Vantage to Pomona FEIS Index 34 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 3 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Affected Environment PAGE 3-84 Western toads (Bufo boreas) occur in a wide variety of habitats including desert springs and streams, meadows and woodlands and mountain wetlands. Within the Washington portion of the Columbia Plateau where the Project study area is located, their distribution is limited (Hallock and McAllister 2005). Limited suitable habitat is available within the Project study area and they are unlikely to occur. Reptiles Reptiles are not especially diverse in the Columbia Basin, particularly when compared to arid areas that experience warmer winters. Reptile habitat is generally distributed across the Project study area. The night snake occurs in a variety of habitats, from coastal dunes, mountain meadows, grasslands, to oak woodland and ponderosa pine forests. Within the Project study area, there are several records of the night snake near the Columbia River. Additional records indicate the night snake also occurs along the Yakima River, outside of the Project study area (Weaver 2008). The sharptail snake (Contia tenuis) occurs in woodland, forests, grassland, and chaparral that are seasonally moist. Its range is limited to parts of California, Oregon, Washington, and extreme southwestern British Columbia (Hoyer et al. 2006). Within Washington, sharptail snake has been documented west of the Project study area in the Yakima River Canyon and Umtanum Creek. Limited suitable habitat for the sharptail snake is present within the Project study area. The striped whipsnake is found in sagebrush flats, grasslands, and in basalt outcrops (Hallock and McAllister 2005). This species is rare and localized in Washington. According to WDFW, the striped whipsnake is known to occur in just one small area within Washington. This occupied habitat extends from Highway 26, located north of Vantage Substation, south to Lower Crab Creek. Historically occupied habitat in the Project study area also extends to both sides of the Columbia River and continues south to the Hanford Site (WDFW 2013b; Appendix A - Sensitive Wildlife Species). The northwest pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata marmorata) is described as an aquatic turtle utilizing streams, ponds, lakes and ephemeral wetlands; however, it requires terrestrial habitats for nesting. The northwest pond turtle is reduced from much of its range in Washington, with only two documented populations remaining in the Columbia River Gorge. Additional turtles are believed to still occur in wetlands that have not been surveyed in western Washington and along the Columbia River (Brown 2011). In the Project study area, potential suitable habitat is limited to along the Columbia River and Lower Crab Creek. The sagebrush lizard is primarily associated with sand dunes and other sandy habitats that support shrubs and have large areas of bare ground (Hallock and McAllister 2005). This species is known to occur within the Project study area near the Columbia River, near the Vantage Substation, and near Lower Crab Creek. Side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) occur in arid areas that support shrub-steppe habitat. They are most common in areas that have bare ground interspersed with shrubs and other vegetation. Side-blotched lizards are known to occur near the Columbia River, north of the Project study area (Hallock and McAllister 2005). Suitable habitat exists for side-blotched lizards and they have been documented in the Project study area north of Vantage Substation. Bird Species Thirty-four avian special status species are known or likely to occur in the Project study area; all but four are protected under the MBTA (Table 3.3-7). Avian species have potential habitat throughout the entire Project study area. A map showing the locations of sensitive wildlife species is presented in Appendix A; however, due to the sensitive nature of location information, this map is presented at a small-scale