Case - River Watch versus Department of Fish and Game

8/9/2019 Case - River Watch versus Department of Fish and Game

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LawOfficeof J"* SilverP.O.Box 5469Phone [email protected]'r

VIA CERTIFIEDMAIL -RETURNRECEIPTREQUESTED

Dirk Kempthorne, ecretary f the nteriorUnitedStates epartment f the nterior1849C Street. .W.Washington,D.C. 20240Mike Johanns, ecretary f AgricultureUnitedStatesDepartment f Agriculture1400 ndependencevenue,S.W.Washington,DC 0250

LTG Carl Strock,CommanderF.IeadquartersUnitedStates rmy Corpsof Engineers441G Street, .W.Washington,.C.203 4-l 000UnitedStates ishandWildlife ServiceSacramentoishandWildlife Office2800CottageWay,RoomW-2605Sacramento, alifornia95825ColonelRonaldN. Light,DistrictEngineerU.S.Army Corpsof EngineersSacramento istrict1325 StreetSacramento. A 95814-2922

SantaRosa,California95402Fax?07-5283675

Iuly21,2006

CarlosM. Gutierrez, ecretary f CommerceUnited StatesDepartment f Commercel40l Constitut ionvenue, W , Room5516Washington,DC 0230H. DaleHall.DirectorUnited StatesDepartment f the InteriorUnitedStates ishandWildlife Service1849C Street, .W.WashingtonDC 20240DavidAllen, Region DirectorUnitedStates ishand Wildlife ServiceEastside ederalComnlex911N.E . l th Ave.Portland,OR 97232-41 lL. RyanBroddrick DirectorCaliforniaDepartment f Fish& Game1416NinthStreetSacramento,A 95814RobertW. Floerke,RegionalManagerCaliforniaDept.of Fish& Game Region3P.O.Box47Yountvil le.CA.94599

Not ice f Vio lat ions Endangeredpecies ct - page1 of 12


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FrankH. Schellinger, egistered gent William R. Schellinger, egistered gent

LawrenceMclaughlin, City AttorneyCity of SebastopolP.O. Box 1776714Johnson treetSebastopolA,95472

Schellinger onstruction o.3418Standish venueSantaRosa.CA 95407

JohnA. Pelayo,Registered gentAssessmentechnologies SA, LC111S o ledadve ,Su i te 100SanAntonio. X 78205-2229

William R. Schellinger. egistered gentSchellinger roperties,LC1270 AirportBlvd.SantaRosa.CA 95403

Arborita LC1270AirportBlvd.Santa osa. A 95403

MarcoWaaland,OwnerGoldenBearBiostudies406E StreetSanta osa,CA,95404

William R. Schellinger, egistered gent FrankH. Schellinger, egistered gentConcourse LC HeatherGlen LI-C1270Airport Blvd. 1270Airport llvd.Santa osa,CA 95403 Santa osa,CA 95403Will ianiR. Schell inger,cgistered gcnt Wil l iamR. Schell inger, egisteredgcntMeadowTrail LLC OrlandFairviewLLC1270Airport l lvd. 1270AirportBlvd.Santa osa,CA 95403 Santa osa,CA 95403William R. Schellinger, egistered gcnt William R. Schellinger, cgistered gentPenbrook LC WinterCreekLLC1270 AirportBlvd. 1270AirportBlvd.SantaRosa,CA 95403 Santa tosa,CA 95403Joc tipple,Registered gent .lames . Cotter,Registered gentI"airvicw i l lageof Orland lomeowners ssoc. Cotter lealthCenters,nc.1270Airport Blvd. 1070Gravenstein ighway,SouthSantaRosa,Ca 95403 Sebastopol, A,95472-4529

RE: Noticeof Violationsand Intent to File Suit Under the EndangeredSpecies ctDearVIOLATORS:Endangeredpecies ct ("ESA") $ 11(g), 6 U.S.C.$ 1540(g), equireshat sixty(60)dayspriorto the nitiationof a civil actionunder heESA,apersonmustgivenoticeof his/her ntent o sue othealleged iolatorand he Secretary f Interior,Commerce r Agriculture.

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I amwriting on behalfof RobertG. Evans,SherryPetersen, oug EmeryandNorthernCaliforniaRiverWatch,hereafter,PROTECTORS", to notifuall of you,collectively eferred o hereafter s"VIOLATORS",of violations f Sections andgof theEndangeredpecies ct , l6 U.S.C.$ 1536and$1538with respecto property uither identified n this Notice.

SITE DESCRIPTIONTheplants ndanimalsdentified n thisNoticeasbeingaffected y heviolations f VIOI-ATORSare ocatedon propertyat 955, 995. and 997 Gravenstein{ighway in the City of Sebastopol,Assessor'sarcel umbers 04-390-003,04-390-006,04-390-009,04-390-010.04-390-0land151-010-012)planned ommunity onsist ingf 145units hereaftertheSite").ThcSitc sapproximately1.35acres nd s located n theeast ideof theHighway o the mmediate as tofits ntersection ith FircrestAvenue. Existing anduses n heSite nclude5 small eside ces ndan 1,800 quareoo t daycare acility.'fhemajority f theSite scurrently ndeveloped,pen pace onsisting fwetlands. easonalernalpoolsandopengrassland.The proposcd oningdesignationor the Site s PlannedCommunity.Approximately 9acrcs f grasslandsontaining easonalernalpoolsandanadditional 84acrcswhich exist n the fbrm of we t mcadows, easonalreekcourses, ernalpoolsandvcrnalswales.have een eclaredurisdictionalwetlands y heArmyCorps f Engineers"Corps"). fhcSitc icswithin the angeof the federallyendangered onomaCor-rnty istinctPopulationScgrlcntol'thcClaliforniaigersalamanderAmby.rtomuulifbrniensc), onoma unshineBlcnnos:permuukeri).lJurkc's oldfields [.usthenia urkei).andScbastopol cadowfoamLimnunthes inculun.s').A rr-rixed-userojcct roposeso dcvelopheSite saplannedommunity onsist ingl '182hclusingunitsof various ypesandsizes i.e.cottagcs,ow houses, partments,tc.),a ncighborhoodcnterwith retailandofficc spacc. nda smallwetland eserve,hcreafter,the Project").

IMPACT ON LISTE,DPI,ANT SPECIESAdver se lmp act on Seb astopol N{ead ow oam (.Lmn an h es v ncu ans\1'heProiectwill haveanadversempacton Sebastopol eadowfoamistedasa Federal ndangeredSpeciesundertheESAf 1973,asamended( l6U.S.C.1531etseq) .FederalRegis ter6:61173;December ,1991). The Projectwill destroy xisting lantsandmostof theplants'habitat.SomeVIOLATORS havebeenagents or the destruction nd removalof 1,.vinculans n the pastandcurrcntly hreaten estruction nd emovalof l. vinculans.The Fish and Wildlife Service "FWS") has urisdictionover specieshat are brmally listedasthreatenedr endangerednder heFederal SA. TheFWS senta letter o theCorpson March 12,2004stating hat surveys f federally istedplantshadbeenconducted n the Site and no f-ederallylistedplantshadbeen ound. FWS concludedhe Pro.iect asnot ikely to haveanadverse ffecton L. vinculans.However, he surveyswerenot reliable. Survey rotocolswere nconsistent ith accepted, tandardrareplantsurvey rotocols equiredby Fish& Game,CaliforniaNativePlantSociety "CNPS"),and

