Recovery Planfor Vernal Pools ofSouthern California
VERNAL POOLSOF
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
RECOVERY PLAN
September1998
U.S. DepartmentoftheInteriorFishandWildlife Service
RegionOne,Portland,Oregon
VERNAL POOLSOF
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
RECOVERY PLAN
Prepared by:
EllenBauder,PhD.
DepartmentofBiology,SanDiego StateUniversity
SanDiego,California
D. AnnKreager
BiologistU.S. Fishand Wildlife Service
CarlsbadField Office
ScottC. McMillan
Departmentof BiologySanDiegoStateUniversity
SanDiego,California
Publishedby:
Region1U.S. FishandWildlife Service
Portland, Oregon
Date:I
Approved:
DISCLAIMER PAGE
Recoveryplansdelineateactionswhich arebelievedto be requiredto recoveror
protectlisted species.Plansarepublishedby theU.S. FishandWildlife Service,
sometimespreparedwith theassistanceof recoveryteams,contractors,State
agencies,andothers. Objectiveswill be attainedandany necessaryfundsmade
available,subjectto budgetaryandotherconstraintsaffectingthepartiesinvolved,
aswell astheneedto addressotherpriorities. Recoveryplansdo notnecessarily
representtheviewsnor theofficial positionsor approvalsof any individualsor
agencies(involvedin theplanformulation),otherthantheU.S. FishandWildlife
Service. Theyrepresenttheofficial positionoftheU.S. FishandWildlife Service
only aftertheyhavebeensignedby theRegionalDirectorasapproved. Approved
recoveryplansaresubjectto modificationasdirectedby newfindings,changesin
speciesstatus,andthecompletionof recoverytasks.
Literature citations should read asfollows:
U.S. FishandWildlife Service. 1998. VernalPoolsof SouthernCalifornia
RecoveryPlan. U.S. FishandWildlife Service,Portland,Oregon. 113+pp.
Additional Copies may be purchasedfrom:
Fishand Wildlife ReferenceService
5430GrosvenorLane.Suite110
Bethesda,Maryland20814
301/492-3421or 1-800-582-3421
Thefeefor thePlanvariesdependingon thenumberof pagesof thePlan.
i
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
TheU. S. FishandWildlife Serviceextendsits appreciationto thenumerous
individualswho,overthecourseofyears,contributedto theconservationof
vernalpooi speciesandthedevelopmentof this plan: Meryl Balko, Tony
Bomkamp,DaveBramlett,CoralieHull Cobb,GeorgeCox, JimDice, Tom Ebert,
WayneFerren,BonnieHendricks,Larry Hendrickson,RobertHolland,Ann
Howald,StaceyHuddleson,PaulaJacks,EdieJacobsen,DawnLawson,Emilie
Luciani, Kim Marsden,BrendaL. McMillan, Tom Oberbauer,CameronPatterson,
LaurenWei,JohnRieger,CarlaScheidlinger,MarieSimovich, FredSproul,
Michael Stroud,andPaulZedler. Furtheracknowledgmentsareextendedto the
variousagenciesandjurisdictionswho havecontributedto thepreservationand
managementofthis specialresource:UnitedStatesArmy Corpsof Engineers,
MarineCorpsBaseCampPendleton,NavalFacilitiesEngineeringCommand,
SouthwestDivision, SanDiegoAssociationofGovernments,California
Departmentof FishandGame,CaliforniaDepartmentofTransportation,District
11, Countiesof SanDiego,Orange,andRiverside,andtheMetropolitanWater
District.
Specialthanksareextendedto FredM. Roberts,Jr., JulieVanderwier,Susan
Wynn for assistanceon thedistributionaland site-specificinformationutilized in
thedevelopmentofthemapsandtables,and the following individualswho
providedvaluablepeerreview: DentonBelk, EllenCypher,Eric Stein,andMarie
Simovich.
ii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE RECOVERY PLANFOR THE VERNAL POOLS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Current SDeciesStatus: This plan addressessix vernalpool speciesthatare
listed asendangeredandone that is proposedfor threatenedstatus: Eryngium
aristulatumvar.parishii (San Diegobutton-celery), Orcuttiacalfornica
(CaliforniaOrcuttgrass),Pogogyneabramsii(SanDiegomesamint), Pogogyne
nudiuscula(Otay mesamint), Riversidefairy shrimp (Streptocephaluswoottoni),
SanDiego fairy shrimp(Branchinectasandiegonensis),andNavarretiafossalis
(spreadingnavarretia).
Pogogyneabramsiiwaslisted asendangeredon September28, 1978. Pogogyne
nudiuscula,Orcuttiaca1~fornica,Eryngiumaristulatum var. parishii, andthe
Riversidefairy shrimpwerelisted asendangeredon August3, 1993. TheSan
Diego fairy shrimpwaslisted asendangeredon February3, 1997. Navarretia
fossaliswasproposedfor listing asthreatenedon December15, 1994.
Historically, SanDiego,vernalpool habitatprobablycoveredno morethan6
percentofthe county,approximately520 squarekilometers(200squaremiles).
Currently levelsestimatealossof vernalpool habitatin theSanDiegoCounty
around95 to 97 percentbecauseofintensivecultivationandurbanization(Bauder
andMcMillan 1998). Lackofhistoricaldataprecludesthesamedepthof analysis
for Los AngelesCounty,RiversideCounty,OrangeCounty, or SanBernardino
Counties,but lossesareconsiderednearlytotal (USFWS 1993). Thecurrent
distributionofpools in northernBajaCalifornia, Mexico,probablycomesmuch
closerto thehistoriccondition(BauderandMcMillan 1998).
Habitat Requirementsand Limiting Factors: Following winterrainstorms,
vernalpools form in depressionsaboveanimpervioussoil layeror layers. Water
evaporatesfrom thesepoolsduring thespringandearlysummer.Vegetation
communitiesassociatedwith adjacentuplandhabitatsthatsurroundthevernal
pools in southernCaliforniaarevalley needlegrassgrassland,annualgrasslands,
coastalsagescrub,maritimesucculentscrub,and chaparral.
iii
Prior to 1945,theprimarythreatsto southernCaliforniavernalpooiswere
grazing.waterimpoundments,and conversionto agriculture. In recentyears,
urbanizationandconstructionof infrastructurehaveresultedin lossesof habitat
estimatedto be ashigh as 97 percent. Urbanizationcandirectly impact pools
througheliminationof thehabitatby soil alteration,vegetationalteration,
alterationsin hydrologicalregimes,andwaterquality. Wherepools remainthe
indirect threatsfrom dumping,trampling,vehicularactivity, runoff, andintrusion
ofnonnativespeciescancauseprofoundchangesin thepool flora.
RecoveryObjective: Thegoalof thisplan is conserveandenhancesouthern
Californiavernalpool ecosystems,with specific emphasison stabilizingand
protectingexistingpopulationsof Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Pogogyne
abramsii,Pogogynenudiuscula,Orcuttia californica, and SanDiegoand
Riversidefairy shrimpso thatthesespeciesmaybe reclassifiedfrom endangered
to threatenedstatus.Thegoalof thisplanfor Navarretiafossalis,currently
proposedfor listing asthreatened,is to ensurethe long-termconservationof this
species.
RecoveryCriteria
:
Reclassificationto threatenedstatusmaybe consideredfor Eryngiumaristulatum
var.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,Pogogynenudiuscula,Orcuttia ca/Wornica;San
DiegoandRiversidefairy shrimp;andthelong-termconservationof Navarretia
fossalis,a speciesproposedasthreatened,will be assuredwhenthefollowing
criteriaaremet:
1. Thefollowing conditionsmustbe metto maintainthecurrentstatusof
Navarretiafossalis,Eryngiumaristulatumvar. parishii, Pogogyne
abramsii,Pogogynenudiuscula,Orcuttia caiWornica, andSanDiegoand
Riversidefairy shrimpin orderto maintaingeneticdiversity and
populationstability of the listed species andothersensitivespecies:
Existing vernalpoolscurrentlyoccupiedby Orcuttiacal~fornica,
Pogogynenudiuscula,andRiversidefairy shrimpandtheirassociated
iv
watersheds should be secured from further loss and degradation in a
configurationthat maintainshabitatfunctionand speciesviability;
Existing vernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedswithin the
Transverse and Los Angeles Basin-Orange Management Areas should be
securedfrom furtherlossanddegradationin aconfigurationthatmaintains
habitatfunctionand speciesviability;
Existing vernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedswithin theSan
Marcosvernalpool complexesthat containNavarretiafossalis,Eryngium
aristulatumvar.parishii, or any othervernalpool species,shouldbe
securedfrom further lossanddegradation.Habitatfunctionsand species
viability for any oftheremainingvernalpoolsandtheirassociated
watersheds within the San Marcos complexes must be ensured;
Existing vernalpoolsandtheir associatedwatershedswithin theRamona
complexes that contain Eryngiumaristulatumvar. parishii, Navarretia
fossalis, SanDiego fairy shrimp,or any othervernalpool species,should
be securedfrom further lossanddegradationin aconfigurationthat
maintains habitat functions and species viability;
Existing vernal pools and their associated watersheds within the Hemet
complexes that contain Navarretiafossalis,and Orcuttia californica, or
any othervernalpoolspecies,shouldbe securedfrom furtherlossand
degradation in a configuration that maintainshabitatfunctionsand species
viability,
Existingvernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedslocatedon Stockpen
soils (Otay Mesa)shouldbe securedfrom furtherlossand degradationin a
configuration that maintains habitat functions and species viability, to
providefor therecoveryof speciesrestrictedto this soil type(i.e.,
Pogogynenudiuscula);and
Remainingvernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedscontainedwithin
thecomplexesidentifiedin Table4 mustbe securedin aconfigurationthat
v
maintainshabitatfunctionandspeciesviability (asdeterminedby
prescribedresearchtasks).
2. Theexistingvernalpoolsand theirassociatedwatershedscontainedwithin
thecomplexesidentified in Table5 aresecuredin aconfigurationthat
maintainshabitatfunctionandspeciesviability (asdeterminedby
recommendedresearch).
3. Securedvernalpoolsareenhancedor restoredsuchthat populationlevels
of existing speciesarestabilizedor increased.
4. Populationtrendsmustbe shownto be stableor increasingfor a minimum
of 10 consecutiveyearsprior to considerationfor reclassification.
Monitoring shouldcontinuefor aperiodof at least10 yearsfollowing
reclassificationto ensurepopulationstability.
Delisting of each of the species is conditional on the downlisting criteria shown
above,improvement(stabilizedor increasingpopulationtrends)at all currently
known sites; restoration, protection, and management of the minimum habitat area
and configuration needed to ensure long-termviability; andestablishinghistoric
but locally extirpated species populations when needed to ensure viability.
Actions Needed
:
1. Conduct surveys and research essential to the conservation of these species.
2. Secure the existing vernal pools and theirassociatedwatersheds.
3. Where necessary reestablish vernalpool habitatto thehistoricalstructure.
4. Manageandmonitor habitatandlisted species.
vi
RecoveryCn~t~ (~1AIOO’s~: someCostsarevet to be dptprniinpd~
Year Need1 Need2 Need3 Need4 Total1999 195 TBD 0 TBD 1952000 175 TBD 0 TBD 1752001 100 TBD 125 50 2752002 100 TBD 75 TBD 1752003 100 TBD 0 TBD 1002004 0 TBD 0 TBD 02005 0 TBD 0 TBD 02006 0 TBD 0 TBD 02007 0 TBD 0 TBD 02008 0 TBD 0 TBD 0
Total Cost: 670 TBD 200 50 920
Dateof Recovery
:
Reclassification of thespeciesto threatenedcould occurasearlyas2007,but the
date of Recovery cannot be determined at this time.
vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DISCLAIMER PAGE 1
11ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
EXECUTIVESUMMARY 111
LIST OFTABLES viii
LIST OF FIGURES viii
I. INTRODUCTION 1
OVERVIEW 1
SPECIESDESCRIPTIONAND STATUS 3
Eryngiumaristulatumvar. parishii 3
Navarretiafossalis 6
Orcuttia caiWornica 7
Pogogyneabramsii 11
Pogogynenudiuscula 14
Branchinectasandiegonensis 16
Streptocephaluswoottoni 17
ECOSYSTEMDESCRIPTION 21
HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS 22
Pool Formation 22
Climate 23
Hydrology,Geomorphology,andWaterQuality 23
Soils 24
VernalPool-like EphemeralPonds 25
POOL FLORA 26
POOL FAUNA 29
Fairy Shrimp 30Insects 32
Amphibians . . 33
viii
Reptiles 34
Birds 34
Mammals 35
POOLSPECIES ASSOCIATIONSANDCLASSIFICATION 35
GoletaManagementArea 37
Transverse Management Area 40
Los AngelesBasin-OrangeManagementArea 40
RiversideManagementArea 42
SanDiego: North CoastalMesasManagementAreas 42
SanDiego:CentralCoastalMesasManagementAreas 44
San Diego:SouthernCoastalMesasManagementAreas 44
SanDiego; InlandValleysManagementAreas 44
HISTORIC AND CURRENTDISTRIBUTION
OF THE HABITAT 45
REASONSFORDECLINE AND CONTINUEDTHREATS
TO THE SPECIESAND THE HABITAT 47
CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION MEASURES 49
NaturalCommunityConservationPlanning 49
Vernal Pool StewardshipProjectof theSanDiegoNational
Wildlife Refuge 52
MarineCorpsAir StationMiramar 53
Marine CorpsBaseCampPendleton 57
OtherAgencies,Municipalities,andJurisdictions 57
Nonprofit Entities 58
RECOVERYSTRATEGY 58
II. RECOVERY 60
OBJECTIVE 60
PRINCIPLESFOLLOWEDIN DEVELOPING
RECOVERYCRITERIA 60
RECOVERYCRITERIA 62
RECOVERYTASKS 64
III. REFERENCES 76
ix
IV. IMPLEMENTATIONSCHEDULE 98
Appendix A:
Appendix B:
Appendix C:Appendix D:
Appendix E:
Appendix F:
Appendix G:
Appendix H:
Table 1.
Species of Special Concern In and Adjacent to VernalPool
Habitat Al
Definition of Terms B1
Illustrations Cl
Vernal Pool Plant Species Within the Management Areas .... DI
Statusof VernalPool SpeciesWithin theManagementArea .. El
Vernal Pool Complexes Within Management Areas
Identified asNecessaryto StabilizetheProposedand Listed
VernalPool Species Fl
VernalPool ComplexesWithin ManagementAreas
IdentifiedasNecessaryto ReclassifytheProposed
Listed VernalPool Species G1
SummaryoftheAgency andPublicCommentson the
Draft VernalPool RecoveryPlan Hi
LIST OF TABLES
Distribution of Vernal Pool Species
in the Management Areas 36
LIST OF FIGURES
1. Vernal Pool Distribution
2. Distribution ofEryngiumaristulaturn var. parishii
3. Distribution ofNavarretiafossalis
4. Distribution of Orcuttia caiWornica
5. Distribution ofPogogyneabramsii
6. Distribution ofPogogynenudiuscula .
2
5
8
• 10
13
15
x
7. Distribution ofBranchinectasandiegonensis 18
8. Distribution of Streptocephaluswootoni 20
9. VernalPool ManagementAreas 38
lOa. Goleta and Transverse Management Areas 39
lOb. Los AngelesBasin-OrangeandRiversideManagementAreas 41
lOc. SanDiego CountyManagementAreas 43
11. ConservationProgramsin SanDiegoCounty 50
I2a. VernalPool StewardshipProject 54
I2b. VernalPool StewardshipProjectNorthArea 55
12c. VernalPool StewardshipProjectSouthArea 56
xi
I. INTRODUCTION
OVERVIEW
In thewesternUnitedStates,vernalpoolsareaunique,specializedform of
seasonalwetlandsthatoccurin ageographicalareaextendingfrom southern
OregonthroughCaliforniainto northernBajaCalifornia,Mexico. Poolhabitats
arenothomogeneousthroughoutthis largeareabecauseof regionaldifferencesin
climate,topography,and soils. Thesedifferenceshelp to divide Californiainto
differentsubregions,eachwith adistinctivetypeortypesofpool flora (Holland
1986;Holland andDams1990;BauderandMeMillan 1998)andgeological
characteristics(e.g.,claypan,basalticflow, volcanicmudflow). Althoughthe
pools ofsouthernCaliforniasharesomewide-rangingtemporarywetlandsspecies
with pools in otherpartsof theState,theysupportspeciesuniqueto thearea,
whichhelpsto setthemapart(Stone1990). All ofthelisted andproposedspecies
addressedin this recoveryplanarerestrictedto vernalpools, from thescattered
andlimited poolsremainingin southernCaliforniaon thecoastalterracesof
GoletaandIsla Vista in SantaBarbaraCounty,to theSimi Hills of eastern
VenturaCountyandtheSantaClaritaregionofLos AngelesCounty,eastthrough
OrangeandwesternRiversideCounties,andsouthwardto themoreextensive
vernalpool complexesofSanDiegoCounty(Figure 1).
Becauseofthecomplexityofvernalpool habitatsandtheirassociatedwatershed,
thewide geographicdistributionof thevariouspool species,andtheunique
ecological parameters associated with each, strategies for therecoveryofthe
speciesaddressedwithin thisplancannotexcludethesurroundingenvironment.
Althoughnotentirelyrestrictedto southernCaliforniavernalpools,numerous
sensitivespeciescurrentlywithout Federalstatusareassociatedwith vernalpool
habitats,includingat least12 endemicplants(AppendixA). Theinvertebratesof
this specializedhabitatarenotaswell studied,andit is likely thatadditional
endemicspeciesmaybe describedwith furtherwork. Implementationof the
recoverystrategypresentedin thisrecoveryplanfor vernalpool specieswill also
protectother sensitivespeciesand associatedvegetationcommunities,thereby
minimizing thepotentialfor additionallisting actionsundertheEndangered
1
Co
o Los Angeles
0
/
0 — Mardi0 AFBc9
0Perris llama
7 Elslnore 6/0 0 ‘ @0 0
S Murrieb @4~ ~ 5 Temecula
0
Vials
os!0Marcus
Representativcvernalpoolcomplexes
1. OcayMesa2. ProctorValley3. KearnyMesa4. SkunkHollow5. SantaRosaPlateau6. Old SaltCreek(Hemec)
• Extant vernal pools or vernal pooi complexes
7. FairviewPark8. CruzanMesa9. IslaVista10.Valle deLasPalmas11. BajaMar12. La Mision
314
to3o0o000
Rasnona
02S
- -.-. —.
Tijuana
~1@12
@10
0 Extirpated vernal pools or vernal pool complexes
0
Janard
Roberts, July 1998
2
Species Act. The species addressed in this plan for which specific recovery
criteria were developed are as follows:
Scientific Name
Etyngiumaristulatum
var. parishii
Navarretiafossalis
Orcuttia cal~fornica
Pogogyneabramsii
Pogogynenudiuscula
Branchinecta
sandiegonensis
Streptocephaluswoottoni
Common Name
San Diego button-celery
spreading navarretia
California Orcutt grass
San Diego mesa mint
Otay mesa mint
SanDiegofairy shrimp
Riversidefairy shrimp
FederalStatus
endangered
proposed threatened
endangered
endangered
endangered
endangered
endangered
Various land owners and agencies have developed a joint agreement to protect
much of the known vernal pool habitat of Downingiaconcolorssp.brevior
(Cuyamaca Lake downingia) and Limnanthesgracilis ssp.parishli (Parish’s
meadowfoam),montanevernalpool species.Theconservationrequirementsof
thesetwo species,aswell asCuyarnacalarkspur(Delphiniumhesperiumssp.
cuyamacae),havebeenaddressedin a ConservationAgreement(USFWS 1 996a).
Theecologyanddistributionofthevernalpool fairy shrimp(Branchinectalynchi)
is beingaddressedin theCentralValley VernalPool andMulti-SpeciesDraft
RecoveryPlan(USFWSunpub. 1998). Therefore,thesespeciesarenot included
in this plan.
SPECIESDESCRIPTIONAND STATUS
Eryngiumaristulaumvar.parishii (J. Coulter& Rose)Jepson
(SanDiegobutton-celery,Illustrationnot available)
Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii is a memberofthecarrotfamily (Apiaceac)
andwasoriginally describedasEryngiumparishii by CoulterandRose(1900).
Somereferenceshaveconfusedthis taxa(Eryngiurnparishii) with Eryngium
jepsonjivar.parishii. (Jepson1923). Jepson(1936)reflectstheCoulterandRose
3
(1900)classification. MathiasandConstance(1941)separatedEryngium
aristulatumfrom Eryngiumjepsoniidueto morphologicalcharacteristicsand
treatedthis plantasavarietyof Eryngiumaristulatum(asEryngiumaristulatum
var.parishii). This treatmentof Eryngiumaristulatum(asvar.parishii), is still
recognizedin bothMunz (1974)andHickman(1993).
Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii is aperennial herb with a persistent tap root.
Theplanthasaspreadingto erecthabit, reachinga heightof 41 centimeters(16
inches)ormore. Thestemsandtoothedleavesaregray greenwith spinoselobes,
giving it aprickly appearance.Inflorescencesform on shortpeduncles(stalks)
with few to many-floweredheads.
Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii is separatedfrom Eryngiumaristulatumvar.
aristulatumby havingstylesin fruit that areaboutthesamelengthasthecalyx
(outerwhorl of protectiveleavesaroundtheflower) and is separatedfrom
Eryngiumarisiulatumvar. hooveriby havingbractlets(modified leaves)without
callusedmargins(Hickman1993). A populationof Eryngiumhasbeenfoundon
Marine CorpsBaseCampPendleton(MCB CampPendleton)that is diagnosable
asandmayrepresenta newspecies(Kim Marsden,pers.comm. 1997).
Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii rangesfrom asfar northastheSantaRosa
Plateau,RiversideCounty,southto themesasnorthofEnsenada,Mesade
Colonet,andSanQuintin,BajaCalifornia,Mexico (Marsden,pers.comm. 1997)
(Figure 2). Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii is foundin poolson Del Mar
Mesa,Mira Mesa,KearnyMesa,Marine CorpsAir StationMiramar(MCAS
Miramar),MCB CampPendleton,andat siteswithin thecitiesof Tierrasanta,San
Marcos,Carlsbad,andRamona; it wasextirpatedfrom asite in thecity ofLa
Jolla(Bauder1986). Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii is alsofoundin the
southernportionof SanDiegoCountyon Otay Mesa,neartheLower Otay
Reservoirand in ProctorValley. It alsowasfoundneartheTijuanaAirport, but is
believedto be extirpatedatthis locale. Thereareno knownherbariumcollections
ofEryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii from theSanDiegoMesa(e.g.,Normal
Heights,SanDiego StateUniversity).
4
Co
Los Angeles
MardiAPR
Penis
Macrids
Tenseaula
SantaClarlia
Heart
Rainssona
0BAJA
Co
LJr
S
Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii waslistedasendangeredonAugust3, 1993
(USFWS), after theU.S. FishandWildlife Servicedeterminedthat thepresent
rangewasbeingrapidlyreducedandthecontinuedexistenceof thespecieswas
beingthreatenedby habitatlossanddegradationdueto urbanand agricultural
development,livestockgrazing,off-road vehicleuse,trampling,invasionsfrom
weedynon-nativeplants,andotherfactors. Theplant hasaU.S. Fishand
Wildlife Servicerecoverypriority of 3C, indicatingthat it is asubspeciesor
varietyfacingahighdegreeof threatbut havingahighpotentialfor recovery.
The“C” indicatesthat thespeciesmaybe in conflict with constructionor
developmentprojects.Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii waslisted by theState
of Californiaasendangeredin July of 1979, undertheCaliforniaEndangered
SpeciesAct, and is currentlyrecognizedassuch.
NavarretiafossalisMoran
(Spreadingnavarretia,Illustrationnot available)
Navarretiafossalisis amemberof thephlox family (Polemoniaceae).It wasfirst
describedby ReidMoranin 1977basedon acollectionhe madein 1969nearLa
Misi6n in northwesternBajaCalifornia,Mexico. Navarrez~iafossalisis a low,
spreadingor ascending,annualherb. The lowerportionsof thestemsaremostly
bare. Theleavesaresoft andfinely divided, up to 5 centimeters(2 inches)long,
andspine-tippedwhendry. Theflowersarewhite to lavenderwhite with linear
petalsandarearrangedin flat-topped,compact,leafs’heads(USFWS 1 994b).
Severalotherspecieswithin thegenusoccurwithin therangeofNavarretia
fossalis. Two ofthesespecies,NavarretiaintertextaandNavarrei’iaprostrata,
canoccurin similarhabitats.Navarretiafossaliscanbe distinguishedfrom these
speciesby thesizeandshapeof thecalyx, thepositionof thecorolla(inner floral
leaves),andtheform of thecorollalobes. All Navarretiaspeciescanbe
distinguishedfrom eachotherby theappearanceof thepollen grainsurface(Day
1993).
In SanDiegoCounty,Navarretiafossalisappearsto be avernalpool endemic.
However,in RiversideCounty,it occursin relativelyundisturbedandmoderately
disturbedvernalpools andin alkali playahabitatnearHemet(Bramlett1993).
Thespeciesalso occursin relativelyundisturbedandmoderatelydisturbedvernal
6
poolsandalkali playahabitatsalongtheSanJacintoRiverin RiversideCounty
andon MCB CampPendleton.Historical recordsindicatethat Navarretiafossalis
is alsoknownfrom two occurrencesnearCreston,in SanLuis ObispoCounty.
This plant specieswasproposedfor listing asthreatenedon December15, 1994
(USFWS)aftertheU.S. FishandWildlife ServicedeterminedthatNavarretia
fossaliswasdecliningasaresultof habitatdestructionandfragmentationfrom
agriculturaldevelopment,pipelineconstruction,alterationofwetlandhydrology
by drainingorchannelization,off-road vehicle activity, cattleandsheepgrazing,
weedabatement,fire suppressionpractices,and competitionfrom nonnativeplant
species.Navarretiafossalisis knownfrom widely disjunctand restricted
populationsextendingfrom theSantaClaritaregionof Los AngelesCounty,east
to thewesternlowlandsof RiversideCounty,souththroughcoastaland foothill
San DiegoCounty,southto SanQuintin,BajaCalifornia,Mexico (Figure3).
Fewerthan30 populationsexist in theUnitedStates.Nearly60 percentof these
populationsareconcentratedin 3 locationsin California: on Otay Mesain
southernSanDiegoCounty, alongtheSanJacintoRiver in RiversideCounty, and
nearHemetin westernRiversideCounty (USFWS 1994b).
Orcuttia caiWornicaVasey
(CaliforniaOrcuttgrass,IllustrationseeAppendixC)
Orcuttia calWornica is amemberofthegrassfamily (Poaceae).Orcuttia
caiWornicawasfirst collectedby CharlesOrcuttandwasdescribedby Vasey
(1886). This planthasbeenconsideredthenominatevarietyof Orcuttia
caiWornicaandtwo othervarietieswerealsorecognized(0. c. var. viscidaand0.
c. var. inaequalis). Reeder(1982)raisedall thevarietiesof Orcuttia caiWornica
to speciesstatus.
This small annualgrassreachesabout10 centimeters(4 inches)in height, is bright
gray-green,andsecretessticky droplets. Inflorescences,bornefrom May through
July, consistof sevenspikeletsarrangedin two ranks,with theupperspikeletsoverlappingon asomewhattwistedaxis. Thethreespeciesformerly included
within OrcuttiacalWornica(0. calWornica, 0. inaequalis,and0. viscida)canbe
separatedfrom otherspeciesof Orcuttia by havinglemma(lower scales
7
Los Angeles
MarchAPR
Marriela
Marcus
Ilenset
Ransun*
8
surroundingtheflower) teethunequal,with thecentraltoothgenerallythe longest
(Reeder1993). Orcuttia calWornicacanbe separatedfrom Orcuttiaviscidaby
havinga lemmathat is lessthan5 millimeters(0.2 inch) long, sharp-pointedor
awnedteeth,awns(bristleson theseedhead)that arelessthan0.5 millimeter
(0.02inch) long, andfruits that arelessthan2 millimeters (0.08 inch)long.
Orcuttia calWornicacanbe separatedfrom Orcuttia inaequalisby beingsparsely
hairy with a prostratestem. In addition,the inflorescencehasspikeletsthat are
well separatedon thelowerpartof theaxis andarecrowdedtowardthetip
(Reeder1993).
