Bureau of Land Management's Decision Record and Environmental

Jersey Valley Geothermal Development Project
Environmental Assessment: NV063-EAO8-091
Suitable habitat may be present within the surveyed portions of the Jersey Valley Unit Area,
however no individuals were observed during the field survey (GBE 2008). Habitat may also be
present along portions of the transmission line corridor, however the season long grazing on this
area has reduced the plant diversity over time and this species was not observed during the field
survey (GBE 2008).
Reese River Phacelia
Reese River Phacelia habitat is open, dry to moist, alkaline, nearly barren, sometimes scree
covered, whitish to brownish shrink-sell clay soils derived from fluviolacustrine volcanic ash and
tuff deposits, generally on the steeper slopes of low hills, bluffs, and badlands in the
shadscale-greasewood, sagebrush, and lower pinyon-juniper zones with A triplex confertifolia,
A canescens, Artemisia tridentate, Sarcobatus vermiculatus, tetradym Ia, Phacelia gymnoclada,
Cleomella, etc (NNHP 2001b).
Suitable habitat may be present within the surveyed portions of the Jersey Valley Unit Area,
however no species were observed during the field survey (GBE 2008). No Reese River Phacelia
populations were observed along the transmission line corridor (GBE 2008).
Sadaspyrg and Dixie Valley pyrg
The Sadas pyrg (Pyrgulopsis sadai) and Dixie Valley pyrg (P. dtrensis) are both springsnails
associated with freshwater seeps and springs. While the springs occupied by springsnails vary in
their water quality and quantity, generally speaking, the springs need to be perennial, have
moderate to high flows, cool temperatures, and good water quality. Springs that have been
developed or heavily impacted by livestock, wild horses, or wildlife, are not as likely to have
springsnails as springs with good water quality and riparian vegetation (GBE 2008).
The perennial water sources within the Jersey Valley Unit Area consisted of two springs, neither
possesses cool water and flows were very low. Additionally, both springs were impacted by wild
horses and livestock and did not appear to be suitable habitat for springsnails. No springsnails
were observed within either spring (GBE 2008). No perennial waters occurred along the
transmission line corridor, and therefore, no suitable habitat for the springsnalls existed (GBE
2008).
Western burrowing owl
Western burrowing owls inhabit open terrain and typically create a nest by occupying an
abandoned burrow created by other animals such as a badger (Taxidea taxus). They are also
found in roadside berms (Stamm 2006).
Burrowing owl habitat is marginal within the surveyed portions of the Jersey Valley Unit Area.
One historically active burrowing owl nest exists within 1 mile of the proposed transmission
corridor thus surveys were completed specific to this species. Numerous burrows were observed
during GBE’s 2008 survey, but no sign of burrowing owl activity was observed. The survey was
- 47 -