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FWS, that stipulatesurveysbe conductedduring he appropriatelowering season or detection.Obviously he best ime NOT to find live speciess during heir non-g.o*ing or non-floweringseason. heSebastopol eadowfoams an annualwith a growingseasonromlate March o earl|May. Many of the surveyswere conductedoutside he plant' s growing seasonand many werlconductedn winterandwerenecessarilyimitedby water overingheground.TheMay l99g andMarch2002surveys onducted y GoldenBearBiostudiesailed o disciose etlands na westerlyportionof theSite,within the ootprintof theproposed roject,he esultbeing ha t hose rru.y,completely gnoredmore hanan acreof theSite'swetlandsand wetlandsplants. Fufthermore,herecordneglectso indicate he May 1998andMarch2002surveyswereconducted nderproperprotocols.On December, 15 and 7 2003,and anuary .2004theCityof Sebastopol'siological onsultant,Wetlands esearch ssociates"WRA") conductedurveys n heproposed ro.icct ite.WRA didgenerate comprehensive lant list and despite he fact that this surveywas a limitcclwintcrinvestigation, RA also eported nundeterminedpecics l'meadowfbani, hichmayor maynothavebeen ' vinc'ulun^r.uringa May 5.2005survey f thesiteWRA agair-roundclearcvidenceof a healthy imnanthes inculons opulation.On l"ebruary 6, 2004,representativesrom FWS and the Corps visited thc Site 1o c.nsiclcrCalifornia igersalamandcr abitat uitability. 'l'hiswoulclhavebeenanother pportunit.r,o aclclanother atc o thc list of plant surveydatcs, ut unfortunatelyt was too early n thc sL-aso'oobscrvc rost lant pcc ies.On April 12.2005,Dr . PhilipNorthen, rofessor f BiologyatSonomaState 1niversity ndexpertin endangeredlantspeciesn the Sebastopolrea, isited he Siteat therequest f localresidentRobertG. Flvans.While walking he Site,Mr . Evanshadspotted everal lantshethoughtmightbemeadowfoamndwantedDr .Northcn's pinion.Dr .Northen rrived t heSiteabout :30p.m.,accompaniedy RobertG. Evans,DeaF-ried, ernyParker. resident f theMilo BakcrChapicr fthe CNPSand herhusbandKeith. Someof theplants n question roved o be . lruglniii ssp.niveu,not anendangeredlant,but a numberwere, ndeed,. vinculans. Ms. parkcrclocumenledthepresencef thisspecies hotographically.'fhe two species f I'imnuntheswere growing n shallowwaterat the edgesol' vernalswales,interspersedrimarilywithin stands f sernaphorerassPleuropogonalifbrnicl.r.r).ndividr-ralsfL. vinculant were found in two differentareason the eastern orlion of the Sitc. Al l of theSebastopol eadowfbamlantswereveryhealthy ndwere n mid-stage fthebloom.The irstareacontaining . vinculanslay57 feetsouthof two largecottonwoodshat ie on the Site'snorthernboundary, sRobertG. Evansmeasured y tape. It containedwo clustersof theplant,eachabout40 cm in diameter.One cluster ontained -10plants.Counting nopened uds, herewere25-30flowers n this group.A second luster ontained plants,with 5 flowers otal.The second reacontaining . vinculanswas ocated60 feetsouthof the rontporchof thesoutheastern ostmobilehome n a mobile homepark that lies on the Site'snorthernboundary.Ten to fifteen plantsweregrowing n a clusterof about I meterdiameter.Dr. Northencounted25-30 lowers n this group.Dr. Northenwas not surprisedat finding this endangeredpecies rowing naturallyon the Siteasthehabitat asa natural uitabilitv or this snecies.

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Dr' Northen notified FWS of the "[p]resenceof the endangeredSebastopolmeadowfoam,Limnanthes inculans n thesiteof theproposed agunaVistadevelopmentn Sebastopol.,'etterto JanKnight,chief, Endangered pecies ivisionu. s. Fws, April 19,2005.On April 26,2005Fish& GameEnvironmental cientist, iam Davis,wassentby hissupervisor,Carl Wilcox, to survey the site. Mr . Davis identifiedand flagged a number of Sebastopolmeadowfoamlants rowingon heproposed aguna istaproject ite, ndstatedn hisFieldNotesthat he plantswerehealthyand robust,and hat herewasno evidenceof grounddisturbance.On May5, 2005.Micki Kelly,BiologicalConsultantor WRA also oundL. vinculons pccies.Dr .Norlhenalsonoted ha tDr . RobertE. Preston, h.D, SeniorBotanistwith Jones nd Stokes. ashired by the SchellingerBrothers firm to "examine the recently discoveredSebastopolMeadowfbam," nd visited he Laguna ista siteon May 5, 2005. In hi s May I 1, 2005 eporl oMarcoWaaland, wnerof GoldenBearBiostudies, r. Preston otcd: l conflrm hatsomeof theplantsare 'intnanlhes inculuns,"and. The wetlandsn which heplantsaregrowingarcseasonalwetlandswith speciesypicalof vernalpools n the SantaRosaarea."Furthei, thc vcgetation fthosewetlands s consistentwith the vegetation 1otherScbastopolmeadowl'oam ccurrencesrcportedn CNDDB."Withoutcnlisting heassistancef either -iamDavisor Dr.Northen, rish& GameSupcr'isorCarlWilcox,andBotanistGeneCooley n companywith MarcoWaaland ecidcdhat he L. t,inculun.s,prcviously dentifiedby four expertbiologists Davis,Northen,Kelly and presto') had becntransplatitedo theSiteandwasno toccurring aturally.On May 23,2005.Fish& (iamc RcgionalManagcrRobcrtW. Irloerke nnouncedhatFish& Garne hascleterminedhat hc plants vcrcno tnaturally ccurring n thcsite."WardenMattParlatowasassigned y Fish& Gameadministralorsto investigatehe matteras definedby Manager loerke, ut thc recordshowsno rcp.rt ol'sLrchinvcstigation.n fact, he record s devoidof sufficientnfbrmationor cvidcnce o cletcrrni'ehebasis or Fish& Game's lcterminationegardingheoccurrencef I. vinculans.Soonaltcrwards.Irish& Gameemployeesllegally emovcd he populalion f L. vinculans lanlsat thc Siteat anunknown ate n May 2005.lgnoringall otherevidence, WS deferredo Fish& Game'sofficial opinion ha t he endangcredplants were not naturallyoccurringon the Site. As it turned out, the endangerecl ebasiopolmeadowfoam asgrowingnaturallyon theSite. L. yinculans opulations adbeendocumeniedin thepastand esident opulationse-emergedgain hisyear. On April lg, 2006,Eric Johnsondiscoveredsmallclumpof delicatewhite lowershe dentified sa reoccurrencef theSebastopolmeadowfoam.Mr. Johnson ointed he areplantout o all nterestediewerson anAnril 2 -2006tourof theSite.

VIOLATIONS OF THE ESA'fhe Projectwill havesignificantadversempactson the endangered ebastopolmeadowlbam(L mnant e v nculans .The undamental urposes f the ESAare o providea meanso conserve ndangerednd hreatenedspeciesandtheecosystemsonwhichtheydepend.6U.S.C. 1531(b) nder theESA'sc i t izensui t

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provision, nypersonmay sue o enjoinany otherperson, ncludingany federal, tate, r localgovernmentalntityalleged o be n violationof the ESA or any of its implementing egulations.l6 U.S.C.1sao(gXlXA)ESA $ 9 ViolationsSection of theESA prohibitsanypersonr rom:

Removingand reducing o possessionny suchspecies rom areas nder ederaljurisdiction,maliciouslydamaging r destroying ny suchspecies n areas nderfederalurisdiction, r removing utting igging p damaging r destroying nysuchspecies n any otherarea n knowing violationof anystateaw or regulationor in thecourse f violatingany state riminal respassaw. ESA $ 9 (a)(2)(B);16 U.S.C.$1s38(a)(2)(B) .'fhc HSAmakest unlawful br anyperson ubjecto he urisdiction fthe tJnitedStateso "attemptto commit. ol icitanotherto ommit,or causeo be committed," nyof these ffenses. 6 iSC $1538(g) Thus heprohibitionapplies o government ermittingof activities hat may ndirectlycause hirdparty o remove, amage, r destroy isted peciesn violationof I'ederal r stateaw.1'he 'rojcct ncludesareasundcr l-cdcralurisdiction. The Site includes1.84 acrcsof Corpsjurisdict ionalwetlandsr-rdpproximately9acres f grasslandsith scasc'rnalernal ools. l 'hcpresencef fedcraland state istedendangeredpecies rings his andundcr -cdcraluriscliclion.'l'hcFWShasurisdictionoverspecieshatare ormally istcdas hrcatenedr endangcrcclrnclclhcFederal SA. The emoval f theendangered. vinculans opulationrom heSiteby ;ish& (lamcor anyothcrpersons, gcncies r entities, onstitutes n element f an ongoingharm o thc istcdspecies.Iiish& Game resentedo documented videncephotographs,oil cores, hysical ata) o supporlits claim that the endangered lant was not naturallyoccurring and had been ntroduced.Noscientific e r reviewof theFish& Game ata nd indings asbeen llowcd.After hcconfiscation,Fish & Game neglectedo olose he Site to tamperingof evidence. Fish & Game's ush toconclusions,espite ll evidenceo thecontrary, ndFWS'sunquestioningapitulationo thc stateagency' ll-considered pinionconstitute ngoing arm o the ederally istedspccics.The DraftEnvironmentalmpactReport or the Project eglectso take heendangercd ebastopolmeadowfoamnto account.As a result, heProject,asproposed,onstitutes nelement f ongoingharm o the ederally istedspecies.

