Cooperative Plan Will Enable Yolo Farmers To Help Threatened Garter Snake and Elderberry Beetle

Audubon Society Proposed Safe Harbor Agreement

News Release

August 15, 2007

CONTACTS

Fish & Wildlife Service
Al Donner, 916/414-6566 al_donner@fws.gov

Audubon California
Vance Russell, 530/795-2921 vrussell@audubon.org

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Tuesday proposed a Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) with Audubon California that will enable Yolo County farmers to help two imperiled species, while maintaining productive agricultural operations on 200,000 acres of privately owned riparian habitat.

The announcement opens a 30-day public comment period on the proposed SHA that would cover riparian habitat that is, or can be, habitat for the giant garter snake (GGS) and the valley elderberry longhorn beetle (VELB), two species that are dependent on wetland and riparian habitat. Both species have suffered significant population declines due to loss of habitat. The federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) protects the species.

The agreement lays out farming-compatible management practices that also can benefit the species. For GGS the practices include adequate water levels from early spring through mid fall, maintaining vegetation in aquatic habitat and uplands to provide escape cover and foraging habitat, and general care to not harm the species. For VELB the practices include planting elderberry bushes where appropriate and fostering existing elderberry bushes in riparian habitat. Under the agreement, farmers would be assured that additional restrictions would not be imposed as a result of their voluntary conservation actions.

"This agreement supports the restoration and conservation we are doing private lands. In fact, it gives us another valuable tool to encourage landowners to conserve habitats while at the same time supporting agriculture," said Vance Russell, director of Audubon California's Landowner Stewardship Program.

Safe Harbor Agreements are entirely voluntary cooperative agreements between landowners and the Service aimed at helping imperiled species while facilitating continued use of land by its owners. Many SHAs have been negotiated with individual landowners. Recently the Service has been working to establish SHAs for larger areas, enabling landowners to receive the benefits of an SHA by signing an area-wide agreement previously negotiated. A year ago the Service established its first regional SHA in the Central Valley, covering 20 miles of potential VELB habitat along the lower Mokelumne River near Lodi.

With input from Yolo farmers, the proposed Yolo SHA was developed by the Service, Audubon California and Sustainable Conservation, a non-profit organization that assists with the development of SHAs. View the proposed SHA (PDF). Written comments may be submitted through Sept. 13, 2007 to: Shannon Holbrook, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2800 Cottage Way, W-2605, Sacramento, CA 95825, or by fax to 916-414-6712.

Written comments may be submitted through Sept. 13, 2007 to: Shannon Holbrook, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2800 Cottage Way, W-2605, Sacramento, CA 95825, or by fax to 916-414-6712.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 fishery resource offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to State fish and wildlife agencies.

Valley Elderberry Beetle Laying Eggs
Jones & Stokes Assoc.

Giant Garter Snake
Kelly Hornaday, FWS

Federal Register
72:18517
TEXT | PDF
August 12, 2007

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