Over 75 species of alien plants were recorded during the first five years after
fire in southern California shrublands, most of which were European annuals. Both cover
and richness of aliens varied between years and plant association. Alien cover was lowest
in the first postfire year in all plant associations and remained low during succession in
chaparral but increased in sage scrub. Alien cover and richness were significantly correlated
with year (time since disturbance) and with precipitation in both coastal and interior sage
scrub associations. Hypothesized factors determining alien dominance were tested with
structural equation modeling. Models that included nitrogen deposition and distance from
the coast were not significant, but with those variables removed we obtained a significant
model that gave an R2 5 0.60 for the response variable of fifth year alien dominance. Factors
directly affecting alien dominance were (1) woody canopy closure and (2) alien seed banks.
Significant indirect effects were (3) fire intensity, (4) fire history, (5) prefire stand structure,
(6) aridity, and (7) community type. According to this model the most critical factor influencing
aliens is the rapid return of the shrub and subshrub canopy. Thus, in these
communities a single functional type (woody plants) appears to the most critical element
controlling alien invasion and persistence. Fire history is an important indirect factor because
it affects both prefire stand structure and postfire alien seed banks. Despite being
fire-prone ecosystems, these shrublands are not adapted to fire per se, but rather to a
particular fire regime. Alterations in the fire regime produce a very different selective
environment, and high fire frequency changes the selective regime to favor aliens. This
study does not support the widely held belief that prescription burning is a viable management
practice for controlling alien species on semiarid landscapes.
The impact of human land uses on ecological systems typically differ relative to how extensively natural conditions are modified. Exurban development is intermediate-intensity residential development that often occurs in natural landscapes. Most species-habitat models do not evaluate the effects of such intermediate levels of human development and even fewer predict how future development patterns might affect the amount and configuration of habitat. We addressed these deficiencies by interfacing a habitat model with a spatially-explicit housing-density model to study the effect of human land uses on the habitat of pumas (Puma concolor) in southern California. We studied the response of pumas to natural and anthropogenic features within their home ranges and how mortality risk varied across a gradient of human development. We also used our housing-density model to estimate past and future housing densities and model the distribution of puma habitat in 1970, 2000, and 2030. The natural landscape for pumas in our study area consisted of riparian areas, oak woodlands, and open, conifer forests embedded in a chaparral matrix. Pumas rarely incorporated suburban or urban development into their home ranges, which is consistent with the hypothesis that the behavioral decisions of individuals can be collectively manifested as population-limiting factors at broader spatial scales. Pumas incorporated rural and exurban development into their home ranges, apparently perceiving these areas as modified, rather than non-habitat. Overall, pumas used exurban areas less than expected and showed a neutral response to rural areas. However, individual pumas that selected for or showed a neutral response to exurban areas had a higher risk of mortality than pumas that selected against exurban habitat. Exurban areas are likely hotspots for pumahuman conflict in southern California. Approximately 10% of our study area will transform from exurban, rural, or undeveloped areas to suburban or urban by 2030, and 35% of suitable puma habitat on private land in 1970 will have been lost by 2030. These land-use changes will further isolate puma populations in southern California, but the ability to visualize these changes had provided a new tool for developing proactive conservation solutions.
Conservation management under human-induced changes to disturbance requires tools that can balancethe needs of multiple species with different life histories and habitat requirements. Despite this urgentconservation need, landscape management typically focuses on single species and rarely includes theinfluence of disturbance-dependent vegetation transitions on multiple target species. In this paper, wedescribe a simulation model that achieves these goals, ranking possible fire management strategies fromthe viewpoint of protecting endangered coastal Southern Californian wildlife. The model involves thedirect and indirect effects of fire on four animal species of conservation concern (coastal cactus wren,California gnatcatcher, Stephens’ kangaroo rat, and Pacific pocket mouse) and five vegetation types (grass,coastal sage scrub, obligate seeding and resprouting chaparral, resprouting-only chaparral, and wood-lands). Using historical fire records for the region, we predicted spatially-explicit fire frequencies andignition probabilities. For these predictions, we simulated the location and extent of fires. Combining firehistory and vegetation transition data from 1933 to 2003, we specified vegetation change probabilitiesunder simulated fire regimes. Fire occurrence in a location altered habitat suitability, directly for each ofthe animal species and indirectly by changing the vegetative community. For some open-habitat species,such as the Stephens’ kangaroo rat and Pacific pocket mouse, fairly frequent fire is required to reduce thedensity of invasive grasses and herbs. For other species, such as the coastal cactus wren and Californiagnatcatcher, frequent fire destroys the mature coastal sage scrub on which these species depend. Themodel includes a management component, allowing us to rank fire management actions. Over a 50-yeartime horizon, we find that populations of California gnatcatchers and Pacific pocket mouse are highlyvariable, and the pocket mouse is particularly prone to decline, despite prescribed burns designed toboost population viability. California gnatcatchers were also likely to be extirpated in the model, withrelatively small extirpation risks for the cactus wren and Stephens’ kangaroo rat. Despite conflictingrequirements with respect to fire and differing life history traits among the four animals, we identified abeneficial strategy for our four target species, namely, controlling fire in coastal sage scrub.
In 2003, southern California experienced several large fires that burned thousands of hectares ; of wildlife habitats and conserved lands. To investigate the effects of these fires on the reptile and
amphibian communities, we compared the results from prefire herpetofauna and vegetation sampling to two
years of postfire sampling across 38 burned and 17 unburned plots. The sampling plots were spread over
four vegetation types and four open space areas within San Diego County. Our capture results indicated that
burned chaparral and coastal sage scrub plots lost herpetofaunal species diversity after the fires and
displayed a significant shift in overall community structure. Shrub and tree cover at the burned plots,
averaged across the second and third postfire years, had decreased by 53% in chaparral and 75% in coastal
sage scrub. Additionally, postfire herpetofauna community structure at burned plots was more similar to that
found in unburned grasslands. In grassland and woodland/riparian vegetation plots, where shrub and tree
cover was not significantly affected by fires, we found no differences in the herpetofaunal species diversity
or community composition. At the individual species level, Sceloporus occidentalis was the most abundant
reptile in these areas both before and after the fires. We saw increases in the net capture rates for several
lizard species, including Aspidoscelis tigris, Phrynosoma coronatum, and Uta stansburiana in burned
chaparral plots and Aspidoscelis hyperythra and U. stansburiana in burned coastal sage scrub plots. The toad,
Bufo boreas, was detected at significantly fewer burned plots in chaparral after the fires. Additionally, we
documented decreases in the number of plots occupied by lizards (Elgaria multicarinata), salamanders
(Batrachoseps major), and snakes (Coluber constrictor, Lampropeltis getula, Pituophis catenifer, and
Masticophis lateralis) in coastal sage scrub and chaparral after the fires. We discuss the individual species
results as they relate to such life-history traits as the susceptibility to initial mortality, the response to the
altered postfire habitat, and shifts in the availability of potential prey. We foresee that a continued unnatural
fire regime will result in a simplification of the southern California reptile and amphibian communities.
Evergreen chaparral and semideciduous sage scrub shrublands were studied
for five years after fires in order to evaluate hypothesized determinants of postfire recovery
and succession. Residual species present in the immediate postfire environment dominated
early succession. By the fifth year postfire, roughly half of the species were colonizers not
present in the first year, but they comprised only 7–14% cover. Successional changes were
evaluated in the context of four hypotheses: (1) event-dependent, (2) fire interval, (3) selfregulatory,
and (4) environmental filter hypotheses. Characteristics specific to the fire event,
for example, fire severity and annual fluctuations in precipitation, were important determinants
of patterns of change in cover and density, supporting the ‘‘event-dependent’’
hypothesis. The ‘‘fire interval’’ hypothesis is also supported, primarily through the impact
of short intervals on reproductive failure in obligate seeding shrubs and the impact of long
intervals on fuel accumulation and resultant fire severity. Successional changes in woody
cover were correlated with decreases in herb cover, indicating support for ‘‘self-regulatory’’
effects. Across this landscape there were strong ‘‘environmental filter’’ effects that resulted
in complex patterns of postfire recovery and succession between coastal and interior associations
of both vegetation types.
Of relevance to fire managers is the finding that postfire recovery patterns are substantially
slower in the interior sage scrub formations, and thus require different management
strategies than coastal formations. Also, in sage scrub (but not chaparral), prefire stand age
is positively correlated with fire severity, and negatively correlated with postfire cover.
Differential responses to fire severity suggest that landscapes with combinations of high
and low severity may lead to enhanced biodiversity. Predicting postfire management needs
is complicated by the fact that vegetation recovery is significantly controlled by patterns
of precipitation.
