https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

issue_20030101


Fws Designates Critical Habitat For Threatened And Endangered Vernal Pool Species

Fws Designates Critical Habitat For Threatened And Endangered Vernal Pool Species

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated approximately 740,000 acres in 30 California counties and one Oregon county as critical habitat for
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 23rd October 2003

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated approximately 740,000 acres in 30 California counties and one Oregon county as critical habitat for 15 wetland animals and plants listed as threatened or endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act.

The final designation represents a reduction in acreage from the approximately 1.7 million acres the Service proposed as critical habitat in September 2002. The reduction is due to:
–Refined mapping techniques, which resulted in a more accurate assessment of habitat lands compared to developed agricultural or urban lands;
–Exclusions of Tribal and military lands, lands under Habitat Conservation Plans, National Wildlife Refuges and National Fish Hatcheries, and State ecological lands and wildlife management areas;
–Clarified and updated biological information; and
–The exclusion of all lands in Butte, Madera, Merced, Sacramento and Solano counties in California due to the potential economic effect of critical-habitat designation in those areas.

Under Section 4(b)2 of the Endangered Species Act, the Secretary of Interior has the discretion to exclude areas from critical habitat if the economic costs outweigh the benefits.

The exclusion of lands in the five counties is not fully reflected in todays Federal Register notice. Because of the settlement agreement that required the Service to deliver this rule to the Federal Register by July 15, there was insufficient time to revise the rule to fully reflect these exclusions. A technical amendment to the rule to remove these areas from maps and legal descriptions, and change the text of the rule, will be completed as soon as possible.

In its final economic analysis, the Service found that the listing of the 15 vernal pool species and the critical habitat designation could potentially impose total economic costs for consultation and modifications to projects of $1.3 billion over 20 years.

This critical habitat designation was completed in response to a court settlement with the Butte Environmental Council, which sued the Service in 2000 for failing to designate critical habitat for four vernal-pool crustaceans.

The species included in todays critical habitat designation are four types of freshwater shrimp the Conservancy fairy shrimp, longhorn fairy shrimp, vernal pool tadpole shrimp and vernal pool fairy shrimp; and 11 plants that depend on seasonally flooded wetlands known as vernal pools. Critical habitat is a term in the Endangered Species Act identifying geographic areas that are essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and may require special management considerations. The designation of critical habitat does not affect land ownership or establish a refuge, wilderness, reserve, preserve, or other conservation area. It does not allow government or public access to private lands.

They are the Butte County meadowfoam, hairy Orcutt grass, slender Orcutt grass, San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass, Sacramento Orcutt grass, Solano grass, Greene’s tuctoria, Colusa grass, succulent (or fleshy) owl’s clover, Hoover’s spurge and Contra Costa goldfields. One species, the vernal pool fairy shrimp, is also found in Oregon. Critical habitat is a term in the Endangered Species Act identifying geographic areas that are essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and may require special management considerations. The designation of critical habitat does not affect land ownership or establish a refuge, wilderness, reserve, preserve, or other conservation area. It does not allow government or public access to private lands.

Vernal pools are havens for Californias diminishing native plants and play a critical role in an ecosystem that supports numerous other animals, including birds of prey, migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, as well as frogs, toads, salamanders, and pollinating insects.

The main threat to the continued existence of these vernal pool species is loss of habitat, especially due to residential or commercial development and lands converted to agricultural uses. About 16 percent of the approximately 740,000 acres designated is in public ownership or is owned or administered by private conservation groups. The remainder is in private ownership.

The lands are located in the following California counties: Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Plumas, Lake, Colusa, Yuba, Mendocino, Glenn, Napa, Yolo, Placer, Amador, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Calaveras, Alameda, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Mariposa, San Benito, Fresno, Monterey, Kings, Tulare, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura. In Oregon, the proposed critical habitat is in Jackson County.

The Service is nearing completion of a plan that will serve as a blueprint for recovering these vernal pool species. Members of the group developing the plan include ranchers, farmers, developers, conservationists and recreationalists. The recovery plan will serve as a framework for coordinating activities and describe the site-specific actions necessary to achieve the species conservation and survival.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses 542 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 81 ecological services field stations.

The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

Tags: ar issue_20030101 mag

Most Recent


  • What’s my truck worth?
    Truck Value VIN Decoding & Make/Year/Model Lookup
  • Fws Designates Critical Habitat For Threatened And Endangered Vernal Pool Species
    Calendar of events
    A list of NIGP courses, conferences and webinars for NIGP members held in December 2012 and January 2013.
  • Fws Designates Critical Habitat For Threatened And Endangered Vernal Pool Species
    UPPCC new certifications
    The Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council announces that 208 individuals successfully completed the spring 2012 UPPCC certification examinations administered in May 2012.
  • Fws Designates Critical Habitat For Threatened And Endangered Vernal Pool Species
    Performance data on the latest certification exams
    The UPPCC has released key performance data from the May 2012 examinations.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Fws Designates Critical Habitat For Threatened And Endangered Vernal Pool Species
    Nano Tech Promises To Become A Powerful Crime Fighter
  • Fws Designates Critical Habitat For Threatened And Endangered Vernal Pool Species
    Xxxnews Of The Weirdxxx
  • Fws Designates Critical Habitat For Threatened And Endangered Vernal Pool Species
    40 Superfund Sites Cleaned Up Last Year
  • Fws Designates Critical Habitat For Threatened And Endangered Vernal Pool Species
    States, Feds Agree On Colorado River Allocation

White papers


Modernizing government services for today’s resident expectations

24th January 2023

Preparing Your Community Now for the Next Generation of Older Adults

18th October 2022

Helping Government Fleets Achieve Their Goals

30th September 2022
view all

Webinars


How To: Evaluate Digital Government Service Delivery Technologies

23rd January 2023

Using Technology to Enhance Communications

29th November 2022

Learn the benefits of transforming and automating your Contract Management process

4th November 2022
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand

26th January 2023

10 American cities with a great downtown

24th January 2023

Miami leads the way in FT-Nikkei ranking of best U.S. cities for foreign companies

20th January 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

New York mayor announces city-wide curbside composting program, impacting 8.5 million residents by 2024 dlvr.it/ShhRk1

30th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Federal funds help fast-growing Arizona city address several infrastructure challenges and needs dlvr.it/ShhBtf

30th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient dlvr.it/ShYNcx

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Shifting city demographics present an opportunity to build coalitions, address inequality dlvr.it/ShYMMm

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Spending American Rescue Plan Act funds: A primer for municipalities dlvr.it/ShXzvl

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand dlvr.it/ShVhBW

26th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Managing landslides along road corridors using remote sensing dlvr.it/ShTpL6

26th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: Prioritizing neighborhood infill, expanding transit options increases neighborhood resilience dlvr.it/ShRrFM

25th January 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.