Orcuttia caiWornicahashistorically beenreportedfrom at leastfour locationsin
Los AngelesCounty. However,it is currentlyknownfrom only two localities
near Santa Clarita, California (Cruzan Mesa)andnearWoodlandHills (Los
AngelesCounty). An occurrenceis known from theCarlsbergvernalpool located
in theCity ofMoorparkin VenturaCounty. Thespeciesis alsoknownfrom the
SantaRosaPlateau,Skunk Hollow, andasite nearHemet(RiversideCounty)
(Bramlett,pers.comm. 1993) (Figure4). Thespeciesalsoonceoccurrednear
MurrietaHot Springs,but this populationhasbeenextirpated.In SanDiego
County,Orcuttia caiWornica is foundin two poolson MCAS Miramar,in theCity
of Carlsbad(in thesamepool asEryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Navarretia
fossalis,and theRiversideandSanDiego fairy shrimp),and in fourpool
complexeson Otay Mesa. In BajaCalifornia,Mexico, Orcuttia calWornicahas
beenfoundon Mesade Colonetandin poolsatSanQuintin. TheseBaja
populationsare believedto still exist, but in dangerofbeingextirpateddueto
agriculturalconversion.
Orcuitia calWornicawaslisted asendangeredon August3, 1993 (USFWS). The
U.S. Fishand Wildlife Servicedeterminedthat thepresentrangewasbeing
rapidly reducedandthecontinuedexistenceofthespecieswasbeingthreatened
by habitatlossand degradationdueto urbanandagriculturaldevelopment,
livestockgrazing,off-road vehicleuse,trampling,invasionsfrom weedynon-
nativeplants,andotherfactors.TheplanthasaU.S. FishandWildlife Service
recoverypriority of SC, indicatingthat it is aspeciesfacingahigh degreeof threat
andhavingalow potentialfor recovery.The“C” indicatesthat thespeciesmay
be in conflict with constructionor developmentprojects.
9
MarchAfl
Ferris ~aEit&Ilemet
Vista
SanMarcus
BAJA
Fred M. Hoberts, June I 997
Los Angeles
Ramun.
10
Pogogyneabramsii Howell
(San Diego mesa mint, Illustration not available)
Pogogyneabramsii is an annual herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae). The genus
Pogogynewas first described by Bentham (1834 cited in Howell 1931) in his
monographic study of the mint family, Labiatarum Generaet Species.At that
time, only three species in the genus had been described. Asa Gray (1876 cited in
Howell 1931) described the species Pogogynenudiuscula,which incorporated all
the Pogogynespecies in San Diego County. John Thomas Howell (1931), in his
monographic study of the genus Pogogyne,separated Pogogynenudiusculainto
two species: Pogogynenudiusculaand Pogogyneabramsii. Pogogyneabramsii
was diagnosed by hairs on the calyx and a different bract morphology from
Pogogynenudiuscula.Howell did not give a clear description of the distribution
of Pogogynenudiusculaand Pogogyneabramsii. He considered all populations
to be geographically separate. Howell considered all populations of Pogogyne
north of Mission Valley as Pogogyneabramsiiand all populations of Pogogyne
on OtayMesaasPogogynenudiuscula.However, it is not clearwhich species
was present on San Diego Mesa, which is locatedbetweenMissionValley and
Otay Mesa. A major problem in determining the original range of these two
speciesis thatalmostall oftheherbariumcollectionsthat might prove useful are
very vague on locality. Sites are given as “mesas, San Diego;” “San Diego;” or
“mesas near San Diego.”
There has been some debate whether Pogogyneabramsiiis taxonomicallydistinct
from Pogogynenudiuscula.Abrams (195 1) recognized this species but
consideredit possiblynot distinctfrom Pogogynenudiuscula. Current work
(Jokerst 1993; McMillan unpublished data 1995)supportstaxonomicdistinction.
Not only do the two species differ in the calyx pubescence (hairiness) and bract
morphology,butalsoin thenumberofflowersperstemnode. All ofthecurrent
PogogynepopulationsnorthofMissionValley andsouthof Del Mar Mesaare
still consideredto be Pogogyneabramsii. Thepopulationsfrom thecentral(San
Diego) mesaswereprobablyPogogyneabramsii,but with suchlimited herbaria
records,thisquestionwill probablyneverbe fully resolved.
II
As anherbaceousannual,Pogogyneabramsiioccasionallyreaches30 centimeters
(1 foot) in heightandtypically bloomsfrom May to earlyJuly. Theplant canbe
very branched,and thevegetativeandfloral portionsgive off a strong,sweetmint
odor. Thevegetationdevelopsareddishtinge astheplantmaturesandflowers.
The flowers are purple with white oryellow throats. Pogogyneabramsiitypically
has only two flowers per node, ahairy calyx,andthin bractssubtendingeach
flower (MeMillan unpublished data 1995).
Pogogyneabramsiiis endemicto SanDiegoCounty. Thenorthernlimit of
distribution for Pogogyneabramsiiis Del Mar Mesa,and it occurs south on Mira
Mesa,MCAS Miramar,andKearnyMesa,with afewscatteredpopulationsin
westernTierrasanta. Pogogyneabramsiipopulationshavebeenextirpatedfrom
the Linda Vista area, the vicinity of Balboa Park,NormalHeights,andthearea
surrounding San Diego StateUniversity (Figure5). Althoughmostofthese
extirpatedpopulationsfrom theSanDiegoMesaarelabeledasPogogyne
nudiusculaon herbariumcollections,thesespecimenshavenotbeenannotated
andshouldbeprobablybe consideredPogogyneabramsii(McMillan unpublished
data 1995).
Pogogyneabramsiiwaslisted asendangeredon September28, 1978(USEWS
1984). TheU.S. Fishand Wildlife Servicedeterminedthatthepresentrangewas
beingrapidly reducedandthecontinuedexistenceof thespecieswasbeing
threatenedby highwayconstruction,housingdevelopment,off-roadvehicleuse,
illegal dumping,andagricuJturalconversion.A RecoveryPlanfor thespecies
wasfinalizedby theU.S. Fishand Wildlife Servicein 1984(USFWS 1984).The
planthasa U.S. FishandWildlife Servicerecoverypriority of 2C, indicatingthat
it is a speciesfacingahigh degreeofthreatbut havingahighpotentialfor
recovery.The“C” indicatesthatthespeciesmaybe in conflictwith construction
ordevelopmentprojects.Pogogyneabramsiiwaslistedby theStateofCalifornia
asendangeredin Januaryof 1979,undertheCaliforniaEndangeredSpeciesAct,
and is currentlyrecognizedassuch.
12
Ramona
Poway
El Cajon
Vista
Otay Mesa
- - . - - - - - - —-
FredM. Roberts,Jr. August 1997
//
13
PogogynenudiusculaA. Gray
(Otay mesa mint, Illustration Appendix C)
Pogogynenudiusculais an annual herbin themint family (Lamiaceae).As was
mentioned in the description for Pogogyneabramsii,Howell (1931) considered
all Pogogynepopulationson Otay Mesato bePogogynenudiuscula.Manyofthe
olderherbariumspecimensthat might be from thecentralmesasarelabeledas
Pogogynenudiuscula,butarelikely Pogogyneabramsii. Howell considered
Pogogynenudiusculato bediagnosablefrom Pogogyneabramsiiby havinga
glabrous(smooth)calyx andbractwith adifferentmorphology. Thisdistinction
is supportedby currentwork (Jokerst1993;MeMillan unpublisheddata1995),
andthespeciesis alsodiagnosableby usuallyhavingat leastsix flowerspernode
on thestem.
Pogogynenudiusculacanreach30 centimeters(1 foot) or morein heightand
typically bloomsfrom May orJunethroughearlyJuly. Theplantis usuallynot
muchbranched,and thevegetativeand floral portionsof theplant give off a
strong,turpentinemint odor. In contrastto Pogogyneabramsiithevegetative
portionsof theplant do not developareddishtinge until theplantis pastthe
floweringperiod. Theflowersarepurplewith awhitethroat. Pogogyne
nudiusculatypically hassix flowers(occasionallymore)perstemnode,a glabrous
to minutelypubescent(hairy) calyx, andbractsandleaveswhicharewider than
Pogogyneabramsii. A largepopulationof Pogogynewasfoundby ReidMoran
in Valle de las Palmas,in BajaCalifornia,Mexico,about32 kilometers(20 miles)
southof theTecateBordercrossing,butcurrentwork (MeMillan unpublisheddata
1995)supportsthis populationasauniquespecies.This populationcanbe
distinguishedfrom Pogogynenudiusculaon Otay Mesaby thecalyx to corolla
ratio,thenumberofflowerspernode,andthegeneralsizeof thefloral parts. This
populationcanalsobe separatedfrom Pogogynenudiusculaby allozymeand
DNA data(Hansonunpublished1995).
Pogogynenudiusculacurrently exists only in seven vernal poo1 complexes on
OtayMesa(Figure6). Historically it wasknownto occuracross the international
border where the Tijuana International Airport is now located. No Tijuana
populations of Pogogynenudiusculaare known to exist today as Pogogyne
nudiuscutawasneverknownto occurfurthernorththanOtay Mesa(seeprevious
discussion).
14
Ramona
Poway
El Cajon
- - - - -
FredM. Roberts,Jr. Augusc 1997
/ —
//
Chula
15
Pogogynenudiusculawaslisted asendangeredon August3, 1993 (USFWS). The
U.S. FishandWildlife Servicedeterminedthat thepresentrangewasbeing
rapidly reducedandthecontinuedexistenceof thespeciesthreatenedby habitat
lossanddegradationdueto urbanand agriculturaldevelopment,livestockgrazing,
off-roadvehicleuse,trampling,invasionsfrom weedynonnativeplants,andother
factors.Theplanthasa U.S. Fishand Wildlife Servicerecoverypriority of2C,
indicatingthatit is a speciesfacingahigh degreeof threatbut havingahigh
potentialfor recovery. The“C” indicatesthatthespeciesmaybe in conflict with
constructionor developmentprojects.Pogogynenudiusculawaslistedby the
StateofCaliforniaasendangeredin July of 1987,undertheCalifornia
EndangeredSpeciesAct, andis currentlyrecognizedassuch.
BranchinectasandiegonensisFugate
(SanDiego fairy shrimp,Illustrationnot available)
TheSanDiego fairy shrimpis asmall freshwatercrustaceanin thefamily
Branchinectidae,oftheOrderAnostraca.Thespecieswasdescribedby Fugatein
1993basedon specimenscollectedon Del Mar Mesa,SanDiego County,
California (USFWS 1994c). The SanDiego fairy shrimpis closelyrelatedto
Branchinectalynchi, thevernalpool fairy shrimp,anarrowCaliforniaendemic
and afederallythreatenedspecies.TheSanDiego fairy shrimpwasfirst collected
(but identifiedthenasBranchinectalindabli) nearPowayandat Ramona,
California in 1962(USEWS1994c).
TheSanDiego fairy shrimp is a small anddelicateanimalwith largestalked
compoundeyes,no carapace,and 11 pairs ofswimminglegs. Maturemalesattain
16 millimeters(0.6 inch) in length, andfemalesattain 14 millimeters (0.5 inch) in
length. TheSanDiego fairy shrimp canbe distinguishedfrom otherfairy shrimp
ofthesamegenusby theshapeofthesecondantenna(males),or theshapeand
lengthoftheovisacandthepresenceof paireddorsilateralspines(Fugate1993).
TheSanDiego fairy shrimp is a vernalpool habitatspecialist,foundin small,
shallowvernalpools. However,thespeciesoccasionallyoccursin ditchesand
roadruts that cansupportsuitableconditions(USFWS 1994c). No individuals
havebeenfoundin riverine waters,marinewaters,or otherpermanentbodiesof
16
water. Thegeneticcharacteristicsof theSanDiego fairy shrimp, aswell as
ecologicalconditionssuchaswatershedcontiguity, indicatethat populationsof
these animals are defined by pool complexes rather than by individual vernal
pools (Simovich etal., 1992). Individual vernalpoolsoccupiedby theSanDiego
fairy shrimparemostappropriatelyreferredto assubpopulations.
Thelargestnumberofvernalpools inhabitedby theSanDiego fairy shrimpare
locatedin SanDiegoCounty. Here,theSanDiego fairy shrimpis foundfrom
MCBCampPendleton, inland to Ramona, and south through Del MarMesa,
KearneyMesa,ProctorValley,and Otay Mesa,and intonorthwesternBaja
California,Mexico. In BajaCalifornia, it hasbeenrecordedat two localities
(Valle de las Palmassouth ofTecateandBajaMar, northof Ensenada)(Brownet
al., 1993). Smallpopulationsoccurin OrangeCounty,anda singleisolated
femalewasreportedfrom avernalpool in IslaVista, SantaBarbaraCounty,
California(USEWS 1 994c)(Figure7).
Thisspecieswaslisted asendangeredon February3, 1997 (USFWS). TheU.S.
FishandWildlife Servicedeterminedthat thecontinuedsurvivalofthespecieswasthreatenedby habitatdestructionfrom agriculturalandurbandevelopment,
alterationofwetlandhydrologyby draining,off-roadvehicle activity, cattlegrazing,andreplacementby otherfairy shrimp speciesthat arehabitatgeneralists.
Theanimalhasa U.S. Fishand Wildlife Servicerecoverypriority of2C,
indicatingthat it is aspeciesfacingahigh degreeof threatbut havinga high
potentialfor recovery. The“C” indicatesthat thespeciesmaybe in conflict with
constructionor developmentprojects.
StreptocephaluswoottoniEng
(Riversidefairy shrimp,Illustrationnot available)
TheRiversidefairy shrimpis asmall freshwatercrustaceanin theFamily
StreptocephalidaeoftheOrderAnostraca.Thespecieswasfirst collectedin 1979
by C.H. Ericksonandwasidentifiedasanewspeciesin 1985 (Eng etal. 1990).
Maturemalesarebetween13 and 25 millimeters(0.5to 1.0 inch) long. The
frontal appendageis cylindrical,bibbedat thetip, and extendsonly partway to
thedistal endofthebasalsegmentof theantenna.Thespurofthe thumbis a
17
March
AIR
Perri.
Marrieta
Temecula
- —- - - - — -
- red M. Ruherts, June t997
SantaCitlita
Los Angeles
Ilesnet
18
simplebladelike structure. Thefinger hastwo teeth; theproximal tooth is shorter
thanthedistal tooth. Thedistal toothhasalateralshoulderthat is equalto about
halfthetooth’stotal lengthmeasuredalongtheproximaledge. Thecercopods
(enhancetherudder-likefunctionoftheabdomen)areseparatewith plumosesetae
(featherybristles)alongthemedialandlateralborders. Maturefemalesare
betweenabout13 and22 millimeters(0.5 to 0.87 inch) in total length. Thebrood
pouchextendsto abdominalsegmentsseven,eight, ornine. Thecercopodsof
femalesarethesameasthemales’.
TheRiversidefairy shrimpis foundin deep,coolwaterpoolsandoccasionallyin
depressions(mel.roadruts andditches)that supportsuitablehabitat.Thefairy
shrimpspeciesmostsimilar to theRiversidefairy shrimpis thespiny-tail fairy
shrimp(Streptocephalussealii), discoveredby Ryderin 1879. Plumosesetae
edgethecercopodsofmaturemaleRiversidefairy shrimp,whereasspinesreplace
thesetaeon thedistal halfofthecercopodsin maturespiny-tail fairy shrimpand
desertfairy shrimp(Streptocephalussimilis), whichwasdiscoveredby Baird in
1852. Bothmalesand femalesofRiversidefairy shrimphavetheredcolorofthe
cercopodscoveringall theninth abdominalsegmentand30 to 40 percentof the
eighthabdominalsegment.No redextendsontotheabdominalsegmentsof either
sexin thespiny-tail fairy shrimp.
ThenorthernrangeoftheRiversidefairy shrimpis definedby Skunk Hollow and
theSantaRosa Plateau in RiversideCounty andcoastalsitesin SanDiego and
OrangeCounties(Figure8). It is documentedfrom onecomplexon MCAS
Miramar, throughoutMCB CampPendleton,andeight complexeson Otay Mesa.
In BajaCalifornia,Mexico, it hasbeenfoundin Valle de las Palmas,andat
Bajamarnorth ofEnsenada (Brown,etal. 1993).
TheRiversidefairy shrimpwaslisted asendangeredon August3, 1993
(USFWS). TheU.S. FishandWildlife Servicedeterminedthat thepresentrange
wasbeingrapidly reducedandthecontinuedexistenceof thespeciesthreatened
by habitatlossanddegradationdueto urbanandagriculturaldevelopment,off-
roadvehicleuse,trampling,andotherfactors. Theanimalhasa U.S. Fishand
Wildlife Servicerecoverypriority of SC, indicating that it is aspeciesfacinga
high degreeofthreatandhavinga low potentialfor recovery.The“C” indicates
thatthespeciesmaybe in conflict with constructionor developmentprojects.
19
Hemet
Ransona
Co
-
— —
Tijuana
7,4. Robert,, July t999
SantaClarila
Los Angeles
MarchAFB
Perris
Vista
SanMarcos
20
ECOSYSTEMDESCRIPTION
Vernalpools areseasonaldepressionalwetlandswith manycharacteristics
commonto otherwetlandclasses(Butterwick 1996). Their rich endemicflora
and micro fauna set themapartfrom othertemporarywetlands(Stebbins1976;
Thorne1984). Theproliferationofspeciesin thesepoolsmaybe relatedto the
Mediterraneanclimatethat prevailsthroughouttheirrange. This climateis
characterizedby winter rainstorms,followed by a long summerdrought.
Consequently,pools that maybe classifiedas“vernal” canbe foundin areasof
NorthAmerica,Chile, SouthAmerica,SouthAfrica, Australia,andthe
Mediterranean Basin.
Severalplant generaareendemicto Californiavernalpool habitats(e.g.,
Pogogyne,Downingia, Psilocarphus,Orcuttia,etc.)andmanyothershavethe
majority oftheirdistributionsin vernally moistponds,seeps,swales,drainages
andmeadowswithin theCaliforniaFloristic Province(Thorne1984).
Becauseofa largepool perimeter-surfacearea,vernalpoolsareintimately
connectedto thevegetationcommunitywhich surroundsthem. Numerousplant
speciesaredependentuponsouthernCaliforniavernalpools,and awidearrayof
plantsandanimalsof restricteddistributionarefoundin thevegetation
communitiesin whichthepoolsoccur(AppendixA). Theuplandvegetation
communitiesassociatedwith vernalpools in southernCaliforniainclude:
needlegrassgrassland,annualgrasslands,coastalsagescrub,maritimesucculent
scrub,chaparral,coniferousforest,andmontanewetmeadow.
Somepool species,suchasspadefoottoads(Scaphiopushammondii)andPacific
treefrogs(Hyla regilla), spenda largeportionof their life cycle in theadjacent
soils andvegetation,but requirepondingwaterto breed(Simovich 1985). Nearby
soils andplantsareimportantto vernalpool pollinators (Leong 1994and
submittedM.S. thesis1995)andherbivores(Hunt 1989, 1992;Blacketat 1993).
Poolsareutilized by birds andvariousmammalsfor food,water,andnesting.
Fairyshrimp andotherinvertebratesprovidefood for waterfowl,especiallyducks
(Krapu 1974;Proctoret al. 1967;Swansonet at 1974;Silveira 1996).
21
HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS
Soils, topography,andtheMediterraneanclimateare dominantfactors
determiningwhetherephemeralpoolsor lakeswill form at all. Within thehabitat
classdefinedasvernalpools,thedistributionsof plant andanimalspecies,
especiallyendemics,appearto be affectedby subtledifferencesin durationand
patternof ponding,waterandsoil chemistry,andsub-regionalclimatic variables
suchasthetotal amountof precipitation,thetemperatureregimein winter, and
theprobabilityof summerprecipitation.
Pool Formation
After sufficient rainfall,pools form in depressionsaboveanimpervioussoil layer
or layers. Typically, thedepressionsarepartof anundulatinglandscape,where
soil moundsareinterspersedwith basins,swales,anddrainages.This landscapeis
frequentlycalled“mima-mound”topography,aftertheMima Prairiein
Washingtonwherethesesoil moundswerefirst described(Cox 1984a, b).
Occasionally,vernalpoolsor the soils theyarelocatedon aredegraded(e.g.,
ditches).Theseareasoftenhavetheability to functionashabitatandmayalso
supportvernalpool species.
When poolsarefilled to capacity,theirsurfaceareamaybe assmall asafew
squaremeters,orattheotherextreme,approachthesizeof small lakes. In some
casestheindividualidentity of pools is lostaltogetherwhenprecipitationis
abundantandbasinsoverflow. Thewatershedfor an individual pool maybe very
localized(Blacketal. 1993),or it maybe partof anextensiveandcomplex
watershedasseenin CuyamacaValley (Bauder1994). Largerpondsorvernal
lakesmayalwaysretaintheir separateness(e.g.,HiddenLake,SkunkHollow).
Smallerpoolsmayfill for only acoupleofweeks,andonly on theheaviest
rainfall years(e.g., anEl Niflo event). Largerpondsor vernallakestypically
remainfilled for threeto five months,but in yearsofsparseprecipitation,may
fail to pondat all. Waterlevelsrise andfall during therainy season,andsoils of
pool basinsmaybe exposedandre-inundatedanumberoftimesbeforedrying in
late spring.
22
Climate
In southernCalifornia,climatic variablesaremostinfluencedby distancefrom the
coast,topography,andelevation,with yearlyaverageprecipitationlowestalong
thecoastandrising with distanceinland, to apeakin thepeninsularrangesto the
east. Precipitationlevelsthendropabruptlyin therain shadowofthemountains
wheretheupperSonoranDesert(ColoradoDesert)begins.
Within agivenrainfall year,mostof theprecipitationoccursfrom November
throughMarch andis concentratedin abouta half dozenstormsthatmayoccur
within afewmonthsorbe spreadmoreevenlyover therainfall season(Mooney
andParsons1973;Goldmanetal. 1986). An analysisof long termweather
recordshaveshownthata tenyearsamplingperiodgivesbetterthanan 80 percent
representativesampleofweatherpatternsin a givenregion.
Yearly variability in precipitationis substantial,a featurethat is sharedby all arid
and semiaridclimates(LeHouerou1984;Zedler1990). Very dry orwetyearscan
follow eachother,andno patternis apparent(Bauder1987a;Zedler 1987). Since
1850,whenrecord-keepingbeganin theCity of SanDiego,yearlyprecipitationat
theLindberghFieldweatherstationhasrangedfrom alow of89 millimeters(3.5
inches)in 1960/61to ahighof660 millimeters(26 inches) in 1883/84.
Hydrology.Geomorphology.and WaterOualitv
Pools are dependent on adjacentgeomorphologyfor maintenanceof theirunique
hydrological conditions. Dramatic within- and between-yearvariability in
moistureconditionsis thecrucial factorin preventingvernalpools from becoming
freshwatermarshesor dominatedby uplandshrubsandherbs. Pool plant species
toleratelengthyperiodsof inundation,butarenot truly aquatic,somortality
increaseswith length ofinundationand is usually 100 percentwhereponding
exceedssix months(Bauder1 987a,1992). Vernalpool habitatsthatremain
inundatedfor morethan6 monthsmayexhibitcharacteristicstypical ofa
freshwatermarsh,beingdominatedby sedgesandrushes. Exampleswould
includeSkunkHollow (Zedleretal. 1990),HiddenLake, LakeCuyamaea,and
theSantaRosaPlateau(LathropandThorne 1976). At theotherend ofthe
23
moisturegradient,theterrainbetweenpools is dominatedby nonnativegrassland,
chaparral,forest,or savannahvegetation.
Geophysicalandchemicalfactorsgreatlyinfluencethegeographicdistributionof
pool species(Eng etal. 1990; Simovich etal. 1996). Modification of alkalinity,
pH, turbidity, and water temperature (Simovich etal. 1996) may drastically affect
certain pool specieswith very specific toleranceranges.Seasonalityof water
qualityvariableshasbeendocumentedby Collie andLathrop(1976)and
SimovichandKing (1992). Localizedvariationamongpools in hydrological
(Zedleret al. 1979;HollandandJam 1984;Bauder1 987a;FerrenandPritchett
1988), physical,andchemicalpropertiesare well established(EbertandBalko
1987;SimovichandKing 1992;King etal.1996;Gonzalezetal. 1996).
A steep,small-scalegradientin soil texture,nutrients,waterquality, and
hydrologyextendsfrom thesurroundingareas(moundedor otherwise)into the
basins(Zedleretal. 1979; Bauder1987a;Zedleret al. 1990; Black etal. 1993;
Black eta!. 1994).While thenatureof subsurfaceconnectionsis not understood
(Hanes, et a!. 1990;HollandandDams1990),studiesconductedin vernalpools
in the SacramentoValley indicatethatthecontributionofsubsurfaceandoverland
flows is significantonly in yearsof highprecipitationwhenthepoolsarealready
saturated(Hanesand Stromberg1996).
Soils
Critical to theformationof vernalpools is thepresenceofnearlyimpermeable
surface or subsurfacesoil layersand flat orgentlyslopingtopography(lessthan
10 percentslope). In southernCalifornia,theseimperviouslayersaretypically
alluvial materialswith clayor clay loamsubsoils,andtheyoftenform adistinctive
micro relief known as Gilgai or mima mound topography (Hallsworth et a!. 1955;
Cox 1 984a). Basalticor graniticsubstrates(e.g.,HiddenLakeandSantaRosa
Plateau in Riverside County) or indurated hardpan layers (e.g., coastal San Diego
County) may contribute to poordrainageaswell.
On thecoastalterracesin SanDiegoCounty,pools areassociatedwith the
Huerhuero,Stockpen,Redding,andOlivenhainsoil series. Huerhueroand
24
Stockpensoils arederivedfrom marinesedimentsandterraces.Surfacelayersare
loamto clay loam andmoderatelyto slightly acidic (pH 5.6-6.5). Subsurface
layersaremildly to moderatelyalkaline(pH 7.8-8.2)clays. In contrastto the
Huerhueroand Stockpensoils, theReddingandOlivenhainsoil serieswere
formedfrom alluvium. Theyaremoderatelyto stronglyacidic atthesurface(pH
5.6-5.8),with stronglyacidicsubsoils(pH 4.5-5.1). TheReddingsoil seriesis
notablefor anoncontiguousiron-silicacementedhardpanunderlyingthesubsoil.
Sometimes it can be found near thesurfacebut otherwiseit is locatedup to four
feetbelow(GreenwoodandAbbott 1980;Bowman 1973). OntheDel MarMesa
(Reddinggravelly loam),GreenwoodandAbbott (1980)foundthatthe
expandablesmectiticandvermiculitic clay mineralsmadeup 32 percentof the
claysin theupperloamy soil layers,increasingto 78 percentin the lowerclay
layer. TheReddingandOlivenhainsoils arebelievedto havesupportedthe
majority ofthepoolshistorically foundin SanDiegoCounty. Thesesoils are
gravellyor cobbly loam with claysubsoils(Bowman1973).
With theexceptionof ProctorValley (Olivenhainsoils) andMarronValley
(Huerhuerosoils), soils in mostofthe inland valleysdiffer from thecoastal
terraces.Their origins includeacidic igneousrock, weatheredsandstone,granitic
alluvium,andothersubstrates.Theimperviouslayeris oftensandyclay with pH
rangesfrom mildly acidic (pH 5.8)to moderatelyalkaline(pH 8.0). In San
MarcosValley, thesoils areprimarily from theLas Floresand Placentiaseries.
BosankoandPlacentiasoils dominatein Ramona,ahigherelevationinland
valley. TheSantaRosaPlateauhasMurriettastonyclay loamsandsoils ofthe
LasPosasseries(Lathrop andThorne 1976).At SkunkHollow in Riverside
County, thesoils in the immediateareaofthevernallakeare Las Posasclay loam,
Wymanclay loam, andWillows soil, a deepalkalineclay (Zedlereta!. 1990).
Vernal Pool-like EphemeralPonds
In SanDiegoCountyand southernOrangeCounty,vernalpool-like ephemeral
pondsexist that supporttheRiversidefairy shrimp, in additionto awide diversity
of vernalpool indicatorspecies(e.g.,cloverfern[Marseliavestita],clamshrimp
[Cyzicuscalifornicus]). Thesepondsarederivedfrom geologicalactivity suchasfaulting(e.g.,sagpondsalong SanMateocreek),landslidemovement( Orange
25
County foothills e.g., Saddleback Meadows), or are man-made (such as stock
ponds). Although these ephemeral wetlands do not fit the classical description of
southern California vernal pools, they function as such in their ability to support
vernal pool species.Consequently,thesepool typesareconsideredasimportant
habitat for the purpose of recovery of listed species.
