Critical Habitat. Critical habitat for the Puget Sound Chinook salmon ESU was designated on September 2, 2005 (Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 170). This designation specifically identified habitat within the Lower Skagit Sub-basin (Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 170). Critical habitat includes the stream channels within the designated stream reaches, and includes a lateral extent as defined by the ordinary high-water line. In areas where the ordinary high-water line has not been defined, the lateral extent will be defined by the bankfull elevation. As previously mentioned, bankfull elevation is the level at which water begins to leave the channel and move into the floodplain. It is reached at a discharge which generally has a recurrence interval of 1 to 2 years in the annual flood series (Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 170). In estuarine and nearshore marine areas, critical habitat includes areas contiguous with the shoreline from the line of extreme high water out to a depth of no more than 30 meters relative to mean lower low water (FR, 2005a). • Within the Coverage Area and extending into marine waters, critical habitat for the Puget Sound Chinook ESU includes the following watercourses: Skagit River – all segments within the Coverage Area. • North Fork Skagit River – from the Coverage Area boundary upstream to the confluence with the Skagit River. • South Fork Skagit River - from the Coverage Area boundary upstream to the confluence with the Skagit River. • Browns Slough – upstream to Fir Island Road crossing. • Hall Slough – from the Coverage Area boundary upstream to the terminus of designated habitat (location unspecified). • Xxxxxxxx Slough – old channel (Unnamed [48.3831, –122.4842]). • Nearshore marine habitat. The entire watershed for the Samish River was excluded from the Critical Habitat designation for Puget Sound Chinook Salmon. Primary constituent elements (PCEs) for Chinook salmon have been identified within the designated critical habitat areas. The PCEs are those habitat components that are essential for the primary biological needs of foraging, reproducing, rearing of young, dispersal, genetic exchange, or sheltering. The PCEs cover freshwater spawning sites; freshwater rearing sites; freshwater migration corridors; estuarine areas for physiological transition and rearing and migration; nearshore marine areas; and offshore marine areas (Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 170).
Critical Habitat. NMFS established designated critical habitat for the Southern Resident Killer Whale on November 29, 2006 (Federal Register /Vol. 71, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 29, 2006 / Rules and Regulations). Three specific areas are designated, (1) the Summer Core Area in Xxxx Xxxxxx and xxxxxx around the San Xxxx Islands; (2) Puget Sound; and (3) the Strait of Xxxx xx Xxxx, which comprise approximately 2,560 square miles (6,630 sq km) of marine habitat. The final critical habitat designation does not include waters shallower than 20 feet based on extreme high tide. Tidal fluctuations vary at locations throughout the critical habitat areas, but generally the shallow areas not included in the critical habitat designation are very shallow (5–10 feet) in some tidal conditions and can even be exposed at very low tides. Critical habitat includes all waters relative to a contiguous shoreline delimited by the line at a depth of 20 feet relative to extreme high water in each of the following areas: all marine waters in Skagit County east of the Deception Pass Bridge (Highway 20) (48o24′ 25″ N./ 122o38′35″ W.) Primary Constituent Elements pursuant to the regulations, such requirements include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Space for individual and population growth, and for normal behavior; (2) food, water, air, light, minerals, or other nutritional or physiological requirements; (3) cover or shelter; (4) sites for breeding, reproduction, rearing of offspring, germination, or seed dispersal; and generally, (5) habitats that are protected from disturbance or are representative of the historic geographical and ecological distributions of a species. Based on this natural history of the Southern Resident killer whales and their habitat needs, the physical or biological features of Southern Resident killer whale habitat are: (1) Water quality to support growth and development; (2) Prey species of sufficient quantity, quality and availability to support individual growth, reproduction and development, as well as overall population growth; and (3) Passage conditions to allow for migration, resting, and foraging. These constitute the primary constituent elements essential for conservation of the Southern Resident killer whale (Federal Register /Vol. 71, No. 229 / Wednesday, November 29, 2006 / Rules and Regulations). APPENDIX C – REQUEST FOR CREDIT FORM Request For Credit (To be completed by District conducting maintenance action) Submit completed form with SPIF to the ...
