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| Proposed Safe Harbor agreement for Alameda County ranchland released for public review, comment |
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| Contacts: Agreement would assist ranch owners whose stock ponds provide habitat for threatened frogs and salamanders The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a draft Safe Harbor agreement aimed at encouraging the owners of Alameda County, CA, ranchland to maintain their stock ponds in a way that benefits the California red-legged frog and the California tiger salamander, two threatened species. The proposed agreement is open for public review and comment through Oct. 5. Under a Safe Harbor agreement, participating landowners voluntarily undertake management activities on their property to enhance, restore, or maintain habitat for species listed under the Endangered Species Act. Safe Harbor agreements provide assurances to landowners that they will not be subject to additional restrictions if they increase the number of listed species on their property. The draft Alameda County Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement – between the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alameda County Resource Conservation District – seeks to encourage private ranchers to restore and maintain stock ponds in a way that benefits the California red-legged frog and the California tiger salamander. The agreement is among the first “programmatic” Safe Harbors in California – that is, it covers a large area with multiple landowners. Until recently, most Safe Harbor agreements were between the Fish and Wildlife Service and individual landowners. While highly urbanized, Alameda County still has up to 400,000 acres of private ranchland that potentially could participate in the program. Once the agreement is finalized, landowners can enroll their property by signing a cooperative agreement with the Alameda County Resource Conservation District. Karen Sweet, executive officer of the district, said nearly 30 ranchers already have expressed interest in enhancing their stock ponds for the benefit of wildlife. The draft Safe Harbor agreement outlines ways ranch owners can restore and maintain stock ponds so they retain water through the rearing season of the two species. It also sets guidelines for wildlife-friendly vegetation and grazing management and effective control of non-native predators. The goal is to enhance the potential of existing stock ponds to serve as effective breeding sites for the frogs and salamanders while providing water for livestock. “As natural streams and wetlands have been lost, California tiger salamanders and California red-legged frogs have relied increasingly on private stock ponds for their breeding habitat,” said Susan Moore, field supervisor of the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office. “In fact, some of the best remaining habitat for the two species is on private ranchland. We want to help landowners enhance that habitat while keeping their ranching operations viable. As long as ranchers stay in business, wildlife benefits.” The Alameda County Resource Conservation District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service collaborate as the lead conservation agency in Alameda County. Environmental Defense, the environmental group that pioneered the concept of Safe Harbor, participated in developing the agreement along with NRCS's Livermore office. “Conservationists and ranchers alike appreciate the recognition by the Fish and Wildlife Service and Environmental Defense of ranching's role in sustaining habitats for these amphibians,” Sweet said. “Further, this agreement also reflects the innovative and proactive approaches by the nearly fifty partners to the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition to protect and enhance the private rangelands that support important ecosystems. The Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Alameda County Resource Conservation District are among the founding coalition members.” 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. |
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