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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRE_ EXTERNAL_ Re_ _EXTERNAL_ Canyon Loop Trail Improvement Project Additional WorkCAUTION: This message originated outside of our City of Diamond Bar network. **Please exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.** My thanks as well! We appreciate the ingoing coordination on the project. Please make sure to keep Lauren in the loop. As you can see, she is often able to be more responsive than I am. -Carol (she, her, hers) Carol A. Roberts, Division Supervisor Environmental Contaminants/Federal Projects/ESA Sec 7 & 10 Collateral Duty Safety Officer Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office 2177 Salk Avenue, Suite 250, Carlsbad, CA 92008 760-431-9440, ext. 271 Mobile phone including spill emergencies: 760-607-9768 ________________________________ From: Kershek, Lauren <lauren_kershek@fws.gov> Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2023 09:57 To: Winkleman, Ryan <Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com>; Roberts, Carol <carol_a_roberts@fws.gov> Cc: Ryan Wright <RWright@DiamondBarCA.Gov>; Greg Gubman <GGubman@DiamondBarCA.Gov>; Ashimine, Alan <aashimine@mbakerintl.com> Subject: Re: EXTERNAL: Re: [EXTERNAL] Canyon Loop Trail Improvement Project Additional Work Thank you for the update, Ryan! It is great news that construction is mostly wrapped up going into the nesting season, we appreciate your and the City's efforts to minimize impacts to the gnatcatcher. Please let us know if you need anything else from us during completion of the project in fall. Lauren Kershek (she, her) Fish and Wildlife Biologist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2177 Salk Ave, Ste 250 Carlsbad, CA 92008 (760)431-9440 x208* *I am working mostly from home and infrequently checking my office voicemail. Email is the best way to reach me if you'd like to schedule a call or meeting. ________________________________ From: Winkleman, Ryan <Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2023 11:10 AM To: Roberts, Carol <carol_a_roberts@fws.gov> Cc: Kershek, Lauren <lauren_kershek@fws.gov>; Ryan Wright <RWright@DiamondBarCA.Gov>; Greg Gubman <GGubman@DiamondBarCA.Gov>; Ashimine, Alan <aashimine@mbakerintl.com> Subject: RE: EXTERNAL: Re: [EXTERNAL] Canyon Loop Trail Improvement Project Additional Work Hi Carol, This email is to notify you that the construction portion of the Canyon Loop Trail Improvement Project ended and the trail officially reopened to the public on February 9, 2023. This includes the additional trail improvements that were added near the end of the project. However, there are still three shade structures that need to be installed as they could not be constructed prior to the commencement of the nesting season. These are intended to sit over new benches, all of which have been installed already, and the City plans to install these in September 2023. All work to install the shade structures would be within existing disturbed areas that have already been cleared of vegetation as part of the project construction that just occurred, and would be conducted outside of the nesting season. Please let us know if the Service foresees any potential biological issues with installing these structures later this year, otherwise since it is outside of the nesting season and the ground is already bare and devoid of vegetation, the City is hopeful it can proceed without any additional biological monitoring requirements at that time. A tally of the project's final permanent impacts to coastal sage scrub is provided below. You'll note that the permanent loss of California sagebrush - black sage scrub exceeded what was expected, but everything else, including the total, was well under expectations. CDFW is already requiring the City to mitigate for the loss of the California sagebrush - black sage scrub community, and these final permanent acreages outlined below are being incorporated accordingly into the project's HMMP to ensure they are accounted for to meet these mitigation requirements. Also note that as previously mentioned many permanently impacted areas along the sides of the trail were already hydroseeded with a native grass mix from S&S Seeds during the construction closeout phase; the HMMP will include CSS restoration/enhancement in pre-designated areas separate from the areas that were hydroseeded. Vegetation Communities Approved Impacts Total Permanent Impacts Remainder California Sagebrush – Black Sage Scrub 0.009 0.0173 -0.0083 Disturbed California Sagebrush – Black Sage Scrub 0.128 0.0657 0.0623 Coast Prickly Pear Scrub 0.050 0.0170 0.033 Total 0.187 0.100 0.087 Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns, otherwise barring any additional biological monitoring requirements this