Biological Resources Assessment
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BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT BAY AREA RIDGE TRAIL‐ FREMONT TO GARIN ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA September 2018 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT BAY AREA RIDGE TRAIL ‐ FREMONT TO GARIN ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Submitted to: East Bay Regional Park District 2950 Peralta Oaks Court P.O. Box 5381 Oakland, California 94605‐0381 Prepared by: LSA 157 Park Place Pt. Richmond, California 94801 510.236.6810 Project No. EBR1701 September 2018 B IOLOGICAL R ESOURCES A SSESSMENT B AY A REA R IDGE T RAIL‐ F REMONT TO G ARIN S EPTEMBER 2018 A LAMEDA C OUNTY, C ALIFORNIA TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 2 METHODS ................................................................................................................... 5 Database Search And Literature Review ....................................................................................... 5 Field Surveys .................................................................................................................................. 5 Nomenclature .............................................................................................................................. 12 Regulatory Context ...................................................................................................................... 13 Special‐status species ....................................................................................................................... 13 Other Statutes, Codes, and Policies addressed under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) .............................................................................................................................................. 13 RESULTS ................................................................................................................... 16 Biological setting ......................................................................................................................... 16 Vegetation ........................................................................................................................................ 16 Sensitive Natural Communities ........................................................................................................ 19 Potentially Jurisdictional Features .................................................................................................... 20 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................................. 20 Special‐Status Wildlife ...................................................................................................................... 21 ANALYSIS OF IMPACTS AND RECOMMENDED MEASURES TO AVOID, MINIMIZE, AND MITIGATE POTENTIAL IMPACTS ........................................................................ 33 Special‐status Plants .................................................................................................................... 33 Sensitive Natural Communities ................................................................................................... 33 Jurisdictional Features ................................................................................................................. 33 General Wildlife Protection Measures ............................................................................................. 34 Mammals .......................................................................................................................................... 35 Reptiles ............................................................................................................................................. 36 Amphibians ....................................................................................................................................... 36 Birds .................................................................................................................................................. 37 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 40 FIGURES Figure 1: Regional Location .................................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2: Site Location and Topographic Map ........................................................................................ 4 Figure 3: Critical Habitat ......................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 4: Sensitive Natural Communities and Potential Waters of the U.S. ........................................ 17 TABLES Table A: Special‐status Plant Species and Sensitive Natural Communities Evaluated ........................... 7 Table B: Sensitive Natural Communities Evaluated ............................................................................. 11 Table C: Special‐Status Animal Species’ Potential to Occur ................................................................. 22 APPENDICES A: List of Plants Observed P:\EBR1701\Bio\Biological Resources Assessment\Draft_Fremont_to_Garin_Bio Resources_Assessment_09‐20‐18.docx (09/20/18) i B IOLOGICAL R ESOURCES A SSESSMENT B AY A REA R IDGE T RAIL‐ F REMONT TO G ARIN S EPTEMBER 2018 A LAMEDA C OUNTY, C ALIFORNIA INTRODUCTION This report presents the results of a biological resources assessment conducted by LSA on behalf of the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) for a proposed segment of the Bay Ridge Trail to be constructed between Vallejo Mill Park in Fremont and Garin Regional Park in Union City, Alameda County (proposed project). The project location is shown in Figure 1, Regional Location, and Figure 2, Site Location and Topographic Map. This assessment was conducted to: 1) characterize the existing biological conditions; 2) assess sensitive plant communities and wildlife habitats; 3) evaluate the potential for occurrence of special‐status plant and animal species; 4) delineate potentially jurisdictional wetlands and other waters of the U.S./State are present; and 5) assess potential impacts of development of the trail on the resources. P:\EBR1701\Bio\Biological Resources Assessment\Draft_Fremont_to_Garin_Bio Resources_Assessment_09‐20‐18.docx (09/20/18) 2 880 ¦¨§ San Contra Costa ¦¨§580 Ramon C o u n t y 880 Castro 680 ¦¨§ Valley ¨§ San ¦ Leandro Leandro 580 Ashland ¦¨§ d R Livermore San Pleasanton s e Lorenzo r a Hayward Study Area m 92 o ST l Union a City P Fremont 84 ST A l a m e d a Oconnell Ln East East Newark C o u n t y Palo Alto Palo ¦¨§680 Study Area Alto 101 Milpitas ¤£ Mountain Milpitas View 237 Santa Clara 280 ST82 ST ST84 ¦¨§ ¦¨§880 C o u n t y Sunnyvale Santa Clara ¦¨§680 Niles Blvd Rd n yo an C r d r D l me O m a h B n e la t is S Wa d e y ll Mayhews Rd ST238 Mission Blvd 84 Ave ST r Nursery Niles Blvd D h R 2n r c iv r d iera St D t D Iron Horse Ln r a D e s r Pl Vallejo St v w Victory Ln i a e Essanay D St R i W v l l n i o t rt H a S J St B r Orangewood Dr l 3rd D o o St Sch I St Mission Blvd A Morrison ST84 l Pickering Avet Overcracker Ave u Canyon Rd F r o a r d S R t id Copa Del L BuenaYerba St T g n Cas e e tro L r Oro Dr n Gilbert Ave Mowry Ave ST238 RiverwalkDr Spetti Dr LEGEND FIGURE 1 Study Area Bay Area Ridge Trail – Fremont to Garin to Fremont – Trail Ridge Area Bay 0 1000 2000 California County, Alameda FEET Regional Location SOURCE: ESRI StreetMap North America (2012). I:\EBR1701\GIS\Maps\Jurisdictional Delineation and Bio Assessment\Figure 1_Regional Location.mxd (3/21/2018) Study Area LEGEND FIGURE 2 Study Area Bay Area Ridge Trail Fremont to Garin 0 1000 2000 Alameda County, California FEET Site Location and Topographic Map SOURCE: 7.5-minute Quad: Niles, Calif. (1980). I:\EBR1701\GIS\Maps\Jurisdictional Delineation and Bio Assessment\Figure 2_Site Location and Topographic Map.mxd (3/21/2018) B IOLOGICAL R ESOURCES A SSESSMENT B AY A REA R IDGE T RAIL‐ F REMONT TO G ARIN S EPTEMBER 2018 A LAMEDA C OUNTY, C ALIFORNIA METHODS DATABASE SEARCH AND LITERATURE REVIEW Prior to conducting fieldwork, LSA searched the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) (CDFW 2017) for records of special‐status plant and wildlife species and sensitive habitat occurrences within 5 miles of the project site. To supplement the CNDDB results, LSA searched the California Native Plant Society’s (CNPS 2017) Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California (8th edition) and the East Bay Chapter of the CNPS’s Rare, Unusual, and Significant Plants of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties (local rare plant list, EB‐CNPS 2010) for records of special‐status (rare) plant species (Lake 2010)1. The plant‐only searches were limited to the hilly regions of the Dublin, Hayward, La Costa Valley, Newark, and Niles USGS 7.5 minute quadrangles. Based on these outputs, LSA developed Table A: Potentially Occurring Special‐status Plant Species (Table A) and Table B: Sensitive Natural Communities Evaluated (Table B). These tables were used as a target list for special‐status plants and communities on the project site. LSA also reviewed the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Critical Habitat Portal2, current and historic Google Earth aerial images of the site, and the USFWS National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) map3 for wetlands on and near the site. Critical habitat within 5 miles of the project site is depicted in Figure 3. LSA also obtained an official species list