SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY MULTI-SPECIES HABITAT CONSERVATION AND OPEN SPACE PLAN (SJMSCP) November 14, 2000 November 14, 2000 THIS PAGE BLANK November 14, 2000 Funding for this document was provided by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation with assistance from the San Joaquin County Transportation Authority, the City of Tracy, and the City of Lathrop November 14, 2000 THIS PAGE BLANK November 14, 2000 SJMSCP STEERING COMMITTEES, STAFF AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT HABITAT POLICY ADVISORY COMMITTEE Phillip Pennino, Chair City of Lodi Robert Cabral, Vice Chair San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors Ron Addington Business Dan Gifford/Robert Mapes/Dave Zezulak/Terry Roscoe California Department of Fish and Game Mitch Hayden U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waldo Holt Conservation William Lehman/Sheila Larsen/Peter Cross/Robert Pine/Ken Fuller/Mike Horton Cay Goude/Jan Knight/Ann Chrisney/Vicki Campbell/Jim Browning U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Brad Lange Agriculture Bruce Mettler Agriculture Tonie Marie Raymus Business Martha Shaver Land Trusts Steve Stocking Conservation Doug Unruh Business HABITAT STAFF WORKING GROUP Margit Aramburu Delta Protection Commission Luis Arismendi/Don Cose Business Mike Brown Aggregate Mining Ben Cantu Manteca Pam Carder Lathrop John Carlson/Mike Niblock Stockton Dan Gifford/Robert Mapes/Dave Zezulak/ Terry Roscoe California Department of Fish and Game Brian Millar/Barry Hand Tracy Mitch Hayden U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waldo Holt Conservation William Lehman/Sheila Larsen/Peter Cross/Robert Pine/Ken Fuller/Mike Horton/ Cay Goude/Jan Knight/Ann Chrisney/Vicki Campbell/Jim Browning U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Peggy Keranen/Kitty Walker San Joaquin County Rad Bartlam/David Morimoto Lodi Dale Steele, Gina Moran Caltrans Ernest Tyhurst Ripon Julia E. Greene, Andrew Chesley, Susan Nejedly, Bart Meays/ Jerry Park San Joaquin Council of Governments STAFF Julia E. Greene, Executive Director San Joaquin Council of Governments Barton R. Meays, Executive Director - Retired San Joaquin Council of Governments Andrew T. Chesley, Deputy Executive Director San Joaquin Council of Governments Susan Nejedly, Senior Regional Planner San Joaquin Council of Governments Jerry Park, Regional Planner San Joaquin Council of Governments LEGAL REVIEW Dana Jacobsen/ Jim Monroe - Assistant Regional Solicitors U.S. Department of the Interior Adam Relin Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliot, LLP TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Amy Augustine Augustine Land Use Planning, Sonora (Coordination, Prepare Plan,EIR/EIS) Sally Nielsen Hausrath Economics Group, Oakland (Economics, Nexus Review) Sandra Guldman Toyon Environmental Consultants, Inc. (Biological/Land Use) - Kentfield November 14, 2000 THIS PAGE BLANK November 14, 2000 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, PLANNING PROCESS AND OBJECTIVES 1.1 Executive Summary . 1-1 1.1.1 Purpose . 1-1 1.1.2 Plan Term and Setting . 1-1 1.1.3 SJMSCP Permitted Activities/Species . 1-1 1.1.4 Effects of Open Space Conversions Addressed in SJMSCP . 1-2 1.1.4.1 Incidental Take/Habitat Loss . 1-2 1.1.4.2 Multi-Purpose Open Space . 1-3 1.1.5 Compensation and Land Acquisition/Management . 1-5 1.1.6 Implementing Strategy . 1-7 1.1.6.1 Pay-As-You-Go . 1-7 1.1.6.2 Jump-Start . 1-7 1.1.6.3 Timing of Fee Collections/In-Lieu Land Dedications/Mitigation Bank Purchases 1-8 1.1.6.4 Voluntary Plan . 1-9 1.1.7 Applicable Regulations . 1-12 1.1.8 Permits, Authorizations, Opinions, Consultations . 1-13 1.1.9 Permitting Agencies . 1-16 1.1.10 Permittee/Plan Participants . 1-16 1.1.11 Implementing Entity--SJMSCP Joint Powers Authority (JPA) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) . 1-16 1.1.12 Monitoring and Enforcement . 1-17 1.1.13 Implementation Agreement . 1-17 1.1.14 Environmental Effects . 1-18 1.1.15 Plan Costs, Funding, Cost/Benefit Analysis . 1-18 1.1.15.1 Plan Costs . 1-18 1.1.15.2 Fair Share Allocation of Costs. 1-19 1.1.15.3 Plan Fees . 1-21 1.1.15.4 Proposed Funding Strategy . 1-22 1.1.15.5 Funding Assurances . 1-25 1.1.15.6 Cost/Benefit Analysis . 1-25 1.1.16 Consistency with Local General Plans . 1-26 1.2 Background and Planning Process . 1-26 1.3 Objectives . 1-28 1.4 Description of Alternatives Considered . 