Road ruts, man-made ponds, minor impoundments on drainages, and abandoned
borrowsites,aregenerallynot consideredvernalpools. However,theseareasmay
function asvernalpool habitatby supportingvernalpoolsspecies,and mayeven
be a consequenceofpreviouslandalterationsto historicalpool habitat. These
areasremainsubjectto EndangeredSpeciesAct requirementsif theysupport
listed species,with adeterminationof theirsignificanceto recoveryaddressed
individually.
POOL FLORA
Pool basinshaveauniquegroupofplants(Purer1939),which RobertThorne(1976)labeled“vernalpool ephemeral.”Theseplantsaresupplementedby more
typical wetlandplants,which arewidely distributedin freshwaterhabitats
(LathropandThorne1983;Thorne 1984). Vernalpool speciesoccupya habitat
neithertypically terrestrialnortypically aquatic,and theadaptationsrequiredfor
sucha specializedhabitathaveled to avarietyofrarespecies(Stebbins1976;
Stone 1990).
Endemismis commonin vernalpools ofthesouthernregionoftheCalifornia
Floristic Province, as are specieswith highly restricteddistributions(Appendix
A). San Diego County has two of the nine species in the genusPogogyne,with
Pogogyneabramsiirestricted to the central mesas of the county and the even more
narrowlydistributedPogogynenudiusculabeingfoundon Otay Mesastraddling
the international border between San Diego County and Baja California, Mexico.
Downingiaconcolorssp.brevior is alsoa SanDiego County endemic. Baja
California,Mexico,hastwo narrowlydistributedendemicpoolspecies,both in
theprocessofformal description(Marsden,pers.comm. 1997;MeMillan pers.
comm. 1995). Oneis a speciesof Pogogynefoundonly on amesain an inland
26
valley knownasValle de las Palmas,southof thebordercity ofTecate,andthe
otheris an Eryngiumspeciesfoundalongthecoastin thevicinity ofSanQuintin.
Thereis acomplexinterplaybetweenenvironmentalvariationandtheresponse
capabilitiesofvariousspecies.Vernalpool plantshaveevolvedtraitsthat
enhancesurvival in uncertainconditions. Mostof thevernalpool plantspecies
that commonlyoccurin southernCaliforniavernalpoolsareadaptedto
substantialperiodsof inundation,and manyphysiologicaland morphological
traits arenot expressedunlessstandingwateris present.Naturally-occurring
disturbancesthatcansubstantiallyreducepopulationsofvernalpool plants
includeunseasonablylate rainsora seriesofdrier thanaverageyears. Algal
bloomssometimesform matsthat coverplantsandstunttheirgrowthorprevent
flowering. Theimpactof wildfire is uncertain(Cox andAustin 1990),but may
contributeto thecontrolofcertainnonnativespecies(PollakandKan 1996).
Individual speciesaredistributedalong amoisturegradientaccordingto their
responsesto inundation(HollandandJam 1977, 1984;Zedlereta!. 1979;Bauder
I 987a;Zedler1987)anddifferencesin soil moisture(HollandandDams1990).
In yearsofaverageprecipitation,upland-to-basintransectsorcomparisonsreveal
that 30 to 40 percentof theuplandspeciesare nonnative,but lessthan 10 percent
of thepool speciesarenonnative(Holland andJam 1977;Bauder1987a). When
precipitationis sparse,nonnativeuplandspeciescandominatewithin pool basins
(Bauder1 987a,b). Wetteryearsreducethenumberof nonnativeuplandspecies
presentin basinsbecauseof theirgeneralintoleranceof inundation. Only a
limited numberof nonnativespecies,annualbeard-grass(Po!ypogon
monspeliensis),perennialrye grass(Loliumperenne),andbrassbuttons(Cotula
coronopWolia),for example,areadaptedto thehydrologicalconditionsofthepool
habitat. Becausethey arenoteliminatedby standingwater,theseandother
nonnativefacultativewetlandspeciescanaccountfor substantialcover in pools
wheretheybecomeestablished(Bauder1988 andunpublisheddata). Vernalpool
speciesareinfrequentabovethehigh waterlevel or outsideofconnectingswales
(Lin 1970; Kopecko and Lathrop 1975; Holland and Jam 1977; 1984; Zedler etal.
1979; Bauder 1987a, 1989).
27
The majority of the pool plant species are annual dicots (Holland 1976; Thorne
1984;Zedler 1990). PerennialsareusuallymonocotssuchasE!eocharis
macrostachyaor lower vascularplantslike Isoetesspecies.Distributionsof the
perennialsaremorewidespreadthanthatoftheannuals(Stebbins1976).
Prominentexceptionsarewestcoastmembersof thegenusEryngium,including
Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii. Thesespeciesare narrowly distributed,
herbaceousperennials.Thegenus,however,hasrepresentativesin manytropical
and temperate regions of the world, except tropical Africa (Sheikh 1978).
Breedingsystemsvary greatly(Stone 1957;Weiler 1962;Griggs 1976;Brown
andJam 1979;Ritlandand Subodh1984). An analysisby Zedler (1990)suggests
inbreeding may be the dominant system in native pool plants. Pollinators include
solitary grounddwelling bees,bumblebees,honeybees,beefliesandvarious
diptera(flies), coleoptera(beetles),andlepidoptera(butterfliesandmoths)(Stone
1957;Thorp 1976, 1990; Martin 1986;Ellis andMills 1991;Blacketa!. 1992;
Leong 1994,M.S. thesissubmitted1993).
Genedispersalmayoccurvia pollen or seed. Outerossingdistancesareunknown
for mostvernalpoolspecies,with theexceptionofwork doneon various
Limnanthesspecies(RitlandandSubodh1981, 1984),andlittle is knownabout
dispersal (Zedler 1990). Noneof thespecieshaveseedmorphologyassociated
with animal or wind dispersal, although scattered occurrences of pool plants along
well-worn trails that link individual pools over wide areas suggest large animals
maycontributeto seeddispersal(Cole 1995). Seedsandseedlingsof Downingia
species and Pogogyneabramsii float, which may result in limited dispersal
opportunities when pools interconnect or lakes fill their basins in yearsof greater
than average precipitation (Bauder 1992; Scheidlinger 1981, 1984). Waterfowl
utilize pools,especiallythe largerpondsor vernallakes,andthey arepresumedto
carryseedsandinvertebrateeggsfrom pool to pool (Zedler1987;Proctoreta!.
1967).
Germinationrequirements,particularlythoseof speciesfoundat higher
elevations,protectthem againstgerminationatinopportunetimes, in particular
during an uncommonsummerrain (Bauder1992). Limnanthesspeciesgerminate
only at cool temperatures,andthepreferredtemperatureis correlatedwith
28
elevation(Bauderanalysisof Toy andWillingham 1966). Downingiaconcolor
ssp.brevior, amontanespecies(CuyamacaValley), andDowningiacuspidata
populations from a higher inland valley (Ramona) germinate at cooler
temperaturesthanmany coastalpool species(Bauder1992andunpublisheddata
1995). GerminationofOrcuttia speciesappearsto occurafteraperiodof
anaerobicconditionsin saturatedor inundatedsoils followed by exposure(Griggs
1976;GriggsandJam 1983). Fungalgrowthontheseedcoatsmayalsoplay a
role(Griggs 1980). Otherpool speciesgerminatereadily at awide rangeof
temperatures,as long asmoistureis sufficient (Bauderunpublisheddata1995).
Isoeteshowe!lii exhibits Crassulean Acid Metabolism (CAM) when submerged,
but ceasesto do soif leavesareexposed(Keeley1981; Keeleyeta!. 1983). The
same is true for Crassu!aaquatica(KeeleyandMorton 1982). Pogogyne
abramsii,Pogogynenudiuscula,Psilocarphusbrevissimus,Downingiacuspidata,
andDowningiaconcolorssp.brevior displayinternodalelongation,adventitious
rootsandreducedbranchingwhengrown underwaterbutarebranchedand
shorterwhenneverinundated(Bauder1987a,and 1992;MeMillan pers.comm.
1995). Callitriche spp.andMarsilea vestitanot only elongatewhensubmerged,
but theyarestronglyheterophyllous;thatis, theyproducetwo kinds of
leaves—oneform on submergedstemsandtheotherform on exposedstems
(Jones1955 a,b; DesehampandCooke 1982, 1984;Keeley1990). Aerenchyma,
tissuethat promotesgasexchange,is prominentin the leavesofEryngium
aristulatumvar.parishii (Sheikh1978)and stemsofboth Downingiacuspidata
and Downingia concolorssp.brevior, evenin theabsenceof inundation(Weiler
1962;Bauder1992). Isoeteshowel!ii, Isoetesorcuttii, andPilu!aria americana
requireinundationfor reproduction(Scageleta!. 1965)
POOLFAUNA
Vernalpool faunahavebeenlessintensivelystudiedthanits flora, despitethe
diversearrayofanimalsassociatedwith thehabitat. Birds, mammals,reptiles,
andamphibiansall utilize this uniquecommunity,butby far thegreatestdiversity
is associatedwith invertebratespecies.In a majorstudyof 14 vernalpool sitesin
northernCaliforniaandCalifornia’s CentralValley(Simovichetal. 1992, 1993;
29
SimovichandKing 1992),67 speciesofcrustaceanswereidentifiedaswell as
over 100 speciesof molluscs,annelids,insects,andotherinvertebrates.
Fairy Shrimp
Thefairy shrimp(OrderAnostraca)areamongthemostcharacteristicof the
vernalpool invertebrates.Twenty-threedescribedspecieshavebeendocumented
in California, 10 of whichareendemicto theState(Eng eta!. 1990; Simovich and
Fugate1992;Fugate1993). Samplestakenin vernalpools in coastalSanDiego
County(Simovich andFugate1992)identifiedthreespeciesoffairy shrimp, two
ofwhich areendemicto southernCalifornia. Thetwo endemics,theRiverside
fairy shrimpandtheSanDiego fairy shrimp, arefederallylisted asendangered
andareaddressedin this plan. Branchinectalindahli (versatilefairy shrimp),a
habitatgeneralist,is commonthroughoutwesternNorth America. Occurrencesof
thevernalpool fairy shrimphavebeendocumentedin theSkunkHollow and
CruzanMesapools. Therecoveryofthis federallylistedthreatenedspecieswill
be addressedwithin theCentralValleyVernalPool and Multi-SpeciesDraft
RecoveryPlan.
Differencesin speciescompositionof thepoolsexaminedcorrespondedwith
physicalandchemicalattributesofthehabitat,suchaswaterdepth,concentration
of solutes,elevation,andbiogeographicregion(King et a!. 1996; Simovicheta!.
1992, 1993; Simovich and King 1992). More recent work by Gonzalez eta!.
(1996),looking attheosmoticregulationoffour southernCaliforniaspeciesof
shrimp, has indicated that shrimphavedifferentwaysofadjustingto various
levelsofsaltsandalkalinity. TheSanDiego fairy shrimpandtheRiversidefairy
shrimp are “osmoregulators” that maintain constant internal chemical
concentrations,but cannottoleratewide extremesin sodiumor bicarbonate
concentrations. Zedler eta!. (1979)andEbert and Balko (1987) foundthatthe
number of invertebratespeciesperpool wasgreaterin the largeranddeeperpools.
Theyalso foundthat therewerefewer speciesin poolshavingvariablewater
depth, which dried a number of times during theseason.King eta!. (1996)
likewise found that the number of species in northern California pools was
greatestin the larger,deeperpools. DehoneyandLaVigne(1984)examinedthe
macroinvertebratefaunaon Otay Mesain southernSanDiegoCountyandfound
30
that species’presenceor absencewascloselytied to thehydrologicalregimeof
thepools.
Whenwaterbeginsto pondafterthecommencementoftherainy season,shrimp
beginto hatchfrom encystedembryos(frequentlyreferredto aseggs).With
hydrationof eggs,timeto hatchingis usuallybetweentwo and25 days,depending
on species(HathawayandSimovich 1996). Hatchingresponses correspond well
with what is knownofthegerminationofvernalpool plant species (Bauder 1992
andunpublisheddata1995). Shrimpeggstendto hatchor germinateat cool
temperatures,with species-specificdifferencesin responsesthatarerelatedto
temperatureregime. Lackof hatchingat highertemperatures(greaterthan25
degreesCelsius;77 degreesFahrenheit)protectsStreptocephaluswoottoni and
Branchinectasandiegonensisfrom the infrequentsummerstormsthatmight
otherwise be sufficient to stimulatedevelopment,but inadequatefor the
organisms to complete their life cycles. Also, only a portion of the dormant egg
bank, often less than 10 percent, hatches with any one hydration (Hathaway and
Simovich1996). Subsequenthydrationsmayresultin acumulativetotal of only
30 to 40 percenthatching. Large cyst banks of viable resting eggs in the soil of
vernalpoolscontainingpopulationsoffairy shrimpshavebeenwell documented
by Belk (1998)andSimovichandHathaway(1997).
Maturationto reproductiveagefrom hatchingis approximately2 weeksfor
Branchinectasandiegonensisbut over 2 monthsfor Streptocephaluswooltoni.
Thetime periodis compressedorexpanded,dependingonambientwater
temperatures(HathawayandSimovich 1996). Thecombinedgreaterlengthof
timefrom hydrationto hatchingandhatchingto maturity, resultsin a longertime
for Streptocephalusto completeits life cycle comparedto Branchinecta.As a
consequence,in poolswheretheyco-occur,Branchinectareachadulthoodwhen
Streptocephalusarestill in the larval stage.
Theyoungshrimp swim upsidedownin thepools astheyfilter feedon algaeand
zooplanktonwith their 11 pairsof leaf-likelegs. Theshrimparetranslucent,and
astheymatureto reproductiveage,thefemalesdevelopprominentovisacswhile
themales’secondantennaebecomemodified for claspingthefemaleduring
mating. Thedevelopmentofshelledeggsin thefemales’ovisacsis evidenceof
31
fertilization. Females lay 100 to 300 eggs or more, with differences in mean
numberamongspecies(HathawayandSimovich 1996). Whenlaid, eggsfall to
the soil surface(mud) wheretheydevelopto thegastrula(earlyembryo)stage,
then become dormant, entering a state of diapause encysted in their shells. They
remain dormant until thenextwet season.
Fairy shrimp play an important role in thecommunityecologyofmanyephemeral
waterbodies. Theyarefed uponby waterfowl (Krapu1974; Swansoneta!. 1974)
andothervertebrates,suchaswesternspadefoottoadtadpoles(Scaphiopus
hammondi)(Simovichetal. 1991).
Insects
Both aquatic and terrestrial insects are associated with vernal pool habitats,
servingasherbivoresandpredators.But perhapsthemostobviousroleis thatof
thepollinator. PogogyneabramsiiandPogogynenudiusculaare insect-
pollinated,and in areassurroundedby developmentanddisturbance,the
introducedhoneybee(Apis mellWera)is acommonpollinator (Mills n.d.). A
largesuiteof nativepollinatorsfrequentsouthernCaliforniapools,including bees
ofthefamiliesHalictidaeand Megachilidae,andfliesof thefamily Syrphidae. In
areasoflower disturbance,thehoneybeecanoftenbe replacedby beeflies
(Bombyliidae),flower flies (Syrphidae),or grounddwellingbees(Anthophoridae)
(Ellis andMills 1991;MeMillan unpublished data 1995). The federally
endangeredQuino checkerspotbutterfly (Euphydryasedithaquino) is also known
to occurin andaroundvernalpool habitat. Thenectarand hostplantsareoften
commoncomponents of the surrounding vegetation.
Specificity in pollinators of vernal pool species has been well documented in the
CentralValley of California(Thorp 1976, 1990;Leong 1994M.S. thesis
submitted1993). While fewempiricalstudiesexistfor southernCaliforniavernal
pools,similarplant-insectspecializationis likely andmaybe essentialto
successfulreproductionof certainspecies.
Gene flow by pollen is often substantial among plant populations (Ellstrand
1992),andit is especiallyimportantwhenplant populationsarerare,small,or
32
geographicallyisolated. Fragmentationofplant-pollinatorsystemshasbeen
shownto havedetrimentaleffect on thevisitationratesby pollinators,and
subsequently,in seedsetandgeneticpolymorphism(Jennersten1988).
Specializationin one orafewcloselyrelatedvernalpool plant speciesaspollen
sourcesis oftenexhibitedby solitary bees(family Andrenidae),andthelife cycles
ofthesebeesandtheirhostsarecloselysynchronized.Thorp (1976)showeda
significantdeclinein seedproductionofB!ennospermananumwhenits specialist
pollinatorAndrenab!ennospermai’iswasabsentfrom its pollinatorguild.
Conservationof amatrix of vegetationcommunitiesmaybe necessaryto ensure
theviability of certainvernalpool plant species.Pollen-mediatedgeneflow
within Limnanthesplantpopulationsis restrictedbecausetheir specialistbees
foragewithin a limited areaof their hostflowers(Thorp 1990),andadjacent
uplandhabitatis usedfor nestingby speciessuchasAndrena.
Amphibians
Five speciesofamphibiansareexpectedto utilize vernalpools in southern
California:thePacific treefrog(Hyla regi!la), westerntoad(Bufo boreas),
(western)spadefoottoad(Scaphiopushammondii),andthenon-natives,bullfrog
(Ranacatesbeiana),andAfrican clawedfrog (Xenopus!aevis). Treefrogs,
westerntoads,and bullfrogs typically requirelong-standingor permanentwater
sourcesto successfullyreproduce,althoughtheywill utilize vernalpools for
breedingwhenavailable(Simovichetal. 1996). Theshortdevelopmenttime
exhibitedby thespadefoottoadenablesthemto utilize vernalandephemeralpool
habitat successfully.
Becausespadefoottoadsspendthemajority oftheyearunderground(Ruibal et al.
1969),timing of emergencefrom estivation(summerdormancy)is critical, and
shouldoccurwhenheavyrainandappropriatetemperatureconditionsexist(Bragg
1961). BrattstromandBondello (1979)havedocumentedtheemergenceof
spadefoottoadswhenstimulatedby thesoundsemittedfrom motorcyclesandoff-
road vehicles. Thesoundandvibrationsassociatedwith heavyrainfall arethe
cuesspadefoottoadsrely on, andnot theamountofprecipitation. Thetoadsare
likely to die if theweatherconditionsarenot correctatthe time ofemergence.
33
Becausespadefoottoadsestivatein terrestrialhabitatandburrowingsiteshave
beendocumentedseveralmilesfrom an aquaticsource(Ruibal eta!. 1969),
considerationshouldbe givento conservationof surroundinghabitatsto assistin
theconservationof this species.Theeffectsof nonnativespecieson native fauna
should also be addressedwhenmanagingvernalpoolhabitats. Immatureand
adult bullfrogs have been well documented to seriously adversely affect native
invertebrateandamphibianpopulations,andhavethecapacityto completely
depleteentireagegroups(Simovicheta!. 1996).
Reptiles
While notdependenton vernalpools,mostofthesnakesin thesouthern
Californiaareacanutilize freewaterthat is foundin vernalpoolhabitatduring the
aquaticstage.Although not restrictedto this habitattype,thetwo-stripedgarter
snake(Thamnophishammondii)is semi-aquaticandwill specificallyusevernal
pools to feedon animals. Thesesnakesare commonin thevernalpoolsofthe
SantaRosaPlateauand Otay Mesa.
Birds
Avian useof vernalpool habitatis typically understated.Vernal poolsprovide
importanthabitatfor residentandmigratorybirds, particularlywaterfowland
shorebirds.Primaryuseofvernalpoolscoincideswith pool inundationperiods
andmigration. Birds areattractedto thepools,in partbecausethepoolsare
shallowandprovideanoptimal feedingdepth. However,birds areparticularly
attractedto thepoolsbecausetheyoffer foraginghabitatata time ofyearwhen
resourcesarelimited (Silveira 1996). Proteinsandcalciumvital to theenergetic
needsofmigrationand reproductionareavailablethroughfoodsourcessuchas
invertebrates(Silveira1996;Proctoreta!. 1967)andproteinrich plantsfound in
andadjacentto vernalpools.
Vernalpool landscapeshelp link aquatic resources in theCaliforniaportionofthe
Pacific Flyway, which is essentialwhenconsideringthedrasticreductionof
wetlandsdueto agricultureandurbanization.While this habitattype is important
34
to avifauna,birds alsocontributeto thewelfareofthevernalpool system,aiding
in dispersalofcrustaceancysts(Simovicheta!. 1996) and plant seeds.
Mammals
While no mammals arerestrictedto vernalpool habitats,theyareattractedto
them as a source of food and water, and mammals may serve as agents of seed
dispersal.DalquestandSheffer(1942)hypothesizethe most important mammal
in thevernalpool ecosystemis thepocketgopher(Thomomysbottae). These
small rodentstunnel throughthesoil, potentially aiding in theformationof Mima
mound topography (Cox 1984b).
POOL SPECIESASSOCIATIONSAND CLASSIFICATION
The unique anddiscretenatureofvernalpoolsallow for thedevelopmentofa
classification scheme that will facilitate management and recovery goals of this
plan. Aspects of this classification include the consideration of the geographical
location of the pools, topographic position (mesa orvalley or depression),regional
precipitation,soil types,andlocal variation. Coastalpools arefoundalmost
exclusivelyon mesas,but sustaindifferent speciesdependingon soil senes.
Inlandvalleysandmesascontainsoils ofalluvial derivation(valleys)orvolcanic
origin (mesas)andhavea lessmoderatetemperatureregimethancoastalareas.
All oftheendangeredplantandanimalspeciesofsouthernCaliforniapools
mentioned in this plan are restricted to this region, as aremanyothersensitive
species.Within theregion,thedistributionsofthe listed speciesonly partially
overlap(Table 1), although the two Pogogynespecies(Pogogyneabramsiiand
Pogogynenudiuscula)are not believed to have ever co-occurred(McMillan, pers.
comm. 1995). Differencesin soil typeareimportantcorrelateswith plant species
distributions(BauderandMeMillan pers.comm. 1996). For instance,Pogogyne
nudiusculaoccursonly onStockpensoils, whicharelimited to Otay Mesaand
Pogogyneabramsii is found only on Reddingsoils. Therelationof vernalpool
animals,invertebratesin particular,to thesamevariablesappearsto be similar
(Simovichpers.comm. 1995;King eta!. 1996). For instance,Orcuttia
calWornica (Griggs 1980; Griggsand Jam 1983) andRiversidefairy
35
Table I
Distribution of Vernal PoolSpeciesin the ManagementAreas
SPECIES GOLETA TRANS-
VERSE
LA BASIN!
ORANGE
RIVERSIDE SAN DIEGO
NORTH
COASTAL
MESAS
SAN DIEGO
CENTRAL
COASTAL
MESAS
SAN DIEGO
SOUTH
COASTAL
MESAS
SAN
DIEGO
INLAND
VALLEY
Etyngiumaristulatum
var. parishii
SRP MCB, CL DM, KM, MM,
MR, TR,
OM, PV SM,RM
Navarretiafossalis CM HM,SRP
SJR,SKH,
CL, MCB MR. KM OM RM, SM
Orcuttiacal~fornica CM, WH, CB HM, SKH,
SRP
CL MR OM
Pogogyneabramsii DM, KM, MM,MR, TR
Pogogynenudiuscula GM
Riversidefairy shrimp CB FT, SMD,
RMV
TM, SKH,
SRP
MCB , CL MR OM
SanDiego fairy shrimp FP,RMV MCB, CL DM, KM, MM,
MR, TR
GM, PV RM
COMPLEXESOR ASSOCIATIONS
CB Carlsberg
CL Carlsbad
CM CruzanMesaDM Del MaxMesa
FP Fairview Park
FT Fooslsillfrrabuco
HM Hesaset
iv lsla’,lista
KM KearneyMesaMCB Masine Caorps BaseCamp Pendleton
MR MasiseCorpsAir Staboe Miramar
MM Mirasnesa
OM Otay Mesapv Proctor valley
RM Ramona
RMV Rancho Mission ‘.‘i~o
SJR SanJacinto River
SKIT Skunk Hollow
SM San Mascot
SMT San Mateo
SMD SaddlebackMeadowsSRP SantaRosaPlateau
TM Tesnecula
TR TierrasantaWH Woodland Hills
shrimp(Simovichpers.comm. 1995)maybe closelytied to specificmoisture
requirements.
Dataon plantandanimalspeciesdistributions,soil typesandclimatic variables
providethebasisfor recognitionof eightdistinctManagementAreasin southern
California(Figure9), whichcompriselocally variablevernalpooi complexes
coveredby this plan(Table 1) (AppendixE). An additionalManagementArea,
which encompassesvernalpools in themontaneregion,is notaddressedby this
planbut is addressedin the ConservationAgreementfor thePreservationof
CuyamacaLake Downingia,Parish’smeadowfoam,andCuyamacalarkspur
(USFWS 1996a).
Within thevariousManagementAreas,poolsarenotevenlydistributedacrossthe
landscape.Theymayappearin clusterssubdividedby canyonsthat dissectthe
coastalterracesor in basinsorvalleysseparatedby majortopographicalfeatures
suchasriver valleys,hills, ormountains.Overlainon thenaturalpatchinessof
thesuitablehabitatarethedistributionsofthe individual species(Figure2 through
8). Thesedistributionsmayreflectacombinationof narrowhabitatrequirements
at themicroscale(hydrological regimeor waterquality, for instance),accidentsof
dispersal,andlocal extinctionsandreinvasions.Maintenanceofviable
populationsof the listed speciesandsuccessfulimplementationofrecovery
actionsis tied to recognitionofthehabitatdifferenceswithin thesouthern
Californiaregion.
GoletaManagementArea
ThevernalpoolsoftheGoletaManagementAreaoccuron thecoastalterracesof
GoletaandIsla Vista, alongthenarrowplain southof theSantaYnezMountains.
Threevernalpool groups,one atMoreMesa,andsmall complexesat Ellwood
Mesa(9pools) andIslaVista(12 pools),occurin this area. Although, thesepools
arecurrentlyisolatedandconsideredto be remnantsof a largerhistoricalvernal
pool complex,theyshouldbe managedasonevernalpool complex. A single San
Diego fairy shrimp hasbeenreportedfrom theIsla Vistacomplex(Figure 1 Oa)
(AppendixE), however,noneof theothervernalpool speciescoveredby this plan
areknownto occurin this managementarea.Although thesinglerecordofthe
37
CoSAN L)IEGO:
INLANDVALLEYS
Jr Aag~nt 1997
Los Angeles
1N -
/
Bernardino
Riverside -—
mile n.nv
M~ckAIR
2
38
GOLETA
IslaVzaaGoleta Sapt~
Co
Oxnard
0
SantaTRANSVERSE \ Clarita
Carlsberg
0
• Extant vernal pools or vernal pool complexes
o Extirpated vernal pools or vernal pool comolexes
Los Angeles
San Fernando
LongBeach
Oerts,Jr.
SanDiego fairy shrimpmaynot representa selfsustainingpopulation,it canbe
interpretedasa colonizationeventandshouldnot be disregardedasit may
provideimportantinformationabouttheshod-termviability of populationsof
fairy shrimpin theIsla Vistavernalpool complex.
TransverseManagementArea
TheTransverseManagementAreais locatedin inland valleysandmesasnorthof
theLos AngelesBasinin associationwith theTransverseMountainRanges. Two
extantvernalpoolsitesoccurwithin this ManagementArea:CruzanMesa(Los
AngelesCounty)andtheCarlsbergvernalpools in Moorpark,on thenorthern
edgeof theSantaMonicaMountains(VenturaCounty)(Figure1 Ga) (Appendix
B). Informationregardingthesevernalpools is sparseduein part to thefactthat
thesesitesarecurrentlyunderprivateownershipanddifficult to survey. Orcuttia
californica,Navarretiafossalisandvernalpool fairy shrimpcanbe foundin both
sites,but thestatusofthesepopulationsis unknown.
Los AngelesBasin-OrangeManagementArea
TheLos AngelesBasin-OrangeManagementArea occurswithin thecoastal
terraces,valleys,andfoothills of theLos AngelesBasinin Los Angelesand
OrangeCounties,California. Themajority of thisareais significantly influenced
by themarineclimate. Thefull extentof thehistoricvernalpool distribution
within this ManagementAreais not well understood,andthemajority ofthe
knownvernalpool siteswereextirpatedprior to 1950. Of thosepools that have
survived,mosttendto be relativelysmall complexesthathavebeenpoorly
surveyed. Only threesitesarecurrentlyknownto be extant:Lomasde Santiago,
RanchoMissionViejo, andtheFairviewvernalpools in CostaMesa(Figure lOb)
(AppendixB).