coming fall with the shade structures we will be in touch again to notify you when their installation is complete. Thank you very much for your time and assistance with this project! Ryan Winkleman | Project Manager/Senior Biologist/Certified Senior Ecologist 5 Hutton Centre Drive, Suite 500 | Santa Ana, CA 92707 | [O] 949-330-4115 | [M] (949) 533-0918 ryan.winkleman@mbakerintl.com | www.mbakerintl.com <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mbakerintl.com%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ccarol_a_roberts%40fws.gov%7C5eb55ce2428f4305 b56c08db1047372d%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C638121670273195722%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wINVH WZo81duKcA7HsIOvLZeVXhANmwk4nAm%2FB%2BQmH0%3D&reserved=0> <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fmbakerintl.com%2fmedia%2f5024%2fs21_f_061907_icons.jpg&c=E,1,DosNFE5kLFFsoGTcnIYEkpn KsxmLNZ05VWwDRcka6q5weOiDBj3yhFuyFoEqSnH6do6BXfvw9_K6f55VknYGMT_EKcd0JlHMkZbE45Cb6UriaC12&typo=1> From: Roberts, Carol <carol_a_roberts@fws.gov> Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2023 11:01 AM To: Winkleman, Ryan <Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com> Cc: Kershek, Lauren <lauren_kershek@fws.gov>; Ryan Wright <RWright@DiamondBarCA.Gov>; Greg Gubman <GGubman@DiamondBarCA.Gov>; Ashimine, Alan <aashimine@mbakerintl.com> Subject: Re: EXTERNAL: Re: [EXTERNAL] Canyon Loop Trail Improvement Project Additional Work Ryan, You have captured all the measures we discussed, and this will be a helpful record for our file. I look forward to your upcoming report, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any additional questions or concerns. Thank you for your efforts as well. Carol Roberts Division Supervisor Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office ________________________________ From: Winkleman, Ryan <Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com <mailto:Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com> > Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2023 12:12:23 PM To: Roberts, Carol <carol_a_roberts@fws.gov <mailto:carol_a_roberts@fws.gov> > Cc: Kershek, Lauren <lauren_kershek@fws.gov <mailto:lauren_kershek@fws.gov> >; Ryan Wright <RWright@DiamondBarCA.Gov <mailto:RWright@DiamondBarCA.Gov> >; Greg Gubman <GGubman@DiamondBarCA.Gov <mailto:GGubman@DiamondBarCA.Gov> >; Ashimine, Alan <aashimine@mbakerintl.com <mailto:aashimine@mbakerintl.com> > Subject: RE: EXTERNAL: Re: [EXTERNAL] Canyon Loop Trail Improvement Project Additional Work Hi Carol, I relayed these changes to the avoidance measures to the City and we discussed them internally. The City is fine with incorporating these changes into the project’s avoidance measures and very much appreciates USFWS’s responsiveness and willingness to find solutions to keep the project moving as we head into the later stages of the work. Even with the current schedule of rain days, the City is hopeful that the project can be 100% complete with the new change order and cleanup by end of day on February 14th but will evaluate progress within the week prior to that date to determine how much longer the work will continue. They will work with the contractor to make every effort to complete everything by February 14th to avoid additional impacts and constraints during the nesting season. If the project is running behind and the amount of work remaining does not justify the additional cost on the bio side to continue past February 14th, they may end prematurely and try to come back at a later date to finish the remainder of the improvements. If for some reason the City cannot complete portions of the project in time, the City will clean these areas up and restore them to a condition that is safe for public use and as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Regardless, I will follow-up with you at the end of the project, presumably next month, to let you know the final project completion status so that USFWS can respond accordingly to any public inquiries. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns, otherwise the revised final measures with agreed-upon language are below for the record: * To minimize impacts to gnatcatchers as the nesting season begins, work within 500 feet of known territories based on the 2020 survey results will be prioritized outside the gnatcatcher breeding season over work outside of 500 feet. * If construction is to occur past February 14, beginning February 15, the biological monitor will perform a minimum of three focused surveys, on separate days, to determine the presence of gnatcatcher nest building activities, egg incubation activities, or brood rearing activities within 500 feet of any project construction proposed during the breeding season. A full-time biological monitor will be