Critical Habitat. Critical habitat for the marbled murrelet was designated on May 24, 1996 (USFWS, 1996). Critical habitat was only identified in the terrestrial environment and not in the marine environment. Designated lands are in areas identified as essential to the conservation of the species. The USFWS identified 11 critical habitat units in Washington. Approximately 1,631,300 acres (660,180 hectares) of habitat were designated as critical habitat in Washington, with approximately 74 percent of the area on federal lands, primarily in Late Successional Reserves as established in the Forest Plan. The primary constituent elements (the physical and biological habitat features) for designating marbled murrelet critical habitat were identified in the document as individual trees with potential nest platforms and forest lands of at least one half site potential tree height regardless of contiguity within 0.8 km (0.5 mile) of individual trees with potential nesting platform and that are used or potentially used by the marbled murrelet for nesting or roosting. Within the boundaries of designated critical habitat, only those areas that contain one or more primary constituent elements are, by definition, critical habitat (USFWS, 1996). Review of the USFWS on-line critical habitat mapper indicates that the nearest designated critical habitat area is approximately 12.6 miles from the eastern Coverage Area boundary.
Critical Habitat. Critical habitat for the Coastal-Puget Sound bull trout population was designated in September 2005 (Federal Register / Xxx. 00, Xx. 000 / Monday, September 26, 2005). Within the Coverage Area this is identified as Unit 28 – Puget Sound. Critical habitat includes the stream channels within the designated stream reaches, and includes a lateral extent as defined by the ordinary high-water line. In areas where ordinary high-water line has not been defined, the lateral extent will be defined by the bankfull elevation. Bankfull elevation is the level at which water begins to leave the channel and move into the floodplain and is reached at a discharge that generally has a recurrence interval of 1 to 2 years in the annual flood series. Critical habitat also includes the inshore extent for marine nearshore areas (the mean higher high water [MHHW] line), including tidally influenced freshwater heads of estuaries. This refers to the average of all the higher high-water heights of the two daily tidal levels. Adjacent shoreline riparian areas, bluffs, and uplands are not designated as critical habitat. For marine nearshore areas, critical habitat extends offshore to a depth of 33 feet relative to the mean lower low-water line (MLLW) (average of all the lower low-water heights of the two daily tidal levels). This area between MHHW and minus 10 MLLW is considered the habitat most consistently used by bull trout in marine waters based on known use, forage fish availability, and ongoing migration studies, and captures geological and ecological processes important to maintaining these habitats. This area contains essential foraging habitat and migration corridors such as estuaries, bays, inlets, shallow subtidal areas, and intertidal flats (Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 185 / Monday, September 26, 2005). For the Coverage Area and adjoining marine waters, critical habitat includes the Skagit River, North Fork Skagit River, South Fork Skagit River, Samish River, and the eastern shoreline of Puget Sound. Primary constituent elements (PCEs) for bull trout have been identified within the designated critical habitat areas. The PCEs are those habitat components that are essential for the primary biological needs of foraging, reproducing, rearing of young, dispersal, genetic exchange, or sheltering. The PCEs address water temperature, stream channel complexity, substrate, presence of a natural hydrograph, high quality and cold natural water sources (e.g., springs, seeps), migrat...
Critical Habitat. The Service agrees that it will consider the MSHCP in the preparation of any proposed determination of critical habitat or the revision of existing critical habitat for any MSHCP Species. The Service agrees that if critical habitat is designated for any MSHCP Species and NiSource is properly implementing the terms of the MSHCP, the Service will not require NiSource to commit new, additional or different conservation or mitigation beyond that provided for under the MSHCP and this Agreement.
Critical Habitat. The USFWS further agrees that it will consider the MAPHCP in its preparation of any proposed designation of critical habitat or recovery plan concerning any Covered Species and agrees that, consistent with 50 C.F.R. 424.12, the MAPHCP incorporates those special management considerations necessary to manage the Covered Species and their habitats in a manner that will provide "for the conservation of the species involved" within the Natomas Basin. Consistent with the Assurances Rule set forth in Section 6.1.5, in the event that a critical habitat designation is made for any Covered Species and upon a determination that the MAPHCP is in full compliance with permit requirements, no additional mitigation in the form of land, land restrictions or financial compensation, beyond that required by the MAPHCP, shall be required of any Permittee or Urban Development Permittee in connection with Urban Development in the MAPSPA as a result of such critical habitat designation without the consent of Permittee.
