U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Jennifer Norris, Field Supervisor
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office
September 24, 2014
“Working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.”.”
Our Mission
Today’s Goals
1. Introduce myself
2. Review the key elements of the Endangered Species Act
3. Discuss some current activities in California.
4. Answer your questions
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office
Responsibilities
Endangered Species Act
Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
National Environmental Policy Act
Clean Water Act
Oil Pollution Act
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund Law)
Federal Power Act
Central Valley Project Improvement Act
Jurisdiction spans 30 counties from Bakersfield to Shasta, the Sierras to the Pacific.
fSFWOGeographic
Divisions
The Endangered Species Act (1973)
‘species of fish, wildlife, and plants are of esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational and scientific value to the Nation and the people’
The purposes of the Act are to
‘provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened species depend may be conserved and
to provide a program for the conservation of such species
5
Listing
Recovery
Interagency Consultation
Conservation Planning
Elements of the ESA
Based on best available scientific information
Threats-based
Threatened or endangered
Critical habitat
Listing
• Description of site-specific management actions
• Objective measurable criteria
• Timeline to recovery
Recovery Plans
Recovery Implementation
9
• Research
• Restoration
• Cooperative Conservation
• Landowner agreements
Requires Federal agencies to:
• conduct programs to conserve endangered and threatened
species
• insure federal actions are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or adversely modify critical habitat
Interagency Consultation (Section 7)
HCPs and Conservation Strategies
Local control
Certainty in project planning
Assurances
Funding opportunities
Ecosystem/Landscape approach
Streamlining
Public input
Regional HCPs
• Historically abundant across much of the higher elevations within the Sierra Nevada.
• Currently restricted to publicly managed lands at high elevations.
• Threats: - Habitat degradation and
fragmentation - predation and disease, - changes in temperature and
precipitation- inadequate regulatory protections.
3 Sierra Amphibians
• Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog (endangered)
• Northern DPS of the mountain yellow-legged frog (endangered)
• Yosemite toad (threatened)
• Effective date June 30, 2014
Listing
Mountain yellow-legged
frog
3 Sierra Amphibians
3 Sierra Amphibians
Critical Habitat – Proposed (April 2013)
• 1,831,820 acres across 17 counties
• Mostly on federally managed land
• Multiple comments periods, public meetings, draft Economic Analysis
• Currently reviewing public and peer comments and revising rule
• Publication expected early 2015
15
Proposed Critical Habitat for 3 Sierra Amphibians
• Programmatically addresses over 10,000 projects on Forest Service managed lands
• Will streamline activities and consultation
• Projects were batched from 9 National Forests and include vegetation, recreation, timber harvest, grazing, road and trail management as well as mining and special use activities.
• Draft under review
3 Sierra Amphibians
Programmatic Biological Opinion
• Service has already issued biological opinions to the National Park Service for projects at Yosemite National Park and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park
• The National Park Service is also working with the Service on a Programmatic BO for activities on the public lands they administer.
3 Sierra Amphibians
1. Finalize programmatic consultations with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service.
2. Work with private and other non-federal groups to conserve species.
3. Review comments and revise critical habitat designation.
4. Critical habitat final rule is expected to publish to the Federal Register early 2015.
3 Sierra Amphibians
Next Steps
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Threats:
• Habitat Loss• Dams and River Flow Management
• Stream channelization & stabilization
• Land Conversion & Groundwater
pumping
• Wildfire & Invasive plant species
• Vulnerability to random extinction
• Pesticides on wintering and breeding
grounds
• Proposed for listing October 2013
546,335 acres proposed in 9 states
193,347 proposed for exclusion –tribal and conservation agreements
YBC - Proposed Critical Habitat
YBC - Proposed Critical Habitat
States Units Acres Exclusion (Acres)
Arizona 39 245,000 149,067
Utah 10 39,000
New Mexico 8 92,000 13,095
California 8 77,000 6,563
Colorado 7 37,000 18,407
Idaho 4 24,000 3,424
Nevada 4 18,000
Wyoming 2 17,000
Texas 2 9,000
Open Comment Period
Peer Review
Final Decisions (September 2014 and August 2015)
Next Steps
DRECP
Collaboration between CA, BLM, FWS
22 million acres for solar, wind, geothermal projects
Draft plan issued September 23, 2014
Public comment period ends January 9, 2015
Recorded webinar at: www.drecp.org
Public meetings planned for late October early November
24
Jennifer Norris
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office
916-414-6700
http://www.fws.gov/sacramento/
Questions?