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5.ENVIRONMENTAL CHECKLIST MOUNTAIN HOUSE NEIGHBORHOODs K AND L INITIAL STUDY 4.BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES Trees and Shrubs There area number of trees in a patchy distribution along the bank of Old River, including larger willows, alders,and a few coast live oak(Quercus agrifolia)and valley oak(Q. lobate). The only trees in the non-riparian areas on the site consist of two large, multitrunk willows in the northeastern corner of Neighborhood L, with trunk diameters of several feet. No blue elderberry shrubs, known to support the federally listed threatened Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle in the Central Valley,were observed within the project site. Notable Vegetation Communities The CNDDB (CDFG,2011)contains records and classifications of sensitive, unique, or biologically important vegetation communities. Unique vegetation communities listed within the CNDDB in this portion of San Joaquin County include Great Valley Valley Oak Riparian Forest,Valley Sink Scrub,and Alkali Meadow as described in the Preliminary Descriptions of Terrestrial Natural Communities of California(Holland, 1986). These communities are entirely associated with aquatic and wetland habitat types that are not present within the project site. The riparian habitats associated with Old River and Mountain House Creek are not mapped as unique vegetation communities in the CNDDB. Wildlife The vegetation communities found within the project area provide limited quality habitat for wildlife species,with the exception of the riparian and aquatic habitats that border the site to the north along Old River and Mountain House Creek. A variety of raptors forage on small rodents in agricultural fields; however, both the diversity and abundance of these small mammals are limited by farming practices and recent fill activities. A number of songbirds and migratory birds also forage on grains and stubble in the fields;this use is seasonal and variable as crops change over time. Wildlife use of ruderal areas adjacent to roads, agricultural fields, and canals is even more limited due to habitat disturbance and activity levels associated with adjacent farming practices. Different bird species have been observed in the project area during field surveys conducted over the past decade. Most of these birds are common species found in agricultural settings of San Joaquin County. Some of the species observed include turkey vultures(Cathartes aura), Swainson's hawks(Buteo swainsom), mourning doves(Zenaida macroura), Brewer's blackbirds(Euphagus cyanocephalus),western kingbirds (Tyrannus verticalis), and California quail (Callipepla californica). A variety of mammals occur within the project area,with the highest diversity using the riparian habitat along Old River. Desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonit), black-tailed hare(Lepus californicus), California ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyl),and signs of coyote(Canis latrans)and raccoon (Procyon lotor) have been observed, and species such as striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and Virginia opossum(Didelphis virginiana) are known from the greater project area. A number of species of small rodents including mice �emiia 5-50