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5.7 Biological Resources

2016 site reconnaissance surveys over a period of four days, within mitigation
areas. Both the detailed floral sampling and the site reconnaissance surveys
indicate the presence of similar vegetation and habitat types, species
composition, and special status species presence throughout the Preserve in
varying degrees similar to the range of impacted areas.

The proposed 27,408-acre preserve system contains all major habitat types
affected by the Project, as well as particular individual biological resource
values which are described in each of the corresponding mitigation plans. In
addition, the overall value of the preserve system is enhanced by configuration
of the preserved areas within large and contiguous biological core areas (see
Exhibit 5.7-10). The biological value of the proposed preserve system is
further enhanced by its continuity with other open space areas. Most of the
core is immediately bordered by additional existing and proposed preserved
lands, which increases the conservation value of the dedication areas. When a
preserve is comprised of many small areas within a larger unpreserved area,
there are greater edge effects, even when the overall acreage may seem
substantial. Edge effects include indirect effects from adjacent land uses such
as noise from roadway traffic or night lighting from development. The lands
proposed for preservation, especially those occurring off site, have been
chosen with the intent to minimize such edge effects so that the biological
resources within them are not jeopardized by the Project or potential future
development in the region. In addition, the adjacent open space lands include
Los Angeles County SEAs and National Forest Lands that would similarly
benefit from the preservation of adjacent lands.

An additional factor in the high value of the proposed preservation lands is
buffering of the regional landscape linkage through the region. The open space
areas in the northwestern and southeastern portions of the site and the off-site
preservation lands in these areas provide a layer of protection for the potential
wildlife linkage to the immediate northwest, which may be an essential part of
sustaining healthy populations of a wide variety of wildlife species in the
surrounding mountainous regions. Additionally, several smaller local linkages
between open space on site and preservation areas off site and in contiguous
lands have been preserved.

Based on the large size of the Mitigation Preserve, the connectivity of this area
to other regionally important open space areas, and the similarity to resources
removed by development of the Project, the proposed mitigation preserve
system provides a core for biological mitigation planning. The resources
preserved in the reserve area, when supplemented by individual programs for
special-status resources, would mitigate all significant impacts to biological
resources on the Project site.

Each of the resource mitigation plans, required per mitigation measures
below, will be incorporated into an overall Mitigation Monitoring and

R:\Projects\PAS\CEN\000306\Draft EIR\5.7 Bio_051117.docx 5.7-136 Centennial Project
Draft EIR