Developing a Conservation Agreement

Target Audience:

FWS staff and potential agreement cooperators (including State agencies and NGOs) with no or limited experience in developing voluntary agreements for non-Federal properties.

Summary and Objectives:

This course will introduce those new to developing conservation agreements to the basics of Candidate Conservation Agreements with and without Assurances and Safe Harbor Agreements and how to communicate with prospective and participating landowners about their needs and those of the species of interest. The course emphasizes working with the landowners so that you start with a sound foundation for an agreement that will work over time. You work with the landowner and then develop an agreement to fit their particular situation. Before signing up for the class, you should read the two documents listed below to ensure these are the types of agreements you will be working with. This course only covers these three types of agreements.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain what CCAs, CCAAs and SHAs are and their purposes using plain language.
• Explain the differences between these agreements to a landowner using plain language.
• Describe which situations are best suited for these types of agreements.
• Follow the 5 step process to develop one of these agreements.

Competency Addressed:

Conservation Biology - Awareness, Environmental Compliance - Awareness, Restoration Ecology - Awareness, Organization Awareness - Awareness, Partnering - Awareness