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EIR: Appendix D. Draft Coordination Act Report • APPENDIX D. 110 DRAFT COORDINATION ACT REPORT (Prepared by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Serrvice) Ill • DRAFT FISH AND WILDLIFE COORDINATION ACT REPORT The following Draft Coordination Act Report (CAR)was prepared by the U.S. Fish&Wildlife Service and provided to the Corps in partial fulfillment of a Scope of Work between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Corps to ensure coordination as per the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661 et. seq.). Comments by the Corps on the Draft CAR appear after the Draft CAR. Also provided is a memo prepared by Dr. Adrian Farmer of the Midcontinent Ecological Science Center(MESC)which relate to Recommendation#8 of the Draft CAR(see page 72 of the Draft CAR). Note that since the preparation of the Draft CAR, the Corps has changed the Proposed Action has changed from Alternative la to Alternative 2. The Corps is continuing coordination with the USFWS, National Marine Fisheries Service, and California Department of Fish& Game as part of the public review of the Draft EIR/EIS and will continue coordination through the finalization of the CAR. II/ • DRAFT • FISH AND WILDLIFE COORDINATION ACT REPORT Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study, Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County, California Prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Los Angeles, California by the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1 • Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office Carlsbad, California Mark A. Pavelka "N\ Project Biologist & Author U•s. FISH &WILDLIFE SERVICE John Hanlon Chief Branch of Federal Projects Ken S. Berg ile! Field Supervisor :` o April 1999 of S �,v,ENT op ti United States Department of the Interior r 1 ``P� �\� Fish and Wildlife Service i ,) ;t ;w Ecological Services \)1� 4,04-011,yCarlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office '*.l , 2730 Loker Avenue West 't 'i',a,3.1Carlsbad,California 92008 `� Ref: FP/COE-021 Colonel John P. Carroll APR 2 0 1999 District Engineer, Los Angeles District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District P.O. Box 532711 Los Angeles, California 90053-2325 Attn: Reynaud Farve, Coastal Resources Branch Re: Draft Coordination Act Report for the Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/ Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study,Los Angeles County, California Dear Colonel Carroll: • Enclosed is our Draft Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report(Report) for the Army Corps of Engineers' (Corps)Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study. We provide this Report as partial fulfillment of the FY98 Scope of Work between our agencies (No. E86-98-PD03),which committed us to provide a Draft and Final Coordination Act Report for this feasibility study. The enclosed Report describes the existing biological conditions in the Study Area and assesses the potential impacts of implementing the preferred structural alternative on fish and wildlife resources. We have not reviewed or evaluated alternatives other than the preferred alternative identified by your agency. We have discussed and coordinated the development of this Report with your agency,the California Department of Fish and Game, and National Marine Fisheries Service. This Report is presented in partial fulfillment of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act and does not constitute the final report of the Secretary of the Interior as required by section 2(b) of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act(48 Stat. 401, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.). In order for your agency to fully comply with the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, and for us to complete our analysis of biological impacts associated with the proposed project, your agency needs to 1) determine the potential impacts of the proposed project on the stability of the Portuguese Bend landslide, 2) determine the level of DDT and DDE contaminants in the sediments throughout the area likely to be affected by reduced sedimentation as a result of the proposed project, 3) define the construction and maintenance methods sufficiently to evaluate impacts to terrestrial habitats and species, 4) conduct surveys for Federal listed and sensitive in III the terrestrial portions of the study area, including the Portuguese Bend landslide area if a Colonel John P. Carroll (FP/COE-021) 2 determination is made that the proposed project may affect landslide stability, 5)provide a monitoring plan, performance criteria, and assurances of restoration success, and 6) base the • habitat valuation model and HEP-like analysis on variables that area going to be directly and/or indirectly manipulated by the proposed project(e.g.,percent rock substrate, direct measures of turbidity). We need this information to determine the potential biological impacts (positive and negative) of your project on fish and terrestrial wildlife resources. Therefore, we recommend that the Corps not submit the proposed project for authorization until the information outlined above is provided to our agency and we complete our analysis. If you have any questions regarding our comments please contact Mark Pavelka, Project Biologist, or John Hanlon, Chief, Branch of Federal Projects, at(760)431-9440. Sincerely, (A641:4 Jim A. Bartel Assistant Field Supervisor cc: CDFG, Region 5, San Diego, CA (Attn: M. Fluharty) • CDFG, Region 5, Long Beach, CA(Attn: L. MacNair) NMFS, Long Beach, CA (Attn: R. Hoffman) RWQCB, Monterey Park, CA(Attn: R. Ghirelli) EPA, Los Angeles, CA (Attn: S. John) CCC, Long Beach, CA (Attn: P. Emerson) • EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Corps has conducted a Feasibility Study to examine the potential for reducing shoreline erosion, sedimentation, and turbidity, for the purpose of environmental restoration along the coast of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County, California. The feasibility study identifies the preferred alternative as a containment dike that is approximately 61 m (200 ft) from the mean high water line to the structures landward toe extending along approximately 853 m (2800 ft) of shoreline. The containment dike is designed to prevent or significantly reduce the sedimentation potential of the Portuguese Bend landslide to the downcoast beaches. The goal of the proposed project is to restore and improve the biological conditions of marine habitats off Portuguese Bend. The Corps defined the study area for the potential project based on jurisdictional boundaries and an arbitrary line offshore. However, several studies and aerial photographs provided by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes show that sediments eroding from the Portuguese Bend portion of the study area are being transported far beyond the boundaries defined by the Corps and are likely affecting the biological environment both directly and indirectly. The Corps accounts for this by claiming benefits beyond the study area boundaries due to a projected reduction in sedimentation and turbidity, but has not conducted studies in these area to determine the potential for negative impacts. The literature clearly shows that shoreline erosion was not a significant factor in the decline and degradation of kelp beds along the Palos Verdes coastline during the first half of this • century. In fact, the kelp beds have been recovering naturally since 1974 despite the increase in erosion and sedimentation from the Portuguese Bend landslide. Further, in the year following the largest storm event and subsequent shoreline erosion recorded in the study area, the kelp beds flourished. Therefore, the role of shoreline erosion in the overall decline of the kelp beds along the Palos Verdes Peninsula was minimal. Likewise, the potential for environmental restoration in the study area by the single action of reducing shoreline erosion is unsupported. For 35 years, DDT and PCB contaminated effluent was dumped offshore the Palos Verdes Peninsula at White's Point. The contaminated effluent was distributed across several square kilometers inside and outside the Corps' defined study area. The bioavailability of DDT in this area was responsible for the decline of several federally endangered species, and continues to hinder recovery efforts of those species. Although the contaminated sediments have been carried throughout the study area by currents, much of it remains buried beneath relatively clean sediments eroded from the Palos Verdes shoreline. Therefore, if the amount of sediment eroding from the Palos Verdes Peninsula shoreline is significantly reduced, the DDT contaminated sediments within the area affected by shoreline sediments (an area that has not been defined by the Corps) will be re-exposed and the DDT will become bioavailable. It should be noted that there are a few areas within the study area where DDT is currently near or at the surface due to sediment mixing, and may therefore already be bioavailable. The Corps has not tested sediments in 70 percent of the area for which benefits are being claimed due to predicted sediment reduction. • The terrestrial habitat in the study area has not been surveyed for listed and/or sensitive species. Based on known ranges, distributions, and a limited number of surveys, several federally listed and sensitive species are expected to occur within the study area. The surveys have not been conducted because the Corps has made the determination that the proposed project will not affect terrestrial habitats despite it's statement that it"will not develop Corps position on whether the [Portuguese Bend] landslide is stabilizing, or is expected to stabilize based on shore protection" (60 FR'15750). The Service disagrees with the Corps' determination and believes that because the Corps' preferred alternative was originally introduced by the Corps as a conceptual alternative to stabilize the landslide, it is reasonable. to assert that the proposed project may affect the landslide and terrestrial habitats. The biological impacts to terrestrial habitats and species cannot be assessed until an analysis of the impacts of the proposed project on landslide stability is completed and surveys are conducted. Other impacts to terrestrial species could result from temporary access roads, haul roads, lay- down areas, and noise during construction and maintenance activities. Without knowing how or at what time of year the proposed containment dike would be constructed, it is difficult to assess what kind of impacts may be associated with construction and/or maintenance activities. Construction activities and construction related noise near the ends of the dike in particular have the potential to flush birds from nests and/or preclude nesting altogether in adjacent habitats. A mainland source for the construction material (rock)would require approximately 13,225 truck trips and may require the construction of temporary access roads, haul roads, and lay-down areas. The estimated once every 20 year maintenance activity of 50,000 truck trips across a 180 day period may also require temporary access roads, haul roads, and lay-down areas. Potential impacts associated with road upgrades, new access roads, lay-down areas, and noise include the direct loss of sensitive habitats (such as coastal sage scrub) and direct and indirect impacts to the federally endangered California gnatcatcher, Palos Verdes blue butterfly, and others for which surveys have not been conducted. Without a more complete project description and/or without surveys for listed and sensitive terrestrial species in the study area for the proposed project, the magnitude of these potential impacts cannot be assessed. The sediment surveys commissioned by the Corps for the proposed project (Sadd and Davis 1996) concluded that only the top 1 m of sediment was contributed by recent(post 1956) shoreline erosion. However, the Corps contends that by stopping or reducing the sediment input from the Portuguese Bend landslide, all of the existing sediment will be scoured away by natural processes. However, because the projected reduction in sediment input is to the pre-landslide condition, then it is unclear how the scour process is different today such that it would scour away sediment that was not scoured away under the "natural"pre-slide conditions. The goal of the proposed project is restoration,but any restoration that occurs would be an indirect result of the Corps action. The proposed project does not assure this indirect result. The proposed project also fails to establish any performance criteria or monitoring plan for determining the success or failure of the project. These three elements, assurances of results, ii S performance criteria, and a monitoring plan, are key elements to the success of all restoration • efforts approved by the Service. Without explicit performance criteria, a monitoring plan, and a contingency plan of action in case the"natural"process of recovery does not occur within specified time frames, the biological benefits that may be associated with the project are unquantifiable at best, will be unverifiable after project implementation, and have no assurances of ever being attained. The Corps used a new method, the VRG method, to determine"habitat value" of the study area. The Corps used the resulting habitat values in a HEP-like model to estimate the potential biological benefits within and beyond the study area for the with- and without- project conditions. Both the VRG method and the Corps HEP-like model have several problems including the lack of target species or communities, bias in the sampling methods, • the mathematical inappropriateness of using spatially correlated data in the HEP-like analysis, and the conflicting assumptions between the VRG method's input parameters and the output of the REP-like analysis. We believe that the VRG method is inadequate at assessing an overall habitat value that can be used in cross-habitat comparisons. In summary, we believe that the Corps has 1) not investigated all potential impacts associated with the proposed project (e,g, landslide stabilization, level of contamination in released sediments), 2) not defined to construction and maintenance method sufficiently to evaluate impacts to terrestrial habitats and species, 3)not conducted surveys for Federal listed and sensitive in the terrestrial portions of the study area, 4) not provided a monitoring plan, performance criteria, or guarantee of restoration success but acknowledges a permanent loss • of ten acres of inter- and sub-tidal habitats, and 5) utilized a habitat valuation process that is biased towards the target habitat type. The Corps has extrapolated sediment depths and benefits to an area larger than the defined study area without any survey data to support such and extrapolation or determine impacts. For these reasons, this Report is presented only as partial fulfillment of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act and does not constitute the final report of the Secretary of Interior as required by section 2(b) of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (48 Stat. 401, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.). In order for the Corps to fully comply with the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, and for us to complete our analysis of biological impacts associated with the proposed project, the Corps needs to 1) determine the impact of the proposed project on the Portuguese Bend landslide, 2) determine the level of DDT and DDE contaminants in the sediments throughout the area likely to be affected by reduced sedimentation, 2) define the construction and maintenance method sufficiently to evaluate impacts to terrestrial habitats and species, 3) conduct surveys for Federal listed and sensitive in the terrestrial portions of the study area, 4) provide a monitoring plan, performance criteria, and assurances of restoration success, and 5) base the habitat valuation model and HEP-like analysis on variables that are going to be directly and/or indirectly manipulated by the proposed project (e.g., percent rock substrate, direct measures of turbidity, etc.). We recommend that the Corps not submit the proposed project for authorization until the information outlined above is provided to our agency and we complete our analysis of the potential biological impacts (positive and negative) of your project on fish and terrestrial wildlife resources. i i i PREFACE This document constitutes the Draft Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report(Report) in 110 P ( P ) partial fulfillment of the Scope of Work(SOW)(No. E86-98-PD03) between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service(Service) and the Anny Corps of Engineers (Corps) regarding the potential effects of the implementation of the Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/ Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study, Los Angeles County, California, on fish and wildlife resources. We have prepared this Report pursuant to section 2(b) of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act(48 Stat. 401,as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.) and in keeping with the spirit and intent of the National Environmental Policy Act (P.L. 91-190). However this report does not constitute the final report of the Secretary of the Interior as required by section 2(b) of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act. This Report supercedes all of our previous planning input regarding this project. Our analysis of the proposed project and the recommendations provided herein are based on information in: 1) the SOW; 2) the Corps' F-4 submittal; 3) maps and engineering drawings of the preferred alternative provided by the Corps; 4) the Corps' "Habitat Valuation Determination" for this project; 5) draft and final reports on biological resources in the study area; 6) an extensive review of the published and unpublished literature on the terrestrial and marine biota of the Rancho Palos Verdes peninsula and nearshore area; 7) information in the California Natural Diversity Database; 8) several field visits by Service personnel; 9) discussions with professional biologists and representatives from other Federal, State and local agencies; and 10) our best collective professional judgement. Our goals in this analysis were to identify and evaluate the impacts of the preferred alternative on fish and wildlife 41/. resources and habitat within the project study area, to determine if fish and wildlife resources outside the study area may be affected by the project, and to recommend methods for avoiding and/or offsetting any negative impacts. • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project 1V TABLE OF CONTENTS • Executive Summary i Preface iv Table of Contents v List of Figures vii List of Tables viii INTRODUCTION 1 DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT AREA 3 DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE Structural Project 7 Project Maintenance 8 Calculation of Habitat Values 9 DESCRIPTION OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES 11 General Description 12 Historic Environment The Marine Environment 12 The Terrestrial Environment 23 Current Environment The Marine Environment 25 Physical and Chemical Oceanography 25 40 Marine Habitats 28 Marine Resources Phytoplankton and Zooplankton 32 Invertebrates 33 Fishes 36 Marine Mammals 38 The Terrestrial Environment 40 Terrestrial Habitats 41 Terrestrial Resources Invertebrates 45 Amphibians and Reptiles 46 Mammals 48 Birds 51 IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT ON BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES 60 Direct Impacts 61 The Marine Environment 61 The Terrestrial Environment 61 Indirect Impacts 62 The Marine Environment 62 The Terrestrial Environment 63 Growth Inducement 64 • • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project V TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) ` EVALUATION OF METHOD USED FOR CALCULATION OF HABITAT VALUES 66 SUMMARY 69 RECOMMENDATIONS 71 LITERATURE CITED 73 APPENDIX 1 • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report.April 1999 S: RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Vi LIST OF FIGURES • Figure 1. Study area, project area, and vicinity 2 Figure 2. Reaches within the study area, and sediment thickness 4 Figure 3. Three narrow windows between the Channel Islands through which storm swells can pass to reach the shoreline in the study area 6 Figure 4. Study area boundary, sediment thickness over bedrock,reaches used for determination of habitat values, and habitat values as determined by the Corps. . 11 Figure 5. Changes in kelp bed canopy and distribution along the Palos Verdes Peninsula shoreline between the years 1911 and 1995 13 Figure 6. Levels of commercial kelp harvest from the Palos Verdes kelp beds between 1947 and 1957. No kelp has been commercially harvested from the Palos Verdes kelp beds since 1957 . . . _ 14 Figure 7. Changes in the shoreline along Portuguese Bend between 1870 and 1982. Note that the most recent activation of the Portuguese Bend landslide occurred in 1956. Therefore changes prior to 1956 are not attributable to the advancing landslide 19 • Figure 8. A) Changes in kelp canopy,water clarity(visibility), and waste discharge emissions in the water column along the Palos Verdes Peninsula B) Major events related to changes in kelp canopy along the Palos Verdes Peninsula 21 Figure 9. Boundaries of the three recent landslides that have contributed sediment to the nearshore waters off the coast of the Palos Verdes Peninsula 24 • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Vil • • LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Estimated scour rates and time to exposure for with-project conditions (ACOE • 1998) 8 Table 2. Numerical and statistical comparisons of fishes surveyed at three locations along the Palos Verdes Peninsula. (Pondella et al. 1996) 38 Table 3. List of marine mammal species known, or reasonably expected to occur within the Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area and/or the San Pedro Littoral Cell 40 Table 4. List of sensitive plant species known, or reasonably expected to occur within the Rancho Palos Verdes,Shore Protection/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area 44 Table 5. List of amphibian and reptile species known, or reasonably expected to occur within the Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area 47 Table 6. List of terrestrial mammal species known, or reasonably expected to occur within the Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area 48 •Table 7. List of bird species known, or reasonably expected to occur within the Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area 52 • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 •• RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Viii INTRODUCTION 1111 The purpose of the Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study is to examine solutions to reduce shoreline erosion, sedimentation, and turbidity at the Rancho Palos Verdes coastline and to identify the potential for environmental restoration. The study was initially authorized under the Water Resources Act of 1986 (WRDA 86), Section 712 (P.L. 99-662) as the Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills, California, Study. The purpose of the initial study was to identify the feasibility of constructing shoreline erosion mitigation measures that could provide additional stabilization for the ongoing landslide along the coast at Portuguese Bend and adjacent areas. Additional funding was authorized by Congress in 1990 for investigation of the marine environment in accordance with WRDA 90, Section 116. The Reconnaissance Study phase was completed in May 1992 and certified in September 1992. Although the Reconnaissance Study identified a potential plan, Corps policy indicated that participation in landslide stabilization was not a Corps mission and there was, therefore, no Federal interest in continuing. Congress, however, appropriated additional funds in a Congressional add to initiate a Feasibility Study at Rancho Palos Verdes for the purpose of shore protection and environmental restoration. During the Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study the Corps evaluated ten conceptual variations of the six preliminary alternatives that were introduced in the Reconnaissance Study for landslide stabilization. These preliminary alternatives included 1)revetments, 2) groins, 3) gabions and submerged breakwater, 4) • breakwater, 5) offshore dikes, and 6) flexible revetments. After several internal meetings, the Corps determined that only one of the concept plans, an offshore(containment)dike, was capable of meeting all of the planning objectives and constraints. As a result, the Corps developed two variations of the containment dike concept that are designed to prevent excess turbidity and sedimentation from landslide derived materials. The dikes would be far enough away from the shoreline to have an acceptable degree of risk of not being destroyed by the landslide itself • The Corps defined the study area' for the proposed project as the coastal zone seaward of Palos Verdes Drive South to 366 m (1200 ft) offshore within the City of Rancho Palos Verdes (Figure 1). The east and west boundaries of the study area are defined by the jurisdictional boundaries of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. However, we recognize that implementation of a project in the study area could reasonably be expected to have indirect impacts on biological resources beyond the political, or jurisdictional, boundaries used to define the study area. Therefore, the analysis in this report considers all potential impacts associated with the preferred alternative, not just those limited to the study area. We also considered potential impacts to biological resources resulting from the interaction between the proposed project and other regional planning efforts in our analysis. Study Area-the area that includes the direct and indirect impacts of the proposed project. Indirect impacts are described here as the eventual gain or loss of the resource(s)through a process of deterioration or replacement of environmental resources indirectly caused, or triggered by some aspect of the proposed project. USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 1 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project - ' 'y ':., '-:? : y .. ':• ,..441tx.,,,Ls• ,!---.... At& iris ri- lipitvip,, - ..t. )41v.14. :.,:, ... tiov,,,tp.... , „..._...,-..,,,,. ,,, . . . ,4.14,.. ... .,,... . ‘6,„4.: . 4 ft'' i tlill°1:111144/ 11:1;3.?.. INfif. .i. 11:115i1 •' - -,..a.- • , . .1:,.,,,,.:1,;.i.P:_lit .,,,gt .1.- -... . 3 ,..)t\--_,, %.• ,,..., "ib-ii F,ff"t;:.,. ... .., .,..,;01/4° • .., ..1,44-:, .7t--.4, .-,-.•-,--)7 - ,.,,,,,,,-,t,ar:-4,,..„ .iftltower ---7,-,,,,•, . • ' lit 4Th 4sNi • . . _.��/r —� �.cit t `P \\CI��,'�S ` °, t. ,ILA''1!��, 4‘ 41.�1iirf01%ail ''' --x-44 4'1:c4.4.; • J \ r . -� �� ,.��,.„.„-s„..,,,„ � � .-, aid _ _„- PR®JEC1(" FOOTPRINT �� V ' mac. \ \` 1�/ F= r 4 .ate-;� ��-424viv'\ STUDYVICINITY AREA ��'�--- t'_ �. i4.�:.-: -� ,i \ -0":::1 \ ' 4,D '' \‘' -:14*- -..- -� ti . -5, Figure 1. Study area, project area, and vicinity. 0 0 ••' DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT AREA • The Corps defined the study area for the proposed project as the coastal zone seaward of Palos Verdes Drive South within the City of Rancho Palos Verdes (Figure 1). The east and west boundaries of the study area are defined by the jurisdictional boundaries of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. The proposed project area extends approximately 853 m(2800 ft) along the coast from the midpoint of the Inspiration Point promontory southward to just north of Yacht Harbor Drive (Figure 2). The shoreline in the study area is predominantly south facing with rocky, gravelly, and narrow beaches covered by coarse materials such as cobbles. There are also several rocky outcrops, or rocky headlands within the study area. The shoreline in the study area is primarily backed by a pronounced Holocene sea cliff ranging in height from 15 to 90 m. The steep cliffs are composed of semi-consolidated, consolidated, and metamorphosed sedimentary rock and are deeply incised by gullies and gorges in several areas. These geologic features provide evidence of chronic erosion and sources of heavy sediment loads in nearshore waters during periods of heavy rainfall runoff and wave activity. Prior to 1956, when the recent landslide activities in the study area commenced, "shoreline erosion was not a serious problem"according to the Corps (ACOE 1992). In 1971, the Corps evaluated the entire Palos Verdes Peninsula as "experiencing non-critical erosion" (ACOE 1971). However, estimates by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes suggest that approximately 3,823,000 cubic meters of material have been eroded from the toe area of the Portuguese • Bend landslide since 1956 (ACOE 1992). In 1977, the majority of the shoreline in the Portuguese Bend area was classified as "future development - critical" for erosion(California Resources Agency 1977). This classification is for areas where"the present use may be agriculture, grazing, or forests that are not significantly being economically damaged under existing conditions. An investigation of the danger of erosion, shoreline stability, and wave climate should be made before an economic investment is made in a more intensive land use". Only two very small areas within the study area, one between Portuguese Point and Inspiration Point and the other south of Portuguese Bend, were designated as "present development- critical". This classification describes areas where"shoreline facilities exist which are subject to damage from wave action. They may be buildings, roads [...] or other works of man that are in danger of suffering economic loss." No significant development has occurred in these areas since 1977, primarily due to landslide activity. The study area is located within the Palos Verdes subcell of the San Pedro Littoral Cell. The subcell extends from Palos Verdes Point to Point Fermin with a predominantly southeasterly surface current (California Resources Agency 1977) and nearshore sediment transport (Kayen et al. 1994). Because of the relatively small size of the subcell and the limited extent of sandy beach areas, the littoral transport rates appear low. The predominant sediment transport mechanism within the littoral subcell is cross-shore transport. • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Qom y o2 — MAJOR CONTOURS AT 10 FOOT INTERVALS �� `�� _ "1 Im' - �' ' HOLOCENE SEDIMENT THICKNESS CONTOUR / ' o� e ; ��4 r, AREA 'I ASSUMED HOLOCENE SEDIMENT THICKNESS *• >� ./�r� �Oj -r►� AREA '2 o. ��.. POTENTIAL HARD BOTTOM RECOVERY AREA i-,Is..rrwi .p Iii`f. ''///////, STUDY AREA BOUNDARY i. -.----1." -\ N N N. 4.44A;'I A. Q� AREA 3 • `�J!.,s�;� c�2 / AREA 4 \,\\N r !i . . gA:;;,, Z• AIREA 5 • ,_.----' - —.\i'-**1411:41 . : A4,- . , \\\ •.... ..-, . \ \ say "fit ....•.. .moo.` • ,\ I \:. \ • .\ �`� a .•. 1 Si.i)st.7 . •-\t, . • Figure 2. Reaches within the study area and sediment thickness. •• 0 • ' The subsurface currents along the Palos Verdes Peninsula are in a northwesterly direction for • most of the year(Hendricks 1980, 1982; Hickey 1993; Eganhouse and Venkatesan 1993; Noble 1994). This subsurface current, known as the California Undercurrent, is one of the dominant factors influencing the structure of marine ecosystems along the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The ocean floor in the study area is part of the Palos Verdes shelf The Palos Verdes shelf is a relatively shallow(water depth at the shelf break is 75 m),narrow (less than 5 km), and with a steeply sloping (up to 5.5 degrees)platform on the seaward-dipping Miocene strata of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The thickness of all sediment layers on the shelf range from about 1 to 32 m (Drake 1994). In the Portuguese Bend portion of the study area, sediment thickness ranges from less than 1 m in areas shallower than 7.6 m,to a maximum of 3.4 m in deeper water(Sadd and Davis 1996). However, the sediment characteristics in the study area suggests that only the top 1 m was contributed by recent(post 1956) shoreline erosion and/or landslide activity(Sadd and Davis 1996). Wave heights that affect the study area are depth limited with the associated tides. There are two unequal high and low astronomical tides each day in the study area. Tidal levels have a mean daily range of 1.13 m. The record high tide in the study area was 2.43 m, recorded during a severe winter storm on January 27, 1983. Seasonal upwelling occurs particularly on the downcoast(southeastern) side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, bringing cold, deep water and nutrients to the warmer surface waters (Grove and Sonu 1983), thereby enhancing biological productivity. • The shoreline in the study area is semi-protected from ocean storm swell by a series of offshore islands. As shown in Figure 3, the study area is only exposed to storm swells that pass through three narrow windows or gaps between the Channel Islands. Wind waves and swells which comprise the prevailing and storm wave climate in the study area are produced by four basic meteorological patterns: Eastern Pacific High, Eastern Pacific Low, Tropical Cyclones, and Southern Hemisphere Low. The Eastern Pacific High occurs over the study area most of the year with waves typically approaching from the west. The Eastern Pacific Low generates the largest waves in the offshore area along the Pacific coast during November through April. These waves generally propagate from the west and southwest. Tropical Cyclones develop off the east coast of Mexico, but their impact to the study area is usually in the form of tropical storms. The Southern Hemisphere Low, which occurs during the period from May to October, has a negligible impact on coastal structures and the shoreline. The climate of coastal southern California is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, relatively wet winters. Typical winter temperatures range from 4-15° C (40-60°F), while 18- 35° C (65-95°F) can be expected during the summer months. Average annual precipitation in the study area is about 33 cm, but it can be highly variable and unpredictable (Ehlig 1986). USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 5 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project 120° • 119° It8° �. ; •i• SANTA BARBARA � '-•---� • . �� SAN MIGUEL I. �• . C 11-Z� � LOS ANGELES SANTA CRUZ I. . ; ' SANTA ROSA . _.