic Information System Specialist Heather Ogston, B.A., Technical Editor
Calif. Spotted Owl & Northern Goshawk Surveys H. T. Harvey & Associates i Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins August 2015
Section 1.0 Introduction
This report summarizes the methods and findings of California spotted owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) and northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) surveys conducted on the Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins Project (Project) site. Surveys for these special-status raptor species were conducted to inform the Project environmental impact report and generally to support compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and other applicable regulations. The results of these surveys supplement the existing analysis provided in the Project’s Biotic Report (H. T. Harvey & Associates 2014).
The Project involves constructing a high-end camping facility on approximately 24 acres in the community of Fish Camp, in Mariposa County, California. The Project site lies on the western slope of the central Sierra Nevada, approximately 2.8 miles south of the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park and 12.6 miles north of Oakhurst (Figure 1). Its elevation ranges from 4970 to 5050 feet above sea level. The site is bounded to the south by Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, a resort operated by Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts; to the west by State Route (SR) 41; and to the north and east by private property with restricted access (Figure 2). The Sierra National Forest surrounds the community of Fish Camp.
Calif. Spotted Owl & Northern Goshawk Surveys H. T. Harvey & Associates 1 Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins August 2015
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Figure 1: Vicinity Map California Spotted Owl and Northern Goshawk Surveys for Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins (3540-03) August 2015 LEGEND Project Site Boundary
0.25-mile Buffer
Restricted Access
Approximate Location of Northern Goshawk Survey Transects
Spotted Owl Calling Stations
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Figure 2: Survey Area California Spotted Owl and Northern Goshawk Surveys for Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins (3540-03) August 2015
1.1 Site Conditions
The Project site is dominated by lower montane coniferous forest with cleared patches created by previous disturbance. It is bordered by aquatic habitats, including a wet meadow at the south end of the site, Big Rainier Creek along the eastern boundary, and a 1-acre permanent freshwater pond at the northwestern end of the site. Nine habitat types are present on the site: lower montane coniferous forest, alder/white fir/incense cedar riparian complex, willow shrub riparian/wetland, aspen forested wetland, wet meadow, freshwater pond, perennial stream, intermittent stream, and drainage channel (H. T. Harvey & Associates 2014).
1.2 Potential Occurrence of California Spotted Owl and Northern Goshawk
California spotted owls, a California species of special concern, may forage or nest in the forested portions of the Project site. The California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) Spotted Owl Viewer (CNDDB 2015a) shows 25 California spotted owl territories within a 5-mile radius of the Project site; however, based on a review of these data, some of these territories are likely redundant. The territory nearest the Project site is approximately 0.7 mile southeast and centered on the east side of a north–south ridge. Discovered in 1992, surveys by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) have detected owls there as recently as 2006. Surveys conducted by H. T. Harvey & Associates in 2010 detected a male California spotted owl south of Tenaya Lodge just below Jackson Road (H. T. Harvey & Associates 2010). The male was later heard calling with a female a great distance to the east. These detections likely represent the pair of owls occupying the territory referenced above that was discovered in 1992.
The Project site contains some suitable habitat for California spotted owl (i.e., large trees and extensive fallen woody debris, with connectivity to a large expanse of USFS lands). The Project site, however, represents a relatively small area and is surrounded by many sources of human disturbance, including cabins and residences of Fish Camp, SR 41 to the west, Tenaya Lodge to the south, and White Chief Mountain Lodge and the Jack Boyd Outdoor School to the east. These factors reduce the likelihood that California spotted owls nest on the Project site.
Northern goshawks, also a California species of special concern, may forage or nest in the forested portions of the site. There are no CNDDB records of northern goshawks in the Project vicinity (CNDDB 2015b). Two molted feathers from northern goshawks (an adult tail feather and a juvenile primary feather) were found south of the Project site during a northern goshawk survey conducted by H. T. Harvey & Associates in 2010 (H. T. Harvey & Associates 2010). These feathers confirm that northern goshawks are present locally, but the many sources of human disturbance surrounding the Project site reduce the likelihood that northern goshawks nest on the site.
