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5.0 IMPACT OVERVIEW considered critical. The loss of foraging habitat on the site also contributes to the cumulative loss in San Joaquin County. As foraging and nesting habitat decreases the species is reduced as well. The loss of foraging habitat would impact other highly mobile avian and mammalian predators, thus reducing the number of individuals in each species' group. Converting much of the original Tracy Lakes habitat from a seasonal wetland to a permanent lake removes a valuable habitat resource for migratory waterfowl in the Central Valley. Although shallow water habitat would be created on a portion of South Tracy Lake, this does not offset this loss. Tracy Lakes is one of the very few remaining seasonal wetland lakes in the Central Valley. Seasonal wetland habitat in the Central Valley has substantially decreased due to development or agricultural activities. Public Services The proposed project places an incremental demand on public services/utilities including police, fire, schools, gas and electric, and solid waste facilities. Existing school facilities serving the project site are overcrowded, and although new facilities are under construction, they are not adequate to accommodate the projected growth in the Galt area. The Sheriff's Department is understaffed and can only provide .67 patrolman per shift on a beat. As development occurs in the County the Sheriff's Department cannot provide an urban level of service. The cumulative demand in San Joaquin County For gas and electricity may require PG&E to build new or expand existing facilities. Energy efficient appliances, lighting, and building features in new construction can help to reduce this demand. Cultural Resources Tt►e cumulative effects of transportation,housing and recreation facility construction at the Tracy Lakes Complex iS extremely significant because this complex represents the last local, surviving sites with environmental integrity. The archaeological remains of San Joaquin Valley have been subject to excessive destruction from looting and from agricultural land alteration. In addition,the degradation of these sites took place before cultural resources management laws were instigated and, therefore, much of the archaeological record has already been lost. Information gained from the Tracy Lakes complex Vo could be instrumental in assisting both historic and recent archaeological research in the California Central Valley and surrounding environs. In the longterm,the effects of developing an area of such high archeological value is to relegate cultural resource sites that once existed in the context of a natural setting to isolated areas amid roads, houses and other elements of a built environment. 1 �5.4 IRREVERSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES The proposed project would convert existing grazing land and major portions of foraging habitat to residential and recreational uses, converting seasonal wetland habitat to a permanent lake environment, and potentially damaging or destroying significant cultural resources. This would be an irreversible environmental change. 5-5 I