hcp implementation in pima county, arizona julia fonseca pima county office of sustainability and...
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HCP HCP ImplementatioImplementatio
n in Pima n in Pima County, County, ArizonaArizona
Julia FonsecaPima County Office of
Sustainability and Conservation
Photo by Aaron Flesch
HCP overviewHCP overview44 species 44 species (down from 55)(down from 55)
30 years / 36,000 30 years / 36,000 acresacres
404 streamlining404 streamlining
Avoidance, Avoidance, minimization and minimization and mitigation are mitigation are already in placealready in place
Pima County, ArizonaPima County, Arizona
9,189 Square Miles
85% land is Federal, State or tribal
Population: 980,263
Tucson: 6th poorest city of its size class in US
Tucson
The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan elements respond to community values:Habitat and Corridors
Cultural ResourcesRiparianRanch
Mountain Parks
Pima County • Pima County Regional Flood Control District • Tohono O’odham Nation • U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service • City of Tucson • Town of Marana • Town of Oro Valley • Metropolitan Domestic Water District • U. S. Bureau of Land Management • U. S. Forest Service • Environmental Protection Agency • Arizona Game and Fish Department • National Park Service
Habitat and Corridors ElementHabitat and Corridors Element:: To ensure the long-term survival of the full spectrum of plants and animals that are indigenous to Pima County through maintaining or improving ecosystem structures and functions necessary for their survival.
View from Diamond Bell Ranch 2010
Implemented: From Implemented: From Development Guidelines to 2001 Development Guidelines to 2001 Land Use PlanLand Use Plan
1999-2003: Plan 1999-2003: Plan developmentdevelopment
2006: Owl delisted2006: Owl delisted
2010: HCP 2010: HCP submitted submitted
2012: FWS DEIS2012: FWS DEIS
Implemented: $165 million inImplemented: $165 million inOpen Space AcquisitionsOpen Space Acquisitions225,000 acres under 225,000 acres under managementmanagement
Land Management Land Management ImplementedImplemented
County mitigation lands have multiple uses for people as well as wildlife.
Other types of Other types of mitigation land:mitigation land:
Floodprone and In-Lieu Floodprone and In-Lieu Fee programsFee programs
Developer set-asidesDeveloper set-asides
DonationsDonations
Future bond Future bond acquisitionsacquisitions
Future land Future land exchanges and RPPA exchanges and RPPA acquisitionsacquisitions
Implemented: Cactus Implemented: Cactus Mitigation BankMitigation Bank
County-owned landFor County projectsEstablished 2002Banks have a benefit to Pima County, but a landscape approach is better.
Experiment: Removal of Non-Experiment: Removal of Non-native Frogs in Ranch native Frogs in Ranch “Frogsheds”“Frogsheds”
Other Advance Other Advance ImplementationImplementation
Invasive species managementTesting of monitoring protocolsDatabase developmentFunding: property taxes
NEPA ExperimentNEPA Experiment
Public scoping 2000, 2003
County-hosted public process, 7 draft HCPs
DEIS published 2012
22 comments 2012
Why advance Why advance implementation?implementation?
Protect habitat before more fragmentation.Success helps sustains political will and citizen support.Implementation creates certainty.Failure shows what is not “practicable”. Opportunity for process improvement before a permit is issued.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uMlomLOGFg
Sonoran Desert Conservation Planhttp://www.pima.gov/cmo/sdcp/