Section 4.8 Biological Resources 4.8.1 Introduction In Riverside County, variation in topography, elevation, soil and climate create conditions for a wide variety of natural communities, each with its own assemblage of native plant and animal species. This section focuses on the natural communities and species of greatest concern to regional, state and federal agencies, and on the impacts that could arise from implementation of GPA No. 960. In EIR No. 441, certified for the original RCIP General Plan in December 2003, the biological resources chapter analyzed the “potential biological impacts that would occur in the absence of the western Riverside County and Coachella Valley MSHCPs.” Since then, both Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plans (MSHCPs) have been approved and are in full implementation. The impacts of GPA No. 960 within the respective coverage areas for the two MSHCPs are discussed below. Analysis is also provided for biological impacts and species that are not covered by the MSHCPs. In 2000, a description of the existing biological setting of Riverside County was prepared as part of the RCIP process. The resultant portion of the 2000 Existing Setting Report, Chapter 4.2, is used as the baseline for descriptions of the biological resources within Riverside County, with the acres of natural community types updated per new data sources as cited. Information from the RCIP effort (which led to the adoption of the 2003 RCIP General Plan) and new vegetation coverage data derived from the Western Riverside County MSHCP (WRC-MSHCP), Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CV-MSHCP), are used in the assessment of impacts. Although no new field studies were conducted for this biological resources analysis, species tables were updated using information from the WRC-MSHCP, CV-MSHCP, California Natural Diversity Data Base (NDDB), California Native Plant Society (CNPS) data base and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Critical Habitat Portal. The following is a summary of the existing biological resources within Riverside County. Additional details are available in Chapter 4.2 of the 2000 Existing Setting Report. 4.8.2 Existing Environmental Setting – Biological Resources Biological impacts for western Riverside County, roughly defined by the area west of the San Jacinto Mountains ridgeline, are addressed by the WRC-MSHCP. For the purposes of this section, western Riverside County is defined as synonymous with the WRC-MSHCP coverage area, as shown in Figure 4.8.1 (MSHCP Coverage Areas & Non-MSHCP Areas within Riverside County). Biological issues for the Coachella Valley, roughly defined as the central portion of Riverside County east of the San Jacinto Mountains ridgeline and west of Joshua Tree National Monument and the Little San Bernardino Mountains, are addressed by the CV-MSHCP. Similarly, the Coachella Valley is defined as synonymous with the CV-MSHCP coverage area, also as shown in Figure 4.8.1, for the County of Riverside Environmental Impact Report No. 521 Public Review Draft § February 2015 4.8-1 purposes of this section. The portions of Riverside County not covered by the WRC-MSHCP or CV-MSHCP are also shown in Figure 4.8.1. Collectively, these three types of areas are defined as the biological study area for the purposes of this EIR. In the following environmental setting discussion, the natural communities, species and existing conservation areas are addressed separately by region. More specifically, the regions are referred to as western Riverside County, Coachella Valley and the non-MSHCP areas. A. Natural Communities Riverside County is made up of a mosaic of diverse natural communities. The natural communities contained within each biological study area are more fully described below. Sensitive habitats that are subsets of these communities are described in greater detail separately in Section 4.8.2.B. 1. Western Riverside County As discussed previously and for the purposes of this section, western Riverside County is defined as the region covered by the WRC-MSHCP. This portion of Riverside County encompasses approximately 1.26 million acres and contains most of Riverside County’s non-desert areas and most of its urbanized areas. Although it comprises just under one-third of the county area, it accounts for approximately two-thirds of the developed area and approximately 80% of the countywide population. Approximately 920,730 acres are under Riverside County’s jurisdiction. The rest are under the jurisdiction of cities, the state or the federal government (i.e., National Forest, BLM lands), Indian Tribes and other such entities. Prior to modern urban development, most of western Riverside County was covered by chaparral and coastal sage scrub, with coniferous and oak woodlands at higher elevations. Elevations within western Riverside County range from about 755 feet above mean sea level along the Santa Ana River in the northwestern corner of Riverside County to about 10,800 feet at Mount San Jacinto, the highest point in Riverside County. This variation in topography, soil and climate creates habitats for a