I ESA SEC.3. For hepurposesf thisAct-(13) Th e terrn person" means n individual,corporation, artnership,rust,associatiott,r any otherprivate ntity;or any officer,employee, gent, epartment,r instrumentality f the FederalGovernment,

of any State,municipality, r political subdivision f a State,or of any foreigngovernment; ny State,municipality, r politicalsubdivision f a State; r an yotherentitysubject o the urisdictiorr f the JnitedStates.



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Under hese ircumstancesnjunctiverelief under heE,SA s necessaryo prevent urlherharm othefederally istedSebastopolmeadowfoam.Violation of StateLaw is a Violation of the FederalESA

Listedplantsmaynot be cut, dug up, damaged r destroyed, r removed rom any area includingprivate ands) n knowingviolationof a state aw or regulation.ESA S 9 (aX2XB); 6 U.S.C.S1s38(a)(2)(B) .TheMay 2005 emovalof theendangered. vinculansromthe Siteby someof theVIOI-ATORSincludingFish & Garne, he continued hreatof destruction nd removal,and the Projcct asproposed, iolateCalifornia' endangeredpeciesaws: The CaliforniaEndangered pecies ct("CE,SA")CaliforniaFish & GameCode $ 2050,ct seq.,and the Native PlantProtectionAct("NPPA"),Fish& GameCode$ 1900, t seq.'i'heCESAprohibits nyperson2rom akingorattemptingo akeany ish,wildlifc. orplantspecieslisledascndangercdr threatencdr anysuch pecieshat s candidateor listingunderCESA.Fish& GamcCodeQ2080. 2085.Fish& Gamehas urisdictionover tl'rreatenedr endangeredpecicsormally istcd by thc Stateunder he CESA. L vinculan!',was ormally istedasendangeredy Fish& Ganle n NovembcrI979. Published t Title 14,CaliforniaCodeof Regulations,ection 70.2.Recause IOI-A'fORS' actionshave esultedn the akingof individualmembcrs f a protcctedplant,andbecause IOLA-I'ORS'proposed ctivities y way o1'theProjectwill clestroy abitatwhichwil l resultn iniury o cxist ing nd uture . vinculans, IOLA'I'ORS rc rT iolat ion 1-thcClrSA.Thc ongoingharm to the Sebastopolmeadowfoam t the Site falls into nonc of thc CDSAexceprions.Sec Fish & Game Codc $ Q 2081(a); 080.1;2835; 2084) Iniunctivc elief isappropriatc nder heC[]SA.l'here sno authorityn statute r regulationo setasideESAproceduralegulations yanagency'sdetermining population s "afiificial". Both Fish& GameandFWS arecommitted o regionalmitigatiolnegotiationsn theSantaRosa/Sebastopolrea, ndFish& Game akes itle o mitigationsites.Thus, hese wo entities renot wholly disinterestedn the outcome f suchdeterminations.The landownerof the Site has otherproperliesand contributes o mitigation banksmanaged rregulated y Fish& GameandFWS. Understandablyeither he statenor the ederalagencywantsto provoke onflictswith the andowner r developer f theProject,bu tsuchniceties o notnullify

, CESAdoes otdef ine person".Fish& GameCodedescr ibes"persol l" s anynatural ersonor anypartnership,orporation,imited iabilitycompany;rust,or other ypeof association." ish& GarneCodeg 67. Unlike he ecleral SA, CESAcloes olapply irect lyo state nd ocalgovenilnerr tgencies.Government genciesan be held ndirect ly iable or v iolat ions f CESA through he act ions f theirofficials, mployees,gents, ontractorsndothers cting n hescope f theirofficialduty.See 7OPSCal.At ty Gen355 1984).



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the aw. In the absenceof an arm's-length rbiteror some ndependentxpertscientific eviewpanel, n njunction s necessaryo prevent n adverseegalprecedent.TheNPPA protects ndangerednd"rare" species ndsubspeciesnd varietiesof wild , nativeplants . ish& GameCodegg 1900, 901.TheCNPShasplaced vinculans. n List 1B(rareor endangeredhroughoutts range). ublishedat' f i t le 14,California odeof Regulations,$ 670.2.Oncea plant s listedunder heNPPA,Fish& Game s requiredo notify theownersof landuponwhichany areplantsaregrowingof theirexistence, nd o "providesuch nformationabout heprotectionf suchplants smaybe appropriate."ish& GameCode$ 1911.Upon ocating ndidentifuinghepopulation f Sebastopol eadowfoamn heSite,Fish& Gameneglectedo notifytheSiteownerand/or roperty evelopersf thepresencef theendangeredlant,andneglcctedoprovidenformation boutprotection.Furthcrmorc, ish& Gameandpossibly thcrVIOLATORSdcliberatelyemoved hc entircpopulation f thc meadowfbam. gnoringexpertopinion,F'ish&GamedeclaredheScbastopol eadowfoamo havebeen ntroduced.Fish& Gamepresentedodocumentcdvidcnceo supporl hisclaim. No scientific eer cviewof theFish& Gamedataandfindings asbccnallowed After thcconfiscation f theplant, Fish& Gameneglectcdo closc heSitc o tampcring {.evidence.'fhc IiWS abandoncdts rcsponsibilityo thc Sebastopol cadowl'oam'status san cnclangcreclspccics. ndchose odefer o Fish& Garne's f ' f icial, nsupported,pinion hal hc Scbastopolmeadowfbetmas raudulcntly lanted. loth lrish& GamcandFWShavcactedn anarbitrary urclcarpricionsanner y:l) Failing o liecdstaffbiologist,Liam Davis'originalFieldNotcs;2) Fail ingtoreviewtheCityofSebastopol'sotherenvironmentalocumenls hichdcmonstratethatolder ecords f L. vinculunswercprevior"rslyeportedn thevicinityof theSitc.and ha tWRA detected population f Limnanthes peciesn theSite n lale2003;3) Failing o note hatGoldenBearBiostudiesncorrectlyoundno urisdictionalwetlands, ndthat his was eversed y theCorps n a corrected etlanddelineation; nd ,4) Failing o conduct comprehensiveeviewof dataon the habits, pecies ssociations,ndpopulation izeof L. vinculan^rn theCaliforniaDiversityDatabase"CCNDDB"). ( fheCCNDDB s managed t he state evelby Fish& Game,and n lailing to rer,'iewheirowndocument,hey ailed to note he record or L. vinculans mmediatelynorthof theproposedLasunaVista site.)PROTECTORS reconcerned bouta precedentor collusion mongVIOLATORS to invalidateinconvenient ccurrences f endangered pecies n the grounds hey are allegedly ransplanted,especially henno rulesof evidence r reviewapply.