There is a growing body of literature covering the responses of bird species to wildland
fire events. Our study was unique among these because we investigated the effects of
large-scale wildland fires on entire bird communities across multiple vegetation types. We
conducted avian point counts during the breeding seasons for two years before and two
years after the Cedar and Otay Fires in 2003 in southern California. Our balanced sampling
effort took place at two sites, one low-elevation and one high-elevation, each containing
replicate stations (burned and unburned) within five vegetation types: chaparral, coastal
sage scrub, grassland, oak woodland, and riparian. Although fire caused some degree of
change in the vegetation structure at all of our impacted survey points, we found that the
post-fire shrub and tree cover was significantly lower in only two of the vegetation types
within the low-elevation site, coastal sage scrub and chaparral. We found no significant
changes in cover at the high-elevation site. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, we
tested whether the fires were associated with a change in bird species diversity, community
structure, and the relative abundance of individuals within a species. We found that species
diversity changed in only one circumstance: it increased in coastal sage scrub at the lowelevation
site. Multivariate analyses revealed significant differences in the post-fire bird
community structure in the low-elevation chaparral, low-elevation coastal sage scrub,
and the high-elevation grassland communities. Vegetation characteristics altered by fire,
such as decreases in shrub and tree cover, influenced the changes we observed in the bird
communities. The relative abundance of some species (lazuli bunting [Passerina amoena]
and horned lark [Eremophila alpestris]) significantly increased after the fires, while other
species declined significantly (Anna’s hummingbird [Calypte anna], wrentit [Chamaea
fasciata], and bushtit [Psaltriparus minimus]). We detected mixed results for the spotted
towhee (Pipilo maculatus), which increased in burned chaparral and declined in burned
coastal sage scrub within the low-elevation site. We suggest that the observed responses
of birds to these fires may be attributed to: (1) the availability of nearby unburned refugia,
(2) the continued suitability of post-fire vegetation at the study sites, and (3) the generally
high mobility of this taxon.
Overview
From its inception in 1960, the University of California, San Diego
has engaged in integrated campus planning. Its earliest formal plans,
the 1963 Academic Plan and the 1963 Long Range Development
Plan (LRDP), defined key academic and auxiliary program goals, and
described physical design concepts which guided the transformation
of the main campus site, a former military training base, into a world
class research university.
- Financial Plan which delineates
UC San Diego's key academic, strategic, and specific building
goals,
- summarizes the planning and design criteria that guide the siting
and development of capital projects,
- describes the consultative processes that enable sustainable
growth and preservation of the campus' extraordinary physical
environment, and
- provides a synopsis of the portfolio and hierarchy of land use
plans and design. Documents that guide physical improvements
include a) the LRDP, b) urban design philosophy for the entire
campus known as the Master Plan Study, and c) a series of analyses
that provide guidance for the development of specific regions of
the campus known as neighborhood planning studies.
The Physical Development Framework is a synthesis of this
compendium of plans which enable effective stewardship of UC San
Diego's physical environs and implementation of individual capital
projects. Appendices 1-4 provide the complete set of campus planning
documents which this Framework incorporates by reference.
- The LRDP (Appendix 1) is the official, general land use plan
adopted by the Regents in 2004, and evaluated in a program
level Environmental Impact Report, that guides the physical
development of the campus. The LRDP identifies key academic
and student life goals, development objectives, campus land
uses, and amounts of new building space needed to support
program expansion through the planning horizon year of 2020-
21. Further, the LRDP includes key planning parameters: e.g.,
enrollment targets, faculty and staff population statistics, square
footage objectives, housing and parking data, etc.1
- The 1989 Master Plan Study (Appendix 2) is an advisory
document which provides an urban design philosophy and
concepts that have been incorporated into the LRDP in the
form of five guiding planning principles:
- The Park: preserve and enhance the natural setting,
including the Eucalyptus groves, canyons, and
chaparral covered areas, which provides the c
Fire can have both negative and positive impacts
on the flora and fauna of southern California. The
native vegetation communities have evolved with
the regional fire regime and have adapted various
survival strategies in response. However, as firereturn
intervals decrease to more frequent than
historic levels, the trend is for shrublands, whether
chaparral or coastal sage scrub, to be vegetation
type-converted to grasslands. Just as fires alter
the composition and structure of vegetation communities,
animals may experience similar shifts in
community structure and species occurrence. With
the type-conversion of vegetation communities,
we may expect a concomitant shift and potential
biodiversity loss in faunal populations. Fire may
cause direct mortality or loss of habitat and food
resources that result in the decline of some species.
Other species that survive the fire and prefer
open or disturbed landscapes may benefit, thereby
increasing in numbers.
The U.S. Geological Survey is investigating how
plant and animal communities are responding
and recovering from the massive 2003 San Diego
County wildfires. The taxa being investigated
include plants, invertebrates (selected terrestrial
macro-invertebrate taxa and ants) and vertebrates
(reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, birds, bats,
and carnivores). Investigations include comparisons
of post-burn conditions to pre-burn baseline
conditions and comparisons of responses of the
various taxa between burned and unburned control
sites based on available pre-burn data and data
collected over the five-year study. The goal of this
study is to provide scientifically based information
to aid in land management planning and reserve
design. These conservation and monitoring decisions
should include considerations of the effects
of large wildfires on structure and function of the
biological community. Many of the species documented
during these efforts are covered in the
habitat conservation plan of San Diego, the Multiple
Species Conservation Program (MSCP).
Task 3 for “Evaluation and Refinement of Vegetation Monitoring Methods for The San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP)†has been completed. The results of our 5 year data analysis were presented to a general audience on Monday, December 12, 2011, in a talk entitled
Monitoring Practices for Vegetation: Pilot Studies to Power Analysisâ€. A copy of the PowerPoint presentation is attached to this document. During this talk we detailed the last 5 years of work, which began in 2007 with a Local Assistance Grant from the California Department of Fish and Game, and continued from 2008 forward with SANDAG funding. We covered the process of setting monitoring goals and objectives; and described the pilot study, data visualization, variance decomposition, and power analysis as a case study for establishing a monitoring project in the San Diego MSCP. The presentation also contained specific recommendations about sample sizes and techniques when monitoring coastal sage scrub (CSS) and chaparral community types. The data collected over the course of this project is contained on the CD that accompanies this document.
In addition, Dr. Douglas Stow from the SDSU Geography Department and Ms. Caitlin Lippitt presented an introduction on Multiple End-member Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) and a preliminary report on using MESMA for wall-to-wall monitoring applications in the MSCP (presentation also attached). This presentation largely deals with using novel remote-sensing techniques to provide full spatial coverage of the MSCP vegetation communities.
This 2013 Wildland Fire Workshop focused on Southern California and landscape level fires occurring in the last decade. This workshop brought together land managers, researchers, and fire management personnel to continue the discussions on the topic of wildland fire impacts to at risk natural resources. The purpose of the workshop was to present, collaborate, and plan wildland fire-related research, management, responses, and future recovery as it applies to the “at risk†natural resources of San Diego County.
Recording from the August 10, 2022 MSP Land Managers Meetings. Presentations: Annual Update for San Diego Regional Invasive Plant Control (Jason Giewssow, Dendra, Inc.), Mutt Kupshuw - ‘Éexil Kwáavichush National Monument: Protecting the chaparral ecosystems along the Pacific Crest (David Hogan, CLC), Resource Advisor Coordination (Robert Fisher, USGS and James Gannon, BLM).
Recording for the July 22, 2020 SDMMP Mgmt. and Mon. Coordination Meeting. Least Bell's Habitat Suitability Model for California– Kris Preston (USGS/ SDMMP). Old-growth Chaparral Stores More Carbon than Younger Burnt Stands – Breahna Gillespie (UC Davis/ SDSU)
Recording from the October 25, 2023 SDMMP Management and Monitoring Coordination Meeting. Presentations: Regional Coastal Sage Scrub and Chaparral Monitoring Program for Conserved Lands in Western San Diego County (Emily Perkins and Kris Preston, SDMMP, and Robert Fisher and Philip Gould, USGS).
Recording for the June 23, 2021 SDMMP Mgmt. and Mon. Coordination Meeting. Breahna Gillespie (SDSU/UC Davis) shared "Fog duration and amount impacts hydrological balance in a montane chaparral community". Kris Taniguchi-Quan (SCCWRP) shared "Evaluating Vulnerability of Streams to Hydrologic Alteration across San Diego Region"..
The Simon Preserve (Preserve) consists of approximately 617 acres in unincorporated San Diego County. Dudek biologists performed the following baseline biological surveys from spring through fall 2009: vegetation mapping, focused botanical surveys, exotic species mapping, general butterfly surveys, herpetological pitfall trap surveys, avian point count surveys, bat surveys, small mammal trapping, and large and medium mammal surveys. This report documents the methods and results of these surveys, and provides various management recommendations to preserve and enhance the function of the Preserve as biological open space in the context of the regional conservation goals of the draft North County Multiple Species Conservation Plan (North County MSCP). The County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) proposes to manage the Preserve in accordance with a Resource Management Plan (RMP) including Area-Specific Management Directives (ASMDs) that will be prepared based upon the baseline biological survey information established in this report.
