ARCHIVED REPORTS_1993_1 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

III. Environmental Setting, Impacts, and Mitt ations g P g F. Vegetation and Wildlife (e) To ensure the success of mitigation,planted and retained trees should be monitored for a period of five years following initial disturbance within the vicinity of a retained tree or following planting of a replacement tree. If,during the course of monitoring,a significant decline in the health of planted or retained trees is identified by a qualified arborist(as compared to baseline data collected for(a)),the tree should be replaced as described under (d)coupled with an additional five year monitoring period. Annual monitoring reports, documenting condition of retained trees,growth/condition of replacement trees,and any implemented corrective actions,should be prepared by a qualified arborist and should be submitted to the CDFG. This monitoring should be accomplished in conjunction with monitoring of the CRRP. Successful implementation of the suggested mitigation measures would reduce potential impacts to on-site oaks to less than significant levels(avoidance of oaks and replacement of unavoidable oaks,coupled with monitoring and maintenance of mitigation lands,is consistent with San Joaquin General Plan 2010). Impact F.3. Implementation of the proposed project would,over the approximately 40- year project life,displace 80.5 acres of high quality foraging habitat(Brocchini property alfalfa field) and 133.4 acres of moderate quality foraging habitat(CYA and triangular properties)within a 10-mile radius of multiple State-listed Swainson's hawk nest sites (213.9 acre total),and would contribute to the cumulative loss of potential Swainson's hawk foraging habitat in San Joaquin County. (SIGNIFICANT) In addition to providing potential nesting sites(see Impact F.4),the site supports plant communities conducive to the foraging habitats of the Swainson's hawk and.is located within a 10 mile radius of multiple Swainson's hawk nest sites. The site has also been repeatedly observed to be used as foraging habitat by the Swainson's hawk. Consequently,the CDFG considers the site to provide foraging habitat for this species(Schlorf, 1993;Zezulak, 1993). The loss of essential foraging habitat(as defined by the CDFG)for the State-listed Swainson's hawk is considered a significant impact under the State CEQA Guidelines (i.e.,the impact would substantially reduce habitat for a special status animal species). CDFG also considers the loss of foraging habitat"necessary to maintain the reproductive effort"to be a violation of the take provision of the California Endangered Species Act which would require a formal agreement with CDFG to allow the anticipated take(Section 2081 of the California Fish and Game Code). Based on the CDFG's mitigation guidelines,removal of potential foraging habitat within a 10 mile radius of a nest site would require one acre of habitat maintained and managed for the Swainson's hawk for each acre lost to development(CDFG, 1992). Please refer to Appendix E of this document which contains the current CDFG Region 2 mitigation guidelines for the Swainson's hawk. III.F.26