required for all work occurring within 500 feet of territories mapped during 2020 protocol surveys until territory locations have been updated based on current survey results and/or incidental detections. Additional surveys will be done once a week during project construction in the breeding season. These additional surveys may be suspended as approved by the CFWO. * Because the project does not possess an incidental take permit, if the biological monitor detects gnatcatcher breeding activity/nesting within 500 feet of construction, all work within a 500-foot buffer of the gnatcatcher’s territory will be required to cease for the duration of the nesting season, or until authorization is otherwise granted by the USFWS to proceed again at an earlier date. The USFWS will be notified of any gnatcatcher breeding activity within 24 hours of detection. Work outside of a 500-foot buffer from established gnatcatcher territories/nesting may continue to proceed unless weekly surveys and/or biological monitoring detect gnatcatcher nesting activity within 500 feet. As always, thanks for your assistance and for helping to keep things moving! Ryan Winkleman | Project Manager/Senior Biologist/Certified Senior Ecologist 5 Hutton Centre Drive, Suite 500 | Santa Ana, CA 92707 | [O] 949-330-4115 | [M] (949) 533-0918 ryan.winkleman@mbakerintl.com <mailto:ryan.winkleman@mbakerintl.com> | www.mbakerintl.com <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mbakerintl.com%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ccaro l_a_roberts%40fws.gov%7C5eb55ce2428f4305b56c08db1047372d%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C638121670273195722%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLC JXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wINVHWZo81duKcA7HsIOvLZeVXhANmwk4nAm%2FB%2BQmH0%3D&reserved=0> <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fmbakerintl.com%2fmedia%2f5024%2fs21_f_061907 _icons.jpg&c=E,1,grzvW37bcaD3eFLgAPRQsHzPsD55NXD4kbbEskM6P2H39aZo010iUe29tIsckVsXQeU3wkYebclCH_Juo8rUGvnDjPM0lXafiaXKxJebUtwQhJXS9vsZwGh2&typo=1> From: Roberts, Carol <carol_a_roberts@fws.gov <mailto:carol_a_roberts@fws.gov> > Sent: Monday, January 9, 2023 5:14 PM To: Winkleman, Ryan <Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com <mailto:Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com> > Cc: Kershek, Lauren <lauren_kershek@fws.gov <mailto:lauren_kershek@fws.gov> > Subject: Re: EXTERNAL: Re: [EXTERNAL] Canyon Loop Trail Improvement Project Additional Work Hey Ryan, My efforts to multi-task seem to always leave me with more work! I apologize for not being completely clear. I was thinking these would be passive surveys, as protocol surveys can change the birds' behavior and thus make the location of the nest more difficult to determine. The target species is the gnatcatcher, but if other breeding birds are noted, that information can be used to avoid a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. A permitted biologist has documented qualifications, which simplifies things, but a permit is not required. Our standard language in this regard is: The gnatcatcher biologist will be a trained ornithologist with at least 40 hours of independent gnatcatcher observation in the field and documented experience of at least 20 hours of locating and monitoring gnatcatcher nests. If necessary, more than one biologist may be used. Due to workload considerations, it is difficult for us to take on an approval process, but feel free to reach out if you have any concerns about a potential biologist being qualified. It just may take us some time to respond while we vet that person. I hope that helps clear things up! -Carol (she, her, hers) Carol A. Roberts, Division Supervisor Environmental Contaminants/Federal Projects/ESA Sec 7 & 10 Collateral Duty Safety Officer Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office 2177 Salk Avenue, Suite 250, Carlsbad, CA 92008 760-431-9440, ext. 271 Mobile phone including spill emergencies: 760-607-9768 ________________________________ From: Winkleman, Ryan <Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com <mailto:Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com> > Sent: Monday, January 9, 2023 16:18 To: Roberts, Carol <carol_a_roberts@fws.gov <mailto:carol_a_roberts@fws.gov> > Cc: Kershek, Lauren <lauren_kershek@fws.gov <mailto:lauren_kershek@fws.gov> > Subject: RE: EXTERNAL: Re: [EXTERNAL] Canyon Loop Trail Improvement Project Additional Work Thanks, Carol. I will forward these on to the City and see how they feel about them and if this changes any plans they may have. Some clarification before I do so: when you say, “beginning February 15, the biological monitor will perform a minimum of three focused surveys, on separate days, to determine the presence of gnatcatcher nest building