FOCUSED SURVEY FOR THE COASTAL CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER

LAKE ELSINORE ADVANCED PUMPING STORAGE PROJECT (LEAPS)

(PROJECT NUMBER 14227-003)

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Submitted to:

Mr. David Kates

The Nevada Hydro Company

3510 Unocal Place, Suite 200

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Prepared by:

Wood Environment & Infrastructure, Inc.

1845 Chicago Avenue, Suite D

Riverside, California 92507

Tel: (951) 369-8060

Principal Investigator: John F. Green

17 October 2018

Amec Foster Wheeler Project No.: 1855400727

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1

2.0 PROJECT LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION .................................................................. 1

3.0 BACKGROUND ON THE COASTAL CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER ........................... 4

4.0 METHODS ...................................................................................................................... 7

5.0 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................16

6.0 REFERENCES AND LITERATURE CITED ...................................................................17

MAP FIGURES

FIGURE 1. REGIONAL AND VICINITY MAP ............................................................................. 2

FIGURE 2. CRITICAL HABITAT MAP........................................................................................ 5

FIGURE 3. TOPOGRAPHIC MAP .............................................................................................. 8

FIGURE 4. AERIAL MAP ......................................................................................................... 12

TABLE

TABLE. SURVEY VARIABLES 7

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A ....................................................................................... USFWS NOTIFICATION

APPENDIX B ...................................................................................................... SPECIES LIST

APPENDIX C ..................................................................................... USFWS CERTIFICATION

1

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Wood Environment & Infrastructure, Inc. (“Wood,” formerly Amec Foster Wheeler) was contracted to conduct focused surveys for the coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica “CAGN”). The survey was in support of the proposed Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumped Storage (LEAPS) Project (project), see Figure 1. This report presents the results of that survey.

2.0 PROJECT LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION

Wood’s understanding of the project is based on information provided in the Response to Additional Study Requests issued by FERC (FERC 2018), the FEIS for the Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumped Storage (LEAPS) Project on Lake Elsinore and San Juan Creek in California (P-11858-002) prepared in January 2007, as well as information from the LEAPS Project website (http://leapshydro.com/). A summary of the project understanding has been provided below.

In 2004, the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District and Nevada Hydro filed an application for an original license with FERC for the construction and operation of the LEAPS Project (Project Number 11858) located in Riverside County, San Diego County, and Orange County. As originally proposed the LEAPS Project would occupy approximately 2,412 acres of Federal lands and would include a lined upper reservoir with a dam and dike, an underground powerhouse, and a 500-kilovolt transmission line linking two existing transmission lines to the north and south of the project area. A staff alternative – consisting of modifications to the original design as requested by FERC and USFS – was also considered in the 2007 FEIS. The staff alternative included an alternate location for the upper reservoir, which would provide the same usable storage with a smaller total footprint, as well as an alternate alignment for the transmission line to avoid crossing private inholdings in the Cleveland National Forest (thereby avoiding potential conflicts with fire suppression activities). FERC granted the proposed LEAPS Project a preliminary permit to study the staff alternative on October 24, 2012.

On June 1, 2017, Nevada Hydro filed a Notice of Intent (NOI) to file a license application and a draft license application for the LEAPS Project (Project Number 14227), which had been substantially re-designed to be similar to the staff alternative that was assessed in the 2007 FEIS. In its NOI, Nevada Hydro requested that FERC’s pre-filing licensing requirements (i.e., pre-filing scoping, comments and information, or study requests, the preparation of and comments on a proposed study plan, resolution of disputes over studies, and notice of the applicant’s intent to file a draft license application) be waived to allow it to proceed directly to filing a Final License Application (FLA). FERC staff approved Nevada Hydro’s waiver request in September 2017, noting that stakeholders could comment on the adequacy of the FLA during FERC’s post-filing procedures.