1-29 1.4.1 No Project/No Action . 1-29 1.4.2 Reduced Land Acquisition with Increased Preserve Enhancements . 1-29 1.4.3 Elimination of Wetlands Coverage . 1-29 1.4.4 Locating Some Preserves Outside of County . 1-30 1.4.5 Alternative Fee Structure . 1-30 1.4.6 Five-Acre Exemption . 1-30 1.4.7 Eliminate Coverage for Non-Listed Special Status Species . .1-30 1.4.8 Reduced Coverage for Swainson's Hawk and Associated Species . 1-30 1.4.9 Increase Coverage for Fisheries . 1-31 1.4.10 Partial Participation . 1-31 1.4.11 No Take . 1-32 2. OPEN SPACE SETTING 2.1 Environmental Setting . 2-1 November 14, 2000 i 2.2 Biological Setting . 2-4 2.2.1 Vegetation Types . 2-4 2.2.1.1 Natural Lands . 2-8 2.2.1.2 Agricultural Habitat Lands . 2-11 2.2.1.3 Multi-Purpose Open Space Lands . 2-11 2.2.1.4 Urban Lands . 2-12 2.2.2 SJMSCP Covered Species . 2-12 2.2.2.1 Species Considered, but Not Included . 2-19 2.2.2.2 Summary of Data Collected and Analyzed for Covered Species/Species Needs .2-24 A. Plants . 2-24 B. Invertebrates . 2-30 C. Fish . 2-35 D. Amphibians . 2-40 E. Reptiles . 2-43 F. Birds . 2-44 G. Mammals . 2-53 2.3 Agricultural Setting . 2-61 2.4 Recreational Setting . 2-63 2.5 Scenic Setting . 2-63 2.6 Multi-Purpose Open Space Setting . 2-64 3. LAND USE 3.1 SJMSCP Planned Land Use Map . 3-1 3.2 Sources . 3-1 3.3 Mapped Land Use Designations . 3-3 3.3.1 Agriculture . 3-3 3.3.2 Urban . 3-4 3.3.3 Parks . 3-5 3.3.4 Open Space/Conservation . 3-5 3.3.5 Mineral Resources . .3-5 3.3.6 Site 300 . 3-6 3.3.7 Undeveloped Public Lands . 3-6 3.3.8 Land Uses Mapped on the SJMSCP Vegetation Maps . 3-6 3.4 Unmapped Land Uses . 3-7 3.5 Future Land Use . 3-8 3.6 Consistency with Local General Plans . 3-9 4. ESTIMATED OPEN SPACE CONVERSIONS 4.1 Methodology for Determining When Open Space Conversions Results in Incidental Take Versus When Open Space Conversions Do Not Result in Incidental Take . 4-1 4.1.1 Comprehensive Compensation Pursuant to Local State and Federal Plant, Fish and Wildlife Regulations . 4-1 4.1.2 Determining When Open Space Conversion Results in Incidental Take and Requires Compensation . 4-4 4.2 Estimated Acres of Open Space Conversions . 4-8 4.3 Estimated Incidental Take by Species . 4-11 5. CONSERVATION STRATEGY 5.1 Overview of Conservation Strategy . 5-1 November 14, 2000 ii 5.1.1 Summary . 5-1 5.1.2 SJMSCP Index Zones as a Basis for Implementing the Conservation Strategy . 5-2 5.1.2.1 Southwest Zone . 5-2 5.1.2.2 Central Zone . 5-3 5.1.2.3 Primary Zone of the Delta . 5-4 5.1.2.4 Vernal Pool Zone . 5-5 5.1.2.5 Central/Southwest Transition Zone . 5-5 5.1.2.6 The Influence of Index Zones on the Compensation Requirements of the SJMSCP 5-6 5.2 Measures to Minimize Impacts - Incidental Take Minimization Measures. 5-16 5.2.1 Establishing Conditions of Project Approval Related to Incidental Take Minimization Measures 5-16 5.2.1.1 Review Process and Condition Format . .5-16 5.2.1.2 Time Limits for JPA Review of Discretionary Projects . 5-17 5.2.1.3 Completion of Incidental Take Minimization Measures - Responsibilities of Project Proponent . 5-17 5.2.2 Preconstruction Surveys . 5-18 5.2.2.1 Overview . 5-18 5.2.2.2 Time Limits for Conducting JPA Preconstruction Surveys . .5-19 5.2.2.3 Determining the Necessity for Site Visits as Part of Preconstruction Surveys . 5-19 5.2.2.4 Special Provisions for Conducting Preconstruction Surveys for Plants . 5-19 5.2.2.5 Preconstruction Survey Methodologies . 5-26 5.2.3 Incidental Take Minimization - Overview of Process . 5-28 5.2.3.1 Incidental Take Minimization Strategy and Expectations for All SJMSCP Covered Species . 5-29 5.2.3.2 Exceptions to 5.2.3.1 . 5-30 5.2.4 Incidental Take Minimization Measures for SJMSCP Covered Species . 5-31 5.2.4.1 Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle . 5-31 5.2.4.2 Moestan and Molestan Blister Beetle . 5-32 5.2.4.3 Ciervo Aegialian Scarab Beetle . 5-32 5.2.4.4 Vernal Pool Plants and Vernal Pool Invertebrates . 5-33 5.2.4.5 California Tiger Salamander, Western Spadefoot Toad with 404 Permit. 5-33 5.2.4.6 California Tiger Salamander, Western Spadefoot Toad w/o 404 Permit . 5-33 5.2.4.7 Red-Legged Frogs and Yellow-Legged Frogs . 5-34 5.2.4.8 Giant Garter Snake . 5-36 5.2.4.9 San Joaquin Whipsnake, California Horned Lizard . 5-37 5.2.4.10 Pond Turtles . 5-37 5.2.4.11 Swainson's Hawk . 5-37 5.2.4.12 California Black Rail . 5-38 5.2.4.13 Bank Swallow and Yellow-Billed Cuckoo . 5-38 5.2.4.14 Aleutian Canada Goose and Greater Sandhill Crane .