Law Office of J"* Silver

P.O. Box 5469 SantaRosa,California95402

Phone707-5284175 Fax?07-5283675
warrioreco@ahoo.con'r

Iuly 21,2006

VIA CERTIFIEDMAIL -
RETURNRECEIPTREQUESTED

Dirk Kempthorne,Secretaryof the Interior CarlosM. Gutierrez,Secretary

of Commerce
UnitedStatesDepartmentof the Interior United StatesDepartmentof Commerce
1849C Street.
N.W. l40l Constitution
Avenue,NW , Room5516
Washington,D.C. 20240 Washington,DC20230

Mike Johanns,Secretary
of Agriculture H. DaleHall. Director
United StatesDepartmentof Agriculture United StatesDepartmentof the Interior
1400Independence Avenue,S.W. United StatesFish and Wildlife Service
Washington,DC20250 1849C Street,N.W.
WashingtonDC 20240

LTG Carl Strock,Commander David Allen, RegionI Director

F.Ieadquarters UnitedStatesFish and Wildlife Service
UnitedStatesArmy Corpsof Engineers EastsideFederalComnlex
441G Street,N.W. 9 1 1N . E . I l t h A v e .
Washington,D.C. 203l4-l 000 Portland,OR 97232-418l

UnitedStatesFish and Wildlife Service L. RyanBroddrick, Director

SacramentoFish and Wildlife Office CaliforniaDepartmentof Fish & Game
2800CottageWay,Room W-2605 1416Ninth Street
Sacramento,California 9 5825 Sacramento,CA 95814

ColonelRonaldN. Light, District Engineer RobertW. Floerke,RegionalManager

U.S. Army Corpsof Engineers CaliforniaDept.of Fish & Game- Region3
Sacramento District P . O .B o x 4 7
1325I Street Yountville.CA.94599
Sacramento.CA 95814-2922

N o t i c eo f V i o l a t i o n s- E n d a n g e r eSdp e c i e A
s c t - p a g e1 o f 1 2
LawrenceMclaughlin, City Attorney William R. Schellinger.Registered
Agent
City of Sebastopol SchellingerProperties,LLC
P.O.Box 1776 1270 Airport Blvd.
714 JohnsonStreet SantaRosa.CA 95403
Sebastopol CA,95472

FrankH. Schellinger,
RegisteredAgent William R. Schellinger,Registered
Agent
SchellingerConstructionCo. ArboritaLLC
3418Standish Avenue 1270AirportBlvd.
SantaRosa.CA 95407 SantaRosa.CA 95403

William R. Schellinger,Registered
Agent FrankH. Schellinger,RegisteredAgent
ConcourseLLC HeatherGlen LI-C
1270Airport Blvd. 1270 AirportIllvd.
SantaRosa,CA 95403 SantaRosa,CA 95403

WillianiR. Schellinger,
Rcgistered
Agcnt William R. Schellinger,
Registered
Agcnt
MeadowTrail LLC OrlandFairviewLLC
1270Airportlllvd. 1270Airport Blvd.
SantaRosa,CA 95403 SantaRosa,CA 95403

William R. Schellinger,RegisteredAgcnt William R. Schellinger,RcgisteredAgent

PenbrookLLC Winter CreekLLC
1270 AirportBlvd. 1270 AirportBlvd.
SantaRosa,CA 95403 SantaItosa,CA 95403

Joc ltipple, Registered

Agent .lamesF. Cotter,RegisteredAgent
I"airvicwVillageof OrlandIlomeownersAssoc. CotterIlealthCenters,Inc.
1270Airport Blvd. 1070Gravenstein Highway,South
SantaRosa,Ca 95403 Sebastopol,CA,95472-4529

JohnA. Pelayo,RegisteredAgent Marco Waaland,Owner

Assessment Technologies USA, LC GoldenBearBiostudies
1 1 1S o l e d aAd v e ,S u i t e1 1 0 0 406 E Street
SanAntonio.TX 78205-2229 SantaRosa,CA,95404

RE: Notice of Violations and Intent to File Suit Under the EndangeredSpeciesAct

DearVIOLATORS:

Endangered SpeciesAct ("ESA") $ 11(g),l6 U.S.C.$ 1540(g),requiresthat sixty (60) daysprior

to the initiationof a civil actionunderthe ESA, a personmustgive noticeof his/herintentto sueto
the allegedviolatorand the Secretaryof Interior,Commerceor Agriculture.

SpeciesAct - Page2 of 12
Noticeof Violations- Endangered
I am writing on behalf of Robert G. Evans,SherryPetersen,Doug Emery and Northern California
River Watch,hereafter,"PROTECTORS", to notifu all of you, collectivelyreferredto hereafteras
"VIOLATORS", of violationsof Sections7 andgof theEndangered SpeciesAct, l6 U.S.C. $ 1536
and $ 1538with respectto propertyfuither identifiedin this Notice.

SITE DESCRIPTION

Theplantsandanimalsidentifiedin this Noticeasbeingaffectedby the violationsof VIOI-ATORS

are locatedon propertyat 955, 995. and 997 Gravensteinf{ighway in the City of Sebastopol,
Assessor's ParcelNumbers004-390-003, 004-390-006, 004-390-009, 004-390-010. 004-390-0ll
and 151-010-012) a plannedcommunityconsisting of 145units(hereafter"the Site"). Thc Sitcis
approximately 21.35acresand is locatedon the eastsideof the Highwayto the immediateeastof
its intersection
with FircrestAvenue. Existinglanduseson the Siteinclude5 smallresidencesand
an 1,800squarefoot day carefacility.
'fhe
majorityof theSiteis currentlyundeveloped, openspaceconsistingofwetlands.seasonal vernal
poolsand opengrassland.The proposcdzoningdesignationfor the Site is PlannedCommunity.
Approximately19acrcsof grasslands containingseasonalvernalpoolsandan additional1.84acrcs
which exist in the fbrm of wet mcadows,seasonal creekcourses,vernalpools and vcrnalswales.
havebeendeclared jurisdictionalwetlandsby theArmy Corpsof Engineers("Corps"). -fhc Sitclics
within the rangeof the federallyendangered SonomaCor-rntyDistinct PopulationScgrlcntol'thc
Clalifornia
tiger salamander (Amby.rtomuculifbrniensc),
Sonomasunshine(Blcnnos:permu bukeri).
lJurkc'sgoldfields([.ustheniahurkei).and Scbastopol mcadowfoam(Limnunthesvinculun.s').

projcctproposes
A rr-rixed-use to dcveloptheSiteasa plannedcommunityconsisting ol'182 hclusing
unitsof varioustypesand sizes(i.e.cottagcs,row houses,apartments, etc.),a ncighborhoodccnter
with retailand officc spacc.and a smallwetlandreserve,(hcreafter,"the Project").

IMPACT ON LISTE,DPI,ANT SPECIES

Adver se lmp act on Seb astopol N{ead ow f oam (.Li mn an th es vi n cuI ans\

1'heProiectwill havean adverseimpacton Sebastopol meadowfoamlistedasa FederalEndangered

SpeciesundertheEo SfA1 9 7 3 , a s a m e n d e d ( l 6 U . S S
. C1.5 3 1 e t s e q )(.F e d e r a l R e g i s t5e6r : 6 1 1 7 3 ;
December2,1991). The Projectwill destroyexistingplantsand most of the plants'habitat.Some
VIOLATORS have beenagentsfor the destructionand removalof 1,. vinculansin the past and
currcntlythreatendestructionand removalof l. vinculans.

The Fish and Wildlife Service("FWS") hasjurisdictionover speciesthat are fbrmally listed as
threatenedor endangered underthe FederalESA. The FWS senta letterto the Corpson March 12,
2004 statingthat surveysof federallylistedplantshad beenconductedon the Site and no f-ederally
listedplantshad beenfound. FWS concludedthe Pro.iect was not likely to havean adverseaffect
on L. vinculans.

However,the surveyswerenot reliable. Surveyprotocolswereinconsistentwith accepted,standard

rareplantsurveyprotocolsrequiredby Fish & Game,CaliforniaNativePlantSociety("CNPS"), and

SneciesAct - Pase3 of 12
Notice of Violations- Endansered
FWS, that stipulatesurveysbe conductedduring the appropriateflowering seasonfor detection.
Obviouslythe besttime NOT to find live speciesis during their non-g.o*ing or non-flowering
season.The Sebastopol meadowfoamis an annualwith a growingseasonfromlate March to earl|
May. Many of the surveyswere conductedoutsidethe plant' s growing seasonand many
werl
conductedin winterandwerenecessarily limitedby watercoveringthe ground.The May l99g and
March2002surveysconductedby GoldenBearBiostudiesfailedto disciosewetlandsona westerly
portionof the Site,within the footprintof the proposedProject,the resultbeingthat
those,rru.y,
completelyignoredmore than an acreof the Site'swetlandsand wetlandsplants. Fufthermore,
the
recordneglectsto indicatethe May 1998and March 2002 surveyswere conductedunderproper
protocols.