Critical Habitat. The USFWS agrees that it will consider the RPV NCCP Subarea Plan in its preparation of any proposed designation of critical habitat concerning any Covered Species and agrees that, consistent with 50 C.F.R. 424.12, the RPV NCCP Subarea Plan incorporates those special management considerations necessary to manage the Covered Species and their habitats in a manner that will provide "for the conservation of the species involved" within the RPV Subarea. Consistent with the No Surprises Rule set forth in Section 9.2 of this Agreement in the event that a critical habitat designation is made for any RPV Covered Species upon a determination by USFWS that CITY is properly implementing the RPV NCCP Subarea Plan, no additional mitigation in the form of land, land restrictions or financial compensation, beyond that provided for under the RPV NCCP Subarea Plan, shall be required of the CITY or Third Party Beneficiaries to mitigate for the impacts of Take resulting from a Covered Activity within the RPV Subarea as a result of such critical habitat designation without the consent of the CITY.
Critical Habitat. The USFWS further agrees that it will consider the NBHCP in its preparation of any proposed designation of critical habitat concerning any Covered Species and agrees that, consistent with 50 C.F.R. 424.12, the NBHCP incorporates those special management considerations necessary to manage the Covered Species and their habitats in a manner that will provide “for the conservation of the species involved” within the CITY, XXXXXX’x and TNBC’s respective Permit Areas in the Natomas Basin. Consistent with the No Surprises Rule set forth in Section 6.1.2(a), in the event that a critical habitat designation is made for any Covered Species and upon a determination that CITY, SUTTER and TNBC are properly implementing the NBHCP, no additional mitigation in the form of land, land restrictions or financial compensation, beyond that required by the NBHCP, shall be required of any Permittee in connection with Urban Development in its Permit Area as a result of such critical habitat designation without the consent of that Permittee.
Critical Habitat. As proposed by the USFWS in its proposed rule, published Jan 11, 2013, the occupied portion of Gunnison sage-grouse proposed critical habitat includes those areas within the species’ occupied habitat that possess the physical or biological features—Primary Constituent Elements, or PCEs— essential to the conservation of the species and that may require special management considerations or protection (78 FR 8). USFWS is proposing seven critical habitat units across the range of the species corresponding to the seven Gunnison sage-grouse populations. Within unit 6 (Gunnison Basin), the CCA applies to 395,458 acres, comprising all occupied habitat on federal lands in the Gunnison Basin. Therefore, each of the landscape- and site-scale elements occur within the action area. A summary of the PCEs, as identified by the FWS proposed rule, are included below. Landscape-Scale Primary Constituent Element PCE1: These areas: o include vegetation composed primarily of sagebrush plant communities (at least 25% primarily sagebrush land cover within .9 mi radius of any given location); o are of sufficient size and configuration to encompass all seasonal habitats for a given population; o are of sufficient size and configuration to facilitate movements within and among populations. “If an area meets the landscape scale requirement, then a particular site is considered critical habitat if it contains one or more of the site-scale primary constituent elements (PCEs 2-5)” (78 FR 8; 2546). Site-Scale Primary Constituent Elements PCE2: Breeding habitat o Composed of sagebrush plant communities with structural characteristics within ranges described in Table 1, below. Values are drawn from the 2005 Rangewide Conservation Plan. An area is considered critical habitat if its average vegetation values are within the ranges identified for the majority of structural categories. Table 2. Breeding habitat vegetation guidelines Vegetation Variable Amount of Occurrence in the Habitat Sagebrush Canopy Cover 10 – 25% Non-sagebrush Canopy Cover 5 – 15% Total Shrub Canopy Cover 15 – 40% Sagebrush Height 25 – 50 cm (9.8 – 19.7 in) Grass Cover 10 – 40% Forb Cover 5 – 40% Grass Height 10 – 15 cm (3.9 – 5.9 in) Forb Height 5 – 15 cm (2.0 – 5.9 in) PCE3: Summer-late fall habitat o Composed of sagebrush plant communities with structural characteristics within ranges described in Table 2, below. Values are drawn from the 2005 Rangewide Conservation Plan. An area is considered critical habitat i...
Critical Habitat. The USFWS acknowledges that pursuant to the final critical habitat rule promulgated for the marbled murrelet and codified at 50 CFR 17.95(b), the critical habitat designation for the marbled murrelet will not apply to any Covered Lands for so long as the Federal Permit remains in effect. The USFWS and NMFS further agree that they will consider the HCP in their preparation of any proposed determination of critical habitat for any other Covered Species under their respective jurisdictions or revision of critical habitat for the marbled murrelet. USFWS and NMFS agree that if critical habitat is designated for any Covered Species and PALCO is properly implementing the terms of the HCP, the USFWS and NMFS will not require PALCO to commit new, additional or different conservation or mitigation beyond that provided for under the HCP and this Agreement.
