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7 r C 0 0 G r • Animals listed as sensitive by the local U.S. Forest Service region (Forest Service Manual 2670) or U.S. Bureau of Land Management resource area. Special -Status Plant Species Methods Pre -Field Investigation. Before conducting the field visit, a Jones & Stokes Associates botanist compiled a list of special -status plants with potential to occur at the project site (Table 4.2.1). Species were targeted on this list if they were known or suspected to be present in the region and if they were known to occur in the types of plant communities that potentially occur at the project site. Information used to compile the list was derived from NDDB (1993) and Smith and Berg (1988). Habitat requirements of special -status plants were determined based on information in Hickman (1993), Smith and Berg (1988), and Munz and Keck (1973). Two species, caper -fruited tropidocarpum and showy Indian clover, could potentially occur in the plan area based on their regional distribution and habitat association. Both species prefer undisturbed sites with mesic (moist), highly alkaline soils. Field Survey. A field survey for special -status plants was conducted by a Jones & Stokes Associates botanist on August 20, 1993. The survey was conducted on meandering transects throughout the project area to locate and identify all vascular plant species in the area. Each species encountered was identified to the extent necessary to determine its legal status or qualification as a special -status species. The floristic survey methods used ensured that no special -status plants were overlooked because they were not expected to occur in the region. Results No special -status plants were observed during the field survey, One occurrence of caper -fruited tropidocarpum was documented approximately 5 miles north of the project site but has not been seen since 1937 and is believed to be extirpated due to urban development (Natural Diversity Data Base 1993). Although the field survey was not conducted during the appropriate survey periods for the two target special -status species, results of the survey indicate that suitable habitat does not exist for either of these species on the project site because of the highly disturbed nature of the grasslands and lack of alkali and mesic sites. Special -Status Wildlife Species Methods Pre -Field Investigation. Before visiting the site, Jones & Stokes Associates reviewed the NDDB (1993) records for the area and contacted agencies to determine if any special -status wildlife species were known to occur at the project site. Potentially suitable habitat for 10 special -status wildlife species was identified within the project site. A brief description of their legal status, distribution, and habitat association is provided in Table 4.2.2. USFWS and DFG identified 10 additional special -status wildlife species that could have potential to occur at the proposed project site (White and Broddrick pers. comms.): the valley elderberry longhorn beetle, Aleutian Canada goose, giant garter snake, California tiger salamander, western spadefoot toad, foothill yellow -legged frog, western pond turtle, riparian brush rabbit, San Joaquin Valley woodrat, and Pacific western big -eared bat. Jones & Stokes Associates concluded that no suitable habitat exists at the project site for any of these species. IER -93-1 -36- (9-27-93)