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0134im.jpg){kind=tracking} 3.3.6 Hueneme Beach
The intertidal and subtidal habitat at Hueneme Beach consists entirely of sand.
Therefore, burial by sand placement at this site would have an adverse but insignificant
effect on benthic communities.
Turbidity plumes may interfere with the foraging of seabirds including the California
brown pelican and double-crested cormorant. Turbidity plumes would affect temporarily
a relatively small portion of the foraging area for these species. Impacts of turbidity on
seabird foraging would be adverse but insignificant. Because beach fill at Hueneme
Beach would only occur between September 15 and March 15 when California least
terns are not present, project-generated turbidity would not affect adversely foraging
activities of the Endangered California least tern.
The downcoast end of the Hueneme Beach site has been designated Critical Habitat for
nesting and wintering western snowy plover. Because beach fill at Hueneme Beach is
proposed during the non-breeding season, the BEACON South Central Coast Beach
Enhancement Program will not affect the breeding activities of snowy plovers.
However, equipment and activity on the beach might interfere with foraging of wintering
snowy plovers. Approximately 1,500 ft. of the southeastern portion of the Hueneme
Beach site is within the Ormond Beach unit of the Oxnard Lowlands Critical Habitat for
snowy plover. Therefore, foraging snowy plovers may be affected temporarily by
beach fill activities. The Ormond Beach unit of the Oxnard Lowlands Critical Habitat is
approximately 11,000 ft. long. Therefore, only about 14 percent of this unit of Critical
Habitat would be disturbed temporarily. Over 85 percent of the Critical Habitat would be
available for foraging snowy plovers during beach fill operations. Impacts to wintering
snowy plovers would be adverse but insignificant. The creation of additional sandy
beach at Hueneme Beach would ultimately be a benefit to snowy plovers because it
would increase their habitat.
Beach nourishment at Hueneme Beach would not have an adverse impact on grunion
spawning because it would not occur during the grunion spawning season.
40
3208 Bio Report
06/12/02
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