Covered Species Credits
Rancho Estrellita Mitigation Bank will provide credits for California Tiger Salamander, Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp, Crotch’s Bumble Bee, Western Spadefoot and if listed, Southwestern Pond Turtle.
California Tiger Salamander
Central California DPS
Ambystoma californiense
FESA Threatened
CESA Threatened
The Bank includes a complex of 33 natural vernal pools and one man-made stock pond. Seven vernal pools and the stock pond support breeding of the California tiger salamander (Central California DPS), with a total of almost 3 acres of aquatic breeding habitat on site. Additionally, almost 1,300 acres of upland habitat support the species during the non-breeding season, where the salamanders live in underground burrows for most of the year.
Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp
Branchinecta lynchi
FESA Threatened
The vernal pool fairy shrimp is a small crustacean of seasonal pools in California, where it is considered very rare due to habitat loss. Vernal pool fairy shrimp occur in 30 pools on the Bank Lands, including 28 vernal pools and one man-made stock pond. While these 30 pools account for 6 acres of aquatic habitat on site, they are spread across hundreds of acres on Bank Lands. This interconnected complex of wetland habitat provides an opportunity for gene flow between pools.
Crotch's Bumble Bee
Bombus crotchii
CESA Candidate Endangered
Grasslands and associated flowering plant communities on the Bank Lands support Crotch’s bumble bee, a species that is rare throughout its wide range in California. Crotch’s bumble bees forage on native and introduced flowering plants and nest in holes in the ground. They are generally very active from April through August. Over 1,500 acres of Crotch’s bumble bee habitat occurs on the Bank Lands.
Western Spadefoot
Northern DPS
Spea hammondii
FESA Proposed Threatened
CESA Candidate Threatened
The western spadefoot is a rare amphibian that breeds in seasonal pools from late winter into spring, and spends the rest of the year underground. It is currently proposed as a threatened species federally, and in California, the Northern DPS is a Candidate Threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act. The Bank Lands support spadefoot breeding in at least 23 vernal pools, 1 stock pond, and in the Estrellita River, with over 5 acres of aquatic breeding habitat. Additionally, the Bank has over 500-acres of upland to support the species during the non-breeding season.
Southwestern Pond Turtle
Actinemys pallida
FESA Proposed Threatened
Approximately 2.5 miles of the Estrella River pass through the Bank Lands, providing high quality aquatic and riparian habitat for the Southwestern pond turtle. The species occurs in areas where late season surface water is prevalent, and uses drier reaches as movement corridors downstream to the Salinas River and upstream to Cholame Creek. Approximately 100-acres of the Bank is occupied by pond turtles.