activities, egg incubation activities, or brood rearing activities within 500 feet of any project construction proposed during the breeding season,” do you mean three surveys with playback, more akin to protocol surveys, or do you just mean three nesting bird surveys (no playback, just passive searching) specifically targeting gnatcatchers? In addition, does the biologist need to be permitted or at least approved by FWS with suitable experience to conduct the surveys? Ryan Winkleman | Project Manager/Senior Biologist/Certified Senior Ecologist 5 Hutton Centre Drive, Suite 500 | Santa Ana, CA 92707 | [O] 949-330-4115 | [M] (949) 533-0918 ryan.winkleman@mbakerintl.com <mailto:ryan.winkleman@mbakerintl.com> | www.mbakerintl.com <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mbakerintl.com%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ccaro l_a_roberts%40fws.gov%7C5eb55ce2428f4305b56c08db1047372d%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C638121670273195722%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLC JXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wINVHWZo81duKcA7HsIOvLZeVXhANmwk4nAm%2FB%2BQmH0%3D&reserved=0> <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fmbakerintl.com%2fmedia%2f5024%2fs21_f_061907 _icons.jpg&c=E,1,fmRdwmxjx0QX5CJTrFYdascW0z_FhKJuTQqGp8-jIbWymaAXYovxzMleI6LfsgvJlrUwbeIJPrzHY05k3XiAHXkn2qGKyJFLx3xmFMn7eE6kaPwPFA,,&typo=1> From: Roberts, Carol <carol_a_roberts@fws.gov <mailto:carol_a_roberts@fws.gov> > Sent: Monday, January 9, 2023 2:32 PM To: Winkleman, Ryan <Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com <mailto:Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com> > Cc: Kershek, Lauren <lauren_kershek@fws.gov <mailto:lauren_kershek@fws.gov> > Subject: EXTERNAL: Re: [EXTERNAL] Canyon Loop Trail Improvement Project Additional Work Ryan, Given your 2020 surveys will be 3 years old as of this year's breeding season, we want to ensure that the avoidance measures will be adequate to protect the gnatcatcher. Here is our somewhat revised version of your bullets from below. * To minimize impacts to gnatcatchers as the nesting season begins, work within 500 feet of known territories based on the 2020 survey results will be prioritized outside the gnatcatcher breeding season over work outside of 500 feet. * If construction is to occur past February 14, beginning February 15, the biological monitor will perform a minimum of three focused surveys, on separate days, to determine the presence of gnatcatcher nest building activities, egg incubation activities, or brood rearing activities within 500 feet of any project construction proposed during the breeding season. If construction is to occur past February 14, a A full-time biological monitor will be required for all work occurring within 500 feet of a known California Gnatcatcher territory, based on territories mapped during 2020 protocol surveys until territory locations have been updated based on current survey results and/or incidental detections. and/or any updated territory locations/extents incidentally observed during current updated surveys and/or biological monitoring. To minimize impacts to gnatcatchers as the nesting season begins, work within 500 feet of known territories will be prioritized over work outside of 500 feet. Work outside of 500 feet from a known territory will not require a full-time monitor and will proceed with the current weekly check-in schedule for biomonitoring. Additional surveys will be done once a week during project construction in the breeding season. These additional surveys may be suspended as approved by the CFWO. * Because the project does not possess an incidental take permit, if the biological monitor detects gnatcatcher breeding activity/nesting within 500 feet of construction, all work within a 500-foot buffer of the gnatcatcher’s territory will be required to cease for the duration of the nesting season, or until authorization is otherwise granted by the USFWS to proceed again at an earlier date. The USFWS will be notified of any gnatcatcher breeding activity within 24 hours of detection. Work outside of a 500-foot buffer from established gnatcatcher territories/nesting may continue to proceed unless weekly surveys and/or biological monitoring detect gnatcatcher nesting activity within 500 feet. but consistent with MMRP Measure BIO-3 if more than 7 days have elapsed since the last time work occurred in that area, a nesting bird survey with negative results will be required prior to work re-initiating. Please feel free to contact Lauren or me if you have any questions. Thanks, -Carol (she, her, hers) Carol A. Roberts, Division Supervisor Environmental Contaminants/Federal Projects/ESA Sec 7 & 10 Collateral Duty Safety Officer Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office 2177 Salk