Geomorphic Setting
DRAFT NCCP/MSAA/HCP CHAPTER 3: EXISTING BIOLOGICAL AND HYDROLOGIC/ GEOMORPHIC SETTING This Chapter describes the biological setting of the approximately 131,600-acre Southern NCCP/MSAA/HCP study area, including portions of the CNF (Figure 3-M). Within the study area, the approximately 91,660 acres of non-federal land defines the planning area for the NCCP/MSAA/HCP. Management of resources in the CNF is the responsibility of the USFS. Therefore, the description of the biological and hydrologic/geomorphic setting includes a general description of the CNF, but the main focus of this section is the 91,660-acre planning area. The 91,660-acre planning area is further subdivided into the four Subarea Plan areas described in Chapter 1 (Figure 3-M). The Subareas total approximately 86,339 acres. The remaining 5,321 acres are comprised on the cities of Lake Forest and Dana Point, and internal areas that are “not a part” of the Subareas, such as Ladera Ranch, Las Flores, the wastewater treatment plant in lower Chiquita, Tesoro High School, FTC-North, and the Nichols Institute bounded by Caspers Wilderness Park. To describe the biological setting of the NCCP/MSAA/HCP planning area, this Chapter includes the following sections: Section 3.1 Database development methods; Section 3.2 Vegetation communities that make up theplanning area and the key wildlife species that are typical of, or indicate, high quality vegetation communities; Section 3.3 Existing geomorphic and hydrologic conditions and processes; Section 3.4 Sensitive wildlife and plant species distribution in the planning areaand subarea plan areas; and Section 3.5 Regional and subregional wildlife habitat linkages.
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