Recovery Planfor Vernal Pools ofSouthern California

VERNAL POOLSOF

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

RECOVERY PLAN

September1998

U.S. DepartmentoftheInteriorFishandWildlife Service

RegionOne,Portland,Oregon

VERNAL POOLSOF

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

RECOVERY PLAN

Prepared by:

EllenBauder,PhD.

DepartmentofBiology,SanDiego StateUniversity

SanDiego,California

D. AnnKreager

BiologistU.S. Fishand Wildlife Service

CarlsbadField Office

ScottC. McMillan

Departmentof BiologySanDiegoStateUniversity

SanDiego,California

Publishedby:

Region1U.S. FishandWildlife Service

Portland, Oregon

Date:I

Approved:

DISCLAIMER PAGE

Recoveryplansdelineateactionswhich arebelievedto be requiredto recoveror

protectlisted species.Plansarepublishedby theU.S. FishandWildlife Service,

sometimespreparedwith theassistanceof recoveryteams,contractors,State

agencies,andothers. Objectiveswill be attainedandany necessaryfundsmade

available,subjectto budgetaryandotherconstraintsaffectingthepartiesinvolved,

aswell astheneedto addressotherpriorities. Recoveryplansdo notnecessarily

representtheviewsnor theofficial positionsor approvalsof any individualsor

agencies(involvedin theplanformulation),otherthantheU.S. FishandWildlife

Service. Theyrepresenttheofficial positionoftheU.S. FishandWildlife Service

only aftertheyhavebeensignedby theRegionalDirectorasapproved. Approved

recoveryplansaresubjectto modificationasdirectedby newfindings,changesin

speciesstatus,andthecompletionof recoverytasks.

Literature citations should read asfollows:

U.S. FishandWildlife Service. 1998. VernalPoolsof SouthernCalifornia

RecoveryPlan. U.S. FishandWildlife Service,Portland,Oregon. 113+pp.

Additional Copies may be purchasedfrom:

Fishand Wildlife ReferenceService

5430GrosvenorLane.Suite110

Bethesda,Maryland20814

301/492-3421or 1-800-582-3421

Thefeefor thePlanvariesdependingon thenumberof pagesof thePlan.

i

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

TheU. S. FishandWildlife Serviceextendsits appreciationto thenumerous

individualswho,overthecourseofyears,contributedto theconservationof

vernalpooi speciesandthedevelopmentof this plan: Meryl Balko, Tony

Bomkamp,DaveBramlett,CoralieHull Cobb,GeorgeCox, JimDice, Tom Ebert,

WayneFerren,BonnieHendricks,Larry Hendrickson,RobertHolland,Ann

Howald,StaceyHuddleson,PaulaJacks,EdieJacobsen,DawnLawson,Emilie

Luciani, Kim Marsden,BrendaL. McMillan, Tom Oberbauer,CameronPatterson,

LaurenWei,JohnRieger,CarlaScheidlinger,MarieSimovich, FredSproul,

Michael Stroud,andPaulZedler. Furtheracknowledgmentsareextendedto the

variousagenciesandjurisdictionswho havecontributedto thepreservationand

managementofthis specialresource:UnitedStatesArmy Corpsof Engineers,

MarineCorpsBaseCampPendleton,NavalFacilitiesEngineeringCommand,

SouthwestDivision, SanDiegoAssociationofGovernments,California

Departmentof FishandGame,CaliforniaDepartmentofTransportation,District

11, Countiesof SanDiego,Orange,andRiverside,andtheMetropolitanWater

District.

Specialthanksareextendedto FredM. Roberts,Jr., JulieVanderwier,Susan

Wynn for assistanceon thedistributionaland site-specificinformationutilized in

thedevelopmentofthemapsandtables,and the following individualswho

providedvaluablepeerreview: DentonBelk, EllenCypher,Eric Stein,andMarie

Simovich.

ii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE RECOVERY PLANFOR THE VERNAL POOLS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Current SDeciesStatus: This plan addressessix vernalpool speciesthatare

listed asendangeredandone that is proposedfor threatenedstatus: Eryngium

aristulatumvar.parishii (San Diegobutton-celery), Orcuttiacalfornica

(CaliforniaOrcuttgrass),Pogogyneabramsii(SanDiegomesamint), Pogogyne

nudiuscula(Otay mesamint), Riversidefairy shrimp (Streptocephaluswoottoni),

SanDiego fairy shrimp(Branchinectasandiegonensis),andNavarretiafossalis

(spreadingnavarretia).

Pogogyneabramsiiwaslisted asendangeredon September28, 1978. Pogogyne

nudiuscula,Orcuttiaca1~fornica,Eryngiumaristulatum var. parishii, andthe

Riversidefairy shrimpwerelisted asendangeredon August3, 1993. TheSan

Diego fairy shrimpwaslisted asendangeredon February3, 1997. Navarretia

fossaliswasproposedfor listing asthreatenedon December15, 1994.

Historically, SanDiego,vernalpool habitatprobablycoveredno morethan6

percentofthe county,approximately520 squarekilometers(200squaremiles).

Currently levelsestimatealossof vernalpool habitatin theSanDiegoCounty

around95 to 97 percentbecauseofintensivecultivationandurbanization(Bauder

andMcMillan 1998). Lackofhistoricaldataprecludesthesamedepthof analysis

for Los AngelesCounty,RiversideCounty,OrangeCounty, or SanBernardino

Counties,but lossesareconsiderednearlytotal (USFWS 1993). Thecurrent

distributionofpools in northernBajaCalifornia, Mexico,probablycomesmuch

closerto thehistoriccondition(BauderandMcMillan 1998).

Habitat Requirementsand Limiting Factors: Following winterrainstorms,

vernalpools form in depressionsaboveanimpervioussoil layeror layers. Water

evaporatesfrom thesepoolsduring thespringandearlysummer.Vegetation

communitiesassociatedwith adjacentuplandhabitatsthatsurroundthevernal

pools in southernCaliforniaarevalley needlegrassgrassland,annualgrasslands,

coastalsagescrub,maritimesucculentscrub,and chaparral.

iii

Prior to 1945,theprimarythreatsto southernCaliforniavernalpooiswere

grazing.waterimpoundments,and conversionto agriculture. In recentyears,

urbanizationandconstructionof infrastructurehaveresultedin lossesof habitat

estimatedto be ashigh as 97 percent. Urbanizationcandirectly impact pools

througheliminationof thehabitatby soil alteration,vegetationalteration,

alterationsin hydrologicalregimes,andwaterquality. Wherepools remainthe

indirect threatsfrom dumping,trampling,vehicularactivity, runoff, andintrusion

ofnonnativespeciescancauseprofoundchangesin thepool flora.

RecoveryObjective: Thegoalof thisplan is conserveandenhancesouthern

Californiavernalpool ecosystems,with specific emphasison stabilizingand

protectingexistingpopulationsof Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Pogogyne

abramsii,Pogogynenudiuscula,Orcuttia californica, and SanDiegoand

Riversidefairy shrimpso thatthesespeciesmaybe reclassifiedfrom endangered

to threatenedstatus.Thegoalof thisplanfor Navarretiafossalis,currently

proposedfor listing asthreatened,is to ensurethe long-termconservationof this

species.

RecoveryCriteria

:

Reclassificationto threatenedstatusmaybe consideredfor Eryngiumaristulatum

var.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,Pogogynenudiuscula,Orcuttia ca/Wornica;San

DiegoandRiversidefairy shrimp;andthelong-termconservationof Navarretia

fossalis,a speciesproposedasthreatened,will be assuredwhenthefollowing

criteriaaremet:

1. Thefollowing conditionsmustbe metto maintainthecurrentstatusof

Navarretiafossalis,Eryngiumaristulatumvar. parishii, Pogogyne

abramsii,Pogogynenudiuscula,Orcuttia caiWornica, andSanDiegoand

Riversidefairy shrimpin orderto maintaingeneticdiversity and

populationstability of the listed species andothersensitivespecies:

Existing vernalpoolscurrentlyoccupiedby Orcuttiacal~fornica,

Pogogynenudiuscula,andRiversidefairy shrimpandtheirassociated

iv

watersheds should be secured from further loss and degradation in a

configurationthat maintainshabitatfunctionand speciesviability;

Existing vernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedswithin the

Transverse and Los Angeles Basin-Orange Management Areas should be

securedfrom furtherlossanddegradationin aconfigurationthatmaintains

habitatfunctionand speciesviability;

Existing vernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedswithin theSan

Marcosvernalpool complexesthat containNavarretiafossalis,Eryngium

aristulatumvar.parishii, or any othervernalpool species,shouldbe

securedfrom further lossanddegradation.Habitatfunctionsand species

viability for any oftheremainingvernalpoolsandtheirassociated

watersheds within the San Marcos complexes must be ensured;

Existing vernalpoolsandtheir associatedwatershedswithin theRamona

complexes that contain Eryngiumaristulatumvar. parishii, Navarretia

fossalis, SanDiego fairy shrimp,or any othervernalpool species,should

be securedfrom further lossanddegradationin aconfigurationthat

maintains habitat functions and species viability;

Existing vernal pools and their associated watersheds within the Hemet

complexes that contain Navarretiafossalis,and Orcuttia californica, or

any othervernalpoolspecies,shouldbe securedfrom furtherlossand

degradation in a configuration that maintainshabitatfunctionsand species

viability,

Existingvernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedslocatedon Stockpen

soils (Otay Mesa)shouldbe securedfrom furtherlossand degradationin a

configuration that maintains habitat functions and species viability, to

providefor therecoveryof speciesrestrictedto this soil type(i.e.,

Pogogynenudiuscula);and

Remainingvernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedscontainedwithin

thecomplexesidentifiedin Table4 mustbe securedin aconfigurationthat

v

maintainshabitatfunctionandspeciesviability (asdeterminedby

prescribedresearchtasks).

2. Theexistingvernalpoolsand theirassociatedwatershedscontainedwithin

thecomplexesidentified in Table5 aresecuredin aconfigurationthat

maintainshabitatfunctionandspeciesviability (asdeterminedby

recommendedresearch).

3. Securedvernalpoolsareenhancedor restoredsuchthat populationlevels

of existing speciesarestabilizedor increased.

4. Populationtrendsmustbe shownto be stableor increasingfor a minimum

of 10 consecutiveyearsprior to considerationfor reclassification.

Monitoring shouldcontinuefor aperiodof at least10 yearsfollowing

reclassificationto ensurepopulationstability.

Delisting of each of the species is conditional on the downlisting criteria shown

above,improvement(stabilizedor increasingpopulationtrends)at all currently

known sites; restoration, protection, and management of the minimum habitat area

and configuration needed to ensure long-termviability; andestablishinghistoric

but locally extirpated species populations when needed to ensure viability.

Actions Needed

:

1. Conduct surveys and research essential to the conservation of these species.

2. Secure the existing vernal pools and theirassociatedwatersheds.

3. Where necessary reestablish vernalpool habitatto thehistoricalstructure.

4. Manageandmonitor habitatandlisted species.

vi

RecoveryCn~t~ (~1AIOO’s~: someCostsarevet to be dptprniinpd~

Year Need1 Need2 Need3 Need4 Total1999 195 TBD 0 TBD 1952000 175 TBD 0 TBD 1752001 100 TBD 125 50 2752002 100 TBD 75 TBD 1752003 100 TBD 0 TBD 1002004 0 TBD 0 TBD 02005 0 TBD 0 TBD 02006 0 TBD 0 TBD 02007 0 TBD 0 TBD 02008 0 TBD 0 TBD 0

Total Cost: 670 TBD 200 50 920

Dateof Recovery

:

Reclassification of thespeciesto threatenedcould occurasearlyas2007,but the

date of Recovery cannot be determined at this time.

vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DISCLAIMER PAGE 1

11ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

EXECUTIVESUMMARY 111

LIST OFTABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES viii

I. INTRODUCTION 1

OVERVIEW 1

SPECIESDESCRIPTIONAND STATUS 3

Eryngiumaristulatumvar. parishii 3

Navarretiafossalis 6

Orcuttia caiWornica 7

Pogogyneabramsii 11

Pogogynenudiuscula 14

Branchinectasandiegonensis 16

Streptocephaluswoottoni 17

ECOSYSTEMDESCRIPTION 21

HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS 22

Pool Formation 22

Climate 23

Hydrology,Geomorphology,andWaterQuality 23

Soils 24

VernalPool-like EphemeralPonds 25

POOL FLORA 26

POOL FAUNA 29

Fairy Shrimp 30Insects 32

Amphibians . . 33

viii

Reptiles 34

Birds 34

Mammals 35

POOLSPECIES ASSOCIATIONSANDCLASSIFICATION 35

GoletaManagementArea 37

Transverse Management Area 40

Los AngelesBasin-OrangeManagementArea 40

RiversideManagementArea 42

SanDiego: North CoastalMesasManagementAreas 42

SanDiego:CentralCoastalMesasManagementAreas 44

San Diego:SouthernCoastalMesasManagementAreas 44

SanDiego; InlandValleysManagementAreas 44

HISTORIC AND CURRENTDISTRIBUTION

OF THE HABITAT 45

REASONSFORDECLINE AND CONTINUEDTHREATS

TO THE SPECIESAND THE HABITAT 47

CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION MEASURES 49

NaturalCommunityConservationPlanning 49

Vernal Pool StewardshipProjectof theSanDiegoNational

Wildlife Refuge 52

MarineCorpsAir StationMiramar 53

Marine CorpsBaseCampPendleton 57

OtherAgencies,Municipalities,andJurisdictions 57

Nonprofit Entities 58

RECOVERYSTRATEGY 58

II. RECOVERY 60

OBJECTIVE 60

PRINCIPLESFOLLOWEDIN DEVELOPING

RECOVERYCRITERIA 60

RECOVERYCRITERIA 62

RECOVERYTASKS 64

III. REFERENCES 76

ix

IV. IMPLEMENTATIONSCHEDULE 98

Appendix A:

Appendix B:

Appendix C:Appendix D:

Appendix E:

Appendix F:

Appendix G:

Appendix H:

Table 1.

Species of Special Concern In and Adjacent to VernalPool

Habitat Al

Definition of Terms B1

Illustrations Cl

Vernal Pool Plant Species Within the Management Areas .... DI

Statusof VernalPool SpeciesWithin theManagementArea .. El

Vernal Pool Complexes Within Management Areas

Identified asNecessaryto StabilizetheProposedand Listed

VernalPool Species Fl

VernalPool ComplexesWithin ManagementAreas

IdentifiedasNecessaryto ReclassifytheProposed

Listed VernalPool Species G1

SummaryoftheAgency andPublicCommentson the

Draft VernalPool RecoveryPlan Hi

LIST OF TABLES

Distribution of Vernal Pool Species

in the Management Areas 36

LIST OF FIGURES

1. Vernal Pool Distribution

2. Distribution ofEryngiumaristulaturn var. parishii

3. Distribution ofNavarretiafossalis

4. Distribution of Orcuttia caiWornica

5. Distribution ofPogogyneabramsii

6. Distribution ofPogogynenudiuscula .

2

5

8

• 10

13

15

x

7. Distribution ofBranchinectasandiegonensis 18

8. Distribution of Streptocephaluswootoni 20

9. VernalPool ManagementAreas 38

lOa. Goleta and Transverse Management Areas 39

lOb. Los AngelesBasin-OrangeandRiversideManagementAreas 41

lOc. SanDiego CountyManagementAreas 43

11. ConservationProgramsin SanDiegoCounty 50

I2a. VernalPool StewardshipProject 54

I2b. VernalPool StewardshipProjectNorthArea 55

12c. VernalPool StewardshipProjectSouthArea 56

xi

I. INTRODUCTION

OVERVIEW

In thewesternUnitedStates,vernalpoolsareaunique,specializedform of

seasonalwetlandsthatoccurin ageographicalareaextendingfrom southern

OregonthroughCaliforniainto northernBajaCalifornia,Mexico. Poolhabitats

arenothomogeneousthroughoutthis largeareabecauseof regionaldifferencesin

climate,topography,and soils. Thesedifferenceshelp to divide Californiainto

differentsubregions,eachwith adistinctivetypeortypesofpool flora (Holland

1986;Holland andDams1990;BauderandMeMillan 1998)andgeological

characteristics(e.g.,claypan,basalticflow, volcanicmudflow). Althoughthe

pools ofsouthernCaliforniasharesomewide-rangingtemporarywetlandsspecies

with pools in otherpartsof theState,theysupportspeciesuniqueto thearea,

whichhelpsto setthemapart(Stone1990). All ofthelisted andproposedspecies

addressedin this recoveryplanarerestrictedto vernalpools, from thescattered

andlimited poolsremainingin southernCaliforniaon thecoastalterracesof

GoletaandIsla Vista in SantaBarbaraCounty,to theSimi Hills of eastern

VenturaCountyandtheSantaClaritaregionofLos AngelesCounty,eastthrough

OrangeandwesternRiversideCounties,andsouthwardto themoreextensive

vernalpool complexesofSanDiegoCounty(Figure 1).

Becauseofthecomplexityofvernalpool habitatsandtheirassociatedwatershed,

thewide geographicdistributionof thevariouspool species,andtheunique

ecological parameters associated with each, strategies for therecoveryofthe

speciesaddressedwithin thisplancannotexcludethesurroundingenvironment.

Althoughnotentirelyrestrictedto southernCaliforniavernalpools,numerous

sensitivespeciescurrentlywithout Federalstatusareassociatedwith vernalpool

habitats,includingat least12 endemicplants(AppendixA). Theinvertebratesof

this specializedhabitatarenotaswell studied,andit is likely thatadditional

endemicspeciesmaybe describedwith furtherwork. Implementationof the

recoverystrategypresentedin thisrecoveryplanfor vernalpool specieswill also

protectother sensitivespeciesand associatedvegetationcommunities,thereby

minimizing thepotentialfor additionallisting actionsundertheEndangered

1

Co

o Los Angeles

0

/

0 — Mardi0 AFBc9

0Perris llama

7 Elslnore 6/0 0 ‘ @0 0

S Murrieb @4~ ~ 5 Temecula

0

Vials

os!0Marcus

Representativcvernalpoolcomplexes

1. OcayMesa2. ProctorValley3. KearnyMesa4. SkunkHollow5. SantaRosaPlateau6. Old SaltCreek(Hemec)

• Extant vernal pools or vernal pooi complexes

7. FairviewPark8. CruzanMesa9. IslaVista10.Valle deLasPalmas11. BajaMar12. La Mision

314

to3o0o000

Rasnona

02S

- -.-. —.

Tijuana

~1@12

@10

0 Extirpated vernal pools or vernal pool complexes

0

Janard

Roberts, July 1998

2

Species Act. The species addressed in this plan for which specific recovery

criteria were developed are as follows:

Scientific Name

Etyngiumaristulatum

var. parishii

Navarretiafossalis

Orcuttia cal~fornica

Pogogyneabramsii

Pogogynenudiuscula

Branchinecta

sandiegonensis

Streptocephaluswoottoni

Common Name

San Diego button-celery

spreading navarretia

California Orcutt grass

San Diego mesa mint

Otay mesa mint

SanDiegofairy shrimp

Riversidefairy shrimp

FederalStatus

endangered

proposed threatened

endangered

endangered

endangered

endangered

endangered

Various land owners and agencies have developed a joint agreement to protect

much of the known vernal pool habitat of Downingiaconcolorssp.brevior

(Cuyamaca Lake downingia) and Limnanthesgracilis ssp.parishli (Parish’s

meadowfoam),montanevernalpool species.Theconservationrequirementsof

thesetwo species,aswell asCuyarnacalarkspur(Delphiniumhesperiumssp.

cuyamacae),havebeenaddressedin a ConservationAgreement(USFWS 1 996a).

Theecologyanddistributionofthevernalpool fairy shrimp(Branchinectalynchi)

is beingaddressedin theCentralValley VernalPool andMulti-SpeciesDraft

RecoveryPlan(USFWSunpub. 1998). Therefore,thesespeciesarenot included

in this plan.

SPECIESDESCRIPTIONAND STATUS

Eryngiumaristulaumvar.parishii (J. Coulter& Rose)Jepson

(SanDiegobutton-celery,Illustrationnot available)

Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii is a memberofthecarrotfamily (Apiaceac)

andwasoriginally describedasEryngiumparishii by CoulterandRose(1900).

Somereferenceshaveconfusedthis taxa(Eryngiurnparishii) with Eryngium

jepsonjivar.parishii. (Jepson1923). Jepson(1936)reflectstheCoulterandRose

3

(1900)classification. MathiasandConstance(1941)separatedEryngium

aristulatumfrom Eryngiumjepsoniidueto morphologicalcharacteristicsand

treatedthis plantasavarietyof Eryngiumaristulatum(asEryngiumaristulatum

var.parishii). This treatmentof Eryngiumaristulatum(asvar.parishii), is still

recognizedin bothMunz (1974)andHickman(1993).

Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii is aperennial herb with a persistent tap root.

Theplanthasaspreadingto erecthabit, reachinga heightof 41 centimeters(16

inches)ormore. Thestemsandtoothedleavesaregray greenwith spinoselobes,

giving it aprickly appearance.Inflorescencesform on shortpeduncles(stalks)

with few to many-floweredheads.

Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii is separatedfrom Eryngiumaristulatumvar.

aristulatumby havingstylesin fruit that areaboutthesamelengthasthecalyx

(outerwhorl of protectiveleavesaroundtheflower) and is separatedfrom

Eryngiumarisiulatumvar. hooveriby havingbractlets(modified leaves)without

callusedmargins(Hickman1993). A populationof Eryngiumhasbeenfoundon

Marine CorpsBaseCampPendleton(MCB CampPendleton)that is diagnosable

asandmayrepresenta newspecies(Kim Marsden,pers.comm. 1997).

Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii rangesfrom asfar northastheSantaRosa

Plateau,RiversideCounty,southto themesasnorthofEnsenada,Mesade

Colonet,andSanQuintin,BajaCalifornia,Mexico (Marsden,pers.comm. 1997)

(Figure 2). Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii is foundin poolson Del Mar

Mesa,Mira Mesa,KearnyMesa,Marine CorpsAir StationMiramar(MCAS

Miramar),MCB CampPendleton,andat siteswithin thecitiesof Tierrasanta,San

Marcos,Carlsbad,andRamona; it wasextirpatedfrom asite in thecity ofLa

Jolla(Bauder1986). Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii is alsofoundin the

southernportionof SanDiegoCountyon Otay Mesa,neartheLower Otay

Reservoirand in ProctorValley. It alsowasfoundneartheTijuanaAirport, but is

believedto be extirpatedatthis locale. Thereareno knownherbariumcollections

ofEryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii from theSanDiegoMesa(e.g.,Normal

Heights,SanDiego StateUniversity).

4

Co

Los Angeles

MardiAPR

Penis

Macrids

Tenseaula

SantaClarlia

Heart

Rainssona

0BAJA

Co

LJr

S

Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii waslistedasendangeredonAugust3, 1993

(USFWS), after theU.S. FishandWildlife Servicedeterminedthat thepresent

rangewasbeingrapidlyreducedandthecontinuedexistenceof thespecieswas

beingthreatenedby habitatlossanddegradationdueto urbanand agricultural

development,livestockgrazing,off-road vehicleuse,trampling,invasionsfrom

weedynon-nativeplants,andotherfactors. Theplant hasaU.S. Fishand

Wildlife Servicerecoverypriority of 3C, indicatingthat it is asubspeciesor

varietyfacingahighdegreeof threatbut havingahighpotentialfor recovery.

