Rincon Consultants, Inc.
2215 Faraday Avenue, Suite A
Carlsbad, California 92008
760-918-9444
w w w. r in co n co nsu ltan ts. co m
October 04, 2023
Project No: 22-13460
Sophia Mitchell
Sophia Mitchell and Associates
P.O. Box 1700
Gualala, California 95445
Via email: [email protected]
Subject: Focused Rare Plant Survey Report for the Woodward Specific Plan Development Project, San Marcos, San Diego County, California
Dear Ms. Mitchell:
Rincon Consultants, Inc. (Rincon) prepared this Focused Rare Plant Survey Report to document the results of focused rare plant surveys (surveys), which were conducted within the proposed Woodward Specific Plan Development Project ’s (Project) potential impact areas (Project Area), plus a 100 -foot buffer (Study A rea; Figure 1). The Project Area is in the City of San Marcos, California and contains undeveloped Diegan coastal sage scrub and disturbed vegetation communities. The surveys were conducted during the appropriate phenological period to evaluate for the presence or absence of the following special status plant species : San Diego sand aster ( Corethrogyne filaginifolia var. incana ), which is a California Rare Plant Rank [ CRPR] 1B.1 species and has a moderate potential to occur within the Study Area, and San Diego ambrosia ( Ambrosia pumila), which is a Federal Endangered Species Act (FESA) Endangered species and a CRPR 1B.1 species and has a low potential to occur within the Study Area. The surveys were conducted as a recommended mitigation measure (MM)-7 of the Project’s Full Biological Resources Report (FBRR; Rincon 2023) . MM -7 states that surveys for special status plant species should be conducted within the approximately 8-acre Project Area plus a 100-foot buffer (Study Area) prior to Project initiation to avoid impacts to these species. As described in this report, no special status plant species were observed during the surveys.
Regulatory Background
Local, state, and federal agencies regulate protected plant species, and may require an assessment of their presence or potential presence to be conducted on site prior to the approval of a proposed development. Assessments for the potential occurrence of rare plant species are based upon known ranges, habitat preferences for the species, species occurrence records from the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB), species occurrence records from other sites in the vicinity of the survey area, and previous reports for the Study Area.
For the purpose of this report, rare plant species are those plants listed, proposed for listing, or candidates for listing as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the FESA; those lis ted or candidates for listing as rare, threatened, or endangered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) or Native Plant Protection Act; those recognized by the CDFW under the California N ative Plant Society (CNPS) CRPR system (Ranks 1 through 4, Table 1; Rank Threat Code Extensions, Table 2.
Sophia Mitchell and Associates
Focused Rare Plant Survey Report for the Woodward Specific Plan Development Project 2 Figure 1 Project Location
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Sophia Mitchell and Associates
Focused Rare Plant Survey Report for the Woodward Specific Plan Development Project 3 Table 1 California Rare Plant Rank Definitions
Rank Definition
1A Presumed Extinct in California
1B Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California and elsewhere 2 Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, but more common elsewhere 3 Need more information (a Review List)
4 Plants of Limited Distribution (a Watch List)
Table 2 California Rare Plant Rank Threat Code Extensions Threat Rank Definitions
.1 Seriously endangered in California (over 80% of occurrences threatened/high degree and immediacy of threat)
.2 Fairly endangered in California (20-80% occurrences threatened) .3 Not very endangered in California (<20% of occurrences threatened) Methodology
The database search and literature review was conducted as a part of the Project’s FBRR to identify special status plant species that have been recorded in the vicinity of the Study Area. Field surveys were conducted to determine whether the two special status species identified during the literature and database review (i.e., San Diego sand aster and San Diego ambrosia) as having a low potential and moderate potential, respectively, occur within the Study Area. The methods used for the database search/literature review are described within the FBRR and methodology used for the field surveys are described below.
