SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Bureau of Reclamation has issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for an Environmental Assessment on providing $202,384 to the Creekside Center for Earth Observation to reintroduce the bay checkerspot butterfly to San Bruno Mountain in San Mateo County. Historically, the threatened butterfly’s populations were recognized in many San Francisco Bay Area counties.
The center would collect up to 5,000 butterfly larvae from source populations at Coyote Ridge in Santa Clara County. This collection site contains 7,000 acres of contiguous serpentine soil habitats supporting the butterfly. To prevent over collection, no more than 5 percent of the source population would be collected. Larvae would be transported to release sites and distributed by hand at two San Bruno Mountain sites. Adult butterflies would also be released.
The Central Valley Project Conservation Program would provide funding for the proposed action. The program’s primary goal is to enhance, protect, and recover listed and special-status species and their habitats affected by the Central Valley Project.
Reclamation prepared the EA and FONSI in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and they are available at https://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_project_details.pp?Project_ID=31121.
For additional information or to receive a copy of the documents, please contact Doug Kleinsmith, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA 95825, at dkleinsmith@usbr.gov, or at 916-978- 5034 (TTY800-877- 8339).
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
