The list of MSHCP covered species originates from the Clark County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for Issuance of a Permit to Allow Incidental Take of 79 Species in Clark County, Nevada (Clark County 2000). This document was prepared primarily to conserve 242 species and their habitats within the county. The MSHCP identified actions to protect species and habitats, and proposed that 79 of the species be specifically protected by Section 10(a) Permits for species, which are currently federal or state listed, and with Prelisting Agreements for those species that are not currently listed (Covered Species). All Covered Species are treated in Clark County as though they are listed species subject to the requirements of the Endangered Species Act, including protection of habitat. High Priority species are not subject to the same permitting requirements as covered and listed species, but the MSHCP addresses actions necessary to protect those species and the viability of their habitat.
Of those species covered by the Clark County MSHCP (Clark County 2000), two species of mammals, three species of birds and raptors, and 16 species of reptiles are predicted to occur on Walking Box Ranch (Table 3.7, “Sensitive Species Potentially Occurring on Walking Box Ranch”). Two of these reptiles, one of the mammals, and all three of the birds and raptors are also listed as Nevada BLM Sensitive Species (see Table 3.7, “Sensitive Species Potentially Occurring on Walking Box Ranch”). One species of reptile predicted to occur at the ranch, the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), is also federally listed as threatened. Walking Box Ranch is contained within an ACEC designated primarily for the conservation of desert tortoise and their habitat.
Table 3.7. Sensitive Species Potentially Occurring on Walking Box Ranch
| Common Name | Species Name | MSHCP Tracked | Nevada BLM | State Listed | Federally Listed | Habitat Characteristics (Clark County 2000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mammals | ||||||
| Pale Townsend’s big-eared bat | Corynorhinus townsendii pallescens | High Priority | Species-level Sensitive | Associated with sagebrush, sagebrush/perennial grassland, hopsage, blackbrush, Mojave mixed scrub, creosote-bursage, mesquite, and lowland riparian habitats located near mine tunnels, caves, cliff crevices, or abandoned buildings. | ||
| Kit fox | Vulpes macrotis arsipus | High Priority | Yes | Primary habitat is blackbrush, salt desert scrub, and Mojave desert scrub. | ||
| Birds | ||||||
| American peregrine falcon | Falco peregrinus anatum | Covered | Sensitive | Inhabit mixed conifer, pinyon-juniper, sagebrush, lowland riparian, and grassland habitats, as well as agricultural and urban areas near high cliffs, old raptor nests, riparian tree cavities, or suitable man-made nesting structures. | ||
| Phainopepla | Phainopepla nitens | Covered | Sensitive | Desert, scrubland, riparian, and woodland habitat, areas containing desert trees such as mesquite, catclaw, juniper, ironwood, and palo verde which support mistletoe. Also consume berries of other plants. | ||
| Western burrowing owl | Athene cunicularia hypugea | High Priority | Sensitive | Yes | Open, well-drained grasslands, steppes, deserts, prairies, and agricultural lands. | |
| Reptiles | ||||||
| Desert tortoise | Gopherus agassizii | Covered | Threatened | Desert scrub and desert wash habitats including Mojave desert scrub and blackbrush communities in valleys and on bajadas and hills below 4,500 ft. | ||
| Banded gecko | Coleonyx variegatus | Covered | Blackbrush, Mojave desert scrub, and mesquite/catclaw habitats with availability of rocks, crevices, fallen logs/limbs, or rubbish piles for shelter. | |||
| Great Basin collared lizard | Crotaphytus bicinctores | Covered | Mojave desert scrub, salt desert scrub, mesquite/catclaw, desert riparian, blackbrush, sagebrush, and pinyon-juniper habitats in rocky terrain, arroyos, hill slopes, or washes with sparse vegetative cover up to 7,500 ft. | |||
| Large-spotted leopard lizard | Gambelia wislizenii wislizenii | Covered | Inhabits primarily Mojave desert scrub and salt desert scrub, but also occurs in blackbrush, sagebrush, and pinyon-juniper habitats. Prefers hardpan, gravelly, or sandy open ground where vegetation is sparse or in small clumps blow 6,000 ft. | |||
| Western red-tailed skink | Plestiodon gilberti rubricaudatus (formerly Eumeces) | Covered | Sensitive | Primarily inhabit pinyon-juniper and riparian habitat including canyon bottoms near water. Less common in higher-elevations, sagebrush, blackbrush, mesquite/catclaw, and desert riparian habitats in rocky areas. | ||
| Western leaf-nosed snake | Phyllorhynchus decurtatus | Covered | Mojave desert scrub and salt desert scrub habitats in rocky areas and sandy flats. | |||
| Glossy snake | Arizona elegans | Covered | Mojave desert scrub and salt desert scrub habitats with open sandy surface, scattered brush, and rocky areas; extending into grasslands and pinyon-juniper habitats to 7,000 ft. | |||
| California (common) kingsnake | Lampropeltis getulus californiae | Covered | Wide ranging, most commonly found in Mojave desert scrub and salt desert habitats in the vicinity of rock outcrops or clumps of vegetation up to 7,000 ft. | |||
| Western long-nosed snake | Rhinocheilus lecontei lecontei | Covered | Mojave desert scrub and salt desert scrub with open sandy surface, scattered brush, and in rocky areas below 5,000 ft. | |||
| Sonoran lyre snake | Trimorphodon biscutatus lambda | Covered | Rocky areas in Mojave desert scrub, pinyon-juniper, and mixed conifer habitat in lowlands, mesas, and lower mountain slopes up to 7,400 ft. | |||
| Speckled rattlesnake | Crotalus mitchelli | Covered | Pinyon-juniper, sagebrush, Mojave desert scrub, and blackbrush habitats up to 7,800 ft on rocky terrain as well as loose soils/sand. | |||
| Sidewinder | Crotalus cerastes | Covered | Mojave desert scrub, mesquite/catclaw, and salt desert scrub habitats, but also found in rocky stream beds, on bajadas, hardpan, barren dunes, and in rocky areas below 5,500 ft. | |||
| Mojave green rattlesnake | Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus | Covered | Mojave desert scrub and blackbrush flats. | |||
| Banded Gila monster | Heloderma suspectum cinctum | High Priority | Species-level Sensitive | Mojave desert scrub, mesquite/catclaw, blackbrush, pinyon-juniper, and desert riparian habitats on lower slopes of rocky canyons, mesic areas, and flats with grassland or succulents that contain rocks or burrows of animals which are used for cover. | ||
| Southern desert horned lizard | Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum | High Priority | Woody shrubs, cacti, and yuccas primarily in Mojave desert scrub, typically on sandy flats, alluvial fans, washes, and dunes below 6,500 ft. Also occurs in mesquite/catclaw, slat desert scrub, blackbrush, sagebrush, and pinyon-juniper habitats. | |||
| Desert night lizard | Xantusia vigilis | High Priority | Most commonly found in blackbrush, Mojave desert scrub, and mesquite/catclaw habitats. Less commonly found in pinyon-juniper and sagebrush habitats. Associated with Joshua tree, yucca, digger pine, chamise, pinyon pine, and juniper. | |||