Based on species composition and general physiognomy, a total of 15 native or naturalized plant communities, including disturbed forms and mixed vegetation types, were identified on site: Diegan coastal sage scrub, disturbed Diegan coastal sage scrub, chamise chaparral, coastal sage scrub-southern mixed chaparral, disturbed coastal sage scrub-southern mixed chaparral, southern mixed chaparral, non-native grassland, southern coast live oak riparian woodland, southern cottonwood-willow riparian forest, southern riparian woodland, southern willow scrub, arrowweed scrub, coast live oak woodland, open Engelmann oak woodland, and eucalyptus woodland. In addition, disturbed habitat, developed land, and orchard land covers were identified.
A total of 203 vascular plant species were recorded on the Preserve during surveys. Four specialstatus plant species were observed, of which three are covered under the North County MSCP, and one, San Diego thorn-mint (Acanthomintha ilicifolia), is federally and state listed. A total of 93 wildlife species were observed or detected on the Preserve during surveys, including 8 reptiles, 52 birds, 16 mammals, and 17 invertebrates. Seventeen special-status wildlife species were observed or detected on the Preserve, including five species covered under the North County MSCP.
Introduction
This Preserve Management Plan (PMP) details the activities necessary to preserve existing Coastal Sage Scrub and Southern Maritime Chaparral habitat within the 8.3-acre open space lot on the La Costa Collection Townhomes project site (Project). Preservation of the preserve area is to be partial compensatory mitigation for the environmental impacts from the La Costa Collection residential development project. This PMP has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the original project (i.e. the Moonstone Residential Development Project), and the Carlsbad Habitat Management Plan (HMP). The Carlsbad HMP is a subarea plan of the Multiple Habitat Conservation Program (MHCP), a landscape-level habitat conservation plan developed under the auspices of the State's Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP) program.
This biological resources report was prepared for the County of San Diego (County) in order to
provide information on baseline biological conditions prior to the Cedar Fire of 2003 and to assist in
the formation of Area Specific Management Directives (ASMDs) for the Barnett Ranch Open Space
Preserve (Preserve) on the approximately 728-acre Barnett Ranch located in the unincorporated
Ramona Community Planning Area of central San Diego County east of State Route (SR) 67 and
south of SR 78.
The project site supports 16 vegetation communities: southern coast live oak riparian forest, southern
willow scrub, freshwater seep, riparian scrub, open water, open Engelmann oak woodland, coast live
oak woodland, wildflower field, Diegan coastal sage scrub (including disturbed), coastal sage-chaparral
scrub, southern mixed chaparral, non-native grassland, eucalyptus woodland, extensive agriculture,
disturbed habitat, and developed land.
No federally or state listed threatened or endangered plant species were observed on site; however,
one plant species of federal special concern was observed: felt-leaved monardella (Monardella hypoleuca
ssp. lanata). In addition, four plant species recognized as sensitive by the California Native Plant
Society and/or the County were observed: delicate clarkia (Clarkia delicata), San Diego County
viguiera (Viguiera laciniata), Engelmann oak (Quercus engelmannii), and ashy-spike moss (Selaginella
cinerascens).
No animal species listed as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
or California Department of Fish and Game were observed on the site; however, 10 animals observed
on site are federal species of concern: orange-throated whiptail (Cnemidophorus hyperythrus beldingi),
coastal whiptail (Cnemidophorus tigris stejnegeri), coastal rosy boa (Lichanura trivirgata roseofusca),
southern California rufous-crowned sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps canescens), loggerhead shrike (Lanius
ludovicianus), California thrasher (Toxostoma redivivum), white-tailed kite (Elanus leucurus), Costa's
hummingbird (Calypte costae), lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus), and Pacific slope flycatcher
(Empidonax difficilis). Ten animals observed on site are California species of special concern: silvery
legless lizard (Anniella pulchra pulchra), prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus), northern red-diamond
rattlesnake (Crotalus exsul), golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperi), sharpshinned
The MHCP was designed to “maintain connections between each of the major lagoon and estuary systems with larger blocks of inland habitats to allow movement of wildlife species†and allow for “demographic and genetic exchange by all species between preserve areas…to facilitate access by larger predators…between upland scrub and chaparral habitats and coastal habitats.†(MHCP, 2003). In order to evaluate the effectiveness of that design, the MHCP identifies several priority monitoring locations to establish where major constraints to mammal movement exist; some of these locations are within the HMP area. Tiering off of the MHCP, a key objective of the HMP is to “maintain functional wildlife corridors and habitat linkages within the city and to the region†(HMP, 2004). The design of the preserve system is based upon the HMP Focus Planning Area, which identified eight core habitat areas connected by six linkage areas (Figure 2). Currently 6,143 of the target 6,478-acre preserve (95%) has been conserved.
The purpose of this Biological Diversity Baseline Report for the Lawrence and Barbara
Daley Preserve is to provide the County of San Diego with information on existing
biological conditions to assist in the development of Area Specific Management
Directives. The approximately 597-acre1 Preserve is located in the south central portion
of San Diego County, in the community of Dulzura, north and east of Highway 94 and
south of Honey Springs Road. Technology Associates International Corporation
(Technology Associates) assisted by the San Diego Natural History Museum, conducted
baseline biological surveys at the Preserve on behalf of the County of San Diego
Department of Parks and Recreation.
Baseline surveys were conducted in the winter, spring, and summer of 2009-2010.
Biologists conducted the following surveys to assess the current status of biological
resources onsite: (1) mapping of vegetation communities, (2) a floral inventory including
rare plant surveys, (3) butterfly inventory surveys, (4) pitfall trapping for amphibians,
reptiles, and small mammals, (5) arroyo toad surveys, (6) aquatic herpetofauna surveys,
(7) diurnal avian point count surveys, (8) nocturnal avian surveys, (9) acoustic bat
surveys, (10) small mammal trapping, and (11) track and camera station surveys for
medium and large mammals. Due to the 2007 Harris fire that burned all of the Preserve,
results of these surveys may under-represent the diversity of plant and wildlife species
that occupy the Preserve.
Ten vegetation communities were mapped within the Preserve and consist of Diegan
coastal sage scrub, coastal sage-chaparral scrub, southern mixed chaparral, native
grassland, non-native grassland, southern riparian woodland, coast live oak woodland,
eucalyptus woodland, disturbed habitat, and urban/developed habitat. The most abundant
vegetation community on the Preserve is Diegan coastal sage scrub, which makes up
approximately 417.20 acres or 70% of the total area. Floristic surveys documented 355
plant taxa occurring on site. These include both native and non-native species along with
eleven sensitive (California Native Plant Society List 1-4) plant species, including: desert
fragrance (Ambrosia monogyra), San Diego needlegrass (Achnatherum diegoensis),
Palmer's sagewort (Artemisia palmeri), San Diego sunflower (Bahiopsis [Viguiera]
laciniata), delicate clarkia (Clarkia delicata), Palmer's goldenbush (Ericameria palmeri
var. palmeri), chocolate lil
Current SDecies Status: This plan addresses six vernal pool species that are
listed as endangered and one that is proposed for threatened status: Eryngium
aristulatum var. parishii (San Diego button-celery), Orcuttia calfornica
(California Orcutt grass), Pogogyne abramsii (San Diego mesa mint), Pogogyne
nudiuscula (Otay mesa mint), Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus woottoni),
San Diego fairy shrimp (Branchinecta sandiegonensis), and Navarretiafossalis
(spreading navarretia).
Pogogyne abramsii was listed as endangered on September 28, 1978. Pogogyne
nudiuscula, Orcuttia ca1~fornica, Eryngium aristulatum var. parishii, and the
Riverside fairy shrimp were listed as endangered on August 3, 1993. The San
Diego fairy shrimp was listed as endangered on February 3, 1997. Navarretia
fossalis was proposed for listing as threatened on December 15, 1994.
Historically, San Diego, vernal pool habitat probably covered no more than 6
percent ofthe county, approximately 520 square kilometers (200 square miles).
Currently levels estimate a loss of vernal pool habitat in the San Diego County
around 95 to 97 percent because ofintensive cultivation and urbanization (Bauder
and McMillan 1998). Lack ofhistorical dataprecludes the same depth of analysis
for Los Angeles County, Riverside County, Orange County, or San Bernardino
Counties, but losses are considered nearly total (USFWS 1993). The current
distribution ofpools in northern Baja California, Mexico, probably comes much
closer to the historic condition (Bauder and McMillan 1998).
Habitat Requirements and Limiting Factors: Following winter rainstorms,
vernal pools form in depressions above an impervious soil layer or layers. Water
evaporates from these pools during the spring and early summer. Vegetation
communities associated with adjacent upland habitats that surround the vernal
pools in southern California are valley needlegrass grassland, annual grasslands,
coastal sage scrub, maritime succulent scrub, and chaparral.
iii
Prior to 1945, the primary threats to southern California vernal poois were
grazing. water impoundments, and conversion to agriculture. In recent years,
urbanization and construction of infrastructure have resulted in losses of habitat
estimated to be as high as 97 percent. Urbanization can directly impact pools
through elimination of the habitat by soil alteration, vegetation alteration,
alterations in hydrological regimes, and water quality. Where pools remain th
In 2003 and 2007, southern California experienced several large fires which
burned thousands of hectares of wildlife habitats and conserved lands. In order to
investigate the effects of the fires on plant communities, we compared the results from
vegetation sampling conducted prior to the fires to results from four consecutive years of
post-fire sampling among 38 burned and 17 unburned plots. The sampling plots were
spread over four vegetation types (chaparral, coastal sage scrub, woodland/riparian, and
grassland) and four open space areas within San Diego County. Our survey results
indicated that burned plots of chaparral and coastal sage scrub lost shrub and tree canopy
cover after the fires and displayed shifts in overall community structure. Post-fire
community structure within burned chaparral and coastal sage scrub plots was more
similar to that found in grasslands. We did not find differences in species richness or
community composition in grasslands or woodland/riparian vegetation where shrub and
tree cover did not significantly change after the fires. Across all plots both before and
after the fires, non-native grass was the most abundant “speciesâ€, followed by chamise
(Adenostoma fasciculatum) which was consistently the second most abundant species.
