The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released an analysis estimating costs of $24.5 to $43.6 million over the next 20 years for the conservation of the thread-leaved brodiaea (Brodiaea filifolia), a Federally threatened plant, on 9,403 acres of habitat containing features essential to the conservation of the plant. The Service will accept public comments on the revised proposed critical habitat for the thread-leaved brodiaea and draft economic analysis until October 20, 2005.
A member of the lily family, thread-leaved brodiaea (Brodiaea filifolia) is a purple-flowered perennial found in portions of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, California. The decline of the species has been attributed to urbanization, conversion of habitat to farmland, and fire and weed control actions. It was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1998.
Of the 9,403 acres of land assessed in the draft analysis, between $12.2 and $16.9 million of the total estimated conservation costs would be incurred on 4,690 acres in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, California specifically proposed for critical habitat designation. Almost all of these costs are related to impacts on real estate development.
Thread-leaved brodiaea grows about 8 to 16 inches tall and generally flowers in May and June. This plant is self-incompatible, meaning a particular thread-leaved brodiaea plant can only set seed if it is pollinated by another plant that is genetically distinct.
Currently, 84 populations of the plant exist on Federal, state, local, and privately owned lands in southern California.
Critical habitat is a term in the ESA. It identifies geographic areas that contain features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and which may require special management considerations or protection. The designation of critical habitat does not affect land ownership or establish a refuge, wilderness, reserve, preserve, or other conservation area conservation area
A conservation area is a type of national wildlife refuge that consists primarily or entirely of conservation easements on private lands. These conservation easements support private landowner efforts to protect important habitat for fish and wildlife and major migration corridors while helping to keep agricultural lands in production.
Learn more about conservation area . It does not allow government or public access to private lands. Federal agencies that undertake, fund or permit activities that may affect critical habitat are required to consult with the Service to ensure such actions do not adversely modify or destroy designated critical habitat.
The proposed critical habitat for thread-leaved brodiaea includes areas where the plant is known to occur, including habitat that meets the plants specific requirements for growth, reproduction and germination, seed bank maintenance, and gene flow. The lands proposed as critical habitat are identified in 10 separate geographic units.
Most of the proposed critical habitat occurs on lands that are privately-owned, with the remaining areas under Federal, State or local ownership.
When specifying an area as critical habitat, the ESA requires the Service to consider economic and other relevant impacts of the designation. If the benefits of excluding an area outweigh the benefits of including it, the Secretary may exclude an area from critical habitat, unless this would result in the extinction of a threatened or endangered species.
In 30 years of implementing the ESA, the Service has found that designation of critical habitat provides little additional protection for most listed species, while preventing the agency from using scarce conservation resources for activities with greater conservation benefits.
In almost all cases, recovery of listed species will come through voluntary cooperative partnerships, not regulatory measures such as critical habitat. Habitat is also protected through cooperative measures under the ESA, including Habitat Conservation Plans, Safe Harbor Agreements, Candidate Conservation Agreements and state programs. In addition, voluntary partnership programs such as the Services Private Stewardship Grants and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program also restore habitat. Habitat for listed species is provided on many of the Services National Wildlife Refuges, and state wildlife management areas.
Comments on the proposed critical habitat and/or the draft economic analysis may be submitted to the Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, 6010 Hidden Valley Road, Carlsbad, California 92011, or by fax to 760-431-9624. Electronic comments can be sent by e-mail to fw1cfwo_brfi@fws.gov.
Copies of the analysis may be obtained by downloading it from http://carlsbad.fws.gov, or by calling 760-431-9440.
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 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 fishery resources 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 and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
