APPENDIX E BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT (REVISED) BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT LYTTON RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT SEPTEMBER 2010 Lead Agency: U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs Pacific Region Office 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2820 Sacramento, CA 95825-1846 BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT LYTTON RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT SEPTEMBER 2010 Lead Agency: U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs Pacific Region Office 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2820 Sacramento, CA 95825-1846 Prepared By: Analytical Environmental Services 1801 7th Street, Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95811 (916) 447-3479 www.analyticalcorp.com TABLE OF CONTENTS BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT: LYTTON RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Project Location .................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Project Description ............................................................................................................. 4 1.3 Interrelated and Interdependent Activities .......................................................................... 9 1.4 Purpose and Need ............................................................................................................... 9 1.5 Previous Studies ................................................................................................................ 11 2.0 SUMMARY OF CONSULTATION TO DATE ........................................................................... 11 3.0 REGULATORY SETTING ........................................................................................................... 11 4.0 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................................ 17 4.1 Preliminary Research ........................................................................................................ 17 4.2 Field Surveys and Analysis ............................................................................................... 18 4.3 Federally Listed Species ................................................................................................... 21 4.4 Other Species .................................................................................................................... 23 5.0 CRITICAL HABITAT ................................................................................................................... 26 6.0 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................................... 26 6.1 Environmental Setting ...................................................................................................... 26 6.2 Soils .................................................................................................................................. 27 6.3 Habitat Types .................................................................................................................... 29 6.3.1 Potential Impacts and Recommended Mitigation ............................................................ 38 6.4 Native Trees ...................................................................................................................... 39 6.4.1 Potential Impacts and Recommended Mitigation ............................................................ 39 6.5 Wetlands and Waters of the U.S ....................................................................................... 41 6.5.1 Potential Impacts and Recommended Mitigation ............................................................ 41 6.6 Stream Characterization and Aquatic Species .................................................................. 42 6.6.1 Impacts Discussion (Location 1) ..................................................................................... 49 6.6.2 Impacts Discussion (Location 2) ..................................................................................... 49 6.7 Wildlife and Plant Species Observed Within the Project Site .......................................... 50 6.8 Federally Listed Plant Species .......................................................................................... 51 6.9 Migratory Birds................................................................................................................. 59 6.9.1 Potential Impacts and Recommended Mitigation ............................................................ 60 7.0 INTERRELATED AND INTERDEPENDENT ACTIVITIES ..................................................... 61 8.0 CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ........................................................................................................... 61 9.0 CONCLUSIONS AND DETERMINATION ................................................................................ 62 10.0 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................. 64 Analytical Environmental Services i Lytton Residential Development September 2010 Biological Assessment LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Regional Location ..................................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2 Site and Vicinity ........................................................................................................................ 3 Figure 3 Aerial Parcel Map ...................................................................................................................... 5 Figure 4 Site Plan – Alternative B. .......................................................................................................... 7 Figure 5 Watershed Map ........................................................................................................................ 10 Figure 6 CNDDB 5-Mile Radius Map ................................................................................................... 19 Figure 7 Soils Map ................................................................................................................................. 28 Figure 8 Habitat Map ............................................................................................................................. 30 Figure 9 Site Photographs – Terrestrial Habitat Types .......................................................................... 31 Figure 10 Site Photographs – Aquatic Habitat Types .............................................................................. 35 Figure 11 Wetland Delineation Map ....................................................................................................... 36 Figure 12 Drainage Photographs – Unnamed Drainage Channel (Location 1) ....................................... 44 Figure 13 Drainage Photographs –Unnamed Tributary to Windsor Creek (Location 2) ......................... 45 Figure 14 Drainage Photographs – Offsite Drainage ............................................................................... 46 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Assessor’s Parcel Numbers within the Project Site ...................................................................... 4 Table 2 Summary of Biological Surveys for the Lytton Residential Property ........................................ 20 Table 3 Federal Special-Status Plants With Potential to Occur Within the Project Site ......................... 22 Table 4 Regionally Occurring Non-Federal Species ............................................................................... 23 Table 5 Summary of Habitat Types Within the Project Site ................................................................... 29 Table 6 Estimated Acreages and Percent Impacts to Habitats (All Alternatives) .................................... 38 Table 7 Tree Impact Summary for each Project Alternative ................................................................... 40 Table 8 Summary of Mitigation Ratios for the Federally Listed Plants of the Santa Rosa Plain ............ 55 ATTACHMENTS Attachment A USFWS, CNDDB, and CNPS Scientific Database Queries Attachment B Regionally Occurring Special-Status Species for the Lytton Residential Project Site Attachment C Wildlife Species Observed Within the Project Site Attachment D Plant Species Observed Within the Project Site Attachment E Technical Memorandum: Botanical Surveys Analytical Environmental Services ii Lytton Residential Development September 2010 Biological Assessment Biological Assessment 1.0 INTRODUCTION Analytical Environmental Services (AES) has prepared this Biological Assessment (BA) for the Lytton Residential Development Project (proposed project). This BA has been prepared in support of an application to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to place approximately 124.12 acres of land into federal trust (proposed action) for the Lytton Rancheria of California (Tribe) and the construction of a residential development complex that would include housing units and other associated facilities. This BA has been prepared to facilitate consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and was prepared in accordance with legal requirements set forth under Section 7 of the Federal Endangered Species Act (FESA) (16 USC 1536 (c)) concerning the effects of the proposed project. The purpose of this BA is to review the proposed project in sufficient detail to determine the extent to which the