Avenue, Suite 250, Carlsbad, CA 92008 760-431-9440, ext. 271 Mobile phone including spill emergencies: 760-607-9768 ________________________________ From: Winkleman, Ryan <Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com <mailto:Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com> > Sent: Wednesday, January 4, 2023 14:52 To: Roberts, Carol <carol_a_roberts@fws.gov <mailto:carol_a_roberts@fws.gov> > Cc: Kershek, Lauren <lauren_kershek@fws.gov <mailto:lauren_kershek@fws.gov> >; Ryan Wright <RWright@DiamondBarCA.Gov <mailto:RWright@DiamondBarCA.Gov> >; Greg Gubman <GGubman@DiamondBarCA.Gov <mailto:GGubman@DiamondBarCA.Gov> >; Ashimine, Alan <aashimine@mbakerintl.com <mailto:aashimine@mbakerintl.com> > Subject: [EXTERNAL] Canyon Loop Trail Improvement Project Additional Work This email has been received from outside of DOI - Use caution before clicking on links, opening attachments, or responding. Hello Carol, Happy New Year and I hope you had a good holiday season! As we previously discussed last month, the City of Diamond Bar has been considering conducting additional improvements to the Canyon Loop Trail in response to trail performance with rainfall this season. These additional improvements are primarily focused on containing erosion and controlling run-off to the extent possible in areas that have been observed thus far to be more susceptible to rainfall damage even with existing work, and would still occur within the existing approved footprint of the project. I have been notified by the City that they have approved the additional cost for the construction contractor to implement these additional improvements, which would occur after the current construction finishes. Based on the conversation that you and I had, the City has agreed to implement the following avoidance and minimization measures for this additional work: * If construction is to occur past February 14, a full-time biological monitor will be required for all work occurring within 500 feet of a known California Gnatcatcher territory, based on the territories mapped during my 2020 protocol surveys and/or any updated territory locations/extents incidentally observed during current biological monitoring. To minimize impacts to gnatcatchers as the nesting season begins, work within 500 feet of known territories will be prioritized over work outside of 500 feet. Work outside of 500 feet from a known territory will not require a full-time monitor and will proceed with the current weekly check-in schedule for biomonitoring. * Because the project does not possess an incidental take permit, if the biological monitor detects gnatcatcher breeding activity/nesting within 500 feet of construction, all work within a 500-foot buffer of the gnatcatcher’s territory will be required to cease for the duration of the nesting season, or until authorization is otherwise granted by the USFWS to proceed again at an earlier date. The USFWS will be notified of any gnatcatcher breeding activity within 24 hours of detection. Work outside of a 500-foot buffer from established gnatcatcher territories/nesting may continue to proceed but consistent with MMRP Measure BIO-3 if more than 7 days have elapsed since the last time work occurred in that area, a nesting bird survey with negative results will be required prior to work re-initiating. Please let me know if you have any modifications to these measures or any concerns with moving forward in this direction. Thank you! Ryan Winkleman | Project Manager/Senior Biologist/Certified Senior Ecologist 5 Hutton Centre Drive, Suite 500 | Santa Ana, CA 92707 | [O] 949-330-4115 | [M] (949) 533-0918 ryan.winkleman@mbakerintl.com <mailto:ryan.winkleman@mbakerintl.com> | www.mbakerintl.com <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mbakerintl.com%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ccaro l_a_roberts%40fws.gov%7C5eb55ce2428f4305b56c08db1047372d%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C638121670273195722%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLC JXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wINVHWZo81duKcA7HsIOvLZeVXhANmwk4nAm%2FB%2BQmH0%3D&reserved=0> <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fmbakerintl.com%2fmedia%2f5024%2fs21_f_061907 _icons.jpg&c=E,1,IpHd17SqQqPR5rLUy0UHCUXRuSeaMg0twd8tj2FarM6h1OO_Ip8TuC72myKMYzULhfVeuCVnPnfto5DDZvHuBdeK42Lyu3-yE3xEKOeIraZrRlVhRxsAnevUPg,,&typo=1> n is otherwise granted by the USFWS to proceed again at an earlier date. The USFWS will be notified of any gnatcatcher breeding activity within 24 hours of detection. Work outside of a 500-foot buffer from established gnatcatcher territories/nesting may continue to proceed unless weekly surveys and/or biological monitoring detect gnatcatcher nesting activity within 500 feet. but consistent with MMRP Measure