On December 9, 15 and I 7,2003,andJanuary2.2004theCity of Sebastopol'sbiologicalconsultant,

WetlandsResearch Associates ("WRA") conductedsurveyson theproposedpro.icctSite.WRA did
generatea comprehensiveplant list and despitethe fact that this surveywas a limitccl wintcr
investigation,WRA alsoreportedan undetermined specicsol'meadowfbani, which mayor maynot
havebeenI' vinc'ulun^r. During a May 5. 2005surveyof the site WRA agair-r
foundclearcvidence
of a healthyLimnanthesvinculonspopulation.

On l"ebruary26, 2004, representatives lrom FWS and the Corps visited thc Site 1o c.nsiclcr
Californiatiger salamandcrhabitatsuitability. 'l'hiswoulclhavebeenanotheropportunit.r, to aclcl
anotherdatc to thc list of plant surveydatcs,but unfortunatelyit was too early in thc sL-aso'to
o b s c r v cn r o s p
t l a n ts p c c i e s .

On April 12.2005,Dr. Philip Northen,professorof Biologyat SonomaStatet1niversityandexpert

in endangered plant speciesin the Sebastopol
area,visitedthe Site at the requestof local resident
RobertG. Flvans.While walking the Site,Mr. Evanshad spottedseveralplantshe thoughtmight
bemeadowfoam andwantedDr. Northcn'sopinion. Dr. Northenarrivedat the Siteabout4:30p.m.,
accompanied by RobertG. Evans,DeaF-ried,RernyParker.Presidentof the Milo BakcrChapicrof
the CNPSand her husbandKeith. Someof the plantsin questionprovedto be l. lruglniii ssp.
niveu,not an endangered plant,but a numberwere,indeed,l. vinculans. Ms. parkcrclocumenled
the presenceof this speciesphotographically.
'fhe
two speciesof I'imnuntheswere growing in shallowwater at the edgesol' vernal swales,
interspersed
primarilywithin standsof sernaphore grass(Pleuropogoncalifbrnicl.r.r).
Individr-rals
of
L. vinculant were found in two different areason the easternporlion of the Sitc. All of the
Sebastopol meadowfbam plantswereveryhealthyandwerein mid-stageofthe bloom.Thefirstarea
containingL. vinculanslay57 feet southof two largecottonwoodsthat lie on the Site'snorthern
boundary,as Robert G. Evansmeasuredby tape. It containedtwo clustersof the plant, eachabout
40 cm in diameter.One clustercontained8-10plants.Countingunopenedbuds,therewere25-30
flowersin this group.A secondclustercontained4 plants,with 5 flowerstotal. The secondarea
containingL. vinculanswas located60 feet southof the front porch of the southeastern
most mobile
home in a mobile home park that lies on the Site's northernboundary.Ten to fifteen plantswere
growing in a clusterof about I meter diameter. Dr. Northen counted25-30 flowers in this group.
Dr. Northenwas not surprisedat finding this endangeredspeciesgrowing naturallyon the Site as
thehabitathasa naturalsuitabilitvfor this snecies.

Noticeof Violations- Endansered

SpeciesAct - Pase4 of 12
 Dr' Northen notified FWS of the "[p]resenceof the endangeredSebastopolmeadowfoam,
Limnanthesvinculanson the siteof theproposedLagunaVista developmentin Sebastopol.,'
Letter
to JanKnight,chief, EndangeredSpeciesDivision u. s. Fws, April 19,2005.

On April 26,2005Fish & GameEnvironmentalScientist,Liam Davis,was sentby his

supervisor,
Carl Wilcox, to survey the site. Mr. Davis identified and flagged a number of Sebastopol
meadowfoam plantsgrowingon theproposedLagunaVistaprojectsite,andstatedin his FieldNotes
that the plantswere healthyand robust,and that therewas no evidenceof grounddisturbance.

On May 5, 2005.Micki Kelly, BiologicalConsultantfor WRA alsofoundL. vinculonsspccies.

Dr.
Norlhenalsonotedthat Dr. RobertE. Preston,Ph. D, SeniorBotanistwith Jonesand Stokes.
was
hired by the Schellinger Brothers firm to "examine the recently discovered Sebastopol
Meadowfbam,"and visited the Lagunavista site on May 5, 2005. In his May I 1, 2005 reporl
to
Marco Waaland,ownerof GoldenBearBiostudies,Dr. Prestonnotcd:"l conflrm that someof the
plantsareI'intnanlhesvinculuns,"and."The wetlandsin which the plantsaregrowingarc
seasonal
wetlandswith speciestypical of vernalpools in the SantaRosaarea."Furthei,"thc vcgetation
of
thosewetlandsis consistentwith the vegetationa1other Scbastopolmeadowl'oamoccurrences
rcportedin CNDDB."

Withoutcnlistingthe assistance of either[-iamDavisor Dr. Northen,Irish& GameSupcr'isorCarl

Wilcox,and BotanistGeneCooley in companywith MarcoWaalanddecidcdthatthe L. t,inculun.s,
prcviously identifiedby four expert biologists(Davis, Northen, Kelly and presto') had becn
transplatited
to the Siteandwas not occurringnaturally.On May 23,2005.Fish& (iamc Rcgional
ManagcrRobcrtW. IrloerkeannouncedthatFish& Garne"hascletermined thatthc plantsrvcrcnot
naturallyoccurringon thc site." WardenMatt Parlatowasassignedby Fish & Gameadministralors
to investigate
the matteras definedby ManagerFloerke,but thc record showsno rcp.rt ol'sLrch
invcstigation.ln fact, the recordis devoidof sufficientinfbrmationor cvidcnceto cletcrrni'ethe
basisfor Fish& Game'sclctermination regardingthe occurrenceof I. vinculans.Soonaltcrwards.
Irish& Gameemployeesillegally removcdthe populalionof L. vinculansplanlsat thc Siteat an
unknowndatein May 2005.

lgnoringall otherevidence,FWS deferredto Fish & Game'sofficial opinionthat the endangcred

plants were not naturally occurring on the Site. As it turned out, the endangereclSebasiopol
meadowfoamwas growingnaturallyon the Site. L. yinculanspopulationshad beendocumenied
in the pastand residentpopulationsre-emerged againthis year. On April lg, 2006,Eric Johnson
discovered a smallclumpof delicatewhite flowershe identifiedasa reoccurrenceof the Sebastopol
meadowfoam.Mr. Johnsonpointedtherareplantout to all interested viewerson an Anril 2 l -2006
tour of the Site.

VIOLATIONS OF THE ESA

'fhe
Projectwill have significantadverseimpactson the endangeredSebastopolmeadowlbam
(Li mnanthes vi nculans).

Thefundamentalpurposesof the ESA areto providea meansto conserveendangered andthreatened

s p e c i e s a n d t h e e c o s y s t e m s o n w h i c h t h e y d1e6pU
e .nSd..C$. 1 5 3 1 ( b U
) ndertheESA'scitizensuit

Notice of Violations- Endangered

SpeciesAct - Page5 of 12
provision,any personmay sue to enjoin any other person,includingany federal,state,or local
governmentalentity allegedto be in violationof the ESA or any of its implementingregulations.
l 6 U . S . C$.1 s a o ( g X l X A )

ESA $ 9 Violations
Section9 of the ESA prohibitsany personrfrom:

Removingand reducingto possession any suchspeciesfrom areasunder federal

jurisdiction,maliciouslydamagingor destroyingany suchspecieson areasunder
federaljurisdiction,or removingcuttingdiggingup damagingor destroyinganysuch
specieson any otherareain knowing violation of any statelaw or regulationor in the
courseof violatingany statecriminaltrespass law. ESA $ 9 (a)(2)(B);16 U.S.C.$
1s38(a)(2)(B).
'fhc
HSAmakesit unlawfulfbr anypersonsubjectto thejurisdictionofthe tJnitedStatesto "attempt
to commit.solicitanothertocommit,or causeto be committed,"anyof theseoffenses.16 tiSC $
1538(g) Thus the prohibitionappliesto governmentpermittingof activitiesthat may indirectly
causea third partyto remove,damage,or destroya listedspeciesin violationof I'ederalor statelaw.
1'he I'rojcct includesareasundcr l-cdcraljurisdiction. The Site includes 1.84 acrcs of Corps
'l'hc
jurisdictionalwetlands ar-rd
approximately19 acresof grasslands with scasc'rnalvernalpools.
presence of fedcraland statelistedendangeredspeciesbringsthis land undcr l-cdcraljuriscliclion.

'l'hc
FWS hasjurisdictionoverspeciesthatareformallylistcdasthrcatenedor endangcrccl Lrnclcl
thc
FederalESA. The removal of the endangeredL. population
vinculans from the Siteby I;ish& (lamc
an elementof an ongoingharm to thc listcd
or any othcrpersons,agcnciesor entities,constitutes
species.

