ENDANGERED PLANTS FOUND; PROPOSED DAM CONSTRUCTION MAY BE RE-STUDIED.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - A half-dozen endangered weeds have been found near the site of the proposed Lang Ranch Dam, placing another hurdle in the path of the court-ordered project.

City Councilwoman Linda Parks said she made the discovery on Sunday of six Braunton's milkvetch. The plant is a member of the pea family that in January 1997 was placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Two city planners accompanied Parks to the site on Tuesday and confirmed the finding.

``It's exciting,'' said Parks, who is fighting to locate the dam on a less environmentally fragile site. ``One, to find an an endangered plant and, secondly, it's in a critical location.''

In June, a biologist under contract to Ventura County discovered a single Braunton's milkvetch near the planned debris basin but outside the footprint of the dam. Parks was following up on the initial discovery when she found six more of the plants, which are close to where the wall of the 1,200-foot dam will be built.

The 11.5-acre detention basin and a 3.3-acre debris basin are planned on Westlake Boulevard to catch runoff from a 2,257-residential development being built in the northeast section of the city.

Parks and Lang Ranch residents oppose the dam because it would force the removal of 47 oak trees. They also say it would destroy the area's view and lower property values.

Greg Smith, a city planner and biologist, said the milkvetch was not on site when the city conducted an environmental review six years ago. Smith, who confirmed Park's finding, called the county's biologist Tuesday to recommend the project site be re-evaluated.

``We would need to map the new locations of the new plants,'' said a county planner, Trudy Ingram.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, among the agencies overseeing construction of the dam, is waiting for the find to be substantiated.

``It has come to our attention that there has been an endangered plant species in the project vicinity,'' said Jonathan Lilien, project manager. ``We're not sure if it's in the project footprint.

``We want to look at results of those biological surveys that were done and determine whether there's impact to this endangered plant species and if there is impact we would have to go through consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,'' he said.

The corps also is waiting for the county to send the results of an archaeological study to determine whether cultural resources would be harmed, Lilien said.

Parks and other environmentalists claim a Chumash Indian cemetery exists on the project site. However, city officials say a 1988 study found no evidence of a burial site.

``We will take a look at what the county has done, what surveys they have done,'' Lilien said. ``If those surveys are adequate, we will go with that. If we feel there are still questions than we will require additional surveys.''

Lilien said the plants' discovery doesn't necessarily mean the project will have to be changed.

Tim Thomas, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the plants, which are being plowed into oblivion by development, exist only in a handful of locations in Southern California.

``Right now the only way to mitigate is to protect it on-site,'' he said. ``There are no known methods for dealing with it otherwise.''

CAPTION(S):

Map

Map: LANG RANCH BASIN PROPOSAL

Bradford Mar/Staff Artist