The“C” indicatesthat thespeciesmaybe in conflict with constructionor

developmentprojects.Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii waslisted by theState

of Californiaasendangeredin July of 1979, undertheCaliforniaEndangered

SpeciesAct, and is currentlyrecognizedassuch.

NavarretiafossalisMoran

(Spreadingnavarretia,Illustrationnot available)

Navarretiafossalisis amemberof thephlox family (Polemoniaceae).It wasfirst

describedby ReidMoranin 1977basedon acollectionhe madein 1969nearLa

Misi6n in northwesternBajaCalifornia,Mexico. Navarrez~iafossalisis a low,

spreadingor ascending,annualherb. The lowerportionsof thestemsaremostly

bare. Theleavesaresoft andfinely divided, up to 5 centimeters(2 inches)long,

andspine-tippedwhendry. Theflowersarewhite to lavenderwhite with linear

petalsandarearrangedin flat-topped,compact,leafs’heads(USFWS 1 994b).

Severalotherspecieswithin thegenusoccurwithin therangeofNavarretia

fossalis. Two ofthesespecies,NavarretiaintertextaandNavarrei’iaprostrata,

canoccurin similarhabitats.Navarretiafossaliscanbe distinguishedfrom these

speciesby thesizeandshapeof thecalyx, thepositionof thecorolla(inner floral

leaves),andtheform of thecorollalobes. All Navarretiaspeciescanbe

distinguishedfrom eachotherby theappearanceof thepollen grainsurface(Day

1993).

In SanDiegoCounty,Navarretiafossalisappearsto be avernalpool endemic.

However,in RiversideCounty,it occursin relativelyundisturbedandmoderately

disturbedvernalpools andin alkali playahabitatnearHemet(Bramlett1993).

Thespeciesalso occursin relativelyundisturbedandmoderatelydisturbedvernal

6

poolsandalkali playahabitatsalongtheSanJacintoRiverin RiversideCounty

andon MCB CampPendleton.Historical recordsindicatethat Navarretiafossalis

is alsoknownfrom two occurrencesnearCreston,in SanLuis ObispoCounty.

This plant specieswasproposedfor listing asthreatenedon December15, 1994

(USFWS)aftertheU.S. FishandWildlife ServicedeterminedthatNavarretia

fossaliswasdecliningasaresultof habitatdestructionandfragmentationfrom

agriculturaldevelopment,pipelineconstruction,alterationofwetlandhydrology

by drainingorchannelization,off-road vehicle activity, cattleandsheepgrazing,

weedabatement,fire suppressionpractices,and competitionfrom nonnativeplant

species.Navarretiafossalisis knownfrom widely disjunctand restricted

populationsextendingfrom theSantaClaritaregionof Los AngelesCounty,east

to thewesternlowlandsof RiversideCounty,souththroughcoastaland foothill

San DiegoCounty,southto SanQuintin,BajaCalifornia,Mexico (Figure3).

Fewerthan30 populationsexist in theUnitedStates.Nearly60 percentof these

populationsareconcentratedin 3 locationsin California: on Otay Mesain

southernSanDiegoCounty, alongtheSanJacintoRiver in RiversideCounty, and

nearHemetin westernRiversideCounty (USFWS 1994b).

Orcuttia caiWornicaVasey

(CaliforniaOrcuttgrass,IllustrationseeAppendixC)

Orcuttia calWornica is amemberofthegrassfamily (Poaceae).Orcuttia

caiWornicawasfirst collectedby CharlesOrcuttandwasdescribedby Vasey

(1886). This planthasbeenconsideredthenominatevarietyof Orcuttia

caiWornicaandtwo othervarietieswerealsorecognized(0. c. var. viscidaand0.

c. var. inaequalis). Reeder(1982)raisedall thevarietiesof Orcuttia caiWornica

to speciesstatus.

This small annualgrassreachesabout10 centimeters(4 inches)in height, is bright

gray-green,andsecretessticky droplets. Inflorescences,bornefrom May through

July, consistof sevenspikeletsarrangedin two ranks,with theupperspikeletsoverlappingon asomewhattwistedaxis. Thethreespeciesformerly included

within OrcuttiacalWornica(0. calWornica, 0. inaequalis,and0. viscida)canbe

separatedfrom otherspeciesof Orcuttia by havinglemma(lower scales

7

Los Angeles

MarchAPR

Marriela

Marcus

Ilenset

Ransun*

8

surroundingtheflower) teethunequal,with thecentraltoothgenerallythe longest

(Reeder1993). Orcuttia calWornicacanbe separatedfrom Orcuttiaviscidaby

havinga lemmathat is lessthan5 millimeters(0.2 inch) long, sharp-pointedor

awnedteeth,awns(bristleson theseedhead)that arelessthan0.5 millimeter

(0.02inch) long, andfruits that arelessthan2 millimeters (0.08 inch)long.

Orcuttia calWornicacanbe separatedfrom Orcuttia inaequalisby beingsparsely

hairy with a prostratestem. In addition,the inflorescencehasspikeletsthat are

well separatedon thelowerpartof theaxis andarecrowdedtowardthetip

(Reeder1993).

Orcuttia caiWornicahashistorically beenreportedfrom at leastfour locationsin

Los AngelesCounty. However,it is currentlyknownfrom only two localities

near Santa Clarita, California (Cruzan Mesa)andnearWoodlandHills (Los

AngelesCounty). An occurrenceis known from theCarlsbergvernalpool located

in theCity ofMoorparkin VenturaCounty. Thespeciesis alsoknownfrom the

SantaRosaPlateau,Skunk Hollow, andasite nearHemet(RiversideCounty)

(Bramlett,pers.comm. 1993) (Figure4). Thespeciesalsoonceoccurrednear

MurrietaHot Springs,but this populationhasbeenextirpated.In SanDiego

County,Orcuttia caiWornica is foundin two poolson MCAS Miramar,in theCity

of Carlsbad(in thesamepool asEryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Navarretia

fossalis,and theRiversideandSanDiego fairy shrimp),and in fourpool

complexeson Otay Mesa. In BajaCalifornia,Mexico, Orcuttia calWornicahas

beenfoundon Mesade Colonetandin poolsatSanQuintin. TheseBaja

populationsare believedto still exist, but in dangerofbeingextirpateddueto

agriculturalconversion.

Orcuitia calWornicawaslisted asendangeredon August3, 1993 (USFWS). The

U.S. Fishand Wildlife Servicedeterminedthat thepresentrangewasbeing

rapidly reducedandthecontinuedexistenceofthespecieswasbeingthreatened

by habitatlossand degradationdueto urbanandagriculturaldevelopment,

livestockgrazing,off-road vehicleuse,trampling,invasionsfrom weedynon-

nativeplants,andotherfactors.TheplanthasaU.S. FishandWildlife Service

recoverypriority of SC, indicatingthat it is aspeciesfacingahigh degreeof threat

andhavingalow potentialfor recovery.The“C” indicatesthat thespeciesmay

be in conflict with constructionor developmentprojects.

9

MarchAfl

Ferris ~aEit&Ilemet

Vista

SanMarcus

BAJA

Fred M. Hoberts, June I 997

Los Angeles

Ramun.

10

Pogogyneabramsii Howell

(San Diego mesa mint, Illustration not available)

Pogogyneabramsii is an annual herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae). The genus

Pogogynewas first described by Bentham (1834 cited in Howell 1931) in his

monographic study of the mint family, Labiatarum Generaet Species.At that

time, only three species in the genus had been described. Asa Gray (1876 cited in

Howell 1931) described the species Pogogynenudiuscula,which incorporated all

the Pogogynespecies in San Diego County. John Thomas Howell (1931), in his

monographic study of the genus Pogogyne,separated Pogogynenudiusculainto

two species: Pogogynenudiusculaand Pogogyneabramsii. Pogogyneabramsii

was diagnosed by hairs on the calyx and a different bract morphology from

Pogogynenudiuscula.Howell did not give a clear description of the distribution

of Pogogynenudiusculaand Pogogyneabramsii. He considered all populations

to be geographically separate. Howell considered all populations of Pogogyne

north of Mission Valley as Pogogyneabramsiiand all populations of Pogogyne

on OtayMesaasPogogynenudiuscula.However, it is not clearwhich species

was present on San Diego Mesa, which is locatedbetweenMissionValley and

Otay Mesa. A major problem in determining the original range of these two

speciesis thatalmostall oftheherbariumcollectionsthat might prove useful are

very vague on locality. Sites are given as “mesas, San Diego;” “San Diego;” or

“mesas near San Diego.”

There has been some debate whether Pogogyneabramsiiis taxonomicallydistinct

from Pogogynenudiuscula.Abrams (195 1) recognized this species but

consideredit possiblynot distinctfrom Pogogynenudiuscula. Current work

(Jokerst 1993; McMillan unpublished data 1995)supportstaxonomicdistinction.

Not only do the two species differ in the calyx pubescence (hairiness) and bract

morphology,butalsoin thenumberofflowersperstemnode. All ofthecurrent

PogogynepopulationsnorthofMissionValley andsouthof Del Mar Mesaare

still consideredto be Pogogyneabramsii. Thepopulationsfrom thecentral(San

Diego) mesaswereprobablyPogogyneabramsii,but with suchlimited herbaria

records,thisquestionwill probablyneverbe fully resolved.

II

As anherbaceousannual,Pogogyneabramsiioccasionallyreaches30 centimeters

(1 foot) in heightandtypically bloomsfrom May to earlyJuly. Theplant canbe

very branched,and thevegetativeandfloral portionsgive off a strong,sweetmint

odor. Thevegetationdevelopsareddishtinge astheplantmaturesandflowers.

The flowers are purple with white oryellow throats. Pogogyneabramsiitypically

has only two flowers per node, ahairy calyx,andthin bractssubtendingeach

flower (MeMillan unpublished data 1995).

Pogogyneabramsiiis endemicto SanDiegoCounty. Thenorthernlimit of

distribution for Pogogyneabramsiiis Del Mar Mesa,and it occurs south on Mira

Mesa,MCAS Miramar,andKearnyMesa,with afewscatteredpopulationsin

westernTierrasanta. Pogogyneabramsiipopulationshavebeenextirpatedfrom

the Linda Vista area, the vicinity of Balboa Park,NormalHeights,andthearea

surrounding San Diego StateUniversity (Figure5). Althoughmostofthese

extirpatedpopulationsfrom theSanDiegoMesaarelabeledasPogogyne

nudiusculaon herbariumcollections,thesespecimenshavenotbeenannotated

andshouldbeprobablybe consideredPogogyneabramsii(McMillan unpublished

data 1995).

Pogogyneabramsiiwaslisted asendangeredon September28, 1978(USEWS

1984). TheU.S. Fishand Wildlife Servicedeterminedthatthepresentrangewas

beingrapidly reducedandthecontinuedexistenceof thespecieswasbeing

threatenedby highwayconstruction,housingdevelopment,off-roadvehicleuse,

illegal dumping,andagricuJturalconversion.A RecoveryPlanfor thespecies

wasfinalizedby theU.S. Fishand Wildlife Servicein 1984(USFWS 1984).The

planthasa U.S. FishandWildlife Servicerecoverypriority of 2C, indicatingthat

it is a speciesfacingahigh degreeofthreatbut havingahighpotentialfor

recovery.The“C” indicatesthatthespeciesmaybe in conflictwith construction

ordevelopmentprojects.Pogogyneabramsiiwaslistedby theStateofCalifornia

asendangeredin Januaryof 1979,undertheCaliforniaEndangeredSpeciesAct,

and is currentlyrecognizedassuch.

12

Ramona

Poway

El Cajon

Vista

Otay Mesa

- - . - - - - - - —-

FredM. Roberts,Jr. August 1997

//

13

PogogynenudiusculaA. Gray

(Otay mesa mint, Illustration Appendix C)

Pogogynenudiusculais an annual herbin themint family (Lamiaceae).As was

mentioned in the description for Pogogyneabramsii,Howell (1931) considered

all Pogogynepopulationson Otay Mesato bePogogynenudiuscula.Manyofthe

olderherbariumspecimensthat might be from thecentralmesasarelabeledas

Pogogynenudiuscula,butarelikely Pogogyneabramsii. Howell considered

Pogogynenudiusculato bediagnosablefrom Pogogyneabramsiiby havinga

glabrous(smooth)calyx andbractwith adifferentmorphology. Thisdistinction

is supportedby currentwork (Jokerst1993;MeMillan unpublisheddata1995),

andthespeciesis alsodiagnosableby usuallyhavingat leastsix flowerspernode

on thestem.

Pogogynenudiusculacanreach30 centimeters(1 foot) or morein heightand

typically bloomsfrom May orJunethroughearlyJuly. Theplantis usuallynot

muchbranched,and thevegetativeand floral portionsof theplant give off a

strong,turpentinemint odor. In contrastto Pogogyneabramsiithevegetative

portionsof theplant do not developareddishtinge until theplantis pastthe

floweringperiod. Theflowersarepurplewith awhitethroat. Pogogyne

nudiusculatypically hassix flowers(occasionallymore)perstemnode,a glabrous

to minutelypubescent(hairy) calyx, andbractsandleaveswhicharewider than

Pogogyneabramsii. A largepopulationof Pogogynewasfoundby ReidMoran

in Valle de las Palmas,in BajaCalifornia,Mexico,about32 kilometers(20 miles)

southof theTecateBordercrossing,butcurrentwork (MeMillan unpublisheddata

1995)supportsthis populationasauniquespecies.This populationcanbe

distinguishedfrom Pogogynenudiusculaon Otay Mesaby thecalyx to corolla

ratio,thenumberofflowerspernode,andthegeneralsizeof thefloral parts. This

populationcanalsobe separatedfrom Pogogynenudiusculaby allozymeand

DNA data(Hansonunpublished1995).

Pogogynenudiusculacurrently exists only in seven vernal poo1 complexes on

OtayMesa(Figure6). Historically it wasknownto occuracross the international

border where the Tijuana International Airport is now located. No Tijuana

populations of Pogogynenudiusculaare known to exist today as Pogogyne

nudiuscutawasneverknownto occurfurthernorththanOtay Mesa(seeprevious

discussion).

14

Ramona

Poway

El Cajon

- - - - -

FredM. Roberts,Jr. Augusc 1997

/ —

//

Chula

15

Pogogynenudiusculawaslisted asendangeredon August3, 1993 (USFWS). The

U.S. FishandWildlife Servicedeterminedthat thepresentrangewasbeing

rapidly reducedandthecontinuedexistenceof thespeciesthreatenedby habitat

lossanddegradationdueto urbanand agriculturaldevelopment,livestockgrazing,

off-roadvehicleuse,trampling,invasionsfrom weedynonnativeplants,andother

factors.Theplanthasa U.S. Fishand Wildlife Servicerecoverypriority of2C,

indicatingthatit is a speciesfacingahigh degreeof threatbut havingahigh

potentialfor recovery. The“C” indicatesthatthespeciesmaybe in conflict with

constructionor developmentprojects.Pogogynenudiusculawaslistedby the

StateofCaliforniaasendangeredin July of 1987,undertheCalifornia

EndangeredSpeciesAct, andis currentlyrecognizedassuch.

BranchinectasandiegonensisFugate

(SanDiego fairy shrimp,Illustrationnot available)

TheSanDiego fairy shrimpis asmall freshwatercrustaceanin thefamily

Branchinectidae,oftheOrderAnostraca.Thespecieswasdescribedby Fugatein

1993basedon specimenscollectedon Del Mar Mesa,SanDiego County,

California (USFWS 1994c). The SanDiego fairy shrimpis closelyrelatedto

Branchinectalynchi, thevernalpool fairy shrimp,anarrowCaliforniaendemic

and afederallythreatenedspecies.TheSanDiego fairy shrimpwasfirst collected

(but identifiedthenasBranchinectalindabli) nearPowayandat Ramona,

California in 1962(USEWS1994c).

TheSanDiego fairy shrimp is a small anddelicateanimalwith largestalked

compoundeyes,no carapace,and 11 pairs ofswimminglegs. Maturemalesattain

16 millimeters(0.6 inch) in length, andfemalesattain 14 millimeters (0.5 inch) in

length. TheSanDiego fairy shrimp canbe distinguishedfrom otherfairy shrimp

ofthesamegenusby theshapeofthesecondantenna(males),or theshapeand

lengthoftheovisacandthepresenceof paireddorsilateralspines(Fugate1993).

TheSanDiego fairy shrimp is a vernalpool habitatspecialist,foundin small,

shallowvernalpools. However,thespeciesoccasionallyoccursin ditchesand

roadruts that cansupportsuitableconditions(USFWS 1994c). No individuals

havebeenfoundin riverine waters,marinewaters,or otherpermanentbodiesof

16

water. Thegeneticcharacteristicsof theSanDiego fairy shrimp, aswell as

ecologicalconditionssuchaswatershedcontiguity, indicatethat populationsof

these animals are defined by pool complexes rather than by individual vernal

pools (Simovich etal., 1992). Individual vernalpoolsoccupiedby theSanDiego

fairy shrimparemostappropriatelyreferredto assubpopulations.

Thelargestnumberofvernalpools inhabitedby theSanDiego fairy shrimpare

locatedin SanDiegoCounty. Here,theSanDiego fairy shrimpis foundfrom

MCBCampPendleton, inland to Ramona, and south through Del MarMesa,

KearneyMesa,ProctorValley,and Otay Mesa,and intonorthwesternBaja

California,Mexico. In BajaCalifornia, it hasbeenrecordedat two localities

(Valle de las Palmassouth ofTecateandBajaMar, northof Ensenada)(Brownet

al., 1993). Smallpopulationsoccurin OrangeCounty,anda singleisolated

femalewasreportedfrom avernalpool in IslaVista, SantaBarbaraCounty,

California(USEWS 1 994c)(Figure7).

Thisspecieswaslisted asendangeredon February3, 1997 (USFWS). TheU.S.

FishandWildlife Servicedeterminedthat thecontinuedsurvivalofthespecieswasthreatenedby habitatdestructionfrom agriculturalandurbandevelopment,

alterationofwetlandhydrologyby draining,off-roadvehicle activity, cattlegrazing,andreplacementby otherfairy shrimp speciesthat arehabitatgeneralists.

Theanimalhasa U.S. Fishand Wildlife Servicerecoverypriority of2C,

indicatingthat it is aspeciesfacingahigh degreeof threatbut havinga high

potentialfor recovery. The“C” indicatesthat thespeciesmaybe in conflict with

constructionor developmentprojects.

StreptocephaluswoottoniEng

(Riversidefairy shrimp,Illustrationnot available)

TheRiversidefairy shrimpis asmall freshwatercrustaceanin theFamily

StreptocephalidaeoftheOrderAnostraca.Thespecieswasfirst collectedin 1979

by C.H. Ericksonandwasidentifiedasanewspeciesin 1985 (Eng etal. 1990).

Maturemalesarebetween13 and 25 millimeters(0.5to 1.0 inch) long. The

frontal appendageis cylindrical,bibbedat thetip, and extendsonly partway to

thedistal endofthebasalsegmentof theantenna.Thespurofthe thumbis a

17

March

AIR

Perri.

Marrieta

Temecula

- —- - - - — -

- red M. Ruherts, June t997

SantaCitlita

Los Angeles

Ilesnet

18

simplebladelike structure. Thefinger hastwo teeth; theproximal tooth is shorter

thanthedistal tooth. Thedistal toothhasalateralshoulderthat is equalto about

halfthetooth’stotal lengthmeasuredalongtheproximaledge. Thecercopods

(enhancetherudder-likefunctionoftheabdomen)areseparatewith plumosesetae

(featherybristles)alongthemedialandlateralborders. Maturefemalesare

betweenabout13 and22 millimeters(0.5 to 0.87 inch) in total length. Thebrood

pouchextendsto abdominalsegmentsseven,eight, ornine. Thecercopodsof

femalesarethesameasthemales’.

TheRiversidefairy shrimpis foundin deep,coolwaterpoolsandoccasionallyin

depressions(mel.roadruts andditches)that supportsuitablehabitat.Thefairy

shrimpspeciesmostsimilar to theRiversidefairy shrimpis thespiny-tail fairy

shrimp(Streptocephalussealii), discoveredby Ryderin 1879. Plumosesetae

edgethecercopodsofmaturemaleRiversidefairy shrimp,whereasspinesreplace

thesetaeon thedistal halfofthecercopodsin maturespiny-tail fairy shrimpand

desertfairy shrimp(Streptocephalussimilis), whichwasdiscoveredby Baird in

1852. Bothmalesand femalesofRiversidefairy shrimphavetheredcolorofthe

cercopodscoveringall theninth abdominalsegmentand30 to 40 percentof the

eighthabdominalsegment.No redextendsontotheabdominalsegmentsof either

sexin thespiny-tail fairy shrimp.

ThenorthernrangeoftheRiversidefairy shrimpis definedby Skunk Hollow and

theSantaRosa Plateau in RiversideCounty andcoastalsitesin SanDiego and

OrangeCounties(Figure8). It is documentedfrom onecomplexon MCAS

Miramar, throughoutMCB CampPendleton,andeight complexeson Otay Mesa.

In BajaCalifornia,Mexico, it hasbeenfoundin Valle de las Palmas,andat

Bajamarnorth ofEnsenada (Brown,etal. 1993).

TheRiversidefairy shrimpwaslisted asendangeredon August3, 1993

(USFWS). TheU.S. FishandWildlife Servicedeterminedthat thepresentrange

wasbeingrapidly reducedandthecontinuedexistenceof thespeciesthreatened

by habitatlossanddegradationdueto urbanandagriculturaldevelopment,off-

roadvehicleuse,trampling,andotherfactors. Theanimalhasa U.S. Fishand

Wildlife Servicerecoverypriority of SC, indicating that it is aspeciesfacinga

high degreeofthreatandhavinga low potentialfor recovery.The“C” indicates

thatthespeciesmaybe in conflict with constructionor developmentprojects.

19

Hemet

Ransona

Co

-

— —

Tijuana

7,4. Robert,, July t999

SantaClarila

Los Angeles

MarchAFB

Perris

Vista

SanMarcos

20

ECOSYSTEMDESCRIPTION

Vernalpools areseasonaldepressionalwetlandswith manycharacteristics

commonto otherwetlandclasses(Butterwick 1996). Their rich endemicflora

and micro fauna set themapartfrom othertemporarywetlands(Stebbins1976;

Thorne1984). Theproliferationofspeciesin thesepoolsmaybe relatedto the

Mediterraneanclimatethat prevailsthroughouttheirrange. This climateis

characterizedby winter rainstorms,followed by a long summerdrought.

Consequently,pools that maybe classifiedas“vernal” canbe foundin areasof

NorthAmerica,Chile, SouthAmerica,SouthAfrica, Australia,andthe

Mediterranean Basin.

Severalplant generaareendemicto Californiavernalpool habitats(e.g.,

Pogogyne,Downingia, Psilocarphus,Orcuttia,etc.)andmanyothershavethe

majority oftheirdistributionsin vernally moistponds,seeps,swales,drainages

andmeadowswithin theCaliforniaFloristic Province(Thorne1984).

Becauseofa largepool perimeter-surfacearea,vernalpoolsareintimately

connectedto thevegetationcommunitywhich surroundsthem. Numerousplant

speciesaredependentuponsouthernCaliforniavernalpools,and awidearrayof

plantsandanimalsof restricteddistributionarefoundin thevegetation

communitiesin whichthepoolsoccur(AppendixA). Theuplandvegetation

communitiesassociatedwith vernalpools in southernCaliforniainclude:

needlegrassgrassland,annualgrasslands,coastalsagescrub,maritimesucculent

scrub,chaparral,coniferousforest,andmontanewetmeadow.

