Draft Environmental Impact Report - California Off Highway Vehicle ...

3.5 Biological Resources
Biological Opinion for the Oroville Facilities Relicensing Project (FERC File Number 2100),
Butte County, California (USFWS 2002); and
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area Sensitive Plant Species Survey (Martin 2005).
General Plan Impact Analysis
The basin at Clay Pit SVRA was excavated in the 1960s and the site has been used for OHV
recreation since 1981. Though biological resources at the SVRA are disturbed relative to their
condition prior to excavation and OHV use, an objective of the Clay Pit SVRA General Plan is to
manage the SVRA to protect the natural resources that remain, in addition to providing quality
OHV recreational experiences. To achieve this, Chapter 4 of the General Plan defines use areas,
which allow construction of new facilities at the SVRA over time. These use areas were located in
part based on the location of known sensitive resources, and proposed facilities have been placed
in areas that will maximize quality OHV recreational experiences while minimizing impacts and
conserving natural resources in the most sensitive areas. In addition, Natural Resource
Management (NRM) Goals and Guidelines in Chapter 4 of the General Plan concerning vegetation,
wildlife, and wetlands and other waters of the U.S. provide for the protection, conservation, and
stewardship of biological resources within Clay Pit SVRA. In addition, a number of NRM guidelines
aim to protect water quality at the site, including in the wetlands and vernal pools, which will
benefit the wetlands and the habitat quality provided by these features.
IMPACT
3.5-1
Potential Loss of or Disturbance to Special-Status Plants
A protocol‐level special‐status plant survey of Clay Pit SVRA was conducted by a qualified botanist
in 2005 and no special‐status plants were found (Martin 2005). In addition, a search of the CNDDB
and the CNPS Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants revealed no sensitive plant species on‐site
(CNDDB 2011; CNPS 2010). While there is a CNDDB occurrence of Ahart’s dwarf rush that
overlaps with the boundary of the SVRA, the record is Accuracy Class 3, meaning it is a nonspecific
bounded area; in other words, the boundaries of this record are not precise. As previously stated,
surveys did not reveal any populations of special‐status plants, including Ahart’s dwarf rush
(Martin 2005). Based on this information, no special‐status plant species are known to occur
within Clay Pit SVRA. Nevertheless, it is possible that special‐status plants could establish within
areas of the SVRA that provide suitable habitat. If special‐status species were present on site,
activities envisioned in the General Plan, such as the construction of facilities and the operation of
OHVs, could cause a loss of or disturbance to special‐status plants.
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
February2012 3.5-6 Draft EIR