General Plan - Moreno Valley

CHAPTER 7 - CONSERVATIONMORENO VALLEY GENERAL PLAN7. CONSERVATION ELEMENT7.1 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES7.1.1 BackgroundThe native habitats within the study areahave undergone considerable modificationover the years. The majority of the valleyfloor was cultivated in the past, whichresulted in the removal of native plants.Introduced grasses became establishedwhen cultivation ended. Introduced grassesand native plant and wildlife species wereprogressively removed as the areaurbanized. Animal species currently foundin urbanized areas are limited to thosecapable of adapting to living in closeproximity to man.Many of the species that once inhabited thevalley remain in nearby natural areas.There are several such areas within oradjacent to the planning area. The SanJacinto Wildlife Area, located at thesoutheast corner of the planning area wasestablished in 1983. This 12,000-acrewildlife preserve is noted its diversity ofmigratory birds. There are three additionallarge areas where natural habitat is retainedin public ownership: Lake Perris RecreationArea, adjacent to the southern city limits,Norton Younglove Park, east of the citylimits, and the Box Springs Mountain Park,located northwest of the city limits. Aconsiderable amount natural habitat is inprivate ownership in the hillsides situated atthe northern and eastern end of theplanning area.Due to wide variations in soil types, terrain,and micro-climates, several different plantcommunities occur. Grasslands arepredominant in the undeveloped portions ofthe valley floor. Unless cultivated, theycontain grasses, annuals, shrubs, andthistle, including foxtail grass (Hordeum),cheatgrass (Bromus), mustards (Brassica),lupines (Lupinus), and Russian thistle(Salsola kali).Another plant community within the studyarea is the Chamise Chaparral, found onsteep northerly slopes within the study area.Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) is thedominant member of this community. Othercommon plants in this zone includewhitehorn brush (Ceanothus crassifolius),sugar sumac (Rhus ovata), yucca (Yuccawhipplei), and black sage (Salvia mellifera).The third common plant community foundwithin the study area is Coastal Sage Scrub,generally found on hillsides. Coastal sagebrush (Artemesia californica) is thedominant species on the north slopes whileBrittlebrush (Encelia farinosa) dominatesthe south facing slopes. Other speciescommonly associated with this zone are:black sage (Salvia mellifera), white sage(Salvia apiana), Yucca (Yucca shidigera),sugar sumac (Rhus ovata) and Californiabuckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum).Coastal sage scrub vegetationSprings and drainage courses supportwater-oriented, riparian species. Theyinclude elderberry (Sambucus mexicanus),sunflower (Helianthus), willows (Salix),mulefat (Baccharis viminalis), horseweed(Conyza coulteri), and wild rhubarb (Rumexhymenosepalum). The larger drainagecourses also support sycamore andcottonwood trees.Page 7-1 July 11, 2006