Biological Constraints Analysis Tahoe Donner 5-Year Trail Implementation Plan Truckee, Nevada County, CA Nevada County File Number ___ Prepared for: Tahoe Donner Association Forrest Huisman, Director of Capital Projects 11509 Northwoods Boulevard Truckee, California 96161 530-587-9487 Prepared by: Micki Kelly Kelly Biological Consulting PO Box 1625 Truckee, CA 96160 530-582-9713 June 2015, Revised December 2015 Biological Constraints Report, Tahoe Donner Trails 5-Year Implementation Plan December 2015 Table of Contents 1.0 INFORMATION SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 PROJECT AND PROPERTY DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 SITE OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................ 4 2.2 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................................................. 4 2.2.1 Special-Status Species ...................................................................................................................................... 5 2.2.2 Wetlands and Waters of the U.S. ..................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.3 Waters of the State .......................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.4 California Department of Fish and Wildlife ...................................................................................................... 6 3.0 METHODS .............................................................................................................................................................. 7 3.1 BACKGROUND REVIEW ................................................................................................................................................... 7 3.2 FIELD ASSESSMENTS ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 4.0 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................................. 8 4.1 BOTANICAL RESOURCES................................................................................................................................................ 10 4.1.1 Plant Community Characterization ................................................................................................................ 10 4.1.2 Sensitive Plant Species ................................................................................................................................... 11 4.1.3 Sensitive Plant Communities .......................................................................................................................... 12 4.1.4 Noxious or Invasive Plant Species .................................................................................................................. 12 4.2 WATERS OF THE US (INCLUDING WETLANDS) AND WATERS OF THE STATE ............................................................................ 13 4.3 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE ............................................................................................................. 14 4.4 FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES ..................................................................................................................................... 15 4.4.1 Fish and Wildlife Overview ............................................................................................................................. 15 4.4.2 Special-Status Fish and Wildlife ..................................................................................................................... 17 5.0 PROTECTION MEASURES FOR BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ....................................................................................... 18 6.0 CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................................................... 24 FIGURES AND TABLES ................................................................................................................................................ 25 FIGURE 1. OVERVIEW MAP OF TRAILS SHOWING STUDY AREA BOUNDARY (SAME AS TAHOE DONNER BOUNDARY) ............................ 26 FIGURE 2. SOILS OCCURRING IN THE VICINITY OF THE STUDY AREA ............................................................................................. 27 TABLE 1. SOILS OCCURRING IN THE VICINITY OF THE STUDY AREA .............................................................................................. 28 FIGURE 3. SPECIAL STATUS SPECIES OCCURRING WITHIN THE VICINITY OF THE STUDY AREA ............................................................ 29 TABLE 2. BIO RESOURCES POTENTIALLY PRESENT IN THE VICINITY OF INDIVIDUAL TRAILS ................................................................ 30 TABLE 3. PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE OF POTENTIAL WETLANDS AND “OTHER WATERS” IMPACTS ........................................................ 31 TABLE 4. SPECIAL STATUS PLANT SPECIES POTENTIALLY OCCURRING IN OR NEAR THE STUDY AREA .................................................. 35 TABLE 5. SPECIAL-STATUS ANIMAL SPECIES POTENTIALLY OCCURRING IN OR NEAR THE STUDY AREA ................................................ 40 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................................................. 46 APPENDIX A. PLANT TAXA OBSERVED DURING FIELD ASSESSMENTS ......................................................................... 48 APPENDIX B. WILDLIFE TAXA OBSERVED DURING FIELD ASSESSMENTS .................................................................... 53 APPENDIX C. REPRESENTATIVE PHOTOS .................................................................................................................... 54 ATTACHMENT. CNDDB OCCURRENCE REPORT ........................................................................................................... 58 Biological Constraints Report, Tahoe Donner Trails 5-Year Implementation Plan December 2015 1.0 Information Summary The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of biological resource issues to guide the trail planning and implementation as discussed in the Tahoe Donner Trails Five-Year Implementation Plan (5YIPlan) (Ball 2015) and the 22 individual projects it contains. As part of that effort, Biological Resource Protection Measures have been developed and included in Section 5 of this report to avoid potential impacts to biological resources on each of the proposed projects, where-ever possible. If avoidance is not possible, then to minimize and mitigate. To facilitate the 5YIPlan review process, this report has been prepared in a format similar to the Nevada County Biological Inventory Guidelines. It also utilizes the Nevada County Resource Standards and Management Plan criteria to guide the report format and content. Project Site Location: The site is located in the northwest part of the Town of Truckee and within the eastern most portion of Nevada County, CA. It is on the Norden, Truckee, Independence Lake, and Hobart Mills, California USGS Quads. It is at roughly 39.21.10N latitude and 120.14.37W longitude, though it extends in in all directions beyond that point. Assessor's Parcel Number(s) (APN): Various Owner/Applicant: Tahoe Donner Association 11509 Northwoods Blvd., Truckee, CA 96161 Contact: Forrest Huisman [email protected] Principal Investigator: Kelly Biological Consulting P.O. Box 1625, Truckee, CA 96160 Contact: Micki Kelly, PWS (530) 582-9713 [email protected] Name of Person Preparing Report: Micki Kelly, PWS Report Summary The Study Area consists of the Tahoe Donner Association lands including portions of the Euer Valley (Figure 1). The proposed trail improvements include activities related to new trail installation, decommissioning and realignment of existing trails, and the repair and improvement of existing trails and dirt roadways. Botanical Resources The Study Area contains a mosaic of upland and wetland habitats. Upland habitats include Ruderal Disturbed/Developed areas that are comprised of gravel/bare places, dirt roads, and other areas 1 Biological Constraints Report, Tahoe Donner Trails 5-Year Implementation Plan December 2015 that have been heavily disturbed and Sierran Mixed Conifer, which is similar to the Jeffery Pine Forest (Pinus jeffreyi Forest Alliance) discussed in the Manual of California Vegetation (Sawyer, et. al. 2009) with some Red Fir-White Fir Forest (Abies magnifica-Abies concolor Forest Alliance) patches. The major tree species found in this habitat are Jeffrey pine, red fir (Abies magnifica), white fir (Abies concolor), and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta). Red fir dominated areas can be found at the higher elevations of the property, predominately on the north-facing slopes. Montane Chaparral, similar to Tobacco Brush or Snow Bush Chaparral (Ceanothus velutinus Shrubland Alliance) occurs in areas burned by the Donner Ridge Fire and in other in small sunny patches generally on east, west,