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Draft Environmental P Impact Report Page IV.H-10 P Forward Inc. Landfill Expansion Project addition, a 55-acre wildlife preserve for giant garter snake and western pond turtle was created on BNSF Railway property approximately 1.5 miles northeast of the study area. The South Branch of the South Fork of Littlejohn's Creek has little value for the giant garter snake due to the lack of permanent water within the channel and the lack of emergent wetland vegetation as a result of periodic flood maintenance and low flows. Upland refugia habitat is also of poor quality surrounding the creek due to the lack of tall grasses and other vegetation due to mowing for flood control and frequent disturbance of agricultural fields and landfill areas adjacent to the study area. Sacramento Splittail Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus)is a California Species of Special Concern. The species was listed as Threatened by the USFWS in 1999,but this listing was remanded in 2003 (USFWS 2003). The Sacramento splittail inhabits rivers, lakes, sloughs and estuaries of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Central Valley,Suisun Bay, Suisun Marsh, and the San Francisco Bay. For spawning,Sacramento splittail require shallow water areas with submerged vegetation,habitats typically caused by late winter and spring flooding of natural stream banks. Operation of federal, state, and private water development projects, including water storage, diversions, releases,export and agricultural return flows,reduce the availability and quality of this habitat. Primary threats to the species also include decline of water quality caused by the export of water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, drought,introduced aquatic species, and agricultural and industrial pollutants (USFWS 1999a). Due to the presence of Sacramento splittail within the San Joaquin River and tributaries,this species could possibly get as far upstream in Littlejohn's Creek at the project site during wet years (Bein, Frost and Associates, 1999). However fisheries surveys of the North Branch of the South Fork of Littlejohn's Creek within the study area did not detect this species(A.A. Rich and Associates, 2002). All of the species detected were warm water species that could tolerate high water temperatures. Furthermore, these surveys were conducted during a wet year and likely detected a greater number of fish species than would occur in a dry year (A.A. Rich Associates 2002). It is unlikely that Sacramento splittail occurs within the study area due to the extreme fluctuating water levels of Littlejohn's Creek, as a result of its use as an irrigation channel for agriculture. The relocation and habitat restoration proposed as part of this project to the South Branch of the South Fork of Littlejohn's Creek would improve'native riparian habitat for semi- aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, but this is not expected to improve conditions for fisheries due to the extreme fluctuations in water levels (pers. comm. Sydney Temple, Questa Engineering Corporation). San Joaquin Kit Fox The San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) was listed as an Endangered species on March 11, 1967(USFWS 1967) and by the State of California in 1971. Critical Habitat has not been designated for this species. A recovery plan was published for the San Joaquin kit fox on September 30, 1998 (USFWS 1998). { The San Joaquin kit fox is the smallest canid species in North America. Currently there are two recognized subspecies of kit fox: V. m. mutica and V. m. macrotis (USFWS 1998). Historically, ; they occurred extensively throughout California's Central Valley and parts of the Salinas and Santa Clara valleys. They currently inhabit the valley bottom and foothills from southern Kern County north to Contra Costa, Alameda, and San Joaquin Counties on the west, and near La