Biological Resources Assessment
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APPENDIX A Biological Resource Assessment, WRA 2018 Biological Resources Assessment ZONE 7 TRAIL PROJECT (APN: 99-550-2-3) LIVERMORE, ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Prepared For: Pat Sotelo Livermore Area Recreation and Parks District 4444 East Avenue Livermore, California 94550 WRA Contacts: Geoff Smick [email protected] Kari Dupler [email protected] Date: October 2018 2169-G East Francisco Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94702 (415) 454-8868 tel [email protected] www.wra-ca.com ii TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Project Area Description .................................................................................... 6 1.2 Project Description ............................................................................................ 9 2.0 REGULATORY BACKGROUND .............................................................................. 9 2.1 Sensitive Biological Communities ...................................................................... 9 2.1.1 Waters of the United States ................................................................... 9 2.1.2 Waters of the State ................................................................................ 9 2.1.3 Other Sensitive Biological Communities .............................................. 10 2.1.4 Relevant Local Policies, Ordinances, and Regulations ........................ 10 2.2 Special-Status Species and Critical Habitat ..................................................... 11 3.0 METHODS ............................................................................................................. 12 3.1 Biological Communities ................................................................................... 13 3.1.1 Non-sensitive Biological Communities ................................................. 13 3.1.2 Sensitive Biological Communities ........................................................ 13 3.2 Special-Status Species ................................................................................... 14 3.2.1 Literature Review ................................................................................. 14 3.2.2 Site Assessment .................................................................................. 14 4.0 RESULTS ............................................................................................................... 15 4.1 Soils ................................................................................................................ 15 4.2 Biological Communities ................................................................................... 18 4.2.1 Non-sensitive Biological Communities ................................................. 18 4.2.2 Locally Sensitive Biological Communities ............................................ 21 4.3 Special-status Species .................................................................................... 21 4.3.1 Special-status Plant Species ............................................................... 21 4.3.2 Special-status Wildlife Species ............................................................ 27 4.4 Special-status Wildlife Species Unlikely to Occur within the Project Area ......... 33 5.0 POTENTIAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION ............................................................. 34 5.1 Significance Threshold Criteria ........................................................................ 34 5.2 Avoidance and Minimization Measures ........................................................... 35 5.3 Potential Impacts and Recommended Mitigation Measures ............................ 35 6.0 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 39 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Project Area Location Map .................................................................................6 Figure 2. Soils within the Project Area ............................................................................. 16 Figure 3. Biological Communities within the Project Area ................................................ 19 Figure 4. Special-Status Plants Documented within 5 miles of the Project Area .............. 21 Figure 5. Special-status Wildlife Species within a 5-Mile Radius of the Project Area ....... 27 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Description of California Rare Plant Ranks and Threat Codes ........................... 11 Table 2. Description of East Bay CNPS Rare Plant Rankings ......................................... 12 iii LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A – Wildlife and Plant Species Observed in the Project Area Appendix B – Potential for Special-status Species to Occur in the Project Area Appendix C – Representative Photographs of the Project Area LIST OF PREPARERS Jonathan Hidalgo, Project Manager Kari Dupler, Senior Wetland Biologist Susie Bennett, Biologist Rei Scampavia, Biologist Gregory Sproull, Associate Biologist iv LIST OF ACRONYMS AWS Alameda whipsnake BRA Biological Resource Assessment CAL-IPC California Invasive Plant Council CCR California Code of Regulations CEQA California Environmental Quality Act CDFW California Department of Fish and Wildlife CESA California Endangered Species Act CFGC California Fish and Game Code CFR Code of Federal Regulations CNDDB California Natural Diversity Database Corps U.S. Army Corps of Engineers CRLF California red-legged frog CTS California tiger salamander CWA Clean Water Act EACCS East Alameda County Conservation Strategy EPA Environmental Protection Agency ESA Endangered Species Act LARPD Livermore Area Recreation and Parks District MBTA Migratory Bird Treaty Act NWI National Wetland Inventory RWQCB Regional Water Quality Control Board USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS United States Geologic Survey WBWG Western Bat Working Group WRA WRA, Inc. v 1.0 INTRODUCTION WRA, Inc. (WRA) prepared this biological resource assessment (BRA) report on behalf of the Livermore Area Recreation and Parks District (LARPD) for the installation of a proposed trail through Zone 7 managed land (Project). The Project Area is located approximately 0.67 mile southeast of the City of Livermore in unincorporated Alameda County, California (Assessor Parcel Number [APN] 99-550-2-3) (Figure 1). The approximately 4.78-acre Project Area comprises an approximately 2-mile single-track walking trail alignment that contains a 10-foot buffer on each side to provide space for minor trail alignment adjustments. Much of the proposed trail is located along an existing cattle trail and an existing access road. This BRA report includes an evaluation of published background information relevant to the Project and findings from a site visit conducted throughout the Project Area on August 23, 2018. The purpose of this BRA was to gather information necessary to complete a review of biological resources protected under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and to support the regulatory permit application process. This report describes the results of previous site visits that occurred in the Project Area and reviews relevant existing information in order to evaluate the Project Area for: (1) the potential to support special-status plant and wildlife species; (2) the potential presence of sensitive biological communities, such as wetlands or riparian habitats; and (3) the potential presence of other sensitive biological resources protected by local, state, and federal laws and regulations. This report also identifies potential impacts to biological resources that would result from the Project, discusses avoidance and minimization measures that would protect natural resources, and recommends mitigation measures for potentially significant impacts under CEQA. This BRA is based on information available at the time of the study and on-site conditions observed during the August 23, 2018 survey performed in the Project Area. A delineation of Waters of the United States (“waters”), subject to United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and United States Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) jurisdiction under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), and Waters of the State, subject to Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) under Section 401 of the CWA and the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, was conducted concurrently with the BRA site visit on August 23, 2018 (WRA 2018). Habitat and species information associated with the Project Area are considered suitable for an evaluation of the Project’s biological resources impacts under CEQA; however, additional protocol-level plant and wildlife surveys for certain species may be necessary to obtain permits or other regulatory approvals from state and federal regulatory agencies prior to Project implementation. 1.1 Project Area Description The Project Area consists of a trail corridor that is approximately 10,417 feet (1.9 miles) long and 20 feet wide, which totals to approximately 4.78 acres (Figure 1). The Project Area is situated on rolling hills composed of non-native annual grasslands and patches of oak woodland. A majority of the Project Area is designed to follow an existing cattle trail and along an existing access road. The Project Area is located in the northeastern corner of the La Costa Valley United States Geologic Survey (USGS) 7.5-minute quadrangle (USGS 2015e). The Project Area is bound by Sycamore Grove Park to the northwest and agricultural land and the Livermore Division of the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System Hospital