The project presented in the FLA proposes similar facilities and alignments as the staff alternative for Project Number 11858 considered by FERC in the 2007 FEIS, with a few distinctions. Nevada Hydro is now proposing to develop two separate primary transmission lines. The alignment of the primary transmission lines is substantially similar to the alignment reviewed in the 2007 FEIS; however, the Case Springs substation has been sited in the Cleveland National Forest, rather than Camp Pendleton. The new substation location was chosen in consultation with USFS after the Record of Decision for the 2007 FEIS for Project Number 11858 was issued.

Case Springs Substation

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3.0 BACKGROUND ON THE COASTAL CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER

The CAGN is a small, mostly gray, non-migratory songbird found in southern California,

primarily in areas with sage scrub vegetation communities. The CAGN was formerly considered

a subspecies of the black-tailed gnatcatcher (Polioptila melanura), which occurs in desert

habitats, but based largely on the work of Atwood (1988), the CAGN was determined to be a

separate species. In Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the species is found in coastal

sage scrub (“CSS”) habitats dominated by California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum),

California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), white sage (Salvia

apiana), black sage (Salvia mellifera), and yellow bush penstemon (Keckiella antirrhinoides). It

can also occur in alluvial fan sage scrub dominated by scalebroom (Lepidospartum

squamatum), California buckwheat, California sagebrush, and various species of cacti (Opuntia

spp., Cylindropuntia spp.); and in chaparral habitats, especially areas where chaparral occurs

adjacent to coastal sage scrub or where chaparral is at an early seral stage (e.g., during

recovery following fire). Throughout its range in southern California the gnatcatcher is usually

found at elevations below 2,000 feet (USFWS 2010), but in Riverside County there are occupied

locations as high as at least 2,600 feet (Atwood and Bontrager 2001,CDFW 2018a). The

species prefers slopes of 40 percent or less (Mock 2004). In southwestern Riverside County,

studies have shown that CAGNs occur in sage scrub containing between 27% and 56% shrub

cover (Braden and Powell 1994, Atwood and Bontrager 2001). The sizes of breeding territories

can be as small as 2.5 acres (1 hectare), but tend to be larger in areas farther away from the

southern California coast (Atwood and Bontrager 2001).

The CAGN was listed as a federally threatened species by the United States Fish and Wildlife

Service (USFWS) (USFWS 1993) on 25 March 1993, and is a California Department of Fish

and Wildlife (CDFW) “Bird Species of Special Concern” (CDFW 2018). USFWS-designated

critical habitat (USFWS 2007) for the CAGN is present at the north end of the project (see

Figure 2).

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F I G U R E

2Critical Habitat MapCAGN Survey Areas

LEAPS Project

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4.0 METHODS

Two survey areas were identified from past documents and desktop research (see Appendix A).

When the CAGN focused survey area was initiated, those areas were field truthed for

appropriate CAGN habitat and corrected survey areas were created (see Figures 3 and 4). The

biological study area for the focused survey was defined as the project footprint and features

and a 100 foot buffer arund them.

CAGN surveys were conducted in appropriate habitat within the biological study area in

accordance with the survey protocol for this species (USFWS 1997). Elevations of the surveyed

areas ranged from approximately 1,150 to 1,650 feet above sea level (see Figure 3). The survey

of the two disjunct areas were surveyed by a single biologist in a single morning. In accordance

with the survey protocol’s breeding season requirements, each area was surveyed six times,

with each visit at least one week apart. Surveys were conducted by Amec Foster Wheeler

biologists John F. Green and Stephen J. Myers under the authority of recovery permits

TE054011 (Green) and TE804203 (Myers). During each survey the biologists walked slowly

through or adjacent to any potential habitat, stopping to play recorded vocalizations and listen

for responses. Weather during all surveys was favorable for detection of CAGN. Table 2

contains survey variables for the CAGN surveys.