We saw increases in the cover rates for several species, including peak rush-rose
(Helianthemum scoparium) and Ceanothus spp., in burned chaparral and coastal sage
scrub plots. California sagebrush (Artemisia californica) and California buckwheat
(Eriogonum fasciculatum) appear to have declined drastically in our coastal sage scrub
samples with little to no signs of recovering. Chamise, Tecate cypress (Cupressus
forbesii), and pines (Pinus spp.) also declined, but it apprears that there has been some
progress in the post-fire recovery of these species. We discuss these individual species
results as they relate to specific life history traits, such as susceptibility to initial mortality
and post-fire changes in habitat suitability. We foresee that a continued unnatural fire
regime for southern California will result in a simplification of the southern California
vegetation communities, especially in the shrublands.
We establish a framework for building conceptual models for species, communities, and landscapes in San Diego's Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) and present four case studies which illustrate the construction of conceptual models and their utility in identifying components for monitoring. We present case studies of conceptual models for a covered plant (Ambrosia pumila) and animal species (California gnatcatcher), a community (coastal sage scrub), and a landscape (coastal sage scrub-chaparral-grassland). As this is an iterative process, we present a first version of each model, followed by comments made at a workshop with the MSCP partners, our responses, and a revised version of the model. We also identify key uncertainties for each case study.
We recommend four major steps in conceptual model development to help identify the parameters and elements to be monitored:
1. Identify the monitoring goals for the relevant species, community, or landscape.
2. Identify the major current and historical anthropogenic threats, natural drivers, and population or community parameters that dictate current or future status and trends.
3. Identify potential management responses for the relevant species or system.
4. Identify what to monitor based on the main parameters that link to the dynamics of the relevant species or community in the context of the monitoring goals.
Using the case studies presented here as a guide, the MSCP partners can develop conceptual models for other species, communities, and landscapes as the monitoring program proceeds. These models can and should be updated as the knowledge base for these systems improves as a result of monitoring and management implementation.
The Chaparral Lands Conservancy (TCLC) submits the tenth and final report for the Rare Plants Project. Project activities during this period included restoration and management (Task 2), and grant reporting and administration (Task 3).
TCLC has completed project tasks to carry out planning and permitting, restoration and management, and Project and grant management. Work to implement all grant contract tasks was conducted and most results were achieved. However, the success of one major deliverable – establishment of four new Orcutt’s spineflower populations through seeding – remains unknown due to poor environmental conditions. A summary of work under each category of the EMP grant agreement scope of work is provided below.
San Diego thornmint (Acanthomintha ilicifolia) is a federally and state endangered annual plant species that is restricted to San Diego County and Baja California, Mexico (CNDDB 2013, Beauchamp 1986). Within San Diego County, this species is found largely within the Management Strategic Planning Area (MSPA) (SDMMP 2013) (Figure 1), where it occurs on clay soils or clay lenses in chaparral, scrub, and grassland habitats (Oberbauer and Vanderwier 1991, SANDAG 2012). San Diego thornmint occurs in a relatively large number of populations for a rare species, but many of these face multiple challenges that threaten population and, possibly, species persistence across the region.
Under a Local Assistance Grant (LAG) from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the Conservation Biology Institute (CBI), in partnership with the San Diego Management and Monitoring Program (SDMMP), conducted a comprehensive review of existing information, past research, and current management and monitoring for San Diego thornmint and developed an Adaptive Management Framework for future research and monitoring. Components of this framework include: Developing or reviewing models, Identifying potential environmental correlates, Assessing threats and stressors, Developing management goals and objectives, Identifying potential opportunity areas, Compiling/developing Best Management Practices and monitoring metrics.
Monitoring to detect ecological change is an important component of many environmental and conservation programs. Developing effective monitoring programs for conservation plans is scientifically and logistically challenging. The Nature Reserves of Orange County (NROC) hold 38,000 acres enrolled within the Orange County NCCP. NROC is obligated to monitor the condition of conservation values through time and has identified vegetation communities as targets for long term monitoring. The Nature Conservancy holds conservation easements on properties adjacent to NROC NCCP lands, and both entities have similar monitoring requirements. The objective of this project is to evaluate the precision and accuracy of different sampling designs and field protocols for monitoring vegetation communities in the Orange County conservation lands, primarily coastal sage scrub (CSS), chaparral, and grasslands in central Orange County. This information addresses many of the fundamental questions surrounding the selection of both response designs and sampling designs and provides a foundation for long-term monitoring. Initial sampling effort was stratified across vegetation types, including coastal sage scrub (CSS), chaparral and grasslands. Although the OC NCCP and TNC easement lands encompass many more vegetation types, CSS, chaparral and grasslands were prioritized based on previous work in the San Diego MSCP. This stratification across habitat types was coordinated with sampling in the San Diego MSCP to improve the power of the analysis and expand our understanding to the entire southern California region. This larger, combined data set will provide both sponsors a more robust set of conclusions and dramatically advance our ability to monitor southern California vegetation communities.
Methods: We set up eight plots throughout the inland portions of open space in central Orange County. A total of six plots were established on TNC easement lands with the remaining two established on NROC NCCP lands. We used plots that were 20m by50 m (0.1ha) and included ten 100m2 (10mx10m) subplots, two 50m point-intercept transects and the twenty 1m2 quadrats. All three data collection protocols were used by each team at all visited plots. Plot set-up was performed in late April, and field sampling was conducted by two teams in mid-May. Our field protocols recorded a number of response variables, including the species richness of the vegetation being sampled and the cover of individual spe
Del Mar manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia) is listed as endangered by the federal government. This rare plant species is typically found in coastal chaparral areas within southern San Diego County. It is a large, typically upright shrub that blooms between December and April and can be confused with other types of manzanita, such as eastwood manzanita (Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. glandulosa).
Prioritization of communities for monitoring was based on the following criteria: representativeness, extent, fragmentation, endangerment and threats. Aggregated communities that received high priority rankings based on several criteria include CSS and meadows & freshwater wetlands. Communities with high endangerment or threats should also receive high priority and include: Southern foredunes, Southern coastal salt marsh, Southern coastal bluff scrub, Maritime succulent scrub, Diegan coastal sage scrub, Southern maritime chaparral, Valley needlegrass grassland, Cismontane alkali marsh, Southern arroyo willow riparian forest, Southern willow scrub, Engelmann oak woodland, Torrey Pine forest, and Tecate Cypress forest.
This report will: describe the current state of the MSCP Preserve, discuss natural community assemblages and alternative vegetation community classifications for the MSCP, describe the use of landscape stratification based on environmental variables as an alternative to vegetation classification, discuss the grouping of communities for the monitoring program, and prioritize natural communities for monitoring protocol development.
Michael Brandman Associates (MBA) conducted a baseline biodiversity study of the County of San Diego?s Mount Olympus Preserve (Preserve) to provide the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) with current baseline biological data and information to assist in developing a Resource Management Plan (RMP) including Area Specific Management Directives (ASMDs). The Preserve is located approximately six miles south of the City of Temecula just east of the Community of Rainbow in the northern portion of San Diego County, California. The Preserve is owned and managed by the County of San Diego DPR. Baseline biological surveys were conducted on the 707.6-acre Preserve in the late spring and summer of 2009 (April through September).
They detected six vegetation communities including coast live oak woodland, native grassland, non-native grassland, non-native vegetation, southern mixed chaparral, and disturbed habitat were identified within the Preserve. Southern mixed chaparral is the most abundant vegetation community on the Preserve. Plant surveys documented 133 plant species occurring within the Preserve including three sensitive species, two of which are North County Multiple Species Conservation Program (North County MSCP) covered species.
Wildlife surveys, along with incidental observations, documented 149 wildlife species within the Preserve including 16 butterfly species, 51 other invertebrate species , one amphibian species, 11 reptile species, 42 bird species, and 27 mammal species. A total of 13 sensitive wildlife species were detected, four of which are North County MSCP covered species.
ICF International (ICF) conducted a baseline biological inventory study at the Santa Margarita Preserve (Preserve) that included the following: (1) vegetation surveys with habitat community mapping, rare plant, and California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) invasive plant species mapping components, (2) butterfly surveys, (3) herpetofauna surveys including pitfall arrays, (4) ornithological surveys including diurnal point counts and nocturnal surveys, and (5) mammal surveys including small mammal trapping, camera stations for medium to large mammals, and bat surveys.