Somepool species,suchasspadefoottoads(Scaphiopushammondii)andPacific

treefrogs(Hyla regilla), spenda largeportionof their life cycle in theadjacent

soils andvegetation,but requirepondingwaterto breed(Simovich 1985). Nearby

soils andplantsareimportantto vernalpool pollinators (Leong 1994and

submittedM.S. thesis1995)andherbivores(Hunt 1989, 1992;Blacketat 1993).

Poolsareutilized by birds andvariousmammalsfor food,water,andnesting.

Fairyshrimp andotherinvertebratesprovidefood for waterfowl,especiallyducks

(Krapu 1974;Proctoret al. 1967;Swansonet at 1974;Silveira 1996).

21

HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS

Soils, topography,andtheMediterraneanclimateare dominantfactors

determiningwhetherephemeralpoolsor lakeswill form at all. Within thehabitat

classdefinedasvernalpools,thedistributionsof plant andanimalspecies,

especiallyendemics,appearto be affectedby subtledifferencesin durationand

patternof ponding,waterandsoil chemistry,andsub-regionalclimatic variables

suchasthetotal amountof precipitation,thetemperatureregimein winter, and

theprobabilityof summerprecipitation.

Pool Formation

After sufficient rainfall,pools form in depressionsaboveanimpervioussoil layer

or layers. Typically, thedepressionsarepartof anundulatinglandscape,where

soil moundsareinterspersedwith basins,swales,anddrainages.This landscapeis

frequentlycalled“mima-mound”topography,aftertheMima Prairiein

Washingtonwherethesesoil moundswerefirst described(Cox 1984a, b).

Occasionally,vernalpoolsor the soils theyarelocatedon aredegraded(e.g.,

ditches).Theseareasoftenhavetheability to functionashabitatandmayalso

supportvernalpool species.

When poolsarefilled to capacity,theirsurfaceareamaybe assmall asafew

squaremeters,orattheotherextreme,approachthesizeof small lakes. In some

casestheindividualidentity of pools is lostaltogetherwhenprecipitationis

abundantandbasinsoverflow. Thewatershedfor an individual pool maybe very

localized(Blacketal. 1993),or it maybe partof anextensiveandcomplex

watershedasseenin CuyamacaValley (Bauder1994). Largerpondsorvernal

lakesmayalwaysretaintheir separateness(e.g.,HiddenLake,SkunkHollow).

Smallerpoolsmayfill for only acoupleofweeks,andonly on theheaviest

rainfall years(e.g., anEl Niflo event). Largerpondsor vernallakestypically

remainfilled for threeto five months,but in yearsofsparseprecipitation,may

fail to pondat all. Waterlevelsrise andfall during therainy season,andsoils of

pool basinsmaybe exposedandre-inundatedanumberoftimesbeforedrying in

late spring.

22

Climate

In southernCalifornia,climatic variablesaremostinfluencedby distancefrom the

coast,topography,andelevation,with yearlyaverageprecipitationlowestalong

thecoastandrising with distanceinland, to apeakin thepeninsularrangesto the

east. Precipitationlevelsthendropabruptlyin therain shadowofthemountains

wheretheupperSonoranDesert(ColoradoDesert)begins.

Within agivenrainfall year,mostof theprecipitationoccursfrom November

throughMarch andis concentratedin abouta half dozenstormsthatmayoccur

within afewmonthsorbe spreadmoreevenlyover therainfall season(Mooney

andParsons1973;Goldmanetal. 1986). An analysisof long termweather

recordshaveshownthata tenyearsamplingperiodgivesbetterthanan 80 percent

representativesampleofweatherpatternsin a givenregion.

Yearly variability in precipitationis substantial,a featurethat is sharedby all arid

and semiaridclimates(LeHouerou1984;Zedler1990). Very dry orwetyearscan

follow eachother,andno patternis apparent(Bauder1987a;Zedler 1987). Since

1850,whenrecord-keepingbeganin theCity of SanDiego,yearlyprecipitationat

theLindberghFieldweatherstationhasrangedfrom alow of89 millimeters(3.5

inches)in 1960/61to ahighof660 millimeters(26 inches) in 1883/84.

Hydrology.Geomorphology.and WaterOualitv

Pools are dependent on adjacentgeomorphologyfor maintenanceof theirunique

hydrological conditions. Dramatic within- and between-yearvariability in

moistureconditionsis thecrucial factorin preventingvernalpools from becoming

freshwatermarshesor dominatedby uplandshrubsandherbs. Pool plant species

toleratelengthyperiodsof inundation,butarenot truly aquatic,somortality

increaseswith length ofinundationand is usually 100 percentwhereponding

exceedssix months(Bauder1 987a,1992). Vernalpool habitatsthatremain

inundatedfor morethan6 monthsmayexhibitcharacteristicstypical ofa

freshwatermarsh,beingdominatedby sedgesandrushes. Exampleswould

includeSkunkHollow (Zedleretal. 1990),HiddenLake, LakeCuyamaea,and

theSantaRosaPlateau(LathropandThorne 1976). At theotherend ofthe

23

moisturegradient,theterrainbetweenpools is dominatedby nonnativegrassland,

chaparral,forest,or savannahvegetation.

Geophysicalandchemicalfactorsgreatlyinfluencethegeographicdistributionof

pool species(Eng etal. 1990; Simovich etal. 1996). Modification of alkalinity,

pH, turbidity, and water temperature (Simovich etal. 1996) may drastically affect

certain pool specieswith very specific toleranceranges.Seasonalityof water

qualityvariableshasbeendocumentedby Collie andLathrop(1976)and

SimovichandKing (1992). Localizedvariationamongpools in hydrological

(Zedleret al. 1979;HollandandJam 1984;Bauder1 987a;FerrenandPritchett

1988), physical,andchemicalpropertiesare well established(EbertandBalko

1987;SimovichandKing 1992;King etal.1996;Gonzalezetal. 1996).

A steep,small-scalegradientin soil texture,nutrients,waterquality, and

hydrologyextendsfrom thesurroundingareas(moundedor otherwise)into the

basins(Zedleretal. 1979; Bauder1987a;Zedleret al. 1990; Black etal. 1993;

Black eta!. 1994).While thenatureof subsurfaceconnectionsis not understood

(Hanes, et a!. 1990;HollandandDams1990),studiesconductedin vernalpools

in the SacramentoValley indicatethatthecontributionofsubsurfaceandoverland

flows is significantonly in yearsof highprecipitationwhenthepoolsarealready

saturated(Hanesand Stromberg1996).

Soils

Critical to theformationof vernalpools is thepresenceofnearlyimpermeable

surface or subsurfacesoil layersand flat orgentlyslopingtopography(lessthan

10 percentslope). In southernCalifornia,theseimperviouslayersaretypically

alluvial materialswith clayor clay loamsubsoils,andtheyoftenform adistinctive

micro relief known as Gilgai or mima mound topography (Hallsworth et a!. 1955;

Cox 1 984a). Basalticor graniticsubstrates(e.g.,HiddenLakeandSantaRosa

Plateau in Riverside County) or indurated hardpan layers (e.g., coastal San Diego

County) may contribute to poordrainageaswell.

On thecoastalterracesin SanDiegoCounty,pools areassociatedwith the

Huerhuero,Stockpen,Redding,andOlivenhainsoil series. Huerhueroand

24

Stockpensoils arederivedfrom marinesedimentsandterraces.Surfacelayersare

loamto clay loam andmoderatelyto slightly acidic (pH 5.6-6.5). Subsurface

layersaremildly to moderatelyalkaline(pH 7.8-8.2)clays. In contrastto the

Huerhueroand Stockpensoils, theReddingandOlivenhainsoil serieswere

formedfrom alluvium. Theyaremoderatelyto stronglyacidic atthesurface(pH

5.6-5.8),with stronglyacidicsubsoils(pH 4.5-5.1). TheReddingsoil seriesis

notablefor anoncontiguousiron-silicacementedhardpanunderlyingthesubsoil.

Sometimes it can be found near thesurfacebut otherwiseit is locatedup to four

feetbelow(GreenwoodandAbbott 1980;Bowman 1973). OntheDel MarMesa

(Reddinggravelly loam),GreenwoodandAbbott (1980)foundthatthe

expandablesmectiticandvermiculitic clay mineralsmadeup 32 percentof the

claysin theupperloamy soil layers,increasingto 78 percentin the lowerclay

layer. TheReddingandOlivenhainsoils arebelievedto havesupportedthe

majority ofthepoolshistorically foundin SanDiegoCounty. Thesesoils are

gravellyor cobbly loam with claysubsoils(Bowman1973).

With theexceptionof ProctorValley (Olivenhainsoils) andMarronValley

(Huerhuerosoils), soils in mostofthe inland valleysdiffer from thecoastal

terraces.Their origins includeacidic igneousrock, weatheredsandstone,granitic

alluvium,andothersubstrates.Theimperviouslayeris oftensandyclay with pH

rangesfrom mildly acidic (pH 5.8)to moderatelyalkaline(pH 8.0). In San

MarcosValley, thesoils areprimarily from theLas Floresand Placentiaseries.

BosankoandPlacentiasoils dominatein Ramona,ahigherelevationinland

valley. TheSantaRosaPlateauhasMurriettastonyclay loamsandsoils ofthe

LasPosasseries(Lathrop andThorne 1976).At SkunkHollow in Riverside

County, thesoils in the immediateareaofthevernallakeare Las Posasclay loam,

Wymanclay loam, andWillows soil, a deepalkalineclay (Zedlereta!. 1990).

Vernal Pool-like EphemeralPonds

In SanDiegoCountyand southernOrangeCounty,vernalpool-like ephemeral

pondsexist that supporttheRiversidefairy shrimp, in additionto awide diversity

of vernalpool indicatorspecies(e.g.,cloverfern[Marseliavestita],clamshrimp

[Cyzicuscalifornicus]). Thesepondsarederivedfrom geologicalactivity suchasfaulting(e.g.,sagpondsalong SanMateocreek),landslidemovement( Orange

25

County foothills e.g., Saddleback Meadows), or are man-made (such as stock

ponds). Although these ephemeral wetlands do not fit the classical description of

southern California vernal pools, they function as such in their ability to support

vernal pool species.Consequently,thesepool typesareconsideredasimportant

habitat for the purpose of recovery of listed species.

Road ruts, man-made ponds, minor impoundments on drainages, and abandoned

borrowsites,aregenerallynot consideredvernalpools. However,theseareasmay

function asvernalpool habitatby supportingvernalpoolsspecies,and mayeven

be a consequenceofpreviouslandalterationsto historicalpool habitat. These

areasremainsubjectto EndangeredSpeciesAct requirementsif theysupport

listed species,with adeterminationof theirsignificanceto recoveryaddressed

individually.

POOL FLORA

Pool basinshaveauniquegroupofplants(Purer1939),which RobertThorne(1976)labeled“vernalpool ephemeral.”Theseplantsaresupplementedby more

typical wetlandplants,which arewidely distributedin freshwaterhabitats

(LathropandThorne1983;Thorne 1984). Vernalpool speciesoccupya habitat

neithertypically terrestrialnortypically aquatic,and theadaptationsrequiredfor

sucha specializedhabitathaveled to avarietyofrarespecies(Stebbins1976;

Stone 1990).

Endemismis commonin vernalpools ofthesouthernregionoftheCalifornia

Floristic Province, as are specieswith highly restricteddistributions(Appendix

A). San Diego County has two of the nine species in the genusPogogyne,with

Pogogyneabramsiirestricted to the central mesas of the county and the even more

narrowlydistributedPogogynenudiusculabeingfoundon Otay Mesastraddling

the international border between San Diego County and Baja California, Mexico.

Downingiaconcolorssp.brevior is alsoa SanDiego County endemic. Baja

California,Mexico,hastwo narrowlydistributedendemicpoolspecies,both in

theprocessofformal description(Marsden,pers.comm. 1997;MeMillan pers.

comm. 1995). Oneis a speciesof Pogogynefoundonly on amesain an inland

26

valley knownasValle de las Palmas,southof thebordercity ofTecate,andthe

otheris an Eryngiumspeciesfoundalongthecoastin thevicinity ofSanQuintin.

Thereis acomplexinterplaybetweenenvironmentalvariationandtheresponse

capabilitiesofvariousspecies.Vernalpool plantshaveevolvedtraitsthat

enhancesurvival in uncertainconditions. Mostof thevernalpool plantspecies

that commonlyoccurin southernCaliforniavernalpoolsareadaptedto

substantialperiodsof inundation,and manyphysiologicaland morphological

traits arenot expressedunlessstandingwateris present.Naturally-occurring

disturbancesthatcansubstantiallyreducepopulationsofvernalpool plants

includeunseasonablylate rainsora seriesofdrier thanaverageyears. Algal

bloomssometimesform matsthat coverplantsandstunttheirgrowthorprevent

flowering. Theimpactof wildfire is uncertain(Cox andAustin 1990),but may

contributeto thecontrolofcertainnonnativespecies(PollakandKan 1996).

Individual speciesaredistributedalong amoisturegradientaccordingto their

responsesto inundation(HollandandJam 1977, 1984;Zedlereta!. 1979;Bauder

I 987a;Zedler1987)anddifferencesin soil moisture(HollandandDams1990).

In yearsofaverageprecipitation,upland-to-basintransectsorcomparisonsreveal

that 30 to 40 percentof theuplandspeciesare nonnative,but lessthan 10 percent

of thepool speciesarenonnative(Holland andJam 1977;Bauder1987a). When

precipitationis sparse,nonnativeuplandspeciescandominatewithin pool basins

(Bauder1 987a,b). Wetteryearsreducethenumberof nonnativeuplandspecies

presentin basinsbecauseof theirgeneralintoleranceof inundation. Only a

limited numberof nonnativespecies,annualbeard-grass(Po!ypogon

monspeliensis),perennialrye grass(Loliumperenne),andbrassbuttons(Cotula

coronopWolia),for example,areadaptedto thehydrologicalconditionsofthepool

habitat. Becausethey arenoteliminatedby standingwater,theseandother

nonnativefacultativewetlandspeciescanaccountfor substantialcover in pools

wheretheybecomeestablished(Bauder1988 andunpublisheddata). Vernalpool

speciesareinfrequentabovethehigh waterlevel or outsideofconnectingswales

(Lin 1970; Kopecko and Lathrop 1975; Holland and Jam 1977; 1984; Zedler etal.

1979; Bauder 1987a, 1989).

27

The majority of the pool plant species are annual dicots (Holland 1976; Thorne

1984;Zedler 1990). PerennialsareusuallymonocotssuchasE!eocharis

macrostachyaor lower vascularplantslike Isoetesspecies.Distributionsof the

perennialsaremorewidespreadthanthatoftheannuals(Stebbins1976).

Prominentexceptionsarewestcoastmembersof thegenusEryngium,including

Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii. Thesespeciesare narrowly distributed,

herbaceousperennials.Thegenus,however,hasrepresentativesin manytropical

and temperate regions of the world, except tropical Africa (Sheikh 1978).

Breedingsystemsvary greatly(Stone 1957;Weiler 1962;Griggs 1976;Brown

andJam 1979;Ritlandand Subodh1984). An analysisby Zedler (1990)suggests

inbreeding may be the dominant system in native pool plants. Pollinators include

solitary grounddwelling bees,bumblebees,honeybees,beefliesandvarious

diptera(flies), coleoptera(beetles),andlepidoptera(butterfliesandmoths)(Stone

1957;Thorp 1976, 1990; Martin 1986;Ellis andMills 1991;Blacketa!. 1992;

Leong 1994,M.S. thesissubmitted1993).

Genedispersalmayoccurvia pollen or seed. Outerossingdistancesareunknown

for mostvernalpoolspecies,with theexceptionofwork doneon various

Limnanthesspecies(RitlandandSubodh1981, 1984),andlittle is knownabout

dispersal (Zedler 1990). Noneof thespecieshaveseedmorphologyassociated

with animal or wind dispersal, although scattered occurrences of pool plants along

well-worn trails that link individual pools over wide areas suggest large animals

maycontributeto seeddispersal(Cole 1995). Seedsandseedlingsof Downingia

species and Pogogyneabramsii float, which may result in limited dispersal

opportunities when pools interconnect or lakes fill their basins in yearsof greater

than average precipitation (Bauder 1992; Scheidlinger 1981, 1984). Waterfowl

utilize pools,especiallythe largerpondsor vernallakes,andthey arepresumedto

carryseedsandinvertebrateeggsfrom pool to pool (Zedler1987;Proctoreta!.

1967).

Germinationrequirements,particularlythoseof speciesfoundat higher

elevations,protectthem againstgerminationatinopportunetimes, in particular

during an uncommonsummerrain (Bauder1992). Limnanthesspeciesgerminate

only at cool temperatures,andthepreferredtemperatureis correlatedwith

28

elevation(Bauderanalysisof Toy andWillingham 1966). Downingiaconcolor

ssp.brevior, amontanespecies(CuyamacaValley), andDowningiacuspidata

populations from a higher inland valley (Ramona) germinate at cooler

temperaturesthanmany coastalpool species(Bauder1992andunpublisheddata

1995). GerminationofOrcuttia speciesappearsto occurafteraperiodof

anaerobicconditionsin saturatedor inundatedsoils followed by exposure(Griggs

1976;GriggsandJam 1983). Fungalgrowthontheseedcoatsmayalsoplay a

role(Griggs 1980). Otherpool speciesgerminatereadily at awide rangeof

temperatures,as long asmoistureis sufficient (Bauderunpublisheddata1995).

Isoeteshowe!lii exhibits Crassulean Acid Metabolism (CAM) when submerged,

but ceasesto do soif leavesareexposed(Keeley1981; Keeleyeta!. 1983). The

same is true for Crassu!aaquatica(KeeleyandMorton 1982). Pogogyne

abramsii,Pogogynenudiuscula,Psilocarphusbrevissimus,Downingiacuspidata,

andDowningiaconcolorssp.brevior displayinternodalelongation,adventitious

rootsandreducedbranchingwhengrown underwaterbutarebranchedand

shorterwhenneverinundated(Bauder1987a,and 1992;MeMillan pers.comm.

1995). Callitriche spp.andMarsilea vestitanot only elongatewhensubmerged,

but theyarestronglyheterophyllous;thatis, theyproducetwo kinds of

leaves—oneform on submergedstemsandtheotherform on exposedstems

(Jones1955 a,b; DesehampandCooke 1982, 1984;Keeley1990). Aerenchyma,

tissuethat promotesgasexchange,is prominentin the leavesofEryngium

aristulatumvar.parishii (Sheikh1978)and stemsofboth Downingiacuspidata

and Downingia concolorssp.brevior, evenin theabsenceof inundation(Weiler

1962;Bauder1992). Isoeteshowel!ii, Isoetesorcuttii, andPilu!aria americana

requireinundationfor reproduction(Scageleta!. 1965)

POOLFAUNA

Vernalpool faunahavebeenlessintensivelystudiedthanits flora, despitethe

diversearrayofanimalsassociatedwith thehabitat. Birds, mammals,reptiles,

andamphibiansall utilize this uniquecommunity,butby far thegreatestdiversity

is associatedwith invertebratespecies.In a majorstudyof 14 vernalpool sitesin

northernCaliforniaandCalifornia’s CentralValley(Simovichetal. 1992, 1993;

29

SimovichandKing 1992),67 speciesofcrustaceanswereidentifiedaswell as

over 100 speciesof molluscs,annelids,insects,andotherinvertebrates.

Fairy Shrimp

Thefairy shrimp(OrderAnostraca)areamongthemostcharacteristicof the

vernalpool invertebrates.Twenty-threedescribedspecieshavebeendocumented

in California, 10 of whichareendemicto theState(Eng eta!. 1990; Simovich and

Fugate1992;Fugate1993). Samplestakenin vernalpools in coastalSanDiego

County(Simovich andFugate1992)identifiedthreespeciesoffairy shrimp, two

ofwhich areendemicto southernCalifornia. Thetwo endemics,theRiverside

fairy shrimpandtheSanDiego fairy shrimp, arefederallylisted asendangered

andareaddressedin this plan. Branchinectalindahli (versatilefairy shrimp),a

habitatgeneralist,is commonthroughoutwesternNorth America. Occurrencesof

thevernalpool fairy shrimphavebeendocumentedin theSkunkHollow and

CruzanMesapools. Therecoveryofthis federallylistedthreatenedspecieswill

be addressedwithin theCentralValleyVernalPool and Multi-SpeciesDraft

RecoveryPlan.

Differencesin speciescompositionof thepoolsexaminedcorrespondedwith

physicalandchemicalattributesofthehabitat,suchaswaterdepth,concentration

of solutes,elevation,andbiogeographicregion(King et a!. 1996; Simovicheta!.

1992, 1993; Simovich and King 1992). More recent work by Gonzalez eta!.

(1996),looking attheosmoticregulationoffour southernCaliforniaspeciesof

shrimp, has indicated that shrimphavedifferentwaysofadjustingto various

levelsofsaltsandalkalinity. TheSanDiego fairy shrimpandtheRiversidefairy

shrimp are “osmoregulators” that maintain constant internal chemical

concentrations,but cannottoleratewide extremesin sodiumor bicarbonate

concentrations. Zedler eta!. (1979)andEbert and Balko (1987) foundthatthe

number of invertebratespeciesperpool wasgreaterin the largeranddeeperpools.

Theyalso foundthat therewerefewer speciesin poolshavingvariablewater

depth, which dried a number of times during theseason.King eta!. (1996)

likewise found that the number of species in northern California pools was

greatestin the larger,deeperpools. DehoneyandLaVigne(1984)examinedthe

macroinvertebratefaunaon Otay Mesain southernSanDiegoCountyandfound

30

that species’presenceor absencewascloselytied to thehydrologicalregimeof

thepools.

Whenwaterbeginsto pondafterthecommencementoftherainy season,shrimp

beginto hatchfrom encystedembryos(frequentlyreferredto aseggs).With

hydrationof eggs,timeto hatchingis usuallybetweentwo and25 days,depending

on species(HathawayandSimovich 1996). Hatchingresponses correspond well

with what is knownofthegerminationofvernalpool plant species (Bauder 1992

andunpublisheddata1995). Shrimpeggstendto hatchor germinateat cool

temperatures,with species-specificdifferencesin responsesthatarerelatedto

temperatureregime. Lackof hatchingat highertemperatures(greaterthan25

degreesCelsius;77 degreesFahrenheit)protectsStreptocephaluswoottoni and

Branchinectasandiegonensisfrom the infrequentsummerstormsthatmight

otherwise be sufficient to stimulatedevelopment,but inadequatefor the

organisms to complete their life cycles. Also, only a portion of the dormant egg

bank, often less than 10 percent, hatches with any one hydration (Hathaway and

Simovich1996). Subsequenthydrationsmayresultin acumulativetotal of only

30 to 40 percenthatching. Large cyst banks of viable resting eggs in the soil of

vernalpoolscontainingpopulationsoffairy shrimpshavebeenwell documented

by Belk (1998)andSimovichandHathaway(1997).

Maturationto reproductiveagefrom hatchingis approximately2 weeksfor

Branchinectasandiegonensisbut over 2 monthsfor Streptocephaluswooltoni.

Thetime periodis compressedorexpanded,dependingonambientwater

temperatures(HathawayandSimovich 1996). Thecombinedgreaterlengthof

timefrom hydrationto hatchingandhatchingto maturity, resultsin a longertime

for Streptocephalusto completeits life cycle comparedto Branchinecta.As a

consequence,in poolswheretheyco-occur,Branchinectareachadulthoodwhen

Streptocephalusarestill in the larval stage.