Two areaswith vernalpool-like ephemeralpondsareincludedin this plan
becauseofthepresenceofRiversidefairy shrimp (SanMateopondsandthe
SaddlebackMeadowssites). Themajority of OrangeCountyfoothills (e.g.,SaddlebackMeadowsponds)arelikely theresultof landslidetopography.
Althoughdepauperatein floral diversity, someponds(i.e.,OrangeCounty
40
aMalibu
ILA. Municipal 0Airport
a
N
miles0 5 10
Soldier’sHouse
cot
LOS ANGELESBASINORANGE
MANAGEMENT AREA0
Rosecrans Downey
Lake wood
FairviewPark
0
/2/
LomasSantaAna Ridge
0
Irvine
0 SaddlebackMeadow 0
Corona
coSan
Bernardino
RIVERSIDEMANAGEMENT AREA
0
Elsinore
Perris
kline
I
• Extant vernal pools or vernal pool complexes
o Extirpated vernal pools or vernal pool complexes
SLagunaLakes
Chiqwla@Ridge
Murrieta0
SantaRowPlateau
a• Skunk HollowTemecula
4=.r Hemet
Hemet
foothills) supporttherichestinvertebratediversity in OrangeCounty. Thelackof
indicatorplantspeciesis likely aresultof intensivegrazingby cattle. TheSan
Mateopondsarearesultoffault activity (sagponds)alongtheChristianitosFault.
RiversideManagementArea
Thevernalpoolsof RiversideCountyarefoundon inland mesasandvalleys. The
valleypoolsofthis regionfrequentlyhaveaweakto stronglyalkali component.
Includedwithin theRiversideManagementArea arethevernalpoolsoftheSanta
RosaPlateau,Hemet,Temecula,and SkunkHollow, aswell asanumberof
isolatedpools in thevicinity ofMurrieta(FigurelOb) (AppendixE). A limited
numberof vernalpoolsarealsoknownfrom alongtheentire lengthoftheSan
JacintoRiver, from theCaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGameSari Jacinto
Wildlife Areato theCity of Perris. Thevernalpool complexesfoundalongthe
SanJacintoRiver corridorandthealkali playahabitatsof this region,areknown
to supportlargepopulationsof Navarretiafossalis. With theexceptionof the
SantaRosaPlateauand SkunkHollow, mostofthesepoolshavebeenextirpated
or greatlydisturbed. In additionto representativesoftheproposedandlisted
species,with theexceptionofthetwo Pogogynespecies,othersensitivespecies
that areknownto occurin thesecomplexesandincludevernalpool fairy shrimp,
little mousetail(Myosurusminimus)and Coulter’sgoldfields (Lastheniaglabrata
ssp.coulteri).
SanDiego:NorthCoastalMesasManagementAreas
Thevernalpools within this ManagementArea areassociatedwith coastal
terracesnorthoftheSanDieguito Riverwithin SanDiego County. Thevernal
pool complexesatMCB CampPendletonandthosewithin theCity of Carlsbad
representthis ManagementArea(Figure 1 Oc) (AppendixE). Eryngium
arisulaiumvar.parishii, Navarretiafossalis,Orcuttiacal~fornica,andboth
speciesof listed fairy shrimpoccurin thesecomplexes.
42
San Marcos
SAN DIEGO:INLAND
MANAGEMENT AREAop
Ramona
• Extant vernal pools or vernal pooi complens
0 Extirpated vernal pools or vernal pooi complexes
43
SanDiego:CentralCoastalMesasManagementAreas
Thevernalpools within thisManagementAreaareassociatedwith thecoastal
terracesandmesasofcentralSanDiegoCountyfrom theSanDieguito River
southto SanDiego Bay andnorthof theSweetwaterRiver (Figure 1 Oc)
(AppendixE). This ManagementAreaincludesthevernalpoolsat Del MarMesa
andMira Mesa,theKeamyMesavernalpool complexes(MCAS Miramar,
Tierrasanta,MontgomeryField), andthe SanDiegoMesacomplex(Cholla
Heights). Very little remainsof thevernalpoolsalongthemesasnorth andsouth
of theSanDiegoRiverValley. Although themajority of thecomplexesin the
centralcoastalareastill exist,manyhavebeengreatlyreducedandfragmentedas
comparedto their historicalextent. All ofthespeciesaddressedin this plan,with
theexceptionofPogogynenudiuscula,occurin this managementarea.
SanDiego: SouthernCoastalMesasManagementAreas
ThesouthernSanDiegocoastalmesavernalpools includeall isolatedpools and
complexesfrom theSweetwaterRiversouthto theMexicanborder. Included
within this ManagementAreaaretheNationalCity andChulaVistapools(mostly
extirpated),BorderFieldpools, WesternandEasternOtayMesacomplexes,
SweetwaterReservoirpools,andthevernalpools in thevicinity ofOtayLake
(Figure lOc) (AppendixE). All ofthe speciesaddressedin thisplan,with the
exceptionofPogogyneabramsii,occurin this managementarea.
SanDiego: InlandValleysManagementAreas
The SanDiego InlandValleysManagementAreaconsistsofpools situatedin San
Marcos,Escondido,Valley Center,Ramona,SanDieguitoValley, Poway,El
CajonValley,MarronValley, andProctorValley. Themajority of thesepoolsare
isolatedto a degreefrom extrememaritimeinfluenceby topographyandoccur
morethanninekilometers(6 miles) from thecoast(Figure lOc) (AppendixE).
Eryngiumaristula*um var.parishii, Navarretiafossalis,andthe SanDiego fairy
shrimpoccurin this managementarea.
44
HISTORIC AND CURRENTDISTRIBUTION OF THE HABITAT
With theexceptionofpineforestand chaparral,few ofthevegetation
communitiesassociatedwith vernalpool habitatin Californiawereever
widespread,andthemajorityhavesufferednearlyasseriousdeclinesin
distributionasvernalpooi habitatsthemselves(JonesandStokes1987;Oberbauer
1990). A reportpreparedat therequestof theCaliforniaSenateCommitteeon
NaturalResourcesandWildlife concludedthat “vernal poolsofall types,andthe
speciesthatdependuponthem,areamongthemostthreatenedof all theState’s
naturaldiversity” (Jonesand Stokes1987).
Unlike theCentralValley in California, southernCaliforniaand BajaCalifornia,
Mexico, neverhadexpansesofpools stretchingfor hundredsofmiles. In San
Diego,vernalpool habitatprobablycoveredno morethan6 percentofthecounty,
approximately520squarekilometers(200squaremiles), prior to intensive
cultivation andurbanization(BauderandMcMillan 1998). Currently,lossof
vernalpool habitatin theCountyis estimatedat 95 to 97 percent(Bauder1986,
BauderandMcMillan 1998;Oberbauer1990;Oberbauer,pers.comm.1996).
Lackof historicaldataprecludesthesamedepthof analysisfor Los Angeles
County,RiversideCounty,OrangeCounty,or SanBernardinoCounty,but losses
areconsiderednearlytotal (USFWS 1993). Thecurrentdistributionofpools in
northernBajaCalifornia,Mexico probablycomesmuchcloserto thehistoric
condition (BauderandMeMillan 1998).
Most of theremainingvernalpools in SanDiegoCountyoccuron Reddingsoils,
primarily on MCAS Miramarwhereapproximately31 squarekilometers(19
squaremiles) ofthesesoils aremoreor lessundeveloped.Within this area,
GlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)mappingrevealsapproximately3,400
individual pools totaling64 hectares(158 acres)of basinarea(Luciani,pers.
comm. 1997). Preliminaryexaminationof soils mapsindicatesthatvernalpools
closelyassociatedwith Pogogyneabrarnsii (Reddingseries),in thesouthernhalf
of its historic range,havebeencompletelylost to urbandevelopment(Bauderand
McMillan unpublisheddata1996). Extensivelossesofthesesoils from urban
developmentwithin thenorthernhalfofthespecies’historic rangehavefurther
45
reducedits potentialhabitat. Themajorityoftherangeofthisspeciesis now
containedwithin an 8-kilometerby 18-kilometer(5-mile by 11-mile) area.
Themajorityof poolhabitatin theSanDiego:CentralCoastalMesaManagement
Area,with theexceptionofMCAS Miramar,hasbeendeveloped.Theentire
mesa,which onceextendedfrom downtownSanDiego to LaMesaon theeast,to
Interstate8 on thenorth,andto StateRoute94 on thesouth,wasdevelopedprior
to World WarII, with theexceptionof severalvery small pool remnantsin Balboa
ParkandattheU.S. Navy’s formerradiostationat ChollasHeights.
Pogogynenudiusculaappearsto haveoccurredonly on Stockpenandpossibly
HuerhueroandOlivenhainsoilson thesoutherncoastalmesas.Thesesoils
extendedfrom ChulaVistaandImperialBeachon thecoastofthePacific Ocean,
16 kilometers(10 miles) to theeast,to thefoot oftheSanYsidro Mountains.
Overhalfofthisareahasbeenlost to urbanization,andtheremaininghalfhas
eitherbeenconvertedto agriculturaluseor is in theprocessofbeingurbanized.
Populationsjust acrossthe internationalborderin BajaCalifornia,Mexico,are
partof thesamemesasystemandbelievedto havebeenextirpatedsomeyears
ago. At present,this speciesoccursonly in a3-kilometer(2-mile) long arcof
habitatlessthan1-kilometer(0.6-mile)wide alongthesouthernrim of theOtay
River Valley andin onesmall population3 to 4 miles away.
On muchof thecoastalterrace,habitatlosseshaveresultedin a severereduction
ofthegeographicrangeofpoolsandthespeciesfoundin them. Theselosses,
coupledwith fragmentationofthehabitat,haveaccentuatedthenaturallypatchy,
discontinuousdistributionpatternsofmostvernalpool species(Bauder1986,
1993). Becauseareaswithin theManagementAreascandiffer in soil seriesand
amountofprecipitationandwerehistorically subdividedby naturalfeatures,it is
reasonableto assumethat somespeciesoncepresentin anareamayno longerbe
represented,andthatwithin-speciesgeneticdiversity hasbeendiminished. For
example,herbariumspecimensofPogogynespeciesindicatethat thepopulations
with importantmorphologicaldifferenceshavealreadybeenextirpated(McMillan
pers.comm. 1995). Maintenanceof theextantpools,aswell asrestorablehabitat,
is essentialto thepreservationoftheremainingdiversity andthepreventionof
further losses.
46
Lossesofpools in the inland valleyshavebeenextensiveaswell. In fact,pools
mayhavebeencompletelyextirpatedfrom somevalleyssuchasEscondido,El
Cajon,andPoway. Thoseremainingin SanMarcos,ProctorValley, andRamona
arefew in number,andwith theexceptionof ProctorValley,havebeendivided
into small piecesby residential,commercial,and industrialdevelopment.In
RiversideCounty, no comprehensiveassessmentcanbe madeof theoriginal
extentofpools or thedegreeof loss,but theyarethoughtto havebeennumerous,
with only afewcurrentlyremainingtoday(Zedleretal. 1990;USFWS1993).
REASONSFORDECLINE AND CONTINUEDTHREATS TO THE SPECIES
AND THE HABITAT
Prior to 1945,theprimarythreatsto southernCaliforniavernalpools were
grazing,waterimpoundments,andconversionto agriculture(Phillips 1960;
Bauder1994). In recentyears,urbanizationandconstructionofinfrastructure
haveresultedin lossesof habitatestimatedto be ashigh as97 percent(Oberbauer
1990;Bauder1986andunpublisheddata1996).
Urbandevelopmentremainstheprimarythreatto thelisted vernalpoolspecies
(Bauder1987b). Someoftheproposedprojectsincludeexpansionofairportsand
landfills, constructionof majorroadways,utility infrastructure,resortsand
recreationalfacilities, commercialand industrialproperties,andresidential
housingtracts. Generally,theseprojectsdirectly impactpools throughelimination
of thehabitat. Wherepools remain,dumping,trampling,vehicularactivity,
runoff, andintrusionof nonnativespeciesarecontinuedthreats.Hydrological
changesanderosioncancauseprofoundchangesin thepool flora (Bauder1 987b,
1992). Evenwherepoolsareunderprotectedownership,vigilant and informed
managementprogramsarenecessaryto preventdegradationof thehabitat.
Trenchingfor utilities, on-goingoperationswithin easementsandleaseholdings,
responsesto emergenciessuchasfire or air crashes,fuel andchemicalspills, and
recreationalactivitiescanall causeseriousdamageto vernalpools,particularly
duringtheaquaticor drying phaseswhensoils aremostvulnerableandthe
organismsaregrowingor reproducing. Whendisturbanceis severe,it canleadto
local extirpationsofpool species.
47
Fragmentationand isolationofhabitatfrom thevegetativecommunityin which it
occurs,andinteractionswith otherhabitattypesdueto development,also
adverselyimpactvernalpools. Alterationsof thesurroundingsoils, vegetation,
drainagepatterns,and hydrologycanhaveprofoundeffectson vernalpooi
organismsby impactingthehydrological regimeofthepoolsandthequality of
water. Poolsdeprivedof sufficientmoisturearedominatedby nonnativeupland
plants,mostnotably grasslandannuals(Bauder1 987a,b). Presenceofpool plants
canbe significantly diminishedby thepresenceofnonnatives(Bauder1988),and
survivorshipandreproductioncanbe reducedby competitionfrom uplandannuals
(Bauder1 987a). Likewise,augmentedrunoff increasesmortality ofendemicpool
speciesandfavorsfreshwatermarshplants(Bauder1987b).
Habitatfragmentationalsoincreasesthe“edgeeffects.” Thedistributionof
pollinatorscanchangein responseto habitatfragmentation(LeongM.S. thesis
submitted1993),andtheymaybe affectedby landscapeplantsin thevicinity.
Fragmentationcanleadto theeliminationof predators,whichcould leadto
populationincreasesofherbivoressuchasburrowingrodents,rabbits,andquail.
Populationgeneticsmayalsobe adverselyaffected. Watershedcontiguity
augmentsgeneflow in populationsalreadynaturallylow in variability (Davies
1996;Proctoret al. 1967)by allowing flooding betweenpools. Vernalpool
organismsaretypically definedby thecomplexin whichtheyoccur, in part
becausegeneflow betweencomplexesappearsto be extremelylow (Fugate1993;
Davies1996). Isolationofpoolsor modificationofthewatershedpotentially
compromisesgeneflow, resultingin a lossof geneticvariability andan increased
susceptibilityto extinctionandreducedfitness(Soule1986).
Pool faunacanbe adverselyaffectedby waterpollution (Simovichpers.comm.
1995). Preliminarystudiessuggestthat the eggsof thesespeciesare easily
crushedby suchactionsastramplingby humanfeetorbeingrunoverby vehicles
(Hathawayetal. 1996). Thedegreeofdisturbanceofcompetitiveor
predator/preyinteractionsoftheaquaticfaunais unknown,althoughnonnative
speciessuchasthe bullfrog prey heavily on spadefoottoadsandfairy shrimp
(Morey 1996; Simovichetal. 1996). Theindigenousfloraonwhich someofthe
pool speciesdependcanbe replacedasaresultof theintroductionof exotic
plants.
48
Riskof catastrophiclossis substantialfor all theregionally restrictedvernalpool
species,eventhenumericallyabundantones,becauseof thecombinationoftheir
habitatspecificity,thespatialdistribution ofappropriatehabitat,and habitat
reduction. Forexample,theareacontainingtheknowndistributionof the
endangeredspeciesPogogynenudiusculais aboutthreesquarekilometers(one
squaremile) (seeabove). Although their relativedistributionis morewidespread,
Orcuttia cal~fornicaand Riversidefairy shrimpeachareknownfrom only a few
populations.Therefore,vernalpool speciesare exceptionallyvulnerableto
disturbances,accidentalor otherwise. Individualsof any givenspecies,however
abundant,arein no way independentofeachother. A substantialportion ofthe
rangeor numberof the individualsofone or morespeciescouldbe lost through
oneincidentalone.
CONSERVATIONAND PROTECTION MEASURES
A wide varietyof conservationmeasureshavebeenor arebeingusedto protect
the vernalpool habitat,with varying degreesof success.TheDepartmentof
Defense,theCity of SanDiego, theCity of ChulaVista, andtheCountyof San
Diegohavejurisdictionoverthe largestnumberof pools remainingin southern
California.
NaturalCommunityConservationPlanning
In 1991,CaliforniaenactedtheNaturalCommunityConservationPlanningAct
(NCCP)to addressregionalconservationneedsthroughoutthe State. Theinitial
focus is on thecoastalsagescrubcommunityof southernCalifornia. Although
vernalpool speciesarenot primarily associatedwith coastalsagescrub,theyare
consideredunderthesubregionalMultiple SpeciesConservationPlanning
Program(MSCP)andtheMultiple HabitatConservationPlanningProgram
(MHCP) (Figure 11). Theseprograms,initiated by the City of SanDiego,County
of SanDiego.privateinterests,andcoastalcities in northernSanDiegoCounty,
arebeingintegratedasa componentof theNCCPProgramandwill extend
protectionto manynaturalcommunities,includingvernalpools.
49
Multiple SpeciesConservationProgram(MSCP)
Multiple HabitatConservationProgram(MHCP)
Multiple HabitatConservationandOpenSpaceProgram
Military Lands(beingplannedseparately)
Reservoirs
Data Source: SANDAG
U
IC 0 0 1O1~h.
0 I~0 3~0 5~ 70~I..t
10 6 0 10k1W.t•
II
Figure11. ConservationF amsin SanDiegoCounty
TheU.S. FishandWildlife ServiceandCaliforniaDepartmentofFishandGame
approvedtheMSCP(aframeworkplan)andtheCity of SanDiegosubareaplan(a
subcomponentofthesubregionalplan) in July 1997. Otherjurisdictionsare
expectedto completetheirsubareaplanningprocessesin thefuture. TheMSCP
encompassesapproximately235,627hectares(582,000acres)of southwestern
SanDiegoCounty,andinvolvesmultiple jurisdictions.TheMHCP encompasses
roughly 48,118hectares(118,852acres)in northwesternSanDiego County,and
involvessevenjurisdictions. Thisplan is in thepredraftphaseandhasnotyet
identifiedareasof protection(Figure 11).
When fully implemented,thesubregionalMSCPandits componentsubareaplans
will permanentlyconserveapproximately69,602hectares(171,917acres)within
thepreserveplanningarea,ofwhich21,094hectares(52,102acres)is underthe
jurisdictionoftheCity ofSanDiego (Ogden1996). Within the preserveplanning
area,thereare 1,317hectares(3,254acres)of vernalpool habitat,including 838
hectares(2,071acres)on military landsand 479hectares(1,183acres)on other
public orprivatelands. Of the479 hectares(1,183acres)ofvernalpool habitat
occurringon nonmilitary lands,approximately344 hectares(850acres)(88
percent)aretargetedfor conservation,althoughtheexactconfigurationof
preservationhasnotyet beendetermined.
All subareaplanswithin theMSCPwill requireconservationofvernalpool
habitatto ensureno net lossof acreageandhabitatfunctionsandvalues,andwill
requireavoidanceofimpactsto vernalpoois to themaximumextent practicable
both insideandoutsidethepreserveplanningarea. Impactsthat cannotbe
avoidedshould be minimizedandmitigated. Vernal poolsandtheirconstituent
specieswill continueto be subjectto Section404 oftheCleanWaterAct, Section
7 oftheEndangeredSpeciesAct, and CaliforniaFishandGameCode1600et seq.
In additionto conservingexistingvernalpool habitat,theproposedpreserveis
expectedto conserve3,135hectares(7,745acres)(28 percent)of clay soils and
1,108hectares(2,736acres)(27percent)of loamswith a clayhardpanthat
currentlyremainundevelopedin theMultiple SpeciesConservationPlanningarea.
This acreagemayincludeareasthathavebeendisturbed,includingareascurrently
in agriculture. Vernalpoolswithin thepreserveplanningareawill beconserved
51
within areasofconnectedhabitatrepresentingafull rangeofvegetation
communitiesthat will betterallow for thecontinuationofnaturalprocesses.
Managementandmonitoringof vernalpoolswithin thepreserveplanningarea
will addto thecurrentlevel ofprotectionfor many complexes.
For Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, 70 percentofthetotal point localities
occurwithin thepreserveplanningareaof theMSCP. Sixty percentof thepoint
localities for Navarretiafossalisareconcentratedin threepopulations.
Approximately63 percentof oneof thesepopulationsis includedin thepreserve
planningarea. Onemajorpopulationof Orcutlia ca/Wornica occurswithin the
MSCPPlanningarea,of which 86 percentis includedwithin thepreserve
planningarea.Pogogyneabramsiiis entirelyendemicto theMSCPPlanning
area,but themajorpopulationfor this speciesoccurson MCAS Miramar,which
is outsideofthepreserveplanningarea. MCAS Miramaris preparingan
IntregratedNaturalResourcesManagementPlanwhichwill be coordinatedwith
theU.S. FishandWildlife Service(Biological Opinion, l-6-95-F-33),and
CaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGamein accordancewith theSikesAct.
Pogogynenudiusculais entirelyendemicto theMSCPPlanningarea.Baja
CaliforniapopulationspreviouslyidentifiedasPogogynenudiuscula,arenow
knownto be a differentspecies(McMillan, unpublisheddata1995). Within the
MSCPPlanningarea,91 percentofthepoint localitiesoccurwithin thepreserve
planningarea. This speciesis only knownto be foundon Stockpensoils on Otay
Mesa. Theestablishmentofthepreservewill conserve24 percentofthe
remaining18 percentof thesesoils, or 4 percentofwhatwashistorically present.
Vernal Pool StewardshipProjectof the
SanDiegoNationalWildlife Refuge
To complementtheMSCPandassistin therecoveryofvernalpool species,the
U.S. Fishand Wildlife ServiceapprovedtheVernalPoolsStewardshipProjectin
April 1997. This projectwill allow theU.S. FishandWildlife Serviceto establish
theVernal PoolsUnit oftheSanDiegoNationalWildlife Refuge(USFWS1997).
Thepurposeofthis refugeis to providefor the long-termconservationof vernal
pool habitatsandtheirassociatedflora andfaunain theSanDiego region. The
refugewill allow for theU.S. FishandWildlife Service’sacquisitionand
52
managementofvernalpool habitat. A partof thestewardshipproject, butnot
includedin theRefuge,the DepartmentoftheNavy is committedto continuing
conservationof vernalpool resourcesat MCAS Miramarunderexisting
authoritiesandthroughthedevelopmentof a cooperativeagreementwith theU.S.
FishandWildlife ServiceandCaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGameunderthe
SikesAct. TheStewardshipProjectis locatedwithin theCity andCountyof San
Diego,primarily on Otay Mesa,sitesneartheOtay andSweetwaterReservoirs,in
centralSanDiegoCountyon Del Mar Mesa,LopezRidge,MCAS Miramarand
adjacentlands,andMontgomeryField Airport (Figures12a,b, c). Theareas
includedin theStewardshipProjectcompriseapproximately3,329hectares(8,223
acres)andcontainapproximately924hectares(2,282acres)of theremaining
vernalpool habitatin SanDiegoCounty. Theboundaryof theStewardship
ProjectwasapprovedApril 1997.
Marine CorpsAir StationMiramar
Departmentof Defensepolicy dictatesthat military landscannotbe setasideas
permanentenvironmentalpreserves,norcanmilitary landsbe usedfor the
mitigationof impactsof actionsoccurringoff the installationthataffect the
environment. However,military installationsare encouragedto prepareintegrated
natural resourcesmanagementplansin cooperationwith theServiceand
CaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGamein accordancewith theSikesAct. At
MCAS Miramar,theDepartmentof theNavyhasdevelopedandbegun
implementinga vernalpool managementplan(BauderandWier 1991). The
MarineCorpshasrecentlycommittedto do cooperativeplanningfor vernalpools
at MCAS Miramar,undertheDefenseBaseRealignmentandClosureAct of 1993
(Dept.oftheNavy 1996). Vernalpools identifiedfor restorationandpreservation
areincludedin specificvernalpool managementzonesandareidentifiedin the
MCAS MiramarIntegratedNaturalResourcesManagementPlanthat is currently
underdevelopment.
53
Del MarMesa
• LopezRidge
PACIFIC
SAN VINCENTERESERVOIR
LOWER OTAYRESERVOIR
Otay ~Mes~
o 4 8 12KM
0 Skil
OCEAN
April l9~7
VERNAL POOL. COUPIIXES
Figure 1 2a. Vernal Pools Stewardship ProjectSan Diego National Wildlife Refuge
54
Vernal Pools Stewardship ProjectNorth Area
San Diego National Wildlife Refuge
ARR4AS4RRESERVOIR
—--I---
I-NAVAL AIR STATION!
MARINE CORPS AIR STATIONbA4IRAMAR
i7N~
0 I 2 MILKS
0 1 2 3 KILOMETERS
USPWS 4d tee?
DEL MARMESA
LOPEZRIDGE
PRIVATE LAND
PUBLIC LAND
MILITARY LAND
MIRA MARAREA
MONTGOMERYFIELD
ACREAGES
PUBLIC PRIVATE
Del Mar Mesa 189 259Lopez RIdge 36 76Mlramar Area 4.148 112Montgomery Field 190 0
• Includes 4,122 acres mIlliary arid
Figure 12b. Vernal Pools Stewardship Project
55
Vernal Pools Stewardship AreaSouth Area
San Diego National Wildlife Refuge
CHULAVISTA
SPRINGCANYON
United~!2~S~eX~CO
PRIVATE LAND MILITARY LAND
I~I PUBLIC LAND
FIgure 12c. Vernal Pools Stewardship Prolect
Son MiguelMountain
A
AJ/\ JamulMountains
OTA YRESERVOIR
ACREAGES
PUBLIC PRIVATE
Sweelvoter Reeernolr 131 30ORay ReservoIr 247 2620toy Mesa 265 1.195SprIng Canyon 207 871
InoI~dee 163 acres irrllltary land
o I 2 MILES
o 1 2 S KILOMETERS
Son Ysldm
UoLs,toins
A
4YMESA
56
MarineCorpsBaseCampPendleton
DepartmentofDefensepolicy dictatesthat military landscannotbe setasideas
permanentenvironmentalpreserves,norcanmilitary landsbe usedfor the
mitigationofimpactsof actionsoccurringoff the installationthataffect the
environment.However,military installationsare encouragedto prepareintegratednaturalresourcesmanagementplansin cooperationwith the Serviceand
CaliforniaDepartmentof Fishand Gamein accordancewith theSikesAct. MCB
CampPendletonsupportsecosystemand cooperativemanagement,andis
currently developingamanagementplanfor thevernalpoolsat the installation
(Jacobsen,pers.comm. 1997). MCB Pendletonis currentlyproposingto protect
approximatelyone-thirdoftheremainingvernalpoolsknownto occuron the
base. Additionally, MCB CampPendletonplansto formally consultwith theU.S.
FishandWildlife Serviceon thebase’suplandsecosystem,includingvernalpool
resources,surveysfor whicharecurrentlybeingconducted.
OtherAgencies.Municipalities,andJurisdictions
Section404 of theCleanWaterAct, asregulatedby theU.S. Army Corpsof
Engineers,requiresnotification for any dischargeof dredgedor fill material,
excavation,or mechanizedlandclearing in any vernalpool,andrequiresan
individual permitfor dischargesaffecting0.2 hectares(0.5acre)or moreofvernal
pool basin. Theseregionalconditionsmayleadto additional mitigationneedsfor
vernalpool impacts.
In 1980,theCity of SanDiegodevelopedaVernalPool PreservationPlan
designedto accumulatefundsto purchasevernalpools asmitigation for lossesdue
to development,but theprogramhadvery limited successand is no longerin
operation(Bauder1986). TheCity of SanDiego’s “Guidelinesfor Mima Mound
VernalPool Habitat’tbecameeffectiveAugust2, 1993. Theseguidelinesclarify
andsupplementtheResourceProtectionOrdinanceof 1992.Uponapproval,the
draft EnvironmentallySensitiveLandsRegulations(City of SanDiego 1996a)
will replacetheResourceProtectionOrdinance.
57
Currently,a VernalPool ManagementPlan (City of SanDiego 1 996b)makes
recommendationsfor managementpracticesandstrategiesfor a few ofthesites
that supportvernalpoois for which theCity of SanDiego is responsible.A non-
profit groupdevotedto scienceeducationin the local schoolsis working on a
programthat will utilize one oftheseparcels,which is adjacentto Challenger
JuniorHigh School(K. Wild, pers.comm. 1995).
