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1.7 million acres in Calif., Oregon proposed as critical habitat

SACRAMENTO (AP) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing 1.7 million acres in California and Oregon as critical habitat for 15 animals and plants listed as threatened and endangered.

About a quarter of the land is owned by a government agency or conservation group. The rest is held by other private owners.

Designation as critical habitat doesn't set up a preserve or refuge and it doesn't prevent landowners from taking actions that do not require federal funding or permits.

However, federal agencies must consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service before issuing permits or providing funding for activities that might affect critical habitat.

Landowners must also comply with any state laws protecting imperiled plants, officials said.

The 1.7 million acres are spread over 36 California counties and Jackson County in Oregon. They include vernal pools that are needed by four species of freshwater shrimp and 11 plants, officials said Tuesday.

The Fish and Wildlife Service's announcement stems from a court-approved settlement reached by the Butte Environmental Council and the service.

The council filed a lawsuit in April 2000 saying the service had failed to designate critical habitat for the shrimp when they were listed as endangered in 1994.

The service is required to consider the economic impact of designating critical habitat and to exclude areas where the environmental benefits would be outweighed by the economic consequences.

Steve Thompson, manager of the service's California-Nevada operations office, said the service is evaluating the economic effects and will hold a series of workshops and hearings next month to get public input.

The California counties with habitat covered by the announcement are Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Butte, Plumas, Lake, Colusa, Yuba, Mendocino, Glenn, Napa, Yolo, Solano, Placer, Sacramento, Amador, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Calaveras, Alameda, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Merced, Mariposa, San Benito, Fresno, Madera, Monterey, Kings, Tulare, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Riverside.

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On the Net: http: sacramento.fws.gov

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