Recommendation of the Independent Science Advisors for the California
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Recommendations of Independent Science Advisors for The California Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) Prepared For Renewable Energy Action Team: California Department of Fish & Game U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service U.S. Bureau of Land Management California Energy Commission Prepared By The DRECP Independent Science Advisors DRECP-1000-2010-008-F October 2010 Produced by the Conservation Biology Institute. CBI is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization that works collaboratively to conserve biological diversity in its natural state through applied research, education,1 planning, and community service. Table of Contents Acronyms and Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... i Executive Summary .................................................................................................................. iii 1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................1 1.1 Philosophy and Approach .............................................................................................2 1.2 Overarching Issues and Recommendations ...................................................................3 2 Plan Scope ............................................................................................................................9 2.1 Biological Goals ...........................................................................................................9 2.2 Geographic Extent of Plan Area ....................................................................................9 2.3 Permit Duration .......................................................................................................... 14 2.4 Natural Communities .................................................................................................. 14 2.5 Covered Species ......................................................................................................... 17 2.6 Additional Planning Species ....................................................................................... 32 2.7 Special Features .......................................................................................................... 37 2.8 Ecological Processes ................................................................................................... 39 2.9 Environmental Gradients ............................................................................................ 43 2.10 Covered Actions ......................................................................................................... 44 3 Principles for Addressing Information Gaps and Uncertainties ............................................ 49 3.1 Environmental Base Maps .......................................................................................... 49 3.2 General Information Sources ...................................................................................... 52 3.3 Species Locality Data ................................................................................................. 53 3.4 Species Habitat Suitability and Distribution Models ................................................... 53 3.5 Decision Support Models ............................................................................................ 57 3.6 Anticipating Climate Change ...................................................................................... 59 3.7 Additional Scientific Input and Review....................................................................... 60 4 Principles for Conservation and Reserve Design .................................................................. 62 4.1 Review of REAT “Starting Point” Maps ..................................................................... 62 4.2 Reserve Design Process .............................................................................................. 64 4.3 Siting and Configuring Renewable Energy Developments .......................................... 74 4.4 Mitigation Recommendations ..................................................................................... 79 5 Additional Principles for Conserving Select Covered Species .............................................. 82 5.1 Mohave Ground Squirrel ............................................................................................ 82 5.2 Desert Tortoise ........................................................................................................... 82 5.3 Bats ............................................................................................................................ 83 6 Principles for Adaptive Management and Monitoring .......................................................... 85 6.1 Implement Monitoring and Adaptive Management Immediately ................................. 86 6.2 Framework and Institutional Structure ........................................................................ 86 6.3 Hypothesis-based Monitoring and Adaptive Management ........................................... 88 6.4 Monitoring Design and Research Recommendations................................................... 91 6.5 Land Management Recommendations ........................................................................ 94 7 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................... 97 APPENDICES A Biographies of Advisors B Draft Vegetation Alliance List for DRECP Region C Individuals with Known Expertise Regarding Sensitive Invertebrates in the DRECP Planning Area D CNPS List 1B & 2 Taxa in the DRECP Planning Area E CNPS List 1B & 2 Species most likely to be affected by renewable energy projects F Vegetation Mapping: Overview and Recommendations G Background Documents and Maps Concerning Conservation Planning in California Deserts Acronyms and Abbreviations ACEC Area of Critical Environmental Concern AOU American Ornithologists’ Union BACI Before/After-Control/Impact BCR Bird Conservation Region BDCP Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta Conservation Plan BIOS Biogeographic Information and Observation System (of CDFG) BLM Bureau of Land Management BSSC California Bird species of Special Concern CalPIF California Partners in Flight CDCA California Desert Conservation Area Plan CDFG California Department of Fish and Game CEC California Energy Commission CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CESA California Endangered Species Act CNDDB California Natural Diversity Data Base CNPS California Native Plant Society CREZ Commercial Renewable Energy Zones CWHR California Wildlife Habitat Relationships DRECP California Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan EIR Environmental Impact Report EIS Environmental Impact Statement ESA Endangered Species Act (federal) GAP Gap Analysis Program GIS Geographic Information System HCP Habitat Conservation Plan IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature Km Kilometer M Meter MGS TAG Mojave Ground Squirrel Technical Advisory Group MSSC California Mammal Species of Special concern NCCP Natural Community Conservation Plan NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NGO Non-Governmental Organization NREL National Renewable Energy Laboratory NVCS National Vegetation Classification System ORV Off-road Vehicle REAT Renewable Energy Action Team RESA Retail Energy Supply Association RETI Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative RPS Renewable Portfolio Standards SCML South Coast Missing Linkages Project SDM Species Distribution Model SEPM Spatially Explicit Population Models SESA Solar Energy Study Area SSURGO Soil Survey Geographic Data base STATSGO State Soil Geographic Data Base UNESCO United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization UPA Unique Plant Assemblage USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture USDI U.S. Department of the Interior USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USGS U.S. Geological Survey ii Executive Summary This report presents consensus recommendations from a group of independent scientists1 to the Renewable Energy Action Team (REAT)2 for the California Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP). DRECP is intended to be a Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP) under California’s NCCP Act of 2003 and will be the primary vehicle for obtaining authorizations to “take” or harm some state or federally listed Threatened or Endangered species incidental to constructing and managing renewable energy projects. The Act requires NCCP plans to obtain independent scientific input to guide Plan decisions. The DRECP science advisors include experts in desert ecology, wildlife biology, botany, hydrogeology, and other fields pertinent to the conservation of desert species and natural communities. The advisors agree that increasing renewable energy production can yield numerous environmental and societal benefits by reducing dependence on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, and that California’s deserts have great potential for renewable energy production. However, siting and developing energy projects must be done carefully to avoid unnecessary damage to fragile desert ecosystems. Desert species and ecological communities are already severely stressed by human changes to the landscape, including urbanization, roads, transmission lines, invasive species, and disturbances by recreational, military, mining, and other activities. Additional stress from large-scale energy developments, in concert with a changing climate, portends further ecological