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ESA $ 7 ViolationsESA $ 7(a)(1) equireshe Services3o utilizeall programs dministeredy them n furtherancefthepurposes f theESA. ESA $ 7 establishesprocess y whicheach ederal gencymustconsulttheapplicable ervice egardingmpacts o listedspecies.Thisconsultationrocesss designedo nsurehat ederal genciesomplywith ESA $ 7(a)(2)winduties:each ederalagencymust nsure hatanyaction t authorizes,rnds, or carriesout, n wholeor in part, s not ikely to eithereopardtzethe ontinued xistence f any istedspecies r result nthedestructionr adversemodification f designatedriticalhabitat.ESA $ 7(a)(2)imposeshesedutieson each ederal gencyndependentfany agreementr otheractionby theServices.Fedcral gencyactions"aredefinedbroadly s al l activities r programs l-anykind authorized.funded.or carricdout, in whole or in part,by federalagenciesn the t-]nitedStates,,,ncludingongoing gcncy ctions. 0 CFR \ 402.02.Currently oth l-re orpsand p-WShavc hediscretionto denyor modify hePro.iecto protect hc istedL. vinculuns n theSite.Thusboth heCorpsandIIWSaresubj ct o ESA g 7 obligations.I)r.Northert otilled rWSof theprescncef theendangeredcbastopol eadol,,,fbat.L. t,inculun.tassoonashc had dentified t. No ar,rthorityn statute r regulation llowsa lbdcralagencyo setasidc F.SA proccclural bligationsby merely pronouncing,without pcrsuasive viclcncc.5a1cndangercdlowers were fraudulentlyplantedby someonc rying to stop a disputcdhousingdevclopment.Failure o ConsultDespiteheobligation nall fedcral genciesonnecteclith theProjecl o pcrformF.SA$ 7 duties.t-to onsultationas akenplace egardinghepresencc f anyendangeredpecies. la.t or aninral.FWS s trying o relyon the regulationsor "informalconsultation"ha tallow lbr preemption f albrmal ESA I 7 consuhation y a determination f "not likely to adversely flbct" 1..Ni.tna,,;.Normally heNL'|AA detcrmination pplies nlywhena species oesnotoccuron aquadsheet risknown o bc entirely acking n potential abitat rr-rlef reason, reponderancef cvidencc). ndwould no t apply o this Sitewith sr,ritableabitat, ndpastdocumented resence f ecologicallyequivalent r dentical peciesi.e. heWRA 2003observations,resencef co-occurringndicatorwetland pecies).Thc Service ad no non-arbitrary asis or a NLTAA determinationo circumventa biologicalopinion.It insteadeliedon the lawedandarbitraryFish& Game nterpretationhat heplantswereintroduced.Evenso, ha tdoesNOT mean not likely to adversely ffect" hepopulationhatwasIN FACTpresent,egardlessf its origin. In short, heService asa procedural reason" br notproceeding ith a biologicalopinion,but ha t easons invalidunder egulation. herewas n fact

' For ease f referencehe ESA uses services" o refercol lect ivelyo FWS and he Nat ionalOceanic ndAtmospher ic dministrat ion). or thepurposesf thisNot ice,FWS s he elevant ervice.Noticeof Violations Endangered pecies ct - page9 of \2


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an adverse ffecton the species nown to the Service, ut the Seruicearbitrarilychose o discountor disqualify t without any scientificor legalbasis - just arbitrarydeferenceo p'lstr& Game.No BiologicalOpinionThe record or thi s project ncludesno ESA $ 7 biologicalopinion. Normally an ESA $ 7consultationesultsn thepreparation y theService f a writtenbiologicalopinion .detailinghtwtheagency ction ffectshespeciesr tscrit ical abitat."6 U.S.C. r s:OtUlt: l fA). I f theServiceconcludesn thebiologicalopinion hat hcagency ctionwill no t eopardize'theistedspecies utthat heactionwill neverthelessesult n the akingof thespecies,hen heServicemust ncludewiththe biologicalopinion a written, incidental ake statementwhich, among other things,must"specif lyl he mpact f such ncidentalakingon hespecies."6U.S.C. f SJO16X+XgXi).No ESA $ 7 BioloeicalAssessment

"l'o facilitate ompliancewith the equirementsf subsectionaX2),eachFederalagency hall,with respecto anyagency ctionof suchagencybr whichno contractlor constrttctionasbecnentercdnto, equest f theSecretarynformationwhctheranyspecies hich s listedor proposedo be istedmaybe presentn thc arcaol.suchproposcd ction. f the Sccretary dvises, ased n thebestscientificandcommcrcialdataavail:rble'ha tsuchspeciesmaybepresenl, uchagcncy hallconduct biologicalassessmentbr thc purposc f identilyinganyendangeredpccies r thrcalcrredspecics hich s likcly to be al'l-ectcdy sr_rchctiol.rLSA $ 7(c ) ( l )16U.S .C.1s36(c ) ( l ) .

'l'hcrccorddoes ontaina BiologicalAssessmet prcparedor theCity of Sebastopoln March6.2002, y GoldenBearBiostudies. l 'hisAssessment,hichsurvcyed nly a port ionof theSitc'svernalpoolwctlands, tatedhe survcys did not result n observation 1'any ndangcredpccies".l 'heAssessmentonstituteseithcr n ESA $ 7 BiologicalOpinionnor an IISA g 7 BiologicalAssessment:1 ) A Biological ssessments nota BiologicalOpinion;

The Assessment as prepared y the consultant f an interestedpafty. ather hanby af-ederalgency;3) TheAssessmentasnot done ollowingconsultation ith theSecretary f the nterioror inconsultation ith any ederal gency.AlthoughGoldenBearBiostudiesmighthaveapplied or anexemption nder 6 U.S.C.$ 1536(9),andconductedn ndependentiological ssessmento identifyanyendangeredpeciesikely o beaffected y heProject, heextantAssessmentoes ot qualifybecauset wasno i conducted nderthesupervisionf the appropriateederal gency. 6U.S.C.g 1536(c)(2);eealso16 U.S.C.6I s36(9) .

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liforniTheProject lsowill likely haveanadversempacton heCalifornia igersalamanderAmbystomacaliJbrniense/istedasa Threatened/Endangeredpecies nder he ESA of 1973,asamen6ed16u.s.c. $ 1531 tseq) .Federal egisrer9:472rr -4724g;ugusr ,2004)Although heGoldenBearBiostudies ssessmentid not reportobservationsf l. californien.se,theCityof Sebastopol'sraftEnvironmentallmpacteportdentifies otentially ignificantmpactsregardinghepotentialor thepresencef theCaliforniaigersalamandern oi adiacento theSite.ESA I 9 Violat ionsESA I 9 prohibitsany person rom taking or attemptingo takeanyendangercdish or wilcllil-cspecies ithin he J.S.ESA $ 9; l6 tJ.S.C. 1538(a)(1)(B). o specif icntent o rakea l isredspeciess recluircdn ordcr or onc o be iable br anESA S9 violation. Rathcr, persons liableunder ISA $ 9 i f heor shcknowingly ndcrtakesheact hat esultsn a violat ion. ' l 'hepersonncednot know that hc aflccted species as isted,or that he act unclertakenould constitutcviolat ion f IISA I 9. Babbitt Swcct Iome5 5 tJS 697,700-701'l'hcIiSA dellnes takc"as o "harass, arm,pursue, unt, hoot,wound, ill, trap, apture r collect,or to attempto engagen anysuchconduct." 6 J.S.C. 1532(19).By linkingdcstructionndmoclification f a listedspecies' abitatwith a prohibited take," (see50 CFR $ 17.3) hc IrWSrnakesan extremelywide variety of human activitiespotentiallysubject o the ESA's takcprohib i t ion.Although otobservedn heSite, possibil i ty xistshatCaliforniaigcrsalamandcrpecicsxislon heSite. l'heCityof Sebastopol's raflEnvironmentalmpactReportadmitsof thispossibility.fhus the Projectas proposedwill lead o habitatdestruction r moclificatiolwhich will likeiybecomehcproximate ause f "actual eath r njury" o heendangeredalifornia igersalamanderin violat ion f ESA $ 9.ESA $ 7 Violat ionsAs set brthaboveESA $ 7 requires achbderal gencyo consultheapplicable erviceegardingimpactso listedspecies.Despite he fact thatboth the Corpsand FWS havediscretiono denyor modify the projecttoprotect, nd aresubject o ESA $ 7 obligations, o consultation as akenplace. This failr-rreoconsults a violationof ESA $ 7. Normallyan ESA $ 7 consultationesultsn thepreparationythe Service f a writtenbiologicalopinion detailing ow theagency ctionaffects he species rit s criticalhabitat."16 U.S.C. $ 1536(bX3XA) No federalagency as generated n ESA $ 7biological pinion,or biologicalassessments o whetherhe California igersalamander avbepresentn theareaof the Project.

