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Home My WebLink AboutPLANTATION MANOR - PDP - 39-00 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTI 1 ' (i) The general ecological functions provided by the site and its features are discussed in Section 3.0. 5.0 WILDLIFE MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS General mitigation recommendations are provided in this section based on existing habitat conditions and tcurrent City of Fort Collins guidelines provided in Section 3.4.1 of the Land Use Code. As indicated, the entire property has been degraded by past disturbance and surrounding developments and land uses. ' Therefore, the only mitigation recommendation suggested for this property would be to preserve the larger, more significant trees on the property, where possible. The City of Fort Collins forester should be consulted to determine if any trees meet City of Fort Collins significance criteria. If it is not possible to preserve the larger trees because of construction requirements and constraints, loss of these trees should ' be mitigated by planting suitable numbers of replacement trees within portions of the project area to be landscaped- 0 The overall habitat value of property was rated as low because of past disturbance, current land use practices, and adjacent developed land. Wildlife use of the property is restricted to urban adapted species. Wildlife observed on site included fox squirrel, black -billed magpie, American crow, and American robin. Other species potentially using the property include house mouse, deer mouse, common grackle, house finch, house sparrow, and starling. 4.0 ECOLOGICAL STUDY CHARACTERIZATION CHECKLIST The following provides a summary of information required by Fort Collins Land Use Code under 3.4.1 (D) (1) items (a) through (i). Items Q) and (k) are addressed under the following section, 5.0 Wildlife Mitigation Recommendations. (a) Wildlife use of the areas is described in Section 3.0. (b) There are no wetlands on or within 500 feet of the property (c) The property provides no prominent views of natural features beyond the property boundaries because of surrounding development and existing trees- (d) As described under Section 3.0, past development and horse boarding operations have resulted in the removal of native vegetation and the conversion to developed sites, weedy fields, and residential landscaping. As a result there are no significant stands of native vegetation on the property. No other areas of native vegetation grow within 500 feet of the property boundaries. (e) There are no streams or other bodies of water on or within 500 feet of the site. (f) Because of past development and current land uses, the property does not provide suitable habitat conditions for any Sensitive or Specially Valued Species. (g) There are no special habitat features on the property. Existing trees on the property are all non- native and have limited wildlife habitat value due to the proximity of developed areas and roadways. The dense stand of Chinese elms along the western property edge was not classified as a special habitat feature because it no longer serves as a farmstead windbreak, and it provides relatively low quality wildlife habitat. In addition, Chinese elm is often considered a nuisance species because of its ability to spread vegetatively and create dense stands of saplings that exclude the establishment of other woody species. (h) Because of surrounding development and the lack of native habitats, the property is not within or near any wildlife movement corridors. 7 Unless noted otherwise, all tree symbols represent Chinese elms. Smaller symbols designate trees ranging in size from 2" to 6" dbh. Larger symbols designate trees ranging in size from 8" to 1.5' dbh and 30' to 60' tall. i $ � V It sal gn 1 Ole 4) EF Vt It 0 10 0 Tree -of -heaven (-10" dbh, 40' tall) �— Green ash (-1' dbh, 40' tall) r Black walnut kJ (-10" dbh, 40' tall) t M Russian olive (-4" dbh, 20' tall) Islas* _........_... _... _._........... HCR5F,TOQTH POAl7 1�- ' LT;ZVE FIGURE 2 Locations of Existing Trees and Buildings on the Plantation Manor P.D.P. Parcel Scale: 1 " = ~75' 0 b3T}.,.. M % ' �' V.•'' Y� ., � ., �7^ �a '�70- Y; ry �^ *f�N �sly.I �, ✓ -,'. e y� N 1.• R- A �•� ;f a �¢Q� Mitt yiZ. j F � . • r�'dY`�15 F � �'E,'^7i `� � .�-a�� l 7 �� L +4 � w y rj Awl., Tk A. \ Photo 1. View of Southwest Portion of Property Looking North From Southern Property Edge. (Trees in background are Chinese elms. Vegetation in foreground is dominated by desert wheatgrass and annual weeds.) Photo 2. View of Northern Portion of Property Looking Southwest From Northeast Property Corner. (Trees in background are Chinese elms along western property edge. Vegetation in foreground is dominated by cheatgrass and annual weeds.) 