Johnny O'Neil Late Successional Reserve Habitat Restoration and ...

existing roadsides do not provide high quality habitat for the marten. Overall, cumulative effects
from the Checkerboard project are not expected to be measurable given the scope of this
analysis. No known non-federal actions are proposed at this time, so there would be no additive
effects to marten.
Determination - Due to the factors described above, the Johnny O’Neil Project may affect
individual martens but is not expected to result in a trend toward federal listing or
loss of viability.
Pallid Bats (Antrozous pallidus)
Environmental Baseline
The pallid bat is a California Species of Special Concern. Throughout California the pallid bat is
usually found in low to middle elevation habitats below 6000 ft. (Philpott 1997); however, the
species has been found up to 10,000 ft. in the Sierra Nevada (Sherwin pers. comm. 1998).
Populations have declined in California within desert areas, in areas of urban expansion, and
where oak woodlands have been lost (Brown 1996). This species, like many other bats, is
extremely sensitive to disturbance at roosting and nesting sites.
A variety of habitats are used, including grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, and coniferous
forests (Philpott 1997). Pallid bats are most common in open, dry habitats that contain rocky
areas for roosting. They are a yearlong resident in most of their range and hibernate in winter
near their summer roost (Zeiner et al. 1990). Occasional forays may be made in winter for food
and water (Philpott 1997). Pallid bats are unusual in that most of their food consists of large
insects captured on the ground (Verts and Carraway, 1998).
Day roosts may vary but are commonly found in rock crevices and tree hollows; and have been
documented in large conifer snags, inside basal hollows of redwoods and giant sequoias, and
bole cavities in oaks (pers. comm. Sherwin 1998). Cavities in broken branches of black oak are
very important and there is a strong association with black oak for roosting (pers. comm. Pierson
1996). Roosting sites are usually selected near the entrance to the roost in twilight rather than
total darkness. The site must protect bats from high temperatures, as this species is intolerant of
roosts in excess of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Pallid bats are also very sensitive to roost site
disturbance (Zeiner et al. 1990, Philpott 1997). Night roosts are usually more open sites and may
include open buildings, porches, mines, caves, and under bridges (Philpott 1997, pers. comm.
Sherwin 1998, Pierson 1996).
Suitable roost sites for pallid bats in the form of large trees and snags occur in the project area.
Other structures, including buildings and bridges, also occur within or adjacent to the Horse
Creek 6 th field watershed but are much more limited. As a proxy, the 9,600 acres of
nesting/roosting northern spotted owl habitat in the analysis area is considered as suitable pallid
bat habitat due to the presence of large live or dead conifers and hardwoods in these types of
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