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DEER LEVINE•FRICKE August 8, 2003 003-09025-05 California Department of Fish and Game Attention: Mr. Dan Gifford 1701 Nimbus Road Rancho Cordova, California 95670 Subject: Pre-construction Burrowing Owl Survey, Tracy Tire Fire Site, San Joaquin County, California Dear Mr. Gifford: LFR Levine-Fricke (LFR) has prepared this letter report on behalf of the California Integrated Waste Management Board, which provides the results of a protocol-level pre-construction survey("the survey") for determining the presence or absence of western burrowing owl (Achene cunicularia ssp. hypugaea; burrowing owl) at the Tracy Tire Fire Site ("the Site"; APN #253-120-26). The Site is located at 29425 South MacArthur Drive, approximately 3 miles south of Tracy in San Joaquin County, California. The geographic coordinates for the Site are 37° 41' 12" north latitude and 121° 25' 21" west longitude (Section 9, Township 3 south, Range 5 east of the Mount Diablo Base Meridian). The approximately 50-acre Site consists of an abandoned gravel pit. The Site was used to store automobile tires in large piles until a grass fire ignited the tire piles during August 1998. The survey was performed July 29 through August 1, 2003. Remediation of the remaining tire burn areas is scheduled to begin during September 2003. The purpose of the survey was threefold: to determine the presence or absence of burrowing owls at the Site, to evaluate the breeding status of any owls located at the Site, and to map the location of active burrows,water sources, and foraging areas used by the owls. The burrowing owl is a California and Federal "species of special concern."A petition to list the burrowing owl under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) is currently being reviewed by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG). State law under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a"finding of significance" if substantial adverse impacts to biologically threatened or endangered species are likely to occur during a project. Habitat Description Tracy, California is centrally located in the San Joaquin Valley approximately 60 miles east of San Francisco and 60 miles southwest of Sacramento near the intersection of Interstate 205 (I-205) and I- 5 (Figure 1). The climate is semi-arid with warm, dry summers and mild winters. 1900 Powell Street, 12th Floor, Emeryville, California 94608-1827 • (510) 652-4500 • fax (510) 652-2246 • www.ifr.com Offices Worldwide