Calif. Spotted Owl & Northern Goshawk Surveys H. T. Harvey & Associates 4 Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins August 2015
Section 2.0 Methods
To assess the presence of California spotted owls and northern goshawks on the Project site, H. T. Harvey & Associates ornithologists conducted recorded vocal broadcast surveys for California spotted owls and a combination of pedestrian transect surveys and recorded vocal broadcast surveys for northern goshawks. The surveys were conducted on four nights during the 2015 nesting season.
2.1 California Spotted Owl Surveys
Currently, there is no survey protocol specifically for the California subspecies of spotted owl. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) survey protocol (2012) for the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), a very similar species that is listed as threatened, was adapted to survey the Project site for California spotted owls.
Three broadcast (calling) stations were established near the corners of the Project site (Figure 2). This configuration allowed complete coverage of the site and a 0.25-mile-wide buffer area. The survey area is relatively flat, with no topographical features that could significantly interfere with the broadcast of vocalizations across the area. Digital recordings of a spotted owl male’s four-note and barking calls, and of a female’s contact and agitation calls, were broadcast using an MP3 player with an external speaker. The speaker was capable of broadcasting sound detectable to the human ear more than 0.25 mile away. On each of four survey nights, each calling station was used for at least 12 minutes. The surveyors played calls for 2 minutes, listened for 2 minutes, and then repeated the calling and listening. Spotted owl agitation calls were not broadcast until the end of each calling station survey so as to avoid unnecessarily agitating females that might be nearby. The order of surveys at the calling stations varied among the four survey nights.
The surveys were conducted between 9:00 PM and midnight on 28 May and 2, 10, and 18 June 2015. H. T. Harvey & Associates ornithologist Jeff Seay led the surveys. He was assisted on the first survey by H. T. Harvey & Associates ornithologist Jeff Zirpoli. The ambient air temperature during the surveys was between 64° and 81° Fahrenheit. There was no rain on any of the survey dates; however, cloudy conditions occurred during the 10 June survey.
2.2 Northern Goshawk Surveys
Surveys for northern goshawks were conducted using the methods for a “single stand survey”, described in the Survey Methodology for Northern Goshawks in the Pacific Southwest Region (USFS 2002). The single stand survey is the appropriate method for projects of 10 to 100 acres (the proposed Project is approximately 24 acres). The method combines broadcast acoustical surveys with visual searches for signs of goshawk occupancy (nests, whitewash, prey remains, molted feathers) along closely spaced (65–130 feet) pedestrian transects.
Calif. Spotted Owl & Northern Goshawk Surveys H. T. Harvey & Associates 5 Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins August 2015
A single surveyor walked east–west transects spaced approximately 100 feet apart through the forested habitat of the Project site and accessible portions of a 0.25-mile-wide buffer (i.e., portions not on private property). Meadow and pond habitats were skirted. The total survey area was divided into separate blocks to maximize efficiency. Areas east of Big Rainier Creek, for example, were surveyed as a block so that the surveyor would not need to ford the creek multiple times. The areas east and west of Tenaya Lodge also were surveyed as blocks.
SR 41 defined the western ends of each transect, with the eastern ends determined in the field using aerial photographs of the site. Calling stations were established at both ends of every eighth transect, and approximately 820 feet east of the transect’s west end (approximate center), creating a grid of calling stations approximately 820 feet apart within the survey area. Some of the shorter transects did not have a central calling station. Digital recordings of northern goshawk alarm and wail calls were broadcast from an MP3 player with an external speaker capable of broadcasting sound at least 0.25 mile. At each calling station, acoustic surveys were completed as follows: a broadcast was directed 60 degrees relative to the transect for a duration of 10 seconds, followed by a listening period of 30 seconds. This was repeated two more times, each time rotating the speakers 120 degrees. This three-call sequence was repeated twice at each station.
