Type: report

Article abstract: 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.