'I Residence and Horse Boarding Facilities The entire property has been developed and consists of an existing residence, outbuildings, and ' abandoned horse boarding facilities. Surrounding land uses include residential and horse boarding facilities. There are no native habitats within or adjacent to the Plantation Manor P.D.P. parcel. ' The property currently supports an existing residence and garage as well as outbuildings, such as barns, sheds, stables, and corrals. Non-native grasses and annual weeds dominate open areas within the horse boarding portions of the site. Dominant vegetation species present at varying amounts throughout these disturbed areas include desert wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum), cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), smooth brome (Bromus inermis), blue mustard (Chorispora tenella), catchweed (Asperugo procumbens), ' field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), kochia (kochia scoparia), common dandelion (Traraxacum officinale), yellow sweetclover (Melilotus officinalis), flixweed (Descurainia sophia), prickly lettuce (Lactuca ' serriola), Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), and common mallow (Malva neglecta). There are also small areas of piled refuse and stockpiled soil piles. Areas surrounding the existing residence are comprised of ' residential landscaping including Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) and various ornamental annuals and perennial shrubs. Representative views of the property are provided in Photos 1 through 4. ' Trees on the property are dominated by non-native Chinese elms (Ulmus pumila) that grow primarily along the existing dirt driveway and the northern and western property edges. Most of these trees are ' relatively young saplings (2 to 6 inches diameter at breast height, dbh), but a few larger, more mature individuals are also present. These larger trees range in size from 1 to 1.5 feet dbh and 30 to 50 feet tall. Many of the larger individual Chinese elms are partially decadent, as evidenced by attached or fallen dead limbs. Single individuals of four other non-native tree species are the only other trees present on the property. They are green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), black walnut (Juglans nigra), tree -of -heaven (Ailanthus altissima), and Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia). The locations of existing trees and their approximate sizes are noted on Figure 2. Photos 1 through 4 provide representative views of trees on the property. The dense, relatively linear stands of Chinese elms along the western edge of the property may have been originally planted as a farmstead windbreak, but they no longer serve any practical function as a windbreak because of surrounding land uses. This stand of trees also has limited value as wildlife habitat because of the small size of the majority of the trees and an understory dominated by smooth brome, a non-native grass. The dense overstory created by Chinese elms has precluded the development of other woody species in the understory and limits habitat diversity in this area. 3 .69Wvo ; F�mkes .-_ DRAKK E ROAD •II LC�' 0<,) - • a R I >I 1 27 Plantat �> l s„9�` -- Mang P.D. - ------ ,�Fy Par I �I Gr eel— `,;.Nr R n1 nG�oSam —$05 I€x y� Trailer Parks \ I I 1 34 fods — -- — -- 504 I \. � n 11 [� L" Ji 050 u mN q _ II p Kz FIGURE 1 Location of the Plantation Manor P.D.P. Parcel Scale: 1 " = 2,000' Source: USGS 7 1/2' Ouadran le - Fort Collins CO 2 ' ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION STUDY REPORT FOR THE PLANTATION MANOR P.D.P. PARCEL 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND LOCATION ' This report documents the evaluation of habitat conditions on the Plantation Manor P.D.P. Site. The report was prepared in accordance with Section 3.4.1 of the Land Use Code of the City of Fort Collins regarding the preparation of an Ecological Characterization Study Report. The Plantation Manor property ' consists of approximately 4.78 acres in the southeast 1/4 of the southwest 1/4 of Section 27 (T. 7 N., R. 69 W.). The location of the property is depicted on Figure 1. 2.0 METHODOLOGY Cedar Creek completed a field survey of the proposed development parcel on June 6, 2001. The field survey was conducted to characterize existing wildlife habitats, as well as identify any unique or sensitive natural resource features. Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly SCS) soils mapping (Soil Survey of Larimer County Area, Colorado) was also reviewed to determine if any known hydric (wetland) soil mapping units are located on the property. Observations recorded during the field evaluation included: major vegetation communities / wildlife habitats present within the property; dominant vegetation associated with each community / habitat; unique habitat features; and observations of wildlife species and/or definitive sign. Photographs showing representative views of existing habitats were also taken to document site conditions. Wildlife presence and habitat use was based on on -site observations and habitat presence in conjunction with the known habitat requirements of potential wildlife species. Existing habitats were also evaluated regarding their ability to support populations of threatened, endangered, and other sensitive plant and wildlife species. 3.0 HABITAT CONDITIONS AND WILDLIFE USE Topography of the project site consists of essentially level land sloping gently to the east. No natural drainages or irrigation ditches exist on or within 500 feet of the property). According to the Soil Conservation Service's (SCS) Soil Survey of Larimer County Area, Colorado, the predominant soils on the property are Altvan-Satanta loams, 0 to 3 percent slopes. These are deep, well drained soils that formed in mixed alluvial deposits. Runoff is slow to medium, and the hazards of wind and water erosion is slight to moderate. These soils are not classified as hydric. The following section summarizes site characteristics and wildlife use of the property- 1 ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION STUDY REPORT FOR THE PLANTATION MANOR P.D.P. PARCEL Prepared by Cedar Creek Associates, Inc. Fort Collins, Colorado Prepared for Bret Larimer, LTD. Fort Collins, Colorado June 14, 2001