Environmental Impact Statement - Sonoma Land Trust

California Department of Fish and Game
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Chapter 2. Alternatives
that storm water for seasonal wetlands enhancement. Willow stakes would be
planted along either bank of the ditch to provide more varied habitats.
At the southwest corner of the enhancement area, a new 750-foot long, 1,100
cubic yard drainage ditch may be added to link the existing culvert under
Lakeville Highway that connects culvert C-24 to the existing ditch D-1 that
drains south through culvert C-4 under Highway 37. The purpose of this ditch
would be to provide greater hydrologic connectivity between the Sears Point Site
and the adjacent seasonal wetlands enhancement site, thereby increasing water
management flexibility between the two sites.
In total, up to 57,000 CY of excavated soil from the enhancement area may be
hauled to project areas south of Highway 37 in on-road dump trucks. Excavation
and grading would be accomplished with the same equipment mobilized for the
construction south of Highway 37 and the SMART Railroad line. Equipment
used for the earthwork would include dozers, excavators and off-road trucks or
scrapers, compactors, and a water truck. The pump and flap gates would be
installed with the same equipment, supplies, and crew as the pumps near the
SMART rail line, as discussed above.
North of Highway 37—California Red-Legged Frog
Habitat Enhancement and Other Upland Areas
California Red-Legged Frog Enhancement
An enhancement area for California red-legged frog (CLRF) would be created
along one main stream reach in the northern portion of the NPJV parcel (Figure
2-1). A total of three up to five seasonal ponds would be constructed to create
approximately 0.86 acres of high quality breeding and sheltering habitat for the
CLRF. Each pond would be 0.15-0.20 acre in total area (approximately 125 feet
to 150 feet long by 50 feet wide). The ponds would have a maximum depth of
four to six feet. The ponds would be designed to integrate with the landscape,
mimicking a deep scour pool or oxbow, and would be designed as excavated
basins rather than bermed ponds to have a more natural look. The ponds would
include features preferred by breeding and sheltering CRLF including shallow
bench areas for tadpole rearing, deeper benches that will support emergent marsh
vegetation, and deep water escape areas in the pond center. Ponds would have
seasonal hydrology, ponding into the late fall but not year-round, to support
CRLF and preclude conditions favorable to invasive bullfrogs. The ponds would
be designed and built to be self-sustaining and maintaining, and would not be
equipped with drains.
InstallationAs part of its on-going maintenance of the property north of Highway
37, SLT has already installed approximately 9,00018,500 linear feet of interior
pasture fencing, some of which is exclusionary fencing designed to protect the
riparian area. Up to an additional 2,500 linear feet of exclusionary fencing may
Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration
Project Final Environmental Impact
Report/Environmental Impact Statement
2-32
April 2012