Draft Saddle Mountain Open Space Preserve Management Plan Initial Study and Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration Prepared for: Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District 747 Mendocino Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 95401 Prepared by: Prunuske Chatham, Inc. 400 Morris St., Suite G Sebastopol, CA 95472 March 2019 This page is intentionally blank. Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District March 2019 Saddle Mountain Open Space Preserve Management Plan Initial Study/Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration Table of Contents Page 1 Project Information ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction................................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 California Environmental Quality Act Requirements .................................................................... 3 1.2.1 Public and Agency Review ................................................................................................. 3 2 Project Description ................................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 Project Location and Setting ......................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Project Goals and Objectives ......................................................................................................... 4 2.3 Project Site Characteristics ............................................................................................................ 6 2.3.1 Preserve Access ................................................................................................................. 7 2.3.2 Infrastructure ..................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.3 Land Uses ........................................................................................................................... 8 2.3.4 Geology and Soils............................................................................................................... 9 2.3.5 Water Resources ............................................................................................................... 9 2.3.6 Vegetation Communities and Habitat on the Preserve................................................... 11 2.3.7 Special-status Species ...................................................................................................... 21 2.3.7.1 Plants ............................................................................................................................... 22 2.3.7.2 Animals ............................................................................................................................ 23 2.3.8 Other Resource Issues ..................................................................................................... 26 2.4 Project Components .................................................................................................................... 27 2.4.1 Erosion Control and Water Quality Protection ............................................................... 27 2.4.2 Enhance Plant Communities and Habitats ...................................................................... 30 2.4.3 Prescribed Fire ................................................................................................................. 41 2.4.4 Native Plant Revegetation ............................................................................................... 45 2.4.5 Buffer Zones for Sensitive Features ................................................................................. 46 2.4.6 Sudden Oak Death Treatments ....................................................................................... 47 2.4.7 Preserve Visitors .............................................................................................................. 48 2.5 Management Action Timeframes ............................................................................................... 50 2.6 Site-specific and Programmatic Environmental Protection Measures and General Program Measures ..................................................................................................................................... 55 2.7 Permits and Approvals ................................................................................................................ 60 3 Determination ...................................................................................................................................... 61 Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District March 2019 Saddle Mountain Preserve Management Plan Initial Study/Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration i 4 Environmental Effects of the Project ................................................................................................... 62 4.1 Aesthetics .................................................................................................................................... 62 4.2 Agriculture and Forestry Resources ............................................................................................ 66 4.3 Air Quality .................................................................................................................................... 70 4.4 Biological Resources .................................................................................................................... 77 4.5 Cultural Resources ....................................................................................................................... 90 4.6 Energy .......................................................................................................................................... 96 4.7 Geology and Soils ........................................................................................................................ 98 4.8 Greenhouse Gas Emissions ....................................................................................................... 103 4.9 Hazards and Hazardous Materials ............................................................................................. 108 4.10 Hydrology .................................................................................................................................. 113 4.11 Land Use and Planning .............................................................................................................. 118 4.12 Mineral Resources ..................................................................................................................... 120 4.13 Noise .......................................................................................................................................... 121 4.14 Population and Housing ............................................................................................................ 126 4.15 Public Services ........................................................................................................................... 127 4.16 Recreation ................................................................................................................................. 130 4.17 Transportation ........................................................................................................................... 132 4.18 Tribal Cultural Resources........................................................................................................... 136 4.19 Utilities and Service Systems ..................................................................................................... 140 4.20 Wildfire ...................................................................................................................................... 144 5 Mandatory Findings of Significance ................................................................................................... 149 6 Preparers ............................................................................................................................................ 153 7 References .......................................................................................................................................... 154 Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District March 2019 Saddle Mountain Preserve Management Plan Initial Study/Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration ii Tables Table 2-1. Vegetation Types and Sensitivity ............................................................................................... 13 Table 2-2. Special-status Plants Documented or with Potential to Occur on the Preserve ....................... 22 Table 2-3. Special-status Animals Documented or with Potential to Occur on the Preserve .................... 23 Table 2-4. Proposed Erosion Control Treatments ....................................................................................... 28 Table 2-5. Road and Trail Treatments ......................................................................................................... 30 Table 2-6. Priority Invasive Plant Treatments ............................................................................................. 39 Table 2-7. Management Plan Actions, Timing, and Level of Analysis ......................................................... 51 Table 2-8. Regulatory/Permitting Agencies ...............................................................................................