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Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report Page IV.F-3 Forward Inc. Landfill 2014 Expansion Project nonnative fortis include yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis), field bindweed (Convovulus arvensis),bur-clover (Medicago polymorpha),black mustard (Brassica nigra), long-beaked storksbill (Erodium botrys),broadleaf bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), alkali mallow (Malvella leprosa), and English plantain(Plantago lanceolata), among others. At the time of the 2014 site visit, the proposed northeast landfill disposal area was disked and devoid of vegetation;it is expected that this area contains non-native grasses and weedy plant species between disking cycles. It should be noted that large portions of the proposed relocated southeast landfill area (south of the creek) are actively used as a composing facility and are covered with piles and rows of compost material;these areas are devoid of vegetation and in their current condition are not non-native grasslands. Nonnative annual grassland most closely conforms to the Wild Oats Grassland series as described in Sawyer, et al. (2009), and would be classified as upland, following Cowardin,et al. (1979). Nonnative annual grassland provides habitat for a wide variety of common wildlife species in the Central Valley. Nonnative annual grasslands on site are generally limited to small roadside areas and unmaintained edges of the landfill. Due to the intensive agricultural land use on surrounding parcels and in the region, the value of these small and isolated nonnative grasslands in supporting special-status wildlife is limited;the potential occurrence of special- status wildlife species on the project site is discussed later in this section. Common rodents such as California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi) and pocket gophers (Thomomys bottae)may utilize the grassland areas and provide a prey base for hawks, owls and snakes. However, it should be noted that an active rodent control program is implemented on the landfill. Other common species potentially utilizing the grassland areas within the study area include black-tailed hare (Lepus californicus), striped skunk(Mephitis mephitis), gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer), common king snake (Lampropeltis getula),western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), red-tailed hawk(Buteo jamaicensis), American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), Brewer's blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus), mourning dove (Zanaida macroura),house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), American kestrel (Falco sparverius), great-horned owl (Bubo virginianus),turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) and killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), among others. Freshwater Marsh. Freshwater marsh typically occurs in low-lying sites that are permanently flooded with fresh water and lacking significant current. This plant community is found on nutrient-rich mineral soils that are saturated for all or most of the year. Freshwater marsh is most extensive where surface flow is slow or stagnant or where the water table is so close to the surface as to saturate the soil from below. Freshwater marsh is distributed along the coast and in coastal valleys near river mouths and around the margins of lakes, springs, and streams (Holland 1986). This vegetation community characteristically forms a dense vegetative cover dominated by perennial,emergent monocots 1-15 feet high that reproduce by underground rhizomes. Within the study area, freshwater marsh consists of scattered patches of emergent monocots along the upper reaches of the South Branch of the South Fork of Littlejohn's Creek. At the time of the 2012 survey, the side slopes and bottom of the creek channel had been scraped by the Flood Control District,ostensibly to improve drainage;only small patches of emergent freshwater marsh habitat were beginning to sprout at that time.Based on observations made in 2008 and 2014, the dominant emergent monocots were narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) and common tule (Schoenoplectus acutus var. occidentalis);dominant aquatic dicots included J floating water primrose (Ludwigia peploides ssp. peploides) and willow weed (Polygonum lapathifolium). Other characteristic aquatic species included umbrella sedge (Cyperus eragrostis) and eastern cocklebur(Xanthium strumarium). Occasional saplings of arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis)were present in the channel.