Iiish& Gamepresented no documented evidence(photographs, soil cores,physicaldata)to supporl

its claim that the endangeredplant was not naturallyoccurring and had been introduced.No
scientificpecr reviewof theFish& Gamedataandfindingshasbeenallowcd.After thc confiscation,
Fish & Game neglectedto olose the Site to tamperingof evidence. Fish & Game'srush to
conclusions, despiteall evidenceto the contrary,andFWS'sunquestioning capitulationto thc state
agency's ill-considered opinion constituteongoing harm to the federallylisted spccics.

The Draft EnvironmentalImpactReportfor the Projectneglectsto takethe endangercdSebastopol

meadowfoam into account.As a result,theProject,asproposed,
constitutesan elementof ongoing
harmto the federallylistedspecies.

I ESA SEC.3. For the purposes of this Act-

(13) The terrn "person" meansan individual,corporation,partnership, or any other
trust, associatiott,
privateentity;or any officer, employee,agent,department, or instrumentalityof the FederalGovernment,
of any State,municipality,or political subdivision of a State, or of any foreign government;any State,
municipality,or politicalsubdivisionof a State;or any otherentity subjectto thejurisdictiorrof the tJnited
States.

SpeciesAct - Page6 of 12
Notice of Violations- Endangered
Underthesecircumstancesinjunctive relief underthe E,SAis necessaryto preventfurlher harm to
the federallylisted Sebastopolmeadowfoam.

Violation of StateLaw is a Violation of the FederalESA

Listed plantsmay not be cut, dug up, damagedor destroyed,or removedfrom any area(including
privatelands)in knowing violation of a statelaw or regulation. ESA S 9 (aX2XB); l6 U.S.C.S
1s38(a)(2)(B).

The May 2005removalof the endangered L. vinculansfrom the Siteby someof the VIOI-ATORS
including Fish & Garne,the continuedthreat of destructionand removal, and the Projcct as
specieslaws: The CaliforniaEndangered
proposed,violateCalifornia's endangered SpeciesAct
("CE,SA")CaliforniaFish & Game Code $ 2050, ct seq.,and the Native Plant ProtectionAct
("NPPA"),Fish& GameCode$ 1900,et seq.

'i'he to takeanyfish,wildlifc. or plantspecies

CESAprohibitsanyperson2from takingor attempting
lisledascndangercd or threatencd thatis candidatefor listingunderCESA.Fish
or anysuchspecies
& G a m cC o d eQ2 0 8 0 .$ 2 0 8 5 .

or endangered
Fish & Gamehasiurisdiction over tl'rreatened specicsformally listcd by thc State
underthe CESA. L vinculan!',was formally listedas endangeredby Fish & Ganlein Novembcr
section670.2.
I 979. Publishedat Title 14,CaliforniaCodeof Regulations,

RecauseVIOI-A'fORS' actionshave resultedin the taking of individualmembcrsof a protccted

plant,and becauseVIOLA-I'ORS' proposedactivitiesby way o1'theProjectwill clestroyhabitat
VIOLA'I'ORSarcirTviolationo1-thc
whichwill resultin iniuryto cxistingandlutureL. vinculans,
ClrSA.

Thc ongoing harm to the Sebastopolmeadowfoamat the Site falls into nonc of thc CDSA
(Sec Fish & Game Codc $ Q 2081(a);2080.1;2835; 2084) Iniunctivcrelief is
exceprions.
underthe C[]SA.
appropriatc

l'hereis no authorityin statuteor regulationto setasideESA proceduralregulationsby an agency's

determininga populationis "afiificial". Both Fish & Gameand FWS are committedto regional
mitigatiol negotiations in the SantaRosa/Sebastopol area,andFish& Gametakestitle to mitigation
sites. Thus,thesetwo entitiesarenot wholly disinterested in the outcomeof suchdeterminations.
The landownerof the Site has other properliesand contributesto mitigation banks managedor
regulatedby Fish & Gameand FWS. Understandably neitherthe statenor the federalagencywants
to provokeconflictswith the landowneror developerof the Project,but suchnicetiesdo not nullify

, a "persoll"as"any naturalperson
CESA doesnot define"person".Fish& GameCodedescribes
Fish& Garne
corporation,limited liability company;trust,or othertype of association."
or anypartnership,
Codeg 67. Unlikethe fecleralESA, CESA cloesnol applydirectlyto state and local agencies.
govenilnerrt
Governmentagenciescan be held indirectlyliablefor violationsof CESA throughthe actionsof their
agents,contractors
officials,employees, andothersactingin the scopeof theirofficial duty.See67 OPSCal.
Atty Gen355 (1984).

SpeciesAct - PageI of 12
Notice of Violations- Endangered
the law. In the absenceof an arm's-lengtharbiteror someindependentexpertscientificreview
panel,an injunctionis necessary
to preventan adverselegalprecedent.

The NPPA protectsendangered and "rare" speciesand subspecies

and varietiesof wild , native
p l a n t sF. i s h& G a m eC o d eg g 1 9 0 0 ,1 9 0 1 .

The CNPShasplacedL vinculans.on List 1B (rareor endangered

throughoutits range).published
at'fitle 14,CaliforniaCodeof Regulations,
$ 670.2.

Oncea plantis listedunderthe NPPA, Fish & Gameis requiredto notify the ownersof landupon
which any rareplantsare growing of their existence,and to "provide suchinformationaboutthe
protectionof suchplantsas may be appropriate." Fish& GameCode$ 1911. Upon locatingand
identifuingthepopulationof Sebastopol meadowfoam on the Site,Fish& Gameneglected to notify
the Siteownerand/orpropertydevelopers of the presenceof theendangered plant,andneglcctedto
provideinformationaboutprotection.Furthcrmorc, Fish& GameandpossiblyothcrVIOLATORS
dcliberatelyremovedthc entircpopulationof thc meadowfbam. Ignoringexpertopinion,F'ish&
Gamedeclaredthe Scbastopolmeadowfoamto havebeenintroduced.Fish & Gamepresented no
documentcd evidcnceto supporlthis claim. No scientificpeerrcview of the Fish& Gamedataand
findingshasbccnallowed After thc confiscationof theplant, Fish & Gameneglectcdto closcthe
Sitcto tampcringo{.evidence.
'fhc
IiWS abandoncdits rcsponsibilityto thc Sebastopolmcadowl'oam's
statusas an cnclangcrecl
spccics.and chose1odeferto Fish & Garne'sof'ficial,unsupported,
opinionthal thc Scbastopol
meadowfbetm was lraudulcntlyplanted.lloth lrish& GamcandFWS havcactedin an arbitraryeurcl
carpricions
mannerby:

l) Failingto liecd staff biologist,Liam Davis'originalField Notcs;

2) FailingtoreviewtheCityofSebastopol'sotherenvironmental documenlswhich dcmonstrate

thatolderrecordsof L. vinculunswercprevior"rsly
reportedin thevicinity of theSitc.andthat
WRA detecteda populationof Limnanthesspecies on the Site in lale 2003;

3) Failingto notethatGoldenBearBiostudiesincorrectlyfoundno jurisdictionalwetlands,and

thatthis was reversedby the Corpsin a correctedwetlanddelineation;and,

4) Failingto conducta comprehensive reviewof dataon the habits,speciesassociations,

and
populationsize of L. vinculan^r in the CaliforniaDiversityDatabase("CCNDDB"). ( fhe
CCNDDB is managedat the statelevelby Fish & Game,and in lailing to rer,'iewtheir own
document,they failed to note the recordfor L. vinculansimmediatelynorth of the proposed
LasunaVista site.)

PROTECTORSareconcernedabouta precedentfor collusionamongVIOLATORS to invalidate

inconvenientoccurrencesof endangeredspecieson the groundsthey are allegedlytransplanted,
especiallywhen no rulesof evidenceor reviewapply.

Notice of Violations- Endangered

SpeciesAct - Page8 of l2
 ESA $ 7 Violations

ESA $ 7(a)(1)requiresthe Services3to utilizeall programsadministeredby them in furtherance

of
thepurposes of the ESA. ESA $ 7 establishes a processby which eachfederalagencymustconsult
the applicableServiceregardingimpactsto listedspecies.

Thisconsultation processis designedto insurethatfederalagencies complywith ESA $ 7(a)(2)twin

duties:eachfederalagencymust insurethat any actionit authorizes,frnds, or carriesout, in
whole
or in part,is not likely to eitherjeopardtzethecontinuedexistenceof any listedspecies
or resultin
thedestruction or adversemodificationof designated criticalhabitat.ESA $ 7(a)(2)imposes these
dutieson eachfederalagencyindependent ofany agreement or otheractionby the Services.

Fedcralagency"actions"aredefinedbroadlyas "all activitiesor programsol-anykind authorized.

funded.or carricd out, in whole or in part, by federalagenciesin the t-]nitedStates,,,
including
ongoingagcncyactions.50 CFR \ 402.02.Currentlybothtl-reCorpsand p-WShavcthe discretion
to denyor modifythe Pro.iectto protectthc listedL. vinculunson the Site. ThusboththeCorps
and
IIWS aresubject to ESA g 7 obligations.

I)r. Northertnotilled[rWSof the prescnceof theendangered Scbastopol meadol,,,fba

nt.L. t,inculun.t
as soonas hc had identifiedit. No ar,rthority
in statuteor regulationallows a lbdcralagencyto set
asidc F.SA procccluralobligationsby merely pronouncing,without pcrsuasivecviclcncc.t5a1
cndangercdflowers were fraudulentlyplantedby someonctrying to stop a disputcdhousing
devclopment.

Failureto Consult

Despitetheobligationon all fedcralagencies connectecl

with theProjeclto pcrformF.SA$ 7 duties.
t-toconsultation
hastakenplaceregardingthe presenccof any endangered species.pla.t or aninral.
FWS is tryingto rely on the regulationsfor "informalconsultation"that allow lbr preemptionof a
lbrmal ESA I 7 consuhationby a determinationof "not likely to adverselyaflbct"
1..Ni.tna,,;.
NormallytheNL'|AA detcrminationappliesonly whena speciesdoesnot occuron a quadsheetor
is knownto bc entirelylackingin potentialhabitat(rr-rle
of reason,preponderance of cvidencc).and
would not apply to this Site with sr,ritable
habitat,and pastdocumentedpresenceof ecologically
equivalentor identicalspecies(i.e.the WRA 2003observations, presence of co-occurringindicator
wetlandspecies).

Thc Servicehad no non-arbitrarybasisfor a NLTAA determinationto circumventa biological

opinion. It insteadreliedon the flawed andarbitraryFish& Gameinterpretationthat the plantswere
introduced.Even so,that doesNOT mean"not likely to adverselyaffect"the populationthat was
IN FACT present,regardless of its origin. In short,the Servicehasa procedural"reason"fbr not
proceeding with a biologicalopinion,but thatreasonis invalidunderregulation.Therewas in fact

' For
easeof reference
the ESA uses"services"to refercollectivelyto FWS and the National
OceanicandAtmospheric Administration).Forthepurposes
of this Notice,FWS is the relevantService.

Notice of Violations- Endangered

SpeciesAct - page9 of \2
 an adverseeffect on the speciesknown to the Service,but the Seruicearbitrarily
choseto discount
or disqualifyit without any scientificor legal basis-- just arbitrarydeferenceto p'lstr
& Game.

No BiologicalOpinion

The record for this project includesno ESA $ 7 biological opinion. Normally
an ESA $ 7
consultationresultsin the preparationby the Serviceof a writtenbiologicalopinion,.detailing
htw
theagencyactionaffectsthespecies or its criticalhabitat."l6 U.S.C. r s:OtUlt:lfA). If theService
concludesin the biologicalopinionthatthc agencyactionwill notjeopardize'thelisted
speciesbut
thattheactionwill neverthelessresultin thetakingof thespecies, thenthe Servicemustincludewith
the biological opinion a written, incidentaltake statementwhich, among other
things, must
"speciflylthe impactof suchincidentaltakingon the species."16 U.S.C.
f SJO16X+XgXi).

No ESA $ 7 BioloeicalAssessment

"l'o facilitatecompliancewith the requirements of subsection(aX2),eachFederal

agencyshall,with respectto any agencyactionof suchagencylbr which no contract
lor constrttction hasbecnentercdinto, requestof the Secretaryinformationwhcther
any specieswhich is listedor proposedto be listedmay be presentin thc arcaol.such
proposcdaction.If the Sccretaryadvises,basedon the bestscientificand commcrcial
dataavail:rble'that suchspeciesmay be presenl,suchagcncyshallconducta biological
assessment fbr thc purposcof identilyingany endangered spcciesor thrcalcrred
specicswhich is likcly to be al'l-ectcd by sr_rch "
actiol.r
L S A $ 7 ( c ) ( l )1 6U . S . C .1 s 3 6 ( c ) ( l ) .
'l'hc
rccorddoescontaina BiologicalAssessme nt prcparedfor the City of Sebastopol
on March6.
2002,by GoldenBearBiostudies.-l'hisAssessment, which survcyedonly a portionof the Sitc's
vernalpool wctlands,statedthe survcys"did not resultin observationo1'anyendangcredspccies".
'l'he
Assessmentconstitutesneithcran ESA $ 7 BiologicalOpinionnor an IISA g 7 Biological
Assessment:

1) A BiologicalAssessment
is not a BiologicalOpinion;

The Assessmentwas preparedby the consultantof an interestedpafty.ratherthanby a

f-ederalagency;

3) TheAssessment wasnot donefollowingconsultation

with the Secretary
of the Interioror in
consultationwith any federalagency.

AlthoughGoldenBearBiostudiesmight haveappliedfor an exemptionunderl6 U.S.C. 1536(9),

$
andconducted an independent biologicalassessmentto identifyanyendangered
specieslikely to be
affectedby the Project,the extantAssessmentdoesnot qualifybecauseit wasnoi conductedunder
the supervision of the appropriatefederalagency.16 U.S.C.g 1536(c)(2);seealso 16 U.S.C.6
Is36(9).

Notice of Violations- Endangered

SpeciesAct - page l0 of l2
 liforni

The Projectalsowill likely havean adverseimpacton the Californiatiger salamander (Ambystoma

caliJbrniense/ listedas a Threatened/Endangered Speciesunderthe ESA of 1973,as amen6ed(16
u . s . c . $ 1 5 3 1e t s e q ) (. F e d e r aRl e g i s r e6r9 : 4 7 2 r r - 4 7 2 4 g
A;u g u s r4 , 2 0 0 4 )

Althoughthe GoldenBearBiostudiesAssessment did not reportobservations of l. californien.se,

theCity of Sebastopol's
Draft Environmentallmpact Reportidentifiespotentiallysignificantimpacts
regardingthepotentialfor thepresence
of the Californiatiger salamanderon oi adiacentto the Site.

ESA I 9 Violations

ESA I 9 prohibitsany personfrom taking or attemptingto take any endangercdfish or wilcllil-c

specieswithin the tJ.S.ESA $ 9; l6 tJ.S.C.$ 1538(a)(1)(B). No specificintentto rakea lisred
speciesis recluircdin ordcr for onc to be liablefbr an ESA 9 violation. Rathcr,a personis liable
S
underIISA $ 9 if he or shcknowinglyundcrtakes the actthatresultsin a violation. 'l'heperson
ncednot know that thc aflccted specieswas listed,or that the act unclertaken would constitutca
violationof IISA I 9. Babbittv SwcctI Iome5 r 5 tJS 697,700-701 .
'l'hc
IiSA dellnes"takc" asto "harass,harm,pursue,hunt,shoot,wound,kill, trap,captureor collect,
or to attemptto engagein any suchconduct."16 tJ.S.C.$ 1532(19).By linkingdcstruction and
moclificationof a listed species'habitatwith a prohibited"take," (see50 CFR 17.3)thc IrWS
$
rnakesan extremelywide variety of human activitiespotentially subject to the ESA's takc
prohibition.

Althoughnotobserved on the Site,a possibilityexiststhatCaliforniatigcrsalamandcr specics

exisl
'l'he
on the Site. City of Sebastopol's Drafl Environmental ImpactReportadmitsof this possibility.
fhus the Projectas proposedwill lead to habitatdestructionor moclificatiol which will likeiy
becomethcproximatecauseof "actualdeathor injury"to theendangered Californiatigersalamander
in violationof ESA $ 9.

ESA $ 7 Violations

As setlbrth aboveESA $ 7 requireseachlbderalagencyto consultthe applicableServiceregarding

impactsto listedspecies.

Despitethe fact that both the Corps and FWS have discretionto deny or modify the project to
protect,and are subjectto ESA $ 7 obligations,no consultationhastakenplace. This failr-rre
to
consultis a violationof ESA $ 7. Normallyan ESA $ 7 consultationresultsin the preparation
by
the Serviceof a written biologicalopinion"detailinghow the agencyactionaffectsthe speciesor
its criticalhabitat." 16 U.S.C. $ 1536(bX3XA) No federalagencyhas generatedan ESA
$ 7
biologicalopinion,or biologicalassessment as to whetherthe Californiatiger salamander
mav be
presentin the areaof the Project.

