BOTANY REPORT TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA PROJECT: City of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp Permit (46690) RANGER DISTRICT: Groveland Ranger District, Stanislaus National Forest PREPARED BY: DATE: March 8, 2018 Wendy C. Fisher, Botanist/Plant Ecologist Live Oak Associates, Inc. PO Box 2697 Oakhurst, CA 93644 (559) 642-4880 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 PRIMARY PROJECT PURPOSES ................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 PROPOSED ACTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 5 2.1 BIOTIC HABITATS ........................................................................................................................................... 7 3.0 METHODS ........................................................................................................................................................... 10 4.0 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................................................. 12 4.1 RARE FLORA .................................................................................................................................................. 12 4.2 OTHER BOTANICAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................................. 23 5.0 DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................... 24 5.1 RARE FLORA .................................................................................................................................................. 24 5.2 OTHER BOTANICAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................................. 25 LITERATURE CITED ............................................................................................................................................... 27 APPENDIX A: LIST OF FLORA IDENTIFIED AT THE BERKELEY TUOLUMNE CAMP APPENDIX B: SELECTED PHOTOGRAPHS OF RARE PLANTS FOUND AT THE BERKELEY TUOLUMNE CAMP, SPRING 2015 APPENDIX C: CNPS BOTANICAL SURVEY GUIDELINES (2009) APPENDIX D: LIST OF STANISLAUS NATIONAL FOREST WATCHLIST SPECIES APPENDIX E: SPECIES FOR REVEGETATION APPENDIX F: DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES Live Oak Associates, Inc. ii Botany Report Berkeley Tuolumne Camp Master Plan 1.0 INTRODUCTION This report documents the results of a focused survey for rare plant species, with the exception of federally listed and Forest Service Sensitive (FSS) plants that are addressed in a separate Sensitive Plant Report, for an approximate 23.3-acre portion of the Berkeley Tuolumne Camp permit area (Camp) (hereafter referred to as the study area). Live Oak Associates, Inc. (LOA) conducted comprehensive botanical surveys at the Camp in May and July of 2011, along with April through June of 2015. Though outside of the blooming period for all rare plants occurring regionally, an additional site survey was completed on February 7, 2018 to assess habitat values in the area north of the road proposed for water storage. The objective of the surveys were to identify and map rare plant species that might occur within portions of the Camp to be affected by activities associated with the City of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp Permit (46690) project (BTC Project). The Camp is a family camp operated by the City of Berkeley since 1921 on land leased from the United States Forest Service (USFS). The portions of the Camp under consideration for this analysis include the Camp proper and the proposed expanded parking area, which total approximately 12 acres. The Camp is located along the South Fork of the Tuolumne River south of Highway 120 and approximately seven (7) miles west of Yosemite National Park (Figure 1). The South Fork Tuolumne River flows through the Camp and is a prime component of the Camp’s setting, layout and programs. The analysis area can be found on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Ascension Mountain 7.5’ quadrangle in the northwest ¼ of Section 31, Township 1S, Range 19 East, Mount Diablo Base Meridian (MDBM) (Figure 2). 1.1 PRIMARY PROJECT PURPOSES The primary purpose of the project is to renew the USFS lease permit for the City of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp (the Camp and) to reconstruct the Camp after the Rim Fire. The Camp had been in continuous operation for 91 years before being substantially destroyed in August, 2013 by the Rim Fire. Of the 138 structures at the Camp, only 18 tent cabins and one restroom remain. Though not the first public municipal camp established on the Stanislaus National Forest, it is the only camp dating to the 1920s that remained in continuous use by a single municipality until the Rim Fire. Over the past 91 years it has been enjoyed by thousands and has become a generational tradition for many Berkeley families. Reflecting the Forest Service Region 5 vision and leadership intent, the planning, design, and reconstruction of the Camp would demonstrate, through a science-based stewardship approach, the restoration of the forest landscape after catastrophic wildfire to achieve sustainable riverine and upland ecosystems that provide a broad range of services to humans and other organisms. 1.2 PROPOSED ACTION The BTC Project has developed two alternatives. The Proposed Action includes construction of buildings, parking lots, recreational areas, trails, and other camp facilities, removal of existing structures within a cultural resource site, revegetation and restoration efforts, and removal of hazard trees, as described below. Alternative 2 involves removing existing structures and stabilizing the site to protect water quality of the South Fork Tuolumne River and its tributaries. Live Oak Associates, Inc. 1 Botany Report Berkeley Tuolumne Camp Master Plan Site Location Map mne River Special-use olu u T Permit Area f o k r o F . o S Study Area Tuolumne Co. Mariposa Co. 0 2.5 5 miles approximate scale Regional Map Vicinity Map See Site Location Map (above) See Vicinity Map San (left) Francisco Project location San Jose Merced Madera Live Oak Associates, Inc. Fresno Berkeley Tuolumne Camp Master Plan Site / Vicinity Map Date Project # Figure # Not to scale 7/07/2015 1127-04 1 Special-use Permit Area Live Oak Associates, Inc. Berkeley Tuolumne Camp Master Plan U.S.G.S. Quadrangle 1/2 mile 0 1/2 mile SOURCE: Date Project # Figure # approximate scale U.S.G.S. Ascension Mtn 7-1/2' quadrangle, 1990 3/02/2018 1127-05 2 Description of Alternatives The BTC Project has developed two alternatives. Alternative 1, the Proposed Action, includes a Forest Plan Amendment expanding the developed recreation site and allowing the Special Use Permit to encompass 30 acres including the Small Falls and Sugar Pine Trails extending away from the main camp. Alternative 1, allows the City to reconstruct and operate BTC much as it was prior to the Rim Fire. Reconstruction of BTC includes construction of buildings, parking lots, recreational areas, trails, and other camp facilities, removal of existing structures within an archaeological site, revegetation and restoration efforts, and removal of hazard trees, as described below within an expanded permit area. Under Alternative 2, a 30-year Term SUP allowing the City to reconstruct and operate BTC much as it was prior to the Rim Fire would not be issued and the City of Berkeley would abandon its efforts to reconstruct BTC. No Forest Plan Amendment would be necessary and current forest-wide standards and guidelines (USDA 2010, p. 33-64) and management area direction (p. 165-167) that apply within or directly adjacent to the existing SUP area would remain unchanged. The City would remove within a reasonable time all structures and improvements except those owned by the United States, and would restore and stabilize the site. Project implementation would begin in the spring of 2019 with initial construction to rebuild the majority of the Camp infrastructure and facilities. Overall construction of initial facilities is anticipated to last for approximately 1 to 2 years. Minor construction and/or facility renovation activities may occur throughout the permit period. The proposed action does not include the reconstruction of the Hardin Flat Road bridge across the South Fork Tuolumne River that would be undertaken by Tuolumne County. The alternatives are further described in Appendix F. Live Oak Associates, Inc. 4 Botany Report Berkeley Tuolumne Camp Master Plan 2.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS On August 25, 2013, the vast majority of the camp was burned from the Rim Fire which started in a remote canyon in Stanislaus National Forest. The Rim Fire burned 119 of the 138 structures at the camp. On March 2, 2015, a conceptual proposal for redevelopment of the camp was accepted. The Master Development Plan guidelines will allow the city to keep many of the existing elements, but also includes some changes to the physical nature of the Camp. Dining Hall, Recreation Hall, green chair circle, store, sport courts, amphitheater, Kiddie Kamp, playground and many of the family tent cabins and related facilities are planned