BIOLOGICAL TECHNICAL REPORT FOR NAKASE PROPERTY PROJECT LOCATED IN THE CITY OF LAKE FOREST, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Prepared For: Toll Brothers, Inc. 725 West Town & Country Road Suite 200 Orange, California 92868 Contact: Peter H. Kim, P. E. Phone: (714) 347-1300 Fax: (714) 835-9685 Prepared By: Glenn Lukos Associates, Inc. 29 Orchard Lake Forest, California 92630 Phone: (949) 837-0404, ext. 22 Report Preparers: Zack West and Tricia Campbell March 5, 2019 i TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background and Scope of Work .......................................................................... 1 1.2 Project Location ................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Project Description ............................................................................................... 2 1.4 Existing Conditions .............................................................................................. 2 2.0 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................... 2 2.1 Summary of Surveys ............................................................................................ 3 2.2 Botanical Resources ............................................................................................. 4 2.2.1 Literature Search ........................................................................................... 5 2.2.2 Vegetation Mapping ...................................................................................... 5 2.2.3 Special-Status Plant Species and Habitats Evaluated for the Project Site .... 5 2.2.4 Botanical Surveys ......................................................................................... 5 2.3 Wildlife Resources ............................................................................................... 6 2.3.1 General Surveys ............................................................................................ 6 2.3.2 Special-Status Animal Species Reviewed .................................................... 7 2.3.2 Habitat Assessment for Special Status Animal Species ............................... 7 2.3.3 Focused Surveys for Special-Status Animals Species .................................. 7 2.4 Jurisdictional Delineation ................................................................................... 10 3.0 REGULATORY SETTING ........................................................................... 10 3.1 State and/or Federally Listed Plants or Animals ................................................ 11 3.1.1 State of California Endangered Species Act ............................................... 11 3.1.2 Federal Endangered Species Act ................................................................ 11 3.1.3 State and Federal Take Authorizations for Listed Species ......................... 12 3.2 California Environmental Quality Act ............................................................... 12 3.2.1 CEQA Guidelines Section 15380 ............................................................... 12 3.2.2 Special-Status Plants, Wildlife and Vegetation Communities Evaluated Under CEQA ....................................................................................... 13 3.3 Jurisdictional Waters .......................................................................................... 15 3.3.1 Army Corps of Engineers ........................................................................... 15 3.3.2 Regional Water Quality Control Board ...................................................... 19 3.4 California Department of Fish and Wildlife ...................................................... 20 ii 3.5 Central/Coastal Natural Communities Conservation Program/Habitat Conservation Plan .......................................................................................... 20 4.0 RESULTS ...................................................................................................... 21 4.1 Existing Conditions ........................................................................................... 21 4.2 Vegetation .......................................................................................................... 21 4.2.1 Maritime Succulent Scrub/Southern Cactus Scrub (Coastal Sage Scrub) .. 22 4.2.2 Southern Black Willow Forest .................................................................... 22 4.2.3 Active Agriculture ...................................................................................... 22 4.2.4 Bare Ground/Developed ............................................................................. 23 4.2 Wildlife ............................................................................................................... 23 4.3 Special-Status Vegetation Communities (Habitats) ........................................... 23 4.4 Special-Status Plants .......................................................................................... 24 4.4.1 Special-Status Plants Detected at the Project Site ...................................... 32 4.5 Special-Status Animals ...................................................................................... 32 4.5.1 Special-Status Wildlife Species Observed within the Project Site ............. 38 4.5.2 Special-Status Wildlife Species not Observed but with a Potential to Occur at the Project Site ................................................................................ 38 4.5.3 Critical Habitat ............................................................................................ 38 4.6 Raptor Use .......................................................................................................... 39 4.7 Nesting Birds ...................................................................................................... 39 4.8 Soil Mapping ...................................................................................................... 39 4.9 Jurisdictional Delineation ................................................................................... 39 4.10 Wildlife Migration/Nurseries ............................................................................. 40 5.0 IMPACT ANALYSIS .................................................................................... 41 5.1 California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) ................................................. 41 5.1.1 Thresholds of Significance ......................................................................... 41 5.1.2 Criteria for Determining Significance Pursuant to CEQA ......................... 42 5.2 Impacts to Native Vegetation ............................................................................. 43 5.3 Impacts to Special-Status Plants ........................................................................ 43 5.4 Impacts to Special-Status Animals ..................................................................... 43 5.5 Impacts to Critical Habitat ................................................................................. 44 5.6 Impacts to Nesting Birds .................................................................................... 44 5.7 Impacts to Jurisdictional Waters ........................................................................ 45 5.8 Wildlife Migration/Nurseries ............................................................................. 46 iii 5.9 Indirect Impacts to Biological Resources ........................................................... 46 5.10 Cumulative Impacts to Biological Resources .................................................... 47 6.0 MITIGATION/AVOIDANCE MEASURES ................................................. 49 6.1 Burrowing Owl ................................................................................................... 49 6.2 Native Nesting Birds .......................................................................................... 49 6.3 Bats ..................................................................................................................... 49 6.4 Serrano Creek ..................................................................................................... 50 6.5 Jurisdictional Waters .......................................................................................... 52 6.6 Level of Significance after Mitigation ............................................................... 53 8.0 CERTIFICATION .......................................................................................... 56 TABLES Table 2-1. Summary of Biological Surveys for the Project Site ..........................................4 Table 2-2. Summary of Burrowing Owl Surveys ................................................................7 Table 2-3. Summary of Coastal California Gnatcatcher Surveys ........................................8 Table 2-4. Summary of Least Bell’s Vireo Surveys ............................................................9 Table 2-5. Summary of Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Surveys .....................................9 Table 3-1. CNPS Ranks 1, 2, 3, and 4 and Threat Code Extensions .................................14 Table 4-1. Summary of Vegetation/Land Use Types for the Project Site .........................22 Table 4-2. Summary of CNDDB Query – Special Status Habitats ...................................23 Table 4-3. Special-Status Plants Evaluated for the Project Site ........................................24