U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Recovery Plan for the Santa Rosa Plain Blennosperma bakeri (Sonoma sunshine) Lasthenia burkei (Burke’s goldfields) Limnanthes vinculans (Sebastopol meadowfoam) California tiger salamander Sonoma County Distinct Population Segment (Ambystoma californiense) Lasthenia burkei Blennosperma bakeri Limnanthes vinculans Jo-Ann Ordano J. E. (Jed) and Bonnie McClellan Jo-Ann Ordano © 2004 California Academy of Sciences © 1999 California Academy of Sciences © 2005 California Academy of Sciences Sonoma County California Tiger Salamander Gerald Corsi and Buff Corsi © 1999 California Academy of Sciences Disclaimer Recovery plans delineate reasonable actions that are believed to be required to recover and/or protect listed species. We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, publish recovery plans, sometimes preparing them with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, state agencies, Tribal agencies, and other affected and interested parties. Objectives will be attained and any necessary funds made available subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, as well as the need to address other priorities. Costs indicated for action implementation and time of recovery are estimates and subject to change. Recovery plans do not obligate other parties to undertake specific actions, and may not represent the views or the official positions of any individuals or agencies involved in recovery plan formulation, other than the Service. Recovery plans represent our official position only after they have been signed by the Director or Regional Director as approved. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new findings, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery actions. LITERATURE CITATION SHOULD READ AS FOLLOWS: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2016. Recovery Plan for the Santa Rosa Plain: Blennosperma bakeri (Sonoma sunshine); Lasthenia burkei (Burke’s goldfields); Limnanthes vinculans (Sebastopol meadowfoam); California Tiger Salamander Sonoma County Distinct Population Segment (Ambystoma californiense). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Sacramento, California. vi + 128 pp. An electronic copy of this recovery plan is available at: http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/profile/speciesProfile.action?spcode=D01T i Acknowledgements The recovery planning process has benefitted from the advice and assistance of many individuals, agencies, and organizations. We wish to sincerely thank and gratefully acknowledge the recommendations and assistance from the following individuals: Hattie Brown, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation Stephanie Buss, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Dave Cook, Sonoma County Water Agency Gene Cooley, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Steven Detwiler, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lisa Ellis, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Michael Fawcett, Fawcett Environmental Services Kandis Gilmore, M.S. Student, Sonoma State University Sarah Gordon, Gordon Ecological Cay Goude, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Colin Grant, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Vince Griego, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Michelle (Jensen) Halbur, Pepperwood Preserve Ann Howald, Garcia and Associates Josh Hull, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Rick Kuyper, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Valerie Layne, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tracy Love, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Stacy Martinelli, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Geoff Monk, Monk Associates Ray Moranz, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Maureen Ryan, University of Washington Chris Searcy, University of California, Davis Brad Shaffer, University of California, Los Angeles Christina Sloop, San Francisco Bay Joint Venture Larry Stromberg, Wetlands Consultant Luisa Studen, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Steve Talley, Restoration Consultant Pete Trenham, Western Washington University John Vollmar, Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting Betty Warne, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Scott Wilson, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Ted Winfield, Winfield and Associates ii Executive Summary CURRENT SPECIES STATUS We listed Blennosperma bakeri (Sonoma sunshine), Lasthenia burkei (Burke’s goldfields), and Limnanthes vinculans (Sebastopol meadowfoam) as endangered in 1991 (Service 1991). Critical habitat was not designated for these plant species. The State of California also listed these species as endangered (L. burkei and L. vinculans in 1979 and B. bakeri in 1992) (CDFW 2014). We listed the Sonoma County California tiger salamander, which we identified as a distinct population segment (DPS), as