BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES STUDY TOLAY CREEK RANCH SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Submitted to: Sonoma Land Trust 2300 County Center Drive #120A Santa Rosa, California 95403 Prepared by: LSA Associates, Inc. 157 Park Place Point Richmond, California 94801 (510) 236-6810 LSA Project No. SOZ0801 May 2o, 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1 1.1 PURPOSE.............................................................................................................................1 1.2 LOCATION ..........................................................................................................................1 1.3 BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................1 1.4 LAND USE AND HISTORY...............................................................................................2 1.5 REGULATORY CONTEXT................................................................................................3 1.5.1 Federal Endangered Species Act .............................................................................3 1.5.2 Clean Water Act ......................................................................................................4 1.5.3 Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act.............................................................5 1.5.4 Migratory Bird Treaty Act.......................................................................................5 1.5.5 California Endangered Species Act.........................................................................5 1.5.6 California Fish and Game Code ..............................................................................6 1.5.7 California Environmental Quality Act.....................................................................6 1.5.8 State Species of Special Concern ............................................................................7 1.5.9 Special Animals List................................................................................................7 1.5.10 California Native Plant Society .............................................................................7 2.0 METHODS......................................................................................................................................8 2.1 PLANT SURVEYS...............................................................................................................8 2.2 WETLANDS.........................................................................................................................9 2.2.1 Wetland Identification Methodology.......................................................................9 2.2.2 Field Methodology ..................................................................................................9 2.3 ANIMAL SURVEYS .........................................................................................................10 3.0 PHYSICAL SETTING..................................................................................................................11 3.1 TERRAIN AND HYDROLOGY .......................................................................................11 3.2 SOILS AND EROSION......................................................................................................11 3.3 GEOLOGY .........................................................................................................................12 3.4 CLIMATE...........................................................................................................................13 3.5 EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE......................................................................................13 4.0 VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE VALUES ...............................................................................14 4.1 WOODLAND .....................................................................................................................14 4.1.1 Botanical Values....................................................................................................14 4.1.2 Wildlife Values......................................................................................................15 4.2 RIPARIAN VEGETATION ...............................................................................................15 4.2.1 Botanical Values....................................................................................................15 4.2.2 Wildlife Values......................................................................................................16 4.3 GRASSLANDS AND NATIVE FORBS ...........................................................................16 4.3.1 Botanical Values....................................................................................................16 4.3.2 Wildlife Values......................................................................................................18 4.4 SEEPS AND SPRINGS......................................................................................................19 4.4.1 Botanical Values....................................................................................................19 4.4.2 Wildlife Values......................................................................................................19 4.5 SEASONAL WETLANDS.................................................................................................20 4.5.1 Botanical Values....................................................................................................20 4.5.2 Wildlife Values......................................................................................................20 4.6 VERNAL POOLS AND SMALL SEASONAL PONDS...................................................20 P:\SOZ0801\Biology\Report\Tolay Creek Ranch Report.doc (5/20/2009) i 4.6.1 Botanical Values....................................................................................................20 4.6.2 Wildlife Values......................................................................................................21 4.7 CREATED POND ..............................................................................................................21 4.7.1 Botanical Values....................................................................................................21 4.7.2 Wildlife Values......................................................................................................21 4.8 LARGE SEASONAL POND..............................................................................................21 4.8.1 Botanical Values....................................................................................................21 4.8.2 Wildlife Values......................................................................................................22 4.9 STREAMS ..........................................................................................................................22 4.9.1 Tolay Creek ...........................................................................................................22 4.9.2 Tributaries to Tolay Creek.....................................................................................23 4.10 ROCK OUTCROPS..........................................................................................................23 5.0 SPECIAL-STATUS SPECIES......................................................................................................24 5.1 PLANTS .............................................................................................................................24 5.1.1 Known Occurrences of Special-status Plants ........................................................24 5.1.2 Potential Occurrences of Special-status Plants......................................................25 5.2 INVERTEBRATES ............................................................................................................29 5.2.1 Opler's Longhorn Moth .........................................................................................29 5.2.2 Blennosperma Bee.................................................................................................29 5.2.3 Rare Arachnids ......................................................................................................29 5.2.4 Tomales Isopod......................................................................................................29 5.2.5 Zerene Silverspot Subspecies ................................................................................30 5.2.6 Ricksecker's Water Scavenger Beetle....................................................................30 5.2.7 Marin Hesperian ....................................................................................................30 5.3 AMPHIBIANS....................................................................................................................30 5.3.1 California Red-Legged Frog..................................................................................30 5.3.2 Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog................................................................................32 5.4 REPTILES ..........................................................................................................................32 5.4.1 Western Pond Turtle..............................................................................................32 5.5 BIRDS.................................................................................................................................32