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1 CONTACT INFORMATIONRobertG. Evanss an ndividual esiding t 1065St .HelenaWay,Sebastopol,A 95472,Telephone707-823-0609. herry etersens an ndividualresidingt13l0HurlbutAvenue, ebastopol,A95472,Telephone 07-823-1594.Doug Emery s an individual esidingat 7528GatesDrive,Sebastopol,A.95472,Telephone07-829-1968.orthernCaliforniaRiverWatchisanon-profitcorporation edicatedo the protectior-rndenhancementf the watersof the Stateof Californiaincludingwetlands ndvernalpools. It is organized nder he awsof theState f Califomia. tsaddresss 67-11 ebastopolvenue, uite140,Sebastopol,A 95472,Telephone07-824-4372.PROTECTORSave etainedegal olrnselo representhem n thismatter.All communicationsshould eadclressedo:

JackSilver,EsquireLaw Officesof JackSilverPostOfficeBox 5469Santa osa,CA 95402-5469Tel. 707-528-8175Fax 707-528-8675lhm28 43@sbc loba.netCONCLUSION

Theviolations et orth n thisNotice affect hehealth, esthetic,piritual,ecreational,reative ndpersonalenjoymentof PITOTECTOITS ho resideand recreaten the affectedcommunitiessurroundinghe Site. Their health,use and enjoyment f this natural esources specificallyimpaired y VIOLATOI{S'violat ions f thcESA asset orthherein.PROTECTOIiS elievehisNotice suff icicntly tates roundsor f i l ing suit. At theclose f the60-daynot iceper iodorshor tly thereal terPROI ' I ICTORSintendtof i leal6U.S.C.g5a0(g)( l ) (A)cit izen's uit n UnitedStates istriclCourtagainst IOLATORS orviolat ions f the ederal SAandStateaw.During he 60-day oticeperiod,PROTECTORS rewilling to discuss ffective emediesor theviolationsnotedherein. I-lowever,f the VIOLATORSr.visho pllrsuesuchdiscussionsn theabsencef l i t igation,t is suggestedhose iscussionse nit iated ithin henext wenty 20)daysso hat heynraybe completed efore he endof the60-day oticeperiod. PROTECTORS o notintendo delay he il ingof a lawsuit f discussionsrecontinuing hen hatperiod nds.

Very ruly yoLlrs,/ ) " f l n/ \ t / r / t9^A4l'X"--J$/kSilverJS: lhm

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LawOfficeof JackSilverP.O.Box 5469 SantaRosa,Clalifornia 5402Phone 707-528-8175 Fa-x 07-528-8675wn ri cl eco(r\ahoo.cclm

August 8, 006

VIA CERTIFIED MAIL -RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

Carl Wilcox, EnvironmentalServicesSupervisorCaliforniaDept.of Fish& Game Region3P.O.Box 47Yountville,CA94599GeneCooley. otanistCaliforniaDept.of Fish& Game Region3P.O.Box47Yountville,CA94599Matt Parlato,WardenCaliforniaDept.of Fish& Game Region3P.O.Box47Yountville,CA 94599RE: Noticeof Violationsand Intent to File Suit Under the EndangeredSpecies ctDearVIOLATORS:Endangeredpecies ct ("ESA") $ I l(g), l6 U.S.C.g 1540(9), equireshat sixry 60)dayspriorto the nitiationof a civil actionunder heESA,apersonmustgive noticeof his/her ntent o sue othe alleged iolatorand he Secretary f Interior,Commerce r Agriculture.I am writing on behalfof RobertG. Evans,SherryPetersen, oug Emeryand NorthernCaliforniaRiver Watch,hereafter,PROTECTORS", to notitr all of you,collectively eferred o hereafter s"VIOLATORS",of violations f Sections andgoftheEndangeredpecies ct , l6 U.S.C. 1536and$1538with respecto property uither identified n this Notice.

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SITE DESCRIPTIONTheplantsandanimalsdentified n thisNoticeasbeingaffected y theviolationsof VIOLATORSare ocatedon propertyat 955,995, and 997 GraveisteinHighway n the city of Sebastopol,Assessor'sarcel umbers 04-390-003,04-390-006,04-390-009,04-390-010,04-390-01and I 51 01 -012)a planned ommunity onsisting f 145units hereafter,theSite,,).TheSite sapproximately 1.35acresand s locatedon theeastsideof theHighway to the mmediateeastofit s ntersection ith Fircrest venue. Existing anduses n heSite nclude5 small esidencesndan 1,800 quareoo tdaycare acility.Themajorityofthe Site s currentlyundeveloped,penspace onsisting f wetlands, easonalernalpoolsandopengrassland.The proposed oningdesignationor the Site s plannedCommunity.Approximately 9 acres f grasslandsontaining easonalernalpoolsandanadditional .g4 acreswhich exist n the form of wet meadows, easonal reekcourses, ernal pools andvernalswales,havebeen eclaredurisdictionalwetlands y heArmyCorps f Engineers1"Corps";.TheSite ieswithin the rangeof the federallyendangered onomaCountyDistinct populationSegmcnt f theCalifornia igersalamanderAmbystoma ali/brnierase),onoma unshineBlenn6sperma akeri).Burke's oldfields Lasthenia urkei),andSebastopol eadowfoamLimnanthes inculans).A mixed-use ro.iectroposeso developheSiteasaplanned ommunity onsisting f 1g2housi'gunitsof variousypesandsizes i.e.cottages,ow houses, partments,tc.),a neighborhoodenterwith retailandofficc space, nda smallwetland eserve,hereafter, the lrroiectl').

TheProjectwill haveanadversempacton Sebastopol eadowfoamistedasa FederalEndangeredSpeciesundertheEsAf 1973,asamended( l6U.S.C.8l53ltseq) . FederalRegis terA:et f i l ;December ,l99l). TheProjectwill destroy xisting lantsandmostof the plants'habitat.SomeVIOLATORS havebeenagents or the destruction nd remov l of L. vincilans in the pastandcurrently hreaten estruction ndremovalof L. vinculans.The Fishand Wildlife Service "FWS") has urisdictionover species hat are ormally istedasthreatened r endangerednder he FederalESA. TheFWS senta letter o theCorpson March 12,2004stating hatsurveys f federally istedplantshadbeenconducted n the Siteandno federallylistedplantshadbeen ound. FWS concludedhe Projectwasnot likely to havean adverse ffecton L. vinculans.However, hesurveyswerenotreliable. Survey rotocolswere nconsistent ith accepted, tandardrareplantsurvey rotocols equiredby Fish& Game,CaliforniaNativePlantSociety ,,CNpS"),andFWS, that stipulatesurveysbe conductedduringthe appropriate lowering seasonor detection.Obviously he best ime NOT to find live speciess duringtheir non-growingor non-floweringseason. he Sebastopolmeadowfoams an annualwith a growingseasonrom lateMarch o earlyMay. Many of the surveyswere conductedoutside he plant' s growing season nd many werlconductedn winterandwerenecessarilyimitedby watercovering heground.TheMay l99g and

