Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 10/15/2018

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11. Fish, Wildlife, and Ecologically Sensitive Resources 11a. Identify fish and wildlife resources and habitats on or near the site and describe how they would be affected by the project. Describe any measures to be taken to minimize or avoid impacts. The description of wildlife and fish resources should be related to the habitat types depicted on the cover types maps (of Item 10). Any differences in impacts between development scenarios should be highlighted in the discussion. 11 b. Are any state -listed (endangered, threatened or special concern) species, rare plant communities or other sensitive ecological resources such as native prairie habitat, colonial water -bird nesting colonies or regionally rare plant communities on or near the site? X Yes No If yes, describe the resource and how it would be affected by the project. Indicate if a site survey of the resources has been conducted and describe the results. If the DNR Natural Heritage and Nongame Research program has been contacted give the correspondence reference number: ERDB 20030469 (Dec. 5, 2002). Describe measures to minimize or avoid adverse impacts. For an AUAR, prior consultation with the DNR Natural Heritage program for information about reports of rare plant and animal species in the vicinity is required. If such consultation indicates the need, an on -site habitat survey for rare species in the appropriate portions of the AUAR area is required. Areas of on -site surveys should be depicted on a map, as should any `protection zones" established as a result. Plant Communities The pre -settlement vegetation associated with the RTC was dominated by dry and mesic prairie with oak openings and barrens probably located along the north edge of the site. Today, the RTC site is largely dominated by agricultural land use with only a small portion of the overall site containing low quality native plant communities. Within a one mile radius of the proposed project site are found the following land cover types and natural communities: planted mixed coniferous and deciduous trees, perennial grasses, oak savanna, non-native short- and long -grasses, transitional land, sand and gravel pits, eastern red cedar woodlands, aspen woodlands, non-native upland shrubs, dry prairie, wet prairie, wet meadows, cattail marsh, temporarily flooded aspen forest, mixed hardwood swamps, dry oak savanna, mesic oak savanna, open water wetlands, and the Mississippi River. Table 10.1 and Figure 5.6 detailed existing and proposed cover types within the project area. Figure 11.1 identifies sensitive resources near the RTC site. Wildlife Resource Wildlife that might occur within the project area are shown in Table 11.1. Wildlife resources are broken into mammals, amphibians & reptiles, and birds. The table includes species that might be present under existing conditions and the possible future occurrence of these species. The table also shows major habitat types that each species is generally