The Countyof SanDiegohasavernalpoolzonedesignatorthatmaybe appliedto
vernalpool areas(Countyof SanDiego 1991). This vernalpool zonedesignator
wasonly everintendedto be implementedin theOtay Mesapool complexes. In
addition,theCountyrscurrent,updatedResourceProtectionOrdinanceoffers
someprotectionfor thishabitat(Countyof SanDiego 1991). TheCountyalso
ownsasmall amountofvernalpool habitatin Ramonaandon Otay Mesa.
TheCaliforniaDepartmentof Transportationownsanumberofpoolson Del Mar
Mesaat thenorthernmostedgeofthecentralcoastalmesas.Thispropertywas
purchasedasmitigation for lossof poolsto constructionof StateRoute52 and
Interstate15.
Nonprofit Entities
Severalnonprofitentitiesownor managevernalpool habitat. Theseentities
include TheNatureConservancy(SantaRosaPlateau)andTheEnvironmental
Trust (RamonaandOtay Mesa).
RECOVERY STRATEGY
Thestrategyfor recoveryof southernCaliforniavernalpool speciesfocuses
primarily on eliminatingandreducingtheprimaryexisting threatsto their
habitats. Specifically,thesethreatsare,habitatdestructionandmodification,
alterationof wetlandhydrology,off-roadvehicleactivity, cattlegrazing,and
competitionfrom nonnativespecies.Existing regulatorymechanisms,
historically,havenotprovidedadequateprotectionandmanagementfor vernal
pool habitat. Consequentlytheefforts to recoververnalpool specieswill be
twofold: stabilizationofthepopulationsthroughprocurementandmanagementof
58
habitat,andreclassificationofthe speciesthroughrestorationandenhancement,
which includesrecolonizationand expansionof existingpopulations. Integrated
into this strategyis theneedto protectadditionallandsto preventfurther lossof
habitat,to developand implementmanagementplansto preventdegradationof
habitatfrom severeepisodicor on-goingdisturbance,to restoreandenhance
habitat,andto reestablishpopulationswherehabitatandhistoricalconditionsare
appropriate.
Protectinghabitatfrom further lossmaybe achievedthrougha varietyof
mechanismsfrom conservationeasementsto thepurchaseofland. Where
destructionor adversemodificationof habitatis of issue,specificstrategiesto
protectvernalpoolscould includefencingof livestockwheregrazingoccursor
implementingrotationgrazingregimes.Poolsaffectedby vehicularactivity,
whetherrecreationaloff-roador service-related,suchasborderinterdictionor
fire-suppressionactivities,would benefit from eitherstrict prohibition orthe
developmentof andadherenceto an establishedprotocolwhenin thevicinity of
vernalpool habitat. Ensuringwatershedanduplandhabitatcontiguitywhen
designingandmanagingpreserveswill providemultiple benefits,from protecting
poolsfrom erosionandrun-off to promotinggeneticvigor. Limiting useof
pesticidesandherbicidesin thevicinity ofvernalpool habitat,providing
informationalprogramsandpublic outreach,anderadicatingnonnative,
competitivespeciessuchasbullfrogsandinvasiveplantsarebut afew examples
ofstrategiesthatwill minimize the immediatethreatsto thevernalpool ecosystem
and aidin theeventualrecoveryof thosespeciesthataredependenton it.
Critical to therecoveryofvernalpool speciesis therestorationandenhancement
of habitat. Whenconsideringthepotentialfor expansionandrecolonizationof
pool species,siteselectionwill be dependenton landuseconsiderations,
including thewillingnessof landownersto participate,aswell ashistoricaland
ecologicalfeasibility.
59
II. RECOVERY
OBJECTIVE
Thegoalof this plan is conserveandenhancesouthernCaliforniavernalpool
ecosystems,with specificemphasison stabilizingandprotectingexisting
populationsofEryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,Pogogyne
nudiuscula,Orcuttia calfornica,andSanDiegoandRiversidefairy shrimpso
thatthesespeciesmaybe reclassifiedfrom endangeredto threatenedstatus.The
goalofthisplanfor Navarretiafossalis,currentlyproposedfor listing as
threatened,is to ensurethe long-termconservationofthis species.
Althoughprotectionandmanagementofexistingpopulationswill reducethe
threatof extinction,theydo not eliminateit. Removalofthesespeciesfrom
protectionunderthe EndangeredSpeciesAct shouldonly be consideredwhen
populationshavesecurehabitat,populationsarestabilizedor increasing(and
wherenecessary,newpopulationsareestablished),andpopulationsareshownto
be self-sustaining.
PRINCIPLESFOLLOWED IN DEVELOPINGRECOVERYCRITERIA
Thefollowing pointsform astrategyfor therecoveryof vernalpool speciesand
theirhabitats,andprovideabasisfrom whichpreservedesignshouldbe
determined:
• Poolsare not independentof eachotheror the vernalpool complex,which
includesthewatershed.Maintenanceof thefullestpossiblerangeof
biological interactionswithin andamongpools is importantto ecosystem
functionand long-termviability ofpopulationsofpool-associatedspecies.
• Althoughvernalpools in southernCaliforniacanbe differentiated
accordingto distinctgeographicManagementAreas,preservationofpools
mustbe on ageographicalscalefor both individual speciesandthe
landscapetheyresidein. Representationofthevernalpoolsandtheir
associatedwatershedswithin eachManagementAreais importantto the
60
successfulconservationofa full arrayof vernalpoolsandtheirconstituent
species.Preservationefforts cannotbe exclusiveofthephysicalattributes
thatcharacterizevariouscomplexesandassociations(e.g.,pool soils and
topography),becausethehabitatsthatcontainvernalpoolscanbe asrare
astheindividual speciesassociatedwith them.
• Thevariationassociatedwith individual pools is great. Although larger
pools typically containmorespeciesthansmallerpools,thesizeofthe
pool orcomplexshouldnot be theonly considerationwhenranking
preservationfactors. Reservedesignand sizewill affect thenumberand
qualityof biological interactionsandthetypesandfrequencyof
disturbance.In general,conservationof largesiteswith habitat
heterogeneity(soils, topography,vegetationtypes)that arelocated
adjacentto landswith compatibleusesarepreferableto smalleroneswith
irregularboundaries,habitatuniformity, or proximity to landusesthat
increasetheprobabilityof humandisturbance.
• No estimatesarecurrentlyavailableasto theeffectivepopulationsize
necessaryto maintainself-sustainingpopulationsofvernalpool species.
However,theextremerarityandrestrictedgeographicrangesofthese
speciessupporttheneedto preservethemaximumamountofremaining
existingpopulationsandhabitat. Thiscriterionwill ensurethe
maintenanceof thebroadestarrayof species,reducethe risk of losing
individualspeciesor pool types,retainlocal geneticdifferentiation,buffer
environmentalvariation,andprovide theopportunityfor re-establishment
ofnewpopulations.To ensureahigh probabilityof survival into the
future,prioritizationshouldconsiderthepopulationecology(e.g.,
reproductiveratesandstrategies,geneticdiversity, dispersalmechanisms,
density,distribution)of eachspecies.
• Studiesof southernCaliforniavernalpoolssuggestthatperchedwater
tablesassociatedwith aparticularpool arevery localized. Maintenanceof
hydrologicalregimesrequirescareful site-specificstudies.
61
• Long-termprotectionof vernalpool habitatsandthespeciesdependenton
themis enhancedby providinginformationto thegeneralpublic, aswell
aspeoplewho work in, or adjacentto, thehabitat.
RECOVERYCRITERIA
Thefollowing conditionsmustbemet to stabilizethecurrentstatusof Navarretia
fossalis,Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,Pogogyne
nudiuscula,Orcuttia CalWornica,andSanDiegoandRiversidefairy shrimp:
1. In orderto maintaingeneticdiversity andpopulationstability ofthe listed
speciesandothersensitivespecies:
• Existing vernalpoolscurrentlyoccupiedby Orcuttia caiWornica,
Pogogynenudiuscula,andRiversidefairy shrimpandtheirassociated
watershedsshouldbe securedfrom further lossanddegradationin a
configurationthat maintainshabitatfunctionandspeciesviability;
• Existing vernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedswithin the
TransverseandLos AngelesBasin-OrangeManagementAreasshouldbe
securedfrom further lossanddegradationin aconfigurationthat maintains
habitatfunctionandspeciesviability;
• Existing vernalpools andtheir associatedwatershedswithin theSan
Marcosvernalpool complexesthatcontainNavarretiafossalis,Eryngium
aristulatumvar.parishii, or any othervernalpool species,shouldbe
securedfrom furtherlossand degradation.Habitatfunctionsandspecies
viability for any of theremainingvernalpools andtheirassociated
watershedswithin theSanMarcoscomplexesmustbe ensured;
• Existing vernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedswithin theRamona
complexesthatcontainEryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Navarretia
fossalis,SanDiegofairy shrimp,or any othervernalpool species,should
be securedfrom furtherlossanddegradationin aconfigurationthat
maintainshabitatfunctionsandspeciesviability;
62
• Existing vernalpools andalkali playas,andtheirassociatedwatersheds
within theHemetcomplexes,thatcontainSanDiego fairy shrimp,
Navarretiafossalisand Orcuttia cal~fornica,orany othervernalpool
species,shouldbe securedfrom furtherlossanddegradationin a
configurationthatmaintainshabitatfunctionsandspeciesviability;
• Existingvernalpools andtheirassociatedwatershedslocatedon Stockpen
soils (Otay Mesa)shouldbe securedfrom further lossanddegradationin a
configurationthat maintainshabitatfunctionsandspeciesviability, to
providefor therecoveryof speciesrestrictedto this soil type(i.e.,
Pogogynenudiuscula);and
• Remainingvernalpoolsandtheirassociatedwatershedscontainedwithin
thecomplexesidentifiedin AppendixF mustbesecuredin a configuration
thatmaintainshabitatfunctionandspeciesviability (asdeterminedby
prescribedresearchtasks).
Reclassificationto threatenedstatusmaybe consideredfor Eryngiumaristulatum
var.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,Pogogynenudiuscula,OrcuttiaCalWornica;the
SanDiegoandRiversidefairy shrimp;and thelong-termconservationof
Navarretiafossalis,aspeciesproposedasthreatened,will be assured,whenthe
following criteriaaremet (in additionto Criterion 1):
2. Theexistingvernalpooisandtheirassociatedwatershedscontainedwithin
thecomplexesidentifiedin AppendixG aresecuredin aconfigurationthat
maintainshabitatfunctionand speciesviability (asdeterminedby
prescribedresearchtasks);
3. Securedvernalpoolsareenhancedorrestoredsuchthatpopulationlevels
ofexisting speciesarestabilizedor increased;and
4. Populationtrendsmustbe shownto be stableor increasingfor aminimum
of 10 consecutiveyearsprior to considerationfor reclassification.
63
Monitoring shouldcontinuefor aperiodofatleast10 yearsfollowing
reclassificationto ensurepopulationstability.
Delisting of eachofthespeciesmaybe consideredin thefutureandis
conditionedon thedownlistingcriteriashownabove,improvement
(stabilizedor increasingpopulationtrends)at all currentlyknownsites;
restoration,protection,andmanagementof theminimumhabitatareaand
configurationneededto ensurelong-termviability; andreestablishing
historic but locally extinctspeciespopulationswhenneededto ensure
viability. TheU.S. FishandWildlife Servicemustalsodeterminethatthe
following factorsareno longerpresent,or continueto adverselyaffect,
Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,Pogogyne
nudiuscula,Orcuttia cal~fornica,andtheRiversideand SanDiego fairy
shrimp: (1) thepresentor threateneddestruction,modification,or
curtailmentoftheirhabitatorrange;(2) over utilization for commercial,
recreational,scientific,oreducationalpurposes;(3) diseaseorpredation;
(4) the inadequacyof existing regulatorymechanisms;and(5) other
naturalor manmadefactorsaffectingtheir continuedexistence(50CFR
424.11).
TheRecoveryPlanshouldbe revisedif necessaryasnewinformationpertinentto
thesetopicsbecomesavailable. A revisedRecoveryPlanwould be basedon the
bestavailablescientificinformation.
RECOVERYTASKS
1.Designandestablishavernalpool habitatpreservesystemwithin each
ManagementAreathatwill maximizetheecologicaldistributionfor each
listed andproposedspecies,minimize risk of habitatloss,retaingenetic
differentiation,and providetheopportunityfor expansionof populations.
SouthernCaliforniavernalpool habitatsarelimited in extentbut
distributedovera wide area. Within this regionaredistinctlydifferent
typesofvernalpool habitat,distinguishedby climate,soils, andplant and
animalspecies(AppendixE,F, andG). Maintaininghabitatswithin each
64
ManagementAreawill resultin preservationofthefullest rangeofhabitat
conditions,provideprotectionforthewidestarrayofvernalpool
organisms,promotestabilityand recoveryofthe listed species,and
facilitatedevelopmentofrecoverystrategiesthat incorporatethedifferent
conditionsandneedsof eachspecies.
11. Determinetheamountandconfigurationofvernalpools
andtheir associatedwatershedswithin thecomplexes
identifiedin AppendixE andF necessaryto maintain
habitatfunctionandspeciesviability.
Thegoalofvernalpool speciesrecoveryis thepreservation
ofhabitatsufficient to ensurethe long-termsurvivalofthe
species.Becausethis planaddressesseveralspecies
throughoutadisjunctrangeandbecauseeachspecieshas
independentecologicallife historiesandphysical
requirements,thedeterminationofpoolpreservationwill
be a complexendeavor.Conservativeprojectionsregarding
habitatfunctionandspecies’viability shouldbe appliedto
preservedesign.
Numerouslong-termconsiderationsneedbe madewhen
prioritizing preservationofvernalpool speciesandtheir
habitats(refer to RecoveryCriteriaPrinciples). Short-term
considerationsincludemaintenanceof hydrological
conditionsandwaterquality, andprotectionfrom
disturbance.
Ill. Inventoryeachof thecomplexesto determinethe
extentandconfigurationof the individual vernal
pools andtheir associatedwatersheds.
112. Inventoryeachpool within eachcomplexto
determinespeciescompositionandabundance.
65
Maintainrecognitionthattheabsenceofaspeciesin
any particularyeardoesnot meanthatthepool or
complexdoesnotprovidehabitator thatthespeciesis notpresent. Speciesmaybe presentasviable
seedsorcysts.
113. Developpreservedesignsafterdeterminingwhich
vernalpoolswithin eachcomplexarenecessaryto
maintainhabitatfunctionandspeciesviability.
Preserveboundariesneedto bedrawnso asto
preventadverseeffectson waterquantityand
quality. Disturbance(e.g.,vehicleor human
trespass,invasionby exotic species,landscaping)
canbe minimizedby reducingtheedge-to-arearatio
andincludingeffectivenaturalbarriersto preclude
access,suchascanyons. Offsite effectscanalso be
minimizedby easementsoragreementswith
adjacentlandownersthat resultin thecompatible
usesoflandsadjacentto preserves(Jensenetal.
1990).
114. Investigatebiologicalfactorsaffectingrecovery.
Managementof vernalpool habitatswill requirea
greaterunderstandingof someof theecological
functionsofvernalpool species.Although
preservationof habitatservesafundamentalrolein
therecoveryofthesespecies,numerousthreats
remainthatarenotamelioratedsolelyby
preservation.Consequently,further information
will be necessaryto addressmanyofthese
managementrequirements.In orderto guide
managementactivities,researchshouldbe designed
to determinethehistoricdistributionsof thelisted
andproposedspecies,theirphysicalandchemical
66
tolerancelimits, andtheirbiotic associations,
including therole ofherbivory,pollinators,and
vectors. Disturbancesassociatedwith fire, grazing,
andnonnativespeciesshould be studiedto
determinetheir degreeof influenceon recovery.
Geneticvariability is key to the long-termviability
of vernalpool species,andabetterunderstandingof
thepopulationstructureand levelsofvariability will
aid in thereestablishmentofvernalpooi species.
This informationandothersshouldprovideclear
directionwhendefiningmanagementgoalsand
priorities.
12. Securesites identifiedfor preservationthroughfeetitle
acquisitionand conservationagreements.
Themostimportantrequirementsfor therecoveryofthe
southernCaliforniavernalpool speciesis thepreservation
andrestorationofvernalpool habitats.Vernal pool habitat
first needsto be securedbecauseurbanandinfrastructure
developmentareproceedingrapidly throughouttherangeof
Eryngiumaristulatumvar.parishii, Pogogyneabramsii,
Pogogynenudiuscula,OrcuttiacaiWornica,Navarretia
fossalis,andSanDiegoandRiversidefairy shrimp..
Feetitle acquisition,conservationeasements,long-term
leases,cooperativeagreements,andplanswith willing
public agenciesandprivatelandownerscouldbeobtained
throughpurchase,donation,transfer,exchange,orwritten
agreement.Landscouldalsobeconveyedto theU.S. Fish
andWildlife Servicefrom landownersto meetmitigation,
zoning,or land-usepermitrequirements.
ConservationeasementsmayprotecthabitatAlthough
allowing it to remainin privateownership. Somesitesare
67
alreadyin public oragencyownership,suchasTheNature
Conservancy’sSantaRosaPlateauandtheCalifornia
DepartmentofTransportation’sDel Mar MesaPreserve.
Cooperativeagreementsandcoordinatedplanningand
managementefforts couldassistin conservationefforts,
suchastheplanbeingdevelopedby MCAS Miramar.
Acquisitionoflandor intereststhereinby theU.S. Fish and
Wildlife Servicefor theVernalPoolsStewardshipProject
of theSanDiegoNationalWildlife Refugeis another
method,asaretheregionalconservationplanningefforts
throughtheNaturalCommunityConservationPlanning
Act.
121. Secureexistingvernalpoolsandtheirassociated
watershedsin AppendixF andG identifiedas
necessaryto maintainhabitatfunctionandspecies
viability;
122. Secureexistingvernalpoolsandtheirassociated
watershedscurrentlyoccupiedby Orcuttia
cal!fornwa,Pogogynenudiuscula,andthe
Riversidefairy shrimp;
123. Secureexistingvernalpoolsandtheirassociated
watershedswithin theTransverseandLos Angles
Basin-OrangeManagementAreas;
124. Secureexistingvernalpools andtheirassociated
watershedswithin theSanMarcoscomplexesthat
containNavarretiafossalis,Eryngiumaristulatum
var.parishii, BrodiaeafllWolia, andany othervernal
pool speciesoflimited distributionorabundance.Impactsto any oftheremainingpoolsandtheir
associatedwatershedsmustresultin no net lossof
functionandvalue;
68
125. Secureexistingvernalpoolsandtheirassociated
watershedswithin theRamonacomplexesthat
containDowningiacuspidata,Eryngium
aristulatumvar.parishii, Navarretiafossalis,
Myosurusminimus,SanDiego fairy shrimp,andany
othervernalpool speciesoflimited distributionor
abundance;
126. Secureexistingvernalpools andtheirassociatedwatershedslocatedon Stockpensoils.
127. Adoptmanagementandmitigationmeasures
describedin theDepartmentof theNavy’s,
IntegratedNaturalResourcesManagementPlans,
developedby eachmilitary installation.
2. Within eachManagementArea, reestablishvernalpoolhabitatto historic
structureandcompositionto increasegeneticdiversityandpopulation
stability.
Given theextremereductionofvernalpool habitatin southernCalifornia,
preservationandmaintenanceofthe fewremainingpoolsandtheir
complexesis inadequateto bufferagainstcatastrophicevents,population
dynamics(e.g.,survivorshipandreproduction),andedgeeffects.
Destructionanddegradationofvernalpool habitatshaveresultedin
extensivelossesof speciesdependentuponthem. For somespeciesin
particular(e.g.,Pogogynenudiuscula)asingle randomeventcouldresult
in completeextinction.
Pogogyneabramsiipopulationshavebeenextirpatedfrom theLindaVista
area,thevicinity ofBalboaPark,NormalHeights,andthearea
surroundingSanDiego StateUniversity. Pogogynenudiusculacurrently
existsonly in a smallnumberofpools on Otay Mesa. Eryngium
aristulatumvar.parishii hasbeenextirpatedfrom a sitein La Jolla,andis
believedto be extirpatedfrom neartheTijuanaAirport whereit previously
69
existed.Sitespreviouslydocumentedto havecontainedOrcuttia
calWornwain Los AngelesCounty,Ventura,andMurrietaHot Springs
havebeenextirpated;andtheRiversidefairy shrimpis limited now in
distributionto only a fewvernalpool complexesin a limited geographical
area.Restorationandreintroductionarenecessaryto expandthecurrent
rangesof theseendemicspeciesto reducerisk ofextinctionthrough
randomandnaturalevents.
Within thecomplexesidentifiedin AppendixF andG, sitesshouldbe
reviewedto identify andassessthesuitability of sitesandindividual vernal
pools thatareeligible for restoration.Theneedfor restorationofvernal
pooihabitatsandtheirconstituentspeciescanbe distinguishedfrom
enhancementor managementneedsby virtueoftheoftenextreme
modificationor degradationof thehabitatto whichtheyhavebeen
subjected.Disturbancescanpermanentlyaffectsoil drainageandpool
hydrologyaswell aswaterquality andtemperature.In somecases,habitat
is soseverelydegradedthat visible characteristicstypically associatedwith
vernalpoolhabitathavebeenobscuredandtotal reconstructionmaybe
necessaryto achieveafunctioninglevel again. Formerevidenceofthe
habitatis necessaryto ensurethesuitability ofasite. Suitablesitesshould
includeappropriatesoil types,waterchemistry,pondingpatterns,and
historic speciesdistributions. Topographicfeaturesmayor maynot be
initially present,dependingon thedegreeofprevioushabitatmodification.
Restorationplansshouldaddressprimarily thereestablishmentofthe
physicalandbiotic characteristicsofvernalpoolhabitat,including soil
properties,waterquality, topography,hydrology,nutrientcycling, species
diversity, andspeciesinteractions,suchthatcritical functionscanbecome
self-sustaining.Vernalpool habitatsandpoolbasinsarefrequently
subjectedto soil disturbancesasa resultof vehicularactivity, agriculture,
andhumanor domesticanimal foot traffic. Thesehabitatsareespecially
vulnerableduring thewet phase,whentheclaysoils areeasilycompacted.
Tire ruts, hoofprints, roads,andtrails canresultin thedirectelimination
ofvernalpool speciesby alterationof hydrology(Bauder,pers.obs.1995).
70
Poolsshouldbe individually assessedto determinetheneedfor
enhancementor restorationto achieveintegrity.
BecausesouthernCaliforniavernalpool speciesarehabitatspecialists
closelytied to soil typesandclimatic variables,andhavenaturallylimited
distributions,considerationsoftheserestrictiverequirementswill guide
theselectionof suitablesites for there-establishmentnewpopulations.
Historic distribution,soil surveys,floristic data,climatic,waterquality,
andhydrologicvariableswill assistin thisevaluation.
Prioritiesfor theestablishmentof newpopulationsshouldbe determined.
Themostnarrowly distributed,leastabundant,andmostthreatened
speciesaddressedin this planarePogogynenudiuscula,Orcuttia
californica,andtheRiversidefairy shrimp. Primaryconsiderationshould
begivento thereestablishmentofthesespecies.Ecologicaland
reproductiverequirementsofthespeciesunderconsiderationshouldbe
evaluated.
In mostcases,thehistoric distributionsofvernalpool speciescanbe
reconstructedandthelandscaperestoredsufficientlyto allow forthe
reestablishmentandexpansionofpopulations.Limits to natural
distributionsmustbe recognized,however,andspeciesreintroduction
shouldnot substitutefor protectionofexistingnaturalpopulations.
Someexperimentationwill berequiredto determinethemosteffective
methodsfor reintroductionofvernalpool speciesinto currently
unoccupiedhabitat. Methodsto considercould includecaptive
propagation,nursery-grownplants,seedcollection,donorpools,or
vegetativepropagation.Caremustbe takento ensureparentpopulations
arenot adverselyaffected.
3. Within eachManagementArea,rehabilitateandenhancesecuredvernal
pool habitatsandtheirconstituentspecies.
71
Certainactivitiescandramaticallyaffect thephysicalandbiotic
characteristicsof thevernalpool habitats,andfewvernalpools,if any,are
freefrom disturbancesassociatedwith humansordomesticanimals. Off-
roadvehicleactivity, trashdumping,invasionby nonnativespecies,
watershedmodification,anddomesticlivestockareall examplesof
impactsthatcanadverselyaffecthabitatandthespeciestherein. Vernal
pool habitatsareexpectedto benefitwhenenhancementorrehabilitation
effortsareproperlyapplied. Theseefforts arelessintensivethan
restorationefforts, typically becausethephysicalfeaturesassociatedwith
thehabitatsare largely intact.
Rehabilitationandenhancementaugmentthephysicalandbiotic
characteristicsofvernalpool habitat. Typically, thephysicalfeaturesare
intactbutdegradedandrequireminimal to moderatemodificationand
manipulation. Reestablishmentof vernalpool speciesinto enhancedpools
maybe aconsideration.Poolhydrology andchemistrymayrequire
augmentationby ensuringappropriaterunoff. Pool depth,waterduration,
andbasinsurfaceareacanvary with yearto yearprecipitationandair
temperature,but theytypically exhibit an averagerangeof conditions.
Significantmodificationofthewatershedmayresultin changesin these
normalparameters,resultingin conditionsthat adverselyaffect vernalpool
function. Nonnativeorganismsin vernalpool systemshaveadverse
effectson thenativespeciesandsubsequentlycompromisetheintegrityof
nativespecies.Theeliminationof nonnativespeciesshouldbe considered
in all plans.
4. Manageprotectedhabitat.
Site-specificmanagementplanswill needto be developedfor each
preservethat considerownership,sizeandshape,landusehistory,joint
uses,adjacentlanduses,andotherfactors. In general,managementplans
preparedfor all preservesshouldrestrictaccess(vehicles,humans,or large
domesticanimals);prohibit or redirectrecreationalactivities;regulateuse
oftoxic substances(herbicides,pesticides,hydrocarbons,andother
chemicals)anddumping;preventwaterpollution or alteredhydrology;and
72
controlexoticplantandanimalspecies.Contingencyplansneedto be in
placefor emergenciessuchasair crashes,fire, toxic spills, law
enforcementpursuits,anddamorroadwashouts.
Caremustbe takento ensurethatthewatershedsofthepoolsandthe
complexesin whichtheyresidearemaintainedin afunctioningstate.
Considerationshouldbe given to thoseactions(e.g.,runoff, erosion,
turbidity) thatmaycompromiseor conflictwith pool hydrologywhenplanningadjacentlanduses.Effectivemanagementofnonnativespecies
maybe achievedin part,by ensuringappropriatehydrologicregimes.
Interimmanagement,suchascontrolledburns(Simovicheta!. 1996;
PollakandKan 1996),maybe necessaryto reduceor eradicatenonnative
speciesto levelsthatdo notadverselyaffectthenativespecies.Bullfrogs
arerecognizedpredators(Morey 1996;Simovich eta!. 1996)ofvernal
poolspeciesanderadicationof larvae,post-metamorphic,andadultfrogs
shouldbe ataskitem in all vernalpool managementplans. Theeffectof
variousnonnativecontrolregimes,thecontainmentoftoxinsand
pollution,andvehicularusein preservedareasshouldbe addressed.Pools
andtheirwatershedsshouldbe securedandprotectedfrom runoff, spills,
andmosquitoabatementandlandscapingactivitiesthat involve theuseof
herbicides,pesticides,mulch, andfertilizers. Petroleumbyproducts,
detergents,andinsecticidesareexamplesofsubstancesthatcanbe lethal
or toxic to vernalpool organisms(Simovicheta!. 1996). All trashand
refuseshouldbe removedfrom pools. Site-specificevaluationsshouldbe
conductedto determinethesuitabilityof grazingpracticeswithin each
ManagementArea.
Recognizingthatfundingwill notbe immediatelyavailableto accomplish
all ofthespecific tasksthat becomepartof an approvedmanagementplan,
it is importantto beginwith thoseactionsthatwill preventfurtherdamage
to thehabitat. Thefirst priority ofthepreservemanagementplansshould
be to modify on-goingactivitiesorplanneddevelopmentthatwill resultin
habitatfragmentationor loss,andalterationofpoo1hydrologyor water
quality. Secondis theneedto limit accessby meansof fencing,signing,
barriers,androadandtrail closures.To furtherreducethethreatto the
73
species,it is importantthatpeoplewho havepermittedaccessto preserves,
includingemergencyresponsepersonnelandrecreationusers,be informed
aboutthevalue,sensitivityandlocationof theresource.Developmentof
public viewing areasandapublic outreachprogramcanbe initiatedas
preservesareprotected.
