harney county sage-grouse ccaa grouse/hc sage-grouse ccaa...steering committee" the harney...

Landowners Working Together to Manage the Rangeland and Protect Harney County

HARNEY COUNTY SAGE-GROUSE CCAA

STEERING COMMITTEE

Beef Field DayMay 17, 2012

¡Background¡USDA and USFWS Video¡Harney County Sage-Grouse CCAA Committee¡Western Range Service Report¡Examples of Beneficial Habitat Conservation

Practices¡What to Expect¡Closing

5/18/2012 Harney County Sage-Grouse Steering Committee - T. Sharp

AGENDA

BACKGROUND

• In March 2010, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) determined that the sage-grouse was warranted for listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, but was precluded from listing at that time because there were other higher priority species to be listed first.

• As a result of this decision, the sage-grouse is now an official Candidate Species for ESA listing.

• Critical USFWS listing decisions will occur by 2015.


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WHAT USDA AND USFWS SAY…


STEERING COMMITTEE

• The Harney County Sage-Grouse CCAA Steering Committee was established on August 24, 2011 with the purpose of developing a Programmatic Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) for Greater Sage-grouse on private lands within Harney County, Oregon.

• This Steering Committee grew out of an informal grass-roots group of interested landowners, organizations, and agencies that began meeting in May 2011 to investigate the benefits and requirements of a CCAA.


¡ Make it easier for Harney County ranchers and farmers to participate in a Sage-Grouse CCAA for protective assurances.¡ Serve as the “go to” organization within Harney County for CCAA

coordination activities and as the collaborator with USFWS, ODFW, NRCS, BLM and other agencies for successful Sage-Grouse CCAA development outcomes.¡ Employ a Technical Specialist to develop Harney County ’s Sage-

Grouse CCAA document during 2012-2013 timeframe.¡ Conduct Outreach and Education activities within Harney County

to achieve landowner voluntary participation through CCAA Certificates of Inclusion (2012 thru 2015).¡ Define consistent inventorying and monitoring protocols required

for rangeland eco-system assessment over the term of the CCAA.¡ Coordinate with Oregon Cattlemen's Association for consistency

across the private and public lands domain.¡ Contribute to a desired USFWS decision in 2015 to not list

Greater Sage-Grouse under ESA.


STEERING COMMITTEE GOALS

WHAT’S A “CCAA”?

• A CCAA is a formal agreement between USFWS and one or more parties to address the conservation needs of proposed candidate species before they become listed as endangered or threatened.

• Landowner participants (through a Certificate of Inclusion) voluntarily commit to implementing land management practices that will remove or reduce threats to the species, thereby contributing to stabilizing or restoring the species so that a listing is not necessary.

• As part of the CCAA agreement, USFWS provides assurances that, in the event the species covered in the agreement is subsequently listed as endangered or threatened, USFWS will not assert additional restrictions or require additional actions above those that the property owner has voluntarily committed to in the CCAA.


WHAT’S A “CCA”?

• A CCAA is only applicable on private lands (not Federal.)

• A Candidate Conservation Agreement (CCA) can be developed for federal lands, but it does not come with assurances or a take permit.

• An effort is underway by Oregon Cattlemen Association to develop a Programmatic Candidate Conservation Agreement (CCA) for sage-grouse on Bureau of Land Management lands within the State of Oregon.

• OCA’s effort and document is separate from (but complimentary to) the proposed CCAA for Harney County. The Steering Committee recognizes the need for coordination to ensure that the CCA and CCAA are compatible and provide a level of consistency and certainty across the public/private lands boundary.


POTENTIAL IMPACTS

• If sage-grouse were to be listed, there could be serious detrimental social and economic implications for Harney County. Of primary concern is the potential for livestock grazing to be eliminated or significantly reduced on public lands. While livestock grazing is compatible with sage-grouse, we anticipate that this will be the subject of considerable litigation. Even if the courts uphold grazing as a compatible activity, the time and costs associated with these court cases will be detrimental to the permittees who depend upon public lands for a substantial portion of their annual forage.

