SU0004274 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

were observed during the early Evaluation, and it is unlikely that kit foxes use any portion of the Study Area. Portions of the San Joaquin Valley, specifically along Interstates 5 and 580, are currently undergoing a conversion of land use from open space and agriculture to residential development in several areas. Residential development, conversion of multi-use agricultural land, and the loss of pasture in the region has the potential to impact biological resources, including the San Joaquin kit fox. In particular, open grassland habitat, while somewhat common in the region, is being converted. The loss of grassland habitat, particularly along the interstate corridors, could incrementally contribute to the ongoing reduction of this habitat in the area. Kit foxes are relatively tolerant of moderate human disturbance and can coexist with some types of development, but, with increasing development, are more likely to be hit by cars and are more susceptible to predation by domestic dogs and to mortality through illegal shooting. Onsite construction activities could directly affect kit foxes by destroying dens, by removing or degrading habitat, and by eliminating or disrupting the prey base. Moreover, kit foxes forced to leave an area because of a development project may not survive unless adjacent habitat is somehow enhanced, because the adjacent habitat is usually already at carrying capacity for foxes or in unsuitable or only marginal suitable for kit fox occupation. The San Joaquin County Multi-Species Habitat Conservation and Open Space Plan _. (SJMSCP)(SJCOG 2000) recognizes the importance of the southwestern portion of the County as kit fox dispersal habitat. General measures to minimize and mitigate the effects of take on the kit fox are included in the SJMSCP; however, the document includes two additional measures to help protect this species in the County. The first is a requirement to maintain a continuous corridor of good-quality habitat in the southwestern portion of the County connecting the northern and southern parts of the kit fox range, and a continuous corridor of habitat southwest of Interstate 580. The second is a set of provisions preventing the creation of barriers to dispersal for the kit fox along certain transportation corridors through the adoption of special design features (SJCOG 2000). Since the Study Area is not located in the SJMSCP dispersal corridor west of Interstate 580, land use changes will not represent a cumulative impact to the species or its habitat. 3.6 Kit Fox Occurrences According to the CDFG Natural Diversity Data Base, there are three occurrences of the San Joaquin kit fox within a 3-mile radius of the Study Area (Figure 4), and numerous sightings within a 20-mile radius of the Study Area (CDFG 2006; Bell 1994). According to the USFWS (1998) and Bell (1994), nearly all kit fox sightings in San Joaquin County have occurred southwest of Interstate 580. There were no San Joaquin kit foxes observed during the site assessment. No recent published surveys, environmental impact reports, or habitat conservation plans have been located that discuss the presence or detailed distribution of the San Joaquin kit fox in San Joaquin County in the vicinity of the Study Area. WRA, Inc. is continuing to search existing literature for this information.