BIOLOGICAL HABITAT ASSESSMENT OAK GROVE RESOURCES, LLC OAK GROVE MINE REVISION R-46 Prepared For: OAK GROVE RESOURCES, LLC 10 acres +/- Section 36, Township 18 South, Range 6 West ALL IN JEFFERSON COUNTY ALABAMA th MCGEHEE May 5 , 2016 ENGINEERING CORP. P. O. Box 3431 450 19th Street West Jasper, Alabama 35502-3431 Telephone: (205) 221-0686 Fax: (205) 221-7721 L. Stephen Blankenship Email: [email protected] BIOLOGICAL HABITAT ASSESSMENT Prepared For: OAK GROVE RESOURCES, LLC OAK GROVE MINE REVISION R-46 10 acres +/- Section 36, Township 18 South, Range 6 West ALL IN JEFFERSON COUNTY ALABAMA Prepared by: MCGEHEE ENGINEERING CORP. P. O. Box 3431 450 19th Street West Jasper, Alabama 35502-3431 Telephone: (205) 221-0686 Fax: (205) 221-7721 Email: [email protected] ©McGehee Engineering Corp. 2016 May 5th, 2016 Executive Summary McGehee Engineering Corporation performed a biological habitat assessment survey for habitat and the possible presence of the species federally listed as endangered, threatened, or of concern in April of 2016. The study was conducted on the proposed Oak Grove Resources, LLC – Oak Grove Mine - Revision R-46 project area. The proposed project area consists of approximately 10 acres located in Section 36, Township 18 South, and Range 6 West all in Jefferson County. The proposed Oak Grove Resources, LLC – Oak Grove Mine - Revision R-46 project area consists of natural upland area vegetated with a mixed mature hardwood and pine stand. The proposed project is located in a mining community and will be used as cover material for reclamation in the existing Oak Grove Mine. The biological habitat assessment survey focused in on T, E & C species listed in Jefferson County as can be found in Table 2.1 along with the Indiana Bat, Gray Bat, Northern Long- Eared Bat, Bald Eagle, Wood Stork and the Red Cockaded Woodpecker. No habitat was found for the listed threatened and endangered aquatic species within the project boundary. No evidence was found or observed for the presence or possible presence of these listed species within the project boundary. There are no flowing onsite waters. Potential summer roost habitat is found for Indiana and Northern Long-Eared bat species. No habitat was found for the remainder of the listed threatened and endangered terrestrial species. No evidence was found or observed for the presence or possible presence of these remaining listed species. Oak Grove Resources, LLC i May 5th, 2016 Oak Grove Mine – Revision R-46 Biological Habitat Assessment Report Table of Contents Executive Summary ..................................................................................................... i Chapter 1. Proposed Project Review .................................................................... 3 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 3 1.2 Project Location .................................................................................................. 4 Chapter 2. Threatened & Endangered Species .................................................... 5 2.1 Species Identification .......................................................................................... 5 Chapter 3. Methodology ......................................................................................... 8 3.1 Methodology ....................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 4. Environmental Setting ....................................................................... 10 4.1 General Habitat Description ............................................................................. 10 Chapter 5. Habitat Study Results ........................................................................ 12 5.1 Terrestrial and Terrestrial Habitat Species ....................................................... 12 5.1.1 Summary ........................................................................................................ 13 5.2 Aquatic and Aquatic Habitat Species ................................................................. 13 5.2.1 Summary ........................................................................................................ 14 5.3 Wetlands and Streams ....................................................................................... 15 Chapter 6. References .......................................................................................... 16 Chapter 7. Signatures of Preparers .................................................................... 17 Figures Figure 1. Project Area Map. (not to scale) ............................................................................... 4 Tables Table 2.1. List of Threatened, Endangered and Candidate Species for Jefferson County. ......... 