Draft EA - San Diego International Airport

SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – PROPOSED RUNWAY 9 DISPLACED THRESHOLD
The Airport has supported a significant percentage of the State’s least tern nesting population over the last
several years. As depicted on Figure 3-5, least terns have nested at several locations around the Airport with
Oval 3 South (denoted on Figure 3-5 as 0-3S) being the area used most consistently. Various projects have
obligated tern management efforts at SDIA and a Biological Opinion (BO) prepared by the USFWS in 1993
requires reasonable and prudent measures for protecting terns at SDIA. 37
The 1993 BO stated a number of
conditions/protective measures, which included, among others, the following:
The FAA and the SDCRAA 38 will maintain in perpetuity Ovals 0-1S, 0-2S, 0-3S, and 0-4S as nesting
habitat for California least tern. The area of each of these respective ovals is 6.2, 2.7, 7.8, and 7.3 acres.
The FAA and SDCRAA placed tern fledgling nest barriers/fencing around the perimeter of the above
ovals to prevent the movement of fledglings outside these areas onto runways and taxiways. The
fence is inspected and maintained during the breeding season by a qualified tern biologist with the
appropriate endangered species permit issued by the USFWS.
The FAA and SDCRAA provide annual funding for a predator control program; however, no shooting
of tern predators at SDIA is allowed and non-lethal means are preferred.
The FAA and SDCRAA will prepare and maintain in perpetuity a minimum of 6.2 acres of contiguous
supratidal habitat at the Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve in south San Diego Bay for tern nesting.
The FAA and SDCRAA are responsible for assuring ongoing monitoring of tern populations at SDIA
and at Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve by qualified tern biologist(s).
In addition, the BO specified certain practices for construction crews working on facility improvements,
including educating workers on prohibitions to applying materials, storing equipment, or performing
maintenance near the ovals, constraining ingress and egress routes to specific locations during the nesting
season (greater than 1,200 feet from the ovals), lowering crane booms when not in use, ensuring that trash
would be properly disposed and that workers would not feed potential tern predators in the area.
3.6 Public Lands
Section 4(f) of the DOT Act of 1966, which was recodified and renumbered as Section 303(c), dictates that, for
any program or project undertaken or approved by the U.S. DOT, impacts to the use of any publicly owned
land of a public park; recreation area; or wildlife and waterfowl refuge of national, state, or local significance;
or land from a historic site of national, state, or local significance must be considered. The Act prohibits the
37
38
U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Ecological Services, Carlsbad Field Office, “Biological Opinion on the Immediate
Action Program, Lindbergh Field Facilities Improvements, San Diego International Airport, San Diego, California,” July 16, 1993.]
The Biological Opinion measures were directed at the Port of San Diego, not the SDCRAA, because at the time, SDIA was operated by the
Port. Because the responsibilities regarding the least tern have transferred to the SDCRAA, references to the Port of San Diego have been
revised accordingly.
Affected Environment
[3-28]
Draft EA