Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan,

Balcones Canyonlands Preserve,

&

Public Service Infrastructure

William A. Conrad City of Austin Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan Secretary

• USFWS Regional 10(a) Permit 1996

• Established the Balcones

Canyonlands Preserve

• Permit Holders: City of Austin and

Travis County

• Allows for participation by private

property owners and public service

providers

Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan

Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan

• Provided TC, COA, and landowners

with a streamlined approach to

Endangered Species Act compliance

• The BCCP Permit allows “take” of

habitat and requires mitigation by

protecting land within the Balcones

Canyonlands Preserve (BCP)

Who must comply with the ESA?

Any landowner or individual engaging in activities that

result in “take”.

Private Landowners

Commercial Developers

Agricultural Users

Governmental Agencies

Infrastructure Providers

“Take” of Habitat Allowed Under BCCP Permit in Travis County

GCWA Habitat : 74% BCVI Habitat : 50%

The Balcones Canyonlands Preserve is the mitigation for that “take”.

BCCP Partners

City of Austin

LCRA

Potential Future Preserve

Private Land Management

Travis County

Unavailable

Travis Audubon Society

The Nature Conservancy

30,540 ac

The BCCP Partners

Permit Holders: Travis County & City of Austin

Managing Partners: The Lower Colorado River Authority

City of Sunset Valley

Through USFWS: Private Landowners with 10(a) permits

Informal Partners: Travis Audubon Society

The Nature Conservancy of Texas

Texas Cave Management Association

The Permit covers

more than 561,000

acres in western Travis

County.

The Permit area is

illustrated in green.

The Preserve is shown

in yellow.

BCCP Permit Commitments

• Provide landowners with a streamlined approach

to comply with the Endangered Species Act

• Acquire and manage at least 30,428 acres of

habitat for two endangered songbirds

• Protect 62 karst features

• Protect populations of rare plants wherever they

occur on the Preserve

Photo by John Ingram

Endangered Birds

Photo by John Ingram

Black-capped Vireo

Range Map

Golden-cheeked Warbler Range Map

Photo by Jean Krejca

Endangered Karst Invertebrates in the Austin Area

All are troglobites (cave obligates) Species evolved through isolation Physical adaptations to cave environment

•Eyeless or with vestigial eyes •Often lack pigmentation •Longer appendages •Live longer than surface-dwelling relatives •Reduced energy requirements

Jollyville Plateau Salamanders

•Protect within Preserves (not covered for

“incidental take”)

•Listed as threatened 2013

Rare Plants •Isolated populations of Texabama Croton and Canyon Mock Orange

are found in the Balcones Canyonlands area and in Alabama

•The Bracted Twistflower is a rare species threatened by habitat loss

and grazing pressure from white-tailed deer

Additional Protection Provided to Other Species

The Role of the BCP

• The BCP isn’t just “for the birds”. • The BCP protects all of our native wildlife. • The BCP demonstrates that economic

growth/ development and habitat protection can coexist.

• Without the BCP, economic growth and

development would be at a standstill.

The BCCP allows development of over 50% of endangered species habitat in Travis County; thus, protection and management of the habitat within the

Balcones Canyonlands Preserve is critical.

Key to Austin Long Term Future

• Resulted in 279 private entities participating in BCCP

• Facilitated development on 14,532 acres

• Improved compliance through BCCP participation

• Participation resulted in $4.5 billion assessed valued contributing to the local tax base

Within the BCP: Guidelines for New Construction

• Must be in existing or planned corridor consistent with uses prescribed by Appendix B

• Minor construction < 3,000 square feet – Submit plan or sketch (application preferred)

– Requires BCCP approval (Secretary)

• Major Construction > 3,000 square feet – Submit plans to BCCP and Austin Area Utility Coordinating

Committee

– Requires BCCP approval (Secretary)

• Guidelines on City of Austin BCP website

Within the BCP: Guidelines for Infrastructure Corridor Maintenance

• Coordinating Committee Secretary should be notified of any planned maintenance within preserves

• The notification should contain – Description of planned work

– Dates the work will be performed

• Opportunity to design and secure pre-approval

• Provisions for Emergency Maintenance – Considered emergency if imminent threat to public health,

safety, property damage, or loss of service

– Poor project planning does not constitute an emergency

Today’s New Challenges • Jollyville Plateau Salamander

• Karst Substitution Process

• Proposed Roads

• Addressing threats from wildfire

– Austin Travis County Community Wildfire Protection Plan

• Identifies potential risks

• Defines practices for mitigating risk

• http://www.austintexas.gov/wildfireprotectionplan

– USFWS and BCP Partners have adopted fuel mitigation standards.

– During high fire danger, wildfire prevention plans are required but they are always encouraged.

BCP office – Wildland Conservation Division – (512) 972-1662 Willy Conrad BCCP Secretary (512) 972-1661 Kimberlee Harvey Environmental Program Cord. (512) 972-1686

Sherri Kuhl BCP Program Manager (512)972-1664

Jon White or Mike Wallace Travis County BCP 512-854-7212 512-854-7213

Questions? Come and Talk to Us!

www.balconescanyonlands.org