Table. Survey Variables

Date (2018) Biologist Time (PST) Temperature

(° Fahrenheit)

Wind Speed

(miles per hour)

% Cloud

Cover

18 May Green 0720 - ~1000 60 0-2 95

21 May* Myers 0620-0830 58-62 2-3 100

29 May Myers 0545-0945 57-72 1-4 20-70

5 June Green 0705-1100 61-77 0-4 100-15

12 June Myers 0455-0915 63-88 0-2 0

19 June Myers 0600-0950 59-81 0-3 0

26 June Green 0700-1045 64-77 0-5 0

*The first survey was completed on this date due to equipment failure on the 18th

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All vertebrate species detected during Amec Foster Wheeler visits were recorded in field notes

and are listed in Appendix B below.

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5.0 RESULTS

No CAGNs were detected during the focused surveys of the two areas identified above. They

are assumed to be absent from those areas at this time. It is possible that additional habitat is

present along the project alignment. A revised vegetation mapping effort is planned in 2019.

When complete, Wood senior biologists will evaluate the revised mapping and California Natural

Diversity Database records to assess where additional focused CAGN surveys, if any, are

needed.

Sixty-eight (68) bird species were detected during the 2018 CAGN survey (see Appendix B).

Among the most commonly detected species were the phainopepla (Phainopepla nitens), house

finch (Haemorphus mexicanus), lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria), California towhee (Melozone

crissalis), Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna), Bewick’s wren (Thryomanes bewickii), and

spotted towhee (Pipilo maculatus). Also included in Appendix B are six species of reptiles and

seven species of mammals which were incidentally detected during the 2018 survey.

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6.0 REFERENCES AND LITERATURE CITED

Amec Foster Wheeler/Wood. 2018. Biological Resources Work Plan, Lake Elsinore Advanced

Pumping Storage Project, August.

Atwood, J.L. 1988. Speciation and geographic variation in black-tailed gnatcatchers.

Ornithological Monographs No. 42, American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.

Atwood, J.L. and D.R. Bontrager. 2001. California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; the Birds of North America Online: http://tinyurl.com/p6o75vf

Braden, G. and S. Powell. 1994. Draft: breeding habitat use by Polioptila californica in western

Riverside County. Unpublished report prepared for southwestern Riverside County Multi-

species Reserve Management Committee and the Metropolitan Water District by U.S.

Fish Wildlife Service, Carlsbad, CA.

California Bird Records Committee. 2018. Official California Checklist. Accessed online at:

https://californiabirds.org/checklist.asp

CDFW. 2016. Complete List of Amphibian, Reptile, Bird and Mammal Species in California.

Accessed online at: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=87155&inline

CDFW. 2018a. CNDDB RareFind 5. Accessed at: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/data/cnddb/maps-

and-data

CDFW. 2018b. Special Animals List. August. Periodic publication. Sacramento, CA. Online at:

https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=109406&inline.

FERC. 2018. Office Of Energy Projects, Project No. 14227-003 – California, Lake Elsinore

Advanced Pumped Storage Project, The Nevada Hydro Company, Inc. Response to

Additional Study Requests.

FERC. 2007. Final Environmental Impact Statement for Hydropower License, Lake Elsinore

Advanced Pumped Storage Project, Docket No. P-11858-002.

Mock, P. 2004. California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica). In The Coastal Scrub and

Chaparral Bird Conservation Plan: a strategy for protecting and managing coastal scrub

and chaparral habitats and associated birds in California. California Partners in Flight.

http://www.prbo.org/calpif/htmldocs/scrub.html.\

O’Leary, J.F. and W.E. Westman. 1988. Regional disturbance effects on herb succession

patterns in coastal sage scrub. J. Biogeography 15:775-786.

Sawyer, J.O., T. Keeler-Wolf, and J.M. Evens. 2009. A manual of California vegetation (2nd ed.).

California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA.

USFWS. 1993. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Threatened

Status for the Coastal California Gnatcatcher. Final Rule. Federal Register, Vol. 58, No.

59.

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USFWS. 1997. Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica)

Presence/Absence Survey Guidelines.

