Public hearing scheduled for February 2, 2010, in Medford
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released a draft analysis of the potential economic impacts of a proposal to designate critical habitat for two rare plants found only in southwestern Oregon, the large-flowered woolly meadowfoam and Cooks lomatium, also called Cook’s desert parsley. Both plants were listed as endangered in 2002.
The Service is proposing to designate 4,521 acres in Josephine County and 6,517 acres in Jackson County as critical habitat for the plants, which occur primarily in seasonal pools and wet meadows. The proposed critical habitat is located in 25 separate units in various locations in the two counties.
The draft economic analysis estimates that over the next 20 years potential economic impacts in areas proposed as critical habitat could range from $95,200 to $403,000. Most of these potential impacts would be administrative costs associated with additional consultation requirements intended to reduce or mitigate impacts from development, road work and conservation efforts in the plants’ habitat, which is also protected under the federal Clean Water Act and state law. The analysis finds that the proposed critical habitat for the plants isnot expected to change the amount, design or regulation of forecast economic activities in the area.
Comments on the draft economic analysis and the proposed critical habitat will be accepted until February 11, 2010.
A public information session and public hearing is scheduled for February 2, 2010, at the Jackson County Library Services, Medford Library Branch Conference Room, 205 South, Central Avenue, Medford, Oregon. The information session is from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will include a short presentation with a question and answer session. The public hearing will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and will be an opportunity for the public to provide oral and/or written comments for the record.
The critical habitat proposal and the draft economic analysis are available on the Internet at: http://www.regulations.gov. Refer to Docket No. FWS-R1-ES-2009-0046. The draft economic analysis is also available at: http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Species
- 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: 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.
- Oral and written comments will be taken at the public hearing.
Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:.
All comments and the public hearing transcript will be posted on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that any personal information provided will be posted.
Large-flowered woolly meadowfoam (Limnanthes floccosa ssp. grandiflora) is a small annual plant with creamy white flowers in the false mermaid family (Limnanthaceae). Cook’s lomatium (Lomatium cookii) 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 forage by gophers and voles. http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Species. Species profiles can be viewed at: /www.fws.gov.
