Interim‐Programmatic Habitat Conservation Plan for the Endangered Mount Hermon June Beetle and Ben Lomond Spineflower Prepared for: Citizens of the City of Scotts Valley and County of Santa Cruz Proposing Small-Scale Residential Development Projects in the Zayante Sandhills, Santa Cruz County, California Prepared by: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura, California; Santa Cruz County; and City of Scotts Valley June 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 10 1.0 Project Background ....................................................................................................... 10 1.1 Scope of the Interim Programmatic HCP/Permit Duration .......................................... 15 1.2 Regulatory Framework ................................................................................................. 15 1.2.1 Federal Endangered Species Act .......................................................................... 15 1.2.2 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) ........................................................ 17 1.2.3 California Endangered Species Act ...................................................................... 18 1.2.4 California Environmental Quality Act .................................................................. 18 1.2.5 Sensitive Habitat Protection Ordinance ................................................................ 18 1.2.6 Tree Removal Ordinances ..................................................................................... 19 Chapter 2. Covered Activities ...................................................................................................... 19 2.1 Identification of Project Units ....................................................................................... 19 2.2 Description of Project Units.......................................................................................... 23 2.2.1 Rollingwoods Unit (#1) ........................................................................................ 23 2.2.2 Whispering Pines Unit (#2) .................................................................................. 23 2.2.3 Scotts Valley East Unit (#3) ................................................................................. 23 2.2.4 Scotts Valley West Unit (#4) ................................................................................ 23 2.2.5 Green Valley Unit (#5) ......................................................................................... 24 2.2.6 Mount Hermon Unit (#6) ...................................................................................... 24 2.2.7 Zayante Road North Unit (#7) .............................................................................. 24 2.2.8 Zayante Road South Unit (#8) .............................................................................. 24 2.2.9 Ben Lomond North Unit (#9) ............................................................................... 24 2.2.10 Ben Lomond South Unit (#10) ............................................................................. 24 2.3 Eligible Projects ............................................................................................................ 25 2.4 Multiple Projects on a Single Parcel ............................................................................. 26 2.5 Project/Permit Duration ................................................................................................ 26 2.6 Number and Location of Eligible Projects .................................................................... 26 2.7 Exempt Projects ............................................................................................................ 26 Chapter 3. Environmental Setting and Biological Resources ...................................................... 28 3.1 Environmental Setting .................................................................................................. 28 3.1.1 History................................................................................................................... 28 3.1.2 Climate .................................................................................................................. 29 3.1.3 Topography, Geology, and Hydrology ................................................................. 29 3.1.4 Vegetation/ Sandhills Habitat ............................................................................... 30 3.2 Listed Species Covered in the IPHCP .......................................................................... 31 3.2.1 Mount Hermon June Beetle .................................................................................. 31 3.2.2 Ben Lomond Spineflower ..................................................................................... 34 3.3 Non-covered Federally-Listed Sandhills Species ......................................................... 35 3.3.1 Zayante Band-winged Grasshopper ...................................................................... 35 3.3.2 Ben Lomond Wallflower ...................................................................................... 38 3.4 Other Federally-Listed Species that Have the Potential to Occur in Proximity to the Project Units.............................................................................................................................. 40 3.5 General Habitat Characteristics within the Project Units ............................................. 41 2 3.6 Covered Species within the Project Units ..................................................................... 41 3.7 Other Federally Listed Species that May Occur in Proximity to the Project Units ...... 47 Chapter 4. Effects of Covered Activities ..................................................................................... 47 4.1 Status of Covered Species in the Project Units ............................................................. 47 4.2 Take of / Adverse Impacts to the Covered Species ...................................................... 49 4.3 Assessment of Take ...................................................................................................... 51 4.4 Cumulative Impacts ...................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 5. Operating Conservation Program ............................................................................... 52 5.1 Biological Goals and Objectives ................................................................................... 52 5.2 Measures to Minimize and Mitigate Take .................................................................... 53 5.2.1 Minimization Measures ........................................................................................ 54 5.2.2 Mitigation Measures ............................................................................................. 56 5.3 Monitoring Program...................................................................................................... 57 5.3.1 Compliance Monitoring ........................................................................................ 57 5.3.2 Effects Monitoring ................................................................................................ 57 5.3.3 Effectiveness Monitoring ...................................................................................... 58 5.4 Reporting....................................................................................................................... 58 Chapter 6. Plan Implementation .................................................................................................. 58 6.1 Application Requirements ............................................................................................ 59 6.2 Responsibilities ............................................................................................................. 60 6.2.1 City and County Responsibilities ......................................................................... 60 6.2.2 Service Responsibilities ........................................................................................ 61 6.3 Implementation Costs and Funding .............................................................................. 61 6.3.1 Administrative Costs ............................................................................................. 61 6.3.2 Mitigation Costs .................................................................................................... 63 6.4 Contact .......................................................................................................................... 64 Chapter 7. Changed and Unforeseen Circumstances ................................................................... 65 7.1 Changed Circumstances ................................................................................................ 65 7.1.1 Listing of New Species ......................................................................................... 66 7.1.2 Discovery of the Zayante Band-winged Grasshopper or Ben Lomond Wallflower in the Project Units................................................................................................................ 66 7.2 Unforeseen Circumstances............................................................................................ 66 Chapter 8: Permit Amendment and Duration .............................................................................