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Soil Investigations for Data Collection in the Delta Initial Study/Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration 52 Breeding occurs from spring through fall, with nesting taking place from spring to early summer. Nest sites are usually within 100 m of water, although nests have been reported as far away as 500 m. Females lay from one to 13 eggs, which will hatch in the fall, although the young will remain in the nest until the following spring. Western pond turtle has a high potential to occur within the Study Area due to the availability of suitable aquatic and upland habitat, the known range of the species and many occurrences throughout the Study Area. Implementation of mitigation measures to avoid impacts to all suitable aquatic habitat (MM BIO-1 and MM BIO-2), upland refugia habitat (MM BIO-2), and individuals that could be moving through the Study Area (MM BIO-1, MM BIO-2, and MM BIO-3), would reduce potential project impacts to western pond turtle to: Less than Significant with Mitigation Incorporated. MM BIO-3: Western pond turtle a. In areas with the potential for western pond turtle to occur, pre-activity presence/absence surveys for western pond turtle shall occur within 48 hours prior to the onset of project activities at any Impact Area. b. If Western pond turtles are observed on land during the pre-activity surveys, the area within 100 meters of the boundary of the aquatic habitat will be flagged and avoided if feasible. c. If western pond turtles are observed within the Impact Area during a pre- activity survey or during project activities, they will be relocated outside of the Impact Area to appropriate aquatic habitat by a qualified biologist. San Joaquin coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum ruddocki) San Joaquin (whipsnake) coachwhip is identified as a CDFW Priority 2 Species of Special Concern (CDFW 2019b, Thompson et al 2016). San Joaquin coachwhip is a large colubrid, measuring at 35 to 102 inches SVL. It is a tan, olive or yellow-brown colubrid with a yellow ventral surface and pink or orange cast to the tail. It is distinguished from other subspecies of coachwhip by its lack of the dark head and neck bands found in the other sub-species (Thompson et al 2016). It is endemic to California and is usually found from Arbuckle in the Sacramento Valley southward to the Grapevine section of I-5 in Kern County, and westward to the inner South Coast Ranges (Stebbins and McGinnis 2012). This diurnal snake generally occurs in open, dry, treeless areas, including grassland and saltbush scrub. It often will climb into vegetation to scan for prey or for shade and refuge and overwinters in mammal burrows.