Theyoungshrimp swim upsidedownin thepools astheyfilter feedon algaeand

zooplanktonwith their 11 pairsof leaf-likelegs. Theshrimparetranslucent,and

astheymatureto reproductiveage,thefemalesdevelopprominentovisacswhile

themales’secondantennaebecomemodified for claspingthefemaleduring

mating. Thedevelopmentofshelledeggsin thefemales’ovisacsis evidenceof

31

fertilization. Females lay 100 to 300 eggs or more, with differences in mean

numberamongspecies(HathawayandSimovich 1996). Whenlaid, eggsfall to

the soil surface(mud) wheretheydevelopto thegastrula(earlyembryo)stage,

then become dormant, entering a state of diapause encysted in their shells. They

remain dormant until thenextwet season.

Fairy shrimp play an important role in thecommunityecologyofmanyephemeral

waterbodies. Theyarefed uponby waterfowl (Krapu1974; Swansoneta!. 1974)

andothervertebrates,suchaswesternspadefoottoadtadpoles(Scaphiopus

hammondi)(Simovichetal. 1991).

Insects

Both aquatic and terrestrial insects are associated with vernal pool habitats,

servingasherbivoresandpredators.But perhapsthemostobviousroleis thatof

thepollinator. PogogyneabramsiiandPogogynenudiusculaare insect-

pollinated,and in areassurroundedby developmentanddisturbance,the

introducedhoneybee(Apis mellWera)is acommonpollinator (Mills n.d.). A

largesuiteof nativepollinatorsfrequentsouthernCaliforniapools,including bees

ofthefamiliesHalictidaeand Megachilidae,andfliesof thefamily Syrphidae. In

areasoflower disturbance,thehoneybeecanoftenbe replacedby beeflies

(Bombyliidae),flower flies (Syrphidae),or grounddwellingbees(Anthophoridae)

(Ellis andMills 1991;MeMillan unpublished data 1995). The federally

endangeredQuino checkerspotbutterfly (Euphydryasedithaquino) is also known

to occurin andaroundvernalpool habitat. Thenectarand hostplantsareoften

commoncomponents of the surrounding vegetation.

Specificity in pollinators of vernal pool species has been well documented in the

CentralValley of California(Thorp 1976, 1990;Leong 1994M.S. thesis

submitted1993). While fewempiricalstudiesexistfor southernCaliforniavernal

pools,similarplant-insectspecializationis likely andmaybe essentialto

successfulreproductionof certainspecies.

Gene flow by pollen is often substantial among plant populations (Ellstrand

1992),andit is especiallyimportantwhenplant populationsarerare,small,or

32

geographicallyisolated. Fragmentationofplant-pollinatorsystemshasbeen

shownto havedetrimentaleffect on thevisitationratesby pollinators,and

subsequently,in seedsetandgeneticpolymorphism(Jennersten1988).

Specializationin one orafewcloselyrelatedvernalpool plant speciesaspollen

sourcesis oftenexhibitedby solitary bees(family Andrenidae),andthelife cycles

ofthesebeesandtheirhostsarecloselysynchronized.Thorp (1976)showeda

significantdeclinein seedproductionofB!ennospermananumwhenits specialist

pollinatorAndrenab!ennospermai’iswasabsentfrom its pollinatorguild.

Conservationof amatrix of vegetationcommunitiesmaybe necessaryto ensure

theviability of certainvernalpool plant species.Pollen-mediatedgeneflow

within Limnanthesplantpopulationsis restrictedbecausetheir specialistbees

foragewithin a limited areaof their hostflowers(Thorp 1990),andadjacent

uplandhabitatis usedfor nestingby speciessuchasAndrena.

Amphibians

Five speciesofamphibiansareexpectedto utilize vernalpools in southern

California:thePacific treefrog(Hyla regi!la), westerntoad(Bufo boreas),

(western)spadefoottoad(Scaphiopushammondii),andthenon-natives,bullfrog

(Ranacatesbeiana),andAfrican clawedfrog (Xenopus!aevis). Treefrogs,

westerntoads,and bullfrogs typically requirelong-standingor permanentwater

sourcesto successfullyreproduce,althoughtheywill utilize vernalpools for

breedingwhenavailable(Simovichetal. 1996). Theshortdevelopmenttime

exhibitedby thespadefoottoadenablesthemto utilize vernalandephemeralpool

habitat successfully.

Becausespadefoottoadsspendthemajority oftheyearunderground(Ruibal et al.

1969),timing of emergencefrom estivation(summerdormancy)is critical, and

shouldoccurwhenheavyrainandappropriatetemperatureconditionsexist(Bragg

1961). BrattstromandBondello (1979)havedocumentedtheemergenceof

spadefoottoadswhenstimulatedby thesoundsemittedfrom motorcyclesandoff-

road vehicles. Thesoundandvibrationsassociatedwith heavyrainfall arethe

cuesspadefoottoadsrely on, andnot theamountofprecipitation. Thetoadsare

likely to die if theweatherconditionsarenot correctatthe time ofemergence.

33

Becausespadefoottoadsestivatein terrestrialhabitatandburrowingsiteshave

beendocumentedseveralmilesfrom an aquaticsource(Ruibal eta!. 1969),

considerationshouldbe givento conservationof surroundinghabitatsto assistin

theconservationof this species.Theeffectsof nonnativespecieson native fauna

should also be addressedwhenmanagingvernalpoolhabitats. Immatureand

adult bullfrogs have been well documented to seriously adversely affect native

invertebrateandamphibianpopulations,andhavethecapacityto completely

depleteentireagegroups(Simovicheta!. 1996).

Reptiles

While notdependenton vernalpools,mostofthesnakesin thesouthern

Californiaareacanutilize freewaterthat is foundin vernalpoolhabitatduring the

aquaticstage.Although not restrictedto this habitattype,thetwo-stripedgarter

snake(Thamnophishammondii)is semi-aquaticandwill specificallyusevernal

pools to feedon animals. Thesesnakesare commonin thevernalpoolsofthe

SantaRosaPlateauand Otay Mesa.

Birds

Avian useof vernalpool habitatis typically understated.Vernal poolsprovide

importanthabitatfor residentandmigratorybirds, particularlywaterfowland

shorebirds.Primaryuseofvernalpoolscoincideswith pool inundationperiods

andmigration. Birds areattractedto thepools,in partbecausethepoolsare

shallowandprovideanoptimal feedingdepth. However,birds areparticularly

attractedto thepoolsbecausetheyoffer foraginghabitatata time ofyearwhen

resourcesarelimited (Silveira 1996). Proteinsandcalciumvital to theenergetic

needsofmigrationand reproductionareavailablethroughfoodsourcessuchas

invertebrates(Silveira1996;Proctoreta!. 1967)andproteinrich plantsfound in

andadjacentto vernalpools.

Vernalpool landscapeshelp link aquatic resources in theCaliforniaportionofthe

Pacific Flyway, which is essentialwhenconsideringthedrasticreductionof

wetlandsdueto agricultureandurbanization.While this habitattype is important

34

to avifauna,birds alsocontributeto thewelfareofthevernalpool system,aiding

in dispersalofcrustaceancysts(Simovicheta!. 1996) and plant seeds.

Mammals

While no mammals arerestrictedto vernalpool habitats,theyareattractedto

them as a source of food and water, and mammals may serve as agents of seed

dispersal.DalquestandSheffer(1942)hypothesizethe most important mammal

in thevernalpool ecosystemis thepocketgopher(Thomomysbottae). These

small rodentstunnel throughthesoil, potentially aiding in theformationof Mima

mound topography (Cox 1984b).

POOL SPECIESASSOCIATIONSAND CLASSIFICATION

The unique anddiscretenatureofvernalpoolsallow for thedevelopmentofa

classification scheme that will facilitate management and recovery goals of this

plan. Aspects of this classification include the consideration of the geographical

location of the pools, topographic position (mesa orvalley or depression),regional

precipitation,soil types,andlocal variation. Coastalpools arefoundalmost

exclusivelyon mesas,but sustaindifferent speciesdependingon soil senes.

Inlandvalleysandmesascontainsoils ofalluvial derivation(valleys)orvolcanic

origin (mesas)andhavea lessmoderatetemperatureregimethancoastalareas.

All oftheendangeredplantandanimalspeciesofsouthernCaliforniapools

mentioned in this plan are restricted to this region, as aremanyothersensitive

species.Within theregion,thedistributionsofthe listed speciesonly partially

overlap(Table 1), although the two Pogogynespecies(Pogogyneabramsiiand

Pogogynenudiuscula)are not believed to have ever co-occurred(McMillan, pers.

comm. 1995). Differencesin soil typeareimportantcorrelateswith plant species

distributions(BauderandMeMillan pers.comm. 1996). For instance,Pogogyne

nudiusculaoccursonly onStockpensoils, whicharelimited to Otay Mesaand

Pogogyneabramsii is found only on Reddingsoils. Therelationof vernalpool

animals,invertebratesin particular,to thesamevariablesappearsto be similar

(Simovichpers.comm. 1995;King eta!. 1996). For instance,Orcuttia

calWornica (Griggs 1980; Griggsand Jam 1983) andRiversidefairy

35

Table I

Distribution of Vernal PoolSpeciesin the ManagementAreas

SPECIES GOLETA TRANS-

VERSE

LA BASIN!

ORANGE

RIVERSIDE SAN DIEGO

NORTH

COASTAL

MESAS

SAN DIEGO

CENTRAL

COASTAL

MESAS

SAN DIEGO

SOUTH

COASTAL

MESAS

SAN

DIEGO

INLAND

VALLEY

Etyngiumaristulatum

var. parishii

SRP MCB, CL DM, KM, MM,

MR, TR,

OM, PV SM,RM

Navarretiafossalis CM HM,SRP

SJR,SKH,

CL, MCB MR. KM OM RM, SM

Orcuttiacal~fornica CM, WH, CB HM, SKH,

SRP

CL MR OM

Pogogyneabramsii DM, KM, MM,MR, TR

Pogogynenudiuscula GM

Riversidefairy shrimp CB FT, SMD,

RMV

TM, SKH,

SRP

MCB , CL MR OM

SanDiego fairy shrimp FP,RMV MCB, CL DM, KM, MM,

MR, TR

GM, PV RM

COMPLEXESOR ASSOCIATIONS

CB Carlsberg

CL Carlsbad

CM CruzanMesaDM Del MaxMesa

FP Fairview Park

FT Fooslsillfrrabuco

HM Hesaset

iv lsla’,lista

KM KearneyMesaMCB Masine Caorps BaseCamp Pendleton

MR MasiseCorpsAir Staboe Miramar

MM Mirasnesa

OM Otay Mesapv Proctor valley

RM Ramona

RMV Rancho Mission ‘.‘i~o

SJR SanJacinto River

SKIT Skunk Hollow

SM San Mascot

SMT San Mateo

SMD SaddlebackMeadowsSRP SantaRosaPlateau

TM Tesnecula

TR TierrasantaWH Woodland Hills

shrimp(Simovichpers.comm. 1995)maybe closelytied to specificmoisture

requirements.

Dataon plantandanimalspeciesdistributions,soil typesandclimatic variables

providethebasisfor recognitionof eightdistinctManagementAreasin southern

California(Figure9), whichcompriselocally variablevernalpooi complexes

coveredby this plan(Table 1) (AppendixE). An additionalManagementArea,

which encompassesvernalpools in themontaneregion,is notaddressedby this

planbut is addressedin the ConservationAgreementfor thePreservationof

CuyamacaLake Downingia,Parish’smeadowfoam,andCuyamacalarkspur

(USFWS 1996a).

Within thevariousManagementAreas,poolsarenotevenlydistributedacrossthe

landscape.Theymayappearin clusterssubdividedby canyonsthat dissectthe

coastalterracesor in basinsorvalleysseparatedby majortopographicalfeatures

suchasriver valleys,hills, ormountains.Overlainon thenaturalpatchinessof

thesuitablehabitatarethedistributionsofthe individual species(Figure2 through

8). Thesedistributionsmayreflectacombinationof narrowhabitatrequirements

at themicroscale(hydrological regimeor waterquality, for instance),accidentsof

dispersal,andlocal extinctionsandreinvasions.Maintenanceofviable

populationsof the listed speciesandsuccessfulimplementationofrecovery

actionsis tied to recognitionofthehabitatdifferenceswithin thesouthern

Californiaregion.

GoletaManagementArea

ThevernalpoolsoftheGoletaManagementAreaoccuron thecoastalterracesof

GoletaandIsla Vista, alongthenarrowplain southof theSantaYnezMountains.

Threevernalpool groups,one atMoreMesa,andsmall complexesat Ellwood

Mesa(9pools) andIslaVista(12 pools),occurin this area. Although, thesepools

arecurrentlyisolatedandconsideredto be remnantsof a largerhistoricalvernal

pool complex,theyshouldbe managedasonevernalpool complex. A single San

Diego fairy shrimp hasbeenreportedfrom theIsla Vistacomplex(Figure 1 Oa)

(AppendixE), however,noneof theothervernalpool speciescoveredby this plan

areknownto occurin this managementarea.Although thesinglerecordofthe

37

CoSAN L)IEGO:

INLANDVALLEYS

Jr Aag~nt 1997

Los Angeles

1N -

/

Bernardino

Riverside -—

mile n.nv

M~ckAIR

2

38

GOLETA

IslaVzaaGoleta Sapt~

Co

Oxnard

0

SantaTRANSVERSE \ Clarita

Carlsberg

0

• Extant vernal pools or vernal pool complexes

o Extirpated vernal pools or vernal pool comolexes

Los Angeles

San Fernando

LongBeach

Oerts,Jr.

SanDiego fairy shrimpmaynot representa selfsustainingpopulation,it canbe

interpretedasa colonizationeventandshouldnot be disregardedasit may

provideimportantinformationabouttheshod-termviability of populationsof

fairy shrimpin theIsla Vistavernalpool complex.

TransverseManagementArea

TheTransverseManagementAreais locatedin inland valleysandmesasnorthof

theLos AngelesBasinin associationwith theTransverseMountainRanges. Two

extantvernalpoolsitesoccurwithin this ManagementArea:CruzanMesa(Los

AngelesCounty)andtheCarlsbergvernalpools in Moorpark,on thenorthern

edgeof theSantaMonicaMountains(VenturaCounty)(Figure1 Ga) (Appendix

B). Informationregardingthesevernalpools is sparseduein part to thefactthat

thesesitesarecurrentlyunderprivateownershipanddifficult to survey. Orcuttia

californica,Navarretiafossalisandvernalpool fairy shrimpcanbe foundin both

sites,but thestatusofthesepopulationsis unknown.

Los AngelesBasin-OrangeManagementArea

TheLos AngelesBasin-OrangeManagementArea occurswithin thecoastal

terraces,valleys,andfoothills of theLos AngelesBasinin Los Angelesand

OrangeCounties,California. Themajority of thisareais significantly influenced

by themarineclimate. Thefull extentof thehistoricvernalpool distribution

within this ManagementAreais not well understood,andthemajority ofthe

knownvernalpool siteswereextirpatedprior to 1950. Of thosepools that have

survived,mosttendto be relativelysmall complexesthathavebeenpoorly

surveyed. Only threesitesarecurrentlyknownto be extant:Lomasde Santiago,

RanchoMissionViejo, andtheFairviewvernalpools in CostaMesa(Figure lOb)

(AppendixB).

Two areaswith vernalpool-like ephemeralpondsareincludedin this plan

becauseofthepresenceofRiversidefairy shrimp (SanMateopondsandthe

SaddlebackMeadowssites). Themajority of OrangeCountyfoothills (e.g.,SaddlebackMeadowsponds)arelikely theresultof landslidetopography.

Althoughdepauperatein floral diversity, someponds(i.e.,OrangeCounty

40

aMalibu

ILA. Municipal 0Airport

a

N

miles0 5 10

Soldier’sHouse

cot

LOS ANGELESBASINORANGE

MANAGEMENT AREA0

Rosecrans Downey

Lake wood

FairviewPark

0

/2/

LomasSantaAna Ridge

0

Irvine

0 SaddlebackMeadow 0

Corona

coSan

Bernardino

RIVERSIDEMANAGEMENT AREA

0

Elsinore

Perris

kline

I

• Extant vernal pools or vernal pool complexes

o Extirpated vernal pools or vernal pool complexes

SLagunaLakes

Chiqwla@Ridge

Murrieta0

SantaRowPlateau

a• Skunk HollowTemecula

4=.r Hemet

Hemet

foothills) supporttherichestinvertebratediversity in OrangeCounty. Thelackof

indicatorplantspeciesis likely aresultof intensivegrazingby cattle. TheSan

Mateopondsarearesultoffault activity (sagponds)alongtheChristianitosFault.

RiversideManagementArea

Thevernalpoolsof RiversideCountyarefoundon inland mesasandvalleys. The

valleypoolsofthis regionfrequentlyhaveaweakto stronglyalkali component.

Includedwithin theRiversideManagementArea arethevernalpoolsoftheSanta

RosaPlateau,Hemet,Temecula,and SkunkHollow, aswell asanumberof

isolatedpools in thevicinity ofMurrieta(FigurelOb) (AppendixE). A limited

numberof vernalpoolsarealsoknownfrom alongtheentire lengthoftheSan

JacintoRiver, from theCaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGameSari Jacinto

Wildlife Areato theCity of Perris. Thevernalpool complexesfoundalongthe

SanJacintoRiver corridorandthealkali playahabitatsof this region,areknown

to supportlargepopulationsof Navarretiafossalis. With theexceptionof the

SantaRosaPlateauand SkunkHollow, mostofthesepoolshavebeenextirpated

or greatlydisturbed. In additionto representativesoftheproposedandlisted

species,with theexceptionofthetwo Pogogynespecies,othersensitivespecies

that areknownto occurin thesecomplexesandincludevernalpool fairy shrimp,

little mousetail(Myosurusminimus)and Coulter’sgoldfields (Lastheniaglabrata

ssp.coulteri).

SanDiego:NorthCoastalMesasManagementAreas

Thevernalpools within this ManagementArea areassociatedwith coastal

terracesnorthoftheSanDieguito Riverwithin SanDiego County. Thevernal

pool complexesatMCB CampPendletonandthosewithin theCity of Carlsbad

representthis ManagementArea(Figure 1 Oc) (AppendixE). Eryngium

arisulaiumvar.parishii, Navarretiafossalis,Orcuttiacal~fornica,andboth

speciesof listed fairy shrimpoccurin thesecomplexes.

42

San Marcos

SAN DIEGO:INLAND

MANAGEMENT AREAop

Ramona

• Extant vernal pools or vernal pooi complens

0 Extirpated vernal pools or vernal pooi complexes

43

SanDiego:CentralCoastalMesasManagementAreas

Thevernalpools within thisManagementAreaareassociatedwith thecoastal

terracesandmesasofcentralSanDiegoCountyfrom theSanDieguito River

southto SanDiego Bay andnorthof theSweetwaterRiver (Figure 1 Oc)

(AppendixE). This ManagementAreaincludesthevernalpoolsat Del MarMesa

andMira Mesa,theKeamyMesavernalpool complexes(MCAS Miramar,

Tierrasanta,MontgomeryField), andthe SanDiegoMesacomplex(Cholla

Heights). Very little remainsof thevernalpoolsalongthemesasnorth andsouth

of theSanDiegoRiverValley. Although themajority of thecomplexesin the

centralcoastalareastill exist,manyhavebeengreatlyreducedandfragmentedas

comparedto their historicalextent. All ofthespeciesaddressedin this plan,with

theexceptionofPogogynenudiuscula,occurin this managementarea.

SanDiego: SouthernCoastalMesasManagementAreas

ThesouthernSanDiegocoastalmesavernalpools includeall isolatedpools and

complexesfrom theSweetwaterRiversouthto theMexicanborder. Included

within this ManagementAreaaretheNationalCity andChulaVistapools(mostly

extirpated),BorderFieldpools, WesternandEasternOtayMesacomplexes,

SweetwaterReservoirpools,andthevernalpools in thevicinity ofOtayLake

(Figure lOc) (AppendixE). All ofthe speciesaddressedin thisplan,with the

exceptionofPogogyneabramsii,occurin this managementarea.

SanDiego: InlandValleysManagementAreas

The SanDiego InlandValleysManagementAreaconsistsofpools situatedin San

Marcos,Escondido,Valley Center,Ramona,SanDieguitoValley, Poway,El

CajonValley,MarronValley, andProctorValley. Themajority of thesepoolsare

isolatedto a degreefrom extrememaritimeinfluenceby topographyandoccur

morethanninekilometers(6 miles) from thecoast(Figure lOc) (AppendixE).

Eryngiumaristula*um var.parishii, Navarretiafossalis,andthe SanDiego fairy

shrimpoccurin this managementarea.

44

HISTORIC AND CURRENTDISTRIBUTION OF THE HABITAT

With theexceptionofpineforestand chaparral,few ofthevegetation

communitiesassociatedwith vernalpool habitatin Californiawereever

widespread,andthemajorityhavesufferednearlyasseriousdeclinesin

distributionasvernalpooi habitatsthemselves(JonesandStokes1987;Oberbauer

1990). A reportpreparedat therequestof theCaliforniaSenateCommitteeon

NaturalResourcesandWildlife concludedthat “vernal poolsofall types,andthe

speciesthatdependuponthem,areamongthemostthreatenedof all theState’s

naturaldiversity” (Jonesand Stokes1987).

Unlike theCentralValley in California, southernCaliforniaand BajaCalifornia,

Mexico, neverhadexpansesofpools stretchingfor hundredsofmiles. In San

Diego,vernalpool habitatprobablycoveredno morethan6 percentofthecounty,

approximately520squarekilometers(200squaremiles), prior to intensive

cultivation andurbanization(BauderandMcMillan 1998). Currently,lossof

vernalpool habitatin theCountyis estimatedat 95 to 97 percent(Bauder1986,

BauderandMcMillan 1998;Oberbauer1990;Oberbauer,pers.comm.1996).

Lackof historicaldataprecludesthesamedepthof analysisfor Los Angeles

County,RiversideCounty,OrangeCounty,or SanBernardinoCounty,but losses

areconsiderednearlytotal (USFWS 1993). Thecurrentdistributionofpools in

northernBajaCalifornia,Mexico probablycomesmuchcloserto thehistoric

condition (BauderandMeMillan 1998).

Most of theremainingvernalpools in SanDiegoCountyoccuron Reddingsoils,

primarily on MCAS Miramarwhereapproximately31 squarekilometers(19

squaremiles) ofthesesoils aremoreor lessundeveloped.Within this area,

GlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)mappingrevealsapproximately3,400

individual pools totaling64 hectares(158 acres)of basinarea(Luciani,pers.

comm. 1997). Preliminaryexaminationof soils mapsindicatesthatvernalpools

closelyassociatedwith Pogogyneabrarnsii (Reddingseries),in thesouthernhalf

of its historic range,havebeencompletelylost to urbandevelopment(Bauderand

McMillan unpublisheddata1996). Extensivelossesofthesesoils from urban

developmentwithin thenorthernhalfofthespecies’historic rangehavefurther

45

reducedits potentialhabitat. Themajorityoftherangeofthisspeciesis now

containedwithin an 8-kilometerby 18-kilometer(5-mile by 11-mile) area.

Themajorityof poolhabitatin theSanDiego:CentralCoastalMesaManagement

Area,with theexceptionofMCAS Miramar,hasbeendeveloped.Theentire

mesa,which onceextendedfrom downtownSanDiego to LaMesaon theeast,to

Interstate8 on thenorth,andto StateRoute94 on thesouth,wasdevelopedprior

to World WarII, with theexceptionof severalvery small pool remnantsin Balboa

ParkandattheU.S. Navy’s formerradiostationat ChollasHeights.

