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SAN LEANDRO SHORELINE DEVELOPMENT DRAFT EIR CITY OF SAN LEANDRO BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES Many of the best overwintering sites provide a heterogeneous mixture of habitat conditions and resultant microclimatic conditions that assist the Monarchs in surviving seasonal changes in climatic conditions during the winter. For example, overwintering habitat must provide wind -protected roost locations (usually tree branches that are 15 to 50 feet above ground), with buffered temperatures, relatively high humidity, and filtered sunlight throughout the fall and winter months. As weather conditions and exposure to sunlight vary over the winter months, high habitat heterogeneity at an overwintering site permits the Monarch roosts to satisfy their thermoregulatory needs by moving from tree to tree in response to changes in weather conditions. Thus during the early part of the overwintering period (October— November), when daily temperature maxima are relatively high, monarchs tend to cluster in locations that provide brief morning insolation, with mid-day and afternoon shade. Later in the season (December— February), when temperature maxima are lower, they tend to roost in trees that receive afternoon sunlight. Trees surrounding roost locations, known as windbreak or buffer trees, provide both wind protection and ameliorate microclimatic conditions near the roost trees. A number of special -status fish species are known from the larger San Francisco Bay and may occasionally disperse through the open waters in the site vicinity. Although spawning and rearing habitat is absent on the Project site, these species could occasionally disperse or seasonally be present along the shoreline or in the marina basin. These include: Central California Coastal steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris), Delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus), Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus), Central Valley spring -run chinook salmon (Oncorhyncus tshawytscha), and longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys). Steelhead, green sturgeon, and Delta smelt are federally listed threatened species, longfin smelt is state -listed as threatened, and the remainder are recognized as California SSC by the CDFW. In addition, a number of native bird species could possibly nest in the existing trees and undeveloped areas on the Project site, particularly the mature pines and blue gum eucalyptus on the golf course. If any active nests are present or new nests are established in the future, they would be protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) while in use (see discussion above under Federal Regulations in Section 4.3.1.1, Regulatory Framework). Active nests of native bird species are also protected under State Fish and Game Code. Of particular concern is the potential for tree nesting by raptors such as red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), American kestrel (Falco sparverius), great -horned owl (Bubo virginianus), and white-tailed kite (Elanus leucurus) and nests of burrowing owl, which nests in ground squirrel burrows and other locations on the ground, and northern harrier (Circus cyaneus) which typically nests in shrubs and marshland cover. Raptors tend to be susceptible to human disturbance in the vicinity of the nest location. Special -Status Plant Species As indicated in Figure 4.3-1, special -status plant species reported from the site vicinity include: alkali milk vetch (Astragalus tener var. tener), Point Reyes salty bird's -beak (Cordylanthus maritimus ssp. palustris), Congdon's tarplant (Hemizonia parryi ssp. congdonii), California seablite (Suaeda californica), among others. None of these species have any state or federally listing status under the Endangered Species Acts, but are maintained on CNPS List 113, (rare, threatened, or endangered in California and elsewhere). A historic occurrence of Congdon's tarplant was reported from just east of the Project site, but this population has presumably been extirpated by past residential and other development activities. No 4.3-10 DECEMBER 2014