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Draft Environmental Impact Report Page IV.H-4
<br /> Forward Inc. Landfill Expansion Project
<br /> Special status invertebrates include two vernal pool crustaceans (the vernal pool fairy shrimp
<br /> and Conservancy fairy shrimp) and the Moestan/ Molestan blister beetles. Special status bird
<br /> species that utilize nonnative grassland include Swainson's hawk,white-tailed kite,burrowing
<br /> owl, ferruginous hawk, northern harrier, prairie falcon, loggerhead shrike, golden eagle (Aquila
<br /> chrysaetos), California horned lark(Eremophila alpestris actia), mountain plover (Charadrius
<br /> montanus), long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus), great blue heron, great egret, and snowy
<br /> egret, among others. Special status amphibian and reptile species include western spadefoot
<br /> toad (Scaphiopus hammondi), California tiger salamander(Ambystoma californiense), western pond
<br /> turtle (Clemmys marmorata), San Joaquin whipsnake(Masticophis flagellum ruddocki) and
<br /> California horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum frontale). Mammal species include San Joaquin
<br /> kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica), American badger (Taxidea taxus), Berkeley kangaroo rat
<br /> (Dipodomys heermani berkeleyensis)San Joaquin pocket mouse (Perognathus inornatus inornatus),
<br /> greater western mastiff bat (Eumops perotis californicus), and Pacific western big-eared bat/ pale
<br /> big-eared bat (Plecotus townsendii townsendii aka Corynorhinus townsendii townsendii).
<br /> Most of the special-status species listed above are restricted to grasslands within the southwest
<br /> and southwest transitional zone of San Joaquin County(SJCOG 2000). Many prefer habitats
<br /> that are actively grazed (e.g., western spadefoot toad, San Joaquin kit fox) and others rely on
<br /> specific habitat components adjacent to grasslands to meet their life history needs, such as
<br /> mature trees and cliffs for nesting(e.g., northern harrier, greater western mastiff bat and prairie
<br /> falcon) and ephemeral pools for breeding (e.g., western spadefoot toad and California tiger
<br /> salamander). In combination with adjacent wetlands, valley oak woodlands, or riparian forests,
<br /> grasslands can provide important foraging habitat for a wide variety of protected and common
<br /> wildlife species.
<br /> Rodents such as ground squirrels and pocket gophers may utilize the grassland areas and
<br /> provide a prey base for hawks, owls and snakes. Common species potentially utilizing the
<br /> grassland areas within the study area are Botha's pocket gopher(Thomomys bottae),black-tailed
<br /> hare (Lepus californicus), striped skunk(Mephitis mephitis), gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer),
<br /> common king snake (Lampropeltis getula),western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), red-tailed
<br /> hawk(Buteo jamaicensis), American crow, Brewer's blackbird, savannah sparrow, mourning
<br /> dove,housefinch, American kestrel (Falco sparverius), great-horned owl (Bubo virginianus),
<br /> turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) and killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), among others.
<br /> Freshwater Marsh. Freshwater marsh typically occurs in low-lying sites that are permanently
<br /> flooded with fresh water and lacking significant current. This plant community is found on
<br /> nutrient-rich mineral soils that are saturated for all or most of the year. Freshwater marsh is
<br /> most extensive where surface flow is slow or stagnant or where the water table is so close to the
<br /> surface as to saturate the soil from below. Freshwater marsh is distributed along the coast and
<br /> in coastal valleys near river mouths and around the margins of lakes, springs,and streams
<br /> (Holland 1986). This vegetation community characteristically forms a dense vegetative cover
<br /> dominated by perennial,emergent monocots 1-15 feet high that reproduce by underground -
<br /> rhizomes. U
<br /> Within the study area, freshwater marsh consists of scattered patches of emergent monocots
<br /> along the upper reaches of the South Branch of the South Fork of Littlejohn s Creek. The
<br /> dominant emergent monocots are narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) and common tule
<br /> (Schoenoplectus acutus var. occidentalis); dominant aquatic dicots include floating water primrose
<br /> (Ludwigia peploides ssp.peploides)and willow weed (Polygonum lapathifolium). Other
<br /> characteristic aquatic species include umbrella sedge (Cyperus eragrostis) and eastern cocklebur
<br /> (Xanthium strumarium). Occasional saplings of arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis) are also present in
<br /> the channel.
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