This report summarizes all survey methodologies and data collected during the 2011 survey period (April through October).
The Preserve includes approximately 210 acres1 and consists of 13 plant alliances or associations. The vegetation communities on-site are dominated by high quality Diegan coastal sage scrub, scrub oak chaparral, and southern willow scrub, but contain a large area of poison hemlock along the banks of Santa Margarita River. Two in a half miles of multi-use trails are located on the eastern portion of the Preserve. To the north the trails connect to the Fallbrook Public Utility Districts trails.
The current survey effort documented 340 species within the Preserve. Specifically, the surveys detected 214 plant species and 126 wildlife species. Of these species, two (2) plants are considered special status and will also be covered by the Draft North County Multiple Species Conservation Project (Draft North County MSCP); 20 special-status wildlife species were detected during the surveys of which seven (7) are proposed to be covered by the Draft North County MSCP.
We monitored populations of Palmer?s goldenbush (Ericameria palmeri var. palmeri) on the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge between October 4 and October 31, 2002. Palmer?s goldenbush is a rare, perennial, yellow-flowered shrub in the Family Asteraceae that occurs below 600 meters elevation along coastal drainages and dry valleys, in Diegan coastal sage scrub, and in mesic chaparral.
According to the MSCP ?Biological Monitoring Guidelines?, Third Priority Covered Species, such as Palmer?s goldenbush require biological monitoring once every 5 years. The Guidelines recommend (require) using permanent photo plots for monitoring of Third Priority plant species. Although photo plot methods may provide some useful information such as areal extent of a species or changes in plant cover of a particular species, more valuable data such as population structure, plant phenology, and site attributes are required to determine the trends that make long-term monitoring effective. Because of these reasons we chose a more rigorous, yet simple method to monitor Palmer?s goldenbush on the Refuge.
This report is to provide a summary of the results of Task 1, applied conservation research on Orcutt’s
spineflower (Chorizanthe orcuttiana; “spineflowerâ€) consistent with the terms of the Cooperative
Endangered Species Conservation Fund (Section 6) Grant Agreement No. P1482008 between The
Chaparral Lands Conservancy (TCLC) and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Under the terms
of the grant agreement, applied conservation research includes GIS mapping of suitable habitat soils and
population surveys at remaining natural historic documented occurrences and in newly mapped suitable
habitat on conserved lands off the Point Loma Navy Base.
Baseline surveys were conducted in the winter, spring, and summer of 2008. Biologists conducted the following surveys to assess the current status of biological resources onsite: (1) mapping of vegetation communities, (2) a floral inventory including rare plant surveys, (3) checklist butterfly surveys, (4) pitfall trapping to sample amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals, (5) focused arroyo toad surveys, (6) aquatic herpetofauna surveys, (7) diurnal avian point count surveys, (8) nocturnal avian surveys, (9) acoustic sampling and roost and foraging surveys for bats, (10) small mammal trapping using live Sherman traps, and (11) track and camera station surveys for medium and large mammals. Due to a series of drought years and recent wildfires that have burned much of the Preserve, results of these surveys may under-represent the diversity of plant and wildlife species that occupy the Preserve.
Nine vegetation communities were mapped within the Preserve and consist of southern coast live oak riparian forest, Diegan coastal sage scrub, southern mixed chaparral, mafic southern mixed chaparral, non-native grassland, coast live oak woodland, eucalyptus woodland, disturbed habitat, and urban/developed. The most abundant vegetation community on the Preserve is southern mixed chaparral. Floristic surveys documented 337 plant taxa occurring in the nine vegetation communities. These include both native and non-native species along with seven sensitive plant species: Brewer?s calandrinia, Humboldt?s lily, Cleveland?s bush monkey flower, felt-leaved monardella, Fish?s milkwort, Robinson?s pepper-grass, and Engelmann oak.
A total of 150 animal species were documented from the Preserve during the 2008
baseline surveys. These include 16 species of butterflies, three species of amphibians, 16 species of reptiles, 78 species of birds, and 37 species of mammals. No federally or state listed species were detected; however, 13 non-listed sensitive species were detected during baseline surveys.
Dudek conducted a baseline biodiversity study of the Escondido Creek Preserve (Preserve) to
provide the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) with current
baseline biological data and information needed to develop a Resource Management Plan
(RMP), including Area-Specific Management Directives (ASMDs), for the Preserve. The
Preserve is located in the Elfin Forest community of unincorporated San Diego County and is
owned and managed by DPR.
This report documents the methods and results of this study, and provides various management
recommendations for AMSDs to preserve and enhance the function of the Preserve as biological
open space in the context of the conservation goals and guidelines of the Draft North County
Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) Plan.
Dudek biologists performed the following baseline biological surveys on the Preserve from
summer 2010 through spring 2011: vegetation mapping, focused botanical surveys, exotic
species mapping, general butterfly surveys, herpetological pitfall trap surveys, avian point count
surveys, bat surveys, small mammal trapping, and large and medium mammal surveys.
Thirteen vegetation communities and land cover types were identified on site including: Diegan
coastal sage scrub, eucalyptus woodland, non-native grassland, southern coast live oak riparian
forest, southern mixed chaparral, southern willow scrub, coast live oak woodland, southern
riparian woodland, valley needlegrass grassland, non-native vegetation, disturbed habitat,
developed land, and orchard.
A total of 184 plant species were recorded on the Preserve during the surveys. Six special-status
plant species were observed, of which two are North County MSCP-covered species. A total of
145 wildlife species were observed or detected on the Preserve during the surveys, including 4
amphibians, 12 reptiles, 83 birds, 31 mammals, and 15 butterflies. Twenty-nine special-status
wildlife species were observed or detected on the Preserve, including nine North County MSCP
covered species.
The County of San Diego's Barnett Ranch Preserve (Preserve) is part of the South and
North County Multiple Species Conservation Programs (MSCP) and managed by the
County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) pursuant to management
and monitoring guidelines identified in the South County MSCP and in the Barnett Ranch
Preserve Area Specific Management Directives (ASMD). A baseline monitoring study
conducted between 2001 and 2003 collected biological data on the Preserve. However, the
Cedar Fire in 2003 burned the entire Preserve, effectively changing short term habitat
conditions. This report details results of the monitoring surveys conducted in 2009, and
provides analysis and conclusions relative to habitat conditions and specific-specific
management recommendations.
MSCP monitoring guidelines are currently being updated, revised and developed. Regional
monitoring approaches and specific habitat monitoring protocols are being studied by
researchers of San Diego State University (SDSU); animal monitoring protocols are being
drafted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS), the latter of which is also researching specific monitoring protocols for sensitive
plants. In lieu of the availability of preserve-specific monitoring protocols, monitoring
methods for the 2009 surveys either used established protocols or draft regional MSCP
monitoring protocols adapted for preserve-level monitoring. The following monitoring
surveys were performed in 2009: vegetation communities mapping, general wildlife, habitat
monitoring, herpetological pitfall array, and wildlife corridor/movement surveys.
The Preserve consists mainly of non-native grassland habitats in the center of the
Preserve, which were historically influenced by grazing. Chaparral habitats are also well
represented and seem to be recovering from the effects of the 2003 Cedar Fire, although
vegetation community transitions and chaparral ecotones are unusually frequent on the
Preserve. However, coastal sage scrub, which has historically covered large portions on
the site, seems to be receding, possibly due to the effects of several wildfires that have
burned the site. Results from habitat monitoring surveys suggest that type conversion
from scrub habitats to non-native grasslands seem to be occurring, most likely as a result
of the 2003 Cedar Fire. In addition, the Preserve's oak woodlands were also significantly
affected by t
San Diego’s Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) is a comprehensive Habitat Conservation Plan developed with the goal of conserving native vegetation communities and associated species in a nearly 2,500-square-kilometer area in southwestern San Diego County. A biological monitoring program was proposed in 1996, but was never widely adopted. Over the past 10 years, several attempts have been made to develop a comprehensive monitoring program that is supported by the many jurisdictions and stakeholders. The objective of this NCCP Local Assistance Grant project is to evaluate different sampling designs and field protocols for monitoring coastal sage scrub (CSS) and chaparral vegetation communities. This effort addresses one of the two broad goals of the monitoring program, namely monitoring biodiversity and ecosystem function.
Background and Purpose of Fire Monitoring Plan: The 286-acre Blossom Valley Habitat Conservation Area (HCA) burned during the Cedar Fire of 2003. Pre-fire, the HCA contained roughly 180 acres of coastal sage scrub, 58 acres of oak woodland and 50 acres of southern mixed chaparral. The Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) took title to the property in July of 2004. This Plan fulfills CNLM?s intent to develop a monitoring program that allows preserve managers to determine along what kind of trajectory the HCA is recovering.