BIO-3 if more than 7 days have elapsed since the last time work occurred in that area, a nesting bird survey with negative results will be required prior to work re-initiating. Please feel free to contact Lauren or me if you have any questions. Thanks, -Carol (she, her, hers) Carol A. Roberts, Division Supervisor Environmental Contaminants/Federal Projects/ESA Sec 7 & 10 Collateral Duty Safety Officer Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office 2177 Salk Avenue, Suite 250, Carlsbad, CA 92008 760-431-9440, ext. 271 Mobile phone including spill emergencies: 760-607-9768 ________________________________ From: Winkleman, Ryan <Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com <mailto:Ryan.Winkleman@mbakerintl.com> > Sent: Wednesday, January 4, 2023 14:52 To: Roberts, Carol <carol_a_roberts@fws.gov <mailto:carol_a_roberts@fws.gov> > Cc: Kershek, Lauren <lauren_kershek@fws.gov <mailto:lauren_kershek@fws.gov> >; Ryan Wright <RWright@DiamondBarCA.Gov <mailto:RWright@DiamondBarCA.Gov> >; Greg Gubman <GGubman@DiamondBarCA.Gov <mailto:GGubman@DiamondBarCA.Gov> >; Ashimine, Alan <aashimine@mbakerintl.com <mailto:aashimine@mbakerintl.com> > Subject: [EXTERNAL] Canyon Loop Trail Improvement Project Additional Work This email has been received from outside of DOI - Use caution before clicking on links, opening attachments, or responding. Hello Carol, Happy New Year and I hope you had a good holiday season! As we previously discussed last month, the City of Diamond Bar has been considering conducting additional improvements to the Canyon Loop Trail in response to trail performance with rainfall this season. These additional improvements are primarily focused on containing erosion and controlling run-off to the extent possible in areas that have been observed thus far to be more susceptible to rainfall damage even with existing work, and would still occur within the existing approved footprint of the project. I have been notified by the City that they have approved the additional cost for the construction contractor to implement these additional improvements, which would occur after the current construction finishes. Based on the conversation that you and I had, the City has agreed to implement the following avoidance and minimization measures for this additional work: * If construction is to occur past February 14, a full-time biological monitor will be required for all work occurring within 500 feet of a known California Gnatcatcher territory, based on the territories mapped during my 2020 protocol surveys and/or any updated territory locations/extents incidentally observed during current biological monitoring. To minimize impacts to gnatcatchers as the nesting season begins, work within 500 feet of known territories will be prioritized over work outside of 500 feet. Work outside of 500 feet from a known territory will not require a full-time monitor and will proceed with the current weekly check-in schedule for biomonitoring. * Because the project does not possess an incidental take permit, if the biological monitor detects gnatcatcher breeding activity/nesting within 500 feet of construction, all work within a 500-foot buffer of the gnatcatcher’s territory will be required to cease for the duration of the nesting season, or until authorization is otherwise granted by the USFWS to proceed again at an earlier date. The USFWS will be notified of any gnatcatcher breeding activity within 24 hours of detection. Work outside of a 500-foot buffer from established gnatcatcher territories/nesting may continue to proceed but consistent with MMRP Measure BIO-3 if more than 7 days have elapsed since the last time work occurred in that area, a nesting bird survey with negative results will be required prior to work re-initiating. Please let me know if you have any modifications to these measures or any concerns with moving forward in this direction. Thank you! Ryan Winkleman | Project Manager/Senior Biologist/Certified Senior Ecologist 5 Hutton Centre Drive, Suite 500 | Santa Ana, CA 92707 | [O] 949-330-4115 | [M] (949) 533-0918 ryan.winkleman@mbakerintl.com <mailto:ryan.winkleman@mbakerintl.com> | www.mbakerintl.com <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mbakerintl.com%2F&data=05%7C01%7Ccaro l_a_roberts%40fws.gov%7C5eb55ce2428f4305b56c08db1047372d%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C638121670273195722%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLC JXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=wINVHWZo81duKcA7HsIOvLZeVXhANmwk4nAm%2FB%2BQmH0%3D&reserved=0> <https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fmbakerintl.com%2fmedia%2f5024%2fs21_f_061907 _icons.jpg&c=E,1,IpHd17SqQqPR5rLUy0UHCUXRuSeaMg0twd8tj2FarM6h1OO_Ip8TuC72myKMYzULhfVeuCVnPnfto5DDZvHuBdeK42Lyu3-yE3xEKOeIraZrRlVhRxsAnevUPg,,&typo=1>