endangered in 2003 (Service 2003). In 2011, we published a final rule designating critical habitat for the Sonoma County California tiger salamander (Service 2011). The State of California listed the California tiger salamander as threatened state-wide in 2009 (CDFG 2010). The Central California tiger salamander and the Santa Barbara California tiger salamander are federally listed; however, they are considered distinct entities (as DPSs), and are not addressed in this plan. HABITAT REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITING FACTORS These species occur predominantly on the Santa Rosa Plain, which is located in central Sonoma County, California, and is characterized by seasonal wetlands, predominately in the form vernal pools, and associated upland grassland habitat. Vernal pools form in depressions having a shallow, impermeable soil layer that restricts the downward movement of water. The pools have an outlet barrier that further causes ponding (CH2M Hill 1995) and may be connected and fed by shallow drainage pathways called “swales.” Vernal pools generally fill during winter rains and dry in late spring or summer. “Natural” vernal pools are those that are found occurring naturally in the landscape. “Created” vernal pools are those that have been constructed in an area that was not a vernal pool in the recent past (within the last 100 to 200 years) and that is isolated from existing vernal pools (Gwin et al. 1999 and Lewis 1989)1. The listed plants grow only in seasonal wetlands. The Sonoma County California tiger salamander uses seasonal wetlands during the breeding season, and the surrounding uplands year-round. The threats to Blennosperma burkei, Lasthenia bakeri, and Limnanthes vinculans, and the Sonoma County California tiger salamander that led to their listing as endangered are many-fold. These are discussed in Section II in detail, but the primary threats are the modification and destruction of suitable habitat due to urbanization, agricultural conversion, and competition with non-native plants. In addition to habitat loss, the fragmented condition of remaining Sonoma County California tiger salamander habitat restricts migration between aquatic breeding sites and upland non-breeding habitat, along with dispersal among aquatic breeding sites (Cook et al. 2005). Since 1991, these threats have continued to such an extent that many populations of the 1 Vernal pool creation is considered an experimental science because the extent to which entire vernal pool plant and invertebrate communities can be successfully recreated is still unknown (M. Showers, CDFW, in litt, 2005). iii listed plants and salamander appear to have been extirpated or severely reduced in numbers. RECOVERY PRIORITY Recovery priority numbers for listed species addressed in this recovery plan are determined per criteria published in the Federal Register (Service 1983) and are based on degree of threat, degree of conflict with construction or other development projects or other economic activity, recovery potential, and taxonomy. The recovery priority number for Blennosperma bakeri is 5C, meaning it is a full species exposed to a high degree of threat and conflict, with a low potential for recovery. Lasthenia burkei and Limnanthes vinculans are ranked 2C, meaning they are full species, are exposed to a high degree of threat and conflict, and have a high potential for recovery. The Sonoma County California tiger salamander is ranked as a 3C, indicating that this DPS faces a high degree of threat and conflict, and has a high potential for recovery. RECOVERY STRATEGY, GOAL, OBJECTIVES, CRITERIA AND ACTIONS NEEDED The species covered by this recovery plan, Blennosperma bakeri, Lasthenia burkei, Limnanthes vinculans, and the Sonoma County California tiger salamander, have naturally limited geographic ranges, and are further constrained by inhabiting naturally rare habitat within that geographic range. Because the main cause of the decline and the main current threat to all species is the loss and degradation of habitat, our recovery strategy focuses upon this threat. We will achieve recovery of these species by preserving high-quality habitat that provides essential connectivity, reduces fragmentation, and sufficiently buffers against encroaching development. Management of these preserved areas will provide additional protection to the habitat, and address non-habitat related threats. Surveys and habitat assessments (where data are lacking) will be conducted, as will essential research that refines our knowledge on the recovery needs of the species. Additionally, habitat restoration (and potentially reintroductions) is necessary to provide additional populations to protect unique genetic diversity. ESTIMATED DATE AND COST OF RECOVERY: Date: 2065 Cost: The estimated costs for each species are: Blennosperma bakeri: $83,461,000; Lasthenia burkei: $102,630,000; Limnanthes vinculans: $99,758,000; Sonoma County California tiger salamander: