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site that has regenerated with opportunistic plant species. The Minnesota Biological Survey does not show any sites of biodiversity significance or native plant communities within the AUAR study area. Just east side of the AUAR study area is the proposed Rice Creek North Regional Trail. The 2003 Rice Creek North Regional Trail Master Plan Amendment and 2006 Ramsey County System Plan identified 49 acres of TCAAP property to be acquired as a wildlife corridor. According to the 2013 Rice Creek North Regional Trail Master Plan Amendment (approved by the Metropolitan Council on August 28, 2013), an additional 60 acres is proposed to be added to the wildlife corridor (Figure 7-1). This wildlife corridor provides habitat for birds, small mammals, and invertebrates and has several osprey nesting platforms. It is also provides a wildlife habitat connection between the open space of AHATS and the open space of Rice Creek. b.D-(,) ESCRIBE RARE FEATURES SUCH AS STATELISTED ENDANGERED THREATENED OR SPECIAL CONCERN ,,MCBSSB SPECIES NATIVE PLANT COMMUNITIES INNESOTA OUNTY IOLOGICAL URVEY ITES OF IODIVERSITY S,. IGNIFICANCE AND OTHER SENSITIVE ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES ON OR WITHIN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE SITE P(LA-____)/(ERDB ROVIDE THE LICENSE AGREEMENT NUMBER ANDOR CORRESPONDENCE NUMBER _20140096)NH FROM WHICH THE DATA WERE OBTAINED AND ATTACH THE ATURAL ERITAGE LETTER FROM THE DNR.I NDICATE IF ANY ADDITIONAL HABITAT OR SPECIES SURVEY WORK HAS BEEN CONDUCTED WITHIN THE SITE . AND DESCRIBE THE RESULTS A DNR database search for the AUAR study area and surrounding area identified a number of resources known to occur near the AUAR study area, and general ecological designations portions of the site. There are no state or federal listed threatened or endangered species or rare plant communities recorded within the AUAR study area in the DNR NHIS database. State-listed occurrences found beyond the AUAR study area in or near Marsden Lake on the AHATS property include a known populati (Emydoidea blandingii state-listed threatened species); trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator state-listed species of special concern); and a population of the plains pocket mouse (Perognathes flavescens state- listed species of special concern, between the gravel pit and Marsden Lake). for this species includes calm, shallow wetlands (Type 1-3) with mud bottoms and abundant aquatic vegetation (e.g., cattails, water lilies). Nesting occurs in open (grassy or brushy) sandy uplands, often up to a mile from water bodies. The majority of the wetlands within the AUAR study area are not large enough to support turtles (ditches), and most of the soils are disturbed urban land. There is no record of the turtle within the AUAR study area; however, turtles are known to occur within the vicinity, and may occur within the project boundary. A turtle fact sheet that describes the habitat use and life history of the species along with two lists of recommendations for avoiding and minimizing impacts to the turtles are included in Appendix B. Trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator), a state-listed species of special concern, have been observed nesting within the AHATS site on Marsden Lake. Nesting habitat includes lakes and ponds with 100 meters of open water for take-off, stable levels of unpolluted water, emergent vegetation and low levels of human disturbance. The AUAR study area does not contain any suitable nesting habitat for trumpeter swans. The plains pocket mouse (Perognathus flavescens), which is a state-listed species of special concern, has also been documented within the AHATS site. There are no known occurrences of the mouse within the AUAR study area; however the northwestern corner of the site was noted by the DNR as potentially containing suitable habitat for the mouse. Suitable habitat is restricted to open, well-drained areas, typically on sandy soils with sparse, grassy or brushy vegetation. The grass vegetation in the northwest corner of the site may be too dense for this species and too far from the gravel pit population to support this species (Birney, 1999). July 2014 Final AUAR 18