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05/21/98 16:24 $9169792770 FISH & WILDLIFE Q012
<br /> estimated ages.
<br /> 3. An evaluation of the elderberry shrubs and associated native plants on the site, and on the
<br /> mitigation area, if disjunct,including the number of plants,their size and condition.
<br /> 4. An evaluation of the adequacy of the fencing,signs,and weed control efforts in the
<br /> avoidance and mitigation areas.
<br /> 5. A general assessment of the habitat,including any real or potential threats to the beetle
<br /> and its host plants,such as erosion,fire,excessive grazing,off-road vehicle use,
<br /> vandalism,excessive weed growth,etc.
<br /> The materials and methods to be used in the monitoring studies should be reviewed and approved by the
<br /> Service. All appropriate Federal and State permits should be obtained prior to initiating the field studies.
<br /> Reports. A written report, presenting and analyzing the data from the project monitoring,will be
<br /> prepared by a qualified biologist in each of the years in which a monitoring survey is required. Copies of
<br /> the report will be submitted by December 31 of the same year to the Service(Assistant Field Supervisor
<br /> for Endangered Species, Sacramento Field Office), and the Department of Fish and Game(Supervisor,
<br /> Environmental Services, Department of Fish and Game, 1416 Ninth Street, Sacramento,California
<br /> 95814; and Staff Zoologist, California Natural Diversity Data Base,Department of Fish and Game, 1220
<br /> S Street, Sacramento, California 95814). The reportwill explicitly address the status and progress of the
<br /> transplanted and planted elderberry and associated native shrubs and trees, as well as any failings of the
<br /> mitigation plan and the steps taken to correct them. Any observations of beetles or fresh exit holes will
<br /> be noted Copies of original Feld notes,raw data, and photographs of the mitigation site will be included
<br /> with the report. A vicinity map of the site and maps showingwhere the individual adult beetles and exit
<br /> holes were observed should be included. For the elderberry and associated native plants,the survival rate,
<br /> condition,and size of the plants should be analyzed. Real and likely future threats should be addressed
<br /> along with suggested remedies(e.g, limiting public access,more frequent removal of invasive non-native
<br /> vegetation,etc.).
<br /> A copy of each monitoring report, along with the original field notes,photographs,correspondence, and
<br /> all other pertinent material,should be deposited at the California Academy of Seiences(Librarian,
<br /> California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park,San Francisco,CA 94118)by December 31 of the
<br /> year that monitoring is done and the report is prepared. The Service's Sacramento Field Office should be
<br /> provided with a copy of the receipt from the Academy library acknowledging receipt of the'material,or
<br /> the library catalog number assigned to iL
<br /> Access. Biologists and law enforcement personnel from the California Department of Fish and Game and
<br /> the Service should be given complete access to the project site to monitor transplanting activities.
<br /> Personnel from both these agencies should be given complete access to the project and the mitigation area
<br /> to monitor the valley elderberry longhorn beetle and its elderberry shrub habitat in perpetuity.
<br /> Success Criteria
<br /> A minimum survival rate of at least 60 percent of the elderberry and associated native plants should be
<br /> maintained throughout the monitoring period. Within one year of discovery that survival has dropped
<br /> below 60 percent, the applicant will replace failed plantings to bring survival above this level. The
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