�_ 2`�- PALOS VERDES `'`---- PENINSULA • T . . .. BARBARA • • / SANTA • • e /� • 2 ?� SAN NICOLAS I. 2a2/ a r �'�► (1/11' . • 6 ,/ Z / . . . " ... SAN CLEMENTE I. Figure 3 Three narrow windows between the Channel Islands through which storm swells can pass to reach the shoreline in the study area. Adapted from ACOE 1992. . 0 Ili DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE • Structural Project The purpose of the Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study is to examine solutions to reduce shoreline erosion, sedimentation, and turbidity at the Rancho Palos Verdes coastline and to identify the potential for environmental restoration. The Corps has evaluated 10 conceptual plans derived from the six preliminary alternatives initially introduced in the Reconnaissance Study for landslide stabilization. These preliminary alternatives included 1) revetments, 2) groins, 3) gabions and submerged breakwater, 4) breakwater, 5) offshore dikes, and 6) flexible revetments. After several internal meetings, the Corps determined that only one of the alternatives, an offshore (containment) dike, was capable of meeting all of the planning objectives and constraints. Two variations of the containment dike alternative were developed. Our analysis in this report only considers the Corps' preferred variation. We have not evaluated potential impacts associated with the non-preferred structural variation located further offshore. The Corps' preferred variation is as follows: "Alternative 1 is a containment dike that is approximately 200 feet from the mean high water line to the structures landward toe. It extends from about the mid- point of the Inspiration Point promontory about 2800 feet to the south and reattaches to the shoreline just north of the Yacht Harbor Drive. This alternative has a core of quarry run material to six feet MLLW to prevent or significantly reduce the landslide sedimentation potential to the down coast beaches. Depending on the location along the structure different layers of stone are prescribed as armor stone. The dike is located at about the minus 10 foot (MLLW) contour line and has a highest crest elevation of about 21 feet MLLW. Rock for the dike would be delivered to the site by a barge from Catalina Island. Rock placement for the dike would be ocean based on a floating barge with a crane except from stations 0+00 to 5+00. Land based construction is expected for this portion of the dike. Construction would progress from close to shore then move seaward. Armor stone would be keyed into position such that the long axis of the stone is perpendicular to the face and center line of the dike. For ocean based operation, it is assumed that the -10 ft. depth is adequate for barge operations without compromising the barge's loading capacity. No excavation is expected to be required except for the area between 0+00 and 5+00 and near 27+70." (ACOE 1998) "Alternative 1, which is approximately 200 feet from the face of the bluff will have a project life of 26 years using the rate [of landslide movement] of 7.6 • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report.April 1999 7 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project ft/year"(ACOS 1998). The 7.6 ft/year estimate is from Leighton and Associates . (1997) and assumes no change in the current landslide conditions. To attain the stated purpose of reduced turbidity and environmental restoration,the Corps states that: "Turbidity is assumed to be reduced to the normal (pre slide) level once [the preferred alternative] is constructed. This is due to the fact that the crest of the core in the structure is at +6 ft. MLLW, preventing significant energy transmission. The reduction in local sea and swell wave energy behind the dikes will be significantly reduced, so erosion of the landslide and hence associated turbidity will be drastically reduced. During times of extreme events turbidity due to sources other than the landslide is normally high, and therefore turbidity reduction due to the affect of [the preferred alternative] is expected to be insignificant"(ACOE 1998). The Corps suggests that landslide derived sediment deposited on the reef habitat in the nearshore zone seaward of the dike will be scoured by natural processes once the supply of material from the landslide is arrested by the construction of the preferred dike variation. According to the Corps' calculations, it will take between 8.9 and 87.3 (weighted average of 35.9 years) years for rocky habitats within the study area to be re-exposed as a result of natural processes (Table 1). However, late in the planning process the Corps introduced an "option of dredging sediment off some 62 nearshore acres (460,000 cu. yds. of sediment) off rock reefs in Portuguese Bend and Bunker Point to expedite the recovery of marine plants1114 and animals on the reefs" (ACOE 1998). This "option" does not include the area between Bunker Point and White's Point (area 5)because there is "an existing kelp canopy that precludes the consideration of this dredging option." Dredging also would not occur in area 4 (Bunker Point kelp beds)because there is an existing kelp bed and the rocky substrate is already completely exposed. The "option"of dredging in areas 2 and 3 are now part of the preferred dike variation,which has been labeled Alternative la. Table 1. Estimated scour rates and time to exposure for with-project conditions(adapted from ACOE 1998) Reach Depth Surface Avg. Sed Volume Scour Rate Time to (sta to sta) Range Area Thickness (cy) (cy/yr) Uncover (ft to ft) (acres) (ft) (yrs) Portuguese Bend -10 to-20 23 2.5 93,318 6,514 14 (Area 2) -20 to-30 28 7.5 334,626 3,832 87 Portuguese Bend -20 to-30 11 2.0 33,991 3,832 9 (Area 3) Bunker Pt. to -10 to-20 18 2.5 70,686 6,514 11 White's Pt. (Area 5) -20 to-30 17 7.5 201,39 3,832 53 USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 8 • RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Project Maintenance The Corps has provided the following description of project maintenance: P P J "It is estimated that approximately 350,000 cubic yards(cy)ofmaterial will need to be removed from behind the nearshore dike every 20 years as landslide material migrates toward the dike. Part of the material behind the dike is expected to be submerged in the water behind the dike, and part of the material is expected to be dry material adjacent to the landslide bluff. Material will be moved/removed by dozers and truck mounted or crawler cranes. The material to be removed will consist of sand, silt, and clay sized material, as well as miscellaneous debris (vegetative matter, trash, etc ... ). Sediment is expected to be suitable for disposal at the LA-2 ocean disposal site. Material will be removed from the area behind the dike and transported by one of two methods. One option is to transport material via a conveyor belt to barges moored just offshore of the dike. Tug boats would tow barges to the LA-2 site for disposal. The second option involves transporting material via trucks to barges berthed at Los Angeles or Long Beach Harbor. From there, tug boats would tow barges to the LA-2 site for disposal. Approximately 600 barge trips are estimated to be necessary to transport material. Under the truck transport option, 50,000 truck trips are estimated (assuming a truck can transport a 12-ton load). Maintenance activities are estimated to take approximately 180 days." Calculation of Habitat Values In the preparation of Ecosystem Restoration Studies, the Corps is required to make a quantitative determination of the habitat values for with- and without-project conditions. The most commonly used method for assessing habitat value is the Service's Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP). However, the Corps determined that the use of a standard HEP analysis for the Rancho Palos Verdes Shore Protection/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study would be inappropriate and/or very difficult due to limited data availability. Therefore, the Corps decided to use a habitat valuation method developed by the Vantuna Research Group, in conjunction with a modified HEP analysis, to determine habitat values for the with- and without-project conditions. The Vantuna Research Group's method, hereafter referred to as the"VRG method", is a modified and simplified version of the BEST (Biological Evaluation Standardization Technique)(Barnett et al. 1991). The BEST method was developed to quantify the mitigation value of artificial reefs and uses several parameters including marine fish abundance, • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 9 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project production, feeding presence, and prey availability information of selected species to evaluate the marine habitats. The VRG method uses fish density(abundance/area), fidelity(frequency of occurrence), and biomass (mean weight or length) as its only three parameters. Unlike the BEST method, the VRG method uses species guilds as the basis for calculating each parameter rather than individual species. The basic premise of the VRG method is simple, the greater the abundance, site fidelity, and physical size of individual fish at a given site, the higher the habitat value of the site. The unit-less habitat value is determined by taking the product of the three parameters. In an attempt to keep the model "unbiased", the three parameters were not explicitly weighted. It is important to note that no habitat variables are measured or estimated, only measures of the fish community are used to derive the"habitat"value. Habitat values were calculated for three sites along the Palos Verdes Penninsula: Palos Verdes Point, Abalone Cove, and Portuguese Bend. According to Pondella et al. (1996), the Portuguese Bend area, which is adjacent to the most severe erosion and sedimentation from the ongoing Palos Verdes Bend landslide, appears to have a depauparate marine biological community. By contrast, Palos Verdes Point, has a hard rock/kelp assemblage of fishes, invertebrates, and algae. Abalone Cove, which is located between these two sites, shows intermediate effects of turbidity and sedimentation(Pondella et al. 1996). The habitat value of the sediment-laden Portuguese Bend area(834) was used to represent the without-project conditions and the habitat value from Portuguese Point(5719) was used to represent the with-project, or restored, condition. It is noteworthy that Pondella et al. (1996)reported the habitat values for Portuguese Bend and Palos Verdes Point as 1188 and 5929 respectively. 411 The with- and without-project habitat values were calculated for several reaches and depth zones within, and beyond, the boundaries of the study area(Figure 4)(Note: for the area from Bunker point to White's Point, the Corps assumed a uniform habitat value equal to the value calculated for Bunker Point). Without-project habitat values were normalized by dividing the existing calculated value by the maximum calculated habitat value. This put habitat values in the range of 0 to 1, the same scale used in a standard HEP analysis. The habitat values for each area were then multiplied by the acreage of the respective area to yield a current habitat value. With-project habitat values were calculated by multiplying the acreage of each area by the assumed restored(with-project) habitat value of 1. All with-project habitat values were also annualized to account for the estimated progressive increases in habitat value through the 50-year life of the project. To calculate the net gain in habitat values, the Corps has simply taken the sum of the differences between the annualized with- and without-project habitat values for each area. The final analysis results in a Corps' estimate of a total positive net gain of 286.9 AAHUs (Average Annual Habitat Units) for the preferred dike variation (Figure 4). USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 10 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project • o= �C JTOURS AT 10 FOOT INTERVALS 4 44/ 4' : SEDIMENT THICKNESS CONTOUR e1/4J 1 IOLOCENE SEDIMENT THICKNESS o� /� 4 f' HARD BOTTOM RECOVERY AREA I • 1�tr� ::A BOUNDARY iITAT VALUES REPORTED ARE AVERAGE ANNUALIZED HABITAT bl.UE X ACREAGE/TIME) SIX SEDIMENT ( SITES FOR COI ANA\LY AREA • HABITAT VA. W/O.PROJECT., WITH PROJECT) JE - 89.7 216.1 i. ' 0= s Ogee. Z leee _NO 1144, A _ S� _ 4 \--...."'s. 0 ?t values, locations of • DESCRIPTION OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES General Description The Palos Verdes Peninsula is a prominent point of land in the southwestern corner of Los Angeles County, California. It was formed through uplifting from the floor of the Los Angeles Basin and now forms the southwest margin of the Los Angeles coastal plain. The Palos Verdes Peninsula measures approximately 14.5 km long by 8.0 km wide, with an unique physiography, and supports several unique and/or important biological communities. The waters off the coast of the Palos Verdes Peninsula are part of a larger complex known as the Southern California Bight(SCB) (Dailey et al. 1993). The SCB extends from Point Conception on the Santa Barbara County coast south to the United States -Mexico international border. Although it contains some unique species,the SCB is largely a transition zone between subarctic, central, and equatorial species. Within the SCB, there are large inter-annual fluctuations in biomass and species composition. These variations are both regular, for example the coastal upwelling off the Palos Verdes Peninsula occurs every year (Dawson and Pieper 1993), and aperiodic, as in the case of the El Nino weather patterns. These variations make it difficult to attribute cause and effect relationships within the SCB. Historic Environment • The Marine Environment The history of the marine environment off the Palos Verdes Peninsula is well documented. In 1930, the Palos Verdes Peninsula was bordered by extensive kelp beds that spanned the entirety of the rocky coastline and grew to depths of at least 18 meters (North 1973). Records indicate that giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera)was harvested routinely from the Palos Verdes kelp beds as early as 1932 (North and Hubbs 1968). Beginning in the mid-1940's, the kelp beds along the Palos Verdes Peninsula began to deteriorate (North and Hubbs 1968; Wilson et al. 1980;Wilson 1982; Foster and Schiel 1985; Murray and Bray 1993)(Figure 5). Over the next several years, the kelp beds continued to deteriorate and the invertebrate and fish communities experienced a major decline in diversity and abundance (Limbaugh 1954). By 1950,the kelp beds had diminished to the point where commercial harvesting was no longer economically viable (North and Hubbs 1968; Wilson 1982)(Figure 6). Like all kelp beds off southern California, the Palos Verdes kelp beds decreased even further • in size during the "warm water" or El Nino years of 1957-1959. During these years, the decrease was attributed primarily to elevated temperatures and a depletion of nutrients throughout the SCB (Wilson and North 1983). Most kelp beds off southern California began to recover and increase in size during the 1960's. However, kelp beds off the Palos Verdes USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 12 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project 0 2 1 0 2 1 NILES /:.i. ' I 4::,-:-: ;'::. F. MILES ,,, • ti Whites I Whites Point PALOS VERDES 1911 PALOS VERDES 1947 • A Chart of the Palos Verdes P.nina,la coastline in 1911.The area o1)Chan of the Palos Verdes Peninsula coastline in 1947.The area of kelp beds shown was estimated as 6.27 square kilometers-Adapted from Un shown was estimated as 2.72 square kilometers.Adapted from University of California,1964. California,1964. 0 2 4 0 2 , MILES MILES 1 i- f'i.';:.Whites I Whites Point • PALOS VERDES PALOS VERDES - 1953 1358 Chart of the Palos Verdes Peninsula coastline in 1958.The area of kelp beds E. Chart of the Palos Verdes Peninsula coastline in 1953.The area of shown shown was estimated as 1.14 square kilometers.Adapted from Uni alifomwestimated as 0.13 square kilometers.Adapted from University of a,1 C California,1964. • 0 1 ♦ 2 4 NILES MILES PIP, - I 4 c. s ". ,. -,.'., • v K .:.; .. Whit ::....Whites Print 1 PALOS VERDES 1976 PALOS VERDES •alp a, . 1995 L Chart of the Palos Verdes Princula coastline in 1976.The area of- Chart of the Palos Verdes Peninsula rn.,crline in 1995.The arca of kelp beds shown was estimated as 0.26 square kilometers.Data from Califon shown was estimated as 1.49 square kilometers.Data from California Department of Fish and Game. Department of Fish and Game. Figure • S • w : / i NII.ES I Bed14 t 80 - '\:'' .,t.._._.... . t. O u. • Bed 13 '+: wnlr.. Point(1) 0 W W 6C. Bed 12...../....1) CY . A‘I\ Bed i i Q = w Q. w ' LEGEtJD ‘k W II 40 BED II . 1 < • - - BED 12 h ',..• — , — BED 13 BED 14 O ti % ....• w 20 - ♦` to WI • OC x x • w • •. \i .1 1 1 % �.1 1 1... • ••• 1• •• i.._l 1 I 1947 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 Figure 6. Levels of commercial kelp harvest from the Palos Verdes kelp beds between 1947 and 1957. No kelp has been commercially harvested from the Palos Verdes kelp beds since 1957. Adapted from North and Hubbs, 1968. Peninsula continued to decline in size(Grigg and Kiwala 1970; Wilson 1982), and in 1967 the last known adult Macrocystis along the Palos Verdes coastline died(Wilson et al. 1980). •: The decline and eventual loss of kelp beds off the Palos Verdes Peninsula was attributed to a complex combination of factors involving human activities and natural events (Murray and Bray 1993). These factors included: 1) increased pollution from the White's Point sewage outfall (Drake 1994); 2) siltation and smothering of rocky surfaces by floc originating from sewage (Grigg and Kiwala 1970; Grigg 1978); 3) a reduction in the depth of the euphotic zone by suspended materials (Eppley et al. 1972; Peterson 1974); and 4) an increase in grazing by sea urchins as fishing pressure intensified on their competitors (abalone) and predators (lobster and California sheepshead) (Murray and Bray 1993). Pollution, in the form of sewage discharge, has caused significant environmental changes along the coastline of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD) began discharging treated municipal and industrial wastewater through the White's Point ocean outfall located 1.7 km south of the study area in 1934 (Grigg and Kiwala 1970). The discharge rate of sewage effluent off Whites Point was initially about 16- 17 million liters per day. Between 1938 and 1956, the discharge rate increased steadily while the extent of the kelp beds down current declined (Foster and Schiel 1985). No other significant environmental or human induced factors that could have contributed to the decline of the kelp beds were noted during this time period. In 1956 and 1966, two new diffuser systems were added to the White's Point outfall to • accommodate the discharge from the LACSD's Joint Water Pollution Control Plant (JWPCP). The JWPCP effluent contained a variety of pollutants including chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites and polychlorinated biphenols (PCB). From the early 1950's to 1971, these pollutants were introduced into the influent stream of the LACSD by the worlds largest DDT manufacturing plant, Montrose Chemical Corporation(Eganhouse and Venkatesan 1993). The total amount of DDT that entered the waters off the Palos Verdes Peninsula is unknown because routine monitoring for DDT in influent and effluent streams did not begin until December 1970 (MacGregor 1974). However, Chartrand et al. (1985) estimated that as much as 1,800 metric tons of DDT may have passed through the treatment plant and that the discharge rates reached as high as 100 metric tons per year in the late 1960's. The discharge of these pollutants off White's Point led to a buildup of DDT residues in the sediments off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. In 1972, approximately 200-300 metric tons of DDT residues had accumulated in the upper 30 cm of bottom sediments in a 50 square km area off the Palos Verdes Peninsula(McDermott et al. 1974; MacGregor 1976; Young et al. 1976). The decline of several endangered species, the contamination of important commercial and recreational fish species, and a significant change in the species composition and abundance in the marine ecosystem along the Palos Verdes Shelf has been attributed to this accumulation of pollutants. Other researchers have concluded that chlorinated hydrocarbons, such as DDT and PCB's, are probably the most serious environmental USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 15 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project • contaminants studied over the past several decades (Risebrough 1969; DeLong et al. 1973; U.S. National Academy of sciences 1975; Young et al. 1983). Waste emissions from the LACSD and other treatment plants have also significantly impacted the heavy metal geochemistry of the sediments off the Palos Verdes Peninsula (Eganhouse and Venkatesan 1993). For example, 53 to 62 percent of all lead entering the SCB from municipal wastewater treatment plants between 1971 and 1977 was from White's Point (Eganhouse and Venkatesan 1993). The pollutants from White's Point were carried northward along the Palos Verdes Peninsula by the California Undercurrent. Early studies indicated that the Portuguese Bend portion of the study area was subjected to a large amount of waste material from the Whites Point outfall (Rittenberg 1956; Allan Hancock Foundation 1963). These materials have been subsequently covered by landslide derived sediments (Sadd and Davis 1996). The kelp beds were also significantly impacted by increased sedimentation. In the 1940's, sedimentation rates began to increase, slowly at first, then more rapidly, to an order of magnitude or more above natural sedimentation rates in the late 1960's and 1970's. Because human impacts in the study area have caused substantial temporal variation in sediment supply over the last 40-50 years, it is not surprising to find differences among various sedimentation rate estimates (Drake 1994). However, it is clear that the installation of the Y- shaped diffuser in 1956 and the initiation of the Portuguese Bend landslide in the same year (Merriam 1960) were events that brought major changes to sedimentation patterns and rates on the Palos Verdes Shelf(Drake 1994). • Sweeney and Kaplan(1980) and Sweeney et al. (1980) examined the nitrogen isotopic composition of flocculent material present in the rocky intertidal zone of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and subtidal sediments taken from the vicinity of the White's Point outfall. They were able to demonstrate that 50 percent of the flocculent samples contained recognizable amounts of waste-driven nitrogen. They applied a two-source mixing model for estimation of the fraction of sewage and marine components of the sedimentary organic nitrogen. Their quantitative results were similar to those obtained by Myers(1974), confirming the extensive impact of the sewage discharge on the shelf sediments and the nearshore environment. Variations in the total Palos Verdes kelp canopy size are significantly correlated with suspended solids emissions from the JWPCP between 1947 and 1959 (actually from 1947 to 1979 excluding the El Nino years of 1957-1959)(Wilson et al. 1980). The canopy sizes are also significantly correlated with sea surface temperatures for the same period. These correlations suggest that variation in kelp canopy size at Palos Verdes was primarily influenced by the changing ocean conditions and wastewater emissions from the nearby outfalls. Grigg (1975) noticed a similar effect on the number of gorgonian colonies on the Palos Verdes Shelf. After 1956, the Portuguese Bend landslide and the White's Point outfall were the major sediment sources for the Palos Verdes littoral subcell (Drake 1994; Kolpack 1987). • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 16 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project However, the relative contribution of these two sources were not equal. Between 1937 and 1987, approximately 7.3 million cubic meters (MCM) of contaminated sewage had been discharged from the White's Point outfall, while the Portuguese Bend landslide had contributed an estimated 5.7 MCM of natural sediments between 1956 and 1987 (Drake 1994; Ehlig 1987; ACOE 1992; Kayen 1994). The Portuguese Bend landslide was the major supplier of native sediment throughout most of the time period that polluted sediments from White's Point had been accumulating on the Palos Verdes Shelf(Ehlig 1987;ACOE 1992; Drake 1994; Kayden 1994). The Portuguese Bend landslide, alleged to have been activated in 1956 subsequent to the grading and stockpiling of material during the construction of a road extension,made large contributions to the inner and middle shelf sediments near and south of Portuguese Bend and also to the northwest near Long Point(Wong 1994). Reynolds (1987) found evidence of rapid depositional events possibly related to storms and shoreline erosion from reading sediment cores taken near the Portuguese Bend landslide. The Corps (ACOE 1992) stated that "A direct relationship exists between shoreline erosion from severe storm events/ continuous wave erosion, and land mass instability at the landslide". However, data from a survey monument in the east-central part of the Portuguese Bend landslide shows the lack of a direct relationship between annual precipitation and the advancement of the slide (ACOE 1992). Although the Portuguese Bend landslide has contributed significant amounts of sediment to the Palos Verdes Shelf, it was unlikely to have been a significant contributor to the decline and eventual loss of kelp forests along the shoreline. This is evident from the fact that the landslide was activated well after major declines in the kelp beds and its associated biological communities had already occurred (Figure 5). Preliminary investigations by the Vantuna Research Group (ACOE 1992)reported that the area of primary marine impact from the Portuguese Bend landslide is the shallow subtidal depths to 30 meters and down coast to about White's Point. They postulated that the landslide had a direct negative affect on the fauna in an area of approximately 772 hectares and that"the contribution of the landslide sediment is probably inconsequential to the endemic marine organisms except as they bury contaminated outfall sediments"at depths below 30 meters depth. Landslide sediments were found in the water column and on the bottom 2.77 km offshore along the 60 meter depth contour(ACOE 1992). Drake (1994) reported that the depth of sediments to the p,p'-DDE (a DDT metabolite)peak in 30 meters of water was about 22 cm, and suggested that this is an indication of the maximum amount of sand-rich sediment from coastal sources such as the Portuguese Bend landslide that may have accumulated since about 1970. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) believes that landslide derived materials play an insignificant role in capping, or reducing the bioavailability of the offshore (>30 m deep) contaminant laden sediments. USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 17 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project A second landslide in the study area occurred at Abalone Cove. The Abalone Cove • landslide, activated in 1974, covered a 33 ha area. Oversaturated soil from precipitation and septic tanks were the most likely agents that triggered ground failure (ACOE 1992). The Abalone Cove landslide initially moved as a single unit with the Portuguese Bend landslide. However, subsequent surveys indicated that the two landslides moved in separate directions after 1979. The contribution of the Abalone Cove landslide to nearshore sediments was relatively minor compared to the White's Point sewage discharge and the Portuguese Bend landslide. A third landslide in the study area occurred in Klondike Canyon. This 20 ha landslide was activated in 1979 from frictional drag along the edge of it's interface with the Portuguese Bend landslide (ACOE 1992). The contribution of the Klondike Canyon landslide to the nearshore sediments has not been quantified. Although the exact amount of sediments contributed by the White's Point outfall and the three landslides is not known, it is clear that these four sources of sediment caused siltation and smothering of rocky surfaces. This occurred primarily in the intertidal zone where the coastal bluff has migrated seaward as a result of the landslides. Shoreline advance in the Portuguese Bend area resulting from the landslide debris transported to the shore, has also caused the loss of intertidal rocky habitats (ACOE 1992)(Figure 7). The depth of the euphotic zone along the Palos Verdes Peninsula was significantly reduced by suspended solids released from White's Point outfall (Peterson 1974). Because adequate light is essential for the growth and fertility of giant kelp and other plants within a kelp forest (Dean et al. 1983; Foster and Schiel 1985), and because very small changes in turbidity have the potential to produce large changes in kelp productivity(University of California 1964), some of the decline of the Palos Verdes kelp beds was attributed to this increase in turbidity and reduction in light (Eppley et al. 1972; Wilson 1982; Meistrell and Montagne 1983). Selective fishing of competitors and predators of sea urchins over the past two centuries undoubtedly contributed to the instability and loss of kelp beds along the Palos Verdes Peninsula(Leighton et al. 1966; North 1976). During the last 40 to 50 years there has been heavy fishing on kelp bed fishes and invertebrates. Some of these organisms, such as sheepshead and lobster, are known predators on sea urchins, while red, green, and pink abalone compete with sea urchins for food and habitat (Tegner 1979). Elsewhere, it has been demonstrated that selective fishing on sea urchin predators (lobsters) leads to increases in urchin populations and subsequent overgrazing of seaweeds (Mann and Breen 1972; Breen and Mann 1976; Mann 1977). This was part of the problem at the Palos Verdes kelp beds. In fact, some of the first areas to show declines in kelp beds (the western side of the peninsula) were those subject to heavy fishing on lobster and abalone. The decline of the Palos Verdes kelp beds in the early 1990's was also the apparent result of increased grazing pressure from expanding sea urchin populations (Strongylocentrotus franciscanus, S. purpuratus, and Lytechinus pictus) (Stull 1995). • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 1 8 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project 40, A / 0 rv' (� 0 1982 4 1972 4 0 1959 .-'' �4., 1870 / i �4 N � `` 0 ;' �. 0 Q 4 SCALE 1_ i i 500 1000 2000 FEET 1 . ). -� 1 VICINITY /1107 Fermin INSPIRATION POINT . o White Pant 1' °orrugese Bend insoiratioa Point Abalone Cove \�_1310 Cove ii 4 PORTUGUESE \ r-'- -- t.Vicente \. / POINT �v ._ Pio Verdes Point Figure 7. Changes in the shoreline along Portuguese Bend between 1870 and 1982.Note that the most recent activation of the Portuguese Bend landslide occurred in 1956. Therefore changes prior to 1956 are not attributable to the advancing landslide. Adapted from il ACOE, 1992. 