(From Press Release) On September 16th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“Service”) awarded the Yolo Habitat Conservancy an $820,000 planning grant to complete the Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan and Natural Community Conservation Plan (“Yolo HCP/NCCP”). The Yolo HCP/NCCP is a 50-year countywide plan for conservation and management of 12 sensitive species in Yolo County and the natural communities on which these species depend. The Yolo Habitat Conservancy expects to release the Public Review Draft of the Yolo HCP/NCCP by the end of 2016 and complete state and federal agency permitting by the end of 2017.
“We are looking forward completing the Yolo HCP/NCCP and continuing our partnership with the Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to implement the plan’s conservation objectives for the Swainson’s hawk, giant garter snake, and other important species that live in Yolo County,” said Jim Provenza, Chair of the Yolo Habitat Conservancy, which oversees development of the Yolo HCP/NCCP. “The plan builds on the longstanding commitment of Yolo County to habitat and agricultural land conservation.”
The Yolo HCP/NCCP is a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), and a Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP) under the state Natural Community Conservation Planning Act (NCCPA). The Yolo HCP/NCCP provides Endangered Species Act permits for development in Yolo County, coordinates mitigation for development-related impacts on natural communities at the local level, and will result in significant conservation above and beyond mitigation over a 50-year period. The Yolo Habitat Conservancy is also working on completing a Local Conservation Plan that covers over 120 species, which will foster additional local goals related to wildlife and habitat conservation, management, and enhancement.
“The completion of the Yolo HCP/NCCP will create a streamlined alternative to the piecemeal approach for mitigation that occurs in the absence of a comprehensive plan,” said Yolo Habitat Conservancy Vice-Chair Sean Denny. “This approach will enable development and habitat conservation to proceed in a manner that creates appropriate long-term economic benefits, while preserving environmental resources and species in Yolo County. It will also ensure the preservation of our agricultural character and heritage.”
The Yolo Habitat Conservancy is a joint powers agency consisting of the City of Woodland, the City of Davis, the City of West Sacramento, the City of Winters, and Yolo County. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior whose mission is to guide the conservation, development, and management of the Nation’s fish and wildlife resources. For more information about the Yolo Habitat Conservancy, please visit www.yolohabitatconservancy.org. For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, please visit www.fws.gov.
