Pat Kumpan Re-Published from MyLocalNews.com 01/10/2011 - 5:35 p.m.
Poway officials announced late Monday that it will postpone for five months the construction of eight 70-foot tall lights at Arbolitos Sports Fields now that a biologist has documented a threatened species of bird living in scrub that surrounds the fields. The construction was scheduled to begin in March.
Released Monday, the report indicates that the California gnatcatcher’s existence was documented on two dates by certified biologist Vivian Marquez of Marquez and Associates in Encinitas.
A pair of gnatcatchers were observed on Nov. 10 and again on Dec. 10 in the fields off Pomerado Road by Marquez, who conducted three surveys, each at least one week apart, as required by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The birds’ mating season extends from March through August, according to Marquez and local environmentalists.
City Manager Penny Riley said, “appropriate action will be taken should the city determine there is any potential harm to the gnatcatcher.”
The city is continuing to study whether any additional gnatcatcher protections are warranted, she added.
Resident Peter De Hoff presented information, as well as photos of the bird, during an Oct. 19 City Council meeting.
De Hoff and others were upset that the bird was not mentioned in an environmental report conducted prior to approving the field lights.
City Council members approved the lights with an amended conditional use permit during that October meeting.
De Hoff’s attorney, Rory Wicks, said that the city should have tabled the project that night until it could verify whether the bird lives in the immediate fields.
According to De Hoff, when the city approved a declaration that no environmental impacts would occur when the lights are installed, it violated the California Environmental Quality Act.
The city met with De Hoff and his attorney on Jan. 7 to discuss possible settlement options, but no decisions have been made.
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