19 Efforts to restore the kelp beds off the Palos Verdes Peninsula were initiated in 1967 by the . California Institute of Technology and in 1971 by the California Department of Fish and Game (Wilson et al. 1980). These efforts met with little success until 1973-1974, when offspring of transplanted kelp were found at a restoration site in Abalone Cove. A small stand of kelp soon formed. Encouraged by the results, the two groups initiated restoration work at other sites along the Palos Verdes Shelf in 1974 and 1975. A naturally established stand of kelp appeared off Bluff Cove in 1975. By July 1977, there were over 34 ha of kelp along the coastline of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The Palos Verdes kelp beds grew at a remarkable rate, returning from no kelp in 1967 to 240 ha in January 1980 [i.e., nearly the area occupied 33 years previously](Figure 5). With the exception of the area immediately around White's Point, it appears that kelp beds are returning to many areas in the reverse order in which they disappeared. In other words, the last kelp beds to disappear, those in the vicinity of Abalone Cove and the northwest coast, were the first to recover. The recovery of the Palos Verdes kelp beds seemed to be related to several factors including reduced emissions of suspended solids and chlorinated hydrocarbons from the White's Point sewage outfall (Grigg 1978), direct control and commercial harvesting of grazing sea urchins (Wilson 1982),removal of competing vegetation, and reduced turbidity(Meistrell and Montagne 1983)(Figure 8). Climatic perturbations may have also played a significant role in the recovery of the kelp bed communities off the Palos Verdes Peninsula(Wilson et a1.1980). Reducing turbidity andlor stopping sediment deposition from the Portuguese Bend landslide were not identified as important factors in the kelp bed recovery efforts. Beginning in about 1978, the surface canopy of the Palos Verdes kelp beds showed a dramatic improvement, likely resulting from decreased mass emissions of suspended particulates (Anderson et al. 1993). The extensive data on benthic communities suggests that over the long term the burial of heavily-contaminated organic rich deposits with sediment containing smaller amounts of organic matter and lower contaminant concentrations has been the primary factor in improving the fauna at all depths on the Palos Verdes margin (Drake 1994). Fishes affected by diseases, tumors, lesions, and fin rot had been particularly common in nearshore areas around the White's Point outfall. A reduction in the occurrence of these problems was coincident with the reduction in chlorinated hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and organic matter discharged from sewer outfalls (Foster and Schiel 1985). Also coincident was an increase in the abundance and diversity of intertidal algae at Portuguese Bend and throughout the Palos Verdes nearshore environment(Dawson 1965; Harris 1981). The reduction in suspended solids emissions also reduced the turbidity and promoted the growth of kelp along the Palos Verdes Peninsula(Stull 1995). However, by 1980, the Palos Verdes kelp beds only grew to depths of 12-13 meters around most of the peninsula. This was particularly evident along portions of the southern shoreline from Inspiration Point to Point Fermin where kelp beds rarely occurred in depths greater than 12 m even though substrate was available in most areas. • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 20 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project CP CD 00 a r� . 4 ^ % MI H ' a 102 rte+ HECTARES OF KELP CANOPY E Kt o 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 t 8 1 I I I g CD .. I CD 1911 < CD CA1 1 �__...-- �_ CD M j • n 0• \ rte, b , p I n CD rte--• 1928 \ .....•I V I mcam a.r-� n 2 O u,-,... y Q. p 1937 i LA CO'S FIRST OUTFALL 17 MGD-+ Y� g a0 03 ' 0 0 AT WHITE PT.OPERATIONAL \ - �y UEts Q 1945 �` / 1947 .�• r�„f • // UQ 'd 1950 LAST KELP HARVESTED•BED 13 PVP �~ ti • I--• — (A. v9 i--• 1953 .- LAST KELP HARVESTED.BED 14 PVP �' 19546 /......-- LACOSAN•72 IN.OUTFALL IN OPERATION d • M .�-f 1956 (DIFFUSERS ON 72&90 IN,PIPES(1954 `C 1957 \ (i)C) CD C 1958 ,/ \ LACOSAN 90 IN.OUTFALL IN OPERATION 1956 r -� '- ,-.• 1959 b `" WARM WATER YEARS G 1965 LACOSAN 120 IN,OUTFALL IN OPERATION-1965 U0 .. 1967 CALTECH KELP RESTORATION PROGRAM INITIATED cny ml b 0 5 5' 1971 z�— DEG KELP RESTORATION PROJECT INITIATED rrI y (9 0 --- 0 C `L7 • 1:7 CD 1974 ^— OFFSPRING OF KELP TRANSPLANTS BEGIN 0 a' 1976 TO FORM FIRST EXPANDING KELP BED CCD o 1978 \`ACOSAN OUTFALL DISCHARGE 335 MGD • a• 1979 .......... •� LACOSAN ADVANCED SOLIDS RECOVERY SYSTEM AT .- K� N (p ••MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE-1979 w -" )1:7) (9 1980 • 9 n n CD S . I I -1 1 I I cil "' s $ s N 0 0 1n ACRES FEET .0 Ill41110.- Benthic community data indicate that by the mid 1980's, owing to discharge reductions in 1110 suspended solids and the occurrences of a number of intense winter storms (Wilberg 1994), the seafloor had shown substantial improvement (Drake 1994). Both the benthic communities and the sediment chemistry variables in surface sediment(e.g., organic nitrogen)had shifted toward natural surface sediment concentrations of organic matter and a balanced benthic community(Drake 1994). Eight major storms,with wave heights at greater than 3 m and periods ranging from 17 to 22 seconds hit the Palos Verdes coastline between January 1982 and April 1983 (Murray and Bray 1993; Dayton and Tegner 1984). Several researchers reported significant changes in benthic communities as a result of the storms (Swartz et al. 1986; LACSD 1990; Tetra Tech 1990). Wilson and Togstad (1983) reported a reduction in the surface canopy area of the Palos Verdes kelp beds from 196 to 14 ha. The most severe reductions occurred due to the physical actions of the waves and extremely high tides during a storm in 1983 (Murray and Bray 1993). However, compared to other areas in California, the Palos Verdes kelp beds recovered very quickly after the storms (Stull 1995). The large storm events also caused significant erosion along the base of the Portuguese Bend landslide. However, despite the sudden increase in sedimentation within the study area, the kelp beds persisted and continued to grow. In 1984, the California Department of Fish and Game estimated the kelp canopy off the Palos Verdes Peninsula at 157 to 332 ha (range reflects seasonal changes). The rapid recovery following the major shoreline sedimentation events in 1983-84 further supports the theory that sedimentation along the Palos Verdes Peninsula is a natural occurrence and was unlikely to cause the long-term decline of kelp beds around the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Two coastal structures have been constructed in the Portuguese Bend area. The first structure was a groin, constructed in the 1920's at the eastern end of Portuguese Bend Beach. The groin was built on top of bedrock and designed to protect down coast tide pools from being filled with sediment. In 1976, the groin was extended further seaward to reduce the down coast transport of eroded sediment. The second structure is a tiered gabion structure 227 m long that was constructed along the Portuguese Bend shoreline east of Inspiration Point in July 1988. The gabion was designed to protect a portion of the landslide berm from wave erosion and to mitigate down coast transport of sediment. The gabions reduced shoreline erosion at the surf zone and water turbidity in the immediate nearshore area,but experienced structural deformation from wave attack and the ongoing landslide movement. As of June 1990, the gabions were 90 percent effective, with only one section experiencing distortion from seaward movement of the landslide(ACOE 1992). The placement of additional gabion structures was planned but has not yet occurred. • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 22 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project The Terrestrial Environment • The Palos Verdes Peninsula is a rominent p point of land in the southwestern corner of Los Angeles County, California. It is bordered on the south by the Pacific Ocean and on the north by the broad plain of the Los Angeles Basin. The Palos Verdes Peninsula has a unique geologic history that predisposes many of its southerly facing slopes to landslides. It also supports several unique and/or important terrestrial habitats and their associated biological communities. The Palos Verdes Hills are a block of bedrock squeezed upward into a dual-plunging anticline between the Palos Verdes fault and the offshore-San Pedro Basin fault. During the Pliocene, the Palos Verdes Hills were uplifted and exposed as an island. Sediments were deposited slowly along the north and northeast flanks of the island, gradually filling in the basin. The Palos Verdes Hills eventually became a peninsula joined to the Los Angeles Basin. The peninsula continued to rise during the Pleistocene and a series of wave cut benches, still evident today, were eroded on the hills as a result of sea level changes. Coastal portions of the Palos Verdes Hills have undergone periodic, recurrent landslide activity over the last 600,000 years. Over the past 120,000 years, the majority of the landslides occurring near the study area were confined to a 5 square km area that completely encompasses the currently active landslides. This area is predisposed to landslide activity due to its steep topography and underlying geology. Three landslides have recently occurred within and/or adjacent to the study area. These occurred at Abalone Cove, Portuguese Bend, and Klondike Canyon(Figure 9). The Abalone Cove landslide, activated in 1974, covered a 32 ha area. Over-saturated soil from precipitation and septic tanks was the most likely agent that triggered the ground failure. The Abalone Cove landslide initially moved as a single unit with the Portuguese Bend landslide. However, subsequent surveys indicate that the two landslides moved in separate directions after 1979. Since the installation of 13 dewatering wells in 1980, the Abalone Cove landslide appears to have stopped moving (ACOE 1992). The Portuguese Bend landslide, activated in 1956, was allegedly caused by the grading and stockpiling of material during the construction of an extension of Crenshaw Boulevard. Excessive ground water from precipitation and infiltration from septic tanks exacerbated the earth movement. Movement of the 105 ha landslide accelerated in 1978, peaking at an average (across the slide) movement of 14 m in 1983. In 1984, de-watering wells were installed and the rate of movement began to decline. Grading to reduce the slope of the surface of the landslide was conducted in 1986-87. Movement in the upper portion of the landslide stabilized in 1988 at an average movement of 9 cm per year. By contrast, movement in the middle and lower portions of the landslide began to increase in 1988. The rate of movement in the coastal portion of the slide was estimated at 6.57 m per year in 1994. USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 23 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project 0 _ O i 1 . •1•1 ., f - `--_� 112k � ♦ • \ . ft. , \C\ `�D •'$,�• LLQ\ .41.111111111r . P. If ' `Crest , s7. � . ', _ • • • • - .-Z /..\4 '-----,-,c • //061.,,.:::::."'.'' ▪E o;-' . • --�:.- y� - C _+. ` `� '� �•,r��•►• •i. Y • _ 1 I- ��. to. lit,r - 4 ikk,,, - , 0. vo 14 --.w t \‘\,. �` \ -db.. _ _ _I:_' -.� a� , r .. / y ..�/`, _/_/, �._.1,/ \�ter: i - ✓�• '�_ •:� •_ • `C 4 - • I / . 6,...-,:-: _� UY L/ecio r__ ` 4....I die Oiy : I1 • + bq !!! - ...:„ ... e! 1 5 ,4114111131 .•'-'. .e'A. Re;-4:14+9k.7.-"^--,, .. • - - •''- - -.' cl,‘, • s' Tan _ ptallilir.' f.\ , ._ - , --�• �R• `\I- . ' 0 ',... ..r . • . . le:rciN.s . ,....,--;,___--.- ----.• : n •,i .., ; ilOri 9"44 1181;r7c___ _ ..- - ‘ •.'' ( ;• :. 7.'. .:.... 1 - ' 1../. 4, .._,I. -.cit.___-_: .... ,__ . . . .... .._ _.0 0 i ri •:-ZH1111 -----,_ .. i-N-•‘::"'04W-Alko"..• .. 4 `�/OS� � _ baloneTCove- - - • ' +'•Portuguese Bend I,' $ . I `'-.tom^ •- _�;_:-1 -Landslide n . d res L f 4 - Landslide ‘; f 5•.`� _• t________., ,. Q- --�- �'y�j!Y�• ` 1.7:7-- ~' f'-� ice~ Sovth a • C'ge' - , 4F-�`�J 0.i oto +, --�.' ',► , r t --- w . 43., „..,: �t- : ./fib .�•z_ •. l li„ V. t •_ . \\ I _ �• !2 , x rig � . �;• ,ii..4'.. . � � �'� \��`n - � 'N'1.--4: . u lee . :, . *P • t '� 2/ \ �� • i �rfspi ion * �e .-•. 4 1000 2006 P t _ - FEET Paci c Ocean . e • Figure 9. Boundaries of the three recent landslides that have contributed sediment to the nearshore waters off the coast of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Adapted from ACOE 1996. The Klondike Canyon landslide encompasses a 20 ha area adjacent to and on the east of the Portuguese Bend landslide. Movement of this landslide began in 1979 as the result of • frictional drag along the edge of it's interface with the Portuguese Bend landslide(ACOS 1992). The stability of the Klondike Canyon landslide is, therefore, dependent upon the stability of the Portuguese Bend landslide. In July 1984, a building construction moratorium in the Portuguese Bend.landslide area was enacted by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. According to the General Plan and Development Code for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, there is a potential for a maximum of 300 residential units in the moratorium area north of Palos Verdes Drive South when the landslide is stabilized. The plans from the City of Rancho Palos Verdes also propose public recreation uses, including"hiking and biking trails, a nine-hole golf course and driving range, 150-200 parking spaces along the seaward side of Palos Verdes Drive South, and a SCUBA rental concession", in the study area once the earth movement is stabilized. Current Environment Marine Environment Ph) d Chemical Oceanography e marine environment off the coast of the Palos Verdes Peninsula is part of a larger system known them California Bight(SCB) (Dailey et al. 1993). The topography of the y ,regular and was formed by the convergence of the Pacific and North 111 ru:: 's (Eganhouse and Venkatesan 1993). A series of northwest-southeasst trending _; __,is, ridges, and islands form topographic features that not only influence water vithin the SCB but also provide a range of environments for benthic organisms and ation processes (Eganhouse and Venkatesan 1993). .,i'alos Verdes Shelf is the narrowest shelf along all of southern California. Seasonal upwel"- )ccurs particularly on the down coast(southeastern) side of the Palos Verdes Per.tr. ringing colder deep water and nutrients to wanner surface waters (Grove and Sonu 1960. currents in the SCB are dominated by the California Current System characterized by the southward flow of the California Current along the offshore margin of the SCB (Hickey 1979, 1992). The California Current swings eastward to the west of San Nicolas and San Clemente islands and then northward to form the California Countercurrent off southern California and Baja California, Mexico, This large counterclockwise flow of upper level (0 to 500-m) waters in the SCB is tei«ied the Southern California Eddy. The advective flow of the Southern California Eddy can transport enormous quantities of land derived components to the entire SCB (Eganhouse and Venkatesan 1993). USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 25 • RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project • The countercurrent on the eastern side of the eddy also involves a northward subsurface flow termed the California Undercurrent. These surface and subsurface currents commonly come close to the continental margin causing northward flows on the continental slope of the SCB. Flows on the outer part of the continental shelf tend to be driven by currents on the slope (e.g., the California Countercurrent) in contrast to many other temperate latitude shelves where locally wind-driven currents are more significant (Winant and Bratkovich 1981; Winant et al. 1987; Hickey 1992). A dramatic change in the angle of the coastline, coupled with the morphology of the southern California offshore coastal area results in circulation patterns and forcing mechanisms that differ significantly from other locations on the west coast of the United States (Hickey 1993). In particular,because of the bend in the coastline, the coastal wind stress decreases by almost an order of magnitude between the central California coast and the SCB (Hickey 1979). Local winds of short duration and limited fetch will generate relatively short period waves, less than 9 seconds, with correspondingly short wavelengths (Drake 1994). These waves are significant in shallow water less than 30 m. However, it is the longer period waves, greater than 9 seconds, and swells propagating into the SCB from relatively distant, large-scale storm systems that will cause significant stresses to the sea floor at depths greater than 50 m. Waves that are important in this regard are principally generated in the winter months by low-pressure storm systems that typically move eastward across the northeastern Pacific (Wilberg 1994). The propagation of these waves from offshore of the Palos Verdes Shelf is strongly influenced by the numerous islands and shallow banks within the SCB. Most swells from the south are effectively blocked by San Nicolas, San Clemente, and Santa Catalina islands and their associated shallow banks while the swells from the northwest are blocked by the northern Channel Islands (e.g. Anacapa, San Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Cruz). The Palos Verdes Shelf is primarily exposed to long period waves formed by the narrow window between the northern Channel Islands and Santa Catalina Island. About three quarters of the municipal effluent produced in the coastal counties of southern California is discharged directly into the coastal waters of the SCB (Eganhouse and Venkatesan 1993). Municipal waste is a major contributor of anthropogenic heavy metals and chlorinated hydrocarbons to shelf sediments (Young et al. 1977; Kettenring 1981; Brown et al. 1986; Eganhouse and Kaplan 1988; Stull et al. 1988). Southern California was the site of the world's largest DDT manufacturing plant, Montrose Chemical Corporation, which operated for approximately 35 years and disposed of its waste into the influent stream of the LACSD system (Eganhouse and Venkatesan 1993). Chartrand et al. (1985) estimated that as much as 1,800 metric tons of DDT may have passed through the treatment plant between the early 1950's and 1971. The discharge of these wastes led to a large buildup of approximately 200 metric tons of DDT residues in the upper 30 cm of sediments on the Palos Verdes Shelf as measured in 1972 (McDermott et al. 1974; MacGregor 1976; Young et al. 1976). The sediment contamination and resulting biological impacts on the Palos Verdes Shelf are well documented (Stull et al. 1986b; Swartz et al. 1986; CSDLAC 1991; Ferraro et al. 1991). • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 26 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Since 1971, the effluent discharge into the SCB has increased by approximately 30 percent, while suspended solids have been reduced by approximately 68 percent (Cross and Raco • 1991). Sharp decreases in emissions of trace contaminants from the outfalls have also been observed since monitoring began in 1971 (Cross and Raco 1991). For example, the total input of DDT appears to have reached a plateau at around 20 kg yr:' in 1989 from 21,600 kg yr' in 1971, and PCBs declined steadily from 6,200 kg yr' to essentially zero over this same time period(Eganhouse and Venkatesan 1993). The Palos Verdes Shelf surface sediment contamination has decreased remarkably over the past two decades, primarily because of declining effluent mass emissions (Stull et al. 1986b). Other physical, chemical, and biological factors that influence sediment quality, include sediment resuspension (small or large scale events),burial, or bioturbation. Surface sediments are, however, the tip of the iceberg. The major concern today is the partially buried reservoir of historically discharged contaminants preserved in Palos Verdes Shelf and slope sediments. The highest levels of historically deposited contaminants are buried 10 to 25 cm at the 50-60 m depth contour(Stull 1995). Not only does this partially buried reservoir influence surface sediment quality and sediment dwelling organisms, but it may also be available for bioaccumulation up the food chain, including fish and humans. High concentrations of DDT can persist in bottom sediments for long periods of time(Young et al. 1976; Young et al. 1988; Dorsey et al. 1995). Exposure to sediments with low levels of toxicity can significantly affect the growth of marine organisms (Bay 1994) and reduce recruitment for some species (Diehl and Hose 1987). The most obvious biological impacts from sediment contamination on the Palos Verdes Shelf were changes in the composition and • abundance of benthic invertebrate populations living in or on the sediments (Grigg and Kiwala 1970; Young et al. 1976). Current discharge levels of DDT are very near detection limits, and PCBs have not been detected in the effluent for many years (Stull 1995). However, sediments continue to carry a reservoir of historically discharged chlorinated hydrocarbons, and today remain a significant source of DDT and PCBs to the biota(Stull 1995). Although tissue concentrations of DDT and PCBs have decreased markedly since the 1970's, the Palos Verdes Shelf biota continue to carry body burdens of these chlorinated hydrocarbons (Smokier et al. 1979; Young et al. 1988; Mearns et al. 1991). In the study area, DDT and its various derivatives still persist. In 1996, Sadd and Davis (1996) found DDT and/or DDE in each of six vibracores taken in the Portuguese Bend portion of the study area. The level of DDE in all six samples exceeded, and was up to 6.3 times the NOAA effect range medium levels (ERM: Long et al. 1993). ERM levels indicate a threshold above which biological effects would be expected to occur. The concentrations of DDE in the nearshore off Portuguese Bend are, therefore, high enough to have significant effects on marine organisms if they are, or become, bioavailable. USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 27 �. RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project • Sadd and Davis (1996) also reported that the DDE concentrations were stratified in the sediment column, generally increasing with increasing sediment depth. In general, the highest concentrations of DDT and its derivatives were associated with the coarser, natural sediments, that are overlain by the cleaner, more recent deposits from the Portuguese Bend landslide. However, in the sediment sample taken relatively close to shore in the middle of Portuguese Bend, the DDE level was highest in the middle, rather than the deepest portion of the core. The area where this sample was taken was also shown to have a depressed benthic fauna(Pondella et al. 1996) thereby suggesting that the high levels of DDE may be affecting the abundance and distribution of benthic and epibenthic organisms in the Portuguese Bend area. Water clarity in the study area has significantly improved in the past decade primarily as a result of reduced suspended solids in the wastewater emissions at White's Point and the lack of shoreline erosion along Portuguese Bend. Studies conducted in 1992 indicated that there was no significant light reduction at depths important for giant kelp production(ACOE 1992). These surveys were conducted during the months of February and March, a period when the sediment plume from shoreline erosion should be at a maximum. However, Foster and Schiel (1985) caution against using short-term measurements as the basis for describing the turbidity of an area and argue that in situ continuous recorders should be used(see Luning 1981). Because giant kelp gametophytes have the capacity to mature quickly under favorable . conditions (Murray and Bray 1993) and because adult giant kelp plants are generally insensitive to changes in subsurface light(Parker 1963; Lobban 1978; Foster and Schiel 1985), it is difficult to attribute the lack of kelp forests in the Portuguese Bend area to increased turbidity. In further support of this is the fact that healthy and relatively stable kelp beds are growing just down current of Portuguese Bend in the sediment plume of the eroding landslide material at depths of greater than 9 m (Stephens 1990). The clarity of the water in this area has been reported as "usually less that 12 inches" (Dan Pondella, Vantuna Research Group, pers. comm.). Marine Habitats The marine habitats in the study area are diverse and support an abundance of wildlife. The benthic habitat in the area is predominantly soft bottom. There is, however, an abundance of rocky shoreline, rock outcrops, and subtidal rocky reefs in the study area where kelp beds now flourish(Stull 1995). The most extensive rocky intertidal habitats in the study area are located at Portuguese Point and Inspiration Point. These two points bracket a sandy intertidal habitat in Smuggler's Cove. Some cobble and rocky intertidal habitat is located at the southeasterly end of Portuguese Bend (SOS Environmental 1988). The dominant intertidal habitat in the study area consists of high energy cobble and gravel beaches interspersed with boulders, sand, and exposed rock reef. These habitats are influenced by wave action and shifting sediments. Backshore regions that consist of sand, • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report.April 1999 28 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project gravel, cobble, and boulders are bordered by vertical cliffs. The beach face of the region is steeply profiled and consists of unconsolidated cobble and gravel sediments,while the low tide terrace is a mixture of permanent rocky substrate, cobble, and sand. The private beach at Portuguese Bend consists of cobble and imported sand fill. The subtidal habitats offshore consist of a mixture of unconsolidated sediments (sand, cobble, gravel, and mud) and low and high relief rock at depths down to 15 m. Subtidal rocky habitats support kelp and other brown algae at depths up to 18 m(ACOE 1992). In December of 1994, the California Department of Fish and Game estimated that approximately 172 ha of kelp canopy occurred along the coast between Point Vicente and Point Fermin, including the study area. Approximately 90 percent of the kelp occurred down coast of Portuguese Bend. This compares with an estimated 1.6 ha in October 1974, and 79 ha in October 1984. Most of the rocky subtidal habitats in the study area are dominated by giant kelp. Giant kelp is a large brown algae that occurs in many areas of the world,but is most widely distributed in the southern hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere, giant kelp occurs only along the Pacific coast from Ano Nuevo Island, approximately 30 km north of Santa Cruz in central California(North 1971; Druehl 1970;Foster and Shiel 1985) to Punta Asuncion-Punta San Hipolito, Baja California, Mexico (Dawson 1951; North 1971). The southern extent may vary considerably. For example, in the summer of 1984, the most southerly occurrence of giant kelp was around the San Benito Islands, over 240 km northwest of Punta Asuncion- Punta San Hipolito (Foster and Schiel 1985). • Kelp grows from an anchoring structure, the holdfast,which is usually attached to a rocky substrate,but has been known to grow on sand and mud in the Santa Barbara region(North 1971). The holdfast is perennial and may live for many years under the right conditions (North 1961). The plant extends to the surface, where the buoyant fronds may spread horizontally for 6 m or more. These floating fronds form a canopy that, like the foliage of terrestrial plants, shades the regions below. The maximum life of the fronds is usually six months, possibly extending to eight or nine months under the best growing conditions (North 1961). Kelp commonly occurs on a mosaic of sediment and rock patches. The exact pattern of any mosaic is dynamic and may change as the result of a large storm or other stochastic event. Foster et al. (1983) indicated that changes in sediment cover may be responsible for some of the historical changes in the areal extent of kelp forests in the vicinity of San Onofre, California. Large amounts of material eroded from the land can also bury rocky substrate or established populations in rocky areas (Weaver 1977). Johnson(1980)recounts observations made in the late 1800's on San Miguel Island (near Anacapa Island) that kelp forests were destroyed by sand eroded from the land. Storm-induced sand movement can also change entire kelp forests into soft-bottom communities (North 1971; Grant et al. 1982). However, 0., USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 29 . RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project dense beds of kelp can form an effective offshore breakwater and dampen wave action • inshore, thus significantly reducing shoreline erosion(Phillips 1974). Even in areas where hard substratum is available, each algal species is usually restricted to a relatively narrow range of depths (McLean 1962; Neushul 1967). This sort of distribution can be the result of the interactions of many abiotic factors such as light and temperature, and biological factors such as competition for space with other species. Even within sites of similar depth at one locality, other factors such as the amount of sediment covering the substratum and the presence of grazers may differ on a small spatial scale, resulting in small scale variation in the presence and absence of algae. Each of these factors may act on different life history stages of a species. Because both biotic and abiotic factors may change over small distances,the pattern of algal distribution and abundance may change from locality to locality. Moreover, some of the patterns observed today may result from stochastic processes, large scale phenomena(Dayton and Tegner 1984a), and historical events that are difficult to study. Temperature may be an important factor in explaining kelp bed distributions (North 1971; Murray et al. 1980; Van den Hoek 1982). In general,kelp beds in southern California deteriorate when water temperatures exceed 20° C (North 1971). However, the correlation between temperature and reductions in kelp may not represent a cause and effect relationship. Eppley et al. (1979) showed that there is a strong negative correlation between temperature and nutrient concentrations within the SCB. Following controlled laboratory experiments, several researchers have hypothesized that nutrient depletion was the underlying factor • responsible for the apparent temperature related die-offs of kelp beds in southern California during El Nino events (Dayton and Tegner 1984b). Water clarity or turbidity is influenced by terrestrial runoff, sediments resuspended by wave surge (Quast 1971b), plankton abundance (Clendenning 1971; Quast 1971b), and probably dissolved particulate matter produced by kelp bed organisms (Clendenning 1971). The first three of these have been observed to produce near darkness at the bottom in kelp beds at mid- day(Foster and Shiel 1985). Dawson et al. (1960) stated that available light on the bottom was less than 0.1 percent of the intensity just below the surface under a dense canopy. North (1964) found that standing crops of plants were seven times greater outside the kelp cover than within it (excluding the giant kelp). If giant kelp were included, the standing crop was three to four times greater inside the bed. Dawson et al. (1960)reported six species of benthic algae under a dense kelp canopy, but 28 species under an open canopy. Measurements of incidental light reaching the bottom at the outer edge of kelp beds in Abalone Cove in 1975 and 1976 suggested that 10 percent of surface illumination is necessary before juvenile kelp plants become established(Deal 1976). A similar value was computed by Peterson(1974). Historically(predischarge), the outer edge of the kelp beds in the study area was at 18 m depths (North 1967). In 1977, light appeared to be a limiting factor for kelp reestablishment only at depths below 15 m (Grigg 1978). Although reduced light associated with the Los Angeles sewer discharge at White's Point may have contributed • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report.April 1999 30 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project to the loss of kelp beds at Palos Verdes, water clarity has improved significantly since 1972 (Wilson 1982). • Currents and surge produced by wind, tides, or waves can have numerous direct and indirect effects on kelp bed communities (Pequegnat 1964; ZoBell 1971; Rosenthal et al. 1974; Gerard 1976; Bray 1981; Foster 1982; Dayton et al. 1984; Reed and Foster 1984). Current speeds in kelp beds are highly variable,but are generally between 0 to 15 cm per second (Wheeler 1980; Bray 1981; Jackson 1983). However, as a result of plant drag, current speeds within kelp beds are often two to three times lower than the surrounding water(Jackson and Winant 1983). The reduction of surface waves by kelp is commonly observed as "quiet water" inshore from kelp forests (Darwin 1860). Artificial kelp-like tethered floats have been used as breakwaters to reduce water movements in harbors (Isaacs 1976). Differences in swell exposure probably account for many of the differences in canopy and plant density fluctuations between southern and central California. The east-west trend in the coastline,protection provided by offshore islands, and the distance from the northerly source of most winter storms, all combine to make many southern California kelp beds relatively protected from large swells. Kelp surface canopies along the Palos Verdes Peninsula typically vary in extent in a three to four year cycle (North 1971; Rosenthal et al. 1974), probably as the result of increased susceptibility of older and larger plants with deteriorating holdfasts to removal by water motion. There are exceptions, however. Large swells in the winter of 1982-83 removed nearly 70 percent of the adult kelp at some sites in the Point Loma kelp beds near San Diego (Dayton and Tegner 1984b), and over 90 percent of the kelp bed surface canopy along the Palos Verdes Peninsula(Wilson