Nomenclature follows The Jepson Manual, Second Edition (Baldwin et al. 2012) with updates available in the online Jepson eFlora ( University of California, Berkely 2023), and listing or special status updates available in the State and Federally Listed Endangered, Threatened, and Rare Plants of California (CDFW 2023a), Special Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Lichens List (CDFW 2023b), and the online Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California (CNPS 2023).
Field Survey
The rare plant surveys were floristic in nature (i.e., all plants encountered were identified to the lowest taxonomic level necessary to determine rarity) and generally followed the CNPS Botanical Survey Guidelines (CNPS 2001), the Protocols for Surveying and Evaluating Impacts to Special Status Native Plant Populations and Natural Communities (CDFW 2018), and USFWS Guidelines for Conducting and Reporting Botanical Inventories for Federally Listed, Proposed, and Candidate Plants (2000). The surveys were performed by Rincon Botanist Casey Clark on June 16, 2023 and September 20, 2023.
All plant species observed on site were recorded.
To optimize detection, the field survey was conducted during the appropriate phenological period to detect and identify the San Diego sand aster and San Diego Ambrosia (i.e., May through September).
The survey was conducted using systematic field techniques by walking parallel transects through the entire survey area. Special attention was given to areas with a high potential t o support rare plant species (e.g., north-facing slopes, vegetation community interfaces, areas with unique soils, and other attributes required of species that have been previously documented ). The results of the rare plant survey are discussed below.
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Sophia Mitchell and Associates
Focused Rare Plant Survey Report for the Woodward Specific Plan Development Project 4 Results
Neither San Diego sand aster nor San Diego ambrosia were observed during the surveys and the surveys were conducted during an adequate rain year when the conditions were conducive for germination. No other special status plant species were detected, a nd none are expected based on the results of this survey. A list of all p lant species observed within the Study Area is provided in Attachment 1. Representative photographs of the Project Area are provided in Attachment 2.
Conclusion and Recommendations
No special status plant species were detected within the Study Area; therefore, impacts to these species are not anticipated as a result of the Project.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide support for this important project. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.
Sincerely,
Rincon Consultants, Inc.
Casey Clark Jared Reed
Botanist Senior Biologist/Project Manager
Attachments
Attachment 1 Floral Compendium
Attachment 2 Representative Photographs
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Sophia Mitchell and Associates
Focused Rare Plant Survey Report for the Woodward Specific Plan Development Project 5 References
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). 2018. Protocols for Surveying and Evaluating Impacts to Special Status Native Plant Populations and Natural Communities. Sacramento, California. Accessed September 2023.
______. 2023a. State and Federally listed Endangered, Threatened, and Rare Plants of California.
Available online at: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/Plants-and-Animals. Accessed September 2023.
______. 2023b. Special Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Lichens List. Available online at:
https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/Plants-and-Animals. Accessed September 2023.
California Native Plant Society (CNPS). 2001. CNPS Botanical Survey Guidelines. June. Available online at: http://www.cnps.org/cnps/rareplants/pdf/cnps_survey_guidelines.pdf. Accessed September 2023.
______. 2023. Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California (online edition, v8-03 0.39).
Available online at: http://www.rareplants.cnps.org. Accessed September 2023.
University of California, Berkeley. 2023. The Jepson Herbarium. Available online at:
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/. Accessed September 2023.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2000. Guidelines for Conducting and Reporting Botanical Inventories for Federally Listed, Proposed, and Candidate Plants. Available online at: https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/botanical-plant-inventory- guidelines.pdf. Accessed September 2023.
