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4. Biological Resources Project activities likely to create an impact: • Removal of top 18 to 24 inches of burned material, ash and visibly affected soil within gravel pit area • Removal of localized areas of deeper soil containing elevated concentrations of metals or pyrolytic oil. • Habitat restoration. The approximate 50-acre project area is generally surrounded by mining and agricultural activity and is currently highly used by wildlife species. The cleanup of the project area will add ecological productivity and increase habitat function and value. INDIRECT • Increased human presence. Increased human presence may preclude wildlife species from foraging during project activity hours.This impact is expected to be temporary and exist in a radius of several hundred feet around current activity. • Excavation and transportation of materials off-site. Approximately 2,000 truckloads of debris will be removed from the project site. Movement of heavy equipment and trucks will preclude wildlife species from foraging during project activity hours in the work vicinity. This impact is expected to be temporary and exist in a radius of several hundred feet around current activity. • Seasonal impacts. The project work is expected to occur in the mid-summer through early fall. This may cause disturbance during breeding season for animal species utilizing the area. To minimize potential impacts, protection measures discussed below will be followed. DIRECT • Access to piles. Improving existing roads and creating access to burn areas and other debris at the Site has the potential to destroy mammal burrows and nests of ground- nesting birds. To minimize impacts, areas of special concern (i.e. occupied kit fox/burrowing owl burrows, occupied bird nests)will be demarcated, if found, and completely avoided. Description of Environmental Setting: The topography of the Site consists of a former gravel pit that is generally below natural grade of the surrounding area due to the previous mining operations; however, the Site includes varied terrain and valuable habitat.Aside from the burn areas, which contain no habitat value, the Site contains annual grassland including ruderal and native species. A few stands of small non-native trees (tree tobacco; Nicotiana glauca)exist in the lower elevation areas of the Site. Dominant native herbaceous plants observed were gumweed (Grindelia sp.)and lupine (Lupine sp.). Suitable friable soil exists for small mammals to burrow; current excavation activity is apparent and small to medium burrows are common in the slopes of the project site. The steep sidewalls 13