Notice of Violations- Endangered

SpeciesAct - page I I of l2
 1

CONTACT INFORMATION

RobertG. Evansis anindividualresidingat 1065St.HelenaWay,Sebastopol, CA 95472,Telephone

707-823-0609.SherryPetersen is an individualresiding
at13l0 HurlbutAvenue,Sebastopol, CA
95472,Telephone707-823-1594.Doug Emery is an individualresidingat 7528 GatesDrive,
Sebastopol,CA.95472,Telephone 707-829-1968. NorthernCaliforniaRiverWatchisanon-profit
corporationdedicatedto the protectior-r
and enhancement of the watersof the Stateof California
includingwetlandsand vernalpools. It is organizedunderthe laws of the Stateof Califomia. Its
addressis 67-11SebastopolAvenue,Suite140,Sebastopol, CA 95472,Telephone 707-824-4372.

PROTECTORS haveretainedlegalcolrnselto represent

themin thismatter.All communications
shouldbe adclressed
to:

JackSilver,Esquire
Law Officesof JackSilver
PostOffice Box 5469
SantaRosa,CA 95402-5469
Tel. 707-528-8175
Fax 707-528-8675
lhm28843@sbcglobal.net

CONCLUSION

Theviolationssetlorth in thisNotice affectthehealth,aesthetic,

spiritual,recreational,
creativeand
personalenjoymentof PITOTECTOITS who resideand recreatein the affectedcommunities
surroundingthe Site. Their health,use and enjoymentof this naturalresourceis specifically
impairedby VIOLATOI{S'violationsof thc ESA as setforthherein.

PROTECTOIiSbelievethis Notice sufficicntlystatesgroundsfor filing suit. At the closeof the

6 0 - d a y n o t i c e p e r i o d o r s h o r t l y t h e r e a l t e r P R O I ' I I C T O R S i n t e n d t o f i l e a l 61U5. aS0. C
( g. )g( l ) ( A )
citizen'ssuitin UnitedStatesDistriclCourtagainstVIOLATORSfor violationsof thefederalESA
and Statelaw.

Duringthe 60-daynoticeperiod,PROTECTORSarewilling to discusseffectiveremediesfor the

violationsnotedherein. I-lowever,if the VIOLATORS r.vishto pllrsuesuch discussionsin the
absence of litigation,it is suggested
thosediscussionsbe initiatedwithin thenexttwenty(20)days
so thattheynraybe completedbeforethe endof the 60-daynoticeperiod. PROTECTORSdo not
intendto delaythe filing of a lawsuitif discussions
arecontinuingwhenthatperiodends.

Very truly yoLlrs,

/) fln
/ \ t"/ r / t
9^A4l'X"--
J$/kSilver
JS:lhm

N o t i c eo f V i o l a t i o n s- E n d a n q e r eSdp e c i eA
s c t - P a s e1 2 o f 1 2
LawOfficeof JackSilver
P.O.Box 5469 SantaRosa,Clalifornia95402
Phone 707-528-8175 Fa-x707-528-8675
wnrri clreco(r\ahoo.cclm

August18,2006

VIA CERTIFIED MAIL -

RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

Carl Wilcox, EnvironmentalServicesSupervisor

CaliforniaDept.of Fish & Game-Region3
P.O.Box 47
Yountville,CA94599

GeneCooley.Botanist
CaliforniaDept. of Fish & Game-Region3
P.O.Box 47
Yountville,CA94599

Matt Parlato,Warden
CaliforniaDept.of Fish & Game-Region3
P.O.Box 47
Yountville,CA 94599

RE: Notice of Violations and Intent to File Suit Under the EndangeredSpeciesAct

DearVIOLATORS:

Endangered SpeciesAct ("ESA") $ I l(g), l6 U.S.C.g 1540(9),requiresthat sixry (60) daysprior

to the initiation of a civil actionunderthe ESA, a personmust give notice of his/herintentto sueto
the allegedviolator and the Secretaryof Interior,Commerceor Agriculture.

I am writing on behalf of Robert G. Evans,SherryPetersen,Doug Emery and Northern California

River Watch,hereafter,"PROTECTORS", to notitr all of you, collectivelyreferredto hereafteras
"VIOLATORS", of violationsof Sections7 andgofthe Endangered SpeciesAct, l6 U.S.C. I 1536
and $ 1538with respectto propertyfuither identifiedin this Notice.

Notice of Violations - EndangeredSpeciesAct - Page I of I I

 SITE DESCRIPTION

The plantsandanimalsidentifiedin this Notice asbeingaffected

by the violationsof VIOLATORS
are locatedon propertyat 955,995, and 997 GraveisteinHighway
in the city of Sebastopol,
Assessor's ParcelNumbers004-390-003, 004-390-006, 004-390-009, 004-390-010, 004-390-01 1
and I 5 1-010-012)a plannedcommunityconsistingof 145units(hereafter,,the
Site,,).The Siteis
approximately21.35acresand is locatedon the eastsideof the Highway
to the immediateeastof
its intersection
with FircrestAvenue. Existinglanduseson the Siteinclude5 small
residences and
an 1,800squarefoot day carefacility.

Themajorityofthe Siteis currentlyundeveloped, openspaceconsistingof wetlands,seasonal vernal

pools and open grassland.The proposedzoning designationfor
the Site is plannedCommunity.
Approximatelyl9 acresof grasslandscontainingseasonalvernalpoolsand
an additionall.g4 acres
which exist in the form of wet meadows,seasonalcreekcourses,vernal pools
and vernal swales,
havebeendeclared jurisdictionalwetlandsby theArmy Corpsof Engineers
1"Corps";.The Sitelies
within the rangeof the federallyendangeredSonomaCounty Distinct population
Segmcntof the
Californiatiger salamander(Ambystomacali/brnierase), Sonomasunshine(Blenn6spermahakeri).
Burke'sgoldfields(Lastheniaburkei),and Sebastopol meadowfoam(Limnanthesvinculans).

A mixed-usepro.iect proposesto developtheSiteasa plannedcommunityconsistingof 1g2 housi'g

unitsof varioustypesand sizes(i.e.cottages, row houses,apartments, etc.),a neighborhood
center
with retail and officc space,and a small wetlandreserve,(hereafter,"the lrroiectl').

The Projectwill havean adverseimpacton Sebastopol meadowfoamlistedasa FederalEndangered

S p e c i e s u n d e r t h e Eo
sAf 1 9 7 3 , a s a m e n d e d ( l 6 U . S . C . 8 l 5e3t ls e q ) .( F e d e r a l R e g i s tSeA
r :etfil;
December2,l99l). The Projectwill destroyexistingplantsand most of the plants'habitat.
Some
VIOLATORS have been agentsfor the destructionand removal of L. vincilans in the past
and
currentlythreatendestructionand removal of L. vinculans.

The Fish and Wildlife Service("FWS") hasjurisdictionover speciesthat are formally listed
as
threatenedor endangered underthe FederalESA. The FWS senta letterto the Corpson March 12,
2004 statingthat surveysof federallylisted plantshad beenconductedon the Site and no federally
listedplantshad beenfound. FWS concludedthe Projectwas not likely to have an adverse
affect
on L. vinculans.

However,the surveyswerenot reliable. Surveyprotocolswereinconsistentwith accepted,standard

rareplantsurveyprotocolsrequiredby Fish & Game,CaliforniaNative PlantSociety(,,CNpS"),and
FWS, that stipulatesurveysbe conductedduring the appropriateflowering seasonfor detection.
Obviouslythe best time NOT to find live speciesis during their non-growing or non-flowering
season.The Sebastopolmeadowfoamis an annualwith a growing seasonfrom late March to early
May. Many of the surveyswere conductedoutsidethe plant' s growing seasonand many werl
conductedin winter andwere necessarilylimited by watercoveringthe ground. The May l99g and

Noticeof Violations- Endangered

SpeciesAct - page2 of ll
 March 2002surveysconductedby GoldenBearBiostudiesfailed to disclosewetlands
on a westerly
portion of the Site,within the footprint of the proposedProject,the result being
that those,r.u.y,
completelyignoredmore than an acreof the Site'swetlandsand wetlandsplanti. Furthermore,
the
recordneglectsto indicatethe May 1998 and March 2002 surveyswere conducted
underproper
protocols.

On December 9, I 5 and I 7,2003,andJanuary2,2004theCity of Sebastopol's

biologicalconsultant.
WetlandsResearchAssociates("WRA") conductedsurveyson the proposedproject Site.
WRA did
generatea comprehensiveplant list and despitethe fact that this survey was
a limited winter
investigation,WRA alsoreportedan undeterminedspeciesof meadowfoam,which may
or may not
havebeenL. vinculans'During a May 5,2005 surveyof the site WRA againfound clear
evidence
of a healthyLimnanthesvinculanspopulation.

on February26, 2004, representatives from FWS and the Corps visited the Site to considcr.
Californiatiger salamander habitatsuitability. This would havebecnanother6pportr,r'it1to aclcl
anotherdate to the list of plant survey dates,but unfortunatelyit was too early in thc se-aso,.'
to
observemostplantspecies.

