California Fish and Game Code 2081.9 – (a) Notwithstanding Section 5050, the department may authorize, …
(a) Notwithstanding Section 5050, the department may authorize, under this chapter, the incidental take of limestone salamander (Hydromantes brunus) resulting from impacts attributable to the Department of Transportation’s implementation of the Ferguson Slide Permanent Restoration Project on State Route 140 from 8 miles east of Briceburg to 7.6 miles west of El Portal in Mariposa County, contingent upon the fulfillment of the following conditions:
(1) The Department of Transportation begins construction of the Ferguson Slide Permanent Restoration Project on or before January 1, 2016.
Terms Used In California Fish and Game Code 2081.9
- County: includes city and county. See California Fish and Game Code 32
- Department: means the Department of Fish and Wildlife. See California Fish and Game Code 37
- Resident: means any person who has resided continuously in the State of California for six months or more immediately prior to the date of application for a license or permit, any person on active military duty with the Armed Forces of the United States or auxiliary branch thereof, or any person enrolled in the Job Corps established pursuant to former Section 2883 of Title 29 of the United States Code. See California Fish and Game Code 70
- season: means "open season. See California Fish and Game Code 62
- State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Fish and Game Code 83
- Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which that term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Fish and Game Code 73
- Take: means hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill, or attempt to hunt, pursue, catch, capture, or kill. See California Fish and Game Code 86
(2) The department has determined that the Department of Transportation will adopt appropriate avoidance and mitigation measures to protect the limestone salamander through enforceable commitments that, at a minimum, include the following:
(A) A construction work window that prevents initial ground-disturbing construction activities from occurring on the southern slope during the salamander’s active season of December to March, inclusive.
(B) Environmentally sensitive area fencing in the form of five-foot orange plastic mesh, as well as salamander protection exclusionary fencing in the form of 24-inch sheet metal, will be erected if construction-related activities will occur adjacent to limestone salamander habitat during their active season.
(C) A biological monitor will be onsite during active building to inspect the worksite and all exclusionary fencing.
(D) All ground-disturbing activities within 100 feet will cease if a limestone salamander is detected in an active construction site until the animal can be safely removed from the area according to an agreed-upon salvage plan.
(3) The requirements of subdivisions (b) and (c) of Section 2081 are satisfied for the take of the limestone salamander.
(4) The department ensures that all further measures necessary to satisfy the conservation standard of subdivision (d) of Section 2805 are incorporated into the project.
(5) The take authorization provides for the development and implementation, in cooperation with the department, of an adaptive management process for monitoring the effectiveness of, and adjusting as necessary, the measures to minimize and fully mitigate the impacts of the authorized take. The adjusted measures are subject to Section 2052.1.
(6) The failure to appropriate funds does not relieve the applicant of the obligations of paragraphs (1) and (2).
(7) Any observations of the species in the worksite and any accidental injury or mortality from vehicle strikes or other means will be reported to the department immediately and the onsite biological monitor will notify the resident engineer who will halt the work immediately.
(b) This section shall not be construed to exempt the Ferguson Slide Permanent Restoration Project on State Route 140 from 8 miles east of Briceburg to 7.6 miles west of El Portal in Mariposa County from any other law.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 121, Sec. 1. (AB 1973) Effective January 1, 2013.)