Eligible Lands. The geographical lands eligible for enrollment in this Agreement include non-federal lands (including tribal lands) within the historical range of the black-footed ferret. This includes portions of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming (Appendix A) that have adequate acres of occupied prairie dog habitat to support a population of at least 30 breeding adult ferrets. The acreage necessary to support 30 breeding adults can vary depending on the species of prairie dogs present. Typically, this would be approximately 1,500 acres or more in black- tailed prairie dog habitat or 3,000 acres or more of white-tailed or Gunnison’s prairie dog habitat. Eligible land need not be provided by a single Cooperator. Adjacent landowners can collectively enroll lands together under the Agreement such that sufficient acreage to support 30 breeding adult ferrets is enrolled. Potential suitable lands will be evaluated by the Permittee based on available site information and site visits. The number of acres required for enrollment will be determined on a site-specific basis and will be identified in the Reintroduction Plan. While a minimum of 1,500–3,000 acres of active prairie dog habitat may support 30 breeding adult black-footed ferrets, we would encourage and prioritize larger enrollments to maximize the ability to contribute to the recovery goals of the ferret. Factors such as total size of occupied prairie dog habitat, densities of prairie dogs, documented presence of plague, total size of the grazing/ranching operation, proximity to incompatible land uses such as urban areas, the number of adjacent landowners who have concerns about prairie dog expansion, and the land uses of those neighbors will also be considered in the enrollment of eligible lands. By considering the concerns of the Cooperator and their neighbors, a logistically sound and sustainable ferret reintroduction effort will be possible. Efforts to distribute black-footed ferret populations throughout their historical range stem from the need to maximize the redundancy of populations, which will minimize the risk of a catastrophic event eliminating the species in the wild. A potential approach would be to distribute ferret populations in proportion to the amount of historical habitat in each State (Appendix C). For example, North Dakota has a much smaller portion of the historical range than Colorado. Consequently, Colorado woul...
Eligible Lands. The following types of lands are eligible to be considered for a Conservation Contract by the Conservation Contract review team:
Eligible Lands. The Tribe shall not conduct any Class III gaming outside of Eligible Indian Lands.
Eligible Lands. The location, size, and number of tracts that would be enrolled in CREP would be determined by individual contracts. Once eligible lands are identified, site specific environmental reviews would be completed by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or Technical Service Providers (TSPs) prior to entering into contracts. Lands within these Parishes eligible for enrollment in the proposed LA CREP II would be required to meet the cropland eligibility criteria in accordance with policy set forth by the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended, and detailed in the FSA Handbook: 2-CRP Agricultural Resource Conservation Program for State and County Offices. Eligible cropland must: • have been planted or considered planted to agricultural commodity during four of the six crop years from 1996 through 2001; • be physically and legally capable of being planted in a normal manner to an agricultural commodity as determined by County Committee; • have been owned for 12 months by the same owner prior to offer submission; • 10-20 percent of each offered acreage must be suitable for the establishment of CP25, Rare and Declining Habitat; and • be determined suitable for the restoration of native grasses by NRCS or TSP. Table 2.1-1 illustrates the current land use in the proposed CREP area. Most of the land in the proposed area is in some form of agricultural production with cropland accounting for 63% of the acreage. Table 2.1-2 contains acreages of the specific crops by Parish. Table 2.1-1 Current Land Use in the Proposed LA CREP II Area Agricultural Land Acres Percent of Total Cropland 534,150 63 Pastureland 59,510 7 Forestland 167,100 20 Rangeland 34,800 4 Other 46,493 6 Total 842,053 100 Table 2.1-2 Acreages of Crops Grown in Each Parish in the LA CREP II Area Rice (irrigated) Soybeans (non- irrigated) Sugar Cane (non- irrigated) Feed Grains (non- irrigated) Idle Cropland Total Acadia 48,982 2,293 456 49 8,905 60,685 Xxxxx 10,272 756 0 0 8,572 19,600 Calcasieu 34,742 1,300 1,329 213 54,616 92,200 Xxxxxxx 3,200 0 140 13 2,290 5,643 Xxxxxxxxxx 75,901 7,751 799 647 9,069 94,167 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx 155,427 5,751 4,132 3,347 84,597 253,254 St. Xxxxxx 5,300 860 0 200 2,241 8,601 Total 333,824 18,711 6,856 4,469 170,290 534,150 Sources: USDA 2006, Louisiana State University 2005
