Appendix G Biological Resources Technical Report APPENDIX G Biological Resources Technical Report Mesa Wind Project Repower Prepared for: PMB 422 6703 Oak Creek Rd. Mojave, CA 93501 Prepared by: 5020 Chesebro Road, Suite 200 Agoura Hills, CA 91301 February 2020 Biological Resources Technical Report Mesa Wind Project Repower Contents 1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Project Description .................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Project Location ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 2 2.0 Methods ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 2.2 Field Surveys ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 2.2.1 Reconnaissance Wildlife and Botanical Surveys (2013) .......................................................................... 4 2.2.2 Focused Desert Tortoise and Botanical Surveys (2019) .......................................................................... 4 2.2.3 Vegetation .................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.4 Avian Surveys ............................................................................................................................................................................. 6 2.2.5 Bat Activity Surveys ............................................................................................................................................................... 7 3.0 Results ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 3.1 Special-status Plants .............................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Listed Threatened or Endangered Plants ............................................................................................................................. 18 BLM Sensitive Plants ............................................................................................................................................................................. 18 Other Special-Status Plants ............................................................................................................................................................. 19 3.2 Special-status Wildlife .......................................................................................................................................................................... 19 Listed Threatened or Endangered Wildlife ......................................................................................................................... 19 Species Protected Under the Federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act ........................................ 22 BLM Sensitive Wildlife Species ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 Other Special-Status Wildlife Species...................................................................................................................................... 24 3.3 Native Birds: Migratory Bird Treaty Act / California Fish and Game Code ................................................ 25 Bird Migration in the San Gorgonio Pass .............................................................................................................................. 26 3.4 Vegetation and Habitat ....................................................................................................................................................................... 26 4.0 References .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 27 Tables Table 1. Biological Surveys Conducted for the Mesa Wind Repower Project 2013-2019 ........................................... 3 Table 2. 2019 Focused Survey Dates and Team ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Table 3. Special Status Species Not Addressed* ........................................................................................................................................... 8 Table 4. Special-status Species of the Cabazon/Whitewater Area .............................................................................................. 10 Table 5. Desert Tortoise Observations (2019) .............................................................................................................................................. 18 September 2019 i Biological Resources Technical Report Mesa Wind Project Repower Attachments Attachment 1 Figures Figure 1. Project Location and Layout Figure 2. Existing Conditions and Reported Species Locations Figure 3. Land Use Designations Figure 4. Field Survey Coverage and Results Figure 5. Golden Eagle Nest Survey Results Figure 6. Anabat Locations Figure 7. Vegetation and Land Cover Attachment 2 Photo Exhibit Attachment 3 California Natural Diversity Database Results Attachment 4 Species List Attachment 5 California Natural Diversity Database Completed Forms Attachment 6 Inventory of potential desert tortoise burrows at existing foundations Attachment 7. Field Team Resumes September 2019 ii Biological Resources Technical Report Mesa Wind Project Repower APPENDIX G Draft Biological Resources Technical Report: Mesa Wind Energy Project Aspen Environmental Group September 2019 1.0 Introduction This report presents the methods and results of focused surveys for desert tortoise and special-status plants in 2019, as well as biological surveys conducted between 2012 and 2017, at the proposed Mesa Wind Energy Project site, located on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in unincorporated Riverside County, California (Figure 1). This report provides baseline information on biological resources to support the BLM’s environmental review of the proposed project. 1.1 Project Description Mesa Wind Power Corporation (Mesa Corp), a subsidiary of Brookfield Renewable Energy (Brookfield), proposes to repower the existing Mesa Wind Project by replacing and upgrading wind energy generation equipment and facilities. The proposed project is summarized here and described in detail in the project Plan of Development. The existing Mesa Wind project has a disturbance area of about 40 acres (including access roads, pad sites for wind turbine generators (WTGs), and operations and maintenance (O&M) facilities. The repowering of Mesa Wind would remove the approximately 460 legacy turbines (129 that are still in operation) and install up to 11 new WTGs with a total power production of 30 megawatts (MW). The new WTGs would be entirely within the existing BLM right of way (ROW). Maximum rotor height of the proposed new WTGs would be 150 meters (492 feet). Figure 1 shows the ROW, proposed disturbance areas, and WTG locations. Figure 2 shows existing legacy turbine locations. The construction required to repower Mesa Wind would temporarily disturb 107 acres for the entire project (WTG work areas, laydown area, and temporary access roads) and permanently disturb 30 acres for the entire project (including new WTG foundations and slightly wider existing on-site roads). About 18 acres of the planned disturbance area are currently disturbed by the existing wind project, such as access roads and work areas. The O&M building would remain in the same location. The substation would remain in the same location but would require upgrades and potentially an expanded fenceline. Currently, 30 acres (almost 90,000 feet of roadway) are located on site. Approximately 15.4 acres (28,000 feet of existing roadway) would be improved by widening the roadway through grading to accommodate wide loads that would transport new WTGs; and 0.4 acres (790 feet) would be constructed to access new WTG pads. During the repower approximately 20 acres (62,000 feet) of roadway would be removed and reclaimed by scarifying the land and planting native seeds during the appropriate season. Because the roads would be used over a five year period to remove the legacy turbine foundations, major grading or moving of rocks would not occur until after that period. September 2019