Page 8 - mrca_robinsnest_2018

Clara River Watershed, and allow for restoration and enhancement of the riparian corridor. Further, removal
of any impervious surfaces will greatly increase the already significant groundwater recharge function on the
land. Should the landowners redevelop the property, the opposite will likely take place.

Imbued with substantial natural resources significant to both watershed and habitat, the Robin's Nest
property includes 0.5 miles of the Santa Clara River, over six acres of wetlands, and 23.17 acres of permeable
soils for groundwater recharge. If this property is not conserved and its resources not protected, the land will
likely be used, once again, as an upscale RV park, with appurtenant carbon emissions, leakages from heating
and septic tanks, groundwater pumping and other adverse effects on the ecosystem. The other most likely
alternative is residential development—with two houses on each of the three parcels—resulting in
sedimentation from an increase in impervious surfaces associated with the building of homes, roads, and
affiliated infrastructure.

Ecosystem

The Robin's Nest property is located within the San Gabriel-Castaic Connection , a critical linkage planning
2
area that provides movement between two core habitat areas, the San Gabriel Mountains and the Castaic
Ranges, and comprises an ecological transition zone between coastal and desert habitats. Much of the land in
between these mountain ranges is privately owned. Currently, this land has not been developed and allows for
wildlife movement. The Project would help to protect this linkage, one of the 15 priority linkages identified as
critical for preserving ecosystem processes in the South Coast Ecoregion by the South Coast Missing
Linkages Project . A large portion of the Robin's Nest property is also part of the Santa Clara River
3
Significant Ecological Area (SEA) , designated by Los Angeles County as such for the assemblage of natural
4
habitats including freshwater marsh, coastal sage scrub, oak woodland, and riparian woodlands.

Urban growth in the area has resulted in the diminution of sensitive species. In addition to the blunt loss of
habitat, the byproducts of development such as pesticides, carbon emissions and urban runoff have
diminished habit values. The San Gabriel-Castaic Connection will help preserve plant and animal populations
in the area by safeguarding water quality and protecting food sources.

Habitat
The Robin's Nest property furnishes habitat for a variety of federal (F) and state (S) threatened (T) and
endangered (E) species and CA species of special concern (SSC), including 24 acres of critical habitat for the
arroyo toad (FE) (recovery plan detailed in Section X). There is high quality riparian forest on the property,
and water that flows through it benefits southern California steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (FE)
downstream. The Project will protect steelhead smolt from the Santa Clara River Estuary by impeding
development that would have a negative impact the river’s water quality. This property maintains the habitat
necessary for additional threatened and endangered species including the unarmored three-spine stickleback
(Gasterosteus aculeatus williamsoni) (FE), Santa Ana Sucker (Catostomus santaanae) (FT), arroyo chub (Gila orcutti)
(SSC), California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii) (FT), the western spadefoot toad (Scaphiophus
hammondii)(SSC) , southwestern pond turtle (Clemmys marmorata)(SSC), and the San Diego horned lizard
(Phrynosoma coronatum blainvillei)(SSC).

Robin's Nest contains over six acres of wetlands, upon which three sensitive bird species—western least
bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) (SSC), northern harrier (Circus cyaneus) (SSC), and merlin (Falco columbarius)—are
reliant. Over 97% of the wetlands in Los Angeles have been destroyed, and at least 90% of the historic

2 Santa Clara River Watershed Conservancy: http://www.scvgreen.org/san_gabriel-castaic_linkgage/
3 South Coast Missing Linkages: A Wildland Network for the South Coast Ecoregion: http://www.scvgreen.org/san_gabriel-
castaic_linkgage/
4 Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, SEA Program: http://planning.lacounty.gov/sea/proposed

6