The Chaparral Lands Conservancy (TCLC) submits the final report for the Otay Mesa Rare Plants Project EMP grant. Project activities included work under EMP grant Task 1a seed bulking for MSP plant species, Task 1b restoration of vernal pools & maritime succulent scrub & establishment of MSP plant occurrences, Task 1c project monitoring and reporting, Task 1d project management, Task 1e project management travel, and Task 2 grant reporting and project administration.
Monitoring to detect ecological change is an important component of many environmental and conservation programs. The Nature Reserves of Orange County (NROC) hold 38,000 acres enrolled within the Orange County NCCP. NROC is obligated to monitor the condition of conserved lands through time and has identified vegetation communities as targets for long term monitoring. Monitoring this large and heterogeneous area is scientifically and logistically challenging as well as costly. The objective of this project is to evaluate the cost and accuracy of different sampling designs and field protocols for monitoring coastal sage scrub (CSS), chaparral, and grassland vegetation communities.
This report covers year two of an ongoing project. The current work emphasizes the importance of spatial coverage across the study area. As a result, we increased the number of sites and plots sampled from the first year of the project. We also eliminated the visual cover protocol and decreased the length of the transects and the number of quadrats at each plot. This year we detected a large increase in plant species richness throughout the county. This was driven largely by the increased diversity of forbs at resampled plots. Shrub cover varied spatially but was similar across years. In addition to richness, the cover of native and non-native forbs and grasses increased dramatically.
We used a variance components analysis in order to develop recommendations for optimizing monitoring. We consider three major sources of variation: temporal (interannual), spatial and methodological. Spatial variation includes three nested levels: vegetation community, site and plot. Methodological variation includes two levels: protocol (quadrat vs. point intercept) and team. Several suites of response variables were analyzed including species richness, cover of major functional groups (e.g. native shrubs, non-native forbs), and several example species from each functional group.
Semi-arid shrublands in southern California are highly spatial, with different species and functional groups displaying different degrees of affinity for a specific vegetation type or a different degree of patchiness across sites and plots. As a result allocating a significant amount of effort to spatial coverage is appropriate for most response variables. Some species and groups are also dramatically influenced by annual factors such as rainfall, and will require annual monitoring. Team-to-team variability is small
The San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy began this project in 2017 aiming to eradicate perennial veldt grass,
Ehrharta calycina (veldt grass), from San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve (Reserve). At the start of the
project this highly invasive, non-native grass occurred in Diegan coastal sage scrub, southern maritime
chaparral, and southern riparian scrub, covering a total of 7 acres (although additional populations were
found during the project period). During the project additional occurrences were found in the Reserve,
bringing the total to 8.5 acres.
At the end of this project percent cover of veldt grass was at less than 1 or 0 percent across all sites,
meeting all success criteria. Each site had been treated at least twice per growing season (veldt grass
goes dormant during the summer and fall and does not respond to herbicide treatment.) With that said,
successful invasive species eradication takes many years to complete. It is likely that a veldt grass seed
bank still exists in these sites, so there is a need for continued management going forward.
Ceanothus verrucosus, a rare species of ceanothus chaparral, occurs on City of San Diego land around the Lake Hodges reservoir in San Diego County. White flowers are a unique feature of this type of chaparral and these flowers are generally expected to bloom for a brief period during April. The objective of this project was to acquire digital and photographic imagery during the flowering period at two sites near Lake Hodges, georeference and mosaic the imagery, and map the extent of the C. verrucosus population using semi-automated image classification. For this project, Blackhawk Helicopters, Inc. provided the helicopter platform and Imagis provided the flight planning, aerial imaging, and image processing.
The Ramona Grasslands host a unique assemblage of resources:
? The southernmost population of the endangered Stephens? kangaroo rat;
? Unique vernal wetlands that support endangered San Diego fairy shrimp and several rare plant species;
? Santa Maria Creek and associated habitats are important for neotropical migrant songbirds and the endangered arroyo toad; and
? A diverse raptor community, including the largest population of wintering ferruginous hawks in San Diego.
Oak savannah, riparian woodlands, alkali playas, native perennial grasslands, and rock outcrops contribute to the diversity and ecosystem functions within the grasslands. These resources are imminently threatened by the indirect impacts of urbanization and thus require science-informed monitoring and management to ensure their persistence.
The Ramona Grasslands comprise a significant portion of the Santa Maria Creek subbasin of the San Dieguito River watershed. The Santa Maria Creek, which drains the urbanizing community of Ramona, flows westward through the grasslands, then through Bandy Canyon to its confluence with Santa Ysabel Creek. Below the confluence, the San Dieguito River flows through San Pasqual Valley into Lake Hodges, a City of San Diego drinking water reservoir. The creek corridor serves as both a hydrological and habitat linkage for numerous species. It also provides essential ecosystem processes, such as natural filtration of anthropogenic contaminants that may impair downstream water quality.
The Ramona Grasslands Preserve functions as a core habitat area within a regional network of existing and anticipated conservation lands. The coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and oak woodlands of the surrounding landscape, together with the grasslands, riparian habitat, and vernal wetlands of the core area, constitute an exceptional concentration of regionally and globally significant resources. That significance is reflected by the near complete overlap of the Preserve area by federal Critical Habitat designations (San Diego fairy shrimp, arroyo toad, and California gnatcatcher).
This biological resources report was prepared for the County of San Diego (County) in order to provide information on baseline biological conditions prior to the Cedar Fire of 2003 and to assist in the formation of Area Specific Management Directives (ASMDs) for the Barnett Ranch Open Space Preserve (Preserve) on the approximately 728-acre Barnett Ranch located in the unincorporated Ramona Community Planning Area of central San Diego County east of State Route (SR) 67 and south of SR 78.
The project site supports 16 vegetation communities: southern coast live oak riparian forest, southern willow scrub, freshwater seep, riparian scrub, open water, open Engelmann oak woodland, coast live oak woodland, wildflower field, Diegan coastal sage scrub (including disturbed), coastal sage-chaparral scrub, southern mixed chaparral, non-native grassland, eucalyptus woodland, extensive agriculture, disturbed habitat, and developed land.
INTRODUCTION
A. Purpose of Inclusion of the Preserve Area in the HMP
This Preserve Management Plan (PMP) details the maintenance and management measures necessary to
preserve southern maritime chaparral habitat and the sensitive plants it contains within an on-site, 11.5-
acre Preserve Area (Figures 1 - 5) on the Poinsettia Place project site. The Preserve Area has been
preserved as partial compensatory mitigation for environmental effects of Sierra Linda Development,
LLC's Poinsettia Place Project in Carlsbad, California (City). This PMP has been prepared in accordance
with requirements of the Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND), the approved Mitigation, Monitoring
and Management Program (MMRP; City 2006), the Habitat Management Plan Permit (HMPP 06-08) and
the Carlsbad Habitat Management Plan (HMP; City 2004).
B. Preserve Area History
The Preserve Area is part of the larger, 20.42-acre Poinsettia Place property. The Preserve Area has not
been developed but contains disturbed portions with pedestrian trails, trash and debris piles, and patches
of invasive plant species resulting from colonization exacerbated by human incursion and itinerant uses.
The Preserve was created in 2006 as a result of the City's approval of the MND for the Poinsettia Place
project.
Trails, trash, debris and invasive plants have degraded some of the underlying habitat services provided
by the Preserve Area, but much of the vegetation is still native and undisturbed. Surrounding land uses
include residential development to the north and west, cleared agricultural land to the south, and native
habitat to the east.
C. Purpose of This Management Plan
This PMP plan guides management of habitats and species described herein to achieve the City's
obligation to protect and enhance wildlife values under the MHCP, HMP, and Implementing Agreement.
This plan serves as a guide for appropriate public uses of the Preserve Area. It also serves as a descriptive
inventory of native plant and wildlife species and habitats, which occur on or use this Preserve Area.
This PMP details the management measures necessary to comply with federal and state Endangered
Species acts and the Natural Community Conservation Program (NCCP) including the City's Habitat
Management Plan for Natural Communities in the City of Carlsbad (City 2004) and San Diego
Association of Governments Multiple Habitat Conservation Program (MHCP) Plan (SANDAG 2003), as
well as permits and agreement
Introduction
A. Background
The Calavera Hills Phase II Habitat Preserve (Preserve) is a 144 acre open space set aside
for permanent conservation by Calavera Hills II, LLC, the developer of Calavera Hills
Phase II. This conservation area has been set aside as partial mitigation for impacts to
natural habitat resulting from the approved Phase II development.
The limits of the Preserve (Figure 1) have been approved by the City of Carlsbad, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the California Department of Fish and
Game (CDFG) with the primary goal of protecting habitat of the federally listed coastal
California gnatcatcher, as well as other listed species and other sensitive plant and
wildlife species that are covered under the City of Carlsbad Habitat Management Plan
(HMP). A varying number of gnatcatchers have been observed to occupy the preserve
area in different yearly surveys.
The site has been evaluated through the Calavera Hills Phase II Environmental Impact
Report. It contains approximately 110 acres of coastal sage scrub (CSS), approximately
8 acres of southern mixed and chamise chaparral (SMC), approximately 16 acres of nonnative
grasslands (NNG), 2 acres of eucalyptus woodland (EUC), and 8 acres of other
vegetation types including disturbed and ruderal vegetation. Listed and sensitive animal
and plant species also occupy the site.
