| Tweet |
Custom Search
|
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
0133im.jpg){kind=tracking} Grunion regularly run downcoast from Surfer's Point on San BuenaVentura Beach.
Beach nourishment at Surfer's Point will not have an adverse impact on grunion
spawning at San BuenaVentura Beach because no activities would occur on that beach.
Grunion would not be expected to spawn at Surfer's Point itself because they do not lay
eggs in cobble. The placement of sand on Surfer's Point may benefit grunion by
increasing their potential spawning habitat.
There is a slight possibility that sand placed at Surfer's Point could be moved upstream
and block the mouth of the Ventura River. Sand placed at Surfer's Point will be
monitored. If it creates a berm that closes the mouth of the Ventura River, BEACON will
reopen the mouth with a bulldozer. Therefore, beach enhancement at Surfer's Point will
not have a significant adverse effect on the Ventura River mouth or the sensitive
resources supported by the Ventura River.
3.3.5 Oxnard Shores
The intertidal and subtidal habitat at Oxnard Shores 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 Oxnard
Shores 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.
Oxnard Shores has been designated Critical Habitat for nesting and wintering
western snowy plover. Because beach fill at Oxnard Shores 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
5,600 ft. of beach at Oxnard Shores may be affected temporarily by beach fill activities.
The Mandalay Beach/Santa Clara River Mouth unit of the Oxnard Lowlands Critical
Habitat is approximately 27,000 ft. long. Therefore, only about 21 percent of this unit of
Critical Habitat would be disturbed temporarily. Almost 80 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 Oxnard Shores would ultimately be a benefit to snowy plovers because
it would increase their habitat.
Beach nourishment at Oxnard Shores would not have an adverse impact on grunion
spawning because it would not occur during the grunion spawning season.
39
3208 Bio Report
06/12/02
|
 
|
||||
|
|||||