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Attachment 1
Floral Compendium
Sophia Mitchell and Associates
Focused Rare Plant Survey Report for the Woodward Specific Plan Development Project 1-1
Floral Compendium
Scientific Name Common Name Status1 Native or Introduced Acmispon glaber Deerweed None Native
Agave americana American century plant None Introduced
Artemisia californica California sagebrush None Native
Arundo donax Giant reed Cal-IPC High Introduced
Avena barbata Slender oat Cal-IPC Moderate Introduced
Avena fatua Wild oat Cal-IPC Moderate Introduced
Baccharis pilularis Coyote brush None Native
Baccharis sarothroides Broom baccharis None Native
Brassica nigra Black mustard Cal-IPC Moderate Introduced Brickellia californica Brickell bush None Native
Bromus diandrus Ripgut brome Cal-IPC Moderate Introduced Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens Red brome Cal-IPC High Introduced Carduus pycnocephalus Italian thistle Cal-IPC Moderate Introduced Centaurea melitensis Tocalote Cal-IPC Moderate Introduced Deinandra fasciculata Clustered tarweed None Native
Diplacus aurantiacus Sticky monkeyflower None Native
Diplacus puniceus Red bush monkeyflower None Native
Echium candicans Pride of madeira Cal-IPC Limited Introduced Encelia californica California encelia None Native
Eriogonum fasciculatum California buckwheat None Native Eriophyllum confertiflorum Golden-yarrow None Native
Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia Common eucrypta None Native Euphorbia polycarpa Small seed sandmat None Native
Festuca myuros Rattail fescue Cal-IPC Moderate Introduced Hazardia squarrosa Sawtooth goldenbush None Native
Heterotheca grandiflora Telegraph weed None Native
Hirschfeldia incana Shortpod mustard Cal-IPC Moderate Introduced Isocoma menziesii var. menziesii Menzies’ goldenbush None Native Lysimachia arvensis Scarlet pimpernel None Introduced
Malosma laurina Laurel sumac None Native
Marah macrocarpa Wild cucumber None Native
Marrubium vulgare Horehound Cal-IPC Limited Introduced
Mirabilis laevis Wishbone bush None Native
Navarretia hamata Hooked navarretia None Native
Nicotiana glauca Tree tobacco Cal-IPC Moderate Introduced Nuttallanthus texanus Blue toadflax None Native
Opuntia littoralis Coast prickly pear None Native
Opuntia robusta Nopal tapon None Introduced
Paeonia californica California peony None Native
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Sophia Mitchell and Associates
Focused Rare Plant Survey Report for the Woodward Specific Plan Development Project 1-2
Scientific Name Common Name Status1 Native or Introduced Phacelia ramosissima Branching phacelia None Native
Physalis crassifolia Thick leaved ground cherry None Native Pseudognaphalium californicum California everlasting None Native Quercus berberidifolia Scrub oak None Native
Rhamnus crocea Red berry buckthorn None Native
Rhus integrifolia Lemonade berry None Native
Salix laevigata Red willow None Native
Salvia apiana White sage None Native
Salvia mellifera Black sage None Native
Sambucus mexicana Blue elderberry None Native
Scrophularia californica California bee plant None Native Stephanomeria diegensis San Diego milk aster None Native Syagrus romanzoffiana Queen palm None Introduced
Washingtonia robusta Mexican fan palm None Introduced
Zeltnera venusta California centaury None Native
1 Cal-IPC 2023.
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Attachment 2
Representative Photographs
Sophia Mitchell and Associates
Focused Rare Plant Survey Report for the Woodward Specific Plan Development Project 2-1
Photograph 1. South-facing representative photograph of the middle, disturbed, portion of the Project Area. Photograph taken on June 16, 2023.
Photograph 2. South-facing representative photograph of the Diegan coastal sage scrub within the northern portion of the Project Area. Photograph taken on June 16, 2023. r
Sophia Mitchell and Associates
Focused Rare Plant Survey Report for the Woodward Specific Plan Development Project 2-2
Photograph 3. Southeast-facing representative photograph of the Project Area. Photograph taken within the southwestern portion of the Project Area on September 20, 2023.
Photograph 4. North-facing representative photograph of the Project Area. Photograph taken within the southern portion of the Project Area on September 20, 2023