Pursuant to the requirements of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Biological
Opinion dated March 14, 2002, Calavera Hills II, LLC is required to name and endow a
public or private natural land management entity to manage the conserved area resources
in perpetuity. The resource agencies and organizations have determined that setting lands
aside and preventing development is not sufficient to preserve and protect biological
integrity. Identifying the critical processes and elements that need protection, then
planning, budgeting and funding for sustaining these processes and elements in perpetuity
is the essence of long-term land protection.
B. Purpose
The purpose of this Habitat Management Plan is to establish the parameters for the
permanent protection and management of the conservation area. The intent of this plan is
to assure that the monitoring and management provides for the protection of vegetation
within the area is protected from future disturbance in order that it can persist as viable
California gnatcatcher nesting habitat and that the preserved area becomes biolo
This framework management and monitoring plan provides guidance to maintain and enhance the conservation values of the Ramona Grasslands Open Space Preserve. The Preserve supports many unique biological resources, provides a suite of important environmental services for the region, and preserves a rich cultural and historic heritage.
The Ramona Grasslands Preserve functions as a core habitat area within a regional network of existing and anticipated conservation lands. The coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and oak woodlands of the surrounding landscape, together with the grasslands, riparian habitat, and vernal wetlands of the core area, constitute an exceptional concentration of regionally and globally significant resources. That significance is reflected by the near complete overlap of the Preserve area by federal Critical Habitat designations (San Diego fairy shrimp, arroyo toad, and California gnatcatcher).
ICF Jones & Stokes conducted baseline biodiversity surveys of the County of San Diego?s (County) Lusardi Creek Preserve (Preserve) to provide the Department of Parks and Recreation with biological data to develop a Resource Management Plan (RMP) including Area Specific Management Directives (ASMDs). To provide a baseline evaluation of biological resources, the following studies were conducted by ICF Jones
& Stokes: (1) vegetation mapping; (2) rare plant surveys; (3) pitfall trap arrays to sample amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals; (4) avian point counts; (5) nocturnal bird surveys; (6) acoustic sampling and roost surveys for bats; (7) small mammal trapping; (8) a track and sign survey for medium-to-large mammals; and (9) a camera station survey for medium-to-large mammals.
The Preserve includes approximately 194.51 acres of native/naturalized vegetation communities including Diegan coastal sage scrub, chamise chaparral, southern maritime chaparral, southern willow scrub, nonnative
grasslands, valley needlegrass grasslands, and disturbed habitat all of which are within the MSCP. The undeveloped portion of the Preserve is mapped as Pre-approved Mitigation Area (PAMA) and is considered
an MSCP Preserve.
The current surveys documented nine land cover types and 292 species within the Preserve. The surveys detected 177 plant species, 55 bird species, 24 mammal species (eight bats, nine small mammals, and seven
medium and large bodied mammals), 12 herptiles (three amphibian and nine reptiles), and 24 invertebrate species. This list includes 31 special status
species (18 wildlife and 13 plants) of which eight (six wildlife and two plants) are MSCP-covered species.
In 2009-10, the County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) acquired the
Pascoe, Cielo Azul, and Helix-Lambron parcels as additions to the Del Dios Highlands Preserve
(Preserve). The County manages the Preserve in accordance with an existing Resource
Management Plan (RMP) including Area-Specific Management Directives (ASMDs). Dudek
conducted a baseline biodiversity study of the parcel additions to provide DPR with current
biological data needed to revise the existing Del Dios Highlands Preserve RMP to include the
Pascoe, Cielo Azul and Helix-Lambron parcels.
This report documents the methods and results of these surveys and provides various
recommendations for ASMDs to preserve and enhance the function of the parcel additions as
biological open space in the context of the existing Preserve RMP as well as the Draft North
County Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) Plan and South County MSCP.
Dudek biologists performed the following baseline biological surveys on the parcel additions
from fall 2010 through spring 2011: vegetation mapping, focused botanical surveys, exotic
species mapping, general butterfly surveys, herpetological pitfall trap and coverboard surveys,
aquatic amphibian surveys, avian point count surveys, bat surveys, small mammal trapping, and
large and medium mammal surveys.
Eight vegetation communities were identified on site including: Diegan coastal sage scrub,
southern mixed chaparral, non-native grassland, southern coast live oak riparian woodland,
southern willow scrub, coast live oak woodland, eucalyptus woodland, and disturbed habitat. A
total of 136 plant species were recorded on the parcel additions during surveys. Four specialstatus
plant species were observed, of which two are MSCP-covered species, and one of these,
Encinitas baccharis (Baccharis vanessae), is federally and state listed. A total of 147 wildlife
species were observed or detected on the parcel additions during surveys, including 4
amphibians, 13 reptiles, 73 birds, 35 mammals, and 22 invertebrates. Twenty-eight special-status
wildlife species were observed or detected on the Preserve, including 13 MSCP-covered species.
Cabrillo National Monument is the terminal point of the Point Loma Peninsula and part of the
Point Loma Ecological Reserve, which protects the natural lands remaining on the peninsula in
urban San Diego, California. This reserve is isolated from other natural lands by the ocean and
urbanization, and is an effective island of rare habitats. These habitats include maritime
succulent scrub, coastal sage scrub, and chaparral, and are the home to many sensitive species of
plants and animals. Historically (through the 1930s), 19 species of reptiles and amphibians
occurred on the peninsula, of which 6 are now considered sensitive at the state or federal level.
Herpetofauna inventories were initiated by Robert Fisher of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
and Ted Case of the University of California at San Diego in August 1995, utilizing 17 arrays of
pitfall traps and drift fences (Stokes et al., 2004). Data collection occurred from 1995 through
2001 to collect baseline data for the development of a long-term monitoring plan (Fisher and
Case, 2000).
This report summarizes the management activities carried out on the Kelly Ranch Habitat Conservation Area (Preserve) by the Center for Natural Lands Management (CNLM) during the fiscal year of October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007. The tasks and objectives discussed below are those derived from the Kelly Ranch Habitat Conservation Area Management Plan, prepared by CNLM in November of 2002 (CNLM 2002).
The Preserve is located approximately two miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and lies at the east end of Agua Hedionda Lagoon (Figures 1 and 2). Roads near the Preserve include Cannon Road along the northern boundaries and Faraday Avenue near the eastern boundary. The Preserve (63 acres) is not one unit, but is comprised of multiple parcels varying in size from a few acres to about 15 acres that are located within the housing development of Kelly Ranch and surrounding communities. Most of the Preserve and adjacent land was formerly known as Evans Point. The Preserve was set aside to protect its habitat, coastal sage scrub and southern maritime chaparral, and the threatened coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica).
This plan has been prepared to provide guidelines for the protection and maintenance of preserved natural open space on the Carmel Mountain Preserve and the Del Mar Mesa Preserve (Preserves). The natural open space of the Preserves harbors extremely sensitive and depleted plant communities and species unique to the region. Vernal pools and the associated federally and state listed flora and fauna; southern maritime chaparral; short-leaved dudleya (Dudleya blochmaniae ssp. Brevifolia); and the continuity of habitat for wildlife movement and gene flow are the primary resources identified for protection on these Preserves. The Preserves also act to protect the quality of life for residents of San Diego County and the quality of the experience for visitors by adding to the feeling of openness and interaction with nature that San Diego projects.
The City of San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP) provides a framework for preserving and protecting natural resources in the San Diego region. The City of San Diego prepared a Subarea Plan under the MSCP to meet the requirements of the California Natural Communities Conservation Planning (NCCP) Act of 1992. The Carmel Mountain Preserve and Del Mar Mesa Preserve Management Plan describes the tasks which will allow the City to manage and maintain the Preserves in accordance with the MSCP and the Subarea Plan.
This letter presents the results of Orcutt’s spineflower (Chorizanthe orcuttiana) surveys
conducted by Rocks Biological Consulting for The Chaparral Lands Conservancy (TCLC) in
the County of San Diego, California in April 2015. Orcutt’s spineflower was detected in five
populations at two survey locations during the 2015 surveys.
Monitoring to detect ecological change is an important component of many environmental and conservation programs. The Nature Reserves of Orange County (NROC) hold 38,000 acres enrolled within the Orange County NCCP. NROC is obligated to monitor the condition of conserved lands through time and has identified vegetation communities as targets for long term monitoring. Monitoring this large and heterogeneous area is scientifically and logistically challenging as well as costly. The objective of this project is to evaluate the cost and accuracy of different sampling designs and field protocols for monitoring coastal sage scrub (CSS), chaparral, and grassland vegetation communities.
This report covers year two of an ongoing project. The current work emphasizes the importance of spatial coverage across the study area. As a result, we increased the number of sites and plots sampled from the first year of the project. We also eliminated the visual cover protocol and decreased the length of the transects and the number of quadrats at each plot. This year we detected a large increase in plant species richness throughout the county. This was driven largely by the increased diversity of forbs at resampled plots. Shrub cover varied spatially but was similar across years. In addition to richness, the cover of native and non-native forbs and grasses increased dramatically.