and Togstad 1983). i. Kelp beds form a unique shallow water community, which is not only important economically and for recreation but also provides a habitat for a complex array of other algae, invertebrates, and fish(Foster et al. 1983; Dailey et al. 1993). The kelp community is complex with multiple layers of vegetation(Dawson et al. 1960; Foster 1975), over 50 species of fishes that commonly segregate into various microhabitats (Quast 1971 a; Miller and Geibel 1973; Feder et al. 1974; Ebeling et al. 1980), and numerous invertebrates (e.g. on vertical or horizontal surfaces, and on holdfasts of plants). North(1971) listed 130 species of plants and almost 800 species of animals associated with giant kelp in southern California and northern Baja California, Mexico. The giant kelp holdfast alone may contain over 150 species (Ghelardi 1971). A variety of birds and mammals, including cormorants, harbor seals, and sea otters, forage in the kelp beds. Kelp beds also contain a planktonic assemblage of microscopic organisms, many of which are stages in the life histories of larger members of the community. However, no organisms found in stands of giant kelp have an obligate association with giant kelp. Davies (1968) stated that the presence of giant kelp was not essential for the spawning of any of the main species caught in the sport fishery, but that the beds do provide shelter,refuge, and food for larval,juvenile, and even adult stages of many fish. USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 31 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project • When kelp beds in southern California declined between the mid-1940's and the mid-1960's, most of the underlying rocky substrate was overrun by extremely dense populations of sea urchins (North and Pearse 1970). In some areas more than 50 sea urchins per square meter dominated the rocky bottoms off the Palos Verdes Peninsula(North and Pearse 1970). The high sea urchin numbers persisted and may have effectively prevented the re-establishment of kelp beds by cropping young sporophyte plants. The sheepshead(Semicossyphus pulcher), sea otter, sunstar(Pycnopodia helianthoides), and sea star(Atrometris sertulifera), are natural predators on sea urchins in southern California (Leighton et al. 1966). Of these species, the sea otter was historically the most effective at controlling sea urchin populations, preying vigorously on S.franciscanus. Otters were once numerous in southern California and southward into Baja California, but hunters have extirpated them from these areas. In the absence of sea otters, sheepshead have become the most significant natural predator on sea urchin populations south of Point Conception (Cowen 1983). Red sea urchin populations have diminished along Palos Verdes in response to long-term intensive commercial harvesting. However, extensive populations of purple sea urchins (S. purpuratus) and white sea urchins (Lytechinus anamesus) still persist in many areas. Because purple and white sea urchins are not harvested commercially,they will continue to cause instability, loss of restored kelp beds, and may significantly slow the recovery of kelp beds in some areas (Wilson 1982). Marine Resources Phvtoplankton and Zooplankton The vast majority of life in the world's oceans depends either directly or indirectly on phytoplankton, tiny unicellular or colonial algae (Hickey 1993). These plants utilize carbon dioxide and light energy to convert inorganic carbon to cellular material through photosynthesis. Phytoplankton, therefore, form the base of the food web by supporting grazing zooplankton, ichthyoplankton, fish, and through their decay, large quantities of marine bacteria. The abundance of phytoplankton in the SCB varies. Populations are generally more abundant in the spring and, to a lesser extent, the fall, than at other times of the year. The distribution of phytoplankton throughout the SCB is affected by many environmental factors including light intensity, nutrient mixture and concentration, and temperature (Hardy 1993). The unique physiological requirements of each species, as well as the physical factors of mixing and currents, also affect the distribution of phytoplankton. Although phytoplankton are well studied within the SCB, no surveys have been conducted within the study area. The zooplankton of the SCB comprise a large and diverse group of organisms (Dawson and Pieper 1993). Although the SCB contains some unique zooplankton species, it is largely a • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report.April 1999 32 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project transition zone between subarctic, central, and equatorial species. Therefore, large unpredictable inter-annual fluctuations in biomass may also be accompanied by changes in1111 species composition. Small scale processes are superimposed on these large-scale fluctuations. For example, the coastal upwelling off the Palos Verdes Peninsula occurs every year. However, the relative impact of these events on zooplankton production and species composition varies from year to year as well (Dawson and Pieper 1993). Similarly,the impact of biological interactions, such as fish predation on zooplankton, would be expected to vary in response to changes in the composition of fish and zooplankton species. Microorganisms play an essential role in the maintenance of the waters of the SCB (Geesey 1993). They degrade not only the decaying plant material but also the anthropogenic matter introduced as sewage and industrial waste. In turn, bacteria provide a rich source of proteins, phosphates (nucleic acids and polyphosphates), carbohydrates (polysaccharides), fatty acids (lipids), and growth factors(vitamins or ectocrine compounds). Consequently,bacteria represent an important source of energy to animals in the sea. Bacterial densities in sediment were determined at different distances from sewage outfalls along a 60 m depth survey in Santa Monica Bay and off the Palos Verdes Peninsula (Laughlin 1982). Bacterial densities increased from 0.25 X 109 to 30 X 109 cells g' sediment as the infaunal index (degree of pollution based on macrofaunal populations) decreased from 77 (near ambient) to 6.8 (highly organically enriched). No bacterial surveys have been conducted in the study area. Invertebrates S Over 5,000 species of benthic invertebrates occur in the SCB (Straughan and Klink 1980; Dailey et al. 1993). They inhabit all areas of the sea floor from the high intertidal splash zone to the bottoms of the offshore basins (over 2,500 m deep)(Dailey et al. 1993). The benthic invertebrates occur in rather discrete assemblages of species that also differ in diversity and biomass depending on water depth and substrate type (Dailey et al. 1993). Benthos (species living in, on, or near the bottom of the ocean) are often classified according to their habitat and size. The most obvious division of habitat is by substrate, rock or soft bottom (e.g., unconsolidated gravel, sand, or mud sediments). Benthic species can be infaunal (those that live in rock or soft sediments) or epifaunal (attached or motile species that inhabit rock or sediment surfaces). Infaunal assemblages play a key role in the dynamics of benthic ecosystems through their burrowing and feeding habits (bioturbation), stabilization of sediments through tube building, input of larvae into pelagic and benthic systems, and trophic dynamics as both predators and prey (Dorsey et al. 1995). The abundance and composition of these assemblages can be significantly influenced by changes in the physical and chemical nature of benthic habitats in a given area. The biogenic alteration of sediments can affect the distributions and abundance patterns of infaunal species (Krager and Woodin 1993). For example, burrowing and defecation by USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 33 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project infaunal species can affect infaunal recruitment patterns (Wilson 1981; Posey 1986; Smith et • . al. 1986). Infaunal secretions can also alter the chemical constituents of the sediment(King 1986; Woodin et al. 1987), potentially affecting various species pattern of recruitment (Highsmith 1982; Woodin 1991). Lastly, biogenic structures can alter the ability of individuals to burrow through sediment(Ronan 1975; Brenchley 1982). Benthic infauna are effective indicators of impacts at higher levels of biological organization (e.g., community level). Several detailed food webs have been developed to illustrate both the direct and indirect dependence of numerous species of demersal fishes, marine birds, and marine mammals on benthic infauna(Feder and Jewett 1981). Changes in the composition of benthic fish assemblages along the Palos Verdes Peninsula have been shown to be a direct result of changes in the composition of the infauna(Cross et al. 1985). Benthic infauna also have the potential to mediate the transfer of toxic substances to higher trophic levels and thereby initiate pathological responses in predators. Mann(1977) concluded that benthic infauna are of greatest economic importance as prey of higher trophic level predators, because many of the predators are commercially and recreationally valuable species of demersal fishes or large epibenthic invertebrates (e.g., crabs, lobsters, etc.). However, a public health threat may result from the consumption of fishes and large epibenthic invertebrates that have become contaminated by preying on chemically contaminated benthic infauna(O'Connor and Rachlin 1982; Dillon 1984; Kay 1984). 1111 Sediment contamination and the associated changes in the composition and abundance of benthic invertebrate populations living in and/or on the sediments of the Palos Verdes Shelf are well documented (Grigg and Kiwala 1970; Young et al. 1976; Stull et al. 1986a; Swartz et al. 1986; CSDLAC 1991; Ferraro et al. 1991). Exposure to the contaminated sediments, even to those with low levels of toxicity, has affected marine organisms (Bay 1994). For example, low-diversity megabenthic assemblages existed off the Palos Verdes Peninsula during the 1960's and early 1970's while the Los Angeles sewage outfall was discharging highly contaminated effluent (Thompson et al. 1993). Then, during the 1982-1983 El Nino, exceptionally strong storm surf resuspended contaminated sediments at shallow sites (18 to 37 m) and again caused a decrease in the diversity of the megabenthic assemblages (Thompson et al. 1993a, 1993b) During the last few decades, improvements that have occurred among benthic assemblages on the Palos Verdes Shelf include 1) the repatriation of species to areas from which they were previously excluded, 2) increased diversity, 3) increased arthropods, echinoderms, and fewer molluscs, 4) shared dominance among more species, and 5) a decrease in opportunistic species such as Capitella sp. (Stull et al. 1986a, 1986c). Aggressive burrowers, such as Neotrypaea californiensis and Acanthaxius spinulicaudus, which move subsurface sediments to the surface have become more prevalent. Mud or ghost shrimp are examples of such fossorial groups. The important factors probably responsible for benthic invertebrate recovery are the improved surface sediment quality associated with reduced effluent • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 34 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project emissions, and natural events such as El Nino weather patterns, storms and biological invasions (Stull et al. 1986b, 1986c). Several benthic surveys have been conducted within the study area(ACOE 1992, Pondella et al. 1996). However, the usefulness of describing the benthic communities from these two short-term studies, each conducted during a single season, is questionable. Stull et al. " (1986a) conducted an in depth analysis of 10 years of data on the abundance and distribution of macrobenthic organisms off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. They concluded that temporal variability was significant on the Palos Verdes Shelf, and that intensive, short-term sampling would have been totally inadequate to interpret or partition anthropogenic impacts and natural changes. Therefore, the results from the two benthic invertebrate surveys in the study area should be interpreted cautiously. During the 1996 surveys, three locations within the study area(Palos Verdes Point, Abalone Cove, and Portuguese Bend)were examined for comparisons between invertebrate diversity and abundance (Pondella et al. 1996). The surveys found that the number of invertebrate taxa occurring at each site was nearly identical. Furthermore, the Shannon-Wiener Diversity Indicies (SWDI) were high, indicating a balanced or shared dominance among infaunal taxa. Both surveys revealed a relatively depauperate invertebrate community along one transect perpendicular to shore in the middle of Portuguese Bend. This area is in the direct path of the sediment plume of material eroding from the Portuguese Bend landslide and is therefore likely to be the area of greatest impact. Pondella et al. (1996)hypothesized that the frequent deposition of sediment along this transect, and to a lesser extent along other transects within • Portuguese Bend, retarded the establishment of sessile epifaunal organisms. High levels of DDE may also be hindering the recovery of invertebrates in this area(Sadd and Davis 1996)_ One species of intertidal invertebrate, the Palos Verdes intertidal minute carabid beetle (Bembidion paiosveides), was recently described and is apparently restricted to the rocky intertidal habitats on the Palos Verdes Peninsula(Kavanaugh and Erwin 1992). This species is a rare and specialized endemic ground beetle with a body length of only 2.3-2.5 mm, a large head, and relatively short legs. All known specimens of this species were collected in June of 1964. The current status of the Palos Verdes intertidal minute carabid beetle is unknown. Surveys conducted for this species along the Palos Verdes Peninsula on May 22 and 23, 1990, were unsuccessful. Kavanaugh and Erwin(1992) suggested that the lack of detection in 1990 may reflect either a marked seasonality in the life cycle of the species, or that the small size and intertidal habitat of this species render it difficult to find at any given time. Although this species does not currently appear on any Federal or State lists for sensitive or protected species, they are certainly rare(possibly even extinct) and have a highly restricted distribution. USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 35 .. RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Fishes • One hundred and twenty-nine families and 481 species ecies of marine fishes occur in the SCB Y (Dailey et al. 1993). Northern incursions of tropical fishes into the SCB during abnormally warm-water years associated with El Nino weather patterns demonstrate the dynamic nature of the southern California ichthyofauna. Less well known are the southerly incursions of northern fishes during cool-water years. These warm-water and cool-water events in the SCB affect fish recruitment and can alter the composition of fish assemblages for several years thereafter(Dailey et al. 1993). For example, before 1976, temperate fishes (rockfishes) dominated the breakwater at King Harbor, and tropical fishes (wrasses, damselfishes, and sea basses) dominated the nearby reefs of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The gradual loss of cool- water species from King Harbor resulted in increased similarity between reefs in 1977. After 1979, warm-water species dominated both reefs (Stephens et al. 1984). Each different habitat supports a distinctive fish assemblage. The rocky intertidal is a turbulent and dynamic environment where fishes must cope with waves, surge, and physiological stresses imposed by the ebb and flow of the tide(Horn and Gibson 1988). Intertidal fishes tolerate extreme and rapid changes in temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and pH (Graham 1970; Congleton 1980). Fish assemblages of breakwater and riprap habitats are similar to those of natural and artificial rock reefs (Allen 1985). About 40 percent of the species and 50 percent of the families of fishes in the SCB occur on soft bottom substrates along the open coast. At least 71 species (34 families) occur in the surf zone (Carlisle et al. • 1960) and 126 species (43 families) occur on the mainland shelf(Allen 1982). Fish abundance on reefs is related primarily to substrate relief and secondarily to the presence or absence of kelp (Macrocystis sp.)(Quast 1968c). Shallow( less than 30 m deep)reefs made of cobble (low relief), bench rock (high relief), or a combination of the two can support kelp beds (Quast 1968b, 1968c). Algal beds support a distinctive group of more than 125 species (more than 40 families) of fishes including dwarf surfperch (Micrometrus minimus), spotted kelpfish (Gibbonsia elegans), giant kelpfish (Heterostichus rostratus), and kelp pipefish (Syngnathus californiensis) (Quast 1968b, 1968c; Feder et al. 1974; L.G. Allen et al. 1983). Although kelp beds are not important spawning areas for fishes (Feder et al. 1974; Stephens et al. 1984), they do serve as important nursery areas for juvenile fish(Carr 1989). On the Palos Verdes Shelf, the predominant fish species (e.g., flatfish, white croaker, and California lizardfish)have pelagic eggs and larvae(Stull 1995). The coastal waters of the SCB have been used for more than a century as a medium for the dilution, dispersal, and degradation of human industrial wastes (Schafer 1989). Since the 1940's, thousands of metric tons of chlorinated hydrocarbons, tens of thousands of metric tons of trace metals, and millions of metric tons of oil, grease, and nutrients have reached the nearshore waters in municipal wastewater discharges alone. These anthropogenic wastes in the central SCB have affected nearshore fishes at all levels of organization (Cross and Allen 1993). Elevated body burdens of chlorinated hydrocarbons have been detected in fishes hundreds of kilometers from shore(MacGregor 1974; Brown et al. 1986). • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 36 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Impacts on demersal fishes inhabiting this region include elevated body burdens of chlorinated and petroleum hydrocarbons (Brown et al. 1986; Malins et al. 1987; McCain et i al. 1988; Young et al. 1980, 1988), chromosome aberrations (Hose et al. 1987), increased hepatic mixed-function oxidase activities (Spies et al. 1982), enlarged fatty-vacuolated livers containing degenerating cells and tumors (Pierce et al. 1977; Mallins et al. 1987), skeletal abnormalities (Valentine et al. 1973; Valentine 1975), increased incidences of fin erosion, epidermal tumors, and oral papillomas (Mearns and Sherwood 1977; Cross 1988), reduced fecundity and egg viability(Cross and Hose 1988; Hose et al. 1989), altered migratory behavior(Cross 1986), reduced survival rates (Cross 1985), modified food habits and food webs (Cross et al. 1985; Spies et al. 1989), and altered distributions and abundances (Carlisle 1969; Spies 1984; Cross et al. 1985). Sherwood and Mearns (1977) detected fin erosion in 33 species of fish in the SCB. In the vicinity of the study area, they found 39 percent of dover sole (Microstomus pacicus), 21 percent of rex sole (Glyptocephalus zachirus), and 18 percent of greenstriped rockfish (Sebastes elongatus) suffered from fin erosion. The fins most frequently eroded were those in contact with bottom sediments. Their results suggested that fin erosion was caused by exposure to sediments contaminated with DDT and PCBs. Some of the species most affected by these contaminants are targets of important commercial and recreational fisheries (Puffer et al. 1982; Love et al. 1984; Hose et al. 1987; Malins et al. 1987; Stull et al. 1987; Hose et al. 1989). In 1982, along the southern California shoreline near Los Angeles, white croaker(Genyonemus lineatus) was the most commonly caught and eaten fish species, followed by chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus), Pacific bonito (Sarda • chiliensis), queenfish (Seriphus politus), and jacksmelt(Atherinopsis californiensis)(Puffer et al. 1982). In the kelp beds off Palos Verdes Peninsula, DDT has caused reproductive impairment in white croaker and kelp bass (Cross and Hose 1989; Hose et al. 1989). Contaminated sediments significantly reduced the larval survival of kelp bass as well (Diehl and Hose 1987). Data from a study by Smokier et al. (1979) indicated that high levels of DDT residues were present in both bottom and water column feeding fishes off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. However, the greatest concentrations were measured in bottom feeding Dover sole and black perch(Embiotoca jacksoni). Dover sole is a deepwater flatfish which prefers muddy bottoms and benthic prey. Juveniles settle high on the continental slope and gradually move downslope over their lifetime(Hunter et al. 1990). Young et al. (1977) observed a fairly even distribution of total DDT in Dover sole collected over a 20 km stretch off the Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1974, indicating a relatively large degree of mixing of DDT residues in the biota of the region. There have been no recent tests conducted for elevated body burdens of chlorinated hydrocarbons or heavy metal contaminants in the study area. Surveys conducted in the study area in 1996 detected 90 species of fish (Pondella et al. 1996). Surveys were conducted at Portuguese Bend, Abalone Cove, and Palos Verdes Point, using gill nets, beach seines, diver transects, and otter trawls,with the intent of making USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 37 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project comparisons between areas potentially affected by varying degrees of shoreline erosion. The • Portuguese Bend site has experienced the most shoreline erosion due to the continually moving landslide. Shoreline erosion has not been a significant factor in the vicinity of Abalone Cove since the landslide was nearly stopped in that area in 1980. In the last several decades, there have not been any significant shoreline erosion problems at Palos Verdes Point. No significant difference in fish abundance was detected between locations except during the diver transects (the most subjective sampling method employed)where fewer fish were detected at Portuguese Bend than at the other two locations (Table 2). The relatively low number of fish detected in the Portuguese Bend area could have been due to the increased turbidity and reduced visibility in that area. These results suggest that fish are utilizing all three areas equally, regardless of historic or current shoreline erosion conditions. Table 2. Numerical and statistical comparison of fish surveyed at three study sites. Adapted from Pondella et al., 1996. Diver Gill Beach Otter Transects Nets Seines Trawls Abundance(#fish) Portuguese Bend 0.3/transect 35.0/net 245.0/seine 140.1/trawl Abalone Cove 28.0/transect 34.5/net 100.3/seine 186.6/trawl Palos Verdes Point 110.3/transect 53.5/net not sampled 172.2/trawl • Statistical YES NO NO NO Difference Number of species Portuguese Bend 2 16 7 33 Abalone Cove 18 20 11 28 Palos Verdes Point 23 29 not sampled 31 Statistical NO NO NO YES Correlation The species composition was significantly different at all three sites for all sampling methods except otter trawls. This might be expected because the otter trawls were conducted only in the deeper waters where substrates are relatively similar between locations. Marine Mammals The SCB has one of the largest and most diverse marine mammal populations in the world. At least 20 species of marine mammals regularly use the SCB and an additional 14 species have been seen infrequently or are known from stranding records (Bonnell and Dailey 1993). The marine mammal fauna includes all but one of the baleen whale species found in the eastern north Pacific, more than a dozen species of porpoises, dolphins, and other toothed • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 38 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project whales, six species of pinnipeds, and the sea otter. Some species are residents with • individuals living their entire life within the SCB. Other species are either migrants that pass through the SCB on their way to calving or feeding grounds, or seasonal visitors that remain for only a few weeks to exploit a particular food resource. In some seasons,the combined abundance of marine mammals in the SCB may reach 150,000 animals and represent up to 30 different species. Through migrations and seasonal congregations in parts of their range, marine mammals can exert great influence on the ecosystem and affect energy flow among several trophic levels. They are efficient feeders and utilize a wide variety of food resources including zooplankton, large invertebrates, fish, and even other marine mammals. As members of the higher trophic levels, marine mammals are highly susceptible to environmental contaminants and the effects of bio accumulation. Much attention has been focused on the presence of environmental contaminants in the marine environment and the potential harm they might cause to marine mammals (Holden and Marsden 1967; Risebrough et al. 1968). The three major groups of environmental contaminants that may affect marine mammals in the SCB include chlorinated hydrocarbons such as DDT and PCBs, heavy metals such as mercury, and oil pollution(Bonnell and Dailey 1993). Unlike the open coast, where currents can diffuse and dilute pollutants, the SCB has a residence time of at least 2-3 months, which allows contaminants to become increasingly concentrated in higher organisms over time(Jones 1971). In the SCB, a wide variety of chlorinated hydrocarbons have been identified in marine • mammal tissues, including DDT, DDE, DDD, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, isomers of chlordane, and toxaphene (Holden 1975; O'Shea et al. 1980). High concentrations of these chlorinated hydrocarbons have been found in tissues of common dolphins, Pacific white- sided dolphins, Dall's porpoises, pilot whales,bottlenose dolphins, harbor seals, sea otters, and California sea lions (Le Boeuf and Bonnell 1971; Shaw 1971; DeLong et al. 1973; MacGregor 1974; O'Shea et al. 1980). The highest reported concentrations of DDT in any marine mammal occurred in tissues of bottlenose dolphins inhabiting coastal waters of the SCB (O'Shea et al. 1980). Chlorinated hydrocarbons have been linked to reproductive failure in California sea lions in the SCB (DeLong et al. 1973; Gilmartin et al. 1976). Specimens collected from premature California sea lions blubber and livers had DDE levels of 7.6 and 4.8 times greater, respectively, than corresponding tissue concentrations in full-term animals (Gilmartin et al. 1976). Polychlorinated biphenyl residues were 4.4 and 3.8 times greater in the blubber and livers of aborting animals, respectively, than they were in the same tissues of full-term sea lions. Gilmartin et al. (1976) suggested an interrelationship of disease agents and environmental contaminants as the cause of premature parturition. Other types of pollutants in the SCB include heavy metals. A few heavy metals occur naturally in sediments and marine mammals have evolved mechanisms to partially detoxify USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 39 110; RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project some of them (Piotrowski et al. 1977). However, levels of heavy metals in California sea lions have been measured and a possible link to premature births has been reported(Braham 1973; Buhler et al. 1975; Martin et al. 1976). Sadd and Davis (1996) tested for ten different heavy metals (silver, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, and zinc) in the sediments in the study area. They found all but selenium throughout the study area and suggested that the levels of cadmium and nickel may be high enough to affect the local fauna. No systematic surveys for marine mammals have been conducted specifically within the study area. However, based on a review of the literature and comparisons of known range, distribution, and apparent suitable habitat, 14 species of marine mammals could reasonably be expected to occur in the study area and/or the same littoral cell as the study area(Table 3). We have included species that could be expected to occur in all parts of the littoral cell because mass changes in sediment input and turbidity in the up-coast portions of a cell may have impacts on the distribution and abundance of food resources, and mammalian species that utilize those resources, throughout the cell. Table 3. List of marine mammal species known, or reasonably expected to occur within the Rancho Palos Verdes Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area and/or the San Pedro littoral cell. Species Common Name Scientific Name Federal Status' • Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus E Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus E Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata Gray Whale Eschrichtius robustus Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis Pacific White-sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens Northern Right-whale Dolphin Lissodelphis borealis Risso's Dolphin Grampus griseus Dall's Porpoise Phocoenoides dalli Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus Pilot Whales Globicephala sp. California Sea Lion Zalophus californicus Northern Elephant Seal Mirounga angustirostris Harbor Seal Phoca vitulina 1 Status: (E)refers to species that are Federally listed as endangered. The Terrestrial Environment The Corps has defined the study area to include the terrestrial habitats between Palos Verdes Drive South and the intertidal zone. The City of Rancho Palos Verdes has plans for recreational development of the terrestrial portions of the study area once the landslide • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 40 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project movement is stabilized. Among the facilities envisioned are hiking, biking, and equestrian trails, a nine-hole (par 3) golf course and driving range, 150-200 parking spaces along the .. seaward side of Palos Verdes Drive South, and a protected area for skin-diving, including a rental concession center(ACOE 1992). In addition, stabilization of the landslide to a factor of 1.5 or greater would result in the lifting of the construction moratorium currently in place over the entire landslide area(ACOE 1992). Plans for development landward of Palos Verdes Drive South, outside the Corps' designated study area for this project, include approximately 75 dwellings and two 18-hole golf courses. All of these plans are contingent upon stabilization of the landslide. The Service is currently working with the City of Rancho Palos Verdes and the California Department of Fish and Game to find a viable solution to protecting the terrestrial habitats and the State and Federal listed species that occur within the study area and other parts of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. These efforts are being pursued under the State of California's Natural Communities Conservation Planning(NCCP)program. Stabilization of the Portuguese Bend landslide could lead to a lifting of the moratorium and loss of terrestrial habitats and Federal listed species. These changes could significantly affect, and limit the options available to, the current NCCP planning efforts. Terrestrial Habitats • The habitat types, or vegetative communities,that occur within the terrestrial portions of the study area include coastal sage scrub, southern coastal bluff scrub, annual grassland, and riparian (Impact Sciences 1991; Dudek and Associates, Inc. 1994; Vista 1995). Disturbed • and ruderal habitats also occur throughout the study area. Coastal sage scrub (CSS) was once a widespread plant community throughout southern California. However, between 70 and 90 percent of the CSS in southern California has been destroyed anthropogenic causes during the last 100-200 (W t 98 �981 ��+by during LLle years �vv esirrlarl 17ZS1a, 1y151D; Atwood 1990; Oberbauer 1990; O'Leary 1990; USFWS 1992). Therefore, CSS has become the focus of many habitat-based planning efforts throughout southern California. Approximately 643 ha of CSS currently exists on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, of which 371 ha are within the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. CSS is characterized by low, aromatic, drought-deciduous plants that range from 0.5 to 2 m high. On the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the species composition of the CSS community varies greatly and appears to represent a transition zone between Venturan CSS and Diegan CSS (Holland 1986). Common plant species found in the CSS within the study area include California sagebrush(Artemesia californica), California buckwheat (Eriogonum cinereum), California encilia(Encilia californica), white sage(Salvia leucophylla), lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia), bladderpod (Isomeris arborea), golden bush (Isocoma menziesii), saw- toothed golden bush (Hazardia squarrosa), prickly pear cactus (Opuntia oricola and O. littoralis), coastal cholla(0.prolifera), coast buckwheat (Eriogonum cinereum), lance-leaved USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 41 111 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project