The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released an analysis that estimates costs related to the conservation of the Willamette daisy, Kincaids lupine, and Fenders blue butterfly and their proposed critical habitat at $25 to $53 million over the next 20 years.
In releasing the economic analysis, the Service also opened an additional 15-day public comment period on all aspects of the proposed critical habitat and the economic analysis. The Service will accept comments until June 30, 2006.
Approximately 35 percent of the total future cost is estimated to be loss of land values borne by existing landowners and another 30 percent is expected to be costs of land management. Potential costs of modifications to transportation operations - primarily the planned West Eugene Parkway and a street in Dallas, Oregon - represent another 30 percent of the total estimated costs.
The Fenders blue butterfly and the Willamette daisy are listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) while the Kincaids lupine is listed as threatened. On November 2, 2005, the Service released its proposal to designate approximately 3,089 acres of critical habitat for the Fenders blue butterfly, 724 acres for Kincaids lupine, and 718 acres for Willamette daisy. Since much of the proposed critical habitat for the three species overlaps, the total area proposed as critical habitat amounts to 3,901 acres.
Critical habitat is a term in the Endangered Species Act identifying geographic areas that contain features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and may require special management considerations or protections. 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 or wildlife management 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. There are 15 conservation areas and nine wildlife management areas in the National Wildlife Refuge System.
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 majority of critical habitat units are located in Polk, Benton, Yamhill, Lane, Marion, Linn, and Douglas counties in Oregon and Lewis County in Washington.
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.
The draft economic analysis considers the economic effects of protective measures taken as a result of federal, state and local laws that aid habitat conservation for the Willamette daisy, Kincaids lupine and Fenders blue butterfly. The economic study analyzes whether a particular group or economic sector bears an undue proportion of the impacts, with specific analysis of the impacts to small entities and potential impacts on energy availability. The study concluded that no one group or economic sector would bear an undue proportion of the impacts.
The three species 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.
In 30 years of implementing the Endangered Species Act, 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 also provided on many of the Services National Wildlife Refuges, and state wildlife management areas.
Comments on the critical habitat proposal and/or the draft economic analysis may be submitted until June 30, 2006, via e-mail to fw1willamettech@fws.gov, or by fax to 503-231-6195, or by mail to Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2600 SE 98th Ave., Suite 100, Portland, OR 97266. Copies of the economic analysis, the proposed rule, and the Federal Register notice are available on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Species/ESA-Actions/WillValleyPage.asp. Previously submitted comments on the critical habitat proposal do not need to be resubmitted to be considered.
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.