USFWS. 2007. Revised Designation of Critical Habitat for the Coastal California Gnatcatcher

(Polioptila californica californica); Final Rule. Federal Register, Vol. 72, No. 243.

USFWS. 2010. Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica). 5-year review:

Summary and evaluation. Unpublished report prepared by USFWS, Carlsbad, CA.

Westman, W.E. 1981. Diversity relations and succession in Californian coastal sage scrub.

Ecology 62:170-184.

APPENDIX A

USFWS NOTIFICATION

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 4 May 2018 Carlsbad Field Office 2177 Salk Avenue, Suite 250 Carlsbad, CA 92008

ATTN: Stacey Love

RE: Southwestern Willow Flycatcher and Coastal California Gnatcatcher Survey Notification for LEAPS Project

Dear Ms. Love,

This letter serves as Amec Foster Wheeler Environment and Infrastructure, Inc.’s (Amec Foster Wheeler) formal notification of our intent to conduct focused presence-absence surveys for the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) and Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica). Surveys will occur along portions of the Nevada Hydro Company’s LEAPS Project (WODUP) in San Diego and Riverside Counties.

All surveys will be conducted by federally authorized biologists, primarily John F. Green and Stephen J. Myers (respectively Federal Recovery Permits TE-054011 and TE-804203). Surveys will be done in accordance with guidelines set forth in the established protocols and our recovery permits.

The attached maps show the proposed survey locations on U.S.G.S. topography.

Please contact me with any questions. Thank you, John F. Green Senior Biologist

AMEC Foster Wheeler Environment and Infrastructure, Inc. 3120 Chicago Avenue, Suite 110 Riverside, CA 92507

john.green@amecfw.com (951) 369-8060

Coastal California GnatcatcherFocused Survey Areas

LEAPS ProjectRiverside County, CA

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APPENDIX B

SPECIES LIST

SPECIES LIST ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── This list reports only vertebrates observed during Wood’s site visits. Other species may have been overlooked or undetectable due to their activity patterns. Nomenclature and taxonomy for fauna observed on site follows the California Bird Records Committee Official California Checklist (2018) for avifauna, and CDFW (2016) for herpetofauna and mammals. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS: ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── * Non native species ** Sensitive species (State or federally listed as endangered or threatened; state

species of special concern/watch list/tracked; USFWS bird of conservation concern; U.S. Forest Service sensitive, Bureau of Land Management sensitive, [CDFW 2018])

sp. Identified only to genus; species unknown (plural = spp.) 1 Seen only as flyovers, no evidence of nesting 2 Migrant, does not nest in the area surveyed ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── REPTILES Phrynosomatidae Spiny Lizards

Uta stansburiana common side-blotched lizard Sceloporus occidentalis western fence lizard Sceloporus orcutti granite spiny lizard

Teiidae Whiptails and Relatives Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegeri** coastal whiptail Aspidoscelis hyperythra** orange-throated whiptail

Crotalidae Pit Vipers Crotalus ruber** red diamond rattlesnake

BIRDS Anatidae Ducks, Geese, and Swans

Anas platyrhynchos mallard

Odontophoridae New World Quail Callipepla californica California quail

Podicipedidae Grebes Aechmophorus sp. western/Clark’s grebe

Columbidae Pigeons and Doves Columba livia* rock pigeon Patagioenas fasciata band-tailed pigeon Streptopelia decaocto* Eurasian collared-dove Zenaida macroura mourning dove

Cuculidae Cuckoos, Roadrunners, and Anis Geococcyx californianus greater roadrunner

Apodidae Swifts Chaetura vauxi Vaux's swift Aeronautes saxatalis white-throated swift

Trochilidae Hummingbirds Archilochus alexandri black-chinned hummingbird Calypte anna Anna's hummingbird Calypte costae** Costa's hummingbird Selasphorus sp. rufous / Allen's hummingbird

