H AMILTON B IOLOGICAL February 8, 2021 Everett DeLano DeLano & DeLano 220 West Grand Avenue Escondido, CA 92025 SUBJECT: REVIEW OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCE ISSUES TRAILS AT CARMEL MOUNTAIN RANCH DRAFT EIR CITY OF SAN DIEGO Dear Mr. DeLano, At your request, Hamilton Biological, Inc., has reviewed the Draft EIR (DEIR) for the proposed Trails at Carmel Mountain Ranch project, located in the City of San Diego, San Diego County, California. I reviewed relevant portions of the DEIR’s Section 5.4 (Biological Resources) and Ap- pendix J (Biological Resources Technical Report). Hamilton Biological is a consultancy specializing in field reconnaissance, regulatory compliance, preparing CEQA documentation, and providing third-party review of CEQA documentation. This review has the following purposes: • To identify any areas in which the document reaches conclusions not supported by adequate field work or thorough review of the scientific literature. • To identify and discuss any biological impact analyses not consistent with CEQA, its guidelines, or relevant precedents. • To evaluate the project alternatives to determine whether one or more of them may better protect sensitive biological resources. • To recommend changes to impact analyses, mitigation measures, and/or resource management practices to avoid or minimize to the maximum extent practicable po- tentially significant impacts to biological resources, as required under CEQA. FIELD VISIT As part of my evaluation of the DEIR and its adequacy, I visited portions of the project site with botanist James Bailey on January 22, 2021, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. Tem- perature was 63–59° F; wind was 3–6 mph; cloud cover was approximately 90 percent. The purpose of the field visit was to review portions of the project site to evaluate the accuracy and adequacy of the DEIR’s information. 316 Monrovia Avenue Long Beach, CA 90803 562-477-2181 [email protected] Review of Biological Issues, Trails at Carmel Mountain Ranch DEIR Hamilton Biological, Inc. February 8, 2021 Page 2 of 21 INADEQUATE SURVEY EFFORT VIOLATES CITY’S BIOLOGY GUIDELINES Page 7 in the Biological Resources Technical Report (Appendix I to the DEIR) describes the survey effort for the DEIR: Biological field surveys for the proposed project were conducted in July and August 2019, by Dudek biologists Patricia Schuyler, Tricia Wotipka, and Olivia Koziel. Field surveys in- cluded vegetation and land cover mapping, habitat quality assessment, and jurisdictional resource delineation. Table 1 lists the survey dates, times, surveying biologists, and weather conditions during the survey. As documented herein, the four days of biological surveys conducted in summer 2019 (July 8, July 19, August 8, and August 22) failed to adequately document the plant and wildlife species present, or potentially present, on the site. Plant Surveys Inadequate The DEIR’s Plant Compendium, listing all of the plant taxa observed on the project site, contains only 22 native taxa and 20 non-native taxa (Washingtonia filifera is erroneously listed as a native species), for a total of 42 taxa. During a site visit lasting less than four hours, on January 22, 2021, Hamilton Biological observed 52 native taxa, 73 non-native taxa, and one taxon of uncertain provenance, for a total of 126 taxa. We observed the following taxa on the site, including four special- status species not recorded by the project biologists (California Native Plant Society [CNPS] rankings are indicated for those taxa, with footnotes explaining the CNPS Rank- ings, as defined by CNPS). SECTION: GYMNOSPERMS Cupressaceae – Cypress Family * Juniperus sp., juniper species Pinaceae - Pine Family * Pinus halepensis, Aleppo Pine * Pinus canariensis, Canary Island Pine Podocarpaceae - Southern Conifer Family * Afrocarpos gracilior, East African Yellow-wood SECTION: EUDICOTS Adoxaceae – Elder Family Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea, Blue Elderberry Aizoaceae – Amaranth Family * Carpobrotus edulis, Freeway Iceplant * Drosanthemum floribundum, Pale Dewplant Review of Biological Issues, Trails at Carmel Mountain Ranch DEIR Hamilton Biological, Inc. February 8, 2021 Page 3 of 21 Amaranthaceae – Amaranth Family * Chenopodium murale, Nettle-leaved Goosefoot * Salsola australis, Southern Russian Thistle * Salsola tragus, Prickly Russian Thistle Anacardiaceae - Cashew Family Malosma laurina, Laurel Sumac Rhus integrifolia, Lemonade Berry * Schinus molle, Peruvian Pepper Tree * Schinus terebinthifolius, Brazilian Pepper Tree * Searsia lancea, African Sumac Apiaceae - Parsley Family * Conium maculatum, Poison Hemlock * Foeniculum vulgare, Sweet Fennel Apocynaceae - Dogbane Family * Nerium oleander, Oleander Asteraceae - Sunflower Family Ambrosia psilostachya, Western Ragweed Artemisia