On April 12,2005,Dr. Philip Northen,professorof tsiologyat SonomaStateUniversityandexpert

in endangered plant speciesin the Sebastopol
area,visitedthe Site at the requestof local resident
RobertG. Evans. While walking the Site,Mr. Evanshad spottedseveralplantshe thoughtmight
bemeadowfoam andwantedDr. Northen'sopinion.Dr. Northenarrivedat ihe Siteabout4:30p.m.,
accompanied by RobertG. Evans,Dea Fried,RemyParker,Presidentof the Milo BakerChapierof
the CNPS and her husbandKeith. Someof the plants in questionproved to be Z. clouglttiiis.sp.
nivea,not an endangered plant,but a numberwere,indeed,Z. vinculans. Ms. parkerdocumentecl
the presenceof this speciesphotographically.

The two speciesof Limnantheswere growing in shallowwater at the edgesof vernal s*,alcs.
interspersedprimarilywithin standsof semaphore grass(Pleuropogoncalifornlcu.r).Individualsof
L. vinculans were found in two different areason the easternportion of the Site. All of the
Sebastopol meadowfoamplantswerevery healthyandwerein mid-stageofthe bloom. The first area
containingL. vinculanslay 57 feet south of two large cottonwoodsthat lie on the Site's nofthern
boundary,as RobertG. Evansmeasuredby tape. It containedtwo clustersof the plant, eachabout
40 cm in diameter.One clustercontained8-10plants.Countingunopenedbuds,therewere25-30
flowers in this group. A secondclustercontained4 plants,with 5 flowers total. l-he secondarea
containingL. vinculan'twas located60 feet southof the front porchof the southeastern
most mobile
home in a mobile home park that lies on the Site's northemboundary.Ten to fifteen plantswere
growing in a clusterof about I meterdiameter. Dr. Northencounted25-30 flowers in this group.
Dr. Northenwas not surprisedat finding this endangeredspeciesgrowing naturallyon the Site as
the habitathasa naturalsuitability for this species.

Dr. Northen notified FWS of the "[p]resenceof the endangeredSebastopolmeadowfoam,

Limnanthesvinculanson the site of the proposedLagunaVista developmentin Sebastopol."Letter
to JanKnight,Chief,Endangered SpeciesDivision U. S. FWS, April 19, 2005.

Notice of Violations - EndangeredSpeciesAct - Page3 of I I

 On April 26,2005 Fish & GameEnvironmentalScientist,Liam Davis, was sentby his supervisor.
Carl Wilcox' to survey the site. Mr. Davis identified and flagged a number of Sebastopoi
meadowfoamplantsgrowing on the proposedLagunaVistaprojectsite,and statedin his Field
Notes
that the plantswere healthyand robust,and that therewas no evidenceof grounddisturbance.

On May 5,2005,Micki Kelly, BiologicalConsultantfor WRA alsofoundL. vinculanrspecies.Dr.

Norlhen alsonotedthat Dr. Robert E,.Preston,Ph. D, SeniorBotanistwith Jonesand Stokes.was
hired by the Schellinger Brothers firm to "examine the recently discovered Sebastopol
Meadowfoam," and visitedthe LagunaVistasiteon May 5,2005. In his May I1.2005 ..porito
Marco Waaland,ownerof GoldenBearBiostudies,Dr. Prestonnoted:"l confirm that someof the
plantsarel.imnanthesvinculans," and,"The wetlandsin which the plantsaregrowing areseasonal
wetlandswith speciestypical of vernal pools in the SantaRosaarea."Further,"the vegetationof
those wetlandsis consistentwith the vegetationat other Sebastopolmeadowfoa. o..ur.n..,
reportedin CNDDB."

Withoutenlistingthe assistance of eitherLiam Davisor Dr. Northen,Fish& GameSupervisor Carl

Wilcox.andBotanistGeneCooley in companywith MarcoWaalanddecidedthatthe L. t.inc'ulc,t,s,
previouslyidentifiedby four expert biologists(Davis, Northen, Kelly and Preston)haclbcen
transplantedto the Siteandwas not occurringnaturally.On May 23,2005,Fish& GameRcgional
ManagerRobertW. Floerkeannouncedthat Fish & Game"has determinedthat the plantswerenot
naturallyoccurringon the site." WardenMatt Parlatowas assignedby Fish & Gameadmi'istrators
to investigate
the matteras definedby ManagerFloerke,bu1the recordshowsno reportof such
investigation.In fact, the recordis devoidof sufT-rcient
informationor evidenccto determinethc
basisfor Fish& Game'sdetermination regardingthe occurrenceof I. vinculans.Soonafterwards.
Fish & Gameemployeesillegallyremovedthe populationof L. vinculansplantsat the Site at an
unknowndatein May 2005.

Ignoringall othcrevidence,FWS deferredto Fish & Game'sofficial opinionthat the endangerccl

plantswere not naturallyoccuring on the Site. As it turned out, the endangeredSebastopol
meadowfoamwas growing naturallyon the Site. L. vinculanr populationshad beenclocumented
in the pastandresidentpopulationsre-emerged againthis year. On April 79,2006,Eric Johnson
discovereda smallclump of delicatewhite flowershe identifiedas a reoccurrence
of the Sebastopol
meadowfoam.Mr. .Iohnsonpointedthe rareplant out to all interestedviewerson an April 2l ,2006
tour of the Site.

VIOLATIONS OF THE ESA

The Project will have significant adverseimpacts on the endangeredSebastopolmeadowfoam

(Limnanlhes vinculans).

The fundamentalpurposesofthe ESA areto providea meansto conserveendangered andthreatened

speciesandtheecosystems on whichtheydepend.l6 U.S.C.$ 1531(b) UndertheESA's citizensuit
provision, any person may sue to enjoin any other person,including any federal,state,or local
governmentalentity allegedto be in violation of the ESA or any of its implementingregulations.
l6 u s.c.$ lsa0(g)(1)(A)

Notice of Violations - EndangeredSpeciesAct - Page4 of I 1

 ESA $ 9 Violations
Section9 of the ESA prohibitsany personrfrom:

Removing and reducingto possessionany such speciesfrom areasunder federal

jurisdiction, maliciously damagingor destroyingany such species
on areasunder
federaljurisdiction,or removingcuttingdiggingup damagingtr destroyinganysuch
specieson anyotherareain knowing violation of any statelaw or regulationor in the
courseof violatingany statecriminaltrespass law. ESA $ 9 (a)(2)(B);l6 u.s.c. g
l s38(a)(2)(B).

The ESA makesit unlawful for anypersonsubjectto thejurisdiction of the United States .,attemDt
to
to commit,solicitanotherto commit,or causeto be committed,"any of theseoffenses.l6
USC $
1538(9) Thus the prohibitionappliesto governmentpermittingof activitiesthat may indirectly
causea third partyto remove,damage,or destroya listedspeciesin violationof federalor statc
law.
The Projectincludesareasunder federaljurisdiction. The Site includes 1.84 acresof
Corps
jurisdictionalwetlandsand approximatelyl9 acresof grasslands witli seasonalvernalpools. Tire
presence offederaland statelistedendangeredspeciesbringsthis land underfederaljurisdiction.

TheF'WShasjurisdictionoverspeciesthatareformallylistedasthreatened or endangercd undcrthe

FederalESA. Theremovalof theendangered L. vinculanspopulationfrom the Siteby Fish& Game
or any otherpcrsons,agenciesor entities,constitutes
an elementof an ongoingharm to the listed
species.

Fish& Gamepresented no documented evidence(photographs,

soil cores,physicaldata)to support
its claim that the endangeredplant was not naturally occurring and had been introduced.No
scientificpeerreviewofthe Fish& Gamedataandfindingshasbeenallowed.After theconfiscatior.
F'ish& Game neglectedto close the Site to tamperingof evidence. Fish & Game'srush to
conclusions, despiteall evidenceto the contrary,andFWS'sunquestioning capitulationto thc state
agency's ill-considered opinionconstituteongoingharmto the federallylistedspecies.

The Draft EnvironmentalImpactReportfor the Projectneglectsto takethe endangeredSebastopol

meadowfoam into account. As a result,theProject,asproposed,
constitutes
an elementof ongoing
harmto the federallylistedspecies.

Under thesecircumstancesinjunctive relief underthe ESA is necessaryto preventfurther harm to

the federallylisted Sebastopolmeadowfoam.

'
ESA SEC.3. For the purposesof this Act-
(13) The term "person" meansan individual,corporation,partnership, trust, association,
or any other
privateentity; or any officer, employee,agent,department,or instrumentalityof the FederalGovemment,
of any State,municipality,or political subdivisionof a State,or of any foreign government,any State,
municipalify,or politicalsubdivisionof a State;or any otherentitysubjectto thejurisdictionof the United
States.

Notice of Violations- Endangered

SpeciesAct - Page5 of 1l
 Violation of StateLaw is a Violation of the FederalESA

Listed plantsmay not be cut, dug up, damagedor destroyed,or removedfrom any
area(including
privatelands)in knowing violationof a statelaw or regulation.ESA 9 (aX2XB);
$ l6 U.S.C 5
1s38(a)(2)(B).

The May 2005 removalof the endangered L. vinculansfrom the Site by someof the VIg1A1SRS
including Fish & Game, the continued threat of destructionand removal, and the project
as
proposed.violateCalifornia's endangeredspecieslaws: The CaliforniaEndangered SpeciesAct
("CESA") CaliforniaFish & Game Code 2050, et seq.,and the Native plant protection
$ Act
("NPPA").Fish& GameCode$ 1900,et seq.

Thc CtrSAprohibitsanyperson2from takingor attemptingto takeanyfish,wildlife. or plantspecies

listedasendangeredor threatened
or anysuchspeciesthatis candidatefor listingunderCESA.Irish
& GameCodeg 2080,$ 2035.

Irish& Gamehasjurisdictionover threatened or endangeredspeciesformal11,

listedb1 thc Statc
underthe CESA. L vinculans,was formallylistedas endangered by Fish & Gamein No'cnrber
1979. Publishedat Title 14,california code of Regulations,
section670.2.

BccauseVIOLATORS' actionshaveresultedin the takingof individualmembersof a protected

plant, and becauseVIOLATORS'proposedactivitiesby way of the Projectwill destroyhabitat
which will resultin injury to existingand futureL. vinculans,VIOLA'IORS arein violatio' of the
CESA.

The ongoing harm to the Sebastopolmeadowfoamat the Site falls into nonc ol' tltc CHS.\
e x c e p t i o n s( S
. e eF i s h & G a m e C o d e $ $ 2 0 8 1 ( a )2; 0 8 0 . 1 ; 2 8 3 5 ; 2 0 8 4 ) I n j u n c t i r . r' ec l i c l ' i s
appropriate underthe CESA.

Thereis no authorityin statuteor regulationto setasideESA proceduralregulations by an agency's

determininga populationis "artificial". Both Fish & Gameand FWS are committedto regional
mitigationnegotiations in the SantaRosa/Sebastopolarea,andFish& Gametakestitle to mitigation
sites.Thus,thesetwo entitiesarenot wholly disinterested in the outcomeof suchdeterminations.
The landownerof the Site has other propertiesand contributesto mitigation banks managedor
regulatedby Fish & Gameand FWS. Understandably neitherthe statenor the federalagencywants
to provokeconflictswith the landowneror developerof the Project, but suchnicetiesdo not nullily
the law. In the absence of an arm's-lengtharbiteror someindependentexpert scientificreview
panel,an injunction is necessaryto preventan adverselegalprecedent.

'CESA
doesnot define"person". Fish& GameCodedescribesa "person"as "any naturalperson
or any partnership,
corporation,limited liability company;trust,or othertypeof association."
Fish& Game
Code$ 67. Unlike the federalESA, CESA doesnot applydirectlyto stateand local governmentagencies.
Governmentagenciescan be held indirectly liable for violationsof CESA throughthe actionsof their
officials,employees,agents,contractorsandothersactingin thescopeoftheir official duty.See67 OpS Cal.
Atty Gen355 (1984).

Notice of Violations - EndangeredSpeciesAct - Page6 of I I

 The NPPA protectsendangeredand "rare" speciesand subspeciesand varieties
of wild , native
plants.Fish& GameCodegg 1900,1901.

The CNPShasplacedL vinculans,on List 1B (rareor endangered

throughoutits range).published
at Title 14,CaliforniaCodeof Regulations,
$ 670.2.

Oncea plant is listed underthe NPPA, Fish & Gameis requiredto notify the owners
of la'd upon
which any rare plants are growing of their existence,and to "provide such information
aboutthe
protectionof suchplantsas may be appropriate." Fish & GameCode I 191I . Upon locati'g and
identifyingthepopulationof Sebastopol meadowfoam on the Site,Fishb Gu-. neglected to notifi
the Siteownerand/orpropertydevelopersof the presenceof the endangered plant, and neglecteclto
provideinformationaboutprotection. Furthermore,Fish& Gameandpossibly
otherVIOLAT-ORS
deliberatelyremovedthe entirepopulationof the meadowfoam. Ignoring
opinion, Fish &
Gamedeclaredthe Sebastopolmeadowfoamto havebeenintroduced. Fish"*p.rt & Gamepresentedno
documented evidenceto supportthis claim. No scientificpeerreviewof the Fish& Gamedata
and
findingshasbeenallowed After the confiscation of theplant, Fish& Gameleglectedto closethe
Siteto tamperingof evidence.

The F'WSabandoned its responsibilityto thc Sebaslopolmeadowfoam'sstatusas an c.dargcred

species,and choseto defur to trish & Game'sofficial, unsupportcd.
opinion that thc Scbasiopel
meadowfoam was fiaudulentlyplanted.Ilotli Fish& GameandI.'WShaveactedin an arbitrarra'cl
capriciousmannerby:

I) Failingto heedstaff biologist,Liam I)avis'originalField Notes;

2) F-ailingto reviewtheCity of Sebastopol's

otherenvironmentaldocumentswhich demonstrate
thatolderrecordsof L. vinculanswerepreviouslyreportedin thevicinity of theSite,andthat
WRA detecteda populationof Limnanthesspecies on the Sitein late2003:

3) Failingto notethatGoldenBearBiostudiesinconectlyfoundno jurisdictionalwetlancls.

a.d
that this was reversedby the Corpsin a correctedwetlanddelineation;and,

4) Failingto conducta comprehensive reviewof dataon the habits,speciesassociations,and

populationsize of L. vinculansin the CaliforniaDiversityDatabase("CCNDDR,,). ('fhe
CCNDDB is managedat the statelevelby Fish& Game,and in failing to reviewtheir own
document,they failed to notethe recordfor L. vinculansimmediatelynorth of the proposed
LagunaVista site.)

PROTECTORSareconcernedabouta precedentfor collusionamongVIOLATORS to invalidate

inconvenientoccurrencesof endangeredspecieson the groundsthey are allegedly transplanted,
especiallywhen no rulesof evidenceor reviewapply.

Notice of Violations- Endangered

SpeciesAct - page7 of I I
 ESA $ 7 Violations

ESA $ 7(a)(l) requiresthe Services3

to utilize all programsadministeredby them in furtheranceof
the purposesof the ESA. ESA $ 7 establishes a processby which eachfederalagencymust consult
the applicableServiceregardingimpactsto listed species.

Thisconsultation processis designedto insurethatfederalagencies complywith ESA g 7(a)(2)twin

duties:eachfederalagencymust insurethat any actionit authorizes,funds,or carriesout, in whole
or in part,is not likely to eitherjeopardizethe continuedexistenceof any listed speciesor result
in
thedestruction or adversemodificationof designated criticalhabitat.ESA $ 7(a)(2)imposes these
dutieson eachfederalagencyindependent ofany agreement or otheractionby the Services.

Federalagency"actions"aredefinedbroadlyas "all activitiesor prograntsofany kind authorized.

funded.or carriedout, in whole or in part, by federalagenciesin the Unitcd Statcs."including
orrgoingagencyactions.50 CFR S 402.02.Currentlyboththe Corpsand trWS havcthe discrction
1odcnyor modify theProjectto protectthe listedL. vinculanson the Site. ThusboththeCornsand
FWS aresubjectto ESA $ 7 obligations.

Dr. NorthennotifiedF'WSof thepresence of theendangered Sebastopol meador.lfoant,L. t,irtc.ulutts.

as soollas he had identifiedit. No authorityin statuteor regulationallows a f-eclcral
agcncyto sct
aside ESA proceduralobligationsby merely pronouncing,without persuasiveevidcnce,that
endangeredflowers were fraudulently planted by someonetrying to stop a disputed housing
development.

Failureto Consult

Dcspitctheobligationon all federalagencies connccted with the Projectto perlbrptl:SA s\ 7 clLrrics.

no consultationhastakenplaceregardingthe presence ofany endangered spccies.plantor anintal.
FWS is tryingto rely on the regulationsfor "informalconsultation"that allow [br precmptiono1'a
formal IISA $ 7 consultationby a determinationof "not likely to adverselyaffect" (,,NLTAA").
NormallytheNLTAA determination appliesonly whena speciesdoesnot occuron a quadsheetor
is knownto be entirelylackingin potentialhabitat(ruleof reason,preponderance of evidence), and
would not apply to this Site with suitablehabitat,and pastdocumentedpresenceof ecologically
equivalentor identicalspecies(i.e.the WRA 2003observations, presence of co-occurringindicator
wetlandspecies).

