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City of Galt Law Enforcement Firearms Training Facility Project

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City of Galt Law Enforcement Firearms Training Facility Project SPECIAL STATUS VERTEBRATE SURVEY REPORT FOR THE CITYSurvey OF of Vertebrates GALT of the City ofL GaltAW Firearms Training ENFORCEMENT Facility • Engilis FIREARMS 1 TRAINING FACILITY PROJECT Prepared by Andrew Engilis, Jr. Engilis and Associates Biological Consulting Survey of Vertebrates of the City of Galt Firearms Training Facility • Engilis 2 SPECIAL STATUS VERTEBRATE SURVEY REPORT FOR THE CITY OF GALT LAW ENFORCEMENT FIREARMS TRAINING FACILITY PROJECT Prepared for Willdan 2150 River Plaza Drive, Suite 300 Sacramento, California 95833 (916) 924 – 7000 Contact: Margaret Netto Prepared by Andrew Engilis, Jr. – Consulting Biologist Engilis and Associates Biological Consultants 9280 Guillermina Court Elk Grove, California 95758 (530) 902-1881 [email protected] November 2009 Cover photos from top right (clockwise): Swainson’s hawk perched in project area, greater sandhill crane flying over project area, song sparrow from the project area, and Elk Grove Police Department Training Team. Photos by A. Engilis Jr. Survey of Vertebrates of the City of Galt Firearms Training Facility • Engilis 3 Introduction (Adapted from vision plan (Willdan 2008) The purpose of this biological survey was to assess the status and occurrence of special status species of vertebrates on the proposed expansion of the City of Galt Firearms Training Facility. This assessment is intended to provide the City of Galt with sufficient information for preliminary planning purposes. The study area consists of a 7-acre project site (Project Site) within a 298-acre city owned parcel. It lies north of Twin Cities Road and west of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, in southern Sacramento County (Appendix, Map1). The Project Site is centrally located in agricultural uses and open space (Cosumnes River Preserve). Adjacent to the south and east is the City of Galt Wastewater Treatment Facility, which includes several holding ponds. To the west are private agricultural lands. To the north lies the Valensin Unit of the Cosumnes River Preserve1. The Valensin Unit is owned and managed by the California Department of Fish and Game as an Ecological Reserve. Approximately 2,000 feet to the east lay the Union Pacific Railroad mainline tracks and more private irrigated lands. Objectives and Methods The primary objective of this survey was to assess the potential and/or occurrence of special status species and provide a baseline for wildlife diversity of the Project Site. Special status species include those that are federally or state listed as endangered or threatened, or species of special concern in the State of California (CDFG 2009). Several site visits to the project property were conducted. All vertebrates encountered were recorded and habitat was assessed for potential occurrence of additional species. The general method employed was timed area searches. Since this was only a preliminary assessment, protocols designed to assess population numbers of animals were not implemented. Field surveys were conducted on the property and adjacent wastewater treatment ponds on 16 and 17 June 2009 and 10 and 11 July 2009. Site visits were conducted from 0800 – 1200 each day for a total of 16 hours on the property. All surveys were conducted on foot and all seven acres were either entirely walked or scanned by 10x binoculars and/or 25x spotting scope on each visit. Photos were taken of the property with a Canon 40D camera with 100-400mm and 50 mm lenses. Field notes were recorded on field books. Driving surveys within five miles of the project site were also conducted during the first week of June 2009. The primary objective of these surveys was to document and record active Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsoni) and burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) nests. Both species have been identified within the proximity to the project site. Specific species accounts are provided on page 8 and 12, respectively. 1 The Cosumnes River Preserve is an important land management entity that protects the active floodplain of the river. It is jointly managed as a consortium of federal, state and local agencies and non-profit conservation organizations. Visitor usage is confined to visitor use areas located west of the proposed project site (along Franklin Blvd south of Twin Cities Road). The preserve protects and manages a mosaic of freshwater marshes, riparian forest, grasslands, and agricultural lands. Survey of Vertebrates of the City of Galt Firearms Training Facility • Engilis 4 Literature (both published and gray) was examined in order to assess recent records for the site and wintering species presence on or near the facility. The Rio Cosumnes Christmas Count data set, which