Off-roadrecreationalactivities,constructionstaging,fire, emergency,and
borderpatrolactivitiesarecontributingfactorsto habitatdisturbance;
therefore,vehiculartravel shouldbe restrictedto designatedroadsand
existinghardscape(pavedor graveledsurfaces).Barrierssuchasfencing
shouldbeconsideredto limit access,andgroupsor individualswith access
to vernalpoolhabitat(e.g.,resourceagencies,researchers,utility
companies)shouldbe informedasto themanagementneedsofthis habitat
type. Vehiclesandconstructionstagingareasshouldbe containedin
parkinglots orhardscapeareas.
5. Monitor protectedhabitatandlistedspecies.
Monitoring is essentialto providebaselinedataagainstwhichto judgethe
changesandvariationsin plant andanimalpopulationsovertime, aswell
asthesuccessofspecificmanagementactions. Thetype,intensity,timing,
andfrequencyof monitoringneedto be tied to theobjectivesofeachplan.
Datacollectionprotocolsshouldbe simpleandrepeatable;useestablished
samplingschemessuchasplots, transects,orphotopoints;anduse
acceptedscientificandstatisticalprocedures.Goals,methods,standards,
andsuccesscriteriashouldbe reviewedby qualifiedprofessionalsfamiliar
with vernalpoolsandtheadjacenthabitat,andapprovedby the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. Monitoring shouldalwaysbe carriedoutby
qualifiedbiologists.
Baselinemonitoringof reference(control)pools is importantto providea
comparisonby which tojudgethestability ofhabitatquality, fluctuations
in responseto weathervariability, andacceptablerangesofenvironmental
variablesfor populationsofvernalpool species.Monitoringof restored
areasshouldbe basedon quantifiablerestorationgoalsdevelopedin
74
relationto adjacentundisturbedhabitat(referencehabitat)andshould
extendfor 10 yearsaftercompletionoftherestorationactions.
To be consideredcompletedand successfulat theendofthe 10-year
monitoringperiod,restoredareasmustbe similar in appearance,species
composition,andecosystemfunctionto thereferencehabitat.
75
III. REFERENCES
Abrams,L. 1951. IllustratedFlora ofthePaCWC States.Vol. III. Stanford
UniversityPress,Stanford,California.
Ayers,T. 1993.Downingiain: TheJepsonManual of HigherPlantsofCalifornia,
J.C.Hickman,edit.,UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Berkeley,California.
Balko,M. L. 1979.Theeffectsofphysicalandchemicalfeaturesonzooplankton
diversity in temporaryponds.M.S. Thesis,SanDiego StateUniversity,
SanDiego,California.
Balko, M. L. andT. A. Ebert.1984. Zooplanktondistributionin vernalpoolsof
KearnyMesa,SanDiego,California. In: VernalPoolsandIntermittent
Streams.S. Jam andP. Moyle (eds.). Universityof California,Davis
Instituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 28. Davis,California.Pp.76-89.
Bauder,E. T. 1986.SanDiegovernalpools:Recentandprojectedlosses;their
condition;andthreatsto theirexistence,1979-1990.Reportpreparedfor
EndangeredPlantProject,CaliforniaDepartmentofFishandGame,
Sacramento,California.
Bauder,E. T. 1987a.Speciesassortmentalong asmall-scalegradientin San
Diego vernalpools. Ph.D.Dissertation.Universityof California,Davis,
CaliforniaandSanDiego StateUniversity,SanDiego,California.
Bauder,E. T. 1 987b. Threatsto SanDiegovernalpoolsanda casestudy in altered
pool hydrology.lii: ConservationandManagementofRareand
EndangeredPlants.T. S. Elias (ed.). CaliforniaNativePlant Society,
Sacramento,California.Pp.209-213.
Bauder,E. T. 1988.Vernalpool enhancement.Reportpreparedfor Endangered
PlantProject. CaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGame,Sacramento,
California.
76
Bauder,E. T. 1989.Droughtstressandcompetitioneffectson the local
distributionofPogogyneabramsii.Ecology70:1083-1089.
Bauder,F. T. andH. A. Wier. 1991.Vernalpool managementplan:NavalAir
StationMiramar.Reportpreparedfor SouthwestDivision, NavalFacilities
EngineeringCommand,SanDiego,California.
Bauder,E. T. 1992.Ecologicalmonitoringof Downingiaconcolorspp.brevior
(CuyamacaLakedowningia)andLimnanthesgracilis ssp.parishii
(Parish’sslendermeadowfoam),CuyamacaRanchoStateParkand
CuyamacaValley, SanDiegoCounty, California.Report.preparedfor
CaliforniaDepartmentofParksandRecreation,SanDiego,Californiaand
CaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGame,Sacramento,California.
Bauder,E. T. 1993.Geneticdiversity: Esotericoressential?In: InterfaceBetween
EcologyandLandDevelopmentin CalWornia. J.F. Keeley(ed.).Southern
CaliforniaAcademyofSciences,Los Angeles,CA. Pp. 35-41.
Bauder,E. T. 1994. Habitatrestorationandenhancementfor theCuyamacaLake
Downingia(Downingiaconcolorssp.brevior) at CuyamacaRanchoState
Park.Reportpreparedfor CaliforniaDepartmentofFishandGame,
Sacramento,California.
Bauder,E. T. andS. McMillan. 1998. Currentdistributionandhistoricalextentof
vernalpools in SouthernCaliforniaand BajaMexico. In C.W. Witham,E.
Bauder,D. Belk, W. Ferren,andR. Ornduff(Editors).Ecology,
ConservationandManagementofVernalPoolEcosystems- Proceedings
from a 1996Conference.CaliforniaNativePlantSociety,Sacramento,
CA.
Beauchamp,M.L. andT. Cass.1979. SanDiego VernalPool Survey.California
DepartmentofFishandGameNon-GameWildlife Investigations.
EndangeredPlantProgram145, Job1-10.
77
Belk, D. 1998.Globalstatusandtrendsin ephemeralpool invertebrate
conservation:implicationsfor Californianfairy shrimp.In C.W. Witham,
E. Bauder,D. Belk,W. Ferren,andR. Ornduff(Editors).Ecology,
ConservationandManagementofVernalPool Ecosystems- Proceedings
from a 1996 Conference.CaliforniaNativePlantSociety,Sacramento,
CA.
Black, C., C. Frazier.1994.Thedevelopmentofartificially createdpools on Del
MarMesa:Year 7. Reportpreparedfor CaliforniaDepartmentof
Transportation,SanDiego, California.
Black,C., P. H. Zedler,andC. Frazier.1992.Thedevelopmentofartificially
createdpoolson Del MarMesa:Year 5 summary.Reportpreparedfor
CaliforniaDepartmentof Transportation,SanDiego,California.
Black, C., P. H. Zedler. 1993. Thedevelopmentof artificially createdpoolson
NAS Miramar: 5 yearsummary.Reportpreparedfor SouthwestDivision,
NavalFacilitiesEngineeringCommand,SanDiego,California.
Blaustein,A. R. andD. Wake. 1990.Decliningamphibianpopulations:a global
phenomenon?Trendsin EcologyandEvolution 5:203.
Bliss, S. andP. H. Zedler. 1993.Studyoftheeffectsof military training on
Eryngiumspecieson CampPendleton,California.Reportpreparedfor
U.S. FishandWildlife Service,Carlsbad,California.
Borst, G. 1984. Soil Surveyof CuyamacaStatePark.Departmentof Agriculture,
Countyof SanDiego, SanDiego,California.
Bowman,R. H. 1973.Soil Surveyof theSanDiegoArea,California. Soil
ConservationService,U.S. Departmentof Agriculture,Washington,D. C..
Bragg,R.C. 1961.A theoryoftheorigin of spadefootedtoadsdeducedprincipally
by astudyof theirhabits.Animal Behavior9:178-186.
78
Bramlett,D. 1993.Plantspeciesof specialconcernin thealkalinesinksoftheSan
JacintoRiverandtheOld SaltCreekTributary Area..January.
Bramlett,D. 1993.PersonalCommunicationwith J.M. Vanderwier,April.
Brattstrom,B. andM. Bondello. 1979.Theeffectof ORV soundsofthe
emergenceof Couch’sspadefoottoad,Scaphiopuscouchii.Contract
CA-060-CT7-2327.CaliforniaDesertPlanProgram.Bureauof Land
Management.Riverside,California.
Brown, C. R. andS. K. Jam. 1979.Reproductivesystemandpatternof genetic
variationin two Limnanthesspecies.TheoreticalandAppliedGenetics54:
181-190.
Brown,J.W. ,M.A. Wier, andD. Belk. 1993. Newrecordsoffairy shrimp
(Crustacea:Anostraca)from BajaCalifornia, Mexico. TheSouthwestern
Naturalist38 (4): 389-390.
Butterwick,M. 1996.Thehydrogeomorphicapproachandits usein vernalpool
functionalassessment.PagesXX-XX in C.W. Witham,E. Bauder,D.
Belk, W. Ferren,andR. Ornduff(Editors).Ecology,Conservationand
ManagementofVernal Pool Ecosystems- Proceedingsfrom a 1996
Conference.CaliforniaNative PlantSociety,Sacramento,CA.
City of SanDiego. 1978.VernalPool AreaRegulations.ZoningOrdinanceof the
City ofSanDiego, asamendedin 1982. SanDiego,California.
City of SanDiego. 1980.VernalPool PreservationProgram.SanDiego,
California.
City of SanDiego. 1993.Guidelinesfor Mima Mound-VernalPool Habitat,
August2, 1993.SanDiego,California.
79
City of SanDiego. 1 996a.RevisedEnvironmentallySensitiveLandsRegulations.
City of SanDiego DevelopmentandEnvironmentalPlanningDivision.
SanDiego,California. 13 pp.
City of SanDiego. 1 996b. Vernal Pool ManagementPlan:An evaluationof
currentmanagementpractices,identificationof potentialthreatsto
resources,andrecommendationsfor themanagementofCity-owned
vernalpools.City ofSanDiego DevelopmentandEnvironmentalPlanning
Division. SanDiego,California. 100 pp.
Cole,L. 1995.Deerandcoyoteuseof EastgateMall vernalpool area,Miramar
NAS, SanDiego,CA. Unpublishedstudentreport.
Collie, N. andE. W. Lathrop.1976. Chemicalcharacteristicsof thestandingwater
of avernalpoolon theSantaRosaPlateau,RiversideCounty,California.
In: Vernalpools. Their EcologyandConservation.S. Jam (ed.).
UniversityofCalifornia, DavisInstituteofEcologyPublicationNo. 9.
Davis,California.Pp. 27-31.
Coulter,J. M. andJ. N. Rose.1900. MonographoftheNorthAmerican
UmbellWerae.Crawfordsville,Indiana.
CountyofSanDiego. 1991.ResourceProtectionOrdinance.Countyof San
Diego,SanDiego,California. 16 pp.
Cox, G. W. 1984a. Thedistributionandoriginof Mima moundgrasslandsin San
Diego County,California.Ecology65: 1397-1405.
Cox, G. W. 1984b. Soil transportby pocketgophersin Mima moundandvernal
pool microterrain.In: VernalPoolsandIntermittentStreams.S. Jamand
P. Moyle (eds.).Universityof California,DavisInstituteof Ecology
PublicationNo. 28, Davis, California.Pp. 37-45.
80
Cox, G. W. andJ. Austin. 1990.Impactsofaprescribedburnon vernalpool
vegetationat MiramarNavalAir Station,SanDiego,California.Bulletin
oftheSouthernCalWorniaAcademyofSciences89: 67-85.
Dalquest,W.W. andV.B. Scheffer.1942.Theoriginof theMima moundsof
westernWashington.J. Geol.50:68-84.
Davies,C.P. 1996. PopulationGeneticStructureofaCaliforniaEndemic
Branchiopod,Branchinectasandiegonensis.MastersThesis,Universityof
SanDiego. SanDiego, California.92 pp.
Day,A.. 1993.NavarretiaIn: TheJepsonManualof HigherPlantsofCalifornia,
J.C. Hickman,edit., Universityof CaliforniaPress,Berkeley,California..
Dehoney,B. andD. M. LaVigne. 1984. Macroinvertebratedistributionamong
someSouthernCaliforniavernalpools. In: VernalPoolsandIntermittent
Streams.S. Jam and P. Moyle (eds.).Universityof California, Davis
Instituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 28., Davis,California. Pp. 154-160.
Departmentof theNavy. 1996. Biological Mitigation andMonitoringReport.
December.
Deschamp,P.A. andT. J. Cooke.1982.Leafdimorphismin aquaticangiosperms:
significanceof turgorpressureandcell expansion.Science219: 505-507.
Deschamp,P. A. and T. J. Cooke.1984.Causalmechanismsof leafdimorphism
in the angiospermCallitriche heterophylla.AmericanJournalofBotany7:
319-329.
Dudek& Associates.1992a.Reporton theFloraofthe Otay RanchVernal Pools,
1990-1991,SanDiego County,California.Preparedfor BaldwinVista
Associates.March 12.
Dudek& Associates.1992b.WinterwoodLaneCommunityParkBiological
LetterReport. November17.
81
Dudek& Associates.1994.VernalPool EnhancementandRestorationPlanfor
theOceanside-SanDiegoCommuterRail Project,PoinsettiaLaneStation.
Preparedfor ShapiroandAssociates,Inc., June28.
Dudek& Associates.1996.City of SanDiegoVernalPool ManagementPlan.
December.
Ebert,T. A. andM. L. Balko. 1987.Temporarypoolsasislandsin spaceandin
time: thebiotaofvernalpools in SanDiego,SouthernCalifornia, USA.
Archivfur Hydrobiologica110(1): 101-123.
Ebert,T. A. andM. L. Balko. 1984.Vernalpoolsasislandsin spaceandtime. In
:
VernalPoolsandIntermittentStreams.S. Jam and P. Moyle (eds.).
University ofCalifornia,DavisInstituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 28,
Davis,California.Pp. 90-101.
Ebert,T. A. andM. L. Balko. 1987.Temporarypoolsasislandsin spaceandin
time:thebiota ofvernalpools in SanDiego,Southern,California,USA.
Archivfur Hydrobiologica11:101-123.
Ellis, B. A. andJ.N. Mills. 1991.PollinationecologyofPogogyneabramsii.In
:
The EffectsofHabitatReductionon VernalPool PlantCommunities.C.Black(ed.).Reportpreparedfor CaliforniaDepartmentof Transportation,
SanDiego,California. Pp.34-37.
Ellstrand,N.C. 1992.Geneflow by pollen: implications for plantconservation
genetics.Oikos63: 77-86.
Eng,L. L., D. Belk and C. H. Eriksen. 1990.CaliforniaAnostraca:distribution,
habitatandstatus.JournalofCrustaceanBiology 10: 247-277.
Ferren,W. R., Jr. andD. A. Pritchett. 1988.Enhancement,restoration,and
creationof vernalpoolsatDel Sol OpenSpaceandVernalPool Reserve,SantaBarbaraCounty,California.Reportpreparedfor IslaVista
RecreationandParkDistrict and CaliforniaStateCoastalConservancy.
82
UniversityofCalifornia, SantaBarbaraEnvironmentalReportNo. 13.
SantaBarbara,California.
Fugate,M. 1993.Branchinectasandiegonensis,anewspeciesoffairy shrimp
(Crustacea:Anostraca)from westernNorthAmerica.Proceedingsofthe
BiologicalSocietyofWashington106: 296-304.
Goldman,S. J.,K. Jackson,andT. A. Bursztynsky.1986.ErosionandSediment
ControlHandbook.McGraw-Hill Book Company,NewYork.
Gonzalez,R. J.,J. Drazen,S. Hathaway,B. Bauer,andM. A. Simovich.(1996).
Physiologicalcorrelatesof waterchemistryrequirementsin fairy shrimp
(Order:Anostraca)from SouthernCalifornia.JournalofCrustacean
Biology 16:315- 322.
Greenwood,N. H. and P. L. Abbott. 1980. ThephysicalenvironmentofH series
vernalpools,Del MarMesa,SanDiegoCounty.Reportpreparedfor
CaliforniaDepartmentofTransportation,SanDiego, California.
Griffiths, R. and T. Beebee.1992.l)eclineandfall oftheamphibians.New
Scientist134 (1827): 25-29.,
Griggs,F. T. 1976.Life history strategiesofthegenusOrcuttia (Gramineae).In
:
Vernalpools. Their EcologyandConservation.S. Jam (ed.).University of
California,Davis Instituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 9. Davis,California.
Pp. 57-62.
Griggs,F. T. 1980.Populationstudiesin thegenusOrcuttia (Poaceae).Ph.D.
Dissertation,UniversityofCalifornia,Davis,California.
Griggs,F. T. 1984.A strategyfor theconservationof thegenusOrcuttia. In
:
VernalPoolsandIntermittentStreams.S. Jam andP. Moyle (eds.).
Universityof California,DavisInstituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 28.
Davis,California.Pp.255-262.
83
Griggs,F. T. andS. K. Jam.1983. Conservationofvernalpoolplantsin
California;II. Populationbiology ofarareanduniquegrassgenus:
Orcuttia.BiologicalConservation27: 171-193.
Hallsworth,E. G., G. K. RobertsonandF.R.Gibbons.1955. Studiesin
pedogenesisin New SouthWales,VII. The“Gilgai” soils.JournalofSoil
Science6:1-34.
Hanes,W. T., B. HechtandL. P. Stromberg.1990. Waterrelationshipsofvernal
pools in theSacramentoRegion,California. In: VernalPoolPlants. Their
HabitatandBiology. D. H. Ikedaand R. A. Schlising(eds.).Studiesfrom
theHerbarium,CaliforniaStateUniversity,ChicoNo. 8, Chico,
California.Pp. 49-60.
Hanes,W.T. andStromberg,L. 1996. Hydrologyofthevernalpoolson
non-volcanicsoils in theSacramentoValley. PagesXX-XX in C.W.
Witham,E. Bauder,D. Belk, W. Ferren,andR. Ornduff(Editors).
Ecology,ConservationandManagementofVernalPool Ecosystems-
Proceedingsfrom a 1996 Conference.CaliforniaNative Plant Society,
Sacramento, CA.
Hathaway,S.A. , D.P. Sheehan,andM.A. Simovich. 1996.Vulnerabilityof
branchiopodcyststo crushing.JournalofCrustaceanBiology 16(3):
448-452.
Hathaway, S.A. and M.A. Simovich, 1996. Factorsaffectingthedistributionand
co-occurrenceof two southernCaliforniananostracans(Branchiopoda),
BranchinectasandiegonensisandStreptocephaluswoottoni.Jour.
CrustaceanBiol. 16(4): 669-677,
Hickman,J.C. 1993. TheJepsonManual,HigherPlantsof California, J.C.
Hickman,edit., UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Berkeley,California.
84
Holland,R. F. 1976.Thevegetationof vernalpools: A survey.jn: VernalPools:
Their Ecologyand Conservation.S. Jam (ed.).Universityof California,
DavisInstitute ofEcologyPublicationNo. 9. Davis,California.Pp. 11-14.
Holland,R. F. 1986.Preliminarydescriptionsof theterrestrialnatural
communitiesof California. CaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGame,
Nongame-HeritageProgram,Sacramento,CA.
Holland,R. F. andV. I. Dams.1990. In: VernalPool Plants: Their Habitatand
Biology.D. H. IkedaandR. A. Schlising(eds.).Studiesfrom the
Herbarium,CaliforniaStateUniversity,ChicoNo. 8, Chico,California.
Pp. 3 1-48.
Holland,R. F. and S. Jam. 1977.Vernalpools.In: Terrestrial Vegetationof
CalWornia.M. G. Barbour and J.Major (eds.).JohnWiley andSons,New
York. Pp. 515-533.
Holland,R. F. andS. K. Jam.1981. Insularbiogeographyofvernalpools in the
CentralValley of California.AmericanNaturalist117: 24-37.
Holland,R. F. andS. Jam.1984. Spatialandtemporalvariationin plant species
diversity of vernalpools. In: VernalPoolsandIntermittentStreams.S.
Jam andP. Moyle (eds.).UniversityofCalifornia,DavisInstituteof
EcologyPublicationNo. 28. Davis, California.Pp. 198-209.
Howald,A. M. and J. J. Dowhan.1984. Draft RecoveryPlanfor SanDiegoMesa
Mint, Pogogyneabramsii.U. S. Fishand Wildlife Service,Portland,
Oregon.
Howell, J. T. 1931. III. ThegenusPogogyne.ProceedingsoftheCalWornia
AcademyofSciencesFourth Series 20:105-128.
Hunt, J. 1989.FeedingecologyofThomomysbottaesanctidiegiin aMima mound
andvernalpool habitat.M.S. Thesis,SanDiegoStateUniversity, San
Diego,California.
85
Hunt, J. 1992.FeedingecologyofValley pocketgophers(Thomomysbottae
sanctidiegi)on aCaliforniacoastalgrassland.AmericanMidland
Naturalist 127: 41-51.
Jacobsen,E. 1997.PersonalCommunicationwith D. A. Kreager.May.
Jam,S. (ed.). 1976.Vernalpools:TheirEcologyand Conservation.Universityof
California,DavisInstituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 9, Davis,California.
Jam,5. 1984. Biosystematicandevolutionarystudiesin thegenusLimnanthes:an
update.In: VernalPoolsandIntermittentStreams.S. Jam andP. Moyle
(eds.).University ofCalifornia,DavisInstituteofEcologyPublicationNo.
28. Davis,California.Pp. 232-242.
Jam,S. andP. Moyle (eds.).1984. VernalPoolsandIntermittentStreams.
UniversityofCalifornia,DavisInstituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 28.
Davis,California.
Jennersten,0. 1988.Pollinationin Dianthusdeltoides(Caryophyllaceae):Effects
ofhabitatfragmentationon visitationandseedset.
Jensen,D. B., M. Torn, and J.Harte. 1990.In our ownhands.A Strategyfor
ConservingBiologicalDiversityin Cal~fornia. EnergyandResources
Group,Universityof California,Berkeley,California.
Jepson,W. L. 1923.RevisionofCalifornianUmbelliferae.Madroi~o 1:101-108.
Jepson,W. L. 1936.Flora ofCalWornia. Universityof CaliforniaPress,Berkeley,
California.
Jokerst,J.D. 1993.PogogyneIn: Theof HigherPlantsof California,J.C.
Hickman,ed.,Univ. ofCaliforniapress,Berkeley,California.
Jones,H. 1 955a.Heterophyllyin somespeciesofCallitriche, with especial
referenceto Callitriche intermedia.AnnualReviewofBotany19: 225-45.
86
Jones,H. 1 955b. Furtherstudieson heterophyllyin Callitriche intermedia:Leaf
developmentand experimentalinductionof ovateleaves.AnnualReview
ofBotany19: 378-389.
JonesandStokesAssociates.1987. Sliding towardextinction:Thestateof
California’snaturalheritage,1987.Reportpreparedfor theCalifornia
SenateCommitteeon NaturalResourcesand Wildlife, Sacramento,
California.
Keeley, J. E. 1981. Diurnalacidmetabolismin vernalpool Isoetes(Isoetaceae).
Madroi~o28: 167-171.
Keeley, J. E. 1984.Photosyntheticcharacteristicsof certainvernalpoolsspecies.
In: VernalPoolsandIntermittentStreams.s. Jam andP. Moyle (eds.).
University of California, DavisInstituteofEcologyPublicationNo. 28.
Davis,California. Pp.218-222.
Keeley,J. E. 1990.Photosynthesisin vernalpool macrophytes:Relationof
structureand function.In: VernalPoolPlants: Their HabitatandBiology.
D. H. IkedaandR. A. Schlising(eds.).Studiesfrom the Herbarium,
California StateUniversity,ChicoNo. 8, Chico,California. Pp.6 1-88.
Keeley,J. E. andB. A. Morton. 1982.Distributionofdiurnalacidmetabolismin
submergedaquaticplantsoutsidethegenusIsoetes.Photosynthetica16:
546-553.
Keeley, J. E., R. P. Mathews, and C. M. Walker. 1983.Diurnal acidmetabolism
in Isoeteshowellii from a temporary pool and a permanent lake. American
JournalofBotany70: 854-857.
King, J. L., M. A. Simovich, andR. C. Brusca.1996. Endemism,speciesrichness
andecologyof crustaceanassemblagesin NorthernCaliforniavernal
pools.Hydrobiolgia328: 85-116.
87
Kopecko, K. and E. W. Lathrop. 1975. Vegetation zonation in a vernal marsh on
the Santa Rosa PlateauofRiversideCounty,California.Aliso 8: 28 1-288.
Krapu,G. L. 1974.FoodsofbreedingPintails in North Dakota.Journalof
Wild!WeManagement38:408-417.
Lathrop,E. W. 1976.VernalpoolsoftheSantaRosaPlateau,RiversideCounty,
California.In: VernalPools: Their EcologyandConservation.S. Jam
(ed.).UniversityofCalifornia, DavisInstituteofEcologyPublicationNo.
9. Davis,California.Pp. 22-27.
Lathrop,E. W. andR. F. Thorne.1976. Thevernalpoolson theSantaRosa
Plateau,RiversideCounty,California.Aliso 10: 449-469.
Lathrop,E. W. andR. F. Thorne.1983. A floraof thevernalpoolson Mesade
BurrooftheSantaRosaPlateau,RiversideCounty, California.Aliso 8:
433-445.
LeHourerou,H. N. 1984.Rainuseefficiency: A unifyingconceptin arid-land
ecology.JournalofAridEnvironments7: 213-247.
Leong,J. M. 1993.Small-scalepatchisolationeffectson pollinatorvisitationand
seedproductionofa vernalpool plants. Masters(submitted),University
of California,Davis,Davis,California..
Leong,J.M. 1994.Pollinationof apatchily-distributedplant, Blenosperma
nanum,in naturaland artificially createdvernalpool habitats.Ph.D.
Dissertation,Universityof California,Davis,Davis,California.
Lin, J. 1970. Floristicsandplant successionin vernalpools.Thesis,SanFrancisco
StateCollege,SanFrancisco,California.
Luciani, E. 1997.Personalcommunicationwith D. A. Kreager.May.
Marsden,K. 1997. PersonalCommunicationwith E. Bauder.March.
88
Martin, B. D. 1986.Distributionand nichepartitioningof Downingiabe/la and
Downingiacuspidata(Campanulaceae)in thevernalpoolsofthe Santa
RosaPlateauPreserve,California. Ph.D.Dissertation,LomaLinda
University,LomaLinda,California.
Mason,H.L. 1969.A flora ofthemarshesof California.University ofCalifornia
Press,Berkeley,CA.
Mathias,M. E. andL. Constance.1941.A synopsisoftheNorthAmericanspecies
ofEryngium.AmericanMidlandNaturalist25: 361-387.
McMillan, 5. 1995.PersonalCommunicationwith F. Bauder.
MichaelBrandmanAssociates.1991.Reporton theHydrologyandFloraofthe
OtayRanchVernalPools, 1990,SanDiegoCounty, California.Prepared
for The BaldwinCompany.March 5.
Mills, J. n.d. Studieson pollination ofPogogyneabramsii.Departmentof
Biology, SanDiego StateUniversity,California; unpubl.rep. in: P.H.
Zedler. 1987.Theecologyof southernCaliforniavernalpools:a
communityprofile. U.S. FishWildl. Serv.Biol. Rep. 85(7.11).136 pp.
Mooney,H. A. andD. J. Parsons.1973. Structureand functionoftheCalifornia
chaparral;anexamplefrom SanDimas. In: MediterraneanType
Ecosystems.F. diCastri and I-I. A. Mooney(eds.).Springer-Verlag,Berlin.
Pp. 83-112.
Moran,R. 1977.NeworrenovatedPolemoniaceaefrom BajaCalifornia, Mexico
(Ipomopsis,Linanthus,Navarretia). Madrono 245: 141-159.
Moran,R. 1981.VernalPoolsin NorthwestBajaCalifornia,Mexico. In: Jam,S.
andP. Moyle, eds.,VernalPoolsandIntermittentStreams.Instituteof
EcologyPublicationNo. 28, UniversityofCalifornia, Davis.
89
Morey, 5. 1996.Amphibianlife historyattributesandimplicationsfor vernalpool
conservationpractice.C.W. Witham,E. Bauder,D. Belk,W. Ferren,and
R. Ornduff(Editors).Ecology,ConservationandManagementof Vernal
PoolEcosystems- Proceedingsfrom a 1996Conference.CaliforniaNative
PlantSociety,Sacramento,CA.
