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Humboldt County Timberland Owner to Partner in First Safe Harbor for Northern Spotted Owls

July 18, 2002

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Contact: Ken Hoffman or Bruce Halstead at (707)822-7201

HUMBOLDT COUNTY TIMBERLAND OWNER TO PARTNER IN FIRST SAFE HARBOR FOR NORTHERN SPOTTED OWLS

ARCATA, California – A Humboldt County timberland owner has become the first private landowner in California to participate in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Safe Harbor program, an innovative conservation partnership concept with its roots on the East Coast. This Safe Harbor Agreement between the wildlife agency and Forster-Gill, Inc, covering 232 acres near Blue Lake, is also the first agreement of this type for the northern spotted owl anywhere in the nation. The agreement, signed in Arcata on July 11, goes into effect immediately.

"A Safe Harbor Agreement is part of the Service’s continuing effort to work in partnership with private landowners on issues involving federally listed species," said Steve Thompson, Manager of the Service’s California-Nevada Operations Office. "Because so much habitat for threatened and endangered species occurs on private land, we need the direct involvement and support of private landowners like Forster-Gill to assist in conservation and recovery efforts."

Safe Harbor Agreements encourage private and other non-federal landowners to implement conservation efforts for listed species by assuring landowners they will not be subjected to additional land use restrictions in the future. A special endangered species permit, called an enhancement of survival permit, is issued with each Safe Harbor Agreement. This permit provides Endangered Species Act regulatory assurances to landowners who voluntarily participate in listed species conservation. In this case, the Safe Harbor Agreement and permit will assist Forster-Gill in managing their Blue Lake properties under a State of California approved non-industrial timber management plan. While there are no northern spotted owls on this property at present, there are owl sites nearby. In the event that habitat created by the management of this property were to attract northern spotted owls, the timber company would not be subject to additional regulation beyond that specified in the agreement.

Tim Gill, president of Forster-Gill Inc., said, "Thanks to the great efforts of the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, as well as James L. Able Forestry Consultants, Inc, we will be able to achieve financial return from our Blue Lake property while promoting the development of the forest and increasing habitat for this threatened species."

The agreement establishes baseline conditions and anticipates the development of high-quality northern spotted owl habitat. Periodic timber inventories during the term of the agreement will demonstrate an increase in average tree diameter and overall timber volume, which equates to an increase in owl habitat quality. At the conclusion of the 80-year agreement, the landowner is allowed to return the habitat to the baseline condition. In the meantime, no habitat is lost, habitat quality is improved, and future owl nest sites are protected.

"This is an outstanding example of government and private owners working collaboratively for conservation," Thompson said. "As more landowners learn of the flexibility that Safe Harbor Agreements provide, we expect to see more interest in these win-win collaborative efforts."

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 nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 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.

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