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March2002surveys onducted y GoldenBearBiostudiesailed o disclosewetlandson awesterlyportionof the Site,within the footprintof the proposedProject, he resultbeing hat those r.u.y,completelygnoredmore hanan acreof theSite'swetlandsandwetlandsplanti. Furthermore,herecordneglects o indicate he May 1998andMarch 2002 surveyswere conductedunderproperprotocols.On December, I 5 and 7 2003,and anuary ,2004theCityof Sebastopol'siological onsultant.WetlandsResearch ssociates"WRA") conducted urveys n theproposed rojectSite.WRA didgenerate comprehensive lant list and despite he fact that this surveywas a limited winterinvestigation,WRA also eportedanundeterminedpecies f meadowfoam,whichmayor maynothavebeenL. vinculans'During a May 5,2005 surveyof thesiteWRA again oundclearevidenceof a healthyLimnanthes inculanspopulation.on February 6, 2004,representativesrom FWS and the Corpsvisited the Site to considcr.California iger salamanderabitat uitability. Thiswouldhavebecnanother pportr,r'it1o aclclanotherdate o the list of plant surveydates,but unfortunately t was too early in thc se-aso,.'oobserve ostplant pecies.On April 12,2005,Dr . PhilipNorthen, rofessor f tsiology tSonomaStateUniversity ndexpertin endangeredlantspeciesn theSebastopolrea, isited he Siteat therequest f local esidentRobertG. Evans.While walking heSite,Mr . Evans adspotted everal lantshethoughtmightbemeadowfoamndwantedDr .Northen's pinion.Dr .Northen rrived t heSiteabout :30p.m.,accompaniedy RobertG. Evans,DeaFried,RemyParker,President f theMilo BakerChapierofthe CNPSand her husbandKeith. Someof the plants n questionprovedto be Z. clouglttiiis.sp.nivea, otan endangeredlant,buta numberwere, ndeed, . vinculans. Ms. parkerdocumenteclthepresencef this species hotographically.The two species f Limnanthesweregrowing n shallowwaterat the edgesof vernals*,alcs.interspersedrimarilywithin stands f semaphorerass Pleuropogonalifornlcu.r).ndividuals fL. vinculanswere found in two different areason the easternportion of the Site. All of theSebastopol eadowfoam lantswereveryhealthyandwere n mid-stage fthe bloom.The irstareacontainingL. vinculans ay 57 feetsouthof two largecottonwoods hat lie on the Site'snofthernboundary, s RobertG. Evansmeasured y tape. It containedwo clustersof theplant,eachabout40 cm in diameter.Onecluster ontained -10plants.Counting nopened uds, herewere25-30flowers n this group.A secondclustercontained plants,with 5 flowers total. l-he secondareacontaining . vinculan'twas ocated60 feetsouthof the ront porchof thesoutheastern ostmobilehome n a mobilehome park that lies on the Site'snorthemboundary.Ten to fifteen plantsweregrowing n a clusterof about I meterdiameter. Dr. Northencounted25-30 lowers n this group.Dr. Northenwasnot surprisedat finding this endangeredpeciesgrowingnaturallyon the Site asthe habitathasa naturalsuitability or this species.Dr. Northen notified FWS of the "[p]resenceof the endangeredSebastopolmeadowfoam,Limnanthes inculanson thesiteof theproposed agunaVistadevelopmentn Sebastopol." etterto JanKnight,Chief,Endangered pecies ivisionU. S. FWS,April 19 ,2005.

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On April 26,2005Fish& GameEnvironmentalScientist, iam Davis,wassentby his supervisor.Carl Wilcox' to survey the site. Mr. Davis identified and flagged a number of Sebastopoimeadowfoam lantsgrowingon he proposed agunaVistaprojectsite,andstatedn hisFieldNotesthat heplantswerehealthyandrobust,and hat herewasno evidenceof grounddisturbance.On May5,2005,Micki Kelly,BiologicalConsultantor WRA also oundL. vinculanr pecies. r.Norlhenalsonoted hat Dr. RobertE,.Preston,Ph.D, SeniorBotanistwith JonesandStokes.washired by the Schellinger Brothers firm to "examine the recently discovered SebastopolMeadowfoam,"ndvisited heLagunaVistasiteon May 5,2005. In hisMay I1.2005 .poritoMarcoWaaland, wnerof GoldenBearBiostudies, r. Preston oted: l confirm hatsomeof theplantsare .imnanthes inculans,"and, The wetlandsn which theplantsaregrowingareseasonalwetlandswith speciesypical of vernalpools n the SantaRosaarea."Further, the vegetation fthosewetlands s consistentwith the vegetationat other Sebastopolmeadowfoa. o..ur.n..,reportedn CNDDB."Withoutenlistingheassistancef eitherLiamDavisor Dr.Northen,Fish& GameSupervisor ar lWilcox.andBotanistGeneCooley n companywith MarcoWaaland ecidedha t heL. t.inc'ulc,t,s,previously dentifiedby four expertbiologists Davis,Northen,Kelly and Preston)haclbcentransplantedo theSiteandwasno toccurring aturally.On May 23,2005,Fish& GameRcgionalManagerRobertW. FloerkeannouncedhatFish& Game hasdeterminedhat heplantswerenotnaturallyoccurringon thesite." WardenMatt Parlatowasassigned y Fish& Gameadmi'istratorsto investigatehe matterasdefinedby ManagerFloerke, u1 he recordshowsno reportof suchinvestigation.n fact, he record s devoidof sufT-rcientnformation r evidencco determinehcbasis or Fish& Game'sdeterminationegardingheoccurrencef I. vinculans.Soonafterwards.Fish& Gameemployeesllegally emoved hepopulation f L. vinculans lantsat the Siteat anunknowndate n May 2005.Ignoring ll othcrevidence, WS deferredo Fish& Game'sofficial opinion ha t he endangercclplantswere not naturallyoccuring on the Site. As it turnedout, the endangered ebastopolmeadowfoamwasgrowingnaturallyon the Site. L. vinculanr populationshadbeenclocumentedin thepastand esident opulationse-emergedgain hi syear. On April 79,2006,Eric Johnsondiscovered smallclumpof delicatewhite flowershe dentifiedasa reoccurrencef theSebastopolmeadowfoam.Mr. .Iohnson ointed he areplantout o all interested iewerson an April 2l ,2006tourof theSite.

VIOLATIONS OF THE ESAThe Project will have significant adversempactson the endangeredSebastopolmeadowfoam(L mnanl e v nculans).The undamental urposes fthe ESAare o providea meanso conserve ndangerednd hreatenedspeciesnd heecosystemsn which heydepend.6 U.S.C.$ 153 (b)Under heESA'scitizen ui tprovision,any personmay sueto enjoin any otherperson, ncluding any federal,state,or localgovernmental ntity alleged o be in violationof the ESA or any of its implementing egulations.l6u s.c.$ sa0(g)(1)(A)

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ESA $ 9 ViolationsSection of theESA prohibitsanypersonr rom:Removingand reducing o possession ny suchspecies rom areasunder ederaljurisdiction,maliciously damagingor destroying ny suchspecies n areasunderfederalurisdiction,or removingcuttingdiggingup damagingtr destroying nysuchspecies n anyotherarean knowingviolationof anystate aw or regulationor in thecourse f violatingany state riminal respassaw.ESA $ 9 (a)(2)(B); 6 u.s.c. gl s38(a)(2)(B).

TheESA makes t unlawful for anyperson ubjecto the urisdictionof theUnitedStateso .,attemDtto commit,solicitanothero commit,or causeo be committed," nyof these ffenses.6 USC$1538(9) Thus he prohibitionapplies o government ermittingof activities hatmay ndirectlycause hirdparty o remove, amage, r destroy isted peciesn violationof federal r statcaw.The Project ncludesareasunder ederal urisdiction. The Site includes 1.84acresof Corpsjurisdictionalwetlands ndapproximately9 acres f grasslands itli seasonalernalpools. Tirepresenceffederalandstate istedendangeredpecies rings his andunder ederaljurisdiction.TheF'WS asurisdiction verspeciesha tare ormally isted s hreatenedr endangercdndcr heFederal SA. The emoval f theendangered. vinculans opulationrom heSitebyFish& Gameor anyotherpcrsons, gencies r entities, onstitutesnelement f an ongoingharm o the istedspecies.Fish& Game resentedo documentedvidencephotographs,oil cores, hysical ata)o supportits claim that the endangered lant was not naturallyoccurring and had been ntroduced.Noscientific eer eviewofthe Fish& Game ata nd indings asbeen llowed.After heconfiscatior.F'ish& Game neglectedo close he Site to tamperingof evidence. Fish & Game's ush toconclusions,espite ll evidenceo thecontrary, ndFWS'sunquestioningapitulationo thcstateagency' ll-consideredpinionconstitute ngoing arm o the ederally istedspecies.TheDraftEnvironmental mpactReport or theProjectneglectso take heendangered ebastopolmeadowfoamnto account.As a result,heProject, sproposed,onstitutesnelement f ongoingharm o the ederallyistedspecies.Under hese ircumstancesnjunctive elief under he ESA is necessaryo prevent urtherharm othefederally istedSebastopolmeadowfoam.

' ESA SEC.3. For he purposes f this Act-(13) The erm "person" means n individual, orporation, artnership,rust,association,r any otherprivateentity; or any officer, employee, gent,department, r instrumentality f the FederalGovemment,of any State,municipality, r political subdivision f a State,or of any foreigngovernment, ny State,municipalify, r politicalsubdivision f a State; r anyotherentitysubjecto the urisdictionof theUnitedStates.

