This USACE, Sacramento District, project is located at MOTCO. As an active Army Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) munitions and cargo transshipment facility, it is the primary west coast ammunition terminal home to the 834th transportation battalion. MOTCO encloses
a 115-acre Inland Area and a 6,526-acre Tidal Area, which includes 2,045 acres of offshore islands.
MOTCO is designated as a restricted area in accordance with Army Regulation 190-13, “The Army Physical Security Program” (AR 190-13). Due to mission requirements, work on site may be suspended upon notice by the Contracting Officer. Photography permits are required.
Environmental Surveys and Habitat Assessments
The Eco team conducted special-status species surveys and reporting per the regulatory agency protocols and coordinated as appropriate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) regarding the timing, location, and methods used. The purpose was to provide environmental conservation services, management plans, and surveys to allow MOTCO to be compliant with biological opinions (BOs) and recommendations from the installation’s Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan (INRMP).
Special-Status Bird Surveys
A total of fifteen (15) bird species were the focus of our special-status bird surveys. A California Ridgeway’s rail (Rallus longirostris obsoletus) and California black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus) survey was performed using accepted protocols and with approval from the Bay Delta USFWS office, and our biologists held the necessary Section 10(a)(1)(A) permit. For raptors, our team conducted a series of approved surveys applying the appropriate protocols for golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) and burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia).
Special-Status Plant Surveys
We also conducted surveys for the total of seven (7) special-status plant species that have the potential to inhabit MOTCO. We conducted plant surveys during the species’ blooming periods to ensure proper plant identification following the CDFW and California Native Plant Society’s (CNPS) rare-plant protocols.
Special-Status Mammal Surveys
A total of five (5) mammal species were scheduled to be the focus of the surveys; however, surveys for the salt-marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) and salt-marsh wandering shrew (Sorex vagrans halicoetes) were not performed due to USFWS’s prohibition of trapping.
Special-Status Amphibian and Reptile Surveys
Two (2) amphibian and one (1) reptile species were the focus of the special-status amphibian and reptile surveys. The species of interest were the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii, CRF), California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense, CTS), and the western pond turtle (Emys marmorata, WPT). We also identified the northern legless lizard (Anniella pulchra, NLL) through data collection and remote analysis for potential habitat within the study area.
Wetlands Survey
At MOTCO, Eco team specialists used specifications from the USACE-developed Routine Wetland Determination Method and described in the USACE Wetlands Delineation Manual (Environmental Laboratory, 1987) and the interim regional supplement to the USACE Wetland Delineation Manual:
Arid West Region (USACE, 2008) to conduct a preliminary wetland delineation defining the wetland habitat types and identifying the potentially jurisdictional wetlands. The delineation identified a total
of 3,228.3 acres of potentially jurisdictional waters of the United States and/or waters of the State of California (CDFW and/or Regional Water Quality Control Board [RWQCB]). The potentially jurisdictional waters consist of a wide range of habitats, including tidal marsh and tidal sloughs, open water of
Suisun Bay, seasonal wetland depressions and swales, non-wetland swales, and non-wetland
incised drainage channels.
