The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated approximately 3,720 acres of critical habitat for three Oregon species native to the prairies of the Willamette Valley - the endangered Fenders blue butterfly, the threatened Kincaids lupine and the endangered Willamette daisy.
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31. " align=left>The individual designations for the species total 3,010 acres for Fenders blue butterfly in Benton, Lane, Polk, and Yamhill Counties, Oregon; 585 acres for Kincaids lupine in Benton, Lane, Polk, and Yamhill Counties, Oregon and Lewis County, Washington; and 718 acres for the Willamette daisy in Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion, and Polk Counties, Oregon.
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31. " align=left>Because much of the habitat of the three species overlaps, the total area designated amounts to 3,720 acres - approximately 181 acres less than what was proposed for designation in November 2005. About one percent of the total area within the designation is owned by city, county or state governments; 36 percent is on federal land; and 63 percent is on private land.
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31. " align=left>The change in the area designated from the 2005 proposal is partly due to a reexamination of the proposed corridors between core butterfly habitat areas. Biologists found that the corridors did not provide the features essential to the conservation of the species. Refinement of some mapped unit boundaries also resulted in some change.
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31. " align=left>An analysis of the economic effects of the designation concluded that costs related to the designation are estimated at $1.3 to $11.3 million over the next 20 years. Approximately 35 percent of the total future cost is estimated to be potential loss of land values borne by existing landowners and another 30 percent is expected to be potential costs of land management. Potential costs of modifications to transportation operations, primarily the planned West Eugene Parkway and a street in Dallas, Oregon, could represent another 30 percent of the total.
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31. " align=left>Although no area was excluded from the designation for economic reasons, approximately 12 acres were excluded because private landowners were providing voluntary protection for Kincaids lupine. The proposed critical habitat excluded from the final designation for Kincaids lupine in Douglas County, Oregon, and Lewis County, Washington, included lands owned by Lone Rock Timber Management Company, Roseburg Forest Products, Seneca Jones Timber Company, and Mallonee Farms. These landowners are working cooperatively with state and federal agencies to implement conservation and recovery activities for Kincaids lupine on their properties and have developed site-specific plans that include management for the plant. The success of their voluntary management is demonstrated by the continued survival of several flourishing patches of Kincaids lupine. In cooperation with the agencies, the landowners will monitor these plant patches to ensure their management activities continue to benefit the species.
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31. " align=left>Additionally, 90.3 acres of federal land were excluded from the final designation based on protection commitments for Kincaids lupine by the Bureau of Land Management and USDA Forest Service. These agencies completed a Conservation Agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service identifying objectives to protect, conserve and restore habitat for each of the Kincaids lupine populations occurring on their lands. The goal of this agreement is to implement the recovery actions necessary to meet the specific recovery criteria for Kincaid's lupine in the Douglas County.
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31. " align=left>The Fenders blue butterfly (Icaricia icarioides fenderi), Kincaids lupine (Lupinus sulphureus kincaidii) and Willamette (Erigeron decumbens decumbens) daisy inhabit wet and upland prairies and oak/savanna habitats, mostly in Oregons populous Willamette Valley. These habitats are considered to be among the rarest in western Oregon. They are threatened by fragmentation, agriculture and urban growth.
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31. " align=left>Fenders blue butterfly, which was listed as endangered in January 2000, is a small butterfly with a wingspan of approximately 2.5 cm. Fenders blue butterfly is endangered because native prairie habitat has been converted to agriculture, subjected to fire suppression, invaded by non-native plants or developed.
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31. " align=left>Kincaids lupine, federally listed as threatened in 2000, is a perennial species in the pea or legume family and is one of the host plants to the Fenders blue butterfly. The lupines aromatic flowers have a distinctly ruffled banner and are yellowish-cream colored, often showing shades of blue on the keel.
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31. " align=left>The Willamette daisy, listed as endangered in 2000, is a perennial herb in the composite family. The flowers are daisy-like, with yellow centers and 25-50 pinkish to blue rays, often fading to white with age.
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31. " align=left>The Fish and Wildlife Service prepared this designation in response to a lawsuit filed in April 2003 by several organizations for failure to designate critical habitat for the three species. A settlement agreement required the agency to submit the critical habitat proposal to the Federal Register by October 2005, and submit the final designation by October 2006.
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31. " align=left>A copy of the final rule and other information on these species are available on the Internet at: http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Species/ESA-Actions/WillValleyPage.asp, or by contacting Field Supervisor Kemper McMaster at 503-231-6179.
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" align=left>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.