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Violation of StateLaw is a Violation of the FederalESAListedplantsmaynot be cut, dugup, damaged r destroyed, r removed rom anyarea includingprivate ands) n knowingviolationof a stateaw or regulation.ESA $ 9 (aX2XB); 6 U.S.C 51s38(a)(2)(B).TheMay 2005 emovalof theendangered. vinculans rom theSiteby someof theVIg1A1SRSincluding Fish & Game, the continued hreatof destructionand removal, and the project asproposed. iolateCalifornia' endangeredpeciesaws: TheCaliforniaEndangered pecies ct("CESA") CaliforniaFish & GameCode $ 2050,et seq.,and the Native plant protectionAct("NPPA").Fish& GameCode$ 1900, t seq.ThcCtrSAprohibits nyperson2rom akingor attemptingo akeany ish,wildlife.orplantspecieslisted sendangeredr threatenedr anysuch pecieshat s candidateor listingunderCESA. rish& GameCodeg 2080,$ 2035.

Irish& Gamehas urisdictionover hreatenedr endangeredpeciesormal11,istedb1 thc Statcunder heCESA. L vinculans,was ormally istedasendangeredy Fish& Game n No'cnrber1979.Published t Title 14,californiacode of Regulations,ection670.2.Bccause IOLATORS' actionshave esultedn the akingof individualmembers f a protectedplant,andbecause IOLATORS'proposedactivities y way of the Projectwill destroy abitatwhichwill result n injury o existingand utureL. vinculans, IOLA'IORS are n violatio' of theCESA.The ongoingharm to the Sebastopolmeadowfoam t the Site falls into nonc ol ' tltc CHS.\except ions.SeeFish& GameCode$ $ 2081(a) ; 080.1;2835;2084) In junct i r . 'ec l ic l ' isappropriatender heCESA.There s no authorityn statute r regulationo setasideESA proceduralegulations y anagency'sdetermining populations "artificial". BothFish& Gameand FWS arecommitted o regionalmitigation egotiationsn the SantaRosa/Sebastopolrea, ndFish& Game akes itle o mitigationsites.Thus, hesewo entities renot whollydisinterestedn theoutcome f suchdeterminations.The landownerof the Site hasother propertiesand contributeso mitigation banksmanaged rregulated y Fish& GameandFWS. Understandablyeither hestatenor he ederalagencywantsto provokeconflictswith the andowner r developer f the Project,but suchnicetiesdo notnullilythe aw. In the absenceof an arm's-lengtharbiteror some ndependent xpertscientific eviewpanel,an njunction s necessaryo preventan adverseegalprecedent.

'CESA doesno tdefine person". Fish& GameCodedescribes "person"as any natural ersonor anypartnership,orporation,imited iabilitycompany;rust,or other ypeof association." ish& GameCode$ 67. Unlike he ederalESA, CESAdoes otapplydirectly o state nd ocalgovernment gencies.Government gencies an be held indirectly iable or violationsof CESA through he actionsof theirofficials, mployees,gents, ontractorsndothers ctingn thescope ftheirofficialduty.See 7OpSCal.At ty Gen355 1984).Notice of Violations- Endangered pecies ct - Page6 of I I


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The NPPA protectsendangered nd "rare" species nd subspecies nd varietiesof wild , nativeplants. ish& GameCodegg 1900,1901.TheCNPShasplacedL vinculans,on List 1B (rareor endangeredhroughout ts range).publishedat Title 14,CaliforniaCodeof Regulations,$ 670.2.Oncea plant s listedunder he NPPA, Fish& Game s required o notify the ownersof la'd uponwhich any rare plantsaregrowingof their existence, nd o "provide such nformationabout heprotection f suchplantsasmaybe appropriate." ish& GameCode 191 . Upon ocati'g andidentifyinghepopulation f Sebastopol eadowfoamn heSite,Fishb Gu-. neglectedo notifitheSiteownerand/orpropertydevelopers f thepresence f theendangeredlant,andneglectecloprovidenformationaboutprotection. Furthermore, ish& GameandpossiblyotherVIOLAT-ORSdeliberatelyemoved he entirepopulationof themeadowfoam. Ignoring"*p.rt opinion,Fish&Gamedeclaredhe Sebastopolmeadowfoamo havebeen ntroduced.Fish & Gamepresented odocumentedvidenceo supporthisclaim.No scientific ee r eviewof theFish& Gamedataandfindings asbeen llowed After theconfiscation f theplant, Fish& Game eglected o close heSite o tampering f evidence.TheF'WSabandonedts responsibilityo thc Sebaslopol eadowfoam's tatus san c.dargcredspecies, ndchose o defur o trish& Game's fficial,unsupportcd.pinion ha t thc Scbasiopelmeadowfoam as iaudulently lanted. lotli Fish& Game nd .'WS aveactedn anarbitrarra'clcapriciousmanner y:I ) Failing o heedstaffbiologist, iam I)avis'originalFieldNotes;2) F-ailingo review heCityof Sebastopol'stherenvironmental ocumentswhich demonstratethatolder ecords f L. vinculanswerepreviouslyeportedn thevicinityof theSite,and ha tWRA detected population f Limnanthes peciesn theSite n late2003:3) Failing o note hatGoldenBearBiostudiesnconectlyoundno urisdictionalwetlancls..dthat his wasreversed y the Corps n a correctedwetlanddelineation;and,4) Failing o conduct comprehensiveeviewof dataon the habits, pecies ssociations,ndpopulation izeof L. vinculansn theCaliforniaDiversityDatabase"CCNDDR,,). ('fheCCNDDB s managed t he stateevelby Fish& Game, nd n failing o review heirowndocument,hey ailed o note he record or L. vinculans mmediately orthof the proposedLagunaVistasite.)PROTECTORS reconcerned bouta precedentor collusion mongVIOLATORSto invalidateinconvenient ccurrences f endangered pecies n the grounds hey are allegedly ransplanted,especially henno rulesof evidence r reviewapply.

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ESA $ 7 ViolationsESA $ 7(a)(l) requireshe Services3o utilize all programs dministered y them n furtherance fthepurposes f the ESA. ESA $ 7 establishes process y which each ederalagencymustconsultthe applicableService egardingmpacts o listedspecies.Thisconsultationrocesssdesignedo nsurehat ederal genciesomplywith ESAg 7(a)(2)winduties:each ederalagencymust nsure hatanyaction t authorizes,unds,or carriesout, n wholeor in part, s not likely to either eopardize he continued xistence f any istedspecies r result nthedestructionr adversemodification f designatedriticalhabitat.ESA $ 7(a)(2)imposesheseduties n each ederal gencyndependentfany agreementr otheractionby theServices.Federal gencyactions"aredefinedbroadlyas al l activities r progrants fany kind authorized.funded. r carriedout, in whole or in part,by federalagenciesn the Unitcd Statcs."ncludingorrgoing gency ctions. 0 CFR S 402.02.Currently oth heCorpsand rWShavc hediscrction1odcnyor modify heProject o protecthe isted . vinculans n he Site. Thusboth heCorns ndFWS aresubjecto ESA $ 7 obligations.Dr .Northen otifiedF'WS f thepresencef theendangeredebastopol eador.loant ,L. t,irtc.ulutts.assoollashe had dentified t. No authorityn statute r regulation llowsa f-eclcralgcncyo sctasideESA proceduralobligationsby merelypronouncing,without persuasive vidcnce, hatendangeredlowers were fraudulentlyplantedby someone rying to stop a disputedhousingdevelopment.Failure o ConsultDcspitcheobligation n all federal genciesonnccted ith heProjecto perlbrpt :SA s\7clLrrics.no consultationas akenplace egardinghepresencefany endangeredpccies. lantor anintal.FWS s trying o relyon the egulationsor "informalconsultation"ha tallow [br precmption 1'aformal ISA $ 7 consultation y a determination f "not likely to adversely ffect"(,,NLTAA").Normally heNLTAA determinationpplies nlywhena species oes ot occuron aquadsheet ris known o beentirely acking n potential abitat ruleof reason, reponderancef evidence),ndwould no t apply o this Sitewith suitable abitat, ndpastdocumented resence f ecologicallyequivalent r dentical peciesi.e. heWRA 2003observations,resencef co-occurringndicatorwetland pecies).The Servicehad no non-arbitrarybasis or a NLTAA determination o circumventa biologicalopinion. It instead eliedon he lawedandarbitraryFish& Game nterpretationhat heplantswereintroduced.Even so, hatdoesNOT mean not likely to adversely ffect" thepopulation hatwasIN FACT present, egardless f its origin. In short, he Servicehasa procedural reason" or notproceeding ith a biologicalopinion,but thatreasons invalid under egulation.Therewas n fact