Morey,5. 1996.PersonalCommunicationwith D.A. Kreager.June.
Munz,P.A. 1974.A FloraofsouthernCalifornia.Universityof CaliforniaPress,
Berkeley,California.
Oberbauer,T. A. 1990.Areasofvegetationcommunitiesin SanDiegoCounty,
DepartmentofPlanningandLandUse,Countyof SanDiego, California.
OgdenEnvironmentalAssociates.1996.TheMultiple SpeciesConservation
Program.Volume 1.
Pacific SouthwestBiological Services.1989.Surveyof RamonaAreaVernal
Pools.Preparedfor JohnC. Mabee.February6.
Patterson,C. 1997.PersonalCommunicationwith J.M. Vanderwier.March.
Pentis,M. 1997.PersonalCommunicationwith J.M. VanderwierandK.L.
Marsden,April 16.
Phillips, I. 1960.DevelopmentoftheMissionOliveIndustryandOtherSouthBay
Stories.SouthBay Press,NationalCity, California.
Pollak,0. andT. Kan. 1996.Theuseofprescribedfire to controlinvasiveexotic
speciesatJepsonPrairieandVina PlainsPreserves.C.W. Witham,E.
Bauder,D. Belk, W. Ferren,and R. Ornduff(Editors).Ecology,
ConservationandManagementof VernalPool Ecosystems- Proceedings
from a 1996Conference.CaliforniaNativePlantSociety,Sacramento,
CA.
90
Proctor,V. W. etal. 1967. Dispersalof aquaticorganism:viability of
disseminulesrecoveredfrom theintestinal tract of captivekilldeer.
Ecology48: 672-676.
Purer,E. A. 1939.Ecologicalstudyof vernalpools,SanDiegoCounty,
California.Ecology20: 217-229.
RECON. 1987.A Surveyof VernalPoolsatCampPendletonMarineCorpsBase.
Preparedfor NaturalResourcesOffice, MarineCorpsBase,Camp
Pendleton.September11.
RECON. 1 995a.City-wide Vernal Pool ManagementPlan,Draft. Preparedfor the
City of SanDiego,EnvironmentalServicesDepartment.March20.
RECON. 1 995b.TheDistribution, Status,andConservationofVernalPool and
Alkali PlayaWetlandsoftheUpperSaltCreekDrainage,Hemet,
California. Preparedfor theCity of HemetandtheRiversideCounty
HabitatConservationAgency.June15.
RECON. 1996.RamonaAirport Vernal Pools:Biological TechnicalReport.
Preparedfor Countyof SanDiego,Departmentof PublicWorks-Airport
Division. January25.
Reeder,J. R. 1982.Systematicsof thetribe Orcuttieae(Graminae)anddescription
ofanewsegregategenus,Tuctoria. AmericanJournalofBotany69:
1082-1095.
Reeder,J.R. 1993. Orcuttia In: The Jepson Manual of Higher Plants of California.
J.C.Hickmanedit.,Universityof CaliforniaPress,Berkeley,California.
Ritland,K. andSubodh,J. 1981.Thecomparativelife historiesoftwo annual
Limnanthesspeciesin atemporallyvariableenvironment.American
Naturalist124: 656-679.
91
Ritland, K. and Subodh, J. 1984. A comparative study of floral andelecrophoretic
variation with life history variationin Limnanthesalba (Limnanthaceae).
Oecologia63: 243-25 1.
Ruibal, R., L. Tevis,Jr. andV. Roig. 1969. Theterrestrialecologyof the
spadefoottoad,Scaphiopushammondii.Copeia 1969: 57 1-584.
Scagel,R. F.,R. J.Bandoni,G. E. Rouse,etal. 1965.An EvolutionarySurveyof
thePlant Kingdom.WadsworthPublishingCompany,Inc., Belmont,
California.
Scheidlinger,C. R. 1981.Populationdynamicsof Pogogyneabramsiion the
ClairemontMesa,SanDiegoCounty,California. M.S. Thesis,SanDiego
StateUniversity, SanDiego,California.
Scheidlinger,C. R. 1984. Populationstudiesin Pogogyneabramsii. In: Vernal
PoolsandIntermittentStreams.S. Jam andP. Moyle (eds.).Universityof
California,DavisInstituteofEcologyPublicationNo. 28. Davis,
California. Pp.223-231.
Sheikh,M. Y. 1978.A systematicstudyofWestNorth AmericanGenus
Eryngium(Umbelliferae-Apioideae).Ph.D. Dissertation,Universityof
California, Berkeley, California.
Silveira,J.G. 1996.Avian UsesofVernal PoolsandImplicationsfor
ConservationPractice.C.W. Witham,E. Bauder,D. Belk, W. Ferren,and
R. Ornduff(Editors).Ecology,Conservationand ManagementofVernal
Pool Ecosystems- Proceedingsfrom a 1996Conference.California
Native PlantSociety,Sacramento,CA.
Simovich,M.A. 1985. Analysisof ahybridzonebetweenthespadefoottoads
ScaphiopusmultiplicatusandScaphiopusbomb~frons.PhD Dissertation.
Universityof California, Riverside,CA.
92
Simovich,M.A., C. Sassaman,and A. Chovnick. 1991.Post-matingselectionof
hybrid toads(Scaphiopusmultiplicatusand Scaphiopusbomb~frons).
Proceedings of theSanDiegoSocietyofNaturalHistory. Number5,
January.
Simovich,M. A. andJ.L. King. 1992. Introduction,methods,sitedescriptions.
Volume 1. In: InvertebrateSurvey,1991-1993:PGT-PG&EPipeline
ExpansionProject.Reportpreparedfor theBechtelCorporation,San
Francisco,California.
Simovich,M. A., J. L. King, andR. C. Brusca.1992. Branchiopodsurvey.
Volume2. In: InvertebrateSurvey,1991-1993:PGT-PG&EPipeline
ExpansionProject.Reportpreparedfor theBechtelCorporation,San
Francisco,California.
Simovich,M. A. andM. Fugate1992.Branchiopoddiversity in SanDiego
County,California. Transactionsofthe Westernsectionofthe Wild/We
Society28: 6-14.
Simovich, M. A., R. C. Brusca, and J. L. King. 1993. Crustacean and insect
communities. Volume 3. In: InvertebrateSurvey,1991-1993:PGT-PG&E
Pipeline Expansion Project. Report prepared for the Bechtel Corporation,
San Francisco, California.
Simovich, M.A. 1995.PersonalCommunicationwith E. Bauder.
Simovich, M.A., Boudrias,M., andR. Gonzalez.1996.Vernal Pool Faunal
SurveyNavalAir StationMiramar.Preparedby theBranchiopodResearch
Group,UniversityofSanDiego, for theNavalAir StationMiramar,San
Diego, California.
Simovich,M.A. andS.A. Hathaway.1997. Diversifiedbet-hedgingasa
reproductivestrategyof someephemeralpool anostracans(Branchiopoda).
JournalofCrustaceanBiology 17(1): 38- 44.
93
Smith,J. P. Jr. 1993.Eryngium.In: TheJepsonManualofHigherPlantsof
California,J.C.Hickmanedit. Universityof CaliforniaPress,Berkeley,
CA.
Soule,M.E. 1986.ConservationBiology: TheScienceof ScarcityandDiversity.
SinauerandAssociates,Inc., Sunderland,Massachusetts,584pp.
Stagg,C. M. andE. W. Lathrop. 1984.DistributionofOrcuttia ca/Wornicain
vernalpools oftheSantaRosaPlateau,RiversideCounty,California.In
:
VernalPoolsandIntermittentStreams.S. Jam andP. Moyle (eds.).
Universityof California,DavisInstituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 28.
Davis,California. Pp. 250-254.
Stebbins,G. L. 1976.Thevegetationof vernalpools: asurvey.In: VernalPools.
Their Ecologyand Conservation.S. Jam (ed..University ofCalifornia,
DavisInstituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 9. Davis,California.Pp. 1-4.
Stone,D. E. 1957.Studiesin populationdifferentiationin Myosurusof
Ranunculaceae.Ph.D. Dissertation,UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,
California.
Stone,R. D. 1990.California’s endemicvernalpool plants:Somefactors
influencingtheir rarity andendangerment.In: VernalPoolPlants. Their
HabitatandBiology.D. H. IkedaandR. A. Schlising(eds.).Studiesfrom
theHerbarium,CaliforniaStateUniversity,ChicoNo. 8, Chico,
California.Pp. 89-108.
Swanson,G. A., M. I. Meyerand J. R. Serie. 1974. Feedingecologyof breeding
blue-wingedteals.JournalofWild/WeManagement38: 396-407.
SweetwaterEnvironmentalBiologists.n.d. SanMarcosVernalPool Assessment.
Thorne,R. F. 1976.Thevascularplantcommunitiesof California. In: P/ant
CommunitiesofSouthernCalifornia. J. Latting (ed.). California Native
Plant SocietySpecialPublicationNo. 2, Riverside,California.Pp. 1-31.
94
Thorne,R. F. 1984.Are California’svernalpoolsunique?In: VernalPoolsand
IntermittentStreams.S. Jam andP. Moyle (eds.).UniversityofCalifornia,
Davis Instituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 28. Davis,California. Pp. 1-8.
Thorp, R. W. 1976.Insectpollination of vernalpool flowers. In: VernalPools:
Their EcologyandConservation.S. Jam (ed.).UniversityofCalifornia,
Davis Instituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 9. Davis,California.
Thorp,R.W. 1976.Insectpollinationof vernalpool flowers. pp. 36-39In: Vernal
pools:their ecologyandconservation.S. Jam (ed.).Universityof
California,Davis,Instituteof EcologyPublicationNo. 9, Davis,CA.
Thorp,R. W. 1990.Vernalpool flowersandhost-specificbees.In: VernalPool
Plants. Their Habitat andBiology. D. H. Ikeda andR. A. Schlising(eds.).
Studiesfrom theHerbarium,CaliforniaStateUniversity,ChicoNo. 8,
Chico, California. Pp. 109-122.
Toy, S. J. and B. C. Willingham. 1966.Effect oftemperatureon seedgermination
oftenspeciesandvarietiesof Limnanthes.EconomicBotany20: 7 1-75.
U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers.VernalPool HydrogeomorphicModel. (in press).
U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service.1984.RecoveryPlanfor SanDiegoMesaMint
(Pogogyneabramsii).U.S. FishandWildlife Service,Portland,Oregon.
U. S. Fishand Wildlife Service.1989. RecoveryPlanfor ElevenCentralFlorida
ScrubPlants.U. S. Fishand Wildlife Service,Atlanta,Georgia.
U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service.1993.EndangeredandThreatenedWildlife and
Plants;Final Rule;Determinationofendangeredstatusfor threevernal
pool plantsandtheRiversidefairy shrimp.FederalRegister58:41391.
U.S. Fish andWildlife Service.1994a:EndangeredandThreatenedWildlife and
Plants;Proposedruleto list two plantsfrom southwesternCaliforniaas
endangeredandthreatened.FederalRegister59: 39879-39886.
95
U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service.1 994b:EndangeredandThreatenedWildlife and
Plants;Proposedrule to list foursouthwesternCaliforniaplantsas
endangeredandthreatened.FederalRegister59: 64812-64823.
U.S. FishandWildlife Service.1994c:EndangeredandThreatenedWildlife and
Plants;Proposedruleto list theSanDiego fairy shrimp asendangered.
FederalRegister59: 39874-39878.
U.S. FishandWildlife Service.1996a.ConservationAgreementfor the
PreservationofCuyamacaLakeDowningia(Downingiaconcolorvar.
brevior), Parish’sMeadowfoam(Limnanthesgracilis ssp.parishii), and
CuyamacaLarkspur(Delphiniumhesperiumssp.cuyamacae).August5.
Memorandumof UnderstandingbetweentheFishand Wildlife Service,
CaliforniaDepartmentofFishandGame.
U.S. FishandWildlife Service.1996b. Draft EnvironmentalAssessment,
ProposedVernalPoolsStewardshipProject,SanDiegoNationalWildlife
Refuge.SanDiegoCounty,California.
Vanderwier,J. 1994.FieldNotes,ParkdaleSchoolSite, April 1.
Vasey,G. 1886.A newgenusof grassfrom Lower California.Bulletin ofthe
TorreyBotanicalClub 13: 219.
Weiler, J. H. 1962.A biosystematicstudyof thegenusDowningia.Ph.D.
Dissertation,Universityof California,Berkeley,California.
White, S. D. 1994. VernalPoolsin theSanJacintoValley. Fremontia22(3):
17-19.
Wild. K. 1995.PersonalCommunicationwith E. Bauder.
Zedler,P. H. 1984.Micro-distributionsofvernalpool plantsofKearnyMesa,San
DiegoCounty.In: VernalPoolsandIntermittentStreams.S. Jam andP.
96
Moyle (eds.).UniversityofCalifornia, DavisInstituteof Ecology
PublicationNo. 28. Davis,California.Pp. 185-197.
Zedler,P. H. 1987.Theecologyof SouthernCaliforniavernalpools:acommunity
profile. U.S. FishandWildlife ServiceBiol. Rep. 85 (7.11).136 pp.
Zedler,P. H. 1990. Life historiesof vernalpool plants.In: VernalPoolPlants:
Their HabitatandBiology.D. H. IkedaandR. A. Schlising(eds.).Studies
from theHerbarium,CaliforniaStateUniversity, Chico.No. 8, Chico,
California. Pp. 123-146.
Zedler,P. H., T. A. Ebert,M. L. Balko, andR.M. Beauchamp.1979. A surveyof
vernalpoolsof KearnyMesa,SanDiego County,spring1979.California.
Reportpreparedfor theDepartmentof Transportation,SanDiego,
California.
Zedler, P. H., C. Frazier. 1990.Ecologicalstudiesandmanagement
recommendationsfor theSkunkHollow vernalpool, RiversideCounty,
California.Reportpreparedfor LaneKuhnPacific Communities,
Escondido,California.
97
IV. IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE
Theimplementationscheduleoutlines recommendedactionsandestimatedcost
associatedwith therecoveryprogramfor theVernalPoolsof SouthernCalifornia.
It is a guide for meeting the objective discussed in Part II of this recovery plan.
This schedule indicates task priorities, numbers,anddescriptions;durationof
each task; responsible agencies; and estimated costs. Theseactions,when
accomplished, should bring about the recovery of thesix vernalpool speciesand
protect their habitat.
The actions identified in the implementationschedule,whenaccomplished,
shouldleadto a betterunderstandingofthe currentdistributionandstatusofthe
vernalpool species,protectionof thehabitat,stabilizetheexistingpopulations,
andallow for an increasein populationsizesand numbers.Initiation ofthese
actionsis subjectto availability offunds.
Priorities in column oneof theimplementationscheduleareassignedasfollows:
Priority 1: An actionthatmustbe takento preventextinctionorto
preventthespeciesfrom decliningirreversibly in the
foreseeablefuture.
Priority 2: An actionthat mustbe takento preventasignificant
declinein populationorhabitatquality, orsomeother
significantnegativeimpactshortofextinction.
Priority 3: All otheractionsnecessaryto meettherecoveryobjective.
Acronymsusedin the ImplementationSchedule
ACQE Army Corpsof Engineers
BRD Biological ResourcesDivision of theU.S. GeologicalSurvey
CDFG CaliforniaDepartmentof Fish andGame
DOD Departmentof Defense
FHWA FederalHighwayAdministration
LOC AppropriateLocalAgencies
TBD To Be Determined
USFWS FishandWildlife Service
98
RECOVERY PLAN IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE FOR VERNAL POOLS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
F ~_______Pnonty ask ask DescriptionumberNeed 1 Conduct surveysand research essential to the conservation ofthese species.1 111 nventory each ofthe complexes to determine WS, ACQE,he extent and configuration ofthe individual D, BRD,ernst pools and their associated watersheds DFG—a
ask esponsible[)uratlongencles otalst,mat:d
— — Costs (SIOQOs)
—I—!— — — —Y Y jFY iFY IFY1999 000 1L112003 r004 [2005 006 J2007 f008
0 5 5
1 112 ventory each poolwithin each complex toetermine the species composition andbundance
L 100 0 0
1 113 evelop preserve designs after determininghich vernal pools within each complex are
ecessasy to maintain habitat function andpecies viability
WS. BRD,D, LOC
0 0
1 114 vestigate biological factors affectingecovery
L 00 100 100 100 100 100
Total Need 1 70 195 175 100 100 100
Need 2 Secure the existing vernal pools and their associated watersheds.
1 121 ecure the existing vernal pools and theirsanciated waternlseds in Tables 4 and 5dentifted as necessaiy to maintain habitat
nction and species viability
D L D
1 122 ecure the existing vernal pools and theirsociated watersheds currently occupied byrcunio caI~fornica, Pogogyne nudiuscula,d_the_Riverside_fairy_shrimp
ecure the existing vernal pools and theirsociated watersheds within the Transversed LA Basin/Orange Management Areas
D L D
I 123 D L RD
I 124 ecure the existing vernal pools and theirsociated watersheds within the San Marcos
omplexes that contain Nas’arretiafossal,s,~ryngiumorisiulaf urn var. pari.shi,,rod,aeofihtfol,a, and any other vernal poolpecies of limited distribution or abundance
D L RD
RECOVERY PLAN IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE FOR VERNAL POOLS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
ority ask ask Description ask esponatbleumber non gencies
Years)
Cost (SlOQOs)
otalstimatedoat
$l000’s)
11999
0000
0001
0002
0003
0004
0005
0006
0007
0008
1125 ecure the existing vernal pools andtheir D Lsociated watersheds within the Ramona
omplexes that contain Dowmngiapidato, Eryngium aristularurn var.
r:shii, Navarretiafossahs. Myosurusimmus, and any other vernal pool species of
~miteddistribution or abundance
D
1126 ecure the existing vernal pools and their D Lasociated watersheds located on Stockpenoils
D
otal Need 2 D D
eed 3 Where necessary reestablish vernal pool habitat to the h,stomcal structure.
within each Management Area, reestablish 1 L 105
Ivernal pool habitat to historic structure and~ompositionto increase genetic diversity and
4opulation stability I.. L
12 IWd enhance secured vernal pool habitats and V F_____ithin each Management Area, rehabilitate I Lcir constituent species
otal Need 3 00
165 140
b
0
125 ~75eed 4 Manage and monitor habitat and listed species.
IManage protected habitat 12 TALL J25
—~ onitor protected habitat and listed species 10 1ALL 125
otal Need 4 JSO I ~0
otal Cost j I j970
125
195 175 1175 1001
—
Appendix A
Speciesof SpecialConcern
In and Adjacent to Vernal Pool Habitat in Southern California
Species
PLANTS
Ambrosiapumila
SanDiegoambrosia
Brodiaeafi1~folia
Thread-leavedbrodiaea
Brodiaeaorcuttii
Orcutt’s brodiaea
Downingiaconcolorvar. brevior
CuyamacaLakedownmgia
Eryngiumaristzdatumvar. parishii
San Diegobutton-celery
Limnanthesgracilis var. parishii
Parish’smeadowfoam
Myosurusminimus
Little mousetail
Navarretiafossalis
Spreadingnavarretia
Ophioglossumcal!fornicum
Californiaadder’s-tonguefern
Orcuttiacal~fornica
CaliforniaOrcuttgrass
Pogogyneabramsii
SanDiegomesamint
Pogogynenudiuscula
Otaymesamint
Trichostemaaustromontanum
ssp.compactum
HiddenLakebluecurls
INVERTEBRATES
SanDiegofaiiy shrimp
Branchinectasandiegonensis
State/FederalLegal Status
——I——
CE/FPT
——I——
CE!--
CE/FE
CE!--
——I——
--/FPT
——I———
CE/FE
CE/FE
CE/FE
--‘Cl
CNPS
Code/SpecialStatus
lB
lB
Is
lB
lB
lB
3
lB
4
lB
lB
lB
lB
--/FE
Al
Appendix A (Continued)
Species State/Federal SpecialStatus
Legal Status
Riversidefairy shrimp
Streptocephaluswoottoni --/FE
Vernalpoolfairy shrimp
Branchinectalynchi --/FT
AMPHIBIANS
Westernspadefoottoad
Scaphiopushammondii CSC
REPTILES
Orange-throatedwhiptail
Cnemidophorushyperythrusbeldingi CSC,HTNorthernreddiamondrattlesnake
Crotalusruber ruber CSCSanDiegohornedlizard
Phrynosomacoronatumblainvillii CSC,HTTwo-stripedgartersnake
Thamnophishammondii CSC,HT
BIRDS
Black-shoulderedkite --/-- CFP
Elanuscaeruleus
Northernharrier -•/-- CSCCircuscyaneus
Burrowingowl --/-- CSC
A thenecunicularia
CoastalCaliforniagnatcatcher FT !-- CSC
Polioplila ca1~fornicaca1~fornica
Bell’s sagesparrow --!-- CSC
Amphispizabelli
MAMMALS
Pacific pocketmouse FE!-- CSC
Perognathuslongimembrispac~ficus
A2
Appendix A (Continued)
Abbreviation Key
FEDERALLY LISTED AND CANDIDATE SPECIES
FE Federalendangeredspecies
FT Federalthreatenedspecies
FPE Federalproposedendangeredspecies
FPT Federalproposedthreatenedspecies
Cl Federalcandidatefor listing; speciesfor which the U. S. Fish andWildlife Service
hassubstantialinformationto supportlisting asthreatenedor endangered.
CALIFORNIA LISTED AND CANDIDATE SPECIES
CE Californiaendangeredspecies
CR Californiararespecies
SPECIAL STATUS
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OFFISH AND GAME
CFP Californiafully protected
CSC Californiaspeciesof specialconcern
CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY (CNPS) CODE
lB Plantsrare,threatened,or endangeredin Californiaandelsewhere
3 Plantsaboutwhichwe needmore information-- a reviewlist
4 Plantsof limited distribution -- a watchlist
SAN DIEGO
HT San DiegoHerpetologicalSocietythreatened
A3
Appendix BDefinition of Terms
ConservationPotential• Determinedby thecurrentexistingconditions,surroundinglanduseand
speciescomposition. This mayincludemanagement,
restoration/enhancement,ornoneif existingconditionsdon’t allow for
thecontinuedexistenceofthespeciesor vernalpoolcomplex.
Divorced From Natural Habitat• Not surroundedby habitatdominatedby nativevegetation,orrestorable
to nativevegetation.Lacking importantanimalecosystemcomponents
suchaspollinators,probabledispersersandpredatorsor herbivores.
Enhancement• Theimprovementofthephysicalandbiotic characteristicsofvernalpool
habitatsuchthatnaturalprocessesandproductivityareaugmented.
HydrologicProcesses
• Thecycle andeffectsofwatermovementthat incorporatesthe
atmosphereand land: theconditionsassociatedwith theproperties,
distribution, duration,depth,andchemicalmakeupofthesurfaceandsoil
waters.
Large Site
• Pool orpoolsareembeddedin an areadominatedby nativevegetation,or
potentially restorableto nativevegetation.
• Nativevegetationis orcanbe restoredto useby nativepollinators,
amphibians,birds andbothsmall andlargemammals,especiallydeer.
Monitoring• Repeatcollectionof datato establishbaselinereferenceon population,
distribution,hydrologyandotherpool attributesneededto assess
ecosystemfunction.
• Purposeis to documentthestability ofpopulationsandjudgethesuccess
of restorationactionsandtheeffectivenessof managementpractices.
Bi
Nonnative Plant and Animal Control• Exoticplantsthat arepresentwithin pool basinsduring yearsofaverage
or greaterthanaverageprecipitationarereducedto lessthan5 percent
covereveryyearfor acontinuousperiodof 10 years.• Exotic plantscanin no yearexceed25 percentcoverofpoolbasins.
• Exotic herbivoresorpredatorsofvernalpool organismsarereducedto
levelsthat do notjeopardizeapopulation. Determinationof theselevels
will dependon additionalresearchfindings.
Preservation
• An areasecuredwith anactiveandadaptivemanagementplan in
perpetuity.
RestorableVernal Pool Habitat• Pool habitatis potentiallyrestorableif soil profile is sufficientlyintactor
requiresminor modificationsin orderto maintainpooi hydrology.
Restoration
• Reestablishmentofthephysicalandbiotic characteristicsofvernalpooi
habitatsuchthatcritical functionsarerestored.
• Resemblesareferencehabitatin regardto thefollowing attributes:soil
properties,waterquality, topography,hydrology,nutrientcycling, species
diversity andspeciesinteractions.
Revegetation
• Sitecanbe broughtto dominancewith appropriatenativeplants.
• All ecosystemfunctionsmaynot be reestablished.
Secured• Thepreservationofasitewith an activeandadaptivemanagementplan,
in perpetuity. This would includeenhancement/restorationasneeded.
Self-sustaining
• Theability ofan ecosystemto perpetuateitself throughprocesses
operatingwithin thecommunitywithout humaninterventionor
assistance.
Small Site
• As with largesite,but fragmentedor isolatedto suchadegreethat large
mammalsareno longerevident.
B2
Suitable Vernal PoolHabitat• Soil andhydrologicalpropertiesarewithin therangeof occupiedpools
within theirassociations.
SuitableVernalPoolHydrology• Hydrologyis within therangefor pools in thesubtype.
• Hydrologyshallnot be matchedto theextremein eitherdirection(rarely
or shallowly,inundatedto frequentlyanddeeplyinundated)knownto
supportthespeciesin questionin that sub-type,unlessonly onepool
exists. In thatcase,pool hydrologymustbe within therangeof
conditionsdocumentedto sustainpopulationsof thespeciesin othersub-
types.
• Hydrological regimesmust be documentedwith 10 consecutiveyearsof
data.
• Documentationmustincludethefollowing datafor eachyear:total
numberof daysinundatedatthedeepestelevation,percentofbasin
surfaceinundatedat time ofmaximumdepth,percentof basinexposed
duringeachbetween-storminterval,andrateof waterlevel dropafter
eachstorm.
Suitable Water Quality• Within therangeofalkalinity, total dissolvedsolids,concentrationsof
salts,conductivity,andpH knownto supportpopulationsofpool species,
especiallyinvertebrates.
• Devoid of, or with sufficiently low concentrations,ofchemicals,
nutrients,suspendedmatter,sediments,and othersubstancesthat
adverselyaffect pooi species.In somecasesrangesof tolerancemustbe
determinedby further research.
Vernal Pool
• (As definedby the U.S. Army CorpsofEngineers):Wetlandsthat
seasonallypond in small depressionsasaresultofa shallow,relatively
impermeablelayer(e.g.,clayor otherimpervioussoil or rock layer) that
restrictsdownwardpercolationofwater. Thedominantwatersourcefor
vernalpools is precipitationwith poolstypically filling afterfall and
winter rainsandevaporatingduring springandsummer.Theseseasonal
pondsarefragile, easilydisturbedecosystemsthatprovidehabitatfor
indigenous,specializedassemblagesof flora andfauna,includingseveral
B3
specieswhich are eitherproposedor alreadyFederallylisted asthreatened
or endangered.
Vernal Pool Functions• SurfaceWater StorageIn Pool: Thecapacityofthepool basinto
seasonallypond andretainsurfacewaterfor long durations.The
dominantwatersourceis from precipitationeitherdirectly into thepool or
via sub-surfaceflow from thesidesof thevernalpool basin.
• SubsurfaceWaterExchange:Thecapacityof thesub-surfaceareaabove
therestrictivelayerto holdwaterandallow theexchangeofwater
betweenthepoolbasinandsurroundinglandscape(pool banksand
moundareas).
• SurfaceWaterConveyance:Inter-stormconveyanceof concentratedflow
into and out of pool basinsthroughswales. Swalesare definedassurface
featureswhich conveyconcentratedflow, but lackadefinedbedandbank
(an undefineddrainage).
• Elementcycling: Theimport, transformation,andremovalof nutrients,
contaminants,andotherelementsandcompoundsvia biotic andabiotic
processes.
• MaintainsCharacteristicVegetation:Thecapabilityofperpetuating
predominantlynativevegetationthroughavarietyofmorphological,
reproductiveanddevelopmentaladaptationsandsporeor seeddispersal
mechanismsin responseto theextremeenvironmentalconditionsof
wetting anddrying. Emphasisis on thedynamicsandstructureofthe
vegetationasrevealedby speciesphenology,compositionandabundance.
• MaintainsCharacteristicAquaticInvertebrates:Thecapabilityof
perpetuatinginvertebratepopulationsthroughavariety ofreproductive
and developmentaladaptationsin responseto theextremeenvironmental
conditionsof wetting anddrying. Emphasisis on thedynamicsand
structureofthe invertebrateecologyof vernalpools asrevealedby
speciescompositionandabundance.
