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Revised January 19, 2018 Updated June 19, 2018 BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION / BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT FOR TERRESTRIAL AND AQUATIC WILDLIFE YUBA PROJECT YUBA RIVER RANGER DISTRICT TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST REVISED JANUARY 19, 2018 UPDATED JUNE 19, 2018 PREPARED BY: MARILYN TIERNEY DISTRICT WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... 3 II. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 4 III. CONSULTATION TO DATE ...................................................................................................... 4 IV. CURRENT MANAGEMENT DIRECTION ............................................................................... 5 V. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT AND ALTERNATIVES ......................... 6 VI. EXISTING ENVIRONMENT, EFFECTS OF THE PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES, AND DETERMINATION ......................................................................... 41 SPECIES-SPECIFIC ANALYSIS AND DETERMINATION ........................................................... 54 TERRESTRIAL SPECIES ........................................................................................................................ 55 WESTERN BUMBLE BEE ............................................................................................................. 55 BALD EAGLE ................................................................................................................................ 58 CALIFORNIA SPOTTED OWL ..................................................................................................... 62 GREAT GRAY OWL ....................................................................................................................... 80 NORTHERN GOSHAWK ............................................................................................................... 84 WILLOW FLYCATCHER............................................................................................................... 89 GREATER SANDHILL CRANE ..................................................................................................... 94 FOREST CARNIVORES – GENERAL DISCUSSION ................................................................... 96 PACIFIC MARTEN ........................................................................................................................ 96 WOLVERINE ............................................................................................................................... 104 PALLID BAT ................................................................................................................................ 115 TOWNSEND’S BIG-EARED BAT ............................................................................................... 119 FRINGED MYOTIS ..................................................................................................................... 124 AQUATIC SPECIES ............................................................................................................................. 128 CALIFORNIA RED-LEGGED FROG ......................................................................................... 128 LAHONTAN CUTTHROAT TROUT ............................................................................................ 134 WESTERN POND TURTLE ......................................................................................................... 138 FOOTHILL YELLOW-LEGGED FROG ..................................................................................... 143 GREAT BASIN RAMS-HORN SNAIL .......................................................................................... 147 LAHONTAN LAKE TUI CHUB ................................................................................................... 148 HARDHEAD ................................................................................................................................ 150 CALIFORNIA FLOATER............................................................................................................. 152 BLACK JUGA .............................................................................................................................. 153 VII. MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS...................................................................................... 155 VIII. LITERATURE CITED AND REFERENCES ...................................................................... 156 OFFICIAL SPECIES LIST ................................................................................................................... 209 ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT SPECIES LIST ............................................................................... 210 CRITICAL HABITATS THAT LIE WITHIN YOUR PROJECT AREA ....................................... 212 2 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PROJECT NAME: Yuba Project The Yuba Project area is located in Sierra County approximately five miles northeast of Sierra City, CA. The Yuba Project proposes vegetation management on 6,965 acres to reduce fuels, move forest condition towards its historic range of canopy and structure, and reduce encroachment of conifers into meadows and aspens. These activities are proposed to occur within a 14,545-acre project area. See the proposed action for a more detailed description of the project area. Table 1. Executive summary of species considered for analysis in the Biological Evaluation/Biological Assessment for the Yuba Project and the effects determination. OCCURS OR HAS SPECIES SUITABLE HABITAT SPECIES EFFECTS DETERMINATION2 STATUS1 WITHIN THE PROJECT AREA Western bumblebee S Habitat May affect, no trend toward listing Bald eagle S Habitat No effect California spotted owl S Occurs May affect, no trend toward listing Great gray owl S Habitat No effect Northern goshawk S Occurs May affect, no trend toward listing Willow flycatcher S Habitat No effect Greater sandhill crane S No No effect Pacific marten S Occurs May affect, no trend toward listing North American P Habitat No effect wolverine Pallid bat S Habitat May affect, no trend toward listing Townsend’s big-eared S Habitat May affect, no trend toward listing bat Fringed myotis S Habitat May affect, no trend toward listing AQUATIC SPECIES California red-legged T No No Effect frog Lahontan cutthroat trout T No No Effect Western pond turtle S No No Effect Foothill yellow-legged S No No Effect frog Great Basin rams-horn S No No Effect snail Lahontan Lake tui chub S No No Effect Hardhead S No No Effect California floater S No No Effect Black juga S No No Effect *Sierra Nevada yellow- E Occurs May Affect, Likely to Adversely Affect legged frog * Species is addressed in a separate Biological Assessment for consultation with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1Key: E = USFWS Endangered, T = USFWS Threatened, PE = USFWS Proposed Endangered (pending final rule), PT = USFWS Proposed Threatened (pending final rule), C = USFWS Candidate (warranted but precluded), S = USFS R5 Sensitive. 3 II. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this Biological Evaluation/Biological Assesment is to document analysis of the potential effects of the Yuba Project on Forest Service Sensitive Species, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s designated threatened, endangerd, candidate, and proposed aquatic and terrestrial wildlife species and their habitats: The above list includes United States Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) threatened, endangered, candidate, and proposed species maintained at 50 CFR 17.11 (Last updated February 13, 2017), and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Region 5 Forester's Sensitive Species, listed for the Tahoe National Forest (Updated as of September 9, 2013). This evaluation does not address the following USFWS threatened or endangered species: Coccyzus americanus (yellow-billed cuckoo (T)), Branchinecta lynchi (Vernal Pool fairy shrimp (T)), Lepidurus Packardt (Vernal Pool tadpole shrimp (E)), Chasmistes cujus (cui-ui (E)), Hypomesus transpacificus (delta smelt (T)), or Oncorhynchus mykiss (steelhead (T)) because the Tahoe National Forest is outside of the range or does not contain habitat for these species. Oncorhynchus mykiss (Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento River) do not occur in the Tahoe National Forest due to dams. If a project in the Tahoe National Forest could potentially have effects to any of these species they would be analyzed in detail. This biological evaluation was prepared in accordance with Forest Service Manual (FSM) direction 2672.42 and meets legal requirements set forth under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, and implementing regulations [19 U.S.C. 1536 (c), 50 CFR 402.12 (f) and 402.14 (c)]. Literature cited and references throughout this biological evaluation can be found at the end of the document, first by general resource documents then by individual species or species group. III. CONSULTATION TO DATE The Fish and Wildlife Service is contacted every 90 days to obtain a current list of threatened, endangered, proposed and candidate species that may be present in the Tahoe National Forest. The most recent list was reported February 13, 2017 and is attached as Appendix A. This project is within the range of the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, and activities are proposed with Critical Habitat for this species. As such, formal consultation with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for this species is completed in a separate Biological Assessment.
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