Biological Constraints Analysis Coburn Crossing APN 19-420-43 Truckee, Nevada County, CA Prepared for: Triumph Development 12 Vail Road, Suite 700 Vail, CO 81657 Contact: Travis Coggin 307-690-3716 Prepared by: Micki Kelly Kelly Biological Consulting PO Box 1625 Truckee, CA 96160 530-582-9713 June 2016 Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 SITE OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................................................................ 1 Special-Status Species .................................................................................................................................................. 1 Wetlands and Waters of the U.S. ................................................................................................................................. 1 Waters of the State ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 2. METHODS ................................................................................................................................................................ 2 2.1 BACKGROUND REVIEW ...................................................................................................................................................... 2 2.2 FIELD ASSESSMENTS ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 3. RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................................... 3 3.1 BOTANICAL RESOURCES..................................................................................................................................................... 3 Plant Community Characterization .............................................................................................................................. 4 Sensitive Plant Species and Communities .................................................................................................................... 4 3.2 WATERS OF THE US (INCLUDING WETLANDS) ....................................................................................................................... 4 Wetlands in the Study Area .......................................................................................................................................... 7 3.3 FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES .......................................................................................................................................... 7 Common Wildlife .......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Special-Status Wildlife.................................................................................................................................................. 7 4. RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................................................................. 8 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................................................. 10 APPENDIX .................................................................................................................................................................. 11 TABLE 1. SPECIAL STATUS PLANT SPECIES POTENTIALLY OCCURRING IN OR NEAR THE STUDY AREA ..................................................... 11 TABLE 2. SPECIAL STATUS WILDLIFE SPECIES POTENTIALLY OCCURRING IN OR NEAR THE STUDY AREA ................................................. 15 TABLE 3. PLANT SPECIES OBSERVED DURING THE JUNE 15, 2016 FIELDWORK ................................................................................ 19 WILDLIFE SURVEY SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 22 WETLAND DATASHEETS ........................................................................................................................................................ 23 REPRESENTATIVE PHOTOS (TAKEN JUNE 15, 2016) ................................................................................................................... 27 Biological Constraints Analysis, Coburn Crossing, June 2016 1. Introduction 1.1 Site Overview The Coburn Crossing Study Area consists of the area shown on Figure 1. The site is in Nevada County, on Donner Pass Road in the Town of Truckee, CA (APN 19-420-43, Lat. 39334950 / Long. -120.176316). The adjacent land uses include a cemetery, Highway I-80, and a US Forest Service facility. Highway I-80 bounds the property on the north, Donner Pass Road on the south and east. A cemetery lies to the west. The site is relatively flat. Most of it has been disturbed by clearing, grading, and utility line work over the last 10 or more years. 1.2 Regulatory Framework Here is a summary of the regulatory framework as it relates to biological issues. Special-Status Species Special-status plants and animals are species that are legally protected under the State and Federal Endangered Species Acts, and other regulations, and species that are considered rare by the scientific community. They are defined as: • Plants and animals that are listed or proposed for listing as Threatened or Endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (Fish and Game Code 1995 §2050 et seq., 14 CCR §670.1 et seq.) and/or the Federal Endangered Species Act (50 CFR 17.12 for plants, 50 CFR 17.11 for animals; and various notices in the Federal Register for proposed species). • Plants and animals that are Candidates for possible future listing as Threatened or Endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act (50 CFR 17.12 for plants, 59 FR 58982 November 15, 1994 for animals). • Plants and animals that are considered Federal Species of Concern (formerly C2 candidate species). • Plants and animals that meet the definition of rare or endangered under CEQA (14 CCR §15380), which includes species not found on State or Federal Endangered Species lists. • Animals that are designated as "Species of Special Concern" by CDFW (1999). • Animal species that are "fully protected" in California (Fish and Game Code, §3511, §4700, §5050 and §5515). Special-status plant species also include species on CNPS Inventory List 1A (presumed extinct in California), List 1B (plants rare, threatened, or endangered in California and elsewhere), or List 2 (plants rare, threatened, or endangered in California, but more common elsewhere). These species fall within state regulatory authority under the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. CNPS Inventory List 3 (plants about which more information is needed, a review list) and List 4 (plants of limited distribution, a watch list) are considered to be of lower sensitivity, and generally do not fall under specific state or federal regulatory authority. Specific mitigation considerations are generally required for species with federal or state protection or that are in List 1 and 2 categories. 1 Biological Constraints Analysis, Coburn Crossing, June 2016 Figure 1. The Study Area includes the parcel (APN 19-420-43) and the area marked in red. 2 Biological Constraints Analysis, Coburn Crossing, June 2016 Sensitive plant communities include habitats that fulfill special functions or have special values. Natural communities considered sensitive are those identified in local or regional plans, policies, regulations, or by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). CDFW ranks sensitive communities as ‘threatened’ or ‘very threatened’ and keeps records of their occurrences in its Natural Diversity Database. Also, CNDDB vegetation alliances are ranked 1 through 5. Alliances ranked globally (G) or statewide (S) as 1 through 3 are considered sensitive (Sawyer, et.al. 2009). Impacts to sensitive natural communities identified in local or regional plans, policies, regulations, or by CDFW or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFW) must be considered and evaluated under CEQA. Sensitive habitats may include areas that fulfill special functions or have special values, such as wetlands, streams, and riparian habitat. These habitats may be regulated under federal regulations (i.e. the Clean Water Act), state regulations (such as the Porter-Cologne Act, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Streambed Alteration Program), and local ordinances or policies. Wetlands and Waters of the U.S. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) regulates “Waters of the United States” pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). “Waters of the US” are defined broadly as waters potentially used in commerce, including interstate waters and wetlands, all other waters (intrastate waterbodies, including wetlands), and their tributaries (33 CFR 328.3). Potential wetland areas are determined by the three criteria stated in the Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation