Information and comments will be accepted until September 28, 2009
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to designate 11,038 acres of land, in 25 units, in southwestern Oregon as critical habitat for large-flowered woolly meadowfoam and Cooks lomatium. Both are federally listed as endangered and native to two small areas in Jackson and Josephine Counties.
The proposed critical habitat designation includes 4,521 acres in Josephine County and 6,517 acres in Jackson County. About 8,058 acres of the total proposal (73 percent) is private land. The rest is federal, state, county or municipal ownership. Nearly half of the total, about 5,200 acres, has been designated critical habitat for the vernal pool fairy shrimp since 2003. Selection of the proposed critical habitat units were informed by the priority recovery areas identified in the draft recovery plan for the two plants published in 2006, along with ground survey information, aerial imagery analysis, and mapped locations where the two plants occur.
"The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing only those areas considered to contribute to the conservation and recovery of these endangered native plants," said Paul Henson, State Supervisor of the Service’s Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office. "To ensure that the final critical habitat designation is as accurate as possible, we’re encouraging people to review our proposal and give us comments and additional information. We will consider all available information before making a final decision."
A 60-day public comment period opens immediately on the proposal. Information and comments must be received on or before September 28, 2009, and submitted by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments to Docket No. FWS–R1–ES–2009–0046.
- U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R1–ES–2009–0046; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; Arlington, VA 22203.
A public hearing will be held on this proposal if it is requested by September 11, 2009. If a hearing is scheduled it will be announced in the Federal Register and local newspapers near the proposed designation at least 15 days before it takes place. All comments received on this proposal will be posted on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that any personal information provided with comments will be posted on the website.
Large-flowered woolly meadowfoam (Limnanthes floccosa ssp. grandiflora) occurs in the Agate Desert region of Jackson County in southwestern Oregon. Cooks lomatium (also known as Cook’s desert parsley, Lomatium cookii) occurs both on the Agate Desert near Medford in Jackson County and French Flat in the Illinois Valley of Josephine County.
To meet the requirements of critical habitat protection, each of the areas proposed must be determined to include essential habitat elements. In the case of both large-flowered woolly meadowfoam and Cook’s lomatium, the essential elements are vernal (seasonal) pools and seasonally wet meadows; soil moisture for growth, reproduction, and seed dispersal, and soils that provide nutritional and physiological requirements.
An analysis that considers the economic impacts of the proposed critical habitat designation is being prepared and will be made available for public review and comment at a later date. In instances where economic consequences are deemed to outweigh the benefits of critical habitat, areas may be excluded from critical habitat.
Critical habitat, a term in the Endangered Species Act, identifies geographic areas that contain features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and may require special management or protection. Federal agencies are required to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service on actions that might affect critical habitat. 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. Historically, most projects which are proposed within critical habitat go forward with some modifications after review. A critical habitat designation on private land has no direct effect unless there is a federal connection, such as a project being authorized, funded or carried out by a federal agency.
The proposed rule for critical habitat is being prepared under a court ordered settlement agreement resulting from a lawsuit filed against the Fish and Wildlife Service by the by the Center for Biological Diversity. The agreement requires a final rule be submitted to the Federal Register by July 15, 2010.
Large-flowered woolly meadowfoam is a small annual plant with creamy white flowers in the false mermaid family (Limnanthaceae). Cook’s lomatium is a perennial tap-rooted plant with pale yellow flowers in the parsley family (Apiaceae). Both species are associated with relatively undisturbed vernal pool-mounded prairie habitats in the Middle Rogue River basin, in an area known as the Agate Desert in Jackson County. Cook’s lomatium is also found in seasonally wet meadow habitat in forest openings of the Illinois River Valley, in Josephine County.
The most serious threats to the continued existence of large-flowered woolly meadowfoam and Cook’s lomatium are posed by residential and agricultural development and encroachment by invasive non-native plants. Other threats include ground disturbance by off-road vehicles, habitat fragmentation, garbage dumping, mining, incompatible grazing practices, and herbivory by gophers and voles.
Conservation of plants is critical to the function and overall health of ecosystems. Large-flowered woolly meadowfoam and Cook’s lomatium are key species that support habitat utilized by wildlife such as western meadowlark, burrowing owl, migratory waterfowl and native bees which specialize on pollen of vernal pool flowers. Plants also provide significant resources for human use as well. Meadowfoam is an important cultivar for the commercial oil seed industry. It has been cultivated to develop industrial oil for use as lubricants, cosmetics, waxes and polymers in paints.