' Fo r easeof referencehe ESA uses services" o refercollectively o FWS and he NationalOceanic ndAtmospheric dministration).Fo r he purposes f this Notice,FW S is the relevantService.Notice of Viola tions- Endangered pecies ct - Page8 of I I


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an adverse ffecton the species nown to the Service, ut the Servicearbitrarilychose o discountor disqualif it without any scientificor legalbasis - just arbitrarydeferenceo Fish& Game.No BiologicalOpinionThe record or this project ncludesno ESA $ 7 biologicalopinion. Normally an ESA $ 7consultationesults n thepreparation y theServiceof a writtenbiologicalopinion "detailinghou,theagency ction ffectshespecies r ts criticalhabitat."6 U.S.C. 1536(bX3XA). f theSe^,iccconcludesn thebiologicalopinion hat he agency ctionwill not eopardizethc istedspecies utthat heactionwill neverthelessesult n the akingofthespecies,hen heServicemust ncludewiththe biologicalopinion a written, incidental ake statementwhich, among other things,must"speciflyl he mpactof such ncidentalakingon the species."6 U.S.C. 1536(b)(4XBXi).No ESA $ 7 BiologicalAssessment

"To facilitate ompliance ith the requirementsf subsectionaX2),cach rederalagency hall,with rcspecto anyagency ctionof suchagencyor whichno contractfor construction asbeenenterednto, request f the Secretarynformationwl-rethcranyspecies hich s listedor proposedo be istedmaybepresentn the arcaof suchproposed ction. f the Secretarydvises, ased n thebestscientificandcommercialdataavailable,hatsuchspeciesmaybe present, uchagency hallconduct biologicalassessmentor thc purpose f identil'ying nyendangeredpecies r threatencdspecies hich s likely to beaflbcted y suchactionESA$ 7(c ) ( l ) 6 U.S .C. s36(c ) (1) .

Thcrecord oes ontaina BiologicalAssessment reparedor theCity of Sebastopoln March6.2002,by GoldenBearBiostudies.This Assessment, hich surveyed nly a portionol- heSite'svernalpoolwetlands,tatedhesurveysdid no t result n observation f anyendangeredpecics".The Assessmentonstitutes eitheran ESA $ 7 BiologicalOpinionnor an ESA I 7 BiologicalAssessment:l) A BiologicalAssessments not a BiologicalOpinion;2) The Assessment as preparedby the consultantof an interestedparty, rather han by afederalagency;3) 'l'heAssessment as not done ollowing consultation ith theSecretary f the Interioror inconsultationwith any federalagency.AlthoughGoldenBearBiostudiesmighthaveapplied or anexemption nder16 U.S.C.g 1536(9),andconducted n ndependent iologicalassessmento identiS'anyendangeredpeciesikely to beaffected y theProject, he extantAssessmentoesnot qualifl'becauset was not conducted nderthe supervision f the appropriateederalagency. 6 U.S.C,$ 1536(c)(2); eealso l6 U.S.C.$Is36(9).

Notice of Violations - Endangered pecies ct - Page9 of I I


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TheProjectalsowill likely havean adversempacton theCalifornia igersalamanderAmbystomacaliforniense)istedasa Threatened/Endangeredpecies nder heESA of l973,asamended16u.s.c. S l53l et seq). FederalRegister 9:472r1-4724g:August,2004)Although he GoldenBearBiostudiesAssessment id not repoftobservations f l. californiense,theCityof Sebastopol's raftEnvironmentalmpactReportdentifies otentiallysignificantmpactsregardinghepotential or thepresence f theCalifornia igersalamander n or adiacento theSite.ESA $ 9 ViolationsESA { 9 prohibitsanyperson rom takingor attemptingo takeany endangeredish or wildliltspecics ithin heU.S.ESA I 9; l6 U.S.C.$ 1538(a)(1)(B). o specif icntent o takea l istedspeciess requiredn order or one o be iable or an ESA $ 9 violation. Rather, persons liableundcr lSn $ 9 if he or shcknowinglyundertakesheact hat results n a violation. -fhepersonneedno t know that he affectedspecies as isted,or that he actundcrtaken ould constituteviolationof ESA g 9. Babbittv SweetHome5l 5 us 6g7 700-701TheESAdefines take"as o "harass, arm, ursue, unt,shoot,wound, ill, trap, apturc rcollect,or to attempto engagen any such onduct." 6U.S.C.$ 1532(19).By linkingclestruclionndmodification f a listed species' abitatwith a prohibited take," (see50 Ct'R $ 17.3) he I:WSmakesan extremelywide variety of human activitiespotentiallysubject o the ESA's takcprohibition.Although otobserved n he Site,apossibility xistshatCalifornia igersalamanderpeciesxiston heSite.TheCity of Sebastopol's raftEnvironmentalmpactReporladmits f thispossibility.Thus he Projectasproposedwill lead o habitatdestruction r modificationwhich will likeiybecomeheproximate ause f "actual eath r njury" o heendangeredalifornia igersalanrandcrin violat ion f I ISA Q 9.ESA $ 7 Violat ionsAs set orthaboveESA $ 7 requires ach ederalagencyo consult heapplicableService egardingimpactso listedspecies.Despite he fact that both the Corps and FWS havediscretion o deny or modify the project toprotect,and aresubject o ESA $ 7 obligations,no consultation as akenplace. This failuretoconsults a violationof ESA $ 7. NormallyanESA $ 7 consultationesultsn thepreparationythe Serviceof a written biologicalopinion"detailinghow the agencyactionaffects he species rits criticalhabitat."16 U.S.C. $ 1536(bX3XA).No federalagency asgenerated n ESA g 7biologicalopinion,or biological assessments o whether he California iger salamandermaybepresentn the areaof the Project.

Notice of Vi olations - Endangered pecies ct - Page 0 of I l


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CONTACT INFORMATIONRobertG' Evanssan ndividual esiding t 1065St .HelenaWay,Sebastopol, Ag54T2,Telephone707 823-0609.SherryPetersens an ndividual esiding tl3 0 HurlbuiAvenue,Sebastopol,A95472,Telephone 07-823-1594.Doug Emery s an individual esidingat 7528 GatesDrive.Sebastopol,CA'95472,Telephone07-829-7968.orthernCaliforniaRiverWatchisanon-profitcorporation edicated o the protectionandenhancementf the watersof the Stateof Californiaincludingwetlandsand vernalpools. It is organized nder he awsof the Stateof California. Itsaddresss 6741Sebastopolvenue,Suite140,Sebastopol, A95472,Telephone 07-g24-4372.PRO'IECTORS ave etainedegalcounselo representhem n thismatter.Al l communicationsshould e addressedo:

JackSilver,EsquireLaw Officesof JackSilverPostOfficeBox 5469SantaRosa,CA 95402-5469'f el. 707 528-817Fax 707-528-8675lhm288 3@sbc lobal. et

CONCLUSION'fhcviolations et brth n thisNotice affbct hehcalth, esthetic,piritual.ecrcational.rcati'ea'dpersonal njoymentol PROTECTORSwho resideand recreaten the afl-ccteclonrnruniticssurroundinghe Site. 'I'heirhealth,use and enjoyment f this natural esources spccillcall'impaired y VIoI.ATORS' violations f theESA asset orthherein.PRO'fIICTORS elieve his Notice sufficiently tates roundsor filing suit. At thccloseof the60-daynoticeperiodorshort lythereafterPROTECTORSntendtofi lea 6 Ll.S.C. l5ag(gxlXA)citizen's uit n UnitedStates istrictCourtagainst IOLATORS or violations f the ederal SAandState aw.During he60-day oticeperiod,PROTECTORS rewilling to discuss ffective emediesor theviolationsnotedherein. However, f the VIOLATORS wish to pursuesuchdiscussionsn theabsencef litigation, t is suggestedhose iscussionse nitiatedwithin the next wenty 20)daysso hat heymaybe completed efore he endof the60-day oticeperiod. PROTECTORS o norintend o delay he iling of a lawsuit f discussionsrecontinuingwhen hatperiodends.

Very rulyyours,

- . r ' )JackSilverJS:lhm

Case - River Watch versus Department of Fish and Game

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