A BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT OF THE APPROXIMATELY 203.64-ACRE CASTLEROCK SITE DOCUMENT LOCATED IN THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO SAN DIEGO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA CITY OF SAN DIEGO DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT TRACKING NUMBER 10046 JOB ORDER NUMBER 42-1653 Prepared For: Hewitt Wolensky LLP 4041 MacArthur Boulevard - Suite 300 Newport Beach, CA 92660 Contact: Hugh Hewitt, Esq. Prepared By: Natural Resource Consultants 1590 South Coast Highway, Suite 17 Laguna Beach, CA 92651 Contact: David Levine Date: October 11, 2012 Biological Resources Assessment October 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 5 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 8 1.1 Proposed Project and Alternative Scenario ................................................................................................ 8 1.1.1 PROPOSED PROJECT ........................................................................................................................... 8 1.1.2 ALTERNATIVE SCENARIO ................................................................................................................... 8 2.0 SITE LOCATION AND EXISTING CONDITIONS ..................................................................................... 9 2.1 GIS Analysis of Special Status Species Data ........................................................................................... 12 2.1.1 USFWS CRITICAL HABITAT ............................................................................................................ 12 2.1.2 CALIFORNIA NATURAL DIVERSITY DATABASE ANALYSIS ............................................................... 12 2.1.3 MULTIPLE SPECIES CONSERVATION PROGRAM CONFORMANCE ...................................................... 12 3.0 BIOLOGICAL SURVEY METHODS ........................................................................................................... 16 3.1 Vegetation Mapping ................................................................................................................................. 16 3.2 Special Status Species Surveys ................................................................................................................. 17 3.2.1 SPECIAL STATUS PLANT SURVEYS ................................................................................................... 17 3.2.2 CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER SURVEYS ............................................................................................ 17 3.2.3 LEAST BELL’S VIREO AND SOUTHWESTERN WILLOW FLYCATCHER SURVEYS ................................ 17 3.2.3 SAN DIEGO FAIRY SHRIMP SURVEYS ............................................................................................... 18 3.2.4 QUINO CHECKERSPOT BUTTERFLY SURVEYS .................................................................................. 18 3.2.5 HERMES COPPER SURVEYS .............................................................................................................. 19 4.0 VEGETATION COMMUNITIES .................................................................................................................. 19 4.1.1 COASTAL SAGE SCRUB – COASTAL FORM (32510) .......................................................................... 21 4.1.2 BACCHARIS-DOMINATED COASTAL SAGE SCRUB (32510) .............................................................. 21 4.1.3 DISTURBED COASTAL SAGE SCRUB (32510) ................................................................................... 21 4.2 Valley and Foothill Grassland (42000) ..................................................................................................... 22 4.2.1 NON-NATIVE GRASSLAND (42200) .................................................................................................. 22 4.2.2 NATIVE GRASSLAND (42100) .......................................................................................................... 22 4.3 Eucalyptus Woodland (11100) ................................................................................................................. 22 4.4 Disturbed / Developed (11300) ................................................................................................................ 22 4.5 Jurisdictional Waters, Wetlands and Vernal Pools ................................................................................... 23 4.5.1 VERNAL POOL (44300) .................................................................................................................... 23 4.5.2 EMERGENT WETLAND (52440) ........................................................................................................ 25 4.5.3 COASTAL AND VALLEY FRESHWATER MARSH (52410) ................................................................... 25 5.0 SPECIAL STATUS BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ...................................................................................... 25 5.1 Special Status Vegetation Communities ................................................................................................... 25 5.1.1 COASTAL SAGE SCRUB .................................................................................................................... 25 5.1.2 GRASSLAND ..................................................................................................................................... 26 5.1.3 JURISDICTIONAL WETLANDS ........................................................................................................... 26 5.2 Special Status Plant Species ..................................................................................................................... 27 5.2.1 SPECIAL STATUS PLANT SPECIES DETECTED ON SITE ..................................................................... 27 5.2.2 SPECIAL STATUS PLANTS POTENTIALLY OCCURRING BUT NOT DETECTED ON SITE ....................... 31 5.3 Special Status Wildlife Species ................................................................................................................ 31 5.3.1 SPECIAL STATUS WILDLIFE SPECIES DETECTED ON SITE ................................................................ 31 5.3.2 SPECIAL STATUS WILDLIFE SPECIES POTENTIALLY OCCURRING BUT NOT DETECTED ON SITE ...... 39 5.4 Wildlife Movement Corridors .................................................................................................................. 39 6.0 IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT ............................................................................................... 39 6.1 Impacts to Vegetation Communities ........................................................................................................ 39 6.1.1 POTENTIAL IMPACTS ASSOCIATED WITH LANDSLIDE REMEDIATION ............................................... 41 6.2 Indirect Effects ......................................................................................................................................... 41 6.2.2 TOXICS ............................................................................................................................................ 44 6.2.3 LIGHTING ......................................................................................................................................... 44 6.2.4 NOISE .............................................................................................................................................. 44 6.2.5 BARRIERS ........................................................................................................................................ 44 6.2.6 INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES ................................................................................................................ 44 6.2.7 BRUSH MANAGEMENT ..................................................................................................................... 44 6.3 Impacts to Special Status Biological Resources ....................................................................................... 44 Castlerock | San Diego County, California Natural Resource Consultants Castlerock_BRA_NRC08_20121010 2 Biological Resources Assessment October 2012 6.3.1 IMPACTS TO SPECIAL STATUS VEGETATION COMMUNITIES ............................................................. 45 6.3.2 IMPACTS TO SPECIAL STATUS PLANTS ............................................................................................. 45 6.3.3 IMPACTS TO SPECIAL STATUS WILDLIFE ......................................................................................... 45 6.4 Other Potential Impacts ............................................................................................................................ 47 6.4.1 JURISDICTIONAL WATERS ................................................................................................................ 47 6.4.2 WILDLIFE MOVEMENT CORRIDORS ................................................................................................. 48 6.5 Off-site Improvement Areas ..................................................................................................................... 49 6.6 Cumulative Impacts .................................................................................................................................. 49 7.0 MITIGATION MEASURES ..........................................................................................................................