Charadriidae Lapwings and Plovers Charadrius vociferus killdeer

Scolopacidae Sandpipers, Phalaropes, and Allies Tringa melanoleuca greater yellowlegs

Phalacrocoracidae Cormorants Phalacrocorax auritus**1 double-crested cormorant

Pelecanidae Pelicans Pelecanus erythrorhynchos**2 American white pelican

Ardeidae Herons, Bitterns, and Allies Ardea alba great egret

Cathartidae New World Vultures Cathartes aura turkey vulture

Accipitridae Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies Accipiter cooperii** Cooper's hawk Buteo lineatus red-shouldered hawk Buteo jamaicensis red-tailed hawk

Picidae Woodpeckers and Allies Melanerpes formicivorus acorn woodpecker Picoides nuttallii Nuttall's woodpecker Colaptes auratus northern flicker

Falconidae Caracaras and Falcons Falco sparverius American kestrel Falco peregrinus**1 peregrine falcon

Tyrannidae Tyrant Flycatchers Myiarchus cinerascens ash-throated flycatcher Tyrannus vociferus Cassin’s kingbird Contopus sordidulus western wood-pewee Empidonax traillii**2 willow flycatcher Sayornis nigricans black phoebe Sayornis saya say's phoebe

Vireonidae Vireos Vireo bellii Bell’s vireo Vireo huttoni Hutton's vireo

Corvidae Crows and Jays Aphelocoma californica California scrub-jay Corvus brachyrhynchos American crow Corvus corax common raven

Hirundinidae Swallows Stelgidopteryx serripennis northern rough-winged swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota cliff swallow

Paridae Chickadees and Titmice Baeolophus inornatus oak titmouse

Aegithalidae Long-tailed Tits and Bushtits Psaltriparus minimus bushtit

Troglodytidae Wrens Salpinctes obsoletus rock wren Troglodytes aedon house wren Thryomanes bewickii Bewick's wren

Polioptilidae Gnatcatchers and Gnatwrens Polioptila caerulea blue-gray gnatcatcher

Sylviidae Sylviid Warblers Chamaea fasciata wrentit

Mimidae Mockingbirds and Thrashers Toxostoma redivivum California thrasher Mimus polyglottos northern mockingbird

Sturnidae Starlings Sturnus vulgaris* European starling

Ptiliogonatidae Silky-flycatchers Phainopepla nitens phainopepla

Passeridae Old World Sparrows Passer domesticus* house sparrow

Fringillidae Fringilline & Cardueline Finches & Allies Haemorhous mexicanus house finch Spinus psaltria lesser goldfinch Spinus lawrencei** Lawrence's goldfinch

Passerellidae New World Sparrows Pipilo maculatus spotted towhee Aimophila ruficeps canescens** So. Calif. rufous-crowned sparrow Melozone crissalis California towhee Chondestes grammacus lark sparrow

Icteridae Blackbirds Icterus cucullatus hooded oriole Icterus bullockii Bullock's oriole Agelaius tricolor**1 tricolored blackbird Molothrus ater brown-headed cowbird Euphagus cyanocephalus Brewer’s blackbird Quiscalus mexicanus great-tailed grackle

Parulidae Wood-Warblers Setophaga petechia** yellow warbler

Cardinalidae Cardinals and Allies Pheucticus melanocephalus black-headed grosbeak

MAMMALS Leporidae Rabbits and Hares

Sylvilagus audubonii Audubon's cottontail

Sciuridae Squirrels Spermophilus beecheyi California ground squirrel

Geomyidae Pocket Gophers Thomomys bottae Botta’s pocket gopher (burrows)

Heteromyidae Pocket Mice and Kangaroo Rats Dipodomys sp. kangaroo rat sp. (active burrows)

Cricetidae Mice, Rats, and Voles Neotoma macrotis big-eared woodrat

Canidae Foxes, Wolves, Coyote Canis latrans coyote (scat)

Felidae Cats Lynx rufus bobcat (scat)

APPENDIX C

USFWS CERTIFICATION