live-forever(Dudleya lanceolata), golden yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum), and Catalina • mariposa lily (Calochortus catalinae). Some studies on the Palos Verdes Peninsula have separated the CSS community into several different sub-classifications depending upon the dominant shrub or sub-shrub species (Dudek and Associates 1994; Vista 1995). For example, in several areas where cactus species comprised at least 20 percent of the canopy cover, the habitat was designated as"southern cactus scrub" as defined by Magney(1992). The species composition of the"southern cactus scrub"and CSS communities are very similar. Another sub-classification has been "lemonadeberry scrub". This habitat was defined on the basis of more than 50 percent lemonadeberry, but with a similar species composition to CSS. For the purposes of this report, these sub-classifications, or sub-associations will be considered CSS. Southern coastal bluff scrub (SCBS) occurs along the ocean cliffs along the entire study area. SCBS occupies steep coastal bluffs with shallow soils that are exposed to wind and salt spray. Within the study area, SCBS is best developed along the bluff faces of Portuguese and Inspiration points, and along parts of Abalone Cove. In gently sloping areas with deeper soils, the SCBS community intergrades into CSS. SCBS is considered one of the rarest plant communities in coastal California. The development of coastal bluffs for residential land uses is largely responsible for this decline. However, due to the shallowness of the soils, even limited foot-traffic (hiking) in this • community can result in the establishment of new trails through the habitat and lead to further erosion and fragmentation. Introduced species, particularly iceplant, has proven to be detrimental to this habitat by gradually replacing the native species. On the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the spread of the iceplant (Mesembryanthemum cristallinum) poses a significant threat to native animals as well as habitat loss. Other non-native invasives such as mustard, annual grasses, and New Zealand spinach contribute to the deterioration of southern coastal bluff scrub. The species composition of SCBS on the Palos Verdes Peninsula includes California saltbush (Atriplex californica), aphanisma(Aphanisma blitoides), California plantain(Plantago insularis), seacliff buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium),bright green dudleya(Dudleya virens), box thorn(Lycium californicum), seaside calandrinia(Calandrinia maritima), California sagebrush, California encilia, golden bush, prickly pear cactus, and coastal cholla. In some areas, disturbance has resulted in 1)the replacement of SCBS vegetation by weedy non-native plant species and ornamental trees and 2) nearly vegetation-free bluff faces, especially in the area between Portuguese Point and the Portuguese Bend Club where the earth is still moving from the landslide. Annual grasslands occupy much of the bluff-top, or mesa between the coastal bluffs and Palos Verdes Drive South. These communities generally occur on relatively deep and heavy, or clay dominated soils. Annual grasslands are primarily comprised of non-native species USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 42 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project and tend to occur in areas where human impacts, such as grading and/or grazing, has occurred in the recent past. Within the study area, annual grasslands are dominated by non-native species such as wild rye (Elymus sp.), hare barley(Hordeum murinum leporinum), common ripgut-grass (Bromus diandrus), foxtail chess (Bromus rubens), slender oats (Avena barbata), wild oats (Avena fatua), black mustard(Brassica nigra), shortpod mustard(Hirschfeldia incana), and yellow starthistle (Centaurea melitensis). Native species that occur within the grasslands include the Catalina mariposa lily(Calochortus catalinae), blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), golden stars (Bloomeria crocea), and small-flowered morning glory(Convolvulus simulans). Riparian habitat occurs in several drainages in and adjacent to the study area. Much.of this riparian is supported by runoff from adjacent, or upstream, residential areas. However, Klondike and Kelvin canyons are unique as they are fed by natural springs. These two are the only two canyons with perennial water on the west side of the Palos Verdes Hills and are therefore, important for local wildlife. Dominant species in the riparian habitats include arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepus), mulefat (Baccharis salicifolia), giant wild rye (Leymus condensatus), pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana), and Mexican elderberry(Sambucus mexicanus). Disturbed and ruderal habitats occur primarily where significant land disturbance has occurred in the past and/or where land use practices are inhibiting the recovery of native vegetation. For example, the vegetation in the area graded to help stabilize the Portuguese Bend landslide and on some portions of the slide south of Portuguese Bend Drive South is highly disturbed and contains few native species. Species typically found in these ruderal areas include clover(Trifolium hirtum), ox tongue(Picris echoides), sow thistle (Sonchus spp.), horseweed (Conyza canadensis), tumbleweed(Salsola tragus), sweet clover(Melilotus spp.), sea lavender(Limonium perezii), castor bean(Ricinus communis), and tree tobacco v v icotiarca glauca). Based on a review of the literature and comparisons of known range, distribution, and apparent suitable habitat, 12 plant species that are considered sensitive by the Service, California Department of Fish and Game, and/or the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), are known or expected to occur within the study area(Table 4). Lyon's pentachaeta is State and Federal endangered species (62 FR 4172-83 Jan. 29, 1997) and is listed as endangered by the State of California. This species is a small, slender plant that grows primarily along CSS/grassland ecotones. Lyon's pentachaeta is known historically from the Palos Verdes Peninsula but has not been seen there in recent years. The primary reason for decline of this species has been urbanization and the loss of habitat. USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 43 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Table 4. List of sensitive plant species known, or reasonably expected to occur within the • Rancho Palos Verdes Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area. Status' Species Common Name Scientific Name Federal State CNPS Lyon's pentachaeta Pentachaeta lyonii E SE Aphanisma Aphanisma blitoides S SP 1B Bright green dudleya Dudleya virens S SP 1B South coast saltscale Atriplex pacifica S SP 1B Southern tarplant Hemizonia parryi ssp. australis S 1B Small flowered morning glory Convolvulus simulans SP 4 Seaside Calandrinia Calandrinia maritima SP 4 Catalina calochortus Calochortus catalinea SP 4 Western dichondra Dichondra occidentalis SP 4 Sea blite Sueda taxifolia SP 4 Catalina crabapple bush Crossosoma californicum SP 4 Catalina Island desert thorn Lycium brevipes var. hassei SP 1B Status: (E)refers to species that are listed as endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. (S)refers to species that were Federal Category 2 candidate species before that designation was abolished. Category 2 species were those that may have been warranted for listing as federally endangered or threatened,but sufficient information was not available to make a determination.(SE)refers to species that are • listed as endangered under the State of California's Endangered Species Act. (SP)refers to California State Species of Special Concern. (1B)refers to plants that are considered rare,threatened,or endangered in California and elsewhere by the CNPS. (4)refers to species that the CNPS considers to have a limited distribution. Aphanisma is a Federal sensitive species and a California State Species of Special Concern. The distribution of this species ranges from Los Angeles County southwards to Baja California, Mexico. It also occurs on several Channel Islands (Munz 1974). Aphanisma typically grows on coastal strands and bluffs in CSS and maritime plant communities. Within the study area, aphanisma occurs on Portuguese Point and at several localities on the bluffs between Portuguese Bend and the southeastern boundary of the study area(Dudek and Associates, Inc. 1994; Vista 1995). Bright green dudleya is a Federal sensitive species and a California State Species of Special Concern. This species is a succulent that occurs in CSS, coastal chaparral, and southern coastal bluff habitats below 400 m in elevation. It's current distribution is limited to three of the Channel Islands and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Within the study area, bright green dudleya historically grew all along the coastal bluffs between Point Vicente and Point Fermin (Moran 1951). The current distribution of this species in the study area appears to be limited to a small area between Point Vicente and Royal Palm Beach (Vista 1995) and at several localities near the southeastern boundary of the study area(Dudek and Associates, Inc. 1994). • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 44 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project South coast saltscale is a Federal sensitive species and a California State Species of Special Concern. It is a prostrate, mat-like annual that is restricted to coastal bluffs and shrubland below 100 m in elevation(Hickman 1993). The distribution of this species is on the Channel • Islands and from Los Angeles County southwards to Baja California(Skinner and Pavlik 1994). Within the study area, this plant has been found on the west side of Shoreline Park and on top of Inspiration Point(Dudek and Associates, Inc. 1994; Vista 1995). Southern tarplant is a Federal sensitive species and a California State Species of Special Concern. It grows in seasonally moist, saline grassland and on the edges of brackish marshes, below 180 m in elevation. Its distribution ranges from Santa Barbara County southward to northern Baja California. The potential for this plant to occur within the study area is relatively low. The closest known populations are at Harbor Park,Madrona Marsh, and Ballona Creek. Terrestrial Resources Invertebrates Invertebrates comprise approximately 90 percent of all animal species in the world. They are part of the diverse and complex food web, as prey,predators, pollinators, water purifiers, grazers, soil reducers, decomposers, and biological control agents. While relationships within the food web are often unclear, these interactions generally enhance the stability of the ecosystem(May 1973; Usher 1986). Although no comprehensive inventory of the terrestrial invertebrates in the study area has • been conducted, representatives of at least the following insect orders could reasonably be expected to occur there: Orthoptera(grasshoppers and allies), Plecoptera(stoneflies), Dermaptera(earwigs), Hemiptera(true bugs), Homoptera(leafhoppers, aphids, and scale insects), Odonata(dragonflies and damselflies), Bombyliidae(bombyliid flies), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Coleoptera(beetles), Neuroptera(lacewings, dobson flies, and allies), Diptera(flies), and Hymenoptera(bees and wasps). Based on a review of the literature and comparisons of known range, distribution, and apparent suitable habitat, two Federal listed endangered species of insects, the Palos Verdes blue butterfly(Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis) and the El Segundo blue butterfly (Euphilotes battoides allyni) may occur within the study area. The host plants for these two endangered species are known to occur within the study area(Vista 1995). The Palos Verdes blue butterfly (PVBB) is a coastal ecotype of the wide ranging silvery blue butterfly(G. 1. australis). Museum records indicate that the distribution of PVBB was historically confined to the southern half of Los Angeles County, California(Mattoni 1993). The PVBB was federally listed as an endangered species with the designation of critical habitat in 1980 (FR 45 44939). At that time, there were only approximately 100 individuals spread throughout 7 relatively small colonies (Mattoni 1993). The primary reasons for the USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 45 • RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project decline of the butterfly were listed as habitat loss due to urban and recreational development, • overgrowth by weeds, and weed control practices that adversely affect the butterfly's larval food plant, rattlepod (Astragalus trichopodus var. lonchus). After not having been seen for over ten years,the PVBB was presumed extinct(Mattoni 1993). However, in March 1994, during a surveyy for ground dwelling insects, a small population of PVBB was found at the Defense Fuel Support Point near the southeastern end of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes (Nelson 1994). Observations of this population revealed that the PVBB uses deerweed (Lotus scoparius) as well as rattlepod as larval food plants. Both of the larval host plants for the PVBB occur within the CSS vegetative communities in the study area. Service personnel conducted a brief survey for the PVBB near the Abalone Cove portion of the study area on March 20, 1994 (Nelson 1994). This survey was cursory in nature, and was conducted late in the flight season thereby reducing the potential for detecting small populations. No thorough survey has been conducted for this species in the study area at the appropriate time of year. The El Segundo blue butterfly(ESBB) is a small lycaenid butterfly that was once widespread along the southern coast of Los Angeles County. This species was federally listed as an endangered species in 1976 (FR 41 22041). At that time, this subspecies was believed to be limited to a few acres near El Segundo and a larger area at the west end of the Los Angeles International Airport. The primary reason for the decline of the ESBB was listed as habitat • loss due to public and private developments. The current distribution of the ESBB includes portions of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. A taxonomic variant of the ESBB, a square spotted blue butterfly, also occurs within the Portuguese Bend landslide area. Because the taxonomy of these two closely related butterflies is in question,the Service suggests that for now both be considered as ESBB. If biochemical tests suggest that the square spotted blue butterfly is distinct from the ESBB, then because of its limited distribution, the square spotted blue butterfly may warrant listing as endangered as well. The host larval food plant for the ESBB and the square spotted blue butterfly is the seacliff buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium). This plant occurs along the coastal bluffs in the study area. However, no thorough survey has been conducted for the ESBB or the square spotted blue butterfly in the study area. Amphibians and Reptiles Based on a review of the literature and comparisons of known range, distribution, and apparent suitable habitat, at least 24 species of amphibians and reptiles could reasonably be expected to occur in the Rancho Palos Verdes Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area (Table 5). Amphibian and reptile surveys have not been conducted throughout the study area. • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 46 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Table 5. List of amphibian arid reptile species known, or reasonably expected to occur within the Rancho Palos Verdes Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental • Restoration Feasibility Study study area. Status' Species Common Name Scientific Name Federal State San Diego coast horned lizard Phrynosoma coronatum ssp. blainvillei S SP Southern alligator lizard Gerrhonotus multicarinatus Side-blotched lizard Uta stansburiana Western fence lizard Sceloporus occidentalis Coastal western whiptail Cnemidophorus tigris ssp. multiscutatus S SP Large-blotched ensatina Ensatina eschscholtzii S Slender salamanders Batrachoseps sp. Western toad Bufo boreas Pacific tree frog Hyla regilla San Diego banded gecko Coleonyx variegatus ssp. abbotti Western skink Eumeces skiltonianus Common king snake Lampropeltis getulus Western yellow-bellied racer Coluber constrictor ssp. mormon Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum California whipsnake Masticophis lateralis Coast patch-nosed snake Salvadora hexalepis S SP Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis Coast garter snake Thamnophis elegans ssp. terrestris Two-striped garter snake Thamnophis hammondii S California black-headed snake Tantilla planiceps California lyre snake 1 irnorphodon biscutatus ssp. vandenburghi Night snake Hypsiglena torquata Gopher snake Pituophis melanoleucus Southern Pacific rattlesnake Crotalus viridis 1 Status:(S)refers to species that were Federal Category 2 candidate species before that designation was abolished. Category 2 species were those that may have been warranted for listing as federally endangered or threatened,but sufficient information was not available to make a determination. (SP)refers to California State Species of Special Concern. The San Diego coast horned lizard is a Federal sensitive species as well as a State Species of Special Concern. They are found in a range of habitats including coastal sage scrub. The San Diego coast horned lizard feeds primarily on harvester and carpenter ants (Pogonomyrmex sp. and Camponotus sp., respectively). Major threats to this subspecies include loss and fragmentation of preferred habitat. The San Diego coast horned lizard historically occurred on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Although this species has not been seen in the vicinity of the study area in several years (Impact Sciences 1991; Vista 1995), suitable habitat does exist in portions of the study area where surveys have not been conducted. USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 47 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project The coastal western whiptail is a Federal sensitive species. It is generally associated with deserts and semi-arid habitats and prefer sandy areas along gravelly arroyos or washes where the vegetation is sparse(Stebbins 1954). The major threat to this species is loss and fragmentation of its habitat by agricultural and urban developments. This species has not been observed in the study area, but could occur there. Large-blotched ensatina is a Federal sensitive species that frequents forests and well-shaded canyons, as well as oak woodland and old chaparral. It is typically found under rotting logs, bark, and rocks. No recent surveys have been conducted for this species within the study area. The coast patch-nosed snake is a Federal sensitive species, generally found in grassland, chaparral, sagebrush and desert scrub (Stebbins 1985) and prefers washes, sandy flats, and rocky areas (Zeiner et al. 1988). Its distribution includes the entire County of Los Angeles but details on its distribution are unknown. According to Stebbins (1954),this species is a broad generalist in its diet and habitat requirements. Suitable habitat for the coast patch- nosed snake occurs within the study area. The two-striped garter snake is a Federal sensitive species and a State Species of Special Concern. It is distributed in coastal California from the vicinity of Salinas to northwest Baja California, Mexico. The two-striped garter snake is a highly aquatic species inhabiting clear, permanent streams with rocky beds and protected pools, and especially along streams with rocky beds bordered by riparian growth. This species may occur in the study area, but it is • unlikely. Mammals Based on a review of the literature and comparisons of known range, distribution, and apparent suitable habitat, 42 species of terrestrial mammals could reasonably be expected to occur in the Rancho Palos Verdes Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area(Table 6). Table 6. List of terrestrial mammal species known, or reasonably expected to occur within the Rancho Palos Verdes Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area. Status' • Species Common Name Scientific Name Federal State Deer mouse Peromyscus maniculatus Brush mouse Peromyscus boylei Western harvest mouse Reithrodontomys megalotus House mouse Mus musculus California mouse Peromyscus californicus • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 48 RPV Shoreline StabilizationiEnvironmental Restoration Project Table 6. (continued) Status' Species Common Name Scientific Name Federal State California meadow mouse Microtus californicus Pacific pocket mouse Perognathus longimembris ssp.pacificus E SP Dulzura California pocket mouse Chaetodipus californicus Northwestern San Diego pocket mouse Chaetodipus fallax ssp.fallax S SP Pacific kangaroo rat Dipodomys agilis Dusky-footed woodrat Neotoma fuscipes San Diego desert woodrat Neotoma lepida ssp. intermedia S SP Norway rat Rattus norvegicus Roof rat Rattus rattus Broad-handed mole Scapanus latimanus Botta's pocket gopher Thomomys bottae Ornate shrew Sorex ornatus California ground squirrel Spermophilus beechyi Brush rabbit Sylvilagus bachmani Desert cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii San Diego black-tailed jackrabbit Lepus californicus ssp. bennettii S SP 4110. Opossum Didelphis virginiana Long-tailed weasel Mustela frenata Striped skunk Mephitis mephitis Spotted skunk Spilogale putorius Raccoon Procyon lotor Bobcat Lynx rufus Gray fox Urocyon cinereoagenteus Red fox Vulpes vulpes Coyote Canis latrans Pallid bat Antrozous pallidus SP Big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus Hoary bat Lasiurus cinereus Spotted bat Euderma maculatum S SP Pacific western big-eared bat Corynorhinus townsendii S SP Pocketed free-tailed bat Nyctinomops femorosacca SP Big free-tailed bat Nyctinomops macrotis S SP Greater western mastiff-bat Eumops perotis ssp. californicus S SP California leaf-nosed bat Macrotus californicus S SP • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 49 111 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Table 6. (continued) • Status' Species Common Name Scientific Name Federal State Small-footed myotis bat Myotis ciliolabrum S Little brown bat Myotis lucifugus S Western pipistrelle Pipistrellus hesperis Status:(E)refers to species that are federally listed as endangered. (S)refers to species that were Federal Category 2 candidate species before that designation was abolished. Category 2 species were those that may have been warranted for listing as federally endangered or threatened,but sufficient information was not available to make a determination. (SP)refers to California State Species of Special Concern. The Pacific pocket mouse(PPM), a Federal endangered species, is the smallest of 19 recognized subspecies of the little pocket mouse(Perognathus longimembris) (Huey 1939; Hall 1981). Historic records of the distribution of the PPM extend from Marina del Rey and El Segundo in Los Angeles County, south to the vicinity of the Mexican border in San Diego County(Hall 1981; Williams 1986; Erickson 1993). The PPM has not been recorded outside • of California or above 180 m in elevation. Little quantitative information is available on the ecology and life history of the PPM. However, data from studies of other subspecies of little pocket mice and limited data specific to the PPM suggest that this small rodent is facultatively or partially fossorial, relatively sedentary, primarily granivorous, and able to become torpid, estivate, or hibernate in • response to adverse environmental conditions (Ingles 1965; Kenagy 1973; Vaughan 1978; USFWS, unpublished data). The PPM generally dwells in burrows and may stay underground for up to 5 months in winter. Little pocket mice are generally active April through September, with only a few animals having been caught throughout the rest of the year(Chew and Butterworth 1964; Hoffmeister 1964; M'Closkey 1972; O'Farrell 1974; Erickson 1993). Habitat requirements for the PPM are not well understood. The PPM has been known to occur in several habitats including coastal strand, coastal dunes, ruderal vegetation on river alluvium, and coastal sage scrub growing on marine terraces (von Bloeker Jr. 1931; Grinnell 1933; Meserve 1972; Erickson 1993). Substrate in occupied areas has been described as relatively loose, uncompacted, sandy soils (Mearns 1898; von Bloeker Jr. 1931; Grinnell 1933; Bailey 1939; Brylski 1993). Vegetation cover varies, with most PPM having been caught in either open, sparsely vegetated areas, or in small open patches within dense stands of vegetation(von Bloeker Jr. 1931; Williams 1986; Erickson 1993). There is potentially suitable habitat for PPM in the study area, but no focused surveys have been conducted for this species. The northwestern San Diego pocket mouse is a Federal sensitive species and a California State Species of Special Concern. Its range extends from San Bernardino County south to northern Baja California, Mexico. The preferred habitat of this species includes sage scrub, • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 50 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project • chaparral, and annual grasslands. The decline of the northwestern San Diego pocket mouse is directly related to losses in sage scrub habitats. Habitat for this species exists in the study • area but no recent surveys have been conducted. The San Diego desert woodrat, a Federal sensitive species and a California State Species of Special Concern, is one of 31 recognized subspecies of the desert woodrat(Hall 1981). Its distribution is along the coastal regions of southern California and Baja California, Mexico. The San Diego desert woodrat is often found in association with CSS habitats and stands of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia occidentalis). Habitat for this species exists within the study area. However, no surveys have been conducted. The San Diego black-tailed jackrabbit is a Federal sensitive species. The species range extends from San Luis Obispo southward to San Quintin, Baja California, Mexico. San Diego black-tailed jackrabbits are generally associated with grassy and/or shrubby habitats. They will often use shallow depressions under bushes or shrubs as resting sites or to reduce thermal stress on hot days (Lechleitner 1958; Costa et al. 1976). As herbivores, they browse on a large variety of forbs and shrubs including members of the genuses Artemesia, Opuntia, Atriplex, and the families Boraginaceae and Leguminosae. San Diego black-tailed jackrabbits have been observed within the study area. Although bats have not been studied in the project or study area, several species have been detected and several others are expected to occur within the study area based on known ranges, distributions, and habitat requirements. Locally occurring bats are primarily aerial insectivores that feed over or close to streams, marshes, and riparian corridors (Faber et al. 1989). Roosting areas for these species include rock crevices in bluffs, trees, bridges, and other man-made structures, such as those that exist in the general vicinity of the study area. Most bat species are believed to be declining or extirpated from coastal southern California due to urbanization (habitat loss) and pest management practices. Based on the habitat F.. of 7......17..occurring bat _�__• t t Species locally occurring species, it is reasonable to expect some bat Species of Special Concern use the study area. Birds Based on a review of the literature and comparisons of known range, distribution, and apparent suitable habitat, 141 species of birds could reasonably be expected to occur in the Rancho Palos Verdes Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area(Table 7). USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 51 • RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Table 7. List of bird species known, or reasonably expected to occur within the Rancho • Palos Verdes Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Feasibility Study study area. Status' Species Common Name Scientific Name Federal State Common loon Gavia immer Pacific loon Gavia pacifica Red-throated loon Gavia stellata Clark's grebe Aechmophorus clarkii Western grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis Horned grebe Podiceps auritus Eared grebe Podiceps nigricollis Pied-billed grebe Podilymbus podiceps Brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis E E Double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus Brandt's cormorant Phalacrocorax penicillatus Great blue heron Ardea heroides Black-crowned night heron Nycticorax nycticorax Brant Branta bernicla White-winged scoter Melanitta fusca Surf scoter Melanitta perspicillata Oldsquaw Clangula hyemalis 41111 Red-breasted merganser Mergus serrator Common merganser Mergus merganser American coot Fulica americana Common moorhen Gallinula chloropus American avocet Recurvirostra americana Black-necked stilt Himantopus mexicanus Semi-palmated plover Charadrius semipalmatus Killdeer Charadrius vociferus Lesser golden plover Pluvialis dominica Black-bellied plover Pluvialis squatarola Marbled godwit Limosa fedoa Long-billed curlew Numenius americanus Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus Lesser yellowlegs Tringa flavipes Greater yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca Spotted sandpiper Actitis macularia Wandering tattler Heteroscelus incanus Red-necked phalarope Phalaropus lobatus Dowitchers Limnodromus spp. USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 52 RPV Shoreline Stabilization'Environmental Restoration Project Table 7. (continued) Status' S Species Common Name Scientific Name Federal State Common snipe Gallinago gallinago Ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres Black turnstone Arenaria melanocephala Red knot Calidris canutus Dunlin Calidris alpina Sanderling Calidris alba Western sandpiper Calidris mauri Least sandpiper Calidris minutilla Parasitic jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus Herring gull Larus argentatus California gull Larus californicus Mew gull Larus canus • Ring-billed gull Larus delawarensis Heerman's gull Larus heermanni Western gull Larus occidentalis Bonaparte's gull Larus philadelphia Black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla California least tern Sterna antillarum ssp. browni E E Caspian tern Sterna caspia Elegant tern Sterna elegans S 0. Forster's tern Sterna forsteri Common tern Sterna hirundo Royal tern Sterna maxima Black tern Chlidonias niger S Black skimmer Rynchop_c niger Turkey vulture Cathartes aura Black-shouldered kite Elanus caerulens Northern harrier Circus cyaneus Cooper's hawk Accipiter cooperii Sharp-shinned hawk Accipiter striatus Red-shouldered hawk Buteo lineatus Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis Osprey Pandion haliaetus American kestrel Falco sparverius Merlin Falco columbarius Prairie falcon Falco mexicanus American peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus ssp. anatum E E California quail Lophortyx californiacus USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 53 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Table 7. (continued) Status' Species Common Name Scientific Name Federal State Ring-necked pheasant Phasianus colchicus Rock dove Columba livia Mourning dove Zenaida macroura Common ground dove Columbina passerina Greater roadrunner Geococcyx californianus Barn owl Tyto alba Short-eared owl Asio flammeus Great horned owl Bubo virginianus Burrowing owl Athene cu. nicularia Vaux's swift Chaetura vauxi White-throated swift Aeronautes saxatalis Costa's hummingbird Calypte costae Anna's hummingbird Calypte anna Rufous hummingbird Selasphorus rufous Allen's hummingbird. Selasphorus sasin Belted kingfisher Ceryle alcyon Northern flicker Colaptes auratus Western kingbird Tyrannus verticalis Ash-throated flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens Black phoebe Sayornis nigricans Say's phoebe Sayornis saya California horned lark Eremophila alpestris ssp. actia S Rough-winged swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis Cliff swallow Hirundo pyrrhonota Barn swallow Hirundo rustica Scrub jay Aphelocoma coerulescens American crow Corvus brachyrhynchos Common raven Corvus corax Wrentit Chamaea fasciata Common bushtit Psaltriparus minimus House wren Troglodytes aedon Bewick's wren Thyromanes bewickii Rock wren Salpinctes obsoletus Cactus wren Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus Ruby-crowned kinglet Regulus calendula Coastal California gnatcatcher Polioptila californica ssp. californica T Blue-gray gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea Loggerhead shrike Lanius ludovicianus S Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 54 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Table 7. (continued) Status' • Species Common Name Scientific Name Federal State California thrasher Toxostoma redivivum European starling Sturnus vulgaris Orange-crowned warbler Vermivora celata Yellow-rumped warbler Dendroica coronata Black-throated gray warbler Dendroica nigrescens Common yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas Spotted towhee Pipilo maculata California towhee Pipilo fuscus Song sparrow Melospiza melodia Savannah sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis ssp. nevadensis Belding's savannah sparrow P. s. beldingi S Large-billed savannah sparrow P. s. rostratus S Bell's sage sparrow Amphispiza belli ssp. belli Rufous-crowned sparrow Aimophila ruficeps White-crowned sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys Golden-crowned sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla Chipping sparrow Spizella passerina Lincoln's sparrow Melospiza lincolnii Western meadowlark Sturnella neglecta Red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus • Brewer's blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus Bullocks oriole Icterus bulloclkii House sparrow Passer domesticus House finch Carpodacus mexicanus American goldfinch Carduelis tristis Lesser goldfinch Carduelis psaltria Peacock Pavo cristatus 1 Status: (E)refers to species that are listed as endangered by the Federal or State governments. (T)refers to species that are federally listed as threatened. (S)refers to species that were Federal Category 2 candidate species before that designation was abolished. Category 2 species were those that may have been warranted for listing as federally endangered or threatened,but sufficient information was not available to make a determination. The majority of the bird species that occur within the study area are considered common residents or migrants. However, three species, the brown pelican, peregrine falcon, and California least tern, are Federal listed as endangered, and one species, the coastal California gnatcatcher, is Federal listed as threatened. The peregrine falcon and California least tern are also listed as endangered by the State of California. The brown pelican was once considered to be"...an abundant and conspicuous bird on the coast of California" (Coues 1903). However, primarily because of pollutant-related egg shell IJSFWS Draft Coordination Act Report.April 1999 55 • RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project thinning(Anderson and Hickey 1970) and resultant reproductive failures (Jehl 1973),the • brown pelican was classified as an endangered species by the Service on October 13, 1970 (35 FR 16047). More than two decades later, the manifested effects of DDT contamination have not been entirely eliminated. In fact,DDT is still known to be persistent in the marine ecosystem, a contaminant in pesticides that have not been banned (e.g. Kelthane), and has recently become more prevalent in the environment at some sites (Ehrlich et al. 1988). In any case, eggshell thinning still occurs, although to a lesser degree than that observed in the 1960's and 1970's. Although the brown pelican population has substantially increased and the species has bred successfully overall in recent years (Anderson and Anderson 1976),the recovery of the subspecies (and species) has not yet been accomplished or assured (USFWS 1983). This is primarily due to the past and present effects of human disturbance, pesticide contamination and poisoning, exposure to other contaminants (e.g. the recent American Trader oil spill on the coast of Orange County, California), and the expressed effects of other perturbations of the marine environment. These factors, which have led to the documented death of individual birds or episodes of diminished recruitment in the past(Risebrough et al. 1969; Sowls et al. 1980; Ehrlich et al. 1992), apparently are still separately or cumulatively problematical. El Nino oceanographic events and excessive commercial fishing have also reduced the availability of prey fish(primarily the northern anchovy,Engraulis mordax) and apparently • adversely affected the status and recovery of the brown pelican(Ehrlich et al. 1992). "The northern anchovy has been identified as the major food source for brown pelicans, and the most important determinant of fledging success" (Anderson et al. 1982). Brown pelicans breed on the Channel Islands off the coast of southern California and on islands off the west coast of Baja California, Mexico (AOU 1957). The species formerly bred north to Bird Island off of Monterey County in northern California but apparently has not done so since 1966 (Roberson and Tenney 1993). Dispersing and non-breeding brown pelicans have been found as far north as southern British Columbia and as far south as Colima, Mexico (AOU 1957). Within the study area, brown pelicans frequently use the shoreline for loafmg and nearshore waters for foraging. The study area remains a crucial foraging area for resident and juvenile birds dispersing from the breeding grounds on the nearby Channel Islands. The study area may also provide support to the non-breeding segment of the brown pelican population. The pesticide contaminants buried in the sediments within the study area also remain a significant threat to the recovery of the brown pelican. Anderson et al. (1975) showed that high levels of DDE have accumulated in anchovies off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The California least tern (Sterna antillarum browni)(least tern), a State and Federal endangered species, is a migratory, water-associated bird that returns to coastal California from Central America to breed between April and September. The California least tern was USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 56 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project formerly widespread and "common to abundant" (Grinnell and Miller 1944) along the central and southern California coast, to the extent of being described as "numberless"on the beaches of Los Angeles County(McCormick 1899, as cited in Bent 1921). Grinnell and • Miller(1944),however, commented that least tern breeding stations were,by 1943 "...few and sparsely populated, owing to the almost complete human use of suitable beaches." Human use of beaches for recreational, residential, and industrial development has severely diminished the availability of suitable least tern nesting areas in California(Grinnell and Miller 1944; Garrett and Dunn 1981; Ehrlich et al. 1992). The discontinuous breeding range of the California least tern extends from San Francisco Bay to Baja California, Mexico, with the majority of birds nesting in southern California. Unpopulated sandy beaches close to estuaries and coastal embayments have traditionally served as nesting sites for the California least tern(Grinnell and Miller 1944; Garrett and Dunn 1981). Since 1986, two major least tern nesting areas have been utilized in Los Angeles County, one at Venice Beach and the other at Terminal Island in Los Angeles Harbor. Least terns feed exclusively on small fishes captured in shallow, nearshore waters (Massey 1974; Collins et al.,1979; Massey and Atwood 1981, 1984; Atwood and Minsky 1983; Atwood and Kelly 1984; Bailey 1984; Minsky 1984). They are opportunistic in their foraging strategy and are known to take many different species of fish. However,they seem to select fish based on certain morphological characteristics. Massey and Atwood(1981) conclude that prey items are generally less than 9 cm in length and have a body depth of less than 1.5 cm. Thirty-seven different species of fish dropped at the Venice Beach nesting site • were recorded by Massey and Atwood(1981). At Venice Beach and Huntington Beach in 1978-1981, northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) and silversides, including topsmelt (Antherinops affinis),jacksmelt(Atherinopsis californiensis), and California grunion (Leuresthes tenuis), comprised the majority of the samples of fish found dropped in the nesting areae (Atwood and Kelly 1984). After their eggs hatch, breeding adults catch and deliver small fish to the flightless young. The young begin to fly at about 20 days of age, but continue to be fed and are taught how to feed by their parents for some time after fledging. Reproductive success is, therefore, closely related to the availability of undisturbed nest sites and nearby waters with adequate supplies of appropriately sized fishes. Episodic least tern losses have been attributed to cold, wet weather, extreme heat, starvation, unusually high surf or tides, and human disturbance. Additionally, an El Niflo warm sea current phenomenon in 1982 diminished fish populations throughout the SCB, causing a drastic reduction in least tern breeding success. This resulted in the lowest annual production of fledged young on record and probable poor survival of the young that were fledged. The two-year old cohort expected to join the breeding population in 1984 during second-wave nesting never materialized. It took the terns 5 years to recover from the devastating effects of the 1982-1983 El Nino (Massey 1988). California least terns have also been affected by the USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 57 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project expressed effects of pesticide contamination and bioacummulation(Boardman 1987a, • 1987b). The California least tern population declined to a known low point of between 623 and 763 breeding pairs in the early 1970's (Bender 1974). By contrast, and evidently because of a variety of management efforts (particularly protection of nesting and foraging areas and predator management)made possible by its designation as a State and Federal endangered species, the least tern has increased in abundance to an estimated breeding population of approximately 4,009 pairs in 1997. Least terns have been observed foraging within the study area. These birds probably represented breeding adults from the nearby colony at Terminal Island, and adults and juveniles migrating to and from more northerly breeding sites. The pesticide contaminants buried in the sediments within the study area may be a threat to the health of birds foraging off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Because of the lack of large, undisturbed sandy beaches on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, it is unlikely that least terns breed in the study area. The American peregrine falcon, a Federal and State endangered species, occurs throughout much of North America. Peregrine falcons breed throughout most of California, including the coastal areas north of Santa Barbara, in the Sierra Nevada, Klamath, and Cascade ranges, inland coastal mountains of northern California, coastal San Diego County, and the Channel Islands (Pavelka 1990; Zeiner et al. 1990; Jurek 1992). Their principle food items include passerine birds, waterfowl, and shorebirds (Snow 1972). Reports of the dissappearance of peregrine falcons in Great Britain(Ratcliffe 1963), along with the observation of declining peregrine falcon numbers in the eastern United States (Berger et al. 1969), led to an international conference examining peregrine falcons populations worldwide(Hickey 1969). Shortly after this conference, the relationship between declining populations and eggshell thinning in falcons and fish eating birds was established (Ratcliffe 1967), and the relationship between eggshell thinning and DDE residues was confirmed (Hickey and Anderson 1968). Raptors,being high trophic level predators, bioaccumulate many organochlorine compounds, including DDE, to levels far above the levels found in their prey (Cade et al. 1971). Many additional studies have confirmed the significant role of DDE in the decline of peregrine falcons (Risebrough 1986; Peakall and Kiff 1988; Risebrough and Peakall 1988). In California, peregrine falcon reproduction dropped from an estimated 173 nesting sites in 1930 to only one successful nesting attempt in 1969 (Herman et al. 1970). That number rose slightly to six successful nesting attempts in 1975 and 1976. Then, between 1981 and 1992, 702 peregrine falcons that were hatched and reared in captivity were released into the wild (Kirven and Walton 1992). During this time the number of known breeding pairs of peregrine falcons in California increased from 38 to 113. However, in the region around the Channel Islands, including the study area, the peregrine falcon population did not recover (Kirven and Walton 1992). • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 58 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Recent studies show that DDE continues to impede reproductive success in the Channel Islands (Jarman 1994). In fact, DDE levels in peregrine falcons around the Channel Islands 410. has not significantly dropped since it peaked over 20 years ago. Although migratory prey of peregrine falcons has been shown to contain high levels of DDT compounds (Hunt et al. 1986; Baril et al. 1990; Banasch et al. 1992), it is unlikely that the consumption of migratory prey is the main continuing source of the DDT compounds impacting peregrine falcons (Jarman 1994). The DDT that continues to depress the reproductive success of peregrine falcons in the Channel Islands most likely originates from the vast reservoir of contaminated sediments lying just off the Palos Verdes Peninsula(Jarman 1994). Although recent surveys did not report peregrine falcons within the project area, they could be expected to occur there based on foraging habitat and proximity to known breeding sites (e.g., Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro). In addition, the Palos Verdes Peninsula represents a prominent point of land from which coastal migrating species are regularly observed. The coastal California gnatcatcher(gnatcatcher), a small gray songbird, is an obligate resident of sage scrub dominated plant communities that occur from Los Angeles County southward along the coast to the United States/Mexico border(Grinnell and Miller 1944; Atwood 1980; Garrett and Dunn 1981). Due to extensive habitat loss and fragmentation, the gnatcatcher was listed as threatened in 1993 (58 FR 16742). Although the gnatcatcher is strongly associated with sage scrub habitats, not all subassociations of this community appear to be used. The gnatcatcher appears to be most 4110- abundant in areas dominated by California sagebrush(Artemesia californica) (ERCE 1990), although other important plant species include California buckwheat, laurel sumac (Malosma laurina), encelia(Encelia farinosa),Mexican elderberry(Sambucus mexicana), and lemonadeberry(Rhus integrifolia). Not all these plant species occur at all locations where th% gnatcatcher is found. Home range and territory sizes of gnatcatcher pairs may vary depending upon the quality of the habitat available and the time of year. Breeding territory sizes for gnatcatcher pairs have been found to vary from 0.5 to greater than 16 ha(RECON 1987; ERCE 1990). Anecdotal evidence suggests that home ranges may be smaller in coastal areas as compared with inland areas. Recovery of the gnatcatcher survival depends not only on the total hectares of sage scrub habitat, but also the distribution of that habitat. Much of the remaining sage scrub vegetation in southern California, especially along the coast, has been highly fragmented by development and agricultural activities. Loss of sage scrub habitat to increased agriculture and urbanization has been dramatic in southern California during the past 50 years. Overall, it is estimated that between 1945 and 1990, 60 percent of the coastal sage scrub habitat within the geographic range of the gnatcatcher was lost. Evidence suggests that fragmentation of habitat results in very poor long-term survival for native species (Soule et USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 59 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project al. 1988). How much habitat the gnatcatcher needs for long-term survival and the degree of • habitat fragmentation that it can withstand are currently under investigation. Recent estimates suggest that there may be as many as 2,562 gnatcatchers remaining in the United States. However, the population of gnatcatchers on the Palos Verdes Peninsula is at critically low levels (Atwood et al. 1994, 1995a, 1995b). During the 1993 through 1995 nesting seasons there were only 26 to 56 breeding pairs of gnatcatchers on the Palos Verdes Peninsula(Atwood et al. 1995b). Most of the gnatcatchers on the Palos Verdes Peninsula occur within the jurisdictional boundaries of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Due to fragmentation and loss of contiguous habitats, the coastal California gnatcatcher population on the Palos Verdes Peninsula is not expected to be capable of sustaining further impacts. However, several planned projects in the City of Rancho Palos Verdes will reduce and further fragment the remaining CSS habitats. Recovery of the gnatcatcher in this geographically isolated area likely will require not only the protection of all major, extant tracts of CSS, but also restoration of this habitat in areas that currently support disturbed grasslands (Atwood et al. 1994, 1995a, 1995b). The Service is currently working with the City of Rancho Palos Verdes and the California Department of Fish and Game to find a viable solution to protecting the gnatcatcher population. These efforts are being pursued under the State of California's Natural Communities Conservation Planning(NCCP) program. Within the study area, it is likely that CSS (or the related southern coastal bluff and southern • cactus scrubs) formerly occupied most of the upland areas. However, owing to historic agriculture and other past and current human activities, the CSS is now restricted to a few isolated, disjunct fragments, primarily on canyons and steep slopes. Some of these disjunct fragments of CSS have consistently supported several pairs of nesting gnatcatchers since monitoring began in 1993. Within the study area, there were 7 pairs of breeding gnatcatchers in 1993, 7 pairs in 1994, and 3 pairs in 1995 (Atwood et al. 1995a, 1995b). Gnatcatcher home ranges varied from approximately 1 to 2.5 ha. during this time. IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT ON BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES Implementation of the Corps' preferred dike variation will result in both direct and indirect impacts to biological resources. Specifically, the aspects of the preferred dike variation that will impact biological resources in and beyond the study area are: 1) reducing landslide derived material from being deposited in the nearshore, 2) permanently burying and precluding any future restoration efforts of approximately ten acres of rocky inter- and sub- tidal habitats, 3) allowing buried sediments potentially laden with DDT and DDE to become exposed, and 4) having a potentially stabilizing effect on the landslide thereby facilitating development of upland areas within and beyond the boundaries of the study area. Other factors of consideration include: 1) the stated target condition for the sediment reduction is the"pre-landslide condition" yet the habitat values to assess benefits are from current conditions; The pre-landslide condition was biologically less diverse and had only ten • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 60 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project • percent of the kelp beds that exist today in the study area(see Figure 5) , 2)the lack of specific "performance criteria"and/or monitoring plan by which the project's success or failure will be evaluated, 3) the lack of assurances and/or Y contin enc plans should the •` g habitat not recover"naturally", and 4) errors and assumptions in the model used to assess the biological value of the study area and potential project benefits. Direct Impacts Marine The dike associated with the proposed project would bury and preclude any future restoration efforts of approximately ten acres of inter- and sub-tidal habitats. Rocky intertidal habitats are becoming increasingly scarce along the California coastline and are therefore deemed as a rare and highly valuable resource by the Service and the State. The Corps,however, has assessed the value of the habitat in the footprint of the project based on the current, degraded condition. This approach ignores the current potential for restoration. Implementation of the project will result in the permanent loss of approximately ten acres of restorable(natural or human induced) rocky intertidal habitat. The dredging "option", which may or may not happen, would potentially provide benefits to biological resources in the study area by 1) expediting the natural recovery process and exposing rocky substrates and 2) removing contaminated sediments from the nearshore areas. The kelp beds in the study area have been recovering without human assistance(other than effluent regulatory controls)for nearly 30 years. This recovery has been attributed to a • complex interaction of many factors. Two of those factors are re-exposure of rocky substrates and reduction in sediment contamination. Although dredging alone may not be sufficient to insure the growth of kelp beds in the Portuguese Bend area, it will likely expedite the natural recovery process. Terrestrial Direct impacts to terrestrial habitats will be limited to the areas where 1) the dike moves onto the shoreline, 2) access roads, haul roads, and lay-down areas used during the construction process are located, and 3) the rocks will be quarried. The direct impacts to terrestrial biological resources in the footprint of the dike will be minimal. These areas are dominated by coarse sandy and cobble beaches and currently support little wildlife habitat. Impacts that may be associated with temporary access roads, haul roads, and lay-down areas during the construction process are unclear because project details are unavailable and biological surveys were not completed. If the source of rocks are from a mainland quarry site, then the Corps estimates that it will take approximately 13,225 truck trips to deliver enough material to construct the dike. The Corps has not defined whether road upgrades (most roads in the area are in poor condition due to ongoing landslide activity) or new access roads will need to be created to support the truck traffic. Also the Corps has not specified USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 61 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project where material stockpiles or lay-down areas might occur. Potential impacts associated with road upgrades,new access roads, and lay-down areas include the direct loss of sensitive habitats (such as coastal sage scrub) and direct and indirect impacts to the federally endangered California gnatcatcher, Palos Verdes blue butterfly, and others for which surveys have not been conducted. Habitat near the source of rock material for the construction of the dike will also be affected. If the source is an established rock quarry that will not require expansion due to the needs of this project, then there would be no new biological impacts associated with this aspect of the proposed project. If the proposed project takesrock from a new site or necessitates the expansion of an existing site beyond its currently authorized boundaries then impacts such as habitat loss could occur. The species that may be impacted and/or the level of impact that may occur cannot be assessed until the Corps further develops the description of the proposed project. Surveys for sensitive species may be necessary once the project description is completed. Indirect Impacts Marine Sediment surveys have confirmed that there are elevated levels of DDT (and its derivatives) in the Portuguese Bend portion of the study area. Despite the Corps' contention that DDT • levels in the sediments are near background levels found in sediments in nearby Santa Monica Bay, they are above the established threshold for which biological effects would be expected to occur. No surveys or tests for contamination levels were conducted throughout the remainder of the study area, in other areas for which benefits are being claimed, in the water column, or in the vicinity of White's Point(the location of the original point source for most of the DDT contamination off the Palos Verdes coastline). Although the Corps is claiming benefits throughout this area due to projected reductions in sedimentation and re- exposure of rocky substrates, they have not examined the potential impact of releasing contaminant laden sediments. Originally, effluent driven DDT was distributed across several square kilometers both inside and outside the Corps' defined study area. The DDT in this area was responsible for the decline of several species now listed as federally endangered, and continues to hinder recovery efforts of those species. Although the contaminated sediments have been carried throughout the study area by currents, much of it, especially toward the eastern end of the study area, remains buried beneath relatively clean sediments eroded from the Palos Verdes shoreline. There is no evidence, nor has any argument been put forward, suggesting that DDT levels would decrease in the area between the eastern boundary of Portuguese Bend (the limit of the Corps' DDT testing for the proposed project) and White's Point. It is highly plausible that DDT levels in the sediments downcoast of Portuguese Bend approaching White's Point are the same or even higher due to proximity to White's Point. It is also likely that contaminants in this downcoast area are buried deeper in the sediments than in the 11 USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 62 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Portuguese Bend area because sediments in the Portuguese Bend area are subjected to a high Aki level of mixing from the landslide activity. This latter point is consistent with the Corps' data from surveys in the Portuguese Bend portion of the study area. Because the purpose of the proposed project is to reduce sediment eroding from the Portuguese Bend shoreline thereby facilitating the movement of large quantities of sediment off the rocky substrate, it is likely that DDT that is currently buried will be re-exposed. The potential level of impact cannot be assessed until the level of DDT in all areas that may be subject to re-exposure is known. Dredging and proper disposal of sediments from the nearshore area of Portuguese Bend would likely result in beneficial impacts to biological resources. Some of the DDE buried in sediments in the Portuguese Bend area may already be bioavailable due to sediment mixing from landslide activity and bioturbation. Removal of these sediments will reduce the potential for increased bioavailability of DDT in the area following construction of the proposed project. The proposed project will reduce turbidity in nearshore and downcoast areas thereby improving habitat conditions for many species of algae,plants, and animals. However, the extent to which turbidity will be reduced is unclear. The Corps' design criteria is to reduce "excess turbidity and sedimentation from the landslide material"to "the normal [pre- landslide] level". The water in the study area may or may not have been less turbid in the pre-slide condition than they are now. Pre-landslide turbidity was caused primarily by flocculent waste discharged from White's Point. We were unable to find any turbidity measurements taken in the study area prior to 1956. Therefore, the biological benefits 1110 associated with a change in turbidity to the pre-landslide level cannot be determined until the difference between current conditions and the target"normal" or pre-landslide turbidity is determined. All restoration projects should have "performance criteria"against which success or failure of the restoration effort is assessed. These performance criteria are usually in the form of quantitative characters that can be measured repeatedly within a specified level of confidence. The proposed project does not specify performance criteria nor provide for a monitoring plan to track the success/failure of the restoration effort. Rather, the proposed project provides for an action, the building of a dike, and then assumes that the restoration will occur naturally. Without explicit performance criteria, a monitoring plan, and a contingency plan of action in case the"natural"process of recovery does not occur within specified time frames, the biological benefits that may be associated with the project are unquantifiable at best, will be unverifiable after project implementation, and have no assurances of every being attained. Terrestrial Indirect impacts to terrestrial species could occur if the proposed project affects the stability of the Portuguese Bend landslide. If the stability of the Portuguese Bend landslide is USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 63 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project increased due to a reduction in wave erosion at the toe of the landslide, terrestrial species • could benefit to the extent that habitat conditions improve. However, the local sponsor for the proposed project, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, has planned development in the Portuguese Bend landslide area once the landslide is stabilized. Urban development in the landslide area could have significant negative impacts on listed species and limit the options available to the City of Rancho Palos Verdes to meet its goals under the Natural Communities Conservation Program. Much of the terrestrial habitat in the study area has not been surveyed for listed and/or sensitive species. Based on known ranges, distributions, and a limited number of surveys, several federally listed and sensitive species could occur within the study area. If it is determined that the proposed project may have an effect on the stability of the landslide, then the study area should be expanded to include the entire landslide area. In other words, it should be expanded to include all areas where impacts from the proposed project or action could reasonably be expected to occur. Other indirect impacts to terrestrial species could result from construction noise and activities and project maintenance. Without knowing how or at what time of year the proposed dike would be constructed, it is difficult to assess what kind of impacts may be associated with construction activities. However, construction activities and construction related noise near the ends of the dike in particular have to the potential to flush birds from nests and/or preclude nesting altogether in adjacent habitats. Without a more complete project description and/or without surveys for listed and sensitive terrestrial species in these areas, the magnitude of these potential impacts cannot be assessed. Maintenance of the proposed project could impact biological resources in several ways. First, if the maintenance is conducted using barges to transport sediments, then the barges and tug boats would need to establish a travel path through the kelp beds that the Corps expects to be restored. The reduction of kelp due to barge traffic for the estimated 180 day maintenance period could have a temporary negative impact on fish populations in the area. Also, if the maintenance is conducted using truck transport, then impacts similar to those described for the mainland quarry and trucking option for dike construction could occur. However, the magnitude of these impacts could be much greater because project maintenance would require an estimated 50,000 truck trips, or about 278 truck trips per day, whereas dike construction would only require an estimated 13,225 truck trips. Growth Inducement The proposed project could be growth facilitating due to increased stabilization of the Portuguese Bend landslide and the subsequent lifting of the moratorium that currently prevents development in the landslide area. Development of the Portuguese Band landslide area could have significant negative impacts on federally endangered species and be a significant hindrance to ongoing planning efforts by the California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and City of Rancho Palos Verdes under the Natural • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 64 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Communities Conservation Program(NCCP). To understand how the proposed project could be growth accommodating, a quick review of the relationship between the proposed • 414 project and the landslide, and the Corps' position on the relationship between the two is provided below. In the Reconnaissance Study for the proposed project, the Corps stated the following while discussing a containment dike alternative: "The soil mass would accrete within the confined basin and offer some measure of landslide toe stabilization, as well as provide a barrier to wave and tide action, sediment transport, and subsequent marine impact" (Corps 1992). It is also stated that"A direct relationship exists between shoreline erosion from severe storm events/continuous wave erosion, and land mass instability at the landslide toe/slide plane". Further, in the Initial Project Management Plan(Corps 1993)the Corps states: "As the land mass advances seaward from the driving forces, storm waves and tides erode the landslide material at the toe. In the Portuguese Bend area,erosion in the vicinity of the postulated toe of the landslide may affect any long-term stability of the debris slope. If undisturbed, it may provide stabilization to the landslide by counteracting the landslide's driving force"; and that "The City geologist believes that the ongoing erosion of the bluff at the shoreline is keeping the landslide from full stabilization". Clearly, the Corps and the local sponsor expected that a project which reduced shoreline erosion in the Portuguese Bend area could increase (by an unquantified amount) the stability 