californica, California Sagebrush Artemisia douglasiana, Douglas’s Sagewort Baccharis pilularis, Coyote Brush Baccharis salicifolia, Mulefat Baccharis sarothroides, Desert Broom * Centaurea melitensis, Tocalote Corethrogyne filaginifolia, California Aster * Cirsium vulgare, Bull Thistle * Cynara cardunculus, Artichoke Thistle * Dittrichia graveolens, Stinkwort Encelia californica, California Bush Sunflower * Erigeron bonariensis, Argentine Fleabane Erigeron canadensis, Canadian Horseweed * Erigeron sumatrensis, Tropical Fleabane * Euryops pectinatus ‘viridis’, African Bush Daisy cultivar Helminthotheca echioides, Bristly Oxtongue Heterotheca grandiflora, Telegraph Weed Isocoma menziesii, Coast Goldenbush Iva hayesiana, San Diego Marsh Elder (CNPS Rank 2B.2)1 * Lactuca serriola, Prickly Lettuce * Osteospermum sp., Daisybush species Pseudognaphalium biolettii, Bicolor Rabbit-Tobacco Pseudognaphalium californicum, California Rabbit-Tobacco * Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum, Jersey Cudweed 1 All of the plants constituting California Rare Plant Rank 2B meet the definitions of the California Endan- gered Species Act of the California Fish and Game Code, and are eligible for state listing. Impacts to these species or their habitat must be analyzed during preparation of environmental documents relating to CEQA, or those considered to be functionally equivalent to CEQA, as they meet the definition of Rare or Endan- gered under CEQA Guidelines §15125 (c) and/or §15380. Review of Biological Issues, Trails at Carmel Mountain Ranch DEIR Hamilton Biological, Inc. February 8, 2021 Page 4 of 21 * Sonchus oleraceus, Smooth Sowthistle * Sonchus asper, Prickly Sowthistle Stephanomeria diegensis, San Diego Wirelettuce Viguiera [Bahiopsis] laciniata, San Diego Viguiera (CNPS Rank 4.3) 2 Bignoniaceae - Bignonia Family * Tecoma capensis, Cape Honeysuckle Brassicaceae - Mustard Family * Brassica nigra, Black Mustard * Hirschfeldia incana, Shortpod Mustard Nasturtium officinale, Watercress Cactaceae - Cactus Family Opuntia sp., prickly-pear Cistaceae - Rockrose Family * Cistus sp., rockrose Curcubitaceae - Gourd Family Marah macrocarpa, Manroot Ericaceae - Madrone Family * Arbutus × andrachnoides ‘Marina’, Strawberry Tree cultivar Euphorbiaceae - Spurge Family * Euphorbia maculata, Spotted Spurge * Euphorbia peplus, Petty Spurge * Ricinus communis, Castor Bean Fabaceae - Pea Family * Acacia redolens, Bank Catclaw Acmispon glaber, Deerweed * Calliandra haematocephala, Scarlet Powder-Puff * Erythrina caffra, African Coral Tree * Melaleuca nesophila, Showy Honey-Myrtle * Melilotus albus, White Sweetclover Fagaceae - Oak Family Quercus agrifolia, Coast Live Oak * Quercus ilex, Holm Oak 2 Some of the plants constituting California Rare Plant Rank 4 meet the definitions of the California Endan- gered Species Act of the California Fish and Game Code, and few, if any, are eligible for state listing. Never- theless, many of them are significant locally, and we strongly recommend that California Rare Plant Rank 4 plants be evaluated for impact significance during preparation of environmental documents relating to CEQA, or those considered to be functionally equivalent to CEQA, based on CEQA Guidelines §15125 (c) and/or §15380. Review of Biological Issues, Trails at Carmel Mountain Ranch DEIR Hamilton Biological, Inc. February 8, 2021 Page 5 of 21 Geraniaceae - Geranium Family * Erodium cicutarium, Common Storksbill * Geranium molle, Dove’s-foot Cranesbill Grossulariaceae - Gooseberry Family ? Ribes viburnifolium, Catalina Currant (CNPS Rank 1B.2) 3 Lamiaceae - Mint Family * Lavandula dentata, French Lavender Salvia mellifera, Black Sage Malvaceae – Mallow Family * Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Chinese Hibiscus Malacothamnus fasciculatus, Chaparral Bushmallow Myrtaceae – Myrtle Family * Eucalyptus camaldulensis, River Red Gum * Eucalyptus sp., eucalyptus * Melaleuca viminalis, Weeping Bottlebrush Onagraceae – Dock Family Epilobium brachycarpum, Panicled Willowherb Oenothera elata, Hooker’s Evening Primrose Oleaceae – Olive Family * Fraxinus uhdei, Shamel Ash Oxalidaceae – Woodsorrel Family * Oxalis pes-caprae, Bermuda Buttercup Polemoniaceae – Pink Family Eriastrum sapphirinum, Sapphire Woollystar Polygonaceae – Dock Family Eriogonum fasciculatum, California Buckwheat * Rumex crispus, Curly Dock Pittosporaceae – Cheesewood Family * Pittosporum tobira, Japanese Cheesewood Plantaginaceae - Plantain Family Penstemon spectabilis, Showy Penstemon 3 All of the plants constituting California Rare Plant Rank 1B meet the definitions of the California Endan- gered Species Act of the California Fish and Game Code, and are eligible for state listing. Impacts to these species or their habitat must be analyzed during preparation of environmental documents relating to CEQA, or those