14 ATTACHMENT 6 - Appendix A - E

62 American badger is considered a focal species of the EACCS and general and species-specific avoidance and minimization measures included in the EACCS Biological Opinion which also will be implemented are included in Appendix B. The above mitigation measures will lessen potential impacts to badgers to a less-than-significant level. 3.3.8 Potential Impact to Special Status Plant Species Potential Impact. Of the special status plant species potentially occurring in the region (Table 2, Figure 5), most are considered absent from, or unlikely to occur on, the site due to a lack of suitable habitat such as vernal pools, and serpentine or alkaline soils, or because the site provides only marginal habitat for these species and they have never been observed in the project vicinity or have not been observed for many decades. Additionally, a focused rare plant survey conducted in May 2017 during the blooming season for several rare plant species having potential to occur on the site was able to rule out their presence on the site. One special status species has been observed to be present on the site in the past by both LOA (in 2012) and by Olberding. This latter species is Congdon’s tarplant (CRPR 1B) (annual species; blooms June-November). Although three small populations were observed on the site by LOA in 2012, it has not been detected on the site during subsequent surveys conducted in 2014 through 2017, although not all of these surveys were conducted during its blooming period. Potential habitat for one other special status plant species, big tarplant (CRPR 1B) (annual species; blooms July-October), is also present on the site. Focused rare plant surveys in summer and fall 2017 are planned to determine whether either of these latter two species is present within areas of the site that will be disturbed as a result of development or slope stabilization. If the project would result in the loss of a significant portion of the regional population of any special status plant species, impacts may be considered significant under CEQA. Mitigation. Should the botanical surveys confirm that special status plants are absent from the impacted areas of the site, then no mitigation would be required. If populations of these species are present, and if it is determined by a qualified botanist or plant ecologist that project impacts to these species are significant under CEQA, then the following mitigations will be implemented which will reduce impacts to a less-than-significant level.