Appendix K Natural Resources Correspondence
Teresa Cannone

AKRF, Inc.

440 Park Avenue South, 7th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Re: Western Rail Yard Infrastructure Project

County: New York Town/City: New York City

Dear Ms. Cannone:

1

January 8, 2021

 In response to your recent request, we have reviewed the New York Natural Heritage 

Program database with respect to the above project.

 Enclosed is a report of rare or state-listed animals and plants, and significant natural 

communities that our database indicates occur in the vicinity of the project site.

 For most sites, comprehensive field surveys have not been conducted; the enclosed 

report only includes records from our database. We cannot provide a definitive statement as 

to the presence or absence of all rare or state-listed species or significant natural 

communities. Depending on the nature of the project and the conditions at the project site, 

further information from on-site surveys or other sources may be required to fully assess 

impacts on biological resources.

 The presence of the plants and animals identified in the enclosed report may result in 

this project requiring additional review or permit conditions. For further guidance, and for 

information regarding other permits that may be required under state law for regulated areas 

or activities (e.g., regulated wetlands), please contact the NYS DEC Region 2 Office, Division 

of Environmental Permits, at dep.r2@dec.ny.gov.

Heidi Krahling

Environmental Review Specialist

New York Natural Heritage Program

Sincerely,
New York Natural Heritage Program

The following state-listed animals have been documented

in the vicinity of the project site.

The following list includes animals that are listed by NYS as Endangered, Threatened, or Special Concern; 

and/or that are federally listed.

Report on State-listed Animals

For information about any permit considerations for your project, please contact the Permits staff at 

the NYSDEC Region 2 Office at dep.r2@dec.ny.gov, (718) 482-4997. 

The following species have been documented in the lower Hudson River and so could occur in the vicinity 

of the project site.

COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME NY STATE LISTING FEDERAL LISTING

Fish

Shortnose Sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum Endangered Endangered 1091

Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus No Open Season Endangered 11464

This report only includes records from the NY Natural Heritage database.

If any rare plants or animals are documented during site visits, we request that information on the observations be provided to the New 

York Natural Heritage Program so that we may update our database.

Information about many of the listed animals in New York, including habitat, biology, identification, 

conservation, and management, are available online in Natural Heritage’s Conservation Guides at 

www.guides.nynhp.org, and from NYSDEC at www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7494.html.

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Report on Rare Animals, Rare Plants, and

Significant Natural Communities New York Natural Heritage Program

The following rare animal has been documented in the vicinity of the project site. 

We recommend that potential impacts of the proposed project on this species be addressed as part of any 

environmental assessment or review conducted as part of the planning, permitting and approval process, such 

as reviews conducted under SEQR. Field surveys of the project site may be necessary to determine the status 

of a species at the site, particularly for sites that are currently undeveloped and may still contain suitable 

habitat. Final requirements of the project to avoid, minimize, or mitigate potential impacts are determined by 

the lead permitting agency or the government body approving the project.

COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME NY STATE LISTING HERITAGE CONSERVATION STATUS

The following animal, while not listed by New York State as Endangered or Threatened, is rare in New York and is of 

conservation concern.

Bees

Unlisted Critically Imperiled in NYS

14800

Yellow Bumble Bee Bombus fervidus

Documented . 2009-08-12.

Information about many of the rare animals and plants in New York, including habitat, biology, identification, conservation, and 

management, are available online in Natural Heritage’s Conservation Guides at www.guides.nynhp.org, from NatureServe Explorer at 

www.natureserve.org/explorer, and from USDA’s Plants Database at http://plants.usda.gov/index.html (for plants).

This report only includes records from the NY Natural Heritage database. For most sites, comprehensive field 

surveys have not been conducted, and we cannot provide a definitive statement as to the presence or absence of 

all rare or state-listed species. Depending on the nature of the project and the conditions at the project site, 

further information from on-site surveys or other sources may be required to fully assess impacts on biological 

resources.

If any rare plants or animals are documented during site visits, we request that information on the observations be provided to the New 

York Natural Heritage Program so that we may update our database.

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