Pogogynenudiusculaappearsto haveoccurredonly on Stockpenandpossibly

HuerhueroandOlivenhainsoilson thesoutherncoastalmesas.Thesesoils

extendedfrom ChulaVistaandImperialBeachon thecoastofthePacific Ocean,

16 kilometers(10 miles) to theeast,to thefoot oftheSanYsidro Mountains.

Overhalfofthisareahasbeenlost to urbanization,andtheremaininghalfhas

eitherbeenconvertedto agriculturaluseor is in theprocessofbeingurbanized.

Populationsjust acrossthe internationalborderin BajaCalifornia,Mexico,are

partof thesamemesasystemandbelievedto havebeenextirpatedsomeyears

ago. At present,this speciesoccursonly in a3-kilometer(2-mile) long arcof

habitatlessthan1-kilometer(0.6-mile)wide alongthesouthernrim of theOtay

River Valley andin onesmall population3 to 4 miles away.

On muchof thecoastalterrace,habitatlosseshaveresultedin a severereduction

ofthegeographicrangeofpoolsandthespeciesfoundin them. Theselosses,

coupledwith fragmentationofthehabitat,haveaccentuatedthenaturallypatchy,

discontinuousdistributionpatternsofmostvernalpool species(Bauder1986,

1993). Becauseareaswithin theManagementAreascandiffer in soil seriesand

amountofprecipitationandwerehistorically subdividedby naturalfeatures,it is

reasonableto assumethat somespeciesoncepresentin anareamayno longerbe

represented,andthatwithin-speciesgeneticdiversity hasbeendiminished. For

example,herbariumspecimensofPogogynespeciesindicatethat thepopulations

with importantmorphologicaldifferenceshavealreadybeenextirpated(McMillan

pers.comm. 1995). Maintenanceof theextantpools,aswell asrestorablehabitat,

is essentialto thepreservationoftheremainingdiversity andthepreventionof

further losses.

46

Lossesofpools in the inland valleyshavebeenextensiveaswell. In fact,pools

mayhavebeencompletelyextirpatedfrom somevalleyssuchasEscondido,El

Cajon,andPoway. Thoseremainingin SanMarcos,ProctorValley, andRamona

arefew in number,andwith theexceptionof ProctorValley,havebeendivided

into small piecesby residential,commercial,and industrialdevelopment.In

RiversideCounty, no comprehensiveassessmentcanbe madeof theoriginal

extentofpools or thedegreeof loss,but theyarethoughtto havebeennumerous,

with only afewcurrentlyremainingtoday(Zedleretal. 1990;USFWS1993).

REASONSFORDECLINE AND CONTINUEDTHREATS TO THE SPECIES

AND THE HABITAT

Prior to 1945,theprimarythreatsto southernCaliforniavernalpools were

grazing,waterimpoundments,andconversionto agriculture(Phillips 1960;

Bauder1994). In recentyears,urbanizationandconstructionofinfrastructure

haveresultedin lossesof habitatestimatedto be ashigh as97 percent(Oberbauer

1990;Bauder1986andunpublisheddata1996).

Urbandevelopmentremainstheprimarythreatto thelisted vernalpoolspecies

(Bauder1987b). Someoftheproposedprojectsincludeexpansionofairportsand

landfills, constructionof majorroadways,utility infrastructure,resortsand

recreationalfacilities, commercialand industrialproperties,andresidential

housingtracts. Generally,theseprojectsdirectly impactpools throughelimination

of thehabitat. Wherepools remain,dumping,trampling,vehicularactivity,

runoff, andintrusionof nonnativespeciesarecontinuedthreats.Hydrological

changesanderosioncancauseprofoundchangesin thepool flora (Bauder1 987b,

1992). Evenwherepoolsareunderprotectedownership,vigilant and informed

managementprogramsarenecessaryto preventdegradationof thehabitat.

Trenchingfor utilities, on-goingoperationswithin easementsandleaseholdings,

responsesto emergenciessuchasfire or air crashes,fuel andchemicalspills, and

recreationalactivitiescanall causeseriousdamageto vernalpools,particularly

duringtheaquaticor drying phaseswhensoils aremostvulnerableandthe

organismsaregrowingor reproducing. Whendisturbanceis severe,it canleadto

local extirpationsofpool species.

47

Fragmentationand isolationofhabitatfrom thevegetativecommunityin which it

occurs,andinteractionswith otherhabitattypesdueto development,also

adverselyimpactvernalpools. Alterationsof thesurroundingsoils, vegetation,

drainagepatterns,and hydrologycanhaveprofoundeffectson vernalpooi

organismsby impactingthehydrological regimeofthepoolsandthequality of

water. Poolsdeprivedof sufficientmoisturearedominatedby nonnativeupland

plants,mostnotably grasslandannuals(Bauder1 987a,b). Presenceofpool plants

canbe significantly diminishedby thepresenceofnonnatives(Bauder1988),and

survivorshipandreproductioncanbe reducedby competitionfrom uplandannuals

(Bauder1 987a). Likewise,augmentedrunoff increasesmortality ofendemicpool

speciesandfavorsfreshwatermarshplants(Bauder1987b).

Habitatfragmentationalsoincreasesthe“edgeeffects.” Thedistributionof

pollinatorscanchangein responseto habitatfragmentation(LeongM.S. thesis

submitted1993),andtheymaybe affectedby landscapeplantsin thevicinity.

Fragmentationcanleadto theeliminationof predators,whichcould leadto

populationincreasesofherbivoressuchasburrowingrodents,rabbits,andquail.

Populationgeneticsmayalsobe adverselyaffected. Watershedcontiguity

augmentsgeneflow in populationsalreadynaturallylow in variability (Davies

1996;Proctoret al. 1967)by allowing flooding betweenpools. Vernalpool

organismsaretypically definedby thecomplexin whichtheyoccur, in part

becausegeneflow betweencomplexesappearsto be extremelylow (Fugate1993;

Davies1996). Isolationofpoolsor modificationofthewatershedpotentially

compromisesgeneflow, resultingin a lossof geneticvariability andan increased

susceptibilityto extinctionandreducedfitness(Soule1986).

Pool faunacanbe adverselyaffectedby waterpollution (Simovichpers.comm.

1995). Preliminarystudiessuggestthat the eggsof thesespeciesare easily

crushedby suchactionsastramplingby humanfeetorbeingrunoverby vehicles

(Hathawayetal. 1996). Thedegreeofdisturbanceofcompetitiveor

predator/preyinteractionsoftheaquaticfaunais unknown,althoughnonnative

speciessuchasthe bullfrog prey heavily on spadefoottoadsandfairy shrimp

(Morey 1996; Simovichetal. 1996). Theindigenousfloraonwhich someofthe

pool speciesdependcanbe replacedasaresultof theintroductionof exotic

plants.

48

Riskof catastrophiclossis substantialfor all theregionally restrictedvernalpool

species,eventhenumericallyabundantones,becauseof thecombinationoftheir

habitatspecificity,thespatialdistribution ofappropriatehabitat,and habitat

reduction. Forexample,theareacontainingtheknowndistributionof the

endangeredspeciesPogogynenudiusculais aboutthreesquarekilometers(one

squaremile) (seeabove). Although their relativedistributionis morewidespread,

Orcuttia cal~fornicaand Riversidefairy shrimpeachareknownfrom only a few

populations.Therefore,vernalpool speciesare exceptionallyvulnerableto

disturbances,accidentalor otherwise. Individualsof any givenspecies,however

abundant,arein no way independentofeachother. A substantialportion ofthe

rangeor numberof the individualsofone or morespeciescouldbe lost through

oneincidentalone.

CONSERVATIONAND PROTECTION MEASURES

A wide varietyof conservationmeasureshavebeenor arebeingusedto protect

the vernalpool habitat,with varying degreesof success.TheDepartmentof

Defense,theCity of SanDiego, theCity of ChulaVista, andtheCountyof San

Diegohavejurisdictionoverthe largestnumberof pools remainingin southern

California.

NaturalCommunityConservationPlanning

In 1991,CaliforniaenactedtheNaturalCommunityConservationPlanningAct

(NCCP)to addressregionalconservationneedsthroughoutthe State. Theinitial

focus is on thecoastalsagescrubcommunityof southernCalifornia. Although

vernalpool speciesarenot primarily associatedwith coastalsagescrub,theyare

consideredunderthesubregionalMultiple SpeciesConservationPlanning

Program(MSCP)andtheMultiple HabitatConservationPlanningProgram

(MHCP) (Figure 11). Theseprograms,initiated by the City of SanDiego,County

of SanDiego.privateinterests,andcoastalcities in northernSanDiegoCounty,

arebeingintegratedasa componentof theNCCPProgramandwill extend

protectionto manynaturalcommunities,includingvernalpools.

49

Multiple SpeciesConservationProgram(MSCP)

Multiple HabitatConservationProgram(MHCP)

Multiple HabitatConservationandOpenSpaceProgram

Military Lands(beingplannedseparately)

Reservoirs

Data Source: SANDAG

U

IC 0 0 1O1~h.

0 I~0 3~0 5~ 70~I..t

10 6 0 10k1W.t•

II

Figure11. ConservationF amsin SanDiegoCounty

TheU.S. FishandWildlife ServiceandCaliforniaDepartmentofFishandGame

approvedtheMSCP(aframeworkplan)andtheCity of SanDiegosubareaplan(a

subcomponentofthesubregionalplan) in July 1997. Otherjurisdictionsare

expectedto completetheirsubareaplanningprocessesin thefuture. TheMSCP

encompassesapproximately235,627hectares(582,000acres)of southwestern

SanDiegoCounty,andinvolvesmultiple jurisdictions.TheMHCP encompasses

roughly 48,118hectares(118,852acres)in northwesternSanDiego County,and

involvessevenjurisdictions. Thisplan is in thepredraftphaseandhasnotyet

identifiedareasof protection(Figure 11).

When fully implemented,thesubregionalMSCPandits componentsubareaplans

will permanentlyconserveapproximately69,602hectares(171,917acres)within

thepreserveplanningarea,ofwhich21,094hectares(52,102acres)is underthe

jurisdictionoftheCity ofSanDiego (Ogden1996). Within the preserveplanning

area,thereare 1,317hectares(3,254acres)of vernalpool habitat,including 838

hectares(2,071acres)on military landsand 479hectares(1,183acres)on other

public orprivatelands. Of the479 hectares(1,183acres)ofvernalpool habitat

occurringon nonmilitary lands,approximately344 hectares(850acres)(88

percent)aretargetedfor conservation,althoughtheexactconfigurationof

preservationhasnotyet beendetermined.

All subareaplanswithin theMSCPwill requireconservationofvernalpool

habitatto ensureno net lossof acreageandhabitatfunctionsandvalues,andwill

requireavoidanceofimpactsto vernalpoois to themaximumextent practicable

both insideandoutsidethepreserveplanningarea. Impactsthat cannotbe

avoidedshould be minimizedandmitigated. Vernal poolsandtheirconstituent

specieswill continueto be subjectto Section404 oftheCleanWaterAct, Section

7 oftheEndangeredSpeciesAct, and CaliforniaFishandGameCode1600et seq.

In additionto conservingexistingvernalpool habitat,theproposedpreserveis

expectedto conserve3,135hectares(7,745acres)(28 percent)of clay soils and

1,108hectares(2,736acres)(27percent)of loamswith a clayhardpanthat

currentlyremainundevelopedin theMultiple SpeciesConservationPlanningarea.

This acreagemayincludeareasthathavebeendisturbed,includingareascurrently

in agriculture. Vernalpoolswithin thepreserveplanningareawill beconserved

51

within areasofconnectedhabitatrepresentingafull rangeofvegetation

communitiesthat will betterallow for thecontinuationofnaturalprocesses.

Managementandmonitoringof vernalpoolswithin thepreserveplanningarea

will addto thecurrentlevel ofprotectionfor many complexes.

For Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, 70 percentofthetotal point localities

occurwithin thepreserveplanningareaof theMSCP. Sixty percentof thepoint

localities for Navarretiafossalisareconcentratedin threepopulations.

Approximately63 percentof oneof thesepopulationsis includedin thepreserve

planningarea. Onemajorpopulationof Orcutlia ca/Wornica occurswithin the

MSCPPlanningarea,of which 86 percentis includedwithin thepreserve

planningarea.Pogogyneabramsiiis entirelyendemicto theMSCPPlanning

area,but themajorpopulationfor this speciesoccurson MCAS Miramar,which

is outsideofthepreserveplanningarea. MCAS Miramaris preparingan

IntregratedNaturalResourcesManagementPlanwhichwill be coordinatedwith

theU.S. FishandWildlife Service(Biological Opinion, l-6-95-F-33),and

CaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGamein accordancewith theSikesAct.

Pogogynenudiusculais entirelyendemicto theMSCPPlanningarea.Baja

CaliforniapopulationspreviouslyidentifiedasPogogynenudiuscula,arenow

knownto be a differentspecies(McMillan, unpublisheddata1995). Within the

MSCPPlanningarea,91 percentofthepoint localitiesoccurwithin thepreserve

planningarea. This speciesis only knownto be foundon Stockpensoils on Otay

Mesa. Theestablishmentofthepreservewill conserve24 percentofthe

remaining18 percentof thesesoils, or 4 percentofwhatwashistorically present.

Vernal Pool StewardshipProjectof the

SanDiegoNationalWildlife Refuge

To complementtheMSCPandassistin therecoveryofvernalpool species,the

U.S. Fishand Wildlife ServiceapprovedtheVernalPoolsStewardshipProjectin

April 1997. This projectwill allow theU.S. FishandWildlife Serviceto establish

theVernal PoolsUnit oftheSanDiegoNationalWildlife Refuge(USFWS1997).

Thepurposeofthis refugeis to providefor the long-termconservationof vernal

pool habitatsandtheirassociatedflora andfaunain theSanDiego region. The

refugewill allow for theU.S. FishandWildlife Service’sacquisitionand

52

managementofvernalpool habitat. A partof thestewardshipproject, butnot

includedin theRefuge,the DepartmentoftheNavy is committedto continuing

conservationof vernalpool resourcesat MCAS Miramarunderexisting

authoritiesandthroughthedevelopmentof a cooperativeagreementwith theU.S.

FishandWildlife ServiceandCaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGameunderthe

SikesAct. TheStewardshipProjectis locatedwithin theCity andCountyof San

Diego,primarily on Otay Mesa,sitesneartheOtay andSweetwaterReservoirs,in

centralSanDiegoCountyon Del Mar Mesa,LopezRidge,MCAS Miramarand

adjacentlands,andMontgomeryField Airport (Figures12a,b, c). Theareas

includedin theStewardshipProjectcompriseapproximately3,329hectares(8,223

acres)andcontainapproximately924hectares(2,282acres)of theremaining

vernalpool habitatin SanDiegoCounty. Theboundaryof theStewardship

ProjectwasapprovedApril 1997.

Marine CorpsAir StationMiramar

Departmentof Defensepolicy dictatesthat military landscannotbe setasideas

permanentenvironmentalpreserves,norcanmilitary landsbe usedfor the

mitigationof impactsof actionsoccurringoff the installationthataffect the

environment. However,military installationsare encouragedto prepareintegrated

natural resourcesmanagementplansin cooperationwith theServiceand

CaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGamein accordancewith theSikesAct. At

MCAS Miramar,theDepartmentof theNavyhasdevelopedandbegun

implementinga vernalpool managementplan(BauderandWier 1991). The

MarineCorpshasrecentlycommittedto do cooperativeplanningfor vernalpools

at MCAS Miramar,undertheDefenseBaseRealignmentandClosureAct of 1993

(Dept.oftheNavy 1996). Vernalpools identifiedfor restorationandpreservation

areincludedin specificvernalpool managementzonesandareidentifiedin the

MCAS MiramarIntegratedNaturalResourcesManagementPlanthat is currently

underdevelopment.

53

Del MarMesa

• LopezRidge

PACIFIC

SAN VINCENTERESERVOIR

LOWER OTAYRESERVOIR

Otay ~Mes~

o 4 8 12KM

0 Skil

OCEAN

April l9~7

VERNAL POOL. COUPIIXES

Figure 1 2a. Vernal Pools Stewardship ProjectSan Diego National Wildlife Refuge

54

Vernal Pools Stewardship ProjectNorth Area

San Diego National Wildlife Refuge

ARR4AS4RRESERVOIR

—--I---

I-NAVAL AIR STATION!

MARINE CORPS AIR STATIONbA4IRAMAR

i7N~

0 I 2 MILKS

0 1 2 3 KILOMETERS

USPWS 4d tee?

DEL MARMESA

LOPEZRIDGE

PRIVATE LAND

PUBLIC LAND

MILITARY LAND

MIRA MARAREA

MONTGOMERYFIELD

ACREAGES

PUBLIC PRIVATE

Del Mar Mesa 189 259Lopez RIdge 36 76Mlramar Area 4.148 112Montgomery Field 190 0

• Includes 4,122 acres mIlliary arid

Figure 12b. Vernal Pools Stewardship Project

55

Vernal Pools Stewardship AreaSouth Area

San Diego National Wildlife Refuge

CHULAVISTA

SPRINGCANYON

United~!2~S~eX~CO

PRIVATE LAND MILITARY LAND

I~I PUBLIC LAND

FIgure 12c. Vernal Pools Stewardship Prolect

Son MiguelMountain

A

AJ/\ JamulMountains

OTA YRESERVOIR

ACREAGES

PUBLIC PRIVATE

Sweelvoter Reeernolr 131 30ORay ReservoIr 247 2620toy Mesa 265 1.195SprIng Canyon 207 871

InoI~dee 163 acres irrllltary land

o I 2 MILES

o 1 2 S KILOMETERS

Son Ysldm

UoLs,toins

A

4YMESA

56

MarineCorpsBaseCampPendleton

DepartmentofDefensepolicy dictatesthat military landscannotbe setasideas

permanentenvironmentalpreserves,norcanmilitary landsbe usedfor the

mitigationofimpactsof actionsoccurringoff the installationthataffect the

environment.However,military installationsare encouragedto prepareintegratednaturalresourcesmanagementplansin cooperationwith the Serviceand

CaliforniaDepartmentof Fishand Gamein accordancewith theSikesAct. MCB

CampPendletonsupportsecosystemand cooperativemanagement,andis

currently developingamanagementplanfor thevernalpoolsat the installation

(Jacobsen,pers.comm. 1997). MCB Pendletonis currentlyproposingto protect

approximatelyone-thirdoftheremainingvernalpoolsknownto occuron the

base. Additionally, MCB CampPendletonplansto formally consultwith theU.S.

FishandWildlife Serviceon thebase’suplandsecosystem,includingvernalpool

resources,surveysfor whicharecurrentlybeingconducted.

OtherAgencies.Municipalities,andJurisdictions

Section404 of theCleanWaterAct, asregulatedby theU.S. Army Corpsof

Engineers,requiresnotification for any dischargeof dredgedor fill material,

excavation,or mechanizedlandclearing in any vernalpool,andrequiresan

individual permitfor dischargesaffecting0.2 hectares(0.5acre)or moreofvernal

pool basin. Theseregionalconditionsmayleadto additional mitigationneedsfor

vernalpool impacts.

In 1980,theCity of SanDiegodevelopedaVernalPool PreservationPlan

designedto accumulatefundsto purchasevernalpools asmitigation for lossesdue

to development,but theprogramhadvery limited successand is no longerin

operation(Bauder1986). TheCity of SanDiego’s “Guidelinesfor Mima Mound

VernalPool Habitat’tbecameeffectiveAugust2, 1993. Theseguidelinesclarify

andsupplementtheResourceProtectionOrdinanceof 1992.Uponapproval,the

draft EnvironmentallySensitiveLandsRegulations(City of SanDiego 1996a)

will replacetheResourceProtectionOrdinance.

57

Currently,a VernalPool ManagementPlan (City of SanDiego 1 996b)makes

recommendationsfor managementpracticesandstrategiesfor a few ofthesites

that supportvernalpoois for which theCity of SanDiego is responsible.A non-

profit groupdevotedto scienceeducationin the local schoolsis working on a

programthat will utilize one oftheseparcels,which is adjacentto Challenger

JuniorHigh School(K. Wild, pers.comm. 1995).

The Countyof SanDiegohasavernalpoolzonedesignatorthatmaybe appliedto

vernalpool areas(Countyof SanDiego 1991). This vernalpool zonedesignator

wasonly everintendedto be implementedin theOtay Mesapool complexes. In

addition,theCountyrscurrent,updatedResourceProtectionOrdinanceoffers

someprotectionfor thishabitat(Countyof SanDiego 1991). TheCountyalso

ownsasmall amountofvernalpool habitatin Ramonaandon Otay Mesa.

TheCaliforniaDepartmentof Transportationownsanumberofpoolson Del Mar

Mesaat thenorthernmostedgeofthecentralcoastalmesas.Thispropertywas

purchasedasmitigation for lossof poolsto constructionof StateRoute52 and

Interstate15.

Nonprofit Entities

Severalnonprofitentitiesownor managevernalpool habitat. Theseentities

include TheNatureConservancy(SantaRosaPlateau)andTheEnvironmental

Trust (RamonaandOtay Mesa).

RECOVERY STRATEGY

Thestrategyfor recoveryof southernCaliforniavernalpool speciesfocuses

primarily on eliminatingandreducingtheprimaryexisting threatsto their

habitats. Specifically,thesethreatsare,habitatdestructionandmodification,

alterationof wetlandhydrology,off-roadvehicleactivity, cattlegrazing,and

competitionfrom nonnativespecies.Existing regulatorymechanisms,

historically,havenotprovidedadequateprotectionandmanagementfor vernal

pool habitat. Consequentlytheefforts to recoververnalpool specieswill be

twofold: stabilizationofthepopulationsthroughprocurementandmanagementof

58

habitat,andreclassificationofthe speciesthroughrestorationandenhancement,

which includesrecolonizationand expansionof existingpopulations. Integrated

into this strategyis theneedto protectadditionallandsto preventfurther lossof

habitat,to developand implementmanagementplansto preventdegradationof

habitatfrom severeepisodicor on-goingdisturbance,to restoreandenhance

habitat,andto reestablishpopulationswherehabitatandhistoricalconditionsare

appropriate.

Protectinghabitatfrom further lossmaybe achievedthrougha varietyof

mechanismsfrom conservationeasementsto thepurchaseofland. Where

destructionor adversemodificationof habitatis of issue,specificstrategiesto

protectvernalpoolscould includefencingof livestockwheregrazingoccursor

implementingrotationgrazingregimes.Poolsaffectedby vehicularactivity,

whetherrecreationaloff-roador service-related,suchasborderinterdictionor

fire-suppressionactivities,would benefit from eitherstrict prohibition orthe

developmentof andadherenceto an establishedprotocolwhenin thevicinity of

vernalpool habitat. Ensuringwatershedanduplandhabitatcontiguitywhen

designingandmanagingpreserveswill providemultiple benefits,from protecting

poolsfrom erosionandrun-off to promotinggeneticvigor. Limiting useof

pesticidesandherbicidesin thevicinity ofvernalpool habitat,providing

informationalprogramsandpublic outreach,anderadicatingnonnative,

competitivespeciessuchasbullfrogsandinvasiveplantsarebut afew examples

ofstrategiesthatwill minimize the immediatethreatsto thevernalpool ecosystem

and aidin theeventualrecoveryof thosespeciesthataredependenton it.

Critical to therecoveryofvernalpool speciesis therestorationandenhancement

of habitat. Whenconsideringthepotentialfor expansionandrecolonizationof

pool species,siteselectionwill be dependenton landuseconsiderations,

including thewillingnessof landownersto participate,aswell ashistoricaland

ecologicalfeasibility.

