Zayante Sandhills Conservation Bank

Ben Lomond Wallflower		Mount Hermon June Beetle		Silverleaf Manzanita		Band-winged Grasshopper		Ben Lomond Spineflower		Ben Lomond buckwheat
Ben Lomond Wallflower	Zayante Sandhills Conservation Bank									Ben Lomond buckwheat

The Zayante Sandhills Conservation Bank - Project Status Page (last updated April 26, 2007)

This page describes the status of three projects that are being developed to conserve Sandhills habitat for endangered species while permitting landowner projects within the Sandhills.

Project	Status	Estimated Completion
Zayante Sandhills Conservation Bank	Conservation Bank Documents approved by USFWS Easement recorded and approved by USFWS	June 2, 2006 April 25, 2007
Interim Programmatic Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sandhills (IPHCP)	Being reviewed by the County of Santa Cruz, City of Scotts Valley and USFWS	End of Summer '07
Regional Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sandhills	Being prepared by County of Santa Cruz and City of Scotts Valley	Unknown

Overview
Landowners seeking to conduct projects that are likely to result in take of federally endangered species in the Zayante Sandhills will require an incidental take permit (ITP) from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to cover the impacts of their projects. An ITP can be obtained through preparation of a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), which describes how the landowner will minimize impacts of their project on endangered species, and mitigate those impacts by compensating for habitat negatively impacted by the project. The Zayante Sandhills Conservation Bank provides a mechanism for satisfying off-site mitigation requirements for projects in the Zayante Sandhills where applicable.

Individual landowners can work with the USFWS to prepare a HCP for their own project. In addition, the City of Scotts Valley, County of Santa Cruz, and USFWS are developing two HCPs that will provide multiple landowners with the coverage of an ITP while describing the steps that will be taken to minimize and mitigate impacts of the projects on endangered species. The two HCPs are:

Interim Programmatic Habitat Conservation Plan: will permit residential projects in a series of neighborhoods identified in the plan
Regional Habitat Conservation Plan: will permit a wider variety of projects throughout the Sandhills distribution

The following sections describe in greater detail these three projects, which are in varying stages of development.

Zayante Sandhills Conservation Bank
Status Conditional approval by USFW, June 2, 2006, Conservation Easement with CNLM recorded on April 25, 2007.
Details The Zayante Sandhills Conservation Bank (ZSCB) is approved by the USFWS.

Once approved by the USFWS, the ZSCB can sell credits to landowners seeking to mitigate the impacts of their projects as described in a HCP. Landowners who wish to prepare an individual project HCP should contact the USFWS to obtain more information about the requirements of such plans. Landowners should also contact the County of Santa Cruz or City of Scotts Valley regarding other project permits and requirements in their jurisdiction.

Interim Programmatic Habitat Conservation Plan for the Zayante Sandhills
Status Being reviewed by the County of Santa Cruz, City of Scotts Valley and USFWS.
Details The Interim Programmatic Habitat Conservation Plan (IPHCP) will address the incidental take of endangered species associated with residential projects located in already developed neighborhoods within the Sandhills. The plan will describe the specific eligibility criteria for projects and identify the neighborhoods in which landowners can utilize the IPHCP.

Originally drafted in 2002, completion of the IPHCP was delayed due to the absence of a feasible method for landowners to mitigate the impacts of their projects on endangered species by providing for preservation of habitat. In June 2005, the USFWS revised the plan to identify mitigation options, which include purchasing credits in the Zayante Sandhills Conservation Bank, and provided the revised plan to the County of Santa Cruz and City of Scotts Valley for their final review.

Remaining Steps (anticipated to be complete by the end of Summer '07)

The County of Santa Cruz, City of Scotts Valley, and USFWS comment on the revised plan and complete the IPHCP
The County must adopt an ordinance or revise existing conditions to facilitate implementation of the IPHCP
The public will be allowed to review and comment on the draft IPHCP; a notice of availability will be published in the Federal Register to announce the public review period.

Regional Habitat Conservation Plan for the Zayante Sandhills
Status In early stages of development within County of Santa Cruz and City of Scotts Valley. Completion will require unknown years.
Details While the IPHCP covers only residential projects in specific neighborhoods, the Regional Habitat Conservation Plan (RHCP) for the Zayante Sandhills will provide a conservation strategy and method of permitting projects in Sandhills habitat throughout its geographic range (central Santa Cruz County). The RHCP is being developed in collaboration between the County of Santa Cruz and the City of Scotts Valley, with funding provided by grants from the USFWS. Work on the RHCP was initiated in 2004, and is estimated to require 3-6 years for completion. More information about the RSHP can be found on the County’s website at: Santa Cruz Sandhills Regional Habitat Conservation Plan.

Contact Information

Sandhills Conservation Bank	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	County of Santa Cruz	City of Scotts Valley
Paul Burrowes	Roger Root	Claudia Slater	Steve Russell
Managing Partner	Fish and Wildlife Biologist	Planning Department	Community Development Director/Deputy City Manager
245-M Mt. Hermon, #154, Scotts Valley, CA 95066	2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura CA, 93003	701 Ocean Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060	One Civic Center Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066
408-497-3989	805-644-1766	831-454- 5175	831-440-5630
paul@zayantesandhills.com	roger_root@fws.gov	claudia.slater@co.santa-cruz.ca.us	srussell@scottsvalley.org

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