• Livestock grazing on private lands could be regulated if the sage-grouse were listed. Also, if public lands grazing is eliminated, reduced, or altered in a way that makes it infeasible for permittees to utilize their public land allotments, grazing pressure on private lands will significantly increase. Landowners will be faced with the decision to increase utilization rates on their deeded ground, seek private pasture to lease, and/or reduce herd size.


MISSION

The mission of the Harney County Sage-Grouse CCAA Steering Committee is to develop and promote a Programmatic CCAA for greater sage-grouse that will:

1. Provide dependable protective assurances for Harney County landowners.

2. Identify sage-grouse habitat conservation measures that are compatible with the continuation of ranching and other land uses important to the social and economic viability of our communities.

3. Preclude the need for United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to list sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).


¡ WRS claims Greater Sage-Grouse is not legally qualified for listing under ESA.¡ WRS makes citations to

population data saying 5,000 mature adults are the minimum effective needed population Range-Widebefore considered threatened or endangered.¡ USFWS says this is an error in

the WRS report and that the needed range-wide population is much higher.


WRS REPORT


MANAGEMENT ZONES


TRENDS

• Use of sustainable grazing systems to improve hiding cover for birds.• Avoiding use and disturbance around known breeding leks or nesting

habitat areas.• Removal/thinning of encroaching junipers from sage-grasslands

Control/elimination of invasive weeds (Medusahead, Ventenata, etc.) that threaten the quality of otherwise suitable sage-grouse habitat.

• Restoration of native grasses and sage brush habitat areas.• Development of habitat area water sources and riparian areas.• Reduced land fragmentation to provide connecting habitat access.• Marking or moving "high risk" fences near breeding sites to reduce

bird-strike collisions.• Monitoring, record keeping, photo-monitoring of “before and after”

habitat situation.

EXAMPLES OF BENEFICIAL HABITAT CONSERVATION PRACTICES

“What’s Good for the Bird – Can be Good for the Herd”5/18/2012 Harney County Sage-Grouse Steering Committee - T. Sharp

WHAT TO EXPECT

• This issue is NOT going away!• Expect to hear much more about sage-grouse protection in the news and

from your cattleman ’s associations over the next three years.• Expect to hear more about USDA’s NRCS Sage Grouse Init iat ive (SGI).• Steering Committee was the successful recipient of a $50K OWEB Technical

Assistance grant to fund development of Harney County ’s CCAA document. • Steering Committee goal is to submit the Programmatic CCAA application

document to USFWS in 2013 and will then began enrolling Harney County participants via Cer t i ficates of Inclusion.

• Harney County ’s CCAA and Certificates of Inclusion may look very similar to the Gunnison Sage-Grouse CCAA documents (Online – check it out!)

• Steering Committee normally meets on third Wednesdays each month at 6:00PM at the Harney County Court House.

• Smaller Steering Committee Working Sub-Groups meets to work details and provide recommendations to the Steering Committee.


• The issue is real and is not going away!• Don ’t rely upon good hopes or wishful thinking.• This is the rancher and farmer ’s Spotted Owl!• If you want to continue your operation, or to protect the value

in your land and improvements, or to someday transfer ownership to your next generation or to a potential buyer –you need the assurance protection of a CCAA (think of it as the best insurance you will ever need.)

• Participants must be enrolled by the CCAA’s Certificate of Inclusion before the species is listed (2015 listing decision).

• Certificates of Inclusion are transferrable to new owners.• You can always opt out of your voluntary participation.• This is not the time to “Cowboy-Up” and “Bet the Farm”, you

need to “Business-Up” and protect your operation.


DON’T BE IN DENIAL!

WE CAN CHOOSE TO BE PROACTIVE…

Don’t let this do to ourranching and farming

Like this did to ourlogging and timber


YOUR PARTICIPATION

As a Harney County rancher, farmer or landowner desiring to protect the social and economic interests of your land’s use and future development you are encouraged to actively keep yourself informed on this critical issue, talk to your family and neighbors, and consider your participation in the Harney County Sage-Grouse CCAA.

For more information please visit our website at www.co.harney.or.us/sagegrouse.html or call 541-573-5010 at SWCD to be added to our information distribution.


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