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<br /> Draft Environmental Impact Report $
<br /> Forward Inc. Landfill Expansion Project
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<br /> This vegetation type is not classified by Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf(1995); it is classified as an
<br /> upland following Cowardin, et aI. (1979).
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<br /> Agricultural fields provide nesting and/or foraging habitat for a wide variety of wildlife species
<br /> in the San Joaquin Valley. Special status bird species that utilize agricultural fields include '
<br /> SwainsoWs hawk(Buteo swainsoni) , white-tailed kite (Elanus leucurus), burrowing owl(Achene
<br /> cunicularia), ferruginous hawk(Buteo regalis), northern harrier (Circus cyaneus), prairie falcon
<br /> ! reat blue heron Ardea herodias), great
<br /> (Falco mexicanus), loggerhead shrike(Lanius ludovicianus),.g
<br /> egret(Ardea albus), snowy egret (Egretta thula), and tri-colored blackbird(Agelaius tricolor),
<br /> k among others.
<br /> t A variety of common bird species such as savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), house
<br /> finch (Carpodacus mexicanus), American goldfinch(Carduelis tristis), lesser goldfinch (Carduelis
<br /> psaltria), American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), common raven(Corvus corax), scrub jay
<br /> (Aphelocoma californica), Brewer's blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus),red-winged blackbird
<br /> (Agelaius phoeniceus), mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) and others, also utilize agricultural
<br /> fields for foraging, and sometimes breeding if there is sufficient undisturbed vegetation within
<br />+ = or adjacent to the agricultural fields.
<br /> j In combination with adjacent edge habitats including wetlands, valley oak woodlands, or
<br />!� riparian forests,agricultural fields can provide important foraging habitat.for a wide variety of
<br /> protected and common wildlife species. Agriculture fields used for hay or rice production and
<br /> certain row crops such as alfalfa and tomatoes provide better habitat for wildlife than crops that
<br /> require frequent mechanical disturbance which destroys potential nesting,breeding and/or
<br /> denning habitat for wildlife.
<br /> Nonnative Annual Grassland. Nonnative annual grassland is generally found in open areas in
<br /> valleys and foothills throughout coastal and interior California (Holland 1986). It typically
<br /> occurs on soils consisting of fine-textured loams or clays that are somewhat poorly drained.
<br /> This vegetation type is dominated by nonnative annual grasses and weedy annual and
<br /> perennial forbs, primarily of Mediterranean origin, that have replaced native perennial
<br /> grasslands, scrub and woodland as a result of human disturbance. Scattered native wildflowers
<br /> and grasses, representing remnants of the original vegetation may also be common.
<br /> Within the study area, nonnative annual grassland is present along the levee road and around
<br /> the sedimentation basin and leachate pond, intergrading with ruderal habitat and cultivated
<br /> fields. Characteristic nonnative annual grasses commonly found on site include wild oats, rigut
<br /> brome, foxtail barley, Italian ryegrass, and Bermuda grass(Cynodon dactylon). Common
<br /> nonnative fortis include yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis), field bindweed (Convovulus
<br /> arvensis),bur-clover (Medicago polymorpha),black mustard (Brassica nigra), long-beaked storksbill
<br /> (Erodium botrys),broadleaf bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), alkali mallow(Malvella leprosa),
<br /> and English plantain(Plantago Ianceolata), among others.
<br /> F' Nonnative annual grassland conforms to the California Annual Grassland series as described in
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<br /> Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf(1995), and would be classified as an upland, following Cowardin,et
<br /> al. (1979).
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<br /> Nonnative annual grassland provides habitat for a wide variety of wildlife species in the
<br /> Central Valley. Nonnative annual grasslands on site are limited to small roadside areas and
<br /> edges of agricultural fields. Due to the intensive agricultural land use on surrounding parcels
<br /> F and in the region, the value of these nonnative grasslands in supporting special status wildlife is
<br /> limited.
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