The Servicehad no non-arbitrarybasis for a NLTAA determinationto circumvent a biological

opinion. It insteadreliedon the flawedandarbitraryFish& Gameinterpretationthat the plantswere
introduced.Even so, that doesNOT mean"not likely to adverselyaffect" the populationthat was
IN FACT present,regardlessof its origin. In short,the Servicehas a procedural"reason"for not
proceedingwith a biological opinion, but that reasonis invalid underregulation.Therewas in fact

' For
easeof referencethe ESA uses"services"to refer collectivelyto FWS and the National
OceanicandAtmosphericAdministration).For the purposesof this Notice, FWS is the relevantService.

Notice of Violations - EndangeredSpeciesAct - Page8 of I I

an adverseeffect on the speciesknown to the Service,but the Servicearbitrarily choseto discount
or disqualif it without any scientificor legal basis-- just arbitrarydeferenceto Fish & Game.

No BiologicalOpinion

The record for this project includesno ESA $ 7 biological opinion. Normally an ESA 7
$
consultationresultsin the preparationby the Serviceof a written biological opinion "detailinghou,
theagencyactionaffectsthe speciesor its criticalhabitat."l6 U.S.C. 1536(bX3XA).If the Se^,icc
concludesin the biologicalopinionthatthe agencyactionwill notjeopardizethclistedspeciesbut
thattheactionwill neverthelessresultin thetakingofthe species, thenthe Servicemustincludewith
the biological opinion a written, incidentaltake statementwhich, among other things, must
"speciflylthe impactof suchincidentaltakingon the species."l6 U.S.C. 1536(b)(4XBXi).

No ESA $ 7 BiologicalAssessment

"To facilitatecompliancewith the requirements of subsection(aX2),cachIrederal

agencyshall,with rcspectto any agencyactionof suchagencyfor which no contract
for constructionhas beenenteredinto, requestof the Secretaryinformationwl-rethcr
any specieswhich is listedor proposedto be listedmay be presentin the arcaof such
proposedaction.If the Secretary advises,basedon the bestscientificand commercial
dataavailable,that suchspeciesmay be present,suchagencyshallconducta biological
assessment for thc purposeof identil'yinganyendangered speciesor threatencd
specieswhich is likely to be aflbctedby suchaction"
E S A $ 7 ( c ) ( l )l 6 U . S . C .l s 3 6 ( c ) ( 1 ) .

Thc recorddoescontaina BiologicalAssessmentpreparedfor the City of Sebastopolon March6.

2002,by GoldenBearBiostudies.This Assessment, which surveyedonly a portionol-the Site's
vernalpoolwetlands,
statedthe surveys"did not resultin observationof any endangered
specics".
The Assessmentconstitutesneitheran ESA $ 7 Biological Opinion nor an ESA I 7 Biological
Assessment:

l) A BiologicalAssessment
is not a BiologicalOpinion;

2) The Assessmentwas preparedby the consultantof an interestedparty, rather than by a

federal agency;

'l'he
3) Assessmentwas not donefollowing consultationwith the Secretaryof the Interioror in
consultationwith any federalagency.

AlthoughGoldenBearBiostudiesmight haveappliedfor an exemptionunder16 U. S.C.g 1536(9),

andconductedan independentbiologicalassessment to identiS'any endangeredspecieslikely to be
affectedby the Project, the extantAssessmentdoesnot qualifl' becauseit was not conductedunder
the supervisionof the appropriatefederalagency.16 U.S.C, $ 1536(c)(2);seealso l6 U.S.C.$
I s36(9).

Notice of Violations - EndangeredSpeciesAct - Page9 of I I

 The Projectalsowill likely havean adverseimpacton the Californiatiger salamander(Ambystoma
californiense)listedas a Threatened/Endangered
Speciesunderthe ESA of l973,as amended(16
u.s.c. S l53l et seq).(FederalRegister69:472r1-4724g:August 4,2004)

Although the GoldenBear BiostudiesAssessmentdid not repoft observationsof l. californiense,

theCity of Sebastopol'sDraft EnvironmentalImpactReportidentifiespotentiallysignificant
impacts
regardingthe potentialfor the presenceof the Californiatiger salamanderon or adiacentto
the Site.

ESA $ 9 Violations

ESA { 9 prohibitsany personfrom taking or attemptingto take any endangered fish or wildlilt
specicswithin the U.S. ESA I 9; l6 U.S.C.$ 1538(a)(1)(B). No specificintentto takea listed
speciesis requiredin orderfor oneto be liablefor an ESA $ 9 violation. Rather,a personis liable
undcrIlSn $ 9 if he or shc knowinglyundertakes the act that resultsin a violation. -fheperson
neednot know that the affected specieswas listed,or that the act undcrtakenwould constitute
a
violationof ESA g 9. Babbittv SweetHome 5l 5 us 6g7, 700-701.

TheESA defines"take"asto "harass,harm,pursue,hunt,shoot,wound,kill, trap,capturcor collect,

or to attemptto engagein any suchconduct."16 U.S.C.$ 1532(19).By linkingclestruclion and
modificationof a listed species'habitatwith a prohibited"take," (see50 Ct'R $ 17.3)the I:WS
makes an extremelywide variety of human activitiespotentially subject to the ESA's takc
prohibition.

Althoughnot observedon the Site,a possibilityexiststhatCaliforniatiger salamander speciesexist

on the Site. The City of Sebastopol's
Draft Environmental ImpactReporladmitsof this possibility.
Thus the Projectas proposedwill lead to habitatdestructionor modificationwhich will likeiy
becometheproximatecauseof "actualdeathor injury"to theendangered Californiatigersalanrandcr
in violationof IISA Q 9.

ESA $ 7 Violations

As setforth aboveESA $ 7 requireseachfederalagencyto consultthe applicableServiceregarding

impactsto listedspecies.

Despitethe fact that both the Corps and FWS have discretionto deny or modify the project to
protect,and are subject to ESA $ 7 obligations,no consultationhas taken place. This failure to
consultis a violationof ESA $ 7. Normallyan ESA $ 7 consultationresultsin the preparation by
the Serviceof a written biological opinion "detailinghow the agencyaction affectsthe speciesor
its criticalhabitat."16 U.S.C. $ 1536(bX3XA).No federalagencyhas generatedan ESA g 7
biologicalopinion, or biological assessment as to whetherthe California tiger salamandermay be
presentin the areaof the Project.

Notice of Violations - EndangeredSpeciesAct - Page l0 of I l

 CONTACT INFORMATION

RobertG' Evansis anindividualresidingat 1065St.HelenaWay,Sebastopol, CAg54T2,Telephone

707-823-0609.SherryPetersenis an individualresidingatl3 l0 Hurlbui Avenue,Sebastopol,
CA
95472,Telephone707-823-1594.Doug Emery is an individual residingat 7528 Gates
Drive.
Sebastopol,CA'95472,Telephone 707-829-7968. NorthernCaliforniaRiverWatchisanon-profit
corporationdedicatedto the protectionand enhancementof the watersof the Stateof California
includingwetlandsand vernal pools. It is organizedunderthe laws of the Stateof California.
Its
addressis 6741Sebastopol Avenue,Suite 140,Sebastopol, CA95472,Telephone707-g24-4372.

PRO'IECTORShaveretainedlegalcounselto represent
them in this matter. All communications
shouldbe addressed
to:

JackSilver,Esquire
Law Officesof JackSilver
PostOffice Box 5469
SantaRosa,CA 95402-5469
'f
el. 707-528-817
5
Fax 707-528-8675
lhm28843@sbcglobal.net

CONCLUSION
'fhc
violationssetfbrth in this Notice affbctthehcalth,aesthetic,
spiritual.recrcational.
crcati'ea'd
personalenjoymentol PROTECTORSwho resideand recreatein the afl-cctecl conrnrunitics
'I'heir
surroundingthe Site. health,use and enjoymentof this naturalresourceis spccillcall'
impairedby VIoI.ATORS' violationsof the ESA as setforth herein.

PRO'fIICTORSbelievethis Notice sufficientlystatesgroundsfor filing suit. At thc closeof the

60-daynoticeperiodorshortlythereafterPROTECTORS intendtofileal6 Ll.S.C.g l5ag(gxlXA)
citizen'ssuit in UnitedStatesDistrictCourtagainstVIOLATORS for violationsof the federalESA
and Statelaw.

Duringthe 60-daynoticeperiod,PROTECTORSarewilling to discusseffectiveremediesfor the

violationsnotedherein. However,if the VIOLATORS wish to pursuesuch discussionsin the
absence of litigation,it is suggested
thosediscussionsbe initiatedwithin the next twenty(20) days
so thattheymay be completedbeforethe endof the 60-daynoticeperiod. PROTECTORSdo nor
intendto delaythe filing of a lawsuitif discussions
arecontinuingwhen that periodends.

Verytruly yours,

- . r '
)
JackSilver
JS:lhm

Noticeof Violations- Endangered

SpeciesAct - Page1l of I I