59

II. RECOVERY

OBJECTIVE

Thegoalof this plan is conserveandenhancesouthernCaliforniavernalpool

ecosystems,with specificemphasison stabilizingandprotectingexisting

populationsofEryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,Pogogyne

nudiuscula,Orcuttia calfornica,andSanDiegoandRiversidefairy shrimpso

thatthesespeciesmaybe reclassifiedfrom endangeredto threatenedstatus.The

goalofthisplanfor Navarretiafossalis,currentlyproposedfor listing as

threatened,is to ensurethe long-termconservationofthis species.

Althoughprotectionandmanagementofexistingpopulationswill reducethe

threatof extinction,theydo not eliminateit. Removalofthesespeciesfrom

protectionunderthe EndangeredSpeciesAct shouldonly be consideredwhen

populationshavesecurehabitat,populationsarestabilizedor increasing(and

wherenecessary,newpopulationsareestablished),andpopulationsareshownto

be self-sustaining.

PRINCIPLESFOLLOWED IN DEVELOPINGRECOVERYCRITERIA

Thefollowing pointsform astrategyfor therecoveryof vernalpool speciesand

theirhabitats,andprovideabasisfrom whichpreservedesignshouldbe

determined:

• Poolsare not independentof eachotheror the vernalpool complex,which

includesthewatershed.Maintenanceof thefullestpossiblerangeof

biological interactionswithin andamongpools is importantto ecosystem

functionand long-termviability ofpopulationsofpool-associatedspecies.

• Althoughvernalpools in southernCaliforniacanbe differentiated

accordingto distinctgeographicManagementAreas,preservationofpools

mustbe on ageographicalscalefor both individual speciesandthe

landscapetheyresidein. Representationofthevernalpoolsandtheir

associatedwatershedswithin eachManagementAreais importantto the

60

successfulconservationofa full arrayof vernalpoolsandtheirconstituent

species.Preservationefforts cannotbe exclusiveofthephysicalattributes

thatcharacterizevariouscomplexesandassociations(e.g.,pool soils and

topography),becausethehabitatsthatcontainvernalpoolscanbe asrare

astheindividual speciesassociatedwith them.

• Thevariationassociatedwith individual pools is great. Although larger

pools typically containmorespeciesthansmallerpools,thesizeofthe

pool orcomplexshouldnot be theonly considerationwhenranking

preservationfactors. Reservedesignand sizewill affect thenumberand

qualityof biological interactionsandthetypesandfrequencyof

disturbance.In general,conservationof largesiteswith habitat

heterogeneity(soils, topography,vegetationtypes)that arelocated

adjacentto landswith compatibleusesarepreferableto smalleroneswith

irregularboundaries,habitatuniformity, or proximity to landusesthat

increasetheprobabilityof humandisturbance.

• No estimatesarecurrentlyavailableasto theeffectivepopulationsize

necessaryto maintainself-sustainingpopulationsofvernalpool species.

However,theextremerarityandrestrictedgeographicrangesofthese

speciessupporttheneedto preservethemaximumamountofremaining

existingpopulationsandhabitat. Thiscriterionwill ensurethe

maintenanceof thebroadestarrayof species,reducethe risk of losing

individualspeciesor pool types,retainlocal geneticdifferentiation,buffer

environmentalvariation,andprovide theopportunityfor re-establishment

ofnewpopulations.To ensureahigh probabilityof survival into the

future,prioritizationshouldconsiderthepopulationecology(e.g.,

reproductiveratesandstrategies,geneticdiversity, dispersalmechanisms,

density,distribution)of eachspecies.

• Studiesof southernCaliforniavernalpoolssuggestthatperchedwater

tablesassociatedwith aparticularpool arevery localized. Maintenanceof

hydrologicalregimesrequirescareful site-specificstudies.

61

• Long-termprotectionof vernalpool habitatsandthespeciesdependenton

themis enhancedby providinginformationto thegeneralpublic, aswell

aspeoplewho work in, or adjacentto, thehabitat.

RECOVERYCRITERIA

Thefollowing conditionsmustbemet to stabilizethecurrentstatusof Navarretia

fossalis,Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,Pogogyne

nudiuscula,Orcuttia CalWornica,andSanDiegoandRiversidefairy shrimp:

1. In orderto maintaingeneticdiversity andpopulationstability ofthe listed

speciesandothersensitivespecies:

• Existing vernalpoolscurrentlyoccupiedby Orcuttia caiWornica,

Pogogynenudiuscula,andRiversidefairy shrimpandtheirassociated

watershedsshouldbe securedfrom further lossanddegradationin a

configurationthat maintainshabitatfunctionandspeciesviability;

• Existing vernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedswithin the

TransverseandLos AngelesBasin-OrangeManagementAreasshouldbe

securedfrom further lossanddegradationin aconfigurationthat maintains

habitatfunctionandspeciesviability;

• Existing vernalpools andtheir associatedwatershedswithin theSan

Marcosvernalpool complexesthatcontainNavarretiafossalis,Eryngium

aristulatumvar.parishii, or any othervernalpool species,shouldbe

securedfrom furtherlossand degradation.Habitatfunctionsandspecies

viability for any of theremainingvernalpools andtheirassociated

watershedswithin theSanMarcoscomplexesmustbe ensured;

• Existing vernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedswithin theRamona

complexesthatcontainEryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Navarretia

fossalis,SanDiegofairy shrimp,or any othervernalpool species,should

be securedfrom furtherlossanddegradationin aconfigurationthat

maintainshabitatfunctionsandspeciesviability;

62

• Existing vernalpools andalkali playas,andtheirassociatedwatersheds

within theHemetcomplexes,thatcontainSanDiego fairy shrimp,

Navarretiafossalisand Orcuttia cal~fornica,orany othervernalpool

species,shouldbe securedfrom furtherlossanddegradationin a

configurationthatmaintainshabitatfunctionsandspeciesviability;

• Existingvernalpools andtheirassociatedwatershedslocatedon Stockpen

soils (Otay Mesa)shouldbe securedfrom further lossanddegradationin a

configurationthat maintainshabitatfunctionsandspeciesviability, to

providefor therecoveryof speciesrestrictedto this soil type(i.e.,

Pogogynenudiuscula);and

• Remainingvernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedscontainedwithin

thecomplexesidentifiedin AppendixF mustbesecuredin a configuration

thatmaintainshabitatfunctionandspeciesviability (asdeterminedby

prescribedresearchtasks).

Reclassificationto threatenedstatusmaybe consideredfor Eryngiumaristulatum

var.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,Pogogynenudiuscula,OrcuttiaCalWornica;the

SanDiegoandRiversidefairy shrimp;and thelong-termconservationof

Navarretiafossalis,aspeciesproposedasthreatened,will be assured,whenthe

following criteriaaremet (in additionto Criterion 1):

2. Theexistingvernalpooisandtheirassociatedwatershedscontainedwithin

thecomplexesidentifiedin AppendixG aresecuredin aconfigurationthat

maintainshabitatfunctionand speciesviability (asdeterminedby

prescribedresearchtasks);

3. Securedvernalpoolsareenhancedorrestoredsuchthatpopulationlevels

ofexisting speciesarestabilizedor increased;and

4. Populationtrendsmustbe shownto be stableor increasingfor aminimum

of 10 consecutiveyearsprior to considerationfor reclassification.

63

Monitoring shouldcontinuefor aperiodofatleast10 yearsfollowing

reclassificationto ensurepopulationstability.

Delisting of eachofthespeciesmaybe consideredin thefutureandis

conditionedon thedownlistingcriteriashownabove,improvement

(stabilizedor increasingpopulationtrends)at all currentlyknownsites;

restoration,protection,andmanagementof theminimumhabitatareaand

configurationneededto ensurelong-termviability; andreestablishing

historic but locally extinctspeciespopulationswhenneededto ensure

viability. TheU.S. FishandWildlife Servicemustalsodeterminethatthe

following factorsareno longerpresent,or continueto adverselyaffect,

Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,Pogogyne

nudiuscula,Orcuttia cal~fornica,andtheRiversideand SanDiego fairy

shrimp: (1) thepresentor threateneddestruction,modification,or

curtailmentoftheirhabitatorrange;(2) over utilization for commercial,

recreational,scientific,oreducationalpurposes;(3) diseaseorpredation;

(4) the inadequacyof existing regulatorymechanisms;and(5) other

naturalor manmadefactorsaffectingtheir continuedexistence(50CFR

424.11).

TheRecoveryPlanshouldbe revisedif necessaryasnewinformationpertinentto

thesetopicsbecomesavailable. A revisedRecoveryPlanwould be basedon the

bestavailablescientificinformation.

RECOVERYTASKS

1.Designandestablishavernalpool habitatpreservesystemwithin each

ManagementAreathatwill maximizetheecologicaldistributionfor each

listed andproposedspecies,minimize risk of habitatloss,retaingenetic

differentiation,and providetheopportunityfor expansionof populations.

SouthernCaliforniavernalpool habitatsarelimited in extentbut

distributedovera wide area. Within this regionaredistinctlydifferent

typesofvernalpool habitat,distinguishedby climate,soils, andplant and

animalspecies(AppendixE,F, andG). Maintaininghabitatswithin each

64

ManagementAreawill resultin preservationofthefullest rangeofhabitat

conditions,provideprotectionforthewidestarrayofvernalpool

organisms,promotestabilityand recoveryofthe listed species,and

facilitatedevelopmentofrecoverystrategiesthat incorporatethedifferent

conditionsandneedsof eachspecies.

11. Determinetheamountandconfigurationofvernalpools

andtheir associatedwatershedswithin thecomplexes

identifiedin AppendixE andF necessaryto maintain

habitatfunctionandspeciesviability.

Thegoalofvernalpool speciesrecoveryis thepreservation

ofhabitatsufficient to ensurethe long-termsurvivalofthe

species.Becausethis planaddressesseveralspecies

throughoutadisjunctrangeandbecauseeachspecieshas

independentecologicallife historiesandphysical

requirements,thedeterminationofpoolpreservationwill

be a complexendeavor.Conservativeprojectionsregarding

habitatfunctionandspecies’viability shouldbe appliedto

preservedesign.

Numerouslong-termconsiderationsneedbe madewhen

prioritizing preservationofvernalpool speciesandtheir

habitats(refer to RecoveryCriteriaPrinciples). Short-term

considerationsincludemaintenanceof hydrological

conditionsandwaterquality, andprotectionfrom

disturbance.

Ill. Inventoryeachof thecomplexesto determinethe

extentandconfigurationof the individual vernal

pools andtheir associatedwatersheds.

112. Inventoryeachpool within eachcomplexto

determinespeciescompositionandabundance.

65

Maintainrecognitionthattheabsenceofaspeciesin

any particularyeardoesnot meanthatthepool or

complexdoesnotprovidehabitator thatthespeciesis notpresent. Speciesmaybe presentasviable

seedsorcysts.

113. Developpreservedesignsafterdeterminingwhich

vernalpoolswithin eachcomplexarenecessaryto

maintainhabitatfunctionandspeciesviability.

Preserveboundariesneedto bedrawnso asto

preventadverseeffectson waterquantityand

quality. Disturbance(e.g.,vehicleor human

trespass,invasionby exotic species,landscaping)

canbe minimizedby reducingtheedge-to-arearatio

andincludingeffectivenaturalbarriersto preclude

access,suchascanyons. Offsite effectscanalso be

minimizedby easementsoragreementswith

adjacentlandownersthat resultin thecompatible

usesoflandsadjacentto preserves(Jensenetal.

1990).

114. Investigatebiologicalfactorsaffectingrecovery.

Managementof vernalpool habitatswill requirea

greaterunderstandingof someof theecological

functionsofvernalpool species.Although

preservationof habitatservesafundamentalrolein

therecoveryofthesespecies,numerousthreats

remainthatarenotamelioratedsolelyby

preservation.Consequently,further information

will be necessaryto addressmanyofthese

managementrequirements.In orderto guide

managementactivities,researchshouldbe designed

to determinethehistoricdistributionsof thelisted

andproposedspecies,theirphysicalandchemical

66

tolerancelimits, andtheirbiotic associations,

including therole ofherbivory,pollinators,and

vectors. Disturbancesassociatedwith fire, grazing,

andnonnativespeciesshould be studiedto

determinetheir degreeof influenceon recovery.

Geneticvariability is key to the long-termviability

of vernalpool species,andabetterunderstandingof

thepopulationstructureand levelsofvariability will

aid in thereestablishmentofvernalpooi species.

This informationandothersshouldprovideclear

directionwhendefiningmanagementgoalsand

priorities.

12. Securesites identifiedfor preservationthroughfeetitle

acquisitionand conservationagreements.

Themostimportantrequirementsfor therecoveryofthe

southernCaliforniavernalpool speciesis thepreservation

andrestorationofvernalpool habitats.Vernal pool habitat

first needsto be securedbecauseurbanandinfrastructure

developmentareproceedingrapidly throughouttherangeof

Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,

Pogogynenudiuscula,OrcuttiacaiWornica,Navarretia

fossalis,andSanDiegoandRiversidefairy shrimp..

Feetitle acquisition,conservationeasements,long-term

leases,cooperativeagreements,andplanswith willing

public agenciesandprivatelandownerscouldbeobtained

throughpurchase,donation,transfer,exchange,orwritten

agreement.Landscouldalsobeconveyedto theU.S. Fish

andWildlife Servicefrom landownersto meetmitigation,

zoning,or land-usepermitrequirements.

ConservationeasementsmayprotecthabitatAlthough

allowing it to remainin privateownership. Somesitesare

67

alreadyin public oragencyownership,suchasTheNature

Conservancy’sSantaRosaPlateauandtheCalifornia

DepartmentofTransportation’sDel Mar MesaPreserve.

Cooperativeagreementsandcoordinatedplanningand

managementefforts couldassistin conservationefforts,

suchastheplanbeingdevelopedby MCAS Miramar.

Acquisitionoflandor intereststhereinby theU.S. Fish and

Wildlife Servicefor theVernalPoolsStewardshipProject

of theSanDiegoNationalWildlife Refugeis another

method,asaretheregionalconservationplanningefforts

throughtheNaturalCommunityConservationPlanning

Act.

121. Secureexistingvernalpoolsandtheirassociated

watershedsin AppendixF andG identifiedas

necessaryto maintainhabitatfunctionandspecies

viability;

122. Secureexistingvernalpoolsandtheirassociated

watershedscurrentlyoccupiedby Orcuttia

cal!fornwa,Pogogynenudiuscula,andthe

Riversidefairy shrimp;

123. Secureexistingvernalpoolsandtheirassociated

watershedswithin theTransverseandLos Angles

Basin-OrangeManagementAreas;

124. Secureexistingvernalpools andtheirassociated

watershedswithin theSanMarcoscomplexesthat

containNavarretiafossalis,Eryngiumaristulatum

var.parishii, BrodiaeafllWolia, andany othervernal

pool speciesoflimited distributionorabundance.Impactsto any oftheremainingpoolsandtheir

associatedwatershedsmustresultin no net lossof

functionandvalue;

68

125. Secureexistingvernalpoolsandtheirassociated

watershedswithin theRamonacomplexesthat

containDowningiacuspidata,Eryngium

aristulatumvar.parishii, Navarretiafossalis,

Myosurusminimus,SanDiego fairy shrimp,andany

othervernalpool speciesoflimited distributionor

abundance;

126. Secureexistingvernalpools andtheirassociatedwatershedslocatedon Stockpensoils.

127. Adoptmanagementandmitigationmeasures

describedin theDepartmentof theNavy’s,

IntegratedNaturalResourcesManagementPlans,

developedby eachmilitary installation.

2. Within eachManagementArea, reestablishvernalpoolhabitatto historic

structureandcompositionto increasegeneticdiversityandpopulation

stability.

Given theextremereductionofvernalpool habitatin southernCalifornia,

preservationandmaintenanceofthe fewremainingpoolsandtheir

complexesis inadequateto bufferagainstcatastrophicevents,population

dynamics(e.g.,survivorshipandreproduction),andedgeeffects.

Destructionanddegradationofvernalpool habitatshaveresultedin

extensivelossesof speciesdependentuponthem. For somespeciesin

particular(e.g.,Pogogynenudiuscula)asingle randomeventcouldresult

in completeextinction.

Pogogyneabramsiipopulationshavebeenextirpatedfrom theLindaVista

area,thevicinity ofBalboaPark,NormalHeights,andthearea

surroundingSanDiego StateUniversity. Pogogynenudiusculacurrently

existsonly in a smallnumberofpools on Otay Mesa. Eryngium

aristulatumvar.parishii hasbeenextirpatedfrom a sitein La Jolla,andis

believedto be extirpatedfrom neartheTijuanaAirport whereit previously

69

existed.Sitespreviouslydocumentedto havecontainedOrcuttia

calWornwain Los AngelesCounty,Ventura,andMurrietaHot Springs

havebeenextirpated;andtheRiversidefairy shrimpis limited now in

distributionto only a fewvernalpool complexesin a limited geographical

area.Restorationandreintroductionarenecessaryto expandthecurrent

rangesof theseendemicspeciesto reducerisk ofextinctionthrough

randomandnaturalevents.

Within thecomplexesidentifiedin AppendixF andG, sitesshouldbe

reviewedto identify andassessthesuitability of sitesandindividual vernal

pools thatareeligible for restoration.Theneedfor restorationofvernal

pooihabitatsandtheirconstituentspeciescanbe distinguishedfrom

enhancementor managementneedsby virtueoftheoftenextreme

modificationor degradationof thehabitatto whichtheyhavebeen

subjected.Disturbancescanpermanentlyaffectsoil drainageandpool

hydrologyaswell aswaterquality andtemperature.In somecases,habitat

is soseverelydegradedthat visible characteristicstypically associatedwith

vernalpoolhabitathavebeenobscuredandtotal reconstructionmaybe

necessaryto achieveafunctioninglevel again. Formerevidenceofthe

habitatis necessaryto ensurethesuitability ofasite. Suitablesitesshould

includeappropriatesoil types,waterchemistry,pondingpatterns,and

historic speciesdistributions. Topographicfeaturesmayor maynot be

initially present,dependingon thedegreeofprevioushabitatmodification.

Restorationplansshouldaddressprimarily thereestablishmentofthe

physicalandbiotic characteristicsofvernalpoolhabitat,including soil

properties,waterquality, topography,hydrology,nutrientcycling, species

diversity, andspeciesinteractions,suchthatcritical functionscanbecome

self-sustaining.Vernalpool habitatsandpoolbasinsarefrequently

subjectedto soil disturbancesasa resultof vehicularactivity, agriculture,

andhumanor domesticanimal foot traffic. Thesehabitatsareespecially

vulnerableduring thewet phase,whentheclaysoils areeasilycompacted.

Tire ruts, hoofprints, roads,andtrails canresultin thedirectelimination

ofvernalpool speciesby alterationof hydrology(Bauder,pers.obs.1995).

70

Poolsshouldbe individually assessedto determinetheneedfor

enhancementor restorationto achieveintegrity.

BecausesouthernCaliforniavernalpool speciesarehabitatspecialists

closelytied to soil typesandclimatic variables,andhavenaturallylimited

distributions,considerationsoftheserestrictiverequirementswill guide

theselectionof suitablesites for there-establishmentnewpopulations.

Historic distribution,soil surveys,floristic data,climatic,waterquality,

andhydrologicvariableswill assistin thisevaluation.

Prioritiesfor theestablishmentof newpopulationsshouldbe determined.

Themostnarrowly distributed,leastabundant,andmostthreatened

speciesaddressedin this planarePogogynenudiuscula,Orcuttia

californica,andtheRiversidefairy shrimp. Primaryconsiderationshould

begivento thereestablishmentofthesespecies.Ecologicaland

reproductiverequirementsofthespeciesunderconsiderationshouldbe

evaluated.

In mostcases,thehistoric distributionsofvernalpool speciescanbe

reconstructedandthelandscaperestoredsufficientlyto allow forthe

reestablishmentandexpansionofpopulations.Limits to natural

distributionsmustbe recognized,however,andspeciesreintroduction

shouldnot substitutefor protectionofexistingnaturalpopulations.

Someexperimentationwill berequiredto determinethemosteffective

methodsfor reintroductionofvernalpool speciesinto currently

unoccupiedhabitat. Methodsto considercould includecaptive

propagation,nursery-grownplants,seedcollection,donorpools,or

vegetativepropagation.Caremustbe takento ensureparentpopulations

arenot adverselyaffected.

3. Within eachManagementArea,rehabilitateandenhancesecuredvernal

pool habitatsandtheirconstituentspecies.

71

Certainactivitiescandramaticallyaffect thephysicalandbiotic

characteristicsof thevernalpool habitats,andfewvernalpools,if any,are

freefrom disturbancesassociatedwith humansordomesticanimals. Off-

roadvehicleactivity, trashdumping,invasionby nonnativespecies,

watershedmodification,anddomesticlivestockareall examplesof

impactsthatcanadverselyaffecthabitatandthespeciestherein. Vernal

pool habitatsareexpectedto benefitwhenenhancementorrehabilitation

effortsareproperlyapplied. Theseefforts arelessintensivethan

restorationefforts, typically becausethephysicalfeaturesassociatedwith

thehabitatsare largely intact.

Rehabilitationandenhancementaugmentthephysicalandbiotic

characteristicsofvernalpool habitat. Typically, thephysicalfeaturesare

intactbutdegradedandrequireminimal to moderatemodificationand

manipulation. Reestablishmentof vernalpool speciesinto enhancedpools

maybe aconsideration.Poolhydrology andchemistrymayrequire

augmentationby ensuringappropriaterunoff. Pool depth,waterduration,

andbasinsurfaceareacanvary with yearto yearprecipitationandair

temperature,but theytypically exhibit an averagerangeof conditions.

Significantmodificationofthewatershedmayresultin changesin these

normalparameters,resultingin conditionsthat adverselyaffect vernalpool

function. Nonnativeorganismsin vernalpool systemshaveadverse

effectson thenativespeciesandsubsequentlycompromisetheintegrityof

nativespecies.Theeliminationof nonnativespeciesshouldbe considered

in all plans.

4. Manageprotectedhabitat.

Site-specificmanagementplanswill needto be developedfor each

preservethat considerownership,sizeandshape,landusehistory,joint

uses,adjacentlanduses,andotherfactors. In general,managementplans

preparedfor all preservesshouldrestrictaccess(vehicles,humans,or large

domesticanimals);prohibit or redirectrecreationalactivities;regulateuse

oftoxic substances(herbicides,pesticides,hydrocarbons,andother

chemicals)anddumping;preventwaterpollution or alteredhydrology;and

72

controlexoticplantandanimalspecies.Contingencyplansneedto be in

placefor emergenciessuchasair crashes,fire, toxic spills, law

enforcementpursuits,anddamorroadwashouts.

Caremustbe takento ensurethatthewatershedsofthepoolsandthe

complexesin whichtheyresidearemaintainedin afunctioningstate.

Considerationshouldbe given to thoseactions(e.g.,runoff, erosion,

turbidity) thatmaycompromiseor conflictwith pool hydrologywhenplanningadjacentlanduses.Effectivemanagementofnonnativespecies

maybe achievedin part,by ensuringappropriatehydrologicregimes.

