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AUGUSTIN BERNAL MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL PROJECT DRAFT INITIAL STUDY <br /> 12956 <br />DUDEK 37 April 2022 <br />habitat likely to support the subspecies. Despite the presence of suitable habitat, the species has not been <br />observed on the site during regular visits by the City biologist since 2018, despite their actively looking for <br />it (Gruber, pers. comm. 2021). <br />Sensitive Vegetation Communities <br />Special-status or sensitive natural communities are vegetation communities that are of limited distribution <br />statewide or within a county or region. CDFW’s Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program (VegCAMP) <br />works to classify and map the vegetation of California and determine the rarity of vegetation types. <br />Communities with a state rarity ranking of S1 through S3 in CDFW’s Natural Community list (CDFW 2020) <br />are considered highly imperiled, and project impacts on high-quality occurrences of these communities are <br />typically considered significant under CEQA. The CNDDB contains occurrences of sensitive natural <br />communities based on Preliminary Descriptions of the Terrestrial Natural Communities of California <br />(Holland 1986). Since the mid-1990s, CDFW and its partners (including the California Native Plant Society) <br />have been working on classifying California vegetation using updated standards that comply with the <br />National Vegetation Classification Standard. Current classification of vegetation alliances in California is <br />codified in the Manual of California Vegetation online edition (CNPS 2021b). <br />The CNDDB documents three sensitive natural communities in the project vicinity: sycamore alluvial <br />woodland, valley sink scrub, and valley needlegrass grassland (CNPS 2021a). The current terminology for <br />these communities (i.e., using CDFW nomenclature consistent with the Manual of California Vegetation) is <br />California sycamore woodland (Platanus racemosa – Quercus agrifolia woodland alliance), iodine bush <br />scrub (Allenrolfea occidentalis shrubland alliance), and needle grass – melic grass grassland (Nassella spp. <br />– Melica spp. herbaceous alliance). None of these communities or any other sensitive natural communities <br />were observed on the project site during the April 2021 field reconnaissance. <br />Jurisdictional Aquatic Resources <br />No wetlands or waters supporting jurisdictional aquatic resources were observed on the project site during <br />the April 2021 field survey. Aerial imagery further indicates that no aquatic features are present or <br />historically have been present within the project site. <br />Wildlife Corridors and Habitat Linkages <br />The project site is in the “East Bay Hills-Diablo Range” critical linkage mapped by the Critical Linkages: Bay <br />Area and Beyond project (Penrod et al. 2013). It is one of 14 landscape-level habitat linkages identified by <br />Critical Linkages that, together with the Bay Area Open Space Council’s Conservation Lands Network, <br />provide a comprehensive plan for the preservation and maintenance of wildlife habitat connectivity <br />throughout the nine-county Bay Area. The preliminary mapping of this linkage was based on the needs of <br />bobcat (Lynx rufus), ringtail (Bassariscus astutus), and black-tailed deer, but it is also intended to serve <br />several other species, such as American badger (Taxidea taxus), brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani), <br />California quail (Callipepla californica), white-tailed kite (Elanus leucurus), loggerhead shrike (Lanius <br />ludovicianus), California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), wrentit, and Alameda whipsnake.