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Focused Survey Deadlines Fast Approaching

FrogAspen Environmental Group would like to highlight for our clients that focused survey deadlines for many species are on the horizon. Projects can be delayed missing the survey window for focused survey protocols required by project permits, mitigation requirements, and regulatory protocols. We encourage our current and prospective clients to review the plant and amphibian species-specific deadlines below, to ensure compliance and avoid costly project delays. Some survey protocols have specific rainfall requirements that were not met during California’s record-breaking multi-year drought, but can now be conducted due to the above-average precipitation that occurred this winter. If you have a project with regulatory or mitigation requirements that include focused surveys, we are ready to assist you. Aspen has the in-house capability and expertise to perform a broad range of focused/protocol surveys, technical analyses, and the experience to successfully guide clients through the regulatory pathway.

Plants

Focused surveys for special status plants should be floristic in nature and conducted at the time of year when species are in flower. The blooming period for many wildflowers extends from mid-February to mid-May. Some plant species bloom in the summer and late fall while others are identifiable at any time of the year. Please contact Aspen Botanists Scott White or Justin Wood in our Upland Office to determine when surveys should be performed for the species that may occur at your project.

Amphibians

  • California tiger salamander: Three surveys with one per month in March, April, and May.
  • Arroyo toad: Six surveys between March 14 and July 1, with one per month in April, May, and June.
  • California Red-legged frog: Six surveys between January 1 and September 1, with at least one survey recommended between January 1 and April 15.
  • Western spadefoot toad: Four surveys with at least one per month in February, March, and April recommended.

For questions about survey timing for amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, and nesting birds, please contact Aspen Biology Group Manager, Chris Huntley, at our headquarters in Agoura Hills.