LISTED AND SENSITIVE SPECIES ASSESSMENT TRUCKEE SPRINGS PROJECT NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Prepared for: SCO Planning & Engineering 140 Litton Drive, Suite 240 Grass Valley, California 95945 Contact: Rob Wood (530) 272-5841 Prepared by: JBR Environmental Consultants, Inc. 595 Double Eagle Court, Suite 2000 Reno, Nevada 89521 Contact: Debra Lemke, PWS, CPESC (775) 747-5777 JBR Project Number: B.A13403.00 January 29, 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................1 1.1 PURPOSE ...................................................................................................................1 1.2 LOCATION .................................................................................................................1 2.0 DEFINITIONS ...................................................................................................................2 2.1 USFWS LISTED, PROPOSED AND CANDIDATE SPECIES ............................................2 2.2 CDFW LISTED SPECIES AND SPECIES OF CONCERN ..................................................2 2.3 CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY CATEGORIES .................................................3 3.0 METHODOLOGY AND DATABASE RESULTS .........................................................4 3.1 LISTED AND SENSITIVE SPECIES ACCOUNTS .............................................................5 4.0 EXISTING HABITAT.......................................................................................................9 4.1 VEGETATION COMMUNITIES .....................................................................................9 4.2 POTENTIAL HABITAT FOR LISTED AND SENSITIVE SPECIES .....................................10 5.0 SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................13 6.0 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................14 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species Search ...................................................... 4 Table 2 California Natural Diversity Database Search ........................................................ 4 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Project Location Figure 2 Project Area Figure 3 Vegetation Communities LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A 2007 Listed and Sensitive Species Assessment Appendix B CNDDB Query Results Appendix C Project Area Photographs LISTED AND SENSITIVE SPECIES ASSESSMENT – TRUCKEE SPRINGS PROJECT JANUARY 2014 JBR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS, INC. i LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AMSL Above Mean Sea Level CDFW California Department of Fish and Wildlife CNDDB California Natural Diversity Database CNPS California Native Plant Society JBR JBR Environmental Consultants, Inc. LCT Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Project Truckee Springs Project SCO SCO Planning and Engineering, Inc. SSC Species of Special Concern SWReGAP Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Program TES Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Species USFS United States Forest Service USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS United States Geological Survey WOUS Waters of the United States LISTED AND SENSITIVE SPECIES ASSESSMENT – TRUCKEE SPRINGS PROJECT JANUARY 2014 JBR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS, INC. ii LISTED AND SENSITIVE SPECIES ASSESSMENT TRUCKEE SPRINGS PROJECT NEVADA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA 1.0 INTRODUCTION SCO Planning and Engineering, Inc. (SCO) is a full-service planning, civil engineering, surveying, and consulting firm that is proposing to develop the Truckee Springs Project (project) in Truckee, California within Nevada County. The project is located on the south side of the Truckee River (Figure 1). As a part of its project analysis, SCO asked JBR Environmental Consultants, Inc. (JBR) to conduct a database search for existing and potential occurrences of Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive (TES) species in the area. JBR contacted the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) for a list of TES species within the project area. A CNDDB search provides data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). In 2007, JBR prepared a listed and sensitive species analysis for the Truckee Recreational Trail, Phase 4 and Martis Creek Realignment Area (Appendix A). The Truckee Springs Project lies within the Truckee Recreational Trail, Phase 4 project area. JBR methodologies and TES database search results are presented below. 1.1 PURPOSE The purpose of JBR's analysis was to identify listed and sensitive species that are known to occur, or have potential to occur, within the project area. Section 2 of this report presents the definitions of listed and sensitive species. Section 3 describes the methodology and database search results used for assessing the potential for sensitive species occurrence within the project area and Section 4 describes the findings of the JBR assessment. 1.2 LOCATION The approximately 26.5 acre (0.04 square mile) project area is proposed south of Highway 80 in Section 15, Township 17 North, Range 16 East (Figure 2). Elevations in the area range from approximately 5,800 feet above mean sea level (AMSL) to 5,950 feet AMSL. Access to the site is south from Truckee, California on Donner Pass Road for 0.15 miles to a roundabout. A left at the roundabout keeps you on Donner Pass Road for 0.46 miles to Bridge Street. Take a right on Bridge Street and follow south for 0.16 miles where you will take a right onto South River Street. Follow South River Street till it turns into a dirt road. The project area begins at the dirt road. LISTED AND SENSITIVE SPECIES ASSESSMENT – TRUCKEE SPRINGS PROJECT JANUARY 2014 JBR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS, INC. 1 2.0 DEFINITIONS 2.1 USFWS LISTED, PROPOSED AND CANDIDATE SPECIES The USFWS defines the different categories of species that are protected, or that are being considered for protection in the future, under the Endangered Species Act as follows (USFWSINMFS, 1998): Endangered Species are those that are in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant part of their range. Threatened Species are likely to become endangered throughout all or a significant part of their range. Proposed Species have been proposed for listing as threatened or endangered by publication of the proposed listing in the Federal Register. Candidate Species are species that may warrant listing as threatened. or endangered, and for which the USFWS has sufficient information on biological vulnerability and threat(s) to support a rule to list as threatened or endangered, but for which the issuance of a proposed rule to list is precluded by higher listing priorities. 2.2 CDFW LISTED SPECIES AND SPECIES OF CONCERN The CDFW categories of species that are protected, or that are being considered for protection, under the California Endangered Species Act are as follows: Endangered Species are native species or subspecies of a bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or plant which are in serious danger of becoming extinct throughout all, or a significant portion, of its range due to one or more causes, including loss of habitat, change in habitat, overexploitation, predation, competition, or disease. Threatened Species are native species or subspecies of a bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or plant that, although not presently threatened with extinction, are likely to become endangered species in the foreseeable future in the absence of the special protection and management efforts. Candidate Species are native species or subspecies of a bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or plant that the commission has formally noticed as being under review by the department for addition to either the list of endangered species or the list of threatened species, or species for which the commission has published a notice of proposed regulation to add the species to either list. The CDFG also uses the term "Species of Concern" as an informal term referring to species that are declining or appear to be in need of concentrated conservation actions. LISTED AND SENSITIVE SPECIES ASSESSMENT – TRUCKEE SPRINGS PROJECT JANUARY 2014 JBR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS, INC. 2 2.3 CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY CATEGORIES The two categories of rare plants reported to occur on United States Geological Survey (USGS) Truckee topographic quadrangle are defined as follows by the California Native Plant Society (CNPS): List 1B Plants are rare, threatened, or endangered in California and elsewhere. List 2 Plants are rare, threatened, or endangered in California, but more common elsewhere. LISTED AND SENSITIVE SPECIES ASSESSMENT – TRUCKEE SPRINGS PROJECT JANUARY 2014 JBR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS, INC. 3 3.0 METHODOLOGY AND DATABASE RESULTS JBR queried the CNDDB to obtain information on sensitive plant and animal species that may occur within the project area. CNDDB information is organized by USGS topographic quadrangles. The quadrangle queried for the residential community project area was the Truckee quadrangle (Appendix B). Table 1 presents the listed and sensitive species from the USFWS Information, Planning, and Conservation System search. Table 2 presents the CNDDB Truckee quadrangle search results of the listed and sensitive species. Table 1 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species Search Species Name Potential to Occur USFWS/ CDFW Status in Project Area? Common Name Latin Name Y/N Fish Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi Threatened/None