wide variety of animals and plants, including many that are rare or endemic to Southern California. Figure 4.8.2 (Western Riverside County Natural Communities) presents the natural communities, also referred to as vegetation communities, found in western Riverside County. The natural communities shown represent the collapsed, or combined, classifications used in the WRC-MSHCP which are based on Holland’s Preliminary Descriptions of the Terrestrial Natural Communities of California (1986). The total amount of each community found in western Riverside County is also provided. The collapsed and uncollapsed classifications are listed in Table 4.8-A (Western Riverside County Natural Communities). A brief description of each natural vegetation community (as delineated in the WRC-MSHCP) in western Riverside County is provided below. Agriculture: Agricultural lands include areas occupied by dairies and livestock feed yards or areas that have been tilled for use as croplands or groves/orchards. The largest areas of dairy and livestock feed yards are located north of San Jacinto and north of Juniper Flats. Chaparral Communities: Chaparral communities are the most abundant and widespread vegetation type in the western Riverside County unincorporated area. Large contiguous stands of chaparral occur along the Santa Ana Mountains in the western portion of western Riverside County and along the San Bernardino, San Jacinto and Agua Tibia Mountains in the eastern and southern portions of western Riverside County. Although chaparral is less common than other vegetation types in the central lowlands of Riverside County, three large chaparral- dominated areas occur on steeper lands near the Gavilan Hills/Gavilan Plateau/Meadowbrook region, the Lakeview Mountains/Double Butte area and the Sedco Hills/Hogbacks area. County of Riverside Environmental Impact Report No. 521 4.8-2 Public Review Draft § February 2015 LOS ANGELES COUNTY SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY Ä62 Ä60 177 Ä60 Ä Ä Ä62 Ä71 ¦¨§10 Ä91 WESTERN215 ¨¦§ Ä111 RIVERSIDE COUNTY Ä79 Ä MSHCP AREA Ä243 ¤£95 ¦¨§15 Ä74 Ä74 Ä243 ¦¨§10 ORANGE Ä74 215 COUNTY COACHELLA ¨¦§ Ä79 86S Ä VALLEY Ä74 MSHCP AREA Ä371 Ä111 Ä86S Ä79 SALTON SEA Ä78 Ä86 LA PAZ COUNTY, AZ SAN DIEGO COUNTY IMPERIAL PACIFIC COUNTY OCEAN Data Source: Riverside County (2011) Non-MSHCP Areas Highways Coachella Valley MSHCP Area Area Plan Boundary Western Riverside MSHCP Area City Boundary Waterbodies Figure 4.8.1 Disclaimer: Maps and data are to be used for reference purposes only. Map features are MSHCP COVERAGE AREAS December 16, 2013 approximate, and are not necessarily accurate to surveying or engineering standards. The County of Riverside makes no warranty or guarantee as to the content (the source is often third [ party), accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided, and assumes no AND NON-MSHCP AREAS legal responsibility for the information contained on this map. Any use of this product with Miles respect to accuracy and precision shall be the sole responsibility of the user. WITHIN RIVERSIDE COUNTY 0 10 20 Path: \\agency\tlmagis\Projects\Planning\CindysPurpleMapGallery\Fig4.8.1-MSHCP.mxd This page intentionally left blank County of Riverside Environmental Impact Report No. 521 4.8-4 Public Review Draft § February 2015 Ä60 CITY OF Ä JURUPA SAN CITY OF VALLEY CALIMESA BERNARDINO LOS ANGELES COUNTY COUNTY §215 ¦¨ CITY OF DESERT HOT CITY OF SPRINGS CITY OF RIVERSIDE CITY OF Ä60 BANNING NORCO Ä62 Ä91 CITY OF MORENO ¦¨§10 VALLEY Ä111 CITY OF CITY OF CORONA Ä79 BEAUMONT CITY OF 215 CATHEDRAL ¦¨§ CITY CITY 243 OF SAN ÄÄ JACINTO CITY OF PALM SPRINGS CITY OF CITY PERRIS CITY OF OF PALM 10 DESERT ¦¨§ RANCHO 15 MIRAGE ¦¨§ CITY OF Ä74 HEMET Ä74 CITY OF INDIO CITY OF INDIAN ORANGE WELLS CITY OF COUNTY MENIFEE CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE CITY OF LA QUINTA CITY OF WILDOMAR CITY OF MURRIETA Ä74 PACIFIC Ä371 OCEAN CITY OF TEMECULA Ä79 SAN DIEGO COUNTY Data Source: California Native Plant Species Survey (2005) Agricultural Land Grassland Highways Barren Meadows, Marshes, Playas, and Vernal Pools Area Plan Boundary Chaparral Montane Coniferous Forest Waterbodies Cismontane Alkali Marsh Riparian Scrub, Woodland, Forest Coastal Sage Scrub Riversidean Alluvial Fan Sage Scrub Desert Scrub Water Developed/Disturbed Land Woodland and Forests Figure 4.8.2 Disclaimer: Maps and data are to be used for reference purposes only. Map features are December 16, 2013 approximate, and are not necessarily accurate to surveying or engineering standards. The County of Riverside makes no warranty or guarantee as to the content (the source is often third WESTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY [ party), accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided, and assumes no legal responsibility for the information contained on this map. Any use of this product with Miles respect to accuracy and precision shall be the sole responsibility of the user. NATURAL COMMUNITIES 0 5 10 \\agency\tlmagis\Projects\Planning\SafetyElement\Subsidance.mxd This page intentionally left blank County of Riverside Environmental Impact Report No.