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favors for rodent habitat will be dramatically increased through D36 <br /> the development of this project. <br /> Page 24, last paragraph: The implication is that the I <br /> enlarged lakes will , be "steep-sided. Except in limited <br /> circumstances, this will not be true in accordance with the D37 <br /> Management Plan. <br /> Page 28, "'Impact of 4. 13-30. The author does not <br /> understand the Management .Plan. Again, in part this results from S8 <br /> an erroneous baseline condition assumption which is addressed <br /> below. <br /> Page 28, 5th paragraph: The two islands to be created <br /> for nesting purposes are currently peninsulas which extend into <br /> the usually dry South Tracy Lake area. The islands will be <br /> created by increasing the water level in South Tracy Lake and D39 <br /> making cuts at the north end of the peninsulas, thereby <br /> surrounding the existing land masses w}th lake. This will not <br /> reduce "the available aquatic feeding .Area for the vast majority <br /> of wintering water fowl, ^' nor will it reduce "the usable portions <br /> of the lake. . . ff <br /> 2. Erroneous Baseline Assumptions. This study <br /> implicitly assumes that in the absence of the proposed <br /> Buckeye Ranch development the property would exist in a "natural" <br /> state. This is an unwarranted assumption based upon the history <br /> of the property as well as its most- likely future condition in the <br /> absence of the proposed development. <br /> Under the previous ownership, in those years when the <br /> Tracy Lakes collected water, the water was systematically drained <br /> into the Mokelumne River in order to accommodate the farming of <br /> cereal grains and forage crops in the lake beds. This was true <br /> except in the most unusually wet years such as 1983 . Under D40 <br /> present ownership this practice has been discontinued, but it <br /> should be noted that only during the past year has a significant <br /> amount of water occupied the Tracy Lakes. The current owners <br /> temporarily abandoned the farming of the lake bottoms to <br /> accommodate the biological investigation. In the event that the <br /> proposed development is not forthcoming, it is probable, if not <br /> certain, that the lake bottom farming will be reinstituted. <br /> vi-71 <br /> 170'd 29TE89b Oi NOSi2SgOb WOdd D7:TT 266T-TO-E13--1 <br />