Expected Conservation Benefits. A) Overview and Relationship to the Range-Wide Plan This CCAA implements the conservation strategy set forth in the RWP for oil and gas operators. The RWP describes a conservation strategy which, when implemented, is intended to provide the populations and habitat needed to expand and sustain LEPC. The strategy identifies a desired population goal to be achieved within a 10 year period. The goal of the RWP is for a LEPC population of 67,000 birds distributed throughout four ecoregions. The RWP’s strategy for achieving the population goal utilizes habitat goals (i.e. desired habitat amounts and conditions) to achieve the population goal within the first ten years of the RWP. A key component of the RWP conservation strategy is its focus on habitat enhancement, maintenance, conservation, and protection in the areas of greatest importance to the LEPC. This is intended to accomplish two things:
Expected Conservation Benefits. As identified in the FWS’s Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances Final Policy (USFWS and NMFS 1999), the FWS “must determine that the benefits of the conservation measures to be implemented, when combined with those benefits that would be achieved if it is assumed that conservation measures were also implemented on other necessary properties, would preclude or remove any need to list” the LPC and/or the SDL (64 FR 32726). Conservation benefits for the LPC and/or SDL from implementation of the CCAA are expected in the form of avoidance of negative impacts, enhancement, and restoration of habitat intended to contribute to establishing or augmenting, and maintaining viable populations of LPCs and/or SDLs in Lea, Eddy, De Baca, Curry, Roosevelt, Quay, and Xxxxxx counties. In addition, conservation of LPCs and/or SDLs would be enhanced by improving and encouraging cooperative management efforts between the CEHMM, FWS, and Participating Landowners who own and control LPC and/or SDL habitat. Also, this CCAA may be used as a model for CCAAs in other parts of the LPC’s range to encourage cooperative management and conservation. Under this CCAA, LPC and/or SDL conservation will be enhanced by providing ESA regulatory assurances such that, should Participating Landowners have or attract LPCs and/or SDLs to their property, the Participating Landowner will not incur additional land use restrictions. Without regulatory assurances, landowners may be unwilling to initiate conservation measures for these species. In addition to habitat conservation, release of captive-reared LPC that leads to establishment of viable populations in the Planning Area, or augmentation of existing LPC numbers by translocation and release of LPCs from other areas, will contribute to recovery and reduce the need for listing under the ESA.
Expected Conservation Benefits. Overall, the Agreement will provide a net conservation benefit toward the conservation goal of increasing the abundance and distribution of Arctic grayling in historically occupied waters within the Centennial Valley watershed, even with the anticipated effects of the covered activities. We expect distribution of Arctic grayling to increase within the Centennial Valley, as connectivity is restored and habitat conditions improve on private lands. Similar to distribution and abundance increases of Arctic grayling observed in the Big Hole CCAA, we expect Arctic grayling to use historically occupied stream habitats in the Centennial Valley. We do not expect all restored stream habitats to be permanently occupied by Arctic grayling, but that streams used historically for various life history purposes be used again for those purposes.
Expected Conservation Benefits. As identified in the FWS’s Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances Final Policy (FWS and NMFS 1999), the FWS must determine that the conservation measures and the expected benefits, when combined with those benefits that would be achieved if it is assumed that similar conservation measures were also implemented on other necessary properties, would preclude or remove the need to list southern Idaho ground squirrels. When making a decision to list a species under the ESA, the FWS is required to determine whether the species is threatened by any of the following factors: 1) the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range, 2) overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes, 3) disease or predation, 4) the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms, or 5) other natural or manmade factors affecting the species continued existence. There are threats to the southern Idaho ground squirrel related to each of these factors. These threats are discussed in part II of this Agreement and summarized below.