Interimmanagement,suchascontrolledburns(Simovicheta!. 1996;

PollakandKan 1996),maybe necessaryto reduceor eradicatenonnative

speciesto levelsthatdo notadverselyaffectthenativespecies.Bullfrogs

arerecognizedpredators(Morey 1996;Simovich eta!. 1996)ofvernal

poolspeciesanderadicationof larvae,post-metamorphic,andadultfrogs

shouldbe ataskitem in all vernalpool managementplans. Theeffectof

variousnonnativecontrolregimes,thecontainmentoftoxinsand

pollution,andvehicularusein preservedareasshouldbe addressed.Pools

andtheirwatershedsshouldbe securedandprotectedfrom runoff, spills,

andmosquitoabatementandlandscapingactivitiesthat involve theuseof

herbicides,pesticides,mulch, andfertilizers. Petroleumbyproducts,

detergents,andinsecticidesareexamplesofsubstancesthatcanbe lethal

or toxic to vernalpool organisms(Simovicheta!. 1996). All trashand

refuseshouldbe removedfrom pools. Site-specificevaluationsshouldbe

conductedto determinethesuitabilityof grazingpracticeswithin each

ManagementArea.

Recognizingthatfundingwill notbe immediatelyavailableto accomplish

all ofthespecific tasksthat becomepartof an approvedmanagementplan,

it is importantto beginwith thoseactionsthatwill preventfurtherdamage

to thehabitat. Thefirst priority ofthepreservemanagementplansshould

be to modify on-goingactivitiesorplanneddevelopmentthatwill resultin

habitatfragmentationor loss,andalterationofpoo1hydrologyor water

quality. Secondis theneedto limit accessby meansof fencing,signing,

barriers,androadandtrail closures.To furtherreducethethreatto the

73

species,it is importantthatpeoplewho havepermittedaccessto preserves,

includingemergencyresponsepersonnelandrecreationusers,be informed

aboutthevalue,sensitivityandlocationof theresource.Developmentof

public viewing areasandapublic outreachprogramcanbe initiatedas

preservesareprotected.

Off-roadrecreationalactivities,constructionstaging,fire, emergency,and

borderpatrolactivitiesarecontributingfactorsto habitatdisturbance;

therefore,vehiculartravel shouldbe restrictedto designatedroadsand

existinghardscape(pavedor graveledsurfaces).Barrierssuchasfencing

shouldbeconsideredto limit access,andgroupsor individualswith access

to vernalpoolhabitat(e.g.,resourceagencies,researchers,utility

companies)shouldbe informedasto themanagementneedsofthis habitat

type. Vehiclesandconstructionstagingareasshouldbe containedin

parkinglots orhardscapeareas.

5. Monitor protectedhabitatandlistedspecies.

Monitoring is essentialto providebaselinedataagainstwhichto judgethe

changesandvariationsin plant andanimalpopulationsovertime, aswell

asthesuccessofspecificmanagementactions. Thetype,intensity,timing,

andfrequencyof monitoringneedto be tied to theobjectivesofeachplan.

Datacollectionprotocolsshouldbe simpleandrepeatable;useestablished

samplingschemessuchasplots, transects,orphotopoints;anduse

acceptedscientificandstatisticalprocedures.Goals,methods,standards,

andsuccesscriteriashouldbe reviewedby qualifiedprofessionalsfamiliar

with vernalpoolsandtheadjacenthabitat,andapprovedby the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service. Monitoring shouldalwaysbe carriedoutby

qualifiedbiologists.

Baselinemonitoringof reference(control)pools is importantto providea

comparisonby which tojudgethestability ofhabitatquality, fluctuations

in responseto weathervariability, andacceptablerangesofenvironmental

variablesfor populationsofvernalpool species.Monitoringof restored

areasshouldbe basedon quantifiablerestorationgoalsdevelopedin

74

relationto adjacentundisturbedhabitat(referencehabitat)andshould

extendfor 10 yearsaftercompletionoftherestorationactions.

To be consideredcompletedand successfulat theendofthe 10-year

monitoringperiod,restoredareasmustbe similar in appearance,species

composition,andecosystemfunctionto thereferencehabitat.

75

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(CuyamacaLakedowningia)andLimnanthesgracilis ssp.parishii

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97

IV. IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE

Theimplementationscheduleoutlines recommendedactionsandestimatedcost

associatedwith therecoveryprogramfor theVernalPoolsof SouthernCalifornia.

It is a guide for meeting the objective discussed in Part II of this recovery plan.

This schedule indicates task priorities, numbers,anddescriptions;durationof

each task; responsible agencies; and estimated costs. Theseactions,when

accomplished, should bring about the recovery of thesix vernalpool speciesand

protect their habitat.

The actions identified in the implementationschedule,whenaccomplished,

shouldleadto a betterunderstandingofthe currentdistributionandstatusofthe

vernalpool species,protectionof thehabitat,stabilizetheexistingpopulations,

andallow for an increasein populationsizesand numbers.Initiation ofthese

actionsis subjectto availability offunds.

Priorities in column oneof theimplementationscheduleareassignedasfollows:

Priority 1: An actionthatmustbe takento preventextinctionorto

preventthespeciesfrom decliningirreversibly in the

foreseeablefuture.

Priority 2: An actionthat mustbe takento preventasignificant

declinein populationorhabitatquality, orsomeother

significantnegativeimpactshortofextinction.

Priority 3: All otheractionsnecessaryto meettherecoveryobjective.

Acronymsusedin the ImplementationSchedule

ACQE Army Corpsof Engineers

BRD Biological ResourcesDivision of theU.S. GeologicalSurvey

CDFG CaliforniaDepartmentof Fish andGame

DOD Departmentof Defense

FHWA FederalHighwayAdministration

LOC AppropriateLocalAgencies

TBD To Be Determined

USFWS FishandWildlife Service

98

RECOVERY PLAN IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE FOR VERNAL POOLS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

F ~_______Pnonty ask ask DescriptionumberNeed 1 Conduct surveysand research essential to the conservation ofthese species.1 111 nventory each ofthe complexes to determine WS, ACQE,he extent and configuration ofthe individual D, BRD,ernst pools and their associated watersheds DFG—a

ask esponsible[)uratlongencles otalst,mat:d

— — Costs (SIOQOs)

—I—!— — — —Y Y jFY iFY IFY1999 000 1L112003 r004 [2005 006 J2007 f008

0 5 5

1 112 ventory each poolwithin each complex toetermine the species composition andbundance

L 100 0 0

1 113 evelop preserve designs after determininghich vernal pools within each complex are

ecessasy to maintain habitat function andpecies viability

WS. BRD,D, LOC

0 0

1 114 vestigate biological factors affectingecovery

L 00 100 100 100 100 100

Total Need 1 70 195 175 100 100 100

Need 2 Secure the existing vernal pools and their associated watersheds.

1 121 ecure the existing vernal pools and theirsanciated waternlseds in Tables 4 and 5dentifted as necessaiy to maintain habitat

nction and species viability

D L D

1 122 ecure the existing vernal pools and theirsociated watersheds currently occupied byrcunio caI~fornica, Pogogyne nudiuscula,d_the_Riverside_fairy_shrimp

ecure the existing vernal pools and theirsociated watersheds within the Transversed LA Basin/Orange Management Areas

D L D

I 123 D L RD

I 124 ecure the existing vernal pools and theirsociated watersheds within the San Marcos

omplexes that contain Nas’arretiafossal,s,~ryngiumorisiulaf urn var. pari.shi,,rod,aeofihtfol,a, and any other vernal poolpecies of limited distribution or abundance

D L RD

RECOVERY PLAN IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE FOR VERNAL POOLS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

ority ask ask Description ask esponatbleumber non gencies

Years)

Cost (SlOQOs)

otalstimatedoat

$l000’s)

11999

0000

0001

0002

0003

0004

0005

0006

0007

0008

1125 ecure the existing vernal pools andtheir D Lsociated watersheds within the Ramona

omplexes that contain Dowmngiapidato, Eryngium aristularurn var.

r:shii, Navarretiafossahs. Myosurusimmus, and any other vernal pool species of

~miteddistribution or abundance

D

1126 ecure the existing vernal pools and their D Lasociated watersheds located on Stockpenoils

D

otal Need 2 D D

eed 3 Where necessary reestablish vernal pool habitat to the h,stomcal structure.

within each Management Area, reestablish 1 L 105

Ivernal pool habitat to historic structure and~ompositionto increase genetic diversity and

4opulation stability I.. L

12 IWd enhance secured vernal pool habitats and V F_____ithin each Management Area, rehabilitate I Lcir constituent species

otal Need 3 00

165 140

b

0

125 ~75eed 4 Manage and monitor habitat and listed species.

IManage protected habitat 12 TALL J25

—~ onitor protected habitat and listed species 10 1ALL 125

otal Need 4 JSO I ~0

otal Cost j I j970

125

195 175 1175 1001

—

Appendix A

Speciesof SpecialConcern

In and Adjacent to Vernal Pool Habitat in Southern California

Species

PLANTS

Ambrosiapumila

SanDiegoambrosia

Brodiaeafi1~folia

Thread-leavedbrodiaea

Brodiaeaorcuttii

Orcutt’s brodiaea

Downingiaconcolorvar. brevior

CuyamacaLakedownmgia

Eryngiumaristzdatumvar. parishii

San Diegobutton-celery

Limnanthesgracilis var. parishii

Parish’smeadowfoam

Myosurusminimus

Little mousetail

Navarretiafossalis

Spreadingnavarretia

Ophioglossumcal!fornicum

Californiaadder’s-tonguefern

Orcuttiacal~fornica

CaliforniaOrcuttgrass

Pogogyneabramsii

SanDiegomesamint

Pogogynenudiuscula

Otaymesamint

Trichostemaaustromontanum

ssp.compactum

HiddenLakebluecurls

INVERTEBRATES

SanDiegofaiiy shrimp

Branchinectasandiegonensis

State/FederalLegal Status

——I——

CE/FPT

——I——

CE!--

CE/FE

CE!--

——I——

--/FPT

——I———

CE/FE

CE/FE

CE/FE

--‘Cl

CNPS

Code/SpecialStatus

lB

lB

Is

lB

lB

lB

3

lB

4

lB

lB

lB

lB

--/FE

Al

Appendix A (Continued)

Species State/Federal SpecialStatus

Legal Status

Riversidefairy shrimp

Streptocephaluswoottoni --/FE

Vernalpoolfairy shrimp

Branchinectalynchi --/FT

AMPHIBIANS

Westernspadefoottoad

Scaphiopushammondii CSC

REPTILES

Orange-throatedwhiptail

Cnemidophorushyperythrusbeldingi CSC,HTNorthernreddiamondrattlesnake

Crotalusruber ruber CSCSanDiegohornedlizard

Phrynosomacoronatumblainvillii CSC,HTTwo-stripedgartersnake

Thamnophishammondii CSC,HT

BIRDS

Black-shoulderedkite --/-- CFP

Elanuscaeruleus

Northernharrier -•/-- CSCCircuscyaneus

Burrowingowl --/-- CSC

A thenecunicularia

CoastalCaliforniagnatcatcher FT !-- CSC

Polioplila ca1~fornicaca1~fornica

Bell’s sagesparrow --!-- CSC

Amphispizabelli

MAMMALS

Pacific pocketmouse FE!-- CSC

Perognathuslongimembrispac~ficus

A2

Appendix A (Continued)

Abbreviation Key

FEDERALLY LISTED AND CANDIDATE SPECIES

FE Federalendangeredspecies

FT Federalthreatenedspecies

FPE Federalproposedendangeredspecies

FPT Federalproposedthreatenedspecies

Cl Federalcandidatefor listing; speciesfor which the U. S. Fish andWildlife Service

hassubstantialinformationto supportlisting asthreatenedor endangered.

CALIFORNIA LISTED AND CANDIDATE SPECIES

CE Californiaendangeredspecies

CR Californiararespecies

SPECIAL STATUS

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OFFISH AND GAME

CFP Californiafully protected

CSC Californiaspeciesof specialconcern

CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY (CNPS) CODE

lB Plantsrare,threatened,or endangeredin Californiaandelsewhere

3 Plantsaboutwhichwe needmore information-- a reviewlist

4 Plantsof limited distribution -- a watchlist

SAN DIEGO

HT San DiegoHerpetologicalSocietythreatened

A3

Appendix BDefinition of Terms

ConservationPotential• Determinedby thecurrentexistingconditions,surroundinglanduseand

speciescomposition. This mayincludemanagement,

restoration/enhancement,ornoneif existingconditionsdon’t allow for

thecontinuedexistenceofthespeciesor vernalpoolcomplex.

Divorced From Natural Habitat• Not surroundedby habitatdominatedby nativevegetation,orrestorable

to nativevegetation.Lacking importantanimalecosystemcomponents

suchaspollinators,probabledispersersandpredatorsor herbivores.

Enhancement• Theimprovementofthephysicalandbiotic characteristicsofvernalpool

habitatsuchthatnaturalprocessesandproductivityareaugmented.

HydrologicProcesses

• Thecycle andeffectsofwatermovementthat incorporatesthe

atmosphereand land: theconditionsassociatedwith theproperties,

distribution, duration,depth,andchemicalmakeupofthesurfaceandsoil

waters.

Large Site

• Pool orpoolsareembeddedin an areadominatedby nativevegetation,or

potentially restorableto nativevegetation.

• Nativevegetationis orcanbe restoredto useby nativepollinators,

amphibians,birds andbothsmall andlargemammals,especiallydeer.

Monitoring• Repeatcollectionof datato establishbaselinereferenceon population,

distribution,hydrologyandotherpool attributesneededto assess

ecosystemfunction.

• Purposeis to documentthestability ofpopulationsandjudgethesuccess

of restorationactionsandtheeffectivenessof managementpractices.

Bi

Nonnative Plant and Animal Control• Exoticplantsthat arepresentwithin pool basinsduring yearsofaverage

or greaterthanaverageprecipitationarereducedto lessthan5 percent

covereveryyearfor acontinuousperiodof 10 years.• Exotic plantscanin no yearexceed25 percentcoverofpoolbasins.

• Exotic herbivoresorpredatorsofvernalpool organismsarereducedto

levelsthat do notjeopardizeapopulation. Determinationof theselevels

will dependon additionalresearchfindings.

Preservation

• An areasecuredwith anactiveandadaptivemanagementplan in

perpetuity.

RestorableVernal Pool Habitat• Pool habitatis potentiallyrestorableif soil profile is sufficientlyintactor

requiresminor modificationsin orderto maintainpooi hydrology.

Restoration

• Reestablishmentofthephysicalandbiotic characteristicsofvernalpooi

habitatsuchthatcritical functionsarerestored.

• Resemblesareferencehabitatin regardto thefollowing attributes:soil

properties,waterquality, topography,hydrology,nutrientcycling, species

diversity andspeciesinteractions.

Revegetation

• Sitecanbe broughtto dominancewith appropriatenativeplants.

• All ecosystemfunctionsmaynot be reestablished.

Secured• Thepreservationofasitewith an activeandadaptivemanagementplan,

in perpetuity. This would includeenhancement/restorationasneeded.

Self-sustaining

• Theability ofan ecosystemto perpetuateitself throughprocesses

operatingwithin thecommunitywithout humaninterventionor

assistance.

Small Site

• As with largesite,but fragmentedor isolatedto suchadegreethat large

mammalsareno longerevident.

B2

Suitable Vernal PoolHabitat• Soil andhydrologicalpropertiesarewithin therangeof occupiedpools

within theirassociations.

SuitableVernalPoolHydrology• Hydrologyis within therangefor pools in thesubtype.

• Hydrologyshallnot be matchedto theextremein eitherdirection(rarely

or shallowly,inundatedto frequentlyanddeeplyinundated)knownto

supportthespeciesin questionin that sub-type,unlessonly onepool

exists. In thatcase,pool hydrologymustbe within therangeof

conditionsdocumentedto sustainpopulationsof thespeciesin othersub-

types.

• Hydrological regimesmust be documentedwith 10 consecutiveyearsof

data.

• Documentationmustincludethefollowing datafor eachyear:total

numberof daysinundatedatthedeepestelevation,percentofbasin

surfaceinundatedat time ofmaximumdepth,percentof basinexposed

duringeachbetween-storminterval,andrateof waterlevel dropafter

eachstorm.

Suitable Water Quality• Within therangeofalkalinity, total dissolvedsolids,concentrationsof

salts,conductivity,andpH knownto supportpopulationsofpool species,

especiallyinvertebrates.

• Devoid of, or with sufficiently low concentrations,ofchemicals,

nutrients,suspendedmatter,sediments,and othersubstancesthat

adverselyaffect pooi species.In somecasesrangesof tolerancemustbe

determinedby further research.

Vernal Pool

• (As definedby the U.S. Army CorpsofEngineers):Wetlandsthat

seasonallypond in small depressionsasaresultofa shallow,relatively

impermeablelayer(e.g.,clayor otherimpervioussoil or rock layer) that

restrictsdownwardpercolationofwater. Thedominantwatersourcefor

vernalpools is precipitationwith poolstypically filling afterfall and

winter rainsandevaporatingduring springandsummer.Theseseasonal

pondsarefragile, easilydisturbedecosystemsthatprovidehabitatfor

indigenous,specializedassemblagesof flora andfauna,includingseveral

B3

specieswhich are eitherproposedor alreadyFederallylisted asthreatened

or endangered.

Vernal Pool Functions• SurfaceWater StorageIn Pool: Thecapacityofthepool basinto

seasonallypond andretainsurfacewaterfor long durations.The

dominantwatersourceis from precipitationeitherdirectly into thepool or

via sub-surfaceflow from thesidesof thevernalpool basin.

• SubsurfaceWaterExchange:Thecapacityof thesub-surfaceareaabove

therestrictivelayerto holdwaterandallow theexchangeofwater

betweenthepoolbasinandsurroundinglandscape(pool banksand

moundareas).

• SurfaceWaterConveyance:Inter-stormconveyanceof concentratedflow

into and out of pool basinsthroughswales. Swalesare definedassurface

featureswhich conveyconcentratedflow, but lackadefinedbedandbank

(an undefineddrainage).

• Elementcycling: Theimport, transformation,andremovalof nutrients,

contaminants,andotherelementsandcompoundsvia biotic andabiotic

processes.

• MaintainsCharacteristicVegetation:Thecapabilityofperpetuating

predominantlynativevegetationthroughavarietyofmorphological,

reproductiveanddevelopmentaladaptationsandsporeor seeddispersal

mechanismsin responseto theextremeenvironmentalconditionsof

wetting anddrying. Emphasisis on thedynamicsandstructureofthe

vegetationasrevealedby speciesphenology,compositionandabundance.

• MaintainsCharacteristicAquaticInvertebrates:Thecapabilityof

perpetuatinginvertebratepopulationsthroughavariety ofreproductive

and developmentaladaptationsin responseto theextremeenvironmental

conditionsof wetting anddrying. Emphasisis on thedynamicsand

structureofthe invertebrateecologyof vernalpools asrevealedby

speciescompositionandabundance.

• MaintainsCharacteristicVertebratePopulations:Thecapability of

providingsomelife history requirementsfor populationsofvertebrate

specieswhichrely uponvernalpools for habitatandfor activitiessuchas

reproduction,development,andfeeding.

B4

Appendix C

Illustrations

CaliforniaOrcuttGrass(Orcuttia cal~fornica)

Illustration by D. Ann Kreager

Cl

Otay MesaMint (Pogogynenudiuscula)

Illustrationby ScottC. McMillian

C2

Appendix DVernal Pool Plant SpeciesWithin the Management Areas

Key

Transverse

LA Basin!OrangeCounty

RiversideCounty

SanDiegoNorth CoastalMesas

SDCn

SDSo

SDInl

San DiegoCentralCoastalMesas

SanDiego SouthCoastalMesas

SanDiegoInlandValley

SPECIES Goleta T’verse LAIOr R’side SDNo SDCn SDSo SDInlAlopecurossaccatus(howellii) X

Ambrosiapumila X X X X

Bergiatexana X X

Brodiaeafilfolia X X X

Brodiaeajolonensis X X X X X X

Brodiaeaorcuttii X X X X

Callitriche marginata X X X X X X x

Centunculusminimus X X X X X

Crassulaa uatica X X X X X X X

Deschampsiadanthoniodes X X X X X X

Downingia concolorvar.

brevior

X X

Downingiacuspidata X X X

Echinodorusberteroi X

Elatinebrachysperma X X X X

Elatine cal!fornica X X

Eleocharisacicularis X X X

Eleocharismacrostachya X X X X X X X

Eleocharismontevidnesis x

Epilobiumpygmaeum X X X X

Eryngium aristulatum var.

parishii

X X X X X

Eryngiumsp. nova X

Eryngiumvaseyi X

Isoeteshowe/lu X X

Isoetesorcutta X X X

Juncusbufonius X X X X X X X

Juncustri ormis

Lastheniaglabrataspp.

coulteri

X X

Lepidiumlatipes X

Lepidiumnitidum X X X X X X

Lilaeascilloides x x x

Dl

T’verse

LA!Or

R’side

SDNo

Appendix D(continued)

Vernal PoolPlant SpeciesWithin the Management Areas

SPECIES Goleta T’verse LA/Or R’side SDNo SDCn SDSo SDInlLimnanthes gracilis ssp

parishii

X X X

Lythrumhyssop~folia X X X X X

Ma/ye/laleprosa X X X X X

Marsileavestita X X X

Mimu/uslatidens X

Montiafontana X X

Myosurusminimusvar.

apus

X X X X X

Myosurusminimusvar.

fi4formis

X X X

Namastenocarpum X X X

Navarretiafossalis X X X X X X

Navarretiahamata X X

Navarretiaintertexta

Navarretiaprostrata X

Ophiog/ossumcalfornicum X X

Orcuttia cal~fornica X X X xPha/arislemmonii X X X X X X

Pi/ularia americana X X X X X X

P/agzobothrysacanthocarpus X X X X

Plagiobothrysleptocladus X

Plagiobothrysundulatus X

Plantagoelongata X X X X X

P/antagoerecta X X X X

x x

xPsi/ocarphusbrevissimus X X X X X X X

x x

x x

Sibaravirginica X X

Tr~folium depaupertaumvar.

amplectans

X X

Verbenabracteata X X X

Veronicaperegrinavar.

xalapensis

X

D2

Appendix EStatus of the Vernal PoolSpeciesWithin the ManagementAreas

KEY:Thenumbersin the speciescolumnsrepresentthenumberof poolsthespeciesis knownto be presentin.1Positiveidentification requireX speciespresentXli speciesextirpatedPogogyneabramsii(Pa),Pogogynenudiuscula(Pn),OrcuttiacaI~fornica (Oc),Eryngiumaristulatumvar. parishii (Ea),Navarretiafossalis(Nt), San Diegofairy shrimp(SF), andRiversidefairy shrimp(RF).Note: the informationwithin this tablerepresentscurrentavailableinformationandis subjectto modificationasadditionalornewdatais presented.

