ARCHIVED REPORTS_1993_1 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

III. Environmental Setting, Impacts, and Mitigations F. Vegetation and Wildlife Plants The CNDDB contains no records of special status plant species from the project site or its vicinity. The CNPS reports a total of fourteen special status plant species from San Joaquin County. Based on comparison of the known geographic distribution and habitat requirements of individual special status plant species with the location,types, and quality of plant communities present on the proposed project site,five special status plant species have some potential to occur on the project site(the valley oak and four wetland-dependent plant species). Please refer to Table III.F.2 for a list of all fourteen species and the current status,known flowering period, habitat requirements,known distribution, and on-site potential of each species. Site surveys performed by ESA botanists and Richard Arnold,Ph.D., on September 5, 1991 and July 2, 1992 failed to identify the slough thistle,Delta coyote thistle,California hibiscus, Sanford's sagittaria,or trichocoronis within appropriate on-site habitat(i.e.,the North Branch of the South Fork of Little Johns Creek)during their known flowering period.2 Please refer to Appendix E which contains Dr. Arnold's survey report and conclusions. Consequently,these species are presumed absent from the proposed project site. A total of thirty-two valley oaks occur on or immediately adjacent to the proposed project site,as described previously. The valley oak,although not listed by the federal or state government,is currently on List 4(plants of a limited distribution-a watch list)of the CNPS. This listing indicates a plant that is not rare from a statewide perspective,but that is uncommon enough to warrant monitoring. Animals Based on information gathered through literature review,communication with concerned resource agencies, and ESA's field work,a comprehensive list of eighteen special status animal species documented from other parts of the region in which the project area occurs was formulated. Although no records of special status species from within the project area are included in the CNDDB,the inventory reports occurrences of two special status animal species 2 Although the July 1992 survey was performed after the known flowering period of the Sanford's sagittaria,the distinctive vegetative portions of the plant would have still been identifiable,if present (Bittman, 1992). III.F.9