Final decision made on caribou habitat
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November 27, 2012 |
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The final
area set aside as critical habitat for
the woodland caribou (in blue, upper
left) was significantly reduced from the
375,552 acres originally proposed
(outlined in red. In the final
designation, between 6,000 and 9,500
acres are in Boundary County. |
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced
today its final critical habitat designation for
the southern Selkirk Mountains population of
woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou).
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This herd of
woodland caribou were photographed in
British Columbia, where most of the
caribou reside. |
The southern Selkirk Mountains population of
woodland caribou has been protected under the
Endangered Species Act as an endangered species
since 1984. It occurs in the Selkirk Mountains
of northern Idaho and northeastern Washington
and British Columbia.
The Service is designating 30,010 acres in
Idaho’s Boundary County and Washington’s Pend
Oreille County as critical habitat because they
contain the physical and biological features
essential to the conservation of the species.
The final designation, modified from the 2011
proposed 375,552-acre designation, is a result
of 150 days of public involvement and extensive
analysis that included public information
meetings, hearings, comment periods, scientific
peer review, and a reexamination of information
regarding occupancy at the time of the caribou
listing.
"Input from local residents, sportsmen and
county leaders is critical in making a
determination about critical habitat for the
woodland caribou," said Idaho Senator Mike
Crapo, a member of the Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee, which oversees the U.S.
Fish Wildlife Service and the Endangered Species
Act. "It is appropriate for the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service to appropriately modify the
critical habitat proposal to better balance the
caribou's recovery needs with recreational and
other human use of Idaho's landscape."
In the original proposal, Boundary County bore
the brunt of the acreage to have been set aside,
encompassing much of the county's west side, and
county commissioners lobbied hard to have that
acreage reduced, enlisting the aid of Idaho's
Congressional delegation and taking an active
role in the USFWS public process. Their efforts
paid off in the final decision, with fewer than
9,000 acres in the northwest corner of the
county being designated.
"It was a good decision," said commissioner Dan
Dinning.
“Thoughtful inquiry and scientific information
was presented to us by Tribes, citizens, federal
and State agencies, elected officials and other
interested parties. Because of this, we have a
modified rule that adheres to policy, is
responsive to issues raised by others, and most
importantly, addresses priority habitat for
caribou conservation,” said Brian T. Kelly, the
Service’s Idaho State Supervisor. “We are most
appreciative of the time invested by many during
the comment periods, public meetings and
hearings. We look forward to participation in
the collaborative conservation of this species
in the future.”
Under the ESA, the Service is required to
identify the most important geographic areas
that are critical to the conservation of a
listed species. The critical habitat designation
requires federal agencies to consult with the
Service on federal actions that may affect
critical habitat, and prohibits federal agencies
from carrying out, funding, or authorizing the
destruction or adverse modification of the
habitat.
Activities undertaken by private landowners that
do not involve any federal funding, permits or
other activities are not affected by a critical
habitat designation. The designation does not
affect land ownership or establish a refuge,
wilderness, reserve, preserve or other
conservation area, and it does not allow
government or public access to non-federal
lands.
The U.S. District Court, Eastern District of
Washington, required the Service to submit a
final critical habitat designation under the
terms of a Settlement Agreement with Defenders
of Wildlife, Lands Council, Selkirk Conservation
Alliance, and the Center for Biological
Diversity, which petitioned the Service to
designate critical habitat for the caribou.
The final critical habitat designation; proposed
rule; draft economic analysis; maps; public
comments and reports are available at
http://www.fws.gov/idaho,
or by appointment during normal business hours
at the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Office’s Spokane
and/or Boise offices.
For more information, please contact Bryon Holt
of the Service’s Idaho Fish and Wildlife Office
at 509-893-8014, or by email at
bryon_holt@fws.gov.
The ESA provides a critical safety net for
America’s native fish, wildlife and plants, and
to date has prevented the extinction of hundreds
of imperiled species across the nation, as well
as promoting the recovery of many others.
America’s fish, wildlife and plant resources
belong to all of us, and ensuring the health of
imperiled species is a shared responsibility.
We’re working to actively engage conservation
partners and the public in the search for
improved and innovative ways to conserve and
recover imperiled species. To learn more about
the Endangered Species Program, go to
http://www.fws.gov/endangered.
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