In the short term, construction activities would have moderately adverse effects on wildlife species and habitat at the ranch. Increased human and machinery activity, noise, dust, and vibrations would result in temporary displacement of many common species. Heavy machinery has the potential to trample, compact, or fill burrows, ground nests, or other ground-level habitat. Direct mortality of some species is possible; the effects on local populations would be adverse but overall, negligible.

Habitat-altering activities would be avoided during the breeding season or pre-construction surveys would occur prior to ground disturbance. All active nest sites would be avoided until the young have fledged. Therefore, there would be no direct impacts to burrowing owls or breeding birds at the ranch. Some inactive but potential nesting burrows may be lost due to the construction activities and new development footprints. Overall, however, the loss of potential nesting habitat is anticipated to be adverse, but negligible at even a local scale.

In the long term, some habitat would be lost to new building or development footprints. However, 5 acres of existing disturbed areas would be restored, representing a net change of 1 acre of potential habitat area.

Large events at the ranch would result in intermittent disturbances to wildlife in the long term. Increased presence of humans, vehicular traffic, noise, lights, food waste, and dust could have adverse effects, but would not result in the permanent displacement of species or habitat destruction.

Similarly, increased human presence as a result of ranch residents or long-term guests may affect wildlife habits and behavior. Food wastes, in particular, may attract non-native or predatory species that could displace or out-compete common, native species (e.g., ravens). Monitoring, appropriate disposal of garbage, and appropriate measures to avoid attracting pests should minimize the risk of non-native or predatory species effects on native populations.

New structures, such as buildings, eaves, or awnings, may provide additional habitat for nesting species, such as bats or birds. Restored areas may, over time, provide additional habitat for reptile species and some species of birds or small mammals.

The Proposed Action alternative results in a determination of “may affect, likely to adversely affect” to the federally threatened desert tortoise and critical habitat because ground-disturbing activities would occur within suitable habitat areas; however, the proposed design features would eliminate the potential for direct harm to the species and the project would result in minimal net change to available habitat in the project area.

The Proposed Action alternative results in a determination of may adversely impact individuals (MAII) to BLM sensitive species but would not result in a trend toward federal listing for any of the species reviewed.

Although short-term effects of the Proposed Action alternative would be adverse, the long-term cumulative effect of 5 acres of restoration would ultimately offset the short-term impacts. The Proposed Action alternative would have no adverse cumulative effect on modification or loss of special status species habitat in the Piute-Eldorado Valley. Much of the existing ranch is already disturbed and barren.

On-site passive relocation should be implemented if the avoidance is not possible. Passive relocation is defined as encouraging owls to move from occupied burrows to alternate natural or artificial burrows that are beyond 50 m from the impact zone and that are within or contiguous to a minimum of 6.5 acres of foraging habitat for each pair of relocated owls (California Burrowing Owl Consortium [CBOC]1993).

Owls should be excluded from burrows in the immediate impact zone and within a 50 m (approx. 160 ft.) buffer zone by installing one-way doors in burrow entrances. One-way doors should be left in place 48 hours to insure owls have left the burrow before excavation. One alternate natural or artificial burrow should be provided for each burrow that will be excavated in the project impact zone (CBOC 1993).