moapa solar tortoise impact report - december 2015
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8/20/2019 Moapa Solar Tortoise Impact Report - December 2015
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8/20/2019 Moapa Solar Tortoise Impact Report - December 2015
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Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project Update
Aiya Solar
Project
• Construction well underway with about 60% of project
complete
• Commercial Operations beginning by the end of 2016
• Training provided to Tribal members to support
qualified tribal hiring
• Currently employ over 350 construction workers,
including 115 Tribal members and
Native Americans
• About 90% local hires
• Project has created 1,276,301 work hours
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8/20/2019 Moapa Solar Tortoise Impact Report - December 2015
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Required Impact Minimization and Mitigation Measures
• Worker Environmental Awareness Program (WEAP) training continues to be provided
all personnel prior to performing any work
• Monitoring of desert tortoise in recipient and control site continues to be performed
• Reports continue to be submitted to USFWS as required
• Coordination with USFWS is ongoing to ensure protection of the desert tortoise
• Compensatory mitigation has been paid to the Tribe and BLM in accordance with the
Biological Opinion (BO) prior to start of construction
8/20/2019 Moapa Solar Tortoise Impact Report - December 2015
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Translocation – Spring 2013
• Translocation was done by previous project owner, K Road, in Spring of 2013 prior t
acquisition by First Solar
• A total of 156 desert tortoise were located on site (107 adults and 49 juveniles)
• Of that total, 65 tortoises were translocated. Health assessments were performed,
transmitters were attached and they were moved to recipient site
• Other tortoises were within limits to move outside of the Project boundary
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Additional Tortoises Within the Site
— A total of 13 additional tortoises, 7 adults and 6 juveniles, have been foundoriginal translocation
– 2014
– 4 desert tortoise were found on site
– 2 Adults
– 2 Juvenile
– 2015
– 9 desert tortoise were found on site
–4 desert tortoises have been found within the original fence line
• 1 adult
• 3 juveniles (one desert tortoise currently in the pen awaiting translocation in spring
– 5 desert tortoises were relocated from an area where fence line was expanded on May
• 4 adults
• 1 juvenile
8/20/2019 Moapa Solar Tortoise Impact Report - December 2015
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Current Desert Tortoise Take Compared to Established Take Lim
Death or Injury Within
Fenced Boundary
Death or Injury Outside
Fenced Perimeter
Capture
Translocated
Subadults & Adults
Take Limit - 3
Actual – 1
(Summer 2013)
Hatchlings & Juvenile
Actual - 0
Subadults & Adults
Take Limit – 1
Actual – 0
Hatchlings & Juveniles
Take Limit –
2
Actual – 0
Subadul
Tak
Act
Hatchlin
Tak
Act
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Translocation Status
• Mortalities are documented and cause is investigated as thoroughly as poss
and reported to USFWS as required
• Evidence has indicated that depredation was the primary cause of mortalitie
among the translocated tortoise
Status Number as of 2014 Current Num
Total number of translocated desert tortoise 66 66
Current confirmed mortality or presumed
deceased translocated desert tortoise
18 22
Desert tortoise location not verified 15 9
Successfully located desert tortoise 33 35
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Ongoing Desert Tortoise Monitoring
Monitoring of desert tortoises has been performed as follows:
• Translocated Desert Tortoises:
—Once within 24 hours of release
— Monitoring of translocated tortoises was performed twice a week for first two week
— A minimum of once a week from March through early November for 5 year monitor
— Once every other week from November through February for 5 year monitoring per
• Resident and Control Site Desert Tortoises:
—A minimum of once a week from March through early November
— A minimum of once every other week from November through February
Health assessments are conducted prior to and subsequent to over-wintering to obse
problems.
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Additional Measures Implemented
• Traffic on access road is monitored to ensure that all Project personnel are WEAP trained or escoother traffic is documented
•
Delivery vehicles are escorted to Project site and handout of basic WEAP requirements is provideare not WEAP trained
• In addition to the surveys performed, all work areas within and outside fenced boundary are chetortoise by a biological monitor prior to any work
• Biological monitors accompany and monitor work activities, both within and outside the Project
• Project perimeter is checked daily to ensure the exclusionary fence is intact and tortoises that w
outside of the fence are not in distress. (BO only requires a monthly inspection)
• During months of high temperatures, Project perimeter is checked more frequently, and during wwhen work is not occurring to ensure that tortoises are not distressed along or near the fence
• Desert Tortoise shade structures have been placed approximately every 700 feet on the outside fence
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