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership orManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SDSouth 11 0 Private filled none Xli Xli Xli Xli Xli

SDSouth 12 57-129 Private mitigation restoration 3 22 4 14 70

SDSouth 13 4 Private filled restoration

SDSouth J4-7 176 Private mitigationldev enhancement 1 1 1

SDSouth 11 lE 3 Private enhancement X X

SDSouth 111W 5 Private enhancement X X

SDSouth 112 3 Private enhancement X

SDSouth J13S 14 Private enhancement X X X X

SDSouth J13N 7 Private mitigation management 2 3 X X

SD South 11 3E 2 Private enhancement X

P

PaManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership orManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SD South J14 20 Private enhancement 2 X

SD South 115 13 Private mitigation management 13 X1

SDSouth J16-17 37 City SD mitigation enhancement 7 7 X X

SDSouth J18 1 City SD mitigation enhancement

SDSouth J19 0 Private agriculture restoration Xli Xli Xh

SDSouth 120 0 Private restoration Xh

SDSouth J21 7 Private restoration Xh X

SDSouth J22 3 Private restoration X X

SD South J23-24 617 Private management 25 28

SDSouth 125 177 Private management 55 11

SDSouth J26 30 Private mitigation management 15 X

SD South J27 5 Private mitigation enhancement Xli 5 Xh

SDSouth J28W 2 Private restoration Xli Xli Xli

SD South J28E 9 Private enhancement Xli Xli 7 Xh

SDSouth 129-30 323 Private

restoration

enhancement 17 106 X X 2

SD South Ki 7 Private restoration [10SDSouth K3-4 25 Private restoration Xli

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership orManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SDSouth KS 7 Private restoration 5SDSouth K6 12 Private proposed

development

enhancement

SDSouth K7 2 Private restoration

SDSouth K8+ 14 Private restoration

SDSouth K9+ 9 Private restoration

SDSouth K1O+ 15 Private restoration

SDSouth K12-* 7 Private restoration

SDSouth K13+ 5 Private restoration

SDSouth K14+ 6 Private restoration

SDSouth K15+ 10 Private enhancement

SD South K16+ 1 Private restoration

SD South K 17+ 8 Private restoration

SD South

Marron

Valley 6

City SD!

MWWD

protection

management

SDSouth LL 2 Caltrans management X

SDSouth M2 5 Private restoration

SDSouth M3 4h Private restoration

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership orManagement Status

ConservationPotential Pa

—I—i——I—Pn Oc Ea Nf S

SF

R

RF

SDSouth M4 1 Private

—______Private

restoration

SDSouth M5+ I restoration

SDSouth Ri 14 City SD enhancement—+—

X

SDSouth R2+ 9 Private management— —

SD South R3+ Private enhancement X

SD South R4+ 2 Private restoration

SD South SI-3 12

Water

DistrictlPrivate enhancement 3SD South Chollas 39 Navy mitigation 6 X

SDSouth 01 0 Private restoration? Xli

SDCentral Qi 6 Grossmont

College

enhancement

SDCentral Gl 146 DOD ProposedRefuge management 36 1 X

SD Central G2 88 DOD ProposedRefuge management 5 X

SDCentral NI-4,6 196 City of SD management 153 3 Xli

SDCentral BB 34 Private mitigation management 18 6 1 4

SDCentral Teledyne 40 Private proposeddevelopment management I

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership orManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SD Central Sander City SD/ES potentialdevelopment

X

SDCentral FF1-2 59 DOD managed management]restoration

8 X

SDCentral GG1 67 DOD managed management!restoration 1 X

SDCentral GG2+ 2 DOD managed management!restoration 1 X

SDCentral Zi 1+ 12 DOD developedmanagement]

restoration

SDCentral HH3+ 20 DOD developed management]restoration

SDCentral HH4+ unmapped DOD managedmanagement!

restoration

SD Central HH1+ 102 DOD managed management!restoration 30 ~ 57 X X

SD Central HH2+ 17 DOD managed management!restoration X

SD Central W4 unmapped DOD managedmanagement!restoration

ManagementArea

Complex

MinimumNumber of

Poolsor

Complexes

Ownership orManagement Status

ConservationPotential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SDCentral W3 20 DOD managed management!restoration

~

SDCentral Wl-2 57 DOD managed management!restoration

~ X

SDCentral V 42 DOD management!restoration X X

SDCentral AA-2 27 DOD managedmanagement!

restoration

SDCentral 17 63 DOD managed management!restoration

10 19 X

SDCentral Z6-7 50 DOD managed management!restoration

23 X

SDCentral Z9 11 DOD managedmanagement!restoration

SDCentral ZI-3 149 DOD managed management!restoration X X X

SDCentral Xl-4 193 DOD managed management!restoration

~ X X

SDCentral Z1O 9 DOD managed management!restoration

)

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumberof

PoolsorComplexes

OwnershiporManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SD Central GG3+ 28 DOD managedmanagement!

restoration

SD Central AA 1 west 53 DOD managed management!restoration ~

SDCentral AA9 138 DOD managed management!restoration

~

SDCentral AA 1 east 20 DOD managedmanagement!restoration x x

SD Central AA 1 south 47 DOD managed management!restoration ~

SD Central AA 10 152 DOD managed management!restoration ~ X

SD Central AA 11 96 DOD managed management!restoration ~

SDCentral AA 12north+ 2 DOD managed management!restoration x

SDCentral AA12 15 DOD managed management!restoration

SDCentral AA 12 south 11 DOD managed management!restoration

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber ofPoolsor

Complexes

Ownership orManagement Status

ConservationPotential Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SDCentral AA8 35 DOD managed management!restoration

~

SDCentral A4 45 DOD managed management!restoration

22 X

SDCentral AA3 22 DOD managed management!restoration

~ X

SDCentral AA13 29 DOD managed management!restoration

~

SDCentral AA4-7 162 DOD proposedrefuge management!restoration

~

SD Central F north 142 DOD managed management!restoration

SDCentral F16-17 15 DOD managed management!restoration

X

SDCentral U19 21 DOD managed management!restoration

14 3 X

SDCentral UlO 6 private managed management!restoration

~

SDCentral U North 772 DOD managed management!restoration

~ ~ X X

00

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership orManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pa Pa Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SDCentral UlS 30 DOD managedmanagement!restoration X X X

SDCentral RR2 26 DOD managedmanagement!restoration X X

SDCentral RR1 87 DOD managedmanagement!restoration x X

SDCentral GA 85 DOD managedmanagement!

restoration X X

SDCentral EE2 165 DOD managedmanagement!restoration 49 41 X

SDCentral EEl 100 DOD managedmanagement!restoration 21 26 X X

SDCentral X5 10 City SD xSDCentral Il 26 City SD mitigation X X

SDCentral 16b 20 Private mitigation management X

SDCentral 16c Private management X X

SDCentral 17 30 DOD managed

management!

restoration X X X

SDCentral 112 6 Private restoration

SDCentral 113 2 Private filled

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership orManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SD Central Dl 3 Private X

SD Central D5-6 76 City SD mitigation management X X

SDCentral C10-16,26 39 City SD management 17 2 X

SD Central MaddoxPark

38 SchoolDistrict restoration X

SD Central C18 5 Private mitigation management X

SD Central C27 64 Private proposed

development

restoration x

SD Central BS 1 Caltrans mitigation management X X

SD Central B6 1 Caltrans mitigation management X X

SD Central B7-8W 5 Private proposed

development

restoration

SD Central B7-8E 17 City SD mitigation management X X

SDCentral B2 23 Private mitigation management X X

SDCentral Bi 1 12 Private restoration X

SD Central H1-3 45 City SD mitigation management X X

SDCentral H4-10 27 Caltrans mitigation management X xSDCentral H13-15 60 Caltrans mitigation management X X

0

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership orManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SD Central H17 18h Private restoration

SDCentral H 18-23 60 Caltrans mitigation management X X

SDCentral H24-26 20h Private restoration X X

SDCentral H?Subarea3

2? Private restoration11

SDCentral Hsubarea4 69 Private proposeddevelopment restoration

SDCentral H31-32Sorrento Hills

7 Private filled

SDCentral H33 2 SDGE? restoration

SDCentral H36Subarea5

Private proposeddevelopment

restoration

SDCentral H?Neigh.8a Private proposeddevelopment

restoration

SDCentralH?BlackMountain 2 Private filled restoration

SDCentral CC Private restoration

SDCentral DD1 3 Private

SDCentral DD4 3 Private restoration

m

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership orManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SD Central M.T.Westridge

City SD/Parks management

SDCentral Grassland City SD! CountyParks

management

SDInland RamonaT 39± CountyofSD-Airports restoration x x

SDInland HighlandValley

3+ Private management

SDInland Main Street 6 Private management Xli

SDInland TaHwy67& 15th(SE)

Private proposeddevelopment

enhancement X

SDInlandTh Hwy 67& Hunter

(SE)1 private enhancement X

SD InlandTcLa Brea& Kalbaugh

(SE)I Private management 1

SDInland MontecitoRoad

1 Private management X

SDInlandHwy 67 &Kalbaugh

area1 Private management X

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber ofPoolsor

Complexes

Ownership orManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SD Inland RamonaHigh School

SPSBS1989;Pentis1997

Private management Xl

SDInland Ll-6 30 Private enhancement X

SDInland L7-8 5 Private proposed

development

none

SDInland L9-l0 10:22AM Private enhancement X

SDInland Li 1-13 10:22AM Private enhancement

SD Inland Li4+ 9 Private restoration

SDInland LIS+ S Private enhancement

SD Inland L16+ 10:22AM Private restoration

SD Inland L17+ 10 Private enhancement

SD Inland L18+ 10 Private restoration Xh

SD Inland Li 9± 5 Private restoration

SD Inland L20+ 10:22AM Private enhancement

SDNorth 112 3 Private/CntySD management

SDNorth 111 PoinsettiaTrain

Station

mitigation management x x x x1

SDNorth J13 10 Private mitigationldev management

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership orManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

SDNorth Wire Mtn 24 complexes DOD management!restoration 52 X X X

SDNorth Basilone I complex DOD management!restoration

SDNorth Las Pulgas 64 complexes DODmanagement!restoration X x

SDNorth CockleburMesa

10 complexes DOD management!restoration

X >~

SDNorth StuartMesa 27 complexes DOD management!restoration

X X X

SDNorth O’Neill S complexes DOD management!restoration ~ X

SDNorth SanMateo 17 complexes DODmanagement!restoration X X

SDNorthStateParkLeaseArea 1 complex DOD

management!restoration X

Riverside Hemet!SaltCreek

Private/Public enhancement X X

RiversideSkunk

Hollow 1 Private management 1 1 1

Riverside SanJacinto Private enhancement x

ITI

Management

Area Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership or

Management

Status Conservation

Potential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

RiversideSantaRosa

Plateau15-20 Nature

Conservancy management X X X X

LA/Orange Saddle-back

8 Private enhancement 8

LA/Orange El Toro 1 DOD management!1restoration

LA/Orange ChiquitaRidge

2 Private enhancement X

LA/Orange FairviewPark

8 City CostaMesa mitigation management X

LA/OrangeWhitingRanch

Private

LA/Orange O’Neill Park

LA/Orange RanchoLaguna

Private

LA/OrangeSan

Clemente StatePark

LA/Orange BadlandsPark

Private

LA/Orange WoodlandHills

Private x

ManagementArea Complex

MinimumNumber of

PoolsorComplexes

Ownership orManagement

Status ConservationPotential

Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF

TransverseCruzanMesa Private protection X X X

Goleta EllwoodMesa

9 Private enhancement

Goleta DevereuxSlough

UCSB enhancement

GoletaIsla

Vista-DelSol

12 City SantaBarbara mitigation management

Xh

GoletaIsla

Vista-Camino Corto

Countyof SantaBarbara

GoletaIsla

Vista-DelPlaya

Private

Goleta More Mesa 1 Private

Goleta StorkeRanch

Private

Appendix F

Vernal PoolComplexesWithin ManagementAreasIdentified asNecessaryto Stabilize the Proposedand Listed Vernal Pool

NP - Not Present

Datais incompletefor somespecies(indicatedby blankspaces);blankspaces,therefore,do notnecessarilyindicatespeciesabsence.Vernalpoolsdesignatedin this table,mustbesecurein a configurationthat maintainshabitatfunction andviability.

KEYX - Present

Goleta and TransverseManagementArea

Species Eryngium aristulalum

Complex var. parishii

Pogogyne

abramsii

Pogogyne

nudiuscula

Orcuttia

californica

Navarretia

fossalis

RiversideFairy

Shrimp

San DiegoFairy

Shrimp

arlsberg NP NP NP X X

ruzanMesa NP NP NP X X

Los AngelesBasin~OrangeManagementArea

Species Eryngium aristulatum

Complex var.parishll

Pogogyne

abramsii

Pogogyne

nudiuscula

Orcuttia

caI~fornica

Navarretia

fossalls

Riverside Fairy

Shrimp

SanDiegoFairy

Shrimp

hiquita Ridge NP NP NP X

IToro NP NP NP X

airview Park NP NP NP X

rangeCountyFoothillsundescribed) X

addlebackMeadow NP NP NP X

an ClementeStatePark x x

Appendix F (Continued)RiversideManagement Area

Species Eryngiumaristulatum var. Pogogyne

Complex parishii abramsiiPogogynenudiuscula

Orcuttiacal4fornica

Navarretiafossalis

RiversideFairyShrimp

SanDiegoFairyShrimp

emet!SaltCreek NP NP NP X X

an Jacinto NP NP NP X

antaRosaPlateau. X X X X

kunk Hollow/urrietta NP NP NP X X

emecula X X

SanDiego: North CoastalManagementArea

Species Eryngiurnaristulatum var. Pogogyne

Complex parishii abramsiiPogogynenudiuscula

OrcuttiacaI~/ornica

Navarretiafossalis

RiversideFairyShrimp

SanDiego FairyShrimp

ockleburr NP NP NP NP X X

asPulgas NP NP NP NP NP X xanMateo NP NP NP NP NP X X

tatePark LeaseArea NP NP NP NP NP NP X

tuartMesa NP NP NP X X X

ire Mountain X NP NP X X X

Jl PalomarAirport NP NP NP NP X

J2PoinsettiaLane X NP NP X X x X

Appendix F (Continued)San Diego: Central Coastal ManagementArea

Species Eryngiumriristulatum var.

parishiiPogogyneabramsii

Pogogynenudiuscula

OrcuttiacaI~fornica

Navarretiafossalis

RiversideFairyShrimp

SanDiego FairyShrimpComplex

hollasHeights X NP NP NP NP NP X

4 Tierrasanta NP X NP NP X

Mira MesaNorth X X NP NP X

10-16,26Mira MesaCentral X X NP NP X

5-8 Mira MesaSouth X X NP NP

1-27 KearnyVilla South X X NP NP x

1-2 TierrasantaSouth X X NP NP X

3(newlydescribed) X NP NP X

1-10, 13-15,18-23,33enasquitosNorth/DelMaresa X X NP X

7 EastgateMall/ Miramarndustrial X X NP X

1-4, 6 MontgomeryField X NP X X

Appendix F (Continued)SanDiego: Central Coastal ManagementArea

Species Eryngiumaristulatum var.

parishiiPogogyneabramsii

Pogogynenudiuscula

OrcuttiacaI~fornica

Navarretiafossalis

RiversideFairyShrimp

SanDiego FairyShrimpComplex

1-13Landmark!-North X X NP X X

1-4 SimJ.Harris X X NP

1-4 SouthMiramar X X NP

1-4 WestMiramar X X NP

SNobelDrive NP X

1-3.6,7, 10 Westgateiramar X X NP X

A 1-7,9-13 EastMiramar X NP X X

El-2 MiramarInterior X X NP X x

H I -4Miramar Interior X X NP x X

l,2MiramarInterior X X NP X

Appendix F (Continued)

San Diego: South Coastal ManagementArea

Species Eryngiumaristulatumvar. Pogogyne

Complex parishii abramsiiPogogyne

nudiusculaOrcuttia

caI~fornicaNavarretiafossalis

RiversideFairyShrimp

SanDiego FairyShrimp

2,5,7,11-21,23-30tayMesa X NP X X X X X

3-5 OtayRiver X NP NP X

ProctorValley X NP NP X

weetwaterLake NP NP NP X

San Diego: InlandValleys ManagementArea

Species Eryngiumaristulatumvar, Pogogyne

Complex parishii abramsiiPogogyne

nudiusculaOrcuttia

caI~fornicaNavarretiafossalis

RiversideFairyShrimp

SanDiego FairyShrimp

1-6,9~-13Sanarcos X NP NP NP X X*

(undescribed) NP NP

amona X NP NP X x

Note; Thelettercodesusedin this tablearetakenfrom “SanDiegoVernalPools:RecentandProjectedLosses;their Condition;andThreatsto theirExistence. 1979-1990”;CaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGame,1986. Thesecodeswereemployedto generalizepool complexesandassociationsandweredevelopedspecificallyfor SanDiegoCounty. Becausetheboundariesascribedto thesecodesaremapconstructstheymay notreflectundescribed,newlydescribed,restorable,or presentlyunoccupiedhabitat.Complexesannotatedasundescribedreflectareaswherepoolsarelikely to ordo occurbut nonehavebeenmapped.

* if detected

-TI

KeyX- Present

Appendix G

Vernal PoolComplexesWithin ManagementAreasIdentified asNecessaryto Reclassifythe Proposedand Listed Vernal PoolSpecies

NP - Not Present

Datais incompletefor somespecies,therefore,blankspacesdo not necessarilyindicatespeciesabsence.Vernalpool complexesidentifiedin this table shouldbe secured(in additionto thosespeciesandpool complexeslisted in Table4), inamannerthatallows populationlevelsof existingspeciesto stabilizeor increase.

Goleta and TransverseManagement Areas

Species Eryngiumaristulatumvar.

Complex parishiiPogogyneabramsii

Pogogynenudiuscula

Orcuttiaca/Wornica

Navarretiafossalis

RiversideFairyShrimp

SanDiegoFairy Shrimp

sla Vista NP NP NP NP NP NP

llwood Mesa NP NP NP NP NP NP

oreMesa NP NP NP NP NP NP

San Diego:_NorthCoastalManagementArea

Species Eryngiumiristulatumvar. Pogogyne Pogogyne Orcuttia Navarretia RiversideFairy SanDiego

Complex parishii abramsii nudiuscula caI~fornica fossalis Shrimp Fairy Shrimp

k_____________asilone NP NP NP NP NP‘Neill NP NP NP NP NP X x

0

Appendix G (Continued)

San Diego: Central Coastal ManagementArea

Species Eryngiumaristulatumvar.

parishilPogogyneabramsii

Pogogynenudiuscula

Orcuttiaca1~fornica

Navarretiafossalis

Riverside FairyShrimp

SanDiegoFairy ShrimpComplex

addoxPark X X NP

I Mira MesaSouth X? X NP

28 KearnyVilla South X NP

A Miramar Interior X NP

24-26 PenasquitosNorth X X NP

(undescribed) NP X

l,6B,C Miramarndustrial X X

NP

15, 19 Landmark!Sander,ubic Pools X X

NPX X

A 8 EastMiramar X NP X

B2NewCentury X X NP NP X NP X

Fl-2 MiramarInterior X X (historic) NP X

G 1-3 Miramar Interior X X NP

0

Appendix G (Continued)

San Diego: South Coastal ManagementArea

Species Eryngiumaristulatumvar.

Complex parishiiPogogyneabramsii

Pogogynenudiuscula

OrcuttiacaI~fornica

Navarretiafossalis

RiversideFairyShrimp

SanDiegoFairy Shrimp

aval RadarReceivingaciliry, ImperialBeach NP NP

ijuanaEstuary NP X

(undescribed) X NP X

3,22Otay Mesa X X

1,2,6,7Otay River X X

SanDiego: InlandValleys ManagementArea

Species Eryngium

tiristulatumvar.Complex parishii

Pogogyneabramsii

Pogogynenudiuscula

Orcuttiacal~fornica

Navarretiafossalis

Riverside FairyShrimp

SanDiegoFairy Shrimp

7,8, 14~20 San Marcos NP NP NP X X

(undescribed) NP NP

Ramona NP NP X X

Note: The letter codesusedin this tablearetakenfrom “San DiegoVernal Pools: Recentand ProjectedLosses;their Condition;and Threatsto their Existence.19791990”;California Departmentof Fish and Game,1986. Thesecodeswereemployedto generalizepoolcomplexesandassociationsand weredevelopedspecifically for SanDiego County. Becausetheboundariesascribedto thesecodesaremapconstructstheymay notreflectundescribed,newly described,restorable,or presentlyunoccupiedhabitat. Complexesannotatedasundescribedreflectareaswherepoolsarelikely to or do occurbut are currentlyunmapped.

Appendix H

Summaryof the Agencyand Public Commentson the Draft Vernal PoolRecoveryPlan

OnSeptember26, 1997,theServicereleasedtheDraft RecoveryPlanfor theVernalPoolsof

SouthernCaliforniafor a60 day commentperiodthat endedFebruary12, 1998,for Federal

agencies,Stateandlocal governments,andmembersofthepublic (63 Federal Register1976).

Twenty-oneletterswerereceived,eachcontainingvaryingnumbersof comments.Thelocal

jurisdictionsthatrespondedincludedtheCountyof SanDiego andtheCity ofTemeculain

RiversideCounty. TheServicesentlettersto 13 peopleconsideredexpertswith vernalpool

habitatto solicit commentson theDraft RecoveryPlan. Responseswerereceivedfrom 4 of

theseexperts,who providedcommentsandrecommendationson theneedto protectvernalpool

habitatin southernCaliforniaandtheassociatedendemicsuiteof species.

The number ofletter receivedby affiliation:

Federalagencies

Stategovernment

Academia/professionals

Environmental/conservationorganizations

Local governments

Business/Industry

6 letters

1 letter

8 letters(4 peerreviewers)

no letters

2 letters

I letter

Summary ofSignificant Commentsand Service Responses

TheServicereviewedall of thecommentsreceivedduring thecommentperiod. Comments

receivedweregenerallypositive,providingrecommendationsfor researchlconservation

strategies.correctingandupdatingspecific locality descriptionsandinformation,and were

I-li

generallyfavorableandin supportof thegoaland approachtaken.All applicablecomments

havebeenaddressedin, or incorporatedinto, thebody of theFinal RecoveryPlan. The

substantivecommentsandtheService’sresponseto eacharesummarizedasfollows:

Comment: Furthersurveysareneededin theGoletaandTransverseManagementAreas,in

theexistingvernalpool complexes,andto locatenewpopulationsandpool

complexes.

Response: TheServiceagreesthat furthersurveysareavital componentof endemicvernal

pool speciesrecovery. Local involvementis critically neededfor theprotection

andmanagementofthesespecies.Therecoveryplancallsfor additionalresearch

to be conductedundertheGoletaand TransverseManagementAreaandunder

recoverycriteria2.

Comment: Thejustificationfor the 10 consecutiveyearsof monitoring,requiredfor vernal

pools to reachrecovery,is not clear.

Response: To allow for periodsofdroughtor otheradversenaturalenvironmentalconditions,

10 consecutiveyearsof monitoring(basedon historic weatherrecords),is ableto

capturefluctuationsin weatherpatterns(i.e., El Nii’io events).Although 10

consecutiveyearsof monitoringmaynotcaptureall variables,theService

maintainsthat it is areasonabletime periodto assessthestabilityofa given

vernalpool ecosystem.

Comment: Definevernalpool - recommendusing theU5. Army CorpsofEngineer’s

definition.

Response: TheServicehasincludedtheU.S. Army Corpsof Engineer’sdefinitionof a

vernalpool (seeAppendixB), aswell as,incorporatinga moregeneralecological

definition in thebeginningof thedocumentundertheIntroduction.

H2

Comment: Therecoveryplanshouldprovidefor morespecificdetailsandcriteriaon the

implementationon therecoveryplanandhowhabitatwill be acquiredand

restored.

Response: Therecoveryplanprovidesguidanceanddirectionon theactionsneededto

protectandmanagevernalpool habitatandtheassociatedendemicspecies,sothat

it is no longerendangered.It is not intendedto providespecificandrigid

instructionsfor theseactivities. Differing situationswill necessarilyrequirethat

theappropriateactivitiesbe tailoredfor eachsituation.

H3

Region 1U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceEcological Services911 N.E. 11th AvenuePortland, Oregon 97232-4181

September 1998