The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today reopened the public comment period on a proposal to designate critical habitat for three native prairie species: the endangered Fenders blue butterfly, the threatened Kincaids lupine and the endangered Willamette daisy. The new comment period will be open for 30 days through May 19, 2006.
The Service also will hold a public hearing, preceded by an informational meeting, on May 9, 2006 in Corvallis, Oregon. The public informational meeting will be held at the Corvallis Benton County Library, 645 NW Monroe Avenue, Corvallis, Oregon, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It will be followed by the public hearing from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
The critical habitat designation for the three species was proposed in November 2005, and entails approximately 3,901 acres of land in Polk, Benton, Yamhill, Lane, Marion, Linn, and Douglas Counties in Oregon, and Lewis County in Washington. Most proposed designation sites are small and privately owned, and a few of the sites are in protective ownership.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking comments and information from the public on all aspects of the critical habitat proposal, including data on economic and other potential impacts of the designation. Comments and information from interested parties will be accepted until close of business on May 19, 2006, and should be submitted to: Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2600 SE 98th Ave., Suite 100, Portland, OR 97266, or may be sent by facsimile to 503-231-6195, or electronic mail to fw1willamettech@fws.gov
The Service also is preparing a draft economic analysis of the proposed critical habitat. When it is completed, the economic analysis will be released for public comment before the final critical habitat designation is made. The final critical habitat determination will be published in October 2006.
A copy of the proposed rule and other information on these species are available on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/EndSpp/ESA-Actions/CritHabWillametteValley-05.htm, or by contacting Kemper McMaster, Field Supervisor at 503-231-6179.
The Fenders blue butterfly, Kincaids lupine and Willamette daisy inhabit wet and upland prairies and oak/savanna habitats, mostly in Oregons populous Willamette Valley. These prairie habitats, considered to be among the rarest in western Oregon, are threatened by fragmentation, agricultural practices, and urban growth.
Critical habitat is a term in the Endangered Species Act. It identifies geographic areas that contain features beneficial to 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 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 critical habitat.
In 30 years of implementing the Endangered Species Act, the Service has found that the designation of critical habitat provides little additional protection to most listed species, while preventing the Service 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 Endangered Species Act 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 Partners for Fish and Wildlife program also restore habitat. Habitat for endangered species is provided on many national wildlife refuges, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state wildlife management areas.
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, 64 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.