1110 of the landslide. The purpose of the currently proposed project is to reduce wave and tide action and erosion along the shoreline at the base of the Portuguese Bend landslide. However, in the Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed project (60 FR15750), the Corps has taken the position that it"will not develop Corps position whether the landslide stabilizing, t ili,. based on is JLAU111G111�', or is expected to stabilize, On shore protection." Therefore, any impacts the proposed project may have on the landslide, or biological resources that would be affected by resulting changes in landslide stability, are not being evaluated or addressed by the Corps. In the Initial Project Management Plan, the Corps also states that"The City of Rancho Palos Verdes, however, has made plans for expansion of public recreation and more intensive use of the public areas below Rancho Palos Verdes Drive South at Abalone Cove and Portuguese Bend, as the earth movement rates decrease and the coastal areas become more stable". The area below Rancho Palos Verdes Drive South is within the Corps' currently define study area for the proposed project,but has not been surveyed for State and Federal listed and sensitive species. Increased stability of the landslide could also facilitate development above Palos Verdes Drive South. These areas, which are currently under a development moratorium, would be open to development if landslide stability is achieved. Development in the upper portions of USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 65 • RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project the landslide could preclude options for conserving biological resources via the NCCP planning process. The Corps has not included these areas in their study area or considered potential effects of the proposed project on the NCCP process. The proposed project is growth facilitating to the extent that it increases the stability, or improves the effectiveness of other efforts to increase the stability, of the Portuguese Bend landslide. The biological impacts associated with the resulting growth cannot be assessed until an analysis of the impacts of the proposed project on landslide stability is completed. Biological impacts could range from no significant impacts to extirpation of several federally listed species from the Palos Verdes Peninsula. EVALUATION OF METHOD USED FOR CALCULATION OF HABITAT VALUES We have several concerns about the assumptions, calculations, and interpretations used in the VRG method and the modified HEP analysis conducted by the Corps. The VRG method is a model that uses fish density, fidelity, and mean size to generate a metric that can purportedly be used as a measure of value of marine habitats. The Corps then used the results of this model to assess the with- and without-project habitat values within, and beyond, the study area designated for the proposed project. We solicited independent review of the VRG method by the government's leading authorities on ecological modeling and HEP analysis at the U.S.G.S. Biological Resources Division's Midcontinent Ecological Science Center. This review was conducted by ecologists, bio- • statisticians, and HEP specialists (Appendix 1). Theircomments are consistent with the concerns that we have expressed throughout the coordination process for the proposed project. Our specific concerns are as follows: 1) In a standard HEP procedure, and in the Habitat Suitability Indices upon which the HEP is developed,the habitat values are always determined relative to their suitability to a given species, suite of species, or ecological community. The VRG method explicitly identifies the result as a measure of overall habitat value, not specific to any one group or suite of species (e.g. halibut, algae, rock reef community). The stated utility of the VRG method is for comparisons of the value of dissimilar habitats. However, we understand that different species, taxonomic and ecological groups, have different, often conflicting, habitat requirements. Therefore, any measure of habitat value must identify specifically what species, group, or biological community it refers to. The VRG method does not. The approach of the VRG method suggests that the value of marine habitats would increase worldwide if all habitats were converted to the single habitat type identified by the model as the most valuable. Such an approach lacks regard for the inherent value of habitat diversity, patch dynamics and juxtaposition, and the role of different habitat types in different life stages of some species. • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 66 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project 2) The VRG method identifies 5 groups of organisms that could be used to generate a • measure of habitat quality: plankton, infaunal organisms;macroalgae, macroinvertebrates, and fishes. However, only uses measures of fish density, fidelity, and mean size to calculate habitat value. It is unclear why fish are deemed to be representative of the"value"of all 5 taxonomic groups and/or why these three specific measures were chosen. Clearly the selection of measures to be used in the model, along with the methods used to collect that data, will predetermine which habitat types have higher habitat value. For example, if we use plankton, the base of the food chain for many marine organisms, and sample by midwater plankton tow nets, the VRG method would result in sites with open water being more valuable than sites with rocky reefs and kelp forests where sampling is limited. Likewise, the use of infaunal organisms would favor habitats with soft bottoms and disfavor habitats with hard, or rocky substrates. 3)The differences in habitat value assessed by the VRG method for Palos Verdes Point and Portuguese Bend sites are driven by the results of two sampling methods: diver transects, and canopy transects. Diver transects are the most subjective sampling method used and are biased by the differing water clarity and subsequent fish detectability between the two sites. For example, if the water clarity at the Portuguese Bend site was half of that at the Palos Verdes Point site, the resulting survey area(which is actually a volume)would be reduced by 75 percent. For this project, the survey was conducted by divers swimming a 50 meter transect and recording all fish observed within 2 m. The author of the model reported that water clarity near Palos Verdes Point is usually in excess of 2 m whereas the water clarity near Portuguese Bend is usually 0.3 m (1 foot) or less (Pondella pers. comm.). Using these estimates of water clarity, the resulting survey area at Palos Verdes Point would be 97 times • larger than the survey area at Portuguese Bend. In addition, because most fish observed during diver transects are fish moving out of the divers path, and because they are usually observed near the outer margins of the survey boundary, fewer fish would be expected to be detected as the margins are reduced. Also,because predator(survey diver) evasion behavior is different between fish occupying rock reefs, whereby fish move into the reef for protection but are still visible, and open sandy habitats, whereby fish flee into surrounding waters and out of view, fewer fish would be expected to be detected on the surveys in open sandy habitats off Portuguese Bend. Finally, the home range of fish along rock reefs is typically much smaller than fish occupying open water habitats. Therefore, fish with small home ranges on rocky reefs will be observed every visit and the fidelity measure will be relatively high: On the contrary, a sample taken in a small portion of an open water fishes home range will result in a relatively low fidelity estimate. Therefore, there is a scale problem in the diver transect sampling method that would bias the fidelity estimates toward rock reef habitat (e.g., Palos Verdes Point). In summary,based on the methodology used to collect the diver transect data, the results for diver transects off Portuguese Bend should be corrected by a factor of at least 4, and probably much, much more. The canopy transects were conducted off Palos Verdes Point but not off Portuguese Bend due to the lack of kelp at the latter site. This creates an inherent bias toward sites with kelp beds and in fact accounts for 50% of the difference in habitat value between the two sites. To USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 67 411: RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project further the problem, the kelp canopy survey data"were weighted in accordance with their contribution to an idealized reef face- e.g., the 3 m canopy transect was weighted by 3 and the 6 m transect was weighted by 2" (Bond et al.). Why should the data be inflated to simulate a rock reef? The authors of the VRG method went to great lengths to explain that the three main parameters in the model were not weighted because they wanted to avoid introducing biases. The indiscriminate weighting of the most influential piece of data in the model clearly presents a bias. 4) The VRG method explicitly identifies the result as a measure of overall habitat value, not specific to any one group or suite of species (e.g., halibut, algae, rock reef community) that can be used to compare dissimilar habitat types. In just such a comparison, the method's authors assert that the habitat value of the rock reef habitat off Palos Verdes Point is 1.5 times that of a coastal estuary, upper Newport Bay(Bond et al.). These results suggest that the loss of a coastal estuary could be offset, in terms of habitat value,by creating offshore rock reef habitat at a ratio of 0.75:1. The reason for such a low ratio is because the VRG method only uses three parameters, all measures of fish, as input and is inadequate at capturing all of the functions and value of a coastal estuary. Although the sandy bottom habitats off Portuguese Bend are not as different from Palos Verdes Point as is a coastal wetland, there is still a difference between the communities at the two sites that is not captured in the model or in the resulting assessment of habitat value. 5) There are several mathematical errors in the VRG method and HEP analysis. For • example,the re-sampling technique used to generate confidence intervals for the model is inappropriate, and the multiplication of the habitat values by the area to be restored to attain an overall value is inappropriate due to the area dependency of the calculated habitat values. This latter error was recognized by the author of the VRG method but still used in the Corps' analysis. These deficiencies are elaborated on further in the comments from the Midcontinent Ecological Science Center(Appendix 1). 6) The HEP analysis conducted by the Corps makes an assumption that if rocky substrate is available, kelp beds will flourish and the fish community will be identical in abundance, fidelity, and mean fish size, to the one found at Palos Verdes Point. The proposed project would only indirectly alter substrate and turbidity, the habitat factors which should serve as the basis for a HEP analysis. Yet the VRG method does not measure habitat at all, it uses measures of the fish community. The VRG method assumes that if fish are present habitat is optimal, yet no measurements of habitat are taken. Therefore, for the Corps' HEP analysis, the assumption has been made that if/when rock habitat is uncovered in the study area, it will be capable of supporting the same community that occurs at Palos Verdes Point. There is no information to support this. The size and composition of a rock reef community depends on many factors including the physical structure of the reef and its juxtaposition with patches of sandy habitats. These factors were never measured nor do they appear as target values for the restoration effort. The VRG method does not measure the variables that the Corps' proposed project might alter. • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 68 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project SUMMARY The Corps has conducted a Feasibility Study to examine the potential for reducing shoreline erosion, sedimentation, and turbidity, for the purpose of environmental restoration along the coast of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes,Los Angeles County, California. The feasibility study identifies the preferred alternative as a containment dike that is approximately 61 m (200 ft) from the mean high water line to the structures landward toe extending along approximately 853 m (2800 ft) of shoreline. The containment dike is designed to prevent or significantly reduce the landslide sedimentation potential to the downcoast beaches. The goal of the proposed project is to restore and improve the biological conditions of marine habitats off Portuguese Bend. The Corps defined the study area for the potential project based on jurisdictional boundaries and an arbitrary line offshore. However, several studies and aerial photographs provided by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes show that sediments eroding from the Portuguese Bend portion of the study area are being transported far beyond the boundaries defined by the Corps and are affecting the biological environment both directly and indirectly. The Corps accounted for this by claiming benefits beyond the study area boundaries due to a projected reduction in sedimentation and turbidity,but did not conduct studies in these area to determine the potential for negative impacts. The literature clearly shows that shoreline erosion was not a significant factor in the decline of kelp beds along the Palos Verdes coastline during the first half of this century. In fact, the kelp beds have been recovering naturally despite the increase in erosion and sedimentation • from the Portuguese Bend landslide. Further, in the year following the largest storm event and shoreline erosion recorded in the study area, the kelp beds flourished. Therefore, the role of shoreline erosion in the overall decline of the kelp beds along the Palos Verdes Peninsula was minimal. Subsequently, the potential for environmental restoration in the study area by the single action of reducing shoreline erosion is unsupported For 35 years, DDT and PCB contaminated effluent was dumped offshore the Palos Verdes Peninsula at White's Point. The contaminated effluent was distributed across several square kilometers inside and outside the Corps' defined study area. The bioavailability of DDT in this area was responsible for the decline of several federally endangered species, and continues to hinder recovery efforts of those species. Although the contaminated sediments have been carried throughout the study area by currents, much of it remains buried beneath relatively clean sediments eroded from the Palos Verdes shoreline. Therefore, if the amount of sediment eroding from the Palos Verdes Peninsula shoreline is significantly reduced, the DDT contaminated sediments within the area affected by shoreline sediments (an area that has not been defined by the Corps)will be re-exposed and the DDT will become bioavailable. It should be noted that there are a few areas within the study area where DDT is currently near or at the surface due to sediment mixing, and may therefore already be bioavailable. The Corps has not tested sediments in 70 percent of the area for which benefits are being claimed because these areas fall outside the Corps' defined study area. USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 69 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project Much of the terrestrial habitat in the study area has not been surveyed for listed and/or 411 sensitive species. Based on known ranges, distributions, and a limited number of surveys, several federally listed and sensitive species are expected to occur within the study area. The surveys have not been conducted because the Corps has made the determination that the proposed project will not affect terrestrial habitats despite it's statement that it"will not develop Corps position on whether the [Portuguese Bend] landslide is stabilizing, or is expected to stabilize based on shore protection" (60 FR 15750). The Service disagrees with the Corps' determination and believes that because the proposed project was originally introduced by the Corps as a conceptual alternative to stabilize the landslide, it is reasonable to assert that the proposed project may affect the landslide and terrestrial habitats. The biological impacts associated with the resulting growth cannot be assessed until an analysis of the impacts of the proposed project on landslide stability is completed. Other impacts to terrestrial species could result from temporary access roads, haul roads, lay- down areas, and noise during construction and maintenance activities. Without knowing how or at what time of year the proposed dike would be constructed, it is difficult to assess what kind of impacts may be associated with construction and/or maintenance activities. Construction activities and construction related noise near the ends of the dike in particular have the potential to flush birds from nests and/or preclude nesting altogether in adjacent habitats. A mainland source for the construction material (rock)would require approximately 13,225 truck trips and may require the construction of temporary access roads, haul roads, and lay-down areas. The estimated once every 20 year maintenance activity of 50,000 truck trips across a 180 day period may also require temporary access roads, haul 40 roads, and lay-down areas. Potential impacts associated with road upgrades, new access roads, lay-down areas, and noise include the direct loss of sensitive habitats (such as coastal sage scrub) and direct and indirect impacts to the federally endangered California gnatcatcher, Palos Verdes blue butterfly, and others for which surveys have not been conducted. Without a more complete project description and/or without surveys for listed and sensitive terrestrial species in the study area for the proposed project, the magnitude of these potential impacts cannot be assessed. The sediment surveys commissioned by the Corps for the proposed project(Sadd and Davis 1996) concluded that only the top 1 m of sediment was contributed by recent (post 1956) shoreline erosion. However, the Corps contends that by stopping or reducing the sediment input from the Portuguese Bend landslide, all of the existing sediment will be scoured away by natural processes. If the project reduction in sediment input is to the pre-landslide condition, then it is unclear how the scour process is different today such that it would scour away sediment that was not scoured away under the"natural"pre-slide conditions. The goal of the proposed project is restoration, but any restoration that occurs would be an indirect result of the Corps action. The proposed project does not guarantee this indirect result. The proposed project also fails to establish any performance criteria or monitoring plan for determining the success or failure of the project. These three elements, guaranteed results, performance criteria, and a monitoring plan, are key elements to the success of all • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 70 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project restoration efforts approved by the Service. Without explicit performance criteria, a • monitoring plan, and a contingency plan of action in case the"natural"process of recovery •' does not occur within specified time frames, the biological benefits that may be associated with the project are unquantifiable at best, will be unverifiable after project implementation, and have no assurances of ever being attained. The Corps used a new method, the VRG method, to determine "biological value"of the study area and beyond for the with- and without-project conditions in a HEP-like model. Both the VRG method and the Corps HEP-like model have several problems including the lack of target species or communities, bias in the sampling methods, the mathematical inappropriateness of using spatially correlated data in the HEP-like analysis, and the conflicting assumptions between the VRG method's input parameters and the output of the HEP-like analysis. We believe that the VRG method is inadequate at assessing an overall "biological value"that can be used in cross-habitat comparisons. In summary, we believe that the Corps has 1) not investigated all potential impacts associated with the proposed project(e,g, landslide stabilization, level of contamination in released sediments), 2) not defined to construction and maintenance method sufficiently to evaluate impacts to terrestrial habitats and species, 3)not conducted surveys for Federal listed and sensitive in the terrestrial portions of the study area, 4) not provided a monitoring plan, performance criteria, or guarantee of restoration success but acknowledges a permanent loss of ten acres of inter- and sub nidal habitats, and 5) utilized a habitat valuation process that is biased towards the target habitat type. The Corps has extrapolated sediment depths and benefits to an area larger than the defined study area without any survey data to support such 411 and extrapolation or determine impacts. The Corps needs to address these issues before any meaningful analysis of biological impacts (positive and negative) can be completed. RECOMMENDATIONS The Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act states that "...wildlife conservation shall receive equal consideration and be coordinated with other features of water-resource development programs through the effectual and harmonious planning, development, maintenance, and coordination of wildlife conservation...". Should the Corps' preferred alternative be implemented, incorporation of the following recommendations would minimally offset project induced losses to fish and wildlife resources and minimize impacts to federally listed and sensitive species. In accordance with the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act,we make the following recommendations to minimize negative impacts to fish and wildlife resources in general, and federally listed and sensitive species in particular. 1) The extent to which materials derived from the Portuguese Bend landslide are covering, or effectively capping, underlying contaminant(primarily DDT and its derivatives) laden sediments has not been fully evaluated. Recent surveys show that USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 71 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project DDT laden sediments are being covered by landslide derived sediments within and at . the edges of the Corps' currently defined study area. The study area, and sediment surveys, should therefore be expanded to encompass the entire area that could reasonably be expected to be affected by the proposed project. This area would include, at a minimum, all areas for which the Corps is claiming benefits due to reduced sedimentation. 2) The Corps has stated that it will not evaluate the impact of its proposed project on the Portuguese Bend landslide. In the absence of a thorough analysis it is unclear a)what impacts the proposed project might have on terrestrial species,b) if the Corps currently defined study area includes all terrestrial areas for which impacts could reasonably be expected to occur, and c)what avoidance/minimization measures would be appropriate. hi accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act the Corps should evaluate all of the potential impacts associated with the proposed project including impacts on the Portuguese Bend landslide.- 3) andslide.3) Surveys should be conducted throughout the study area for the federally endangered Lyon's pentachaeta and other sensitive plant species. If it is determined that the proposed project may have a significant effect on the Portuguese Bend landslide, the survey area should be expanded to include the entire landslide area. 4) Surveys should be conducted throughout the study area for the federally endangered Palos Verdes blue butterfly and the El Segundo blue butterfly. If it is determined that IPthe proposed project may have a significant effect on the Portuguese Bend landslide, the survey area should be expanded to include the entire landslide area. 5) Surveys should be conducted throughout the study area for the federally threatened coastal California gnatcatcher. If it is determined that the proposed project may have a significant effect on the Portuguese Bend landslide, the survey area should be expanded to include the entire landslide area. 6) Surveys should be conducted throughout the study area for the federally endangered Pacific pocket mouse and other sensitive small mammal species, including bats. If it is determined that the proposed project may have a significant effect on the Portuguese Bend landslide, the survey area should be expanded to include the entire landslide area. 7) Surveys should be conducted throughout the study area for sensitive reptile species. Based on known ranges and habitat requirements, several federally sensitive reptile species may occur in the study area. 8) The Corps should either modify the VRG method to address the concerns of USGS- BRD ecologists, modelers, and HEP specialist, or abandon the method altogether as the basis for it's HEP-like analysis. If a modified VRG method is used, the Corps should clearly state which species or biological communities are the target for the assessment .1111 USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 72 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project of"value". The Corps should define the term"biological value" that serves as the basis for it's HEP-like analysis. . 9) The Corps should establish performance criteria, monitoring plans, and assurances of success for the restoration effort within the 50-year life of the project. If any of these elements are missing the project could result in a permanent loss of rocky intertidal habitat and fail at accomplishing its restoration objective without any accountability. The development of performance criteria, monitoring plans, and assurances should be coordinated with us, NMFS, and the California Department of Fish and Game prior to project initiation. 10) We recommend that the Corps not submit the proposed project for authorization until the information and determinations outlined above are provided to our agency and we complete our analysis of the potential biological impacts (positive and negative) of your project on fish and terrestrial wildlife resources. • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 73 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project LITERATURE CITED • ACOE. 1971. National Shoreline Study, California Regional Inventory. Report prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. ACOE. 1992. Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills, California(Los Angeles County), Reconnaissance Study, Final Report(rev), May 1992. Report prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. ACOE. 1998. 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Biological Resources Division's Comments on the Vantuna Research Group's Marine Habitat Valuation Method • • USFWS Draft Coordination Act Report,April 1999 101 RPV Shoreline Stabilization/Environmental Restoration Project United States Department of the Interior • =444- ificH 3 '" U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Midcontinent Ecological Silence Center 4512 McMurry Avenue Fort Collins,CO 80525-3400 March 18, 1998 In Reply Refer To: 82020 OCD:703.05 Mr. John R.Hanlon Chief,Branch of Federal Projects U. S.Fish and Wildlife Service Carlsbad Field Office-Ecological Services 2730 Loker Avenue West Carlsbad, California 92008 Dear Mr.Hanlon: In response to your memorandum of 02/11/98,I asked Dr.Richard Stiehl to coordinate a review of the Habitat Valuation Model by several Center staff members. Overall,I believe the model is a reasonable approach to modeling the marine habitats in your area,but all of the • reviewers had some questions about it. One thread that seems to cross our comments is the objectives for the model. The model may be a useful tool if a measure of biodiversity(which the model derives from density, diversity and mean size)is useful for decision making. Even if it is a meaningful measure for decision making, there are different scales at which biodiversity can be measured.The model attempts to characterize biodiversity on a small,patch basis,and does not deal with biodiversity on a larger,cross-habitat scale. Of course,measures of diversity treat all species as being of equal importance for decision making,but this may not be the case in your area. For example, if management priorities in your area focus on rare species,then a measure of biodiversity may not be meaningful. Another thread in our comments is the argument that the model is totally objective,and is based on no arbitrary decisions. However,all models include such a bias,especially where there is an attempt to put a numerical score on dissimilar habitats. Our reviewers identified several arbitrary and subjective decisions that the authors make in developing the model. All models have some subjective choices involved with development,but one should strive to keep these choices to a minimum end provide logical support for the choices that are made. The following pages have specific comments from each reviewer. If Dr. Stiehl can provide any additional assistance,please contact me. Sincerely, 9Q • • Rey C. Stendell Director Enclosures Comments of Richard Stiehl-HEP specialist and Avian Ecologist Pg. 3) The authors must justify why the"fish assemblage is a good indicator of the health of the entire community". What aspect of the fish accembiage do the authors consider"good"? Why do the authors consider this aspect (or these aspects)"good". Could other aspects also be indicators of the health of the entire community? What is"health"and how is it measured? The limits of"the entire community"needs to be established. Pg. 12) The desire to have the three parameters contribute equally to the final estimate of habitat value assumes that the three parameters are biologically equal in value. The authors must defend their desire,otherwise one might combine the three parameters with the first parameter having a weighting of ten times the second parameter having ten times the third parameter because'we wished the parameters to contribute this way'. Why should these three parameters be considered any more than any other group of parameters? The authors must defend their choices and respective contributions based on biology and a measure of how close the choices and respective contributions reflect truth. Pg. 19) How is this new method of habitat valuation consistent with earlier approaches? I think the authors mean that the values of their approach are similar to the BEST technique. The authors claim that their measure"does track the changing trends in fish abundance",yet Figure 11 displays `Total Fish Density",not abundance. Further,figure 11 shows that their measure has correlated tracking in five out of nine years. Where is it stated that fish abundance(or density),regardless of species,is an accurate measure of`value"? Pg. 22) • The authors state that the use of different survey techniques make it difficult to obtain a precise estimate of the m-�abn-u�1,�of the'ifference but (Figure suggest11) that their method is correlated with trawl data and iivcr trancertc. I do not understand how an underestimation of 50%to 85%is"roughly the same order of magnitude as is 30% VI S(1 i,nAt ractimatinn Pg. 24) The authors state that since the density of fish from open coast shallow sand(54 fish per 1000m2)is identical to cobble lacking kelp(52 fish per 1000m2),the nature of the substrate has a minimal influence on habitat quality. If the species comprising each community were identical,and all other environmental parameters were identical,and the only ecological difference between the two communities was the type of substrate,then such a conclusion could be made. I think it more probable that several environmental factors are different, and that the relatively similar densities of fish is a coincidence. To assert any type of relationship, let alone a cause and effect relationship is not advisable when all other parameters are not held constant. Comments of Brian Cade-Biostatistician • Pg. 2) It is untrue that HSI models"are not amenable to cross-habitat comparisons". Pg. 13) The authors state that the distribution product of the three parameters has the`undesirable consequence of emphasizing abundance at the expense of ecological diversity".For whom is this `undesirable'? Why was a density greater than five fish per hectare chosen as a cut off? What measure is obtained when the number of guilds with a density of greater than five fish per hectare is determined? Why do the authors want a single measure based on density,fidelity,and size of fish guilds to correlate with the number of fish guilds? Pg. 15) I do not see a confidence limit spanning 18%of the mean in Fig 11. Table I states that 1000 replications are used for jackknife estimates of CI. This appears to be bootstrapping, as jackknifing only uses n replicates. Pg. 16) The authors conclude that the"two comparisons provide a substantial assurance of the legitimacy for inference based on the jackknife analysis". The comparisons do not provide any assurance. If some assurance that the • CI's are reasonable is desired, the authors need to do simulation studies where truth is controlled. Simulations with multiple truths provide the best method of assessing whether CI will provide correct coverage given a real data set with unknown truth. Is the analysis a jackknife analysis or a bootstrap analysis? Pg. 18) The authors claim that"the results of the resampling suggest that the guild-based method of habitat valuation is robust and efficient". The results do not suggest that. The authors claim that the method is"relatively objective",but the authors have made very subjective decisions about how the three measures are combined into one measure. To be objective,the authors must either use commonly accepted combination methods or justify the combination approach they used. Comments of Adrian Farmer-Avian Ecologist and Modeler The habitat quality index(based on density, diversity and mean size) may be dependent on two spatial factors that are not considered in the model. These are:juxtaposition to other habitat types;and scale. Of the two spatial factors,patch size is problematic if the model is intended to provide the quality(HSI) index in HEP to produce HUs. The computation of HUs as a product of quality and area is not meaningful if quality is dependent on area. This model would not be useful for performing impact assessments unless the list of habitat types addressed is exhaustive and can be used to characterize all conditions one is likely to encounter in the future, with and • without the project(i.e.,every point in space belongs to one habitat type or another, and there is no variation within a habitat type). The paper does not state this,but this is an assumption that should be stated clearly, and early in the paper. Comments of Jim Ter reii-Aquatic r cuiugisi anti Modeler The basic idea is sound: use data on fish species compo tion and relative abundance to develop a community . metric for individual habitat types. Whether or not this(or any other)population based metric represents"habitat value"depends solely on the point of view of the person asking the question. The authors claim they have a robust,objective technique. "Objective" is a misnomer. Numerous,very subjective, decisions had to be made to select the various data manipulation and aggregation techniques used to develop the index. The method is replicable;that does not make it"objective." There is nothing objective about saying(p 13) that it is "undesirable" to emphasize abundance at the expense of diversity. The "desirability" of such characteristics are human values that depend on the proposed use of the index.It has very little to do with biology and could just as cagily be replaced by a goal to emphasize abundance of a species championed by a very powerful pout-it-al lobby. Providing an index with (or without)cnrh ,.hara t rictir.c is driven by the intunrip4 o„nli otin„ t................ ..J. ........._.b....... .... �... ...........�........ .. .............,......,........w..,J ......... .s...a.t.t.uwuvu. The method is not"fairly free of subjective bias" (p. 27), rather it is a mathematical formulation of an index designed to meet subjective goals.Equitably rating"diversity"and"abundance"is a subjective goal,accomplishing it through a square root transformation,(or a cube root transformation for that matter)does not yield an objective index;there is no universal truth against which the results can be compared. The transformation simply provides a replicable description of the bias. There is no need to waste time selling the method as"objective." If potential users of the method are willing to trade off habitats at the ratios suggested by the habitat type scores, then fine. However,based on my past experiences with environmental planners looking for HEP and HSI models (which the authors erroneously claim are incapable of making cross habitat comparisons)to get them off the hook in the inherently subjective problem of cross habitat tradeoffs,objections will be raised by certain interest groups that the values provided by this rating system are"biased"because they do not meet their needs. The best way to insure that the system will be used in t e rim ciision making Ycepross is to be tip p front abut what it rhos not add esss_ "b One rating system does not have to provide all of the answers. . . • Los Angeles District's preliminary response to the Draft Coordination Act Report The Los Angeles District (LAD) of the Corps disagrees with several of the fundamental conclusions drawn and recommendations made in this Draft Coordination Act Report. One specific fundamental problem the District has is that throughout the Report, the Service appears to use the terms "Palos Verdes Peninsula" and "Portuguese Bend" as interchangeable. In several areas the Service cites the recovery of kelp along the Peninsula's shoreline as evidence that sedimentation and turbidity is not affecting kelp recovery anywhere-which would include Portuguese Bend. The fact that kelp existed in Portuguese Bend (see Wilson et al. 1980:84 and North 1983:150) but does not today is never directly addressed relative to events known to occur specifically in Portuguese Bend (as opposed to the entire Peninsula). Further, it appears that the Service has selectively ignored or omitted several reports that specifically cite sedimentation and turbidity as the suspected reason for the absence of kelp in Portuguese Bend. Those reports are: Wilson et al. 1980:85 & 90; Pondella and Stephens 1998; Stephens 1990: pg. C-2-1: Pondella et al. 1996:61; all are reports which the Service has used to cited as support of other arguments made in the Draft CAR. Disregarding or ignoring the observations of Dr. John Stephens and Dan Pondella, both of who have extensively surveyed the study area and published in peer- reviewed marine scientific journals for many years, flies in the face of an unbiased, objective analysis. The Service's repeated claim that deposition from the Portuguese Bend landslide (which is estimated as some 146,000 cubic yards of sediment per year) has no effect on marine plants that • requires hard rock as a substrate is difficult to fathom. As to the 6 points the Service recommends that the LAD needs to provide before the Service can comply with the Fish & Wildlife Coordination Act (see pg. iii of the Draft CAR), only the 6th point will be elaborated upon. The responses to the other five are as follows: 1) The LAD has repeatedly affirmed that the proposed dikes will not affect the Portuguese Bend landslide. In fact the positioning of the dike in the nearshore (or offshore) is recognition that a shoreline structure is expected to be repeatedly overwhelmed by the moving land mass. The proposed dikes will have no effect on the Portuguese Bend landslide. 2) In section 5.6 of the DEIS/EIR, the analysis states why the LAD feels that the existing contaminate levels and bio-availability are not expected to be significantly altered by the proposed action; therefore, determining the level of existing contaminates, from the LAD's perspective, is unnecessary. 3) More details on the construction and maintenance method are provided in section 3.1 of the DEIS/EIR. 4)No terrestrial resources are expected to be affected by the proposed action; therefore, no terrestrial plant or animal surveys are felt necessary to analyze the potential impacts from the proposed action. 5) A Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan will be prepared for this Feasibility Study. The purpose of this Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan will be to provide a mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of the restoration measures implemented in this project and implement adaptive changes, if required to obtain project objectives. The Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan is intended to ascertain whether: the project is functioning as per project objectives; adjustments for unforseen circumstances are needed; and changes to structures or their operation or management techniques are required. As to the 6th point - relative to the habitat valuation method used in this analysis -the following comments are made. The Service's comment questions the habitat valuation method used in the habitat valuation analysis. As the Service is well aware, the decision to use the Vantuna Research Group's (VRG) Habitat Valuation technique was not a unilateral decision made by the LAD alone. The decision to use the VRG methodology for the habitat valuation was the result of a consensus of the opinions of the National Marine Fisheries Service and the California Department of Fish & Game. (Also see Section 3.1 of Appendix C.) The US Fish & Wildlife Service never objected to the use of the methodology, never offered any alternative habitat valuation technique, nor supported the use of this method. The Service always adopted a wait-and-see attitude. The questions raised by the Service relative to the VRG method (pages 66-68 of the Draft CAR) are essentially the same as those that appear in a letter from the US Geological Survey, at the request of the Service, which evaluated the VRG habitat valuation method (see the end of Appendix C). v ZG responded to those comments in a letter(also at the end of Appendix C). The LAD will respond point-by-point to the comments made in the Draft CAR(especially realtive to the habitat valuation methodology), but in the final analysis, the LAD (and CDF&G and NMFS) is comfortable that the VRG method (which was recently published in the Bulletin of Marine Science [Bond et al. 1999]), as it reasonably estimates the existing habitat value of the study area and reasonably predicts what the future habitat value might be with the proposed action. Literature Cited: Bond, A.B., J.S. Stephens, Jr., D.J. Pondella, II, M.J. Allen, and M. Helvey. 1999. A method for estimating marine habitat values based on fish guilds, with comparisons between sites in the Southern California Bight. Bulletin of Marine Science 64:219-242. North, W.J. 1983. The sea urchin problem. pp. 147-162. In. Bascom, W. (ed.) Symposium on the Effects of Waste Disposal on Kelp Communities. Southern Calif. Coastal Water Research Project and the Institute of Marine Resources of the Univ. of Calif. January 24- 25, 1983 at Scripps Inst. of Oceanography. La Jolla, Calif Pondella, D., II, P.Morris, and J. Stephens, Jr. 1996. Marine biological surveys of the coastal zone off the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Prepared for the USACE, L.A. District. July 1996. 85pp. (Provide as Appendix A.) Pondella, D.J. II and J.S. Stephens, Jr. 1998. Habitat Valuation for proposed alternatives 1 and 2 for the Rancho Palos Verdes feasibility study. Developed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. January 1998. (Provided as Appendix C.) Stephens, J.S. 1990. The effect of the Portuguese Bend landslide upon the nearshore biota of Palos Verdes. Technical Appendix C-2. In. The Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills, California Reconnaissance Study. L.A. District Army Corps of Engineers. May 1992. Wilson, K.C., A.J. Mearns, and J.J. Grant. 1980. Changes in kelp forest at Palos Verdes. In. W. Bascom (ed.). Coastal water research project biennial report 1979-1980. So. Calif Coastal Water Research Project. Pages 77-91. Long Beach, CA. • �\\"�1177 ;�'°/� DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY LOS ANGELES DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS P.O.BOX 532711 IQ �` I Vl LOS ANGELES.CALIFORNIA 90053-2325 ..:Y, it Ij Gy J LP T p STATES of•-• October 1, 1999 Office of the Chief Environmental Resources Branch Mr. Ken Berg Field Supervisor U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Carlsbad Field Office 2730 Loker Avenue West Carlsbad, California 92008 Dear Mr. Berg: Enclosed are our comments on the Draft Coordination Act Report (CAR) (dated April 1999) for the Rancho Palos Verdes Feasibility Study in Los Angeles County. The enclosed comments were provided in draft form to Mr. Mark Pavelka at the recent Alternative Formulation Briefing(AFB) conference for this project. Although we realize that coordination is ongoing, we seek(in this manner) to provide formal comments on this project for your consideration. As required by the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, we expect that the views and opinions of the National Marine Fisheries Service and California Department of Fish and Game will also be included in the Final CAR. If you have any questions concerning this, please contact Rey Farve of my staff at (213) 452-3864. Sincerely, 4 Obert E. Ko• in,P.E. hief,Planning p i• Enclosure I • Page 1of4 ENCLOSURE Comments on the Draft Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report for the Rancho Palos Verdes Project-April 1999. 1. These comments on the Draft Coordination Act Report (DCAR) are similar to those provided in the 1997 Planning Aid Report (PAR)prepared for this project. A general comment is that the DCAR uses the terms "Palos Verdes Peninsula" and "Portuguese Bend" almost interchangeably. The CAR should clearly distinguish the two areas, instead, so that the public understands that the Portuguese Bend area is one cove on the Peninsula, that receives heavy sedimentation from the Portuguese Bend landslide. This makes the cove at Portuguese Bend very different from other areas on the Peninsula. 2. Specific comments on the Draft CAR are as follows. a. Page 9, Calculation of Habitat Values, 1st parag. --- states that "....the Corps determined that the use of a standard HEP analysis .... would be inappropriate...". This paragraph should be re-written to clarify that the decision to use the Vantuna Research Group valuation method represented a consensus among the California Department of Fish and Game (CDF&G), • the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the Corps. As written, the reader gets the impression that the Corps unilaterally decided to use the VRG Valuation method, when, in fact, a consensus was reached. b. Page 15, 2nd parag. -- This paragraph discusses the lost of kelp around the Palos Verdes Peninsula. A new, second, paragraph should mention the decline of kelp in the Portuguese Bend Area (the Study's Project Area). It should cite the historic occurrence of kelp in the Portuguese Bend area and the suspected reason for its disappearance and continued absence from Portuguese Bend. References to cite that discuss the suspected reason for the disappearance and/or continued absence of kelp in Portuguese Bend are: Wilson et al. 1980:85 & 90; Stephens 1990: pg. C-2-1: PondelIa et al. 1996:61;Pondella and Stephens 1998;Bond et al. 1999:232. c. Page 17, 3rd parag. -- This paragraph states that it is "unlikely" that Portuguese Bend landslide material has been a significant contributor to the decline and eventual loss of kelp along the shoreline. This statement directly contradicts the references cited in 2.b, above. Even though this seems to be the Service's "official" position, the CAR should, to be objective, acknowledge that others have the opposite opinion of the cause of the decline and/or the continued absence of the historic kelp forest from Portuguese Bend (as opposed, to the entire Palos Verdes Peninsula). d. Page 17, 4th parag., 1st sentence --the "(ACOE 1992)" citation would be better cited as Stephens (1990). (See literature cited at the end of these comments) 40 • Page 2 of 4 e. ---, 2nd sentence -- I assume that the quote in the 2nd sentence is from Stephens (1990) (as cited in 2.d, above). If it is, the page number should be a part of the citation (e.g., Stephens 1990:C-X-X), as is typically done for direct quotes). I could not find this quote in Stephens 1990 and I suspect that it has been taken out of context because it contradicts the conclusions of Stephens (1990). As to the Vantuna Research Group's (and Dr. Stephen's) assessment of the negative effects of sedimentation on the marine biological community of Portuguese Bend - they are clearly stated at Stephens (1990:C-2-20 and C-2-23) and Pondella et al. (1996:61 and 62). f. Page 20, 2nd parag., last sentence--the statement that "Reducing ... sediment deposition from the Portuguese Bend landslide were not identified as important factors in kelp recovery effort" may be true for the references cited in this paragraph (which, in general, relate to the decline of kelp in the entire Peninsula). It is untrue, however,if you consider the references cited in 2.b, above, which specifically discuss the decline and continued absence of kelp in the Portuguese Bend area (and not the entire Peninsula). g. Page 22, 3rd parag. -- this paragraph discusses the effect of sediment on kelp in the entire Peninsula. These is no reference made to what is occurring in the site-specific Portuguese Bend area. h. Page 22, last parag. --In this paragraph reference should be made to the fact that a 411)kelp stand was reported in the nearshore area where the gabions were constructed (see Stephens 1990:C-2-18). This relates directly to the analysis of beneficial impacts relative to the proposed project in that it helps identify the possible negative impact turbidity and sedimentation are having on marine flora (especially kelp) in Portuguese Bend, and supports the likelihood that reducing turbidity and sedimentation could lead to a return of kelp. i. Page 27, last parag. -- it would help the reader if the DDE levels were put in the context that the DDE levels found in Portuguese Bend are similar to DDE levels found throughout the Santa Monica Bay. j. Page 28, 3rd parag. -- this paragraph suggests that because kelp can grow in a usually turbid area, turbidity does not effect kelp growth. There may be (and probably are) a number of other reasons why turbidity is not negatively affecting the growth of adult plants in that location (e.g., turbidity may be low during certain critical periods of gametophyte development). This, of course, says nothing about the quality of the kelp or the kelp forest community in turbid waters when compared to its quality in clear waters. There appears to be little support in this paragraph for referring to the kelp beds down current of Portuguese Bend as "healthy". k. Page 38, 2nd parag. -- add the statement- "More kinds (species) of fish are present at Palos Verdes Point and Abalone Cove than Portuguese Bend." 1. Page 65, 4th parag., 1st sentence-- delete "the Corps" from this sentence; the Corps • Page 3 of 4 • • does not expect that any alternative considered in this project will have any effect on the stability of the landslide. (Also see parag. 3.b, below.) m. Page 66, 2nd parag., 2nd sentence--the VRG method should be cited as Bond et al. (1999) at the end of the sentence. 3. The Corps' responses to the RECOMMENDATIONS identified on pages 71-73 area as follows. a. Recommendation 1 - There is no evidence that landslide material is covering or "capping" underlying contaminated laden sediment in the nearshore environment. The results presented in Sadd and Davis (1996: Tables 5 and 6) show DDE in all layers of sediment and identify heavy metals mostly in the upper layers. Sadd and Davis' (1996: 12, 22, and 24) results indicate that the nearshore sediment is not a static entity, but rather experiences much mixing by waves and organisms. Since the contaminants in nearshore sediment are already available to marine biological organisms without-the-project, expanded sediment surveys are not expected to provide any new insight relative to with-project impacts. b. Recommendation 2 -- The District has continuously affirmed to USFWS and other interests, to include information in the Draft EIS/EIR, that the proposed dike will not affect the • Portuguese Bend landslide. In fact, the dike is positioned in the nearshore (or offshore) in explicit recognition that any shoreline structure is expected to be repeatedly damaged by the moving land mass. The proposed dike and the buildup of landslide material behind the dike will not change the conditions that would reduce the driving forces or impact on the other causes of the Portuguese Bend landslide. With or without the proposed action, the landslide is expected to continue. c. Recommendation 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 -- The only aspect of the project that may impact terrestrial resources are the use of temporary haul roads during construction and future maintenance. The siting of these temporary roads will be analyzed in the Draft EIS/EIR and will be coordinated with representatives of USFWS, CDFG, NMFS and other interests, as appropriate, to avoid any impacts to the noted species. If necessary, a water-based approach to construction and maintenance can be used to avoid significant adverse impacts. d. Recommendation 8 -- The decision to use the Vantuna Research Group's (VRG) Habitat Valuation technique was the result of a consensus of the opinions of the National Marine Fisheries Service and the California Department of Fish& Game as explained in Section 3.1 of Appendix C to the Draft EIS/EIR. The US Fish& Wildlife Service attended the meetings in which use of the VRG methodology was proposed for this study, but did not provide any objections at that time. The questions raised by the Service relative to the VRG method as indicated on pages 66-68 of the Draft CAR, are essentially the same as those that appear in a letter from the US Geological Survey, at the request of the Service, which evaluated the VRG habitat valuation method. VRG responded to those comments to clarify and provide additional information to support the methodology. The USGS letter and VRG response are presented in Page 4 of 4 Appendix C to the DEIS/EIR. The Corps will only consider "abandon[ing] the method altogether" if it is now the mutual consensus of all the agencies that agreed to use this methodology in the first place (i.e., CDF&G&NMFS) to abandon it. • f. Recommendation 9 -- The Corps will prepare a Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan for this project. The purpose of this Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan will be to provide a mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of the restoration measures implemented in this project and to implement adaptive changes, if required to obtain project objectives. The Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan is intended to ascertain whether: the project is functioning as per project objectives; adjustments for unforeseen circumstances are needed; and changes to structures or their operation or management techniques are required. In this regard, it is noted that if the sediment deposits do not uncover at a reasonable rate, measures to mechanically remove the deposits by dredging have been addressed in this study and appear to be of a reasonable cost and would not result in any significant adverse impact. g. Recommendation 10 -- The Corps'L.A. District will continue to coordinate with the US Fish and Wildlife Service as part of public review of the draft feasibility report and EIS/EIR to try and resolve their questions and concerns in completing the final Fish and Wildlife Service Coordination Act Report. Their recommendations will be fully considered in reaching a final decision on the recommended action. Literature Cited: Bond, A.B., J.S. Stephens, Jr., D.J. Pondella, II, M.J. Allen, and M. Helvey. 1999. A method for 4 estimating marine habitat values based on fish guilds, with comparisons between sites in the southern California Bight. Buil. of Marine Science 64:219-242. Pondella, D., P.Morris, and J. Stephens, Jr. 1996. Marine biological surveys of the coastal zone off the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Prepared for the USACE, L.A. D1stllll. July 1996.. 85pp. Stephens, J.S. 1990. The effect of the Portuguese Bend landslide upon the nearshore biota of Palos Verdes. Technical Appendix C-2, In. The Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills, California Reconnaissance Study. L.A. District Army Corps of Engineers. May 1992. Stephens, Jr. J., D. Pondella, and P. Morris. 1996. Habitat value determination of the coastal zone off the City of Rancho Palos Verdes based on habitat-specific assemblage data. Prepared for USACE, L.A. District. September 1996. 3Opp. Wilson, K.C., A.J. Mearns, and J.J. Grant. 1980. Changes in kelp forest at Palos Verdes. In. Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Biennial report. 1979-1980. W. Bascom. (ed.)Long Beach, CA. Pages 77-92. • NOTES OF 19 APRIL 2000 MEETING TO DISCUSS VANTUNA RESEARCH GROUP'S HABITAT VALUATION METHOD USED FOR THE RANCHO PALOS VERDES FEASIBILITY STUDY Prepared by Midcontinental Ecological Science Center(MESC) • 0 STRIP REPORT—RANCHOS PALOS VERDES MEETING NMFS,Long Beach, California 19 April 2000 Prepared for The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District by Adrian Farmer, Midcontinent Ecological Science Center (MESC), Ft. Collins, Colorado Background At the request of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), Los Angeles District, I attended a meeting at the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS)Long Beach office to discuss issues that had been raised concerning the habitat assessment performed for the Rancho Palos Verdes project. Those in attendance represented the Los Angeles District, NMFS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Vantuna Research Group of Occidental College. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss various issues that had been raised by MESC staff • and others in earlier reviews of a habitat model developed by NMFS and the Vantuna Research Group. I summarized the principal issues in a two-page handout prepared before the meeting (copy attached). During the meeting we attempted to address each of these issues, although some were discussed in considerably more detail than others. In the following report, I have attempted to summarize the key points of discussion, and decisions that were made during the meeting. Conceptual Issues 1. All in attendance agreed that the model's output was an appropriate measure of habitat suitability. It was recognized, however, that this particular measure (a sum of fish density across 23 guilds)was only one of many possible ways to measure habitat. Other measures (e.g., invertebrate production) might result in a ranking of habitats much different from that obtained by focusing solely on fish abundance. 2. The model seems an appropriate tool for use on the Rancho Palos Verdes project, although for the reasons outline above, it may not be appropriate on future projects where other habitats (e.g., estuaries) species are important for decisionmaking purposes. 3. Given the above qualifications, everyone agreed that the model seemed to rank project habitats in an intuitively correct manner. 111' Model Development/Documentation Issues 1. At my recommendation, these issues were not discussed in much detail. While there are some legitimate technical issues in this subject area, I believed that attempted resolution of these issues would require considerably more time than was available. Furthermore, in my judgement such lengthy discussions would not be productive for this group because these technical issues would likely have minor consequences for the accuracy of the study. 2. Subsequently, the group focused on issues in the next category, which I believed were more important to the study at hand. Application Issues 1. The model's output measure, the sum of fish density across 23 guilds, is conceptually influenced by spatial variables (plot size and juxtaposition of other habitats). One of the model authors, Daniel Pondella, indicates that the 13 calibration sites are about the same size as the proposed project area; thus, he did not believe that plot size was a concern for this particular study. However, there remain some spatial issues that should be resolved prior to any further use of this model on other projects in the future. For example, the authors (Bond et al. 1999, page 237) make a `correction' to the data for the Torrey Pines Reef site because it is much smaller than the other sites and because the predicted value"far exceeds the actual value of the reef." This perceived need to make such a `correction' is direct evidence that spatial variables have not been adequately incorporated into the model. 2. The most important issues, in my judgement, dealt not with the model per se, but instead with assumptions about future habitat conditions in the study area. The model is not based on continuous independent variables. Rather, it is categorical and allows one to describe habitat changes only in terms of the 13 calibration sites. Hence, in performing an impact assessment, one must decide which of the 13 calibration sites is most like the pre- and post- project conditions. In the case of the Palos Verdes project, the pre-project condition is known because fish data have been collected in the study area. The post-project, or future conditions are not known, of course, and the assumption was that the study site would • improve to the level of the best of the 13 calibration sites (i.e., optimal habitat suitability= 1.0). There is uncertainty regarding what this value should be, and I recommended that the team perform a sensitivity analysis; vary the future conditions to identify the range of future conditions within which the project continues to be economically feasible. If this `feasibility' range spans what team members believe to be reasonable values, then this would become a non-issue for the study. 3. Other assumptions subject to uncertainty include the assumed rate with which the habitat conditions will improve following project construction, and the assumed `future-without- project' conditions (the USACE has assumed that conditions will not change in the future without the project, whereas city engineers in the study area have claimed that erosion rates might decline in the future without the project). Rey Farve, USACE, agreed to perform the sensitivity analyses on all these variables and to share the results with others. • S • Use of the VRG Method for Assessment of the Rancho Palos Verdes Project Adrian H. Farmer, USGS, Midcontinent Ecological Science Center, 4512 McMurry Avenue Fort Collins, Colorado 80525. adrian_farmer@usgs.gov Background. This paper was developed for a 19 April meeting organized by the Los Angeles District, Corps of Engineers to discuss the VRG method used for the Rancho Palos Verdes project. I tried to organize previously identified issues into three separate categories in hopes that such categorization would facilitate discussion and help identify follow-up actions and solutions to those issues that are not resolved during the meeting. I tried to include all issues from previous correspondence, but there may be other issues that I failed to include here. Conceptual Issues—Interpretation of the VRG model's output measure. 1. Is the method's output, a sum of density across 23 fish guilds, an appropriate measure of habitat quality? 2. Is this measure of habitat quality appropriate for decisionmaking in general? 3. Is this measure of habitat quality appropriate for decisionmaking on the Rancho Palos Verdes project? 4. Are study participants willing to trade-off habitats at the ratios suggested by the model outputs? • Model Development/Documentation Issues—How well was the VRG method implemented, given that its intended output is an acceptable measure of habitat quality? 1. Why were the three model variables (density, fidelity, and mean size) given equal weight? Is not the decision to give them equal weight just as arbitrary as another decision to give them unequal weight? 2. Authors of the VRG method state that distribution of the product of three variables has the `undesirable consequence of emphasizing abundance at the expense of ecological diversity. For whom is this `undesirable', and in what way is the square root of the product more desirable? 3. Why did the authors want a single measure based on density, fidelity, and mean size to correlate with the number of fish guilds? 4. Are there systematic biases in the data that were used to construct the model such that the model's ranking of habitats is unrealistic? Application Issues—Given that the VRG method is a useful tool for decisionmaking, was it applied properly on the Rancho Palos Verdes Project? 1. The VRG method's output correlates with the number of guilds, but the number of guilds will vary with the size and context of a site. Thus, the number of fish guilds that potentially occur on a site is influenced by factors other than the habitat at the site. . a. Is the `area' of the Palos Verdes site similar in size to the 13 sites on which data were collected to construct the model? b. Is spatial context of the Palos Verdes site similar to the context of the 13 data sites? lir c. Is it appropriate to multiply a measure `area' by a measure of habitat quality that is also a function of area? What is the conceptual meaning of such a product? 2. The VRG method is calibrated to 13 selected habitat types. The method does not incorporate independent habitat variables(other than `habitat type'); thus: a. Is the baseline (`without project') habitat condition of the Palos Verdes site similar to one of the 13 calibration sites? b. Is the expected future habitat of the Palos Verdes site similar to one of the 13 calibration sites? c. Might the habitat condition of the project area, either now or in the future with the proposed project, differ significantly from any of the 13 calibration sites? d. If there are other significant variables, how should they be taken in to account? i •