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A Hospital Creek flood plain enhancement planshouldbe prepared by a qualified biologist. It should address such areas as revegetation of the upper creek bank area with both native trees and shrubs appropriate for a San Joaquin valley arroyo habitat and the reconstruction of the creek channel on the western edge r of the project site where it was filled during the 1950s mining. activities. Once the enhancement plan has been accepted by state and federal agencies and before any mining operation begins in this area, the borders of the protective zone should be surveyed and a heavy duty stock fence then installed along the entire southern border, of this zone. If cattle grazing on the remainder of this site. is to continue for some time yet, a watering trough should be: 4 installed somewhere on the southeastern segment of this parcel. l The southern border of the creek buffer zone east of I-580 should also be fenced as a reminder to quarry personnel that this is a protected area and thus off limits to parking, equipment storage, etc. Quarry management should be encouraged to discontinue the husbandry of dogs on the present or future quarry sites as they are a major deterrent to wildlife movement through the creek: corridor y Trucks should not be used to continuously transport gravel from the new mining sites out passed the creek enhancement zone to the terminus of Bird Road. Instead, a conveyer system, similar to that currently employed by RMC Lonestar at their Bonny Doon quarry site in the Santa Cruz Mountains, should be installed to carry mined gravel along one edge of the I-580 underpass to the . present quarry processing site. Such a system would not generate the dust and visual disturbance of a truck transport system, and the muffled clicking of the conveyer belt gears would be barely E audible above the constant drone of the I-580 traffic. To insure that wildlife which forage within and pass through the enhanced Hospital Creek corridor are not "hemmed in" by a large area mining operation next door, quarrying at this site should also be conducted in phases at prescribed for the orchard area. While the eastern half of. the old quarry area is mined, the western half should remain as open space, preferably with cattle exclusion. When the second phase mining begins of this latter =-: site , restoration contouring and native grass/forb planting ! : should begin in the eastern segment so that the south side of the creek enhancement corridor will continue to adjoin some open space grassland. The recovery of the newly protected and enhanced Hospital Creek corridor system should be monitored annually for a five year period by a qualified biologist to determine the success of the enhancement tree and shrub plantings and to estimate the current x - use by wildlife species. Yearly progress reports submitted to the regional CDFG and USFWS offices, and a comprehensive final report cog verin the entire extent and success of the enhancement operation should be prepared and submitted at the end of the five year period. Successful implementation of both mitigation k measures A and B wi.11er duce Potential impacts A and B to an insignificant leve . 17