has been tracking mid-winter birds in the region since 1995, provided valuable data for several wintering special status species including sandhill crane (Grus canadensis). The bird observation database of the Cosumnes River Preserve was also an important resource. The Cosumnes Preserve dataset tracks avian surveys in the region, including upriver to the Valensin Unit, since 1988. Both datasets provided the most comprehensive bird records in Southern Sacramento County. They are archived at the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, University of California, Davis. Survey Results The 7-acre property in question is characterized by rolling topography primarily consisting of tilled agricultural lands and non-native grasslands. A freshwater channel and marsh flows roughly through the center of the Project Site. This freshwater marsh was enhanced by seasonal outflow (November to April) of treated effluent from the wastewater treatment facility. It leaves the holding ponds through a man created channel that meets up with a natural channel and depression. Currently Figure 1. Freshwater marsh on Project Site. Note higher topography adjacent to the wetland. Photo the City is only permitted to discharge treated taken in July 2009. effluent to Laguna Creek (via this channel) from November through April. During the summer months, the City is required to maintain all treated effluent on site in the holding ponds and/or use it to irrigate city-owned and leased feed crops around the wastewater treatment facility. The City is pursuing approval to modify its wastewater treatment operating permit to allow year round discharge into this channel, but the application has not yet been approved (pers comm. Sandra Kiriu, Principal Planner City of Galt, September 2009). At the time of the vertebrate surveys, the rolling hills were plowed and comprised of open dirt. What was not plowed was comprised of annual grassland and herbaceous weeds. The freshwater marsh roughly forms the western and southern boundaries of the proposed facilities enhancement project. This freshwater marsh currently supports important vegetative elements that provide habitat for several species of waterbirds (Refer to SWCA Report 2009). The periphery of the existing A recently fledged Western Kingbird from shooting range is planted with several ornamental trees the project site. Survey of Vertebrates of the City of Galt Firearms Training Facility • Engilis 5 (eucalyptus) and shrubs. The wastewater treatment facility adjacent to the Project Site consists of five holding ponds, three of which contained water at the time of the survey. These ponds attracted numerous waterbirds with evidence of breeding by several species. A total of 29 species of birds, five mammals, and three reptiles were recorded directly within the proposed Project Site. No amphibians were recorded. An additional 20 species of birds were recorded at the holding ponds (Table 1). Three special status species were recorded on the Project Site (Table 1). From Rio Cosumnes Christmas Count data, an additional 36 species of birds were documented on or adjacent to the Project Site, including six additional special status species (Table 2). Other special status species that have been documented in the Cosumnes Floodplain were deemed absent from the project site (Table 3). The project site has two elements that prove attractive to the special status species known to occur in the Cosumnes Floodplain: wetland habitat and adjacent open space. For resident and breeding special status species all but the Swainson’s hawk are wetland dependent. Wintering special status species prefer the open space elements of the project site, and sandhill cranes use both open space and wetland habitats. On 16 June and 10 July, active firearm training occurred during the surveys. No specific disturbance response was noted from any wildlife observed, including hawks. Table 1. Species of vertebrates observed during rapid assessment surveys on the firearms facility property. Location Species P=7-acre b = found breeding project site, 16 June 17 June 10 July 11 July H=holding ponds Birds Pied-billed grebeb H X X Double-crested cormorant H X American white pelican H X Great blue heron H X X X X Great egret H, P X X X X Snowy egret H X X X X Black-crowned night-heron H, P X X X X Mallardb H, P X X X X Cinammon tealb H X X X X Gadwallb H X X X X Turkey vulture P Red-tailed hawk P X X Swainson’s hawkb P X X X X American coot H X X X X Common moorhen H Killdeerb H, P X X X X Semipalmated plover H Black-necked stiltb H X X X X Greater yellowlegs H X X X X Survey of Vertebrates of the City of Galt Firearms Training Facility • Engilis 6 Location Species P=7-acre b = found breeding project site, 16 June 17 June 10 July 11 July H=holding ponds Lesser yellowlegs H X X Long-billed curlew H, P X X Marbled godwit H X Short-billed dowitcher H X Long-billed dowitcher
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