• MaintainsCharacteristicVertebratePopulations:Thecapability of
providingsomelife history requirementsfor populationsofvertebrate
specieswhichrely uponvernalpools for habitatandfor activitiessuchas
reproduction,development,andfeeding.
B4
Appendix C
Illustrations
CaliforniaOrcuttGrass(Orcuttia cal~fornica)
Illustration by D. Ann Kreager
Cl
Otay MesaMint (Pogogynenudiuscula)
Illustrationby ScottC. McMillian
C2
Appendix DVernal Pool Plant SpeciesWithin the Management Areas
Key
Transverse
LA Basin!OrangeCounty
RiversideCounty
SanDiegoNorth CoastalMesas
SDCn
SDSo
SDInl
San DiegoCentralCoastalMesas
SanDiego SouthCoastalMesas
SanDiegoInlandValley
SPECIES Goleta T’verse LAIOr R’side SDNo SDCn SDSo SDInlAlopecurossaccatus(howellii) X
Ambrosiapumila X X X X
Bergiatexana X X
Brodiaeafilfolia X X X
Brodiaeajolonensis X X X X X X
Brodiaeaorcuttii X X X X
Callitriche marginata X X X X X X x
Centunculusminimus X X X X X
Crassulaa uatica X X X X X X X
Deschampsiadanthoniodes X X X X X X
Downingia concolorvar.
brevior
X X
Downingiacuspidata X X X
Echinodorusberteroi X
Elatinebrachysperma X X X X
Elatine cal!fornica X X
Eleocharisacicularis X X X
Eleocharismacrostachya X X X X X X X
Eleocharismontevidnesis x
Epilobiumpygmaeum X X X X
Eryngium aristulatum var.
parishii
X X X X X
Eryngiumsp. nova X
Eryngiumvaseyi X
Isoeteshowe/lu X X
Isoetesorcutta X X X
Juncusbufonius X X X X X X X
Juncustri ormis
Lastheniaglabrataspp.
coulteri
X X
Lepidiumlatipes X
Lepidiumnitidum X X X X X X
Lilaeascilloides x x x
Dl
T’verse
LA!Or
R’side
SDNo
Appendix D(continued)
Vernal PoolPlant SpeciesWithin the Management Areas
SPECIES Goleta T’verse LA/Or R’side SDNo SDCn SDSo SDInlLimnanthes gracilis ssp
parishii
X X X
Lythrumhyssop~folia X X X X X
Ma/ye/laleprosa X X X X X
Marsileavestita X X X
Mimu/uslatidens X
Montiafontana X X
Myosurusminimusvar.
apus
X X X X X
Myosurusminimusvar.
fi4formis
X X X
Namastenocarpum X X X
Navarretiafossalis X X X X X X
Navarretiahamata X X
Navarretiaintertexta
Navarretiaprostrata X
Ophiog/ossumcalfornicum X X
Orcuttia cal~fornica X X X xPha/arislemmonii X X X X X X
Pi/ularia americana X X X X X X
P/agzobothrysacanthocarpus X X X X
Plagiobothrysleptocladus X
Plagiobothrysundulatus X
Plantagoelongata X X X X X
P/antagoerecta X X X X
x x
xPsi/ocarphusbrevissimus X X X X X X X
x x
x x
Sibaravirginica X X
Tr~folium depaupertaumvar.
amplectans
X X
Verbenabracteata X X X
Veronicaperegrinavar.
xalapensis
X
D2
Appendix EStatus of the Vernal PoolSpeciesWithin the ManagementAreas
KEY:Thenumbersin the speciescolumnsrepresentthenumberof poolsthespeciesis knownto be presentin.1Positiveidentification requireX speciespresentXli speciesextirpatedPogogyneabramsii(Pa),Pogogynenudiuscula(Pn),OrcuttiacaI~fornica (Oc),Eryngiumaristulatumvar. parishii (Ea),Navarretiafossalis(Nt), San Diegofairy shrimp(SF), andRiversidefairy shrimp(RF).Note: the informationwithin this tablerepresentscurrentavailableinformationandis subjectto modificationasadditionalornewdatais presented.
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership orManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SDSouth 11 0 Private filled none Xli Xli Xli Xli Xli
SDSouth 12 57-129 Private mitigation restoration 3 22 4 14 70
SDSouth 13 4 Private filled restoration
SDSouth J4-7 176 Private mitigationldev enhancement 1 1 1
SDSouth 11 lE 3 Private enhancement X X
SDSouth 111W 5 Private enhancement X X
SDSouth 112 3 Private enhancement X
SDSouth J13S 14 Private enhancement X X X X
SDSouth J13N 7 Private mitigation management 2 3 X X
SD South 11 3E 2 Private enhancement X
P
PaManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership orManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SD South J14 20 Private enhancement 2 X
SD South 115 13 Private mitigation management 13 X1
SDSouth J16-17 37 City SD mitigation enhancement 7 7 X X
SDSouth J18 1 City SD mitigation enhancement
SDSouth J19 0 Private agriculture restoration Xli Xli Xh
SDSouth 120 0 Private restoration Xh
SDSouth J21 7 Private restoration Xh X
SDSouth J22 3 Private restoration X X
SD South J23-24 617 Private management 25 28
SDSouth 125 177 Private management 55 11
SDSouth J26 30 Private mitigation management 15 X
SD South J27 5 Private mitigation enhancement Xli 5 Xh
SDSouth J28W 2 Private restoration Xli Xli Xli
SD South J28E 9 Private enhancement Xli Xli 7 Xh
SDSouth 129-30 323 Private
restoration
enhancement 17 106 X X 2
SD South Ki 7 Private restoration [10SDSouth K3-4 25 Private restoration Xli
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership orManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SDSouth KS 7 Private restoration 5SDSouth K6 12 Private proposed
development
enhancement
SDSouth K7 2 Private restoration
SDSouth K8+ 14 Private restoration
SDSouth K9+ 9 Private restoration
SDSouth K1O+ 15 Private restoration
SDSouth K12-* 7 Private restoration
SDSouth K13+ 5 Private restoration
SDSouth K14+ 6 Private restoration
SDSouth K15+ 10 Private enhancement
SD South K16+ 1 Private restoration
SD South K 17+ 8 Private restoration
SD South
Marron
Valley 6
City SD!
MWWD
protection
management
SDSouth LL 2 Caltrans management X
SDSouth M2 5 Private restoration
SDSouth M3 4h Private restoration
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership orManagement Status
ConservationPotential Pa
—I—i——I—Pn Oc Ea Nf S
SF
R
RF
SDSouth M4 1 Private
—______Private
restoration
SDSouth M5+ I restoration
SDSouth Ri 14 City SD enhancement—+—
X
SDSouth R2+ 9 Private management— —
SD South R3+ Private enhancement X
SD South R4+ 2 Private restoration
SD South SI-3 12
Water
DistrictlPrivate enhancement 3SD South Chollas 39 Navy mitigation 6 X
SDSouth 01 0 Private restoration? Xli
SDCentral Qi 6 Grossmont
College
enhancement
SDCentral Gl 146 DOD ProposedRefuge management 36 1 X
SD Central G2 88 DOD ProposedRefuge management 5 X
SDCentral NI-4,6 196 City of SD management 153 3 Xli
SDCentral BB 34 Private mitigation management 18 6 1 4
SDCentral Teledyne 40 Private proposeddevelopment management I
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership orManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SD Central Sander City SD/ES potentialdevelopment
X
SDCentral FF1-2 59 DOD managed management]restoration
8 X
SDCentral GG1 67 DOD managed management!restoration 1 X
SDCentral GG2+ 2 DOD managed management!restoration 1 X
SDCentral Zi 1+ 12 DOD developedmanagement]
restoration
SDCentral HH3+ 20 DOD developed management]restoration
SDCentral HH4+ unmapped DOD managedmanagement!
restoration
SD Central HH1+ 102 DOD managed management!restoration 30 ~ 57 X X
SD Central HH2+ 17 DOD managed management!restoration X
SD Central W4 unmapped DOD managedmanagement!restoration
ManagementArea
Complex
MinimumNumber of
Poolsor
Complexes
Ownership orManagement Status
ConservationPotential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SDCentral W3 20 DOD managed management!restoration
~
SDCentral Wl-2 57 DOD managed management!restoration
~ X
SDCentral V 42 DOD management!restoration X X
SDCentral AA-2 27 DOD managedmanagement!
restoration
SDCentral 17 63 DOD managed management!restoration
10 19 X
SDCentral Z6-7 50 DOD managed management!restoration
23 X
SDCentral Z9 11 DOD managedmanagement!restoration
SDCentral ZI-3 149 DOD managed management!restoration X X X
SDCentral Xl-4 193 DOD managed management!restoration
~ X X
SDCentral Z1O 9 DOD managed management!restoration
)
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumberof
PoolsorComplexes
OwnershiporManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SD Central GG3+ 28 DOD managedmanagement!
restoration
SD Central AA 1 west 53 DOD managed management!restoration ~
SDCentral AA9 138 DOD managed management!restoration
~
SDCentral AA 1 east 20 DOD managedmanagement!restoration x x
SD Central AA 1 south 47 DOD managed management!restoration ~
SD Central AA 10 152 DOD managed management!restoration ~ X
SD Central AA 11 96 DOD managed management!restoration ~
SDCentral AA 12north+ 2 DOD managed management!restoration x
SDCentral AA12 15 DOD managed management!restoration
SDCentral AA 12 south 11 DOD managed management!restoration
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber ofPoolsor
Complexes
Ownership orManagement Status
ConservationPotential Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SDCentral AA8 35 DOD managed management!restoration
~
SDCentral A4 45 DOD managed management!restoration
22 X
SDCentral AA3 22 DOD managed management!restoration
~ X
SDCentral AA13 29 DOD managed management!restoration
~
SDCentral AA4-7 162 DOD proposedrefuge management!restoration
~
SD Central F north 142 DOD managed management!restoration
SDCentral F16-17 15 DOD managed management!restoration
X
SDCentral U19 21 DOD managed management!restoration
14 3 X
SDCentral UlO 6 private managed management!restoration
~
SDCentral U North 772 DOD managed management!restoration
~ ~ X X
00
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership orManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pa Pa Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SDCentral UlS 30 DOD managedmanagement!restoration X X X
SDCentral RR2 26 DOD managedmanagement!restoration X X
SDCentral RR1 87 DOD managedmanagement!restoration x X
SDCentral GA 85 DOD managedmanagement!
restoration X X
SDCentral EE2 165 DOD managedmanagement!restoration 49 41 X
SDCentral EEl 100 DOD managedmanagement!restoration 21 26 X X
SDCentral X5 10 City SD xSDCentral Il 26 City SD mitigation X X
SDCentral 16b 20 Private mitigation management X
SDCentral 16c Private management X X
SDCentral 17 30 DOD managed
management!
restoration X X X
SDCentral 112 6 Private restoration
SDCentral 113 2 Private filled
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership orManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SD Central Dl 3 Private X
SD Central D5-6 76 City SD mitigation management X X
SDCentral C10-16,26 39 City SD management 17 2 X
SD Central MaddoxPark
38 SchoolDistrict restoration X
SD Central C18 5 Private mitigation management X
SD Central C27 64 Private proposed
development
restoration x
SD Central BS 1 Caltrans mitigation management X X
SD Central B6 1 Caltrans mitigation management X X
SD Central B7-8W 5 Private proposed
development
restoration
SD Central B7-8E 17 City SD mitigation management X X
SDCentral B2 23 Private mitigation management X X
SDCentral Bi 1 12 Private restoration X
SD Central H1-3 45 City SD mitigation management X X
SDCentral H4-10 27 Caltrans mitigation management X xSDCentral H13-15 60 Caltrans mitigation management X X
0
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership orManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SD Central H17 18h Private restoration
SDCentral H 18-23 60 Caltrans mitigation management X X
SDCentral H24-26 20h Private restoration X X
SDCentral H?Subarea3
2? Private restoration11
SDCentral Hsubarea4 69 Private proposeddevelopment restoration
SDCentral H31-32Sorrento Hills
7 Private filled
SDCentral H33 2 SDGE? restoration
SDCentral H36Subarea5
Private proposeddevelopment
restoration
SDCentral H?Neigh.8a Private proposeddevelopment
restoration
SDCentralH?BlackMountain 2 Private filled restoration
SDCentral CC Private restoration
SDCentral DD1 3 Private
SDCentral DD4 3 Private restoration
m
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership orManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SD Central M.T.Westridge
City SD/Parks management
SDCentral Grassland City SD! CountyParks
management
SDInland RamonaT 39± CountyofSD-Airports restoration x x
SDInland HighlandValley
3+ Private management
SDInland Main Street 6 Private management Xli
SDInland TaHwy67& 15th(SE)
Private proposeddevelopment
enhancement X
SDInlandTh Hwy 67& Hunter
(SE)1 private enhancement X
SD InlandTcLa Brea& Kalbaugh
(SE)I Private management 1
SDInland MontecitoRoad
1 Private management X
SDInlandHwy 67 &Kalbaugh
area1 Private management X
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber ofPoolsor
Complexes
Ownership orManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SD Inland RamonaHigh School
SPSBS1989;Pentis1997
Private management Xl
SDInland Ll-6 30 Private enhancement X
SDInland L7-8 5 Private proposed
development
none
SDInland L9-l0 10:22AM Private enhancement X
SDInland Li 1-13 10:22AM Private enhancement
SD Inland Li4+ 9 Private restoration
SDInland LIS+ S Private enhancement
SD Inland L16+ 10:22AM Private restoration
SD Inland L17+ 10 Private enhancement
SD Inland L18+ 10 Private restoration Xh
SD Inland Li 9± 5 Private restoration
SD Inland L20+ 10:22AM Private enhancement
SDNorth 112 3 Private/CntySD management
SDNorth 111 PoinsettiaTrain
Station
mitigation management x x x x1
SDNorth J13 10 Private mitigationldev management
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership orManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
SDNorth Wire Mtn 24 complexes DOD management!restoration 52 X X X
SDNorth Basilone I complex DOD management!restoration
SDNorth Las Pulgas 64 complexes DODmanagement!restoration X x
SDNorth CockleburMesa
10 complexes DOD management!restoration
X >~
SDNorth StuartMesa 27 complexes DOD management!restoration
X X X
SDNorth O’Neill S complexes DOD management!restoration ~ X
SDNorth SanMateo 17 complexes DODmanagement!restoration X X
SDNorthStateParkLeaseArea 1 complex DOD
management!restoration X
Riverside Hemet!SaltCreek
Private/Public enhancement X X
RiversideSkunk
Hollow 1 Private management 1 1 1
Riverside SanJacinto Private enhancement x
ITI
Management
Area Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership or
Management
Status Conservation
Potential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
RiversideSantaRosa
Plateau15-20 Nature
Conservancy management X X X X
LA/Orange Saddle-back
8 Private enhancement 8
LA/Orange El Toro 1 DOD management!1restoration
LA/Orange ChiquitaRidge
2 Private enhancement X
LA/Orange FairviewPark
8 City CostaMesa mitigation management X
LA/OrangeWhitingRanch
Private
LA/Orange O’Neill Park
LA/Orange RanchoLaguna
Private
LA/OrangeSan
Clemente StatePark
LA/Orange BadlandsPark
Private
LA/Orange WoodlandHills
Private x
ManagementArea Complex
MinimumNumber of
PoolsorComplexes
Ownership orManagement
Status ConservationPotential
Pa Pn Oc Ea Nf SF RF
TransverseCruzanMesa Private protection X X X
Goleta EllwoodMesa
9 Private enhancement
Goleta DevereuxSlough
UCSB enhancement
GoletaIsla
Vista-DelSol
12 City SantaBarbara mitigation management
Xh
GoletaIsla
Vista-Camino Corto
Countyof SantaBarbara
GoletaIsla
Vista-DelPlaya
Private
Goleta More Mesa 1 Private
Goleta StorkeRanch
Private
Appendix F
Vernal PoolComplexesWithin ManagementAreasIdentified asNecessaryto Stabilize the Proposedand Listed Vernal Pool
NP - Not Present
Datais incompletefor somespecies(indicatedby blankspaces);blankspaces,therefore,do notnecessarilyindicatespeciesabsence.Vernalpoolsdesignatedin this table,mustbesecurein a configurationthat maintainshabitatfunction andviability.
KEYX - Present
Goleta and TransverseManagementArea
Species Eryngium aristulalum
Complex var. parishii
Pogogyne
abramsii
Pogogyne
nudiuscula
Orcuttia
californica
Navarretia
fossalis
RiversideFairy
Shrimp
San DiegoFairy
Shrimp
arlsberg NP NP NP X X
ruzanMesa NP NP NP X X
Los AngelesBasin~OrangeManagementArea
Species Eryngium aristulatum
Complex var.parishll
Pogogyne
abramsii
Pogogyne
nudiuscula
Orcuttia
caI~fornica
Navarretia
fossalls
Riverside Fairy
Shrimp
SanDiegoFairy
Shrimp
hiquita Ridge NP NP NP X
IToro NP NP NP X
airview Park NP NP NP X
rangeCountyFoothillsundescribed) X
addlebackMeadow NP NP NP X
an ClementeStatePark x x
Appendix F (Continued)RiversideManagement Area
Species Eryngiumaristulatum var. Pogogyne
Complex parishii abramsiiPogogynenudiuscula
Orcuttiacal4fornica
Navarretiafossalis
RiversideFairyShrimp
SanDiegoFairyShrimp
emet!SaltCreek NP NP NP X X
an Jacinto NP NP NP X
antaRosaPlateau. X X X X
kunk Hollow/urrietta NP NP NP X X
emecula X X
SanDiego: North CoastalManagementArea
Species Eryngiurnaristulatum var. Pogogyne
Complex parishii abramsiiPogogynenudiuscula
OrcuttiacaI~/ornica
Navarretiafossalis
RiversideFairyShrimp
SanDiego FairyShrimp
ockleburr NP NP NP NP X X
asPulgas NP NP NP NP NP X xanMateo NP NP NP NP NP X X
tatePark LeaseArea NP NP NP NP NP NP X
tuartMesa NP NP NP X X X
ire Mountain X NP NP X X X
Jl PalomarAirport NP NP NP NP X
J2PoinsettiaLane X NP NP X X x X
Appendix F (Continued)San Diego: Central Coastal ManagementArea
Species Eryngiumriristulatum var.
parishiiPogogyneabramsii
Pogogynenudiuscula
OrcuttiacaI~fornica
Navarretiafossalis
RiversideFairyShrimp
SanDiego FairyShrimpComplex
hollasHeights X NP NP NP NP NP X
4 Tierrasanta NP X NP NP X
Mira MesaNorth X X NP NP X
10-16,26Mira MesaCentral X X NP NP X
5-8 Mira MesaSouth X X NP NP
1-27 KearnyVilla South X X NP NP x
1-2 TierrasantaSouth X X NP NP X
3(newlydescribed) X NP NP X
1-10, 13-15,18-23,33enasquitosNorth/DelMaresa X X NP X
7 EastgateMall/ Miramarndustrial X X NP X
1-4, 6 MontgomeryField X NP X X
Appendix F (Continued)SanDiego: Central Coastal ManagementArea
Species Eryngiumaristulatum var.
parishiiPogogyneabramsii
Pogogynenudiuscula
OrcuttiacaI~fornica
Navarretiafossalis
RiversideFairyShrimp
SanDiego FairyShrimpComplex
1-13Landmark!-North X X NP X X
1-4 SimJ.Harris X X NP
1-4 SouthMiramar X X NP
1-4 WestMiramar X X NP
SNobelDrive NP X
1-3.6,7, 10 Westgateiramar X X NP X
A 1-7,9-13 EastMiramar X NP X X
El-2 MiramarInterior X X NP X x
H I -4Miramar Interior X X NP x X
l,2MiramarInterior X X NP X
Appendix F (Continued)
San Diego: South Coastal ManagementArea
Species Eryngiumaristulatumvar. Pogogyne
Complex parishii abramsiiPogogyne
nudiusculaOrcuttia
caI~fornicaNavarretiafossalis
RiversideFairyShrimp
SanDiego FairyShrimp
2,5,7,11-21,23-30tayMesa X NP X X X X X
3-5 OtayRiver X NP NP X
ProctorValley X NP NP X
weetwaterLake NP NP NP X
San Diego: InlandValleys ManagementArea
Species Eryngiumaristulatumvar, Pogogyne
Complex parishii abramsiiPogogyne
nudiusculaOrcuttia
caI~fornicaNavarretiafossalis
RiversideFairyShrimp
SanDiego FairyShrimp
1-6,9~-13Sanarcos X NP NP NP X X*
(undescribed) NP NP
amona X NP NP X x
Note; Thelettercodesusedin this tablearetakenfrom “SanDiegoVernalPools:RecentandProjectedLosses;their Condition;andThreatsto theirExistence. 1979-1990”;CaliforniaDepartmentof FishandGame,1986. Thesecodeswereemployedto generalizepool complexesandassociationsandweredevelopedspecificallyfor SanDiegoCounty. Becausetheboundariesascribedto thesecodesaremapconstructstheymay notreflectundescribed,newlydescribed,restorable,or presentlyunoccupiedhabitat.Complexesannotatedasundescribedreflectareaswherepoolsarelikely to ordo occurbut nonehavebeenmapped.
* if detected
-TI
KeyX- Present
Appendix G
Vernal PoolComplexesWithin ManagementAreasIdentified asNecessaryto Reclassifythe Proposedand Listed Vernal PoolSpecies
NP - Not Present
Datais incompletefor somespecies,therefore,blankspacesdo not necessarilyindicatespeciesabsence.Vernalpool complexesidentifiedin this table shouldbe secured(in additionto thosespeciesandpool complexeslisted in Table4), inamannerthatallows populationlevelsof existingspeciesto stabilizeor increase.
Goleta and TransverseManagement Areas
Species Eryngiumaristulatumvar.
Complex parishiiPogogyneabramsii
Pogogynenudiuscula
Orcuttiaca/Wornica
Navarretiafossalis
RiversideFairyShrimp
SanDiegoFairy Shrimp
sla Vista NP NP NP NP NP NP
llwood Mesa NP NP NP NP NP NP
oreMesa NP NP NP NP NP NP
San Diego:_NorthCoastalManagementArea
Species Eryngiumiristulatumvar. Pogogyne Pogogyne Orcuttia Navarretia RiversideFairy SanDiego
Complex parishii abramsii nudiuscula caI~fornica fossalis Shrimp Fairy Shrimp
k_____________asilone NP NP NP NP NP‘Neill NP NP NP NP NP X x
0
Appendix G (Continued)
San Diego: Central Coastal ManagementArea
Species Eryngiumaristulatumvar.
parishilPogogyneabramsii
Pogogynenudiuscula
Orcuttiaca1~fornica
Navarretiafossalis
Riverside FairyShrimp
SanDiegoFairy ShrimpComplex
addoxPark X X NP
I Mira MesaSouth X? X NP
28 KearnyVilla South X NP
A Miramar Interior X NP
24-26 PenasquitosNorth X X NP
(undescribed) NP X
l,6B,C Miramarndustrial X X
NP
15, 19 Landmark!Sander,ubic Pools X X
NPX X
A 8 EastMiramar X NP X
B2NewCentury X X NP NP X NP X
Fl-2 MiramarInterior X X (historic) NP X
G 1-3 Miramar Interior X X NP
0
Appendix G (Continued)
San Diego: South Coastal ManagementArea
Species Eryngiumaristulatumvar.
Complex parishiiPogogyneabramsii
Pogogynenudiuscula
OrcuttiacaI~fornica
Navarretiafossalis
RiversideFairyShrimp
SanDiegoFairy Shrimp
aval RadarReceivingaciliry, ImperialBeach NP NP
ijuanaEstuary NP X
(undescribed) X NP X
3,22Otay Mesa X X
1,2,6,7Otay River X X
SanDiego: InlandValleys ManagementArea
Species Eryngium
tiristulatumvar.Complex parishii
Pogogyneabramsii
Pogogynenudiuscula
Orcuttiacal~fornica
Navarretiafossalis
Riverside FairyShrimp
SanDiegoFairy Shrimp
7,8, 14~20 San Marcos NP NP NP X X
(undescribed) NP NP
Ramona NP NP X X
Note: The letter codesusedin this tablearetakenfrom “San DiegoVernal Pools: Recentand ProjectedLosses;their Condition;and Threatsto their Existence.19791990”;California Departmentof Fish and Game,1986. Thesecodeswereemployedto generalizepoolcomplexesandassociationsand weredevelopedspecifically for SanDiego County. Becausetheboundariesascribedto thesecodesaremapconstructstheymay notreflectundescribed,newly described,restorable,or presentlyunoccupiedhabitat. Complexesannotatedasundescribedreflectareaswherepoolsarelikely to or do occurbut are currentlyunmapped.
Appendix H
Summaryof the Agencyand Public Commentson the Draft Vernal PoolRecoveryPlan
OnSeptember26, 1997,theServicereleasedtheDraft RecoveryPlanfor theVernalPoolsof
SouthernCaliforniafor a60 day commentperiodthat endedFebruary12, 1998,for Federal
agencies,Stateandlocal governments,andmembersofthepublic (63 Federal Register1976).
Twenty-oneletterswerereceived,eachcontainingvaryingnumbersof comments.Thelocal
jurisdictionsthatrespondedincludedtheCountyof SanDiego andtheCity ofTemeculain
RiversideCounty. TheServicesentlettersto 13 peopleconsideredexpertswith vernalpool
habitatto solicit commentson theDraft RecoveryPlan. Responseswerereceivedfrom 4 of
theseexperts,who providedcommentsandrecommendationson theneedto protectvernalpool
habitatin southernCaliforniaandtheassociatedendemicsuiteof species.
The number ofletter receivedby affiliation:
Federalagencies
Stategovernment
Academia/professionals
Environmental/conservationorganizations
Local governments
Business/Industry
6 letters
1 letter
8 letters(4 peerreviewers)
no letters
2 letters
I letter
Summary ofSignificant Commentsand Service Responses
TheServicereviewedall of thecommentsreceivedduring thecommentperiod. Comments
receivedweregenerallypositive,providingrecommendationsfor researchlconservation
strategies.correctingandupdatingspecific locality descriptionsandinformation,and were
I-li
generallyfavorableandin supportof thegoaland approachtaken.All applicablecomments
havebeenaddressedin, or incorporatedinto, thebody of theFinal RecoveryPlan. The
substantivecommentsandtheService’sresponseto eacharesummarizedasfollows:
Comment: Furthersurveysareneededin theGoletaandTransverseManagementAreas,in
theexistingvernalpool complexes,andto locatenewpopulationsandpool
complexes.
Response: TheServiceagreesthat furthersurveysareavital componentof endemicvernal
pool speciesrecovery. Local involvementis critically neededfor theprotection
andmanagementofthesespecies.Therecoveryplancallsfor additionalresearch
to be conductedundertheGoletaand TransverseManagementAreaandunder
recoverycriteria2.
Comment: Thejustificationfor the 10 consecutiveyearsof monitoring,requiredfor vernal
pools to reachrecovery,is not clear.
Response: To allow for periodsofdroughtor otheradversenaturalenvironmentalconditions,
10 consecutiveyearsof monitoring(basedon historic weatherrecords),is ableto
capturefluctuationsin weatherpatterns(i.e., El Nii’io events).Although 10
consecutiveyearsof monitoringmaynotcaptureall variables,theService
maintainsthat it is areasonabletime periodto assessthestabilityofa given
vernalpool ecosystem.
Comment: Definevernalpool - recommendusing theU5. Army CorpsofEngineer’s
definition.
Response: TheServicehasincludedtheU.S. Army Corpsof Engineer’sdefinitionof a
vernalpool (seeAppendixB), aswell as,incorporatinga moregeneralecological
definition in thebeginningof thedocumentundertheIntroduction.
H2
Comment: Therecoveryplanshouldprovidefor morespecificdetailsandcriteriaon the
implementationon therecoveryplanandhowhabitatwill be acquiredand
restored.
Response: Therecoveryplanprovidesguidanceanddirectionon theactionsneededto
protectandmanagevernalpool habitatandtheassociatedendemicspecies,sothat
it is no longerendangered.It is not intendedto providespecificandrigid
instructionsfor theseactivities. Differing situationswill necessarilyrequirethat
theappropriateactivitiesbe tailoredfor eachsituation.
H3
Region 1U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceEcological Services911 N.E. 11th AvenuePortland, Oregon 97232-4181
September 1998