5 Table 3.1. Survey Conditions ................................................................................................... 8 Appendices Appendix A — Project Area Map Appendix B — Photographic Log Appendix C — Photo Log Point Location Map Appendix D — Soil Map Appendix E — Dominant Vegetation Plot Summary Appendix F — Potential Summer Roost Habitat Location Map Oak Grove Resources, LLC ii May 5th, 2016 Oak Grove Mine Revision R-46 Biological Habitat Assessment Report Chapter 1. Proposed Project Review 1.1 Introduction McGehee Engineering Corporation performed a biological habitat assessment survey for habitat and the possible presence of the species federally listed as endangered, threatened, or of concern in April of 2016. The study was conducted on the proposed Oak Grove Resources, LLC – Oak Grove Mine - Revision R-46 project area. The proposed project area consists of approximately 10 acres located in Section 36, Township 18 South, and Range 6 West all in Jefferson County. The proposed Oak Grove Resources, LLC – Oak Grove Mine - Revision R-46 project area consists of natural upland area vegetated with a mixed mature hardwood and pine stand. The proposed project is located in a mining community and will be used as cover material for reclamation in the existing Oak Grove Mine. Oak Grove Resources, LLC 3 May 5th, 2016 Oak Grove Mine Revision R-46 Biological Habitat Assessment Report 1.2 Project Location Oak Grove Resources, LLC – Oak Grove Mine - Revision R-46 project consists of approximately 10 acres and is located in Section 36, Township 18 South, and Range 6 West as located in Jefferson County, Alabama on the Concord, Alabama U.S.G.S Quadrangle. The proposed site location is shown below on the attached project area map Figure 1. (Appendix “A”) Figure 1. Project Area Map. (not to scale) Oak Grove Resources, LLC 4 May 5th, 2016 Oak Grove Mine Revision R-46 Biological Habitat Assessment Report Chapter 2. Threatened & Endangered Species 2.1 Species Identification The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) threatened, endangered, and candidate species list for Jefferson County was reviewed by a qualified biologist in order to determine species potentially occurring in the project vicinity (Table 2.1). In addition, the Alabama Natural Heritage Section Database that contains numerous records of sensitive species in Alabama was queried to provide a list of special status species and habitats that may have been documented as occurring within the project area and/or the project vicinity. Table 2.1. List of Threatened, Endangered and Candidate Species for Jefferson County. Common Name Status General Habitat Scientific Name Bald eagle Large open bodies of water where adequate food exist and BGEPA Haliaeetus leucocephalus human disturbance is limited Wood stork Freshwater and estuarine wetlands, primarily nesting in E cypress or mangrove swamps. Narrow tidal creeks or Mycteria americana flooded tidal pools where fish become concentrated Red-cockaded woodpecker Open, mature and old growth pine ecosystems with E Picoides borealis minimal hardwood overstory and midstory Northern Long Ear Bat Lives in a variety of cluttered canopy habitats including Myotis septentrionalis C floodplain and riparian zones for roosting with upland area nearby, preferring trees with loose, scaly bark for summer roost and caves or sometimes mines for hibernation. Indiana Bat Lives in a variety of habitats including floodplain and Myotis sodalis E riparian zones for roosting with upland area nearby and caves or sometimes mines for hibernating and mating Gray Bat Live in caves year-round; Winter hibernation in deep E Myotis grisescens vertical caves, Summer roost in caves along rivers Plicate rocksnail Shallow gravel and cobble shoals in the flowing waters of Leptoxis plicate E the bottom 1/3 (20 miles) of the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River in Jefferson County Cylindrical Lioplax Isolated mud deposits found under large rocks in the rapid E Lioplax cyclostomaformis flowing sections of stream and river shoals Round rocksnail Cobble, gravel, or other hard substrates in the strong T currents of riffles and shoals of high water quality streams Leptoxis ampla and rivers Fine-lined pocketbook mussel Large rivers to small creek habitats swift flowing riffles T Hamiota (=Lampsilis) altilis and gravel-cobble substrates Ovate clubshell mussel Sand and gravel bottom free flowing streams and rivers E Pleurobema perovatum with good water quality and stable stream channels Orange-nacre mucket mussel Large rivers to small creek habitats swift flowing riffles T Hamiota (=Lampsilis) perovalis and gravel-cobble substrates Southern clubshell Sand and gravel bottom free flowing streams and rivers E Pleurobema