The transects were walked at a slow pace, allowing the surveyor to scan the ground for goshawk sign, such as logs and low limbs used as plucking sites, and to scan all trees for nest structures. Any sign encountered (feathers, prey remains) were to be collected in sealable plastic bags labeled with the transect location at which they were found. Detections or sign of goshawks were to be recorded by transect location and detection type (visual or auditory).
The survey was conducted on 19 June 2015 by H. T. Harvey & Associates ornithologist Jeff Seay. The date was selected to coincide with the time when nestling northern goshawks would most likely be present at this elevation, increasing the likelihood of detecting an active nest. The survey began at 5:30 AM and lasted until 2:00 PM.
Calif. Spotted Owl & Northern Goshawk Surveys H. T. Harvey & Associates 6 Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins August 2015
Section 3.0 Results
3.1 California Spotted Owl Surveys
No spotted owls were heard or seen during the four acoustic surveys or during the northern goshawk survey. The only response to broadcast spotted owl recordings was by a northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus) that called briefly near calling station one (Figure 2) on 28 May 2015. Dogs in the vicinity of cabins in Fish Camp on the west side of SR 41 vocally responded to the broadcast of calls throughout the survey period on 2, 10, and 18 June. Human voices also were detected throughout all four surveys until at least 10:00 PM, coming from the direction of Tenaya Lodge as well as from the private residences of Fish Camp.
3.2 Northern Goshawk Survey
No northern goshawks were heard or seen during the survey, nor were any raptor nests or any sign attributable to northern goshawks detected. Individual feathers belonging to white-headed woodpeckers (Picoides albolarvatus), Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri), hermit thrushes (Catharus guttatus), and red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were located during the survey, but were not indicative of prey remains or plucking posts.
Calif. Spotted Owl & Northern Goshawk Surveys H. T. Harvey & Associates 7 Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins August 2015
Section 4.0 Discussion
The Project site has potential nesting and foraging habitat for both California spotted owls and northern goshawks, although human disturbances surrounding the Project site reduces the site’s suitability for these species. Project-related activities and disturbance sources in the area, such as artificial lighting, vehicle noise, and tree removal during construction, are likely to further diminish the site’s suitability, making it less attractive to foraging birds compared to surrounding forested areas. Removal of individual trees from the Project site may result in loss of potential nesting habitat for California spotted owls and northern goshawks. However, because suitable nesting and foraging habitat is abundant in the surrounding area, Project construction is not likely to adversely affect California spotted owl or northern goshawk populations on a local or regional level.
Neither species was detected during focused surveys and although suitable habitat for these species was present, there was no evidence of their use of the site. Because these species can alternate nest sites between years, preconstruction surveys should be conducted before tree removal begins, per Mitigation Measure BIO-6c in the Tenaya Lodge Facilities Upgrade Biotic Report (H. T. Harvey & Associates 2014).
Calif. Spotted Owl & Northern Goshawk Surveys H. T. Harvey & Associates 8 Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins August 2015
Section 5.0 References
[CNDDB] California Natural Diversity Database. 2015a. Bios Viewer 5.31.13a.
[CNDDB] California Natural Diversity Database. 2015b. Results of record search. Rarefind 5.
H. T. Harvey & Associates. 2010. Tenaya Lodge Facilities Upgrade Biotic Report. September. Fresno, California. Prepared for Design, Community, and Environment, Berkeley, California.
H. T. Harvey & Associates. 2014. Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins Biotic Report. December. Fresno, California. Prepared for Blair, Church & Flynn, Clovis, California.
[USFWS] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2012. Protocol for Surveying Proposed Management Activities That May Impact Northern Spotted Owls. 9 January.
[USFS] U.S. Forest Service. 2002. Survey Methodology for Northern Goshawks in the Pacific Southwest Region. 14 May.
Calif. Spotted Owl & Northern Goshawk Surveys H. T. Harvey & Associates 9 Tenaya Lodge Explorer Cabins August 2015