We used a variance components analysis in order to develop recommendations for optimizing monitoring. We consider three major sources of variation: temporal (interannual), spatial and methodological. Spatial variation includes three nested levels: vegetation community, site and plot. Methodological variation includes two levels: protocol (quadrat vs. point intercept) and team. Several suites of response variables were analyzed including species richness, cover of major functional groups (e.g. native shrubs, non-native forbs), and several example species from each functional group.
Semi-arid shrublands in southern California are highly spatial, with different species and functional groups displaying different degrees of affinity for a specific vegetation type or a different degree of patchiness across sites and plots. As a result allocating a significant amount of effort to spatial coverage is appropriate for most response variables. Some species and groups are also dramatically influenced by annual factors such as rainfall, and will require annual monitoring. Team-to-team variability is sm
Monitoring to detect ecological change is an important component of many environmental and conservation programs. Developing effective monitoring programs for conservation plans is scientifically and logistically challenging. The Nature Reserves of Orange County (NROC) hold 38,000 acres enrolled within the Orange County NCCP. NROC is obligated to monitor the condition of conservation values through time and has identified vegetation communities as targets for long term monitoring. The Nature Conservancy holds conservation easements on properties adjacent to NROC NCCP lands, and both entities have similar monitoring requirements. The objective of this project is to evaluate the precision and accuracy of different sampling designs and field protocols for monitoring vegetation communities in the Orange County conservation lands, primarily coastal sage scrub (CSS), chaparral, and grasslands in central Orange County. This information addresses many of the fundamental questions surrounding the selection of both response designs and sampling designs and provides a foundation for long-term monitoring.
Initial sampling effort was stratified across vegetation types, including coastal sage scrub (CSS), chaparral and grasslands. Although the OC NCCP and TNC easement lands encompass many more vegetation types, CSS, chaparral and grasslands were prioritized based on previous work in the San Diego MSCP. This stratification across habitat types was coordinated with sampling in the San Diego MSCP to improve the power of the analysis and expand our understanding to the entire southern California region. This larger, combined data set will provide both sponsors a more robust set of conclusions and dramatically advance our ability to monitor southern California vegetation communities.
AECOM conducted baseline biological surveys of the County of San Diego?s Sage Hill Preserve (Preserve). This effort was undertaken to provide biological data, information, and analysis to the San Diego County Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to aid their development of a Resource Management Plan with Area Specific Management Directives for the Preserve. To evaluate the Preserve?s biological resources, AECOM performed the following studies: a) vegetation mapping; b) sensitive plant surveys; c) invasive plant surveys; d) butterfly surveys; e) amphibian surveys; f) reptile pit traps and surveys; g) avian point counts; h) nocturnal bird surveys; i) acoustic surveys and roost surveys for bats; j) small mammal trapping, and k) camera survey stations for medium and large mammals.
This report describes all survey methodologies, data collected, and analyses performed during the survey, which occurred from February through December, 2009. The report also includes management recommendations based on the survey results. These recommendations cover management and monitoring of sensitive plant and animal species, including species covered by the North County Multiple Species Conservation Program (North County MSCP). It also includes recommendations for management and monitoring of vegetation communities, control of invasive non-native plant species, and other recommendations to ameliorate illegal collection of animal species from the Preserve.
The Preserve covers approximately 231.51 acres of native and non-native habitats, including Diegan coastal sage scrub, southern maritime chaparral, coastal sage-chaparral scrub, coastal and valley freshwater marsh, southern oak riparian forest, non-native grassland, disturbed habitat, and tamarisk scrub. All of the Preserve is within the proposed North County MSCP preserve system.
The 2009 surveys documented 8 vegetation types and 239 species within the Preserve. The species detected included 146 plant species (of which 97 were native), wildlife surveys detected 13 butterfly species, 4 amphibian species (including one non-native), 8 reptile species, 48 bird species (including one non-native), and 20 mammal species (including one non-native). Of these species, there are 11 special-status species of which six are North County MSCP-covered species (2 plants and 4 animals).
The County of San Diego's Tijuana River Valley Regional Park (TRVRP) is part of the
South County Multiple Species Conservation program (MSCP) and managed by the
County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) pursuant to
management and monitoring guidelines identified in the MSCP and in the TRVRP Area
Specific Management Directives (ASMDs). A baseline survey conducted in 2005
collected biological data in the Park. This report details results of the monitoring surveys
conducted in 2009, and provides analysis and conclusions relative to habitat conditions
and species-specific management recommendations.
MSCP monitoring guidelines are currently being updated, revised and developed.
Regional monitoring approaches and specific habitat monitoring protocols are being
studied by researchers of San Diego State University (SDSU); animal monitoring
protocols are being drafted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS), the latter of which is also researching specific monitoring
protocols for sensitive plants. In lieu of the availability of preserve-specific monitoring
protocols, monitoring methods for the 2009 surveys either used established protocols or
draft regional MSCP monitoring protocols adapted for preserve-level monitoring. The
following monitoring surveys were performed in 2009: vegetation communities mapping,
general wildlife, habitat monitoring, herpetological pitfall array, and wildlife
corridor/movement surveys.
TRVRP consists of a mosaic of native and non-native habitats and agricultural as well as
recreational land uses. The international border fence, a triple fence that was being
constructed at the time of the 2009 monitoring surveys, and associated Boarder Patrol
access roads extend along the top of the southern mesas. The 150 to 300-foot wide
federal easement on the U.S. side along the International Border is excluded from the
County's management mandate. The San Diego County Water Authority is planning the
development of a 60-acre riparian/wetlands mitigation bank in the west-central portion of
TRVRP, immediately south of the Tijuana River floodplain, which the County will
continue to own and manage.
TRVRP is home to a number of sensitive species covered by the City of San Diego's
MSCP and the bird species diversity is high. The slopes along the southern mesas
contain sensitive maritime succulent scrub and southern maritime chaparral occupied by
wart-stemmed ce
The MSCP identifies two primary biological goals: conserving diversity and function of the ecosystem, and conserving populations of specific species. The MSCP Plan and the BMP also identify specific objectives for the monitoring program, including the documentation of ecological trends and evaluation of the effectiveness of management activities. The goals and objectives of the MSCP and its monitoring plan provide a good foundation, but their effectiveness would improve if conservation targets and triggers for management were created, based on the best available data.
The implementation of the MSCP biological monitoring plan has been partially successful, as baseline surveys have been conducted for many MSCP parcels and for a variety of covered species. Studies have been commissioned on a diverse array of topics. However, the protocols described in the original BMP have not been adopted by most jurisdictions or agencies. An important exception is the City of San Diego?s rare plant monitoring program and their additional surveys and studies on other monitoring issues. The County has surveyed many of their lands and contracted out studies on several important issues. The primary wildlife agencies USGS, USFWS, and CDFG have also surveyed MSCP lands and studied relevant questions.
Some important aspects of the monitoring program must be improved for the plan to be successful. Important areas to improve include the lack of: (1) a central repository of spatial and non-spatial data and MSCP-related documents; (2) updated and scientifically-defensible monitoring priorities; (3) management-oriented conceptual models; (4) data analysis and synthesis capacity; and (5) feedback between decision-makers and land managers.
Chambers Group, Inc. was retained by the Bureau of Land Managemenl (BLM), to conduct a habitat assessment and focused adult surveys to delermine the presence/absence of the Quino checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha quino), within three sections of ihe Intemational Fuel Break (fuel break). The total survey area encompesses approximately 438 acres in San Diego County, Califomia. Surveys are broken into three sites: Shockey, Truck trail, Tecate Peak, Otay Mountain fuel break.
Of the three survey areas along the lntemational Fuel Break during the 2002 flight season, Quino checkerspot butterfly was only observed on the Otay Mountain portion of the fuel break. Although Shockey Truck Trail and Tecate Peak had suitable topographical features (hilltops and ridgelines, etc.), host plants, and nectar sources, the results of the focused surveys were negative at these two locations. Overall butterfly activity was moderate, with over 25 species of butterfly observed during the course of the 2002 surveys. The most detrimental activities to Quino include an increase in frequency of hand clearing and prescribed burns in areas along the fuel breaks that contain suitable topography and abundanl host plants and nectar sources.
The objectives of this document are to review the current status of the component of the monitoring program that focuses on rare plants, and to make recommendations for an efficient program design that propels conservation forward in the region. For conservation to be effective, ecological monitoring must be efficient and sustainable, responsive to agency management needs, regionally integrated, and flexible enough to respond to emerging issues as they arise. The monitoring must be focused on the assessment of how populations of MSCP taxa respond to management regimes and particular management actions. Thus, this review takes a look at program vision and structure, implementation plans, available data, and institutional support of the current monitoring efforts. We provide recommendations for a revised rare plant monitoring framework based on current concepts in conservation biology (especially adaptive management), data analyses, and agency and stakeholder feedback. We use the framework to develop an example Monitoring and Management Plan protocol for San Diego ambrosia (Ambrosia pumila).
