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Biological Resources Site Assessment Report Hana Japan Steak House Project Site, Pleasanton, California APN: 941-1710-101 Page 5 ground squirrel burrows, for nesting and cover. They may also on occasion dig their own burrows, or use man-made objects such as concrete culverts or rip-rap piles for cover. They exhibit high site fidelity, reusing burrows year after year. Occupancy of suitable burrowing owl habitat can be verified at a site by observation of these owls during the spring and summer months or, alternatively, its molted feathers, cast pellets, prey remains, eggshell fragments, or excrement (whitewash) at or near a burrow. Burrowing owls typically are not observed in grasslands with tall vegetation or wooded areas because the vegetation obscures their ability to detect avian and terrestrial predators. Since burrowing owls spend most of their time sitting at the entrances of their burrows, grazed grasslands seem to be their preferred habitat because it allows them to view the world at 360 degrees without obstructions. 4.2.1 APPLICABILITY TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT The closest CNDDB record for this species is from 2009 and is located approximately 2.1 miles northeast of the project site (Occurrence #780). There is little suitable nesting habitat for Western Burrowing Owls on or near the project site due to the paucity of ground squirrel burrows or other suitable refugia. Regardless, since there are burrows onsite, surveys should be conducted to prevent potential impacts to this species which can include disturbance to over-wintering birds, nesting birds, and possibly death of eggs and/or young. Surveys on the project site and within 100 feet of the project site are recommended within 7 days of the start of construction to determine presence/absence of this special-status species, and again within 24 hours of project site grading, regardless of the time of year as wintering and nesting burrowing owls could use the site. In the absence of survey results, it must be concluded that impacts to Western Burrowing Owls from the proposed project would be potentially significant pursuant to CEQA. This impact could be mitigated to a level considered less than significant. 4.3 Crotch’s Bumble Bee Crotch’s bumblebee is a California candidate for listing under the California Endangered Species Act. It has no federal status. The range of Crotch’s bumble bee historically extended throughout the southern two-thirds of California, from coastal California east to the Sierra-Cascade crest and south into Mexico, but recent data indicates that this species is absent from the center of its historical range due to extensive agricultural intensification and urbanization2. In California, Crotch’s bumble bees inhabit open grassland and scrub habitats. Suitable habitat is based on the availability of flowers on which to forage throughout the duration of the colony (spring through fall), colony nest sites, and overwintering sites for the queens. Bumble bees are generalist foragers (i.e., they do not depend on any one flower type). Crotch’s bumble bees, like most bumble bee species, nest underground (e.g., in abandoned rodent holes). The flight period for Crotch’s bumble bee queens is from late February to late October, peaking in early April and again in July. The flight period for workers and males extends between late March and September. 2 “Crotch’s Bumble Bee”. Xerces Society, 2023.