Moapa Solar Tortoise Impact Report - December 2015

8/20/2019 Moapa Solar Tortoise Impact Report - December 2015

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Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project Update

Aiya Solar

Project

• Construction well underway with about 60% of project

complete

• Commercial Operations beginning by the end of 2016

• Training provided to Tribal members to support

qualified tribal hiring

• Currently employ over 350 construction workers,

including 115 Tribal members and

Native Americans

• About 90% local hires

• Project has created 1,276,301 work hours



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Required Impact Minimization and Mitigation Measures

• Worker Environmental Awareness Program (WEAP) training continues to be provided

all personnel prior to performing any work

• Monitoring of desert tortoise in recipient and control site continues to be performed

• Reports continue to be submitted to USFWS as required

• Coordination with USFWS is ongoing to ensure protection of the desert tortoise

• Compensatory mitigation has been paid to the Tribe and BLM in accordance with the

Biological Opinion (BO) prior to start of construction



Translocation – Spring 2013

• Translocation was done by previous project owner, K Road, in Spring of 2013 prior t

acquisition by First Solar

• A total of 156 desert tortoise were located on site (107 adults and 49 juveniles)

• Of that total, 65 tortoises were translocated. Health assessments were performed,

transmitters were attached and they were moved to recipient site

• Other tortoises were within limits to move outside of the Project boundary



Additional Tortoises Within the Site

— A total of 13 additional tortoises, 7 adults and 6 juveniles, have been foundoriginal translocation

– 2014

– 4 desert tortoise were found on site

– 2 Adults

– 2 Juvenile

– 2015

– 9 desert tortoise were found on site

–4 desert tortoises have been found within the original fence line

• 1 adult

• 3 juveniles (one desert tortoise currently in the pen awaiting translocation in spring

– 5 desert tortoises were relocated from an area where fence line was expanded on May

• 4 adults

• 1 juvenile



Current Desert Tortoise Take Compared to Established Take Lim

Death or Injury Within

Fenced Boundary

Death or Injury Outside

Fenced Perimeter

Capture

Translocated

Subadults & Adults

Take Limit - 3

Actual – 1

(Summer 2013)

Hatchlings & Juvenile

Actual - 0

Subadults & Adults

Take Limit – 1

Actual – 0

Hatchlings & Juveniles

Take Limit –

2

Actual – 0

Subadul

Tak

Act

Hatchlin

Tak

Act



Translocation Status

• Mortalities are documented and cause is investigated as thoroughly as poss

and reported to USFWS as required

• Evidence has indicated that depredation was the primary cause of mortalitie

among the translocated tortoise

Status Number as of 2014 Current Num

Total number of translocated desert tortoise 66 66

Current confirmed mortality or presumed

deceased translocated desert tortoise

18 22

Desert tortoise location not verified 15 9

Successfully located desert tortoise 33 35



Ongoing Desert Tortoise Monitoring

Monitoring of desert tortoises has been performed as follows:

• Translocated Desert Tortoises:

—Once within 24 hours of release

— Monitoring of translocated tortoises was performed twice a week for first two week

— A minimum of once a week from March through early November for 5 year monitor

— Once every other week from November through February for 5 year monitoring per

• Resident and Control Site Desert Tortoises:

—A minimum of once a week from March through early November

— A minimum of once every other week from November through February

Health assessments are conducted prior to and subsequent to over-wintering to obse

problems.



Additional Measures Implemented

• Traffic on access road is monitored to ensure that all Project personnel are WEAP trained or escoother traffic is documented

•

Delivery vehicles are escorted to Project site and handout of basic WEAP requirements is provideare not WEAP trained

• In addition to the surveys performed, all work areas within and outside fenced boundary are chetortoise by a biological monitor prior to any work

• Biological monitors accompany and monitor work activities, both within and outside the Project

• Project perimeter is checked daily to ensure the exclusionary fence is intact and tortoises that w

outside of the fence are not in distress. (BO only requires a monthly inspection)

• During months of high temperatures, Project perimeter is checked more frequently, and during wwhen work is not occurring to ensure that tortoises are not distressed along or near the fence

• Desert Tortoise shade structures have been placed approximately every 700 feet on the outside fence

Moapa Solar Tortoise Impact Report - December 2015

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