U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Environmental Impact Statement for Sierra Pacific Industries

Habitat Conservation PlanPublic Scoping Meeting

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Scoping Meeting Agenda

Welcome, Introductions and Overview Presentation:

• Scoping Meeting Purpose and Objective

• Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) Incidental Take Permit Application and Habitat Conservation Plan

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Environmental Review Process

Open House Public Scoping Session Adjourn

Public Scoping MeetingsWednesday, September 13, 20175:30 to 7:30 pmHilltop Holiday InnBuckskin Room1900 Hilltop DriveRedding, CA 96002

Thursday, September 14, 20171:30 to 3:30 pmBonderson BuildingHearing Room901 P StreetSacramento, CA 95814

Thursday, September 14, 20175:30 to 7:30 pmOn-linePre-registration required at https://tinyurl.com/nso-cso-scoping

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

How To Provide Verbal Comments In-person Scoping Meeting: Enter your name to the sign-up sheet at the registration desk or leave a Speaker

Request card at the registration desk. Speakers will be called to the microphone in the order she or he signed in. The duration of the scoping comment may be limited depending on the number of

speaker requests.

Webinar Scoping Meeting: Following completion of the presentation, the facilitator will request attendees use

the “hand” symbol on GoTo Webinar to show their intention to speak. The speaker order will be based on the order she or he signed into the webinar. Attendees may also use the chat function in GoTo Webinar to provide their

comment. The duration of the verbal comment may be limited depending on the number of

speaker requests.

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Purpose and Objective of Scoping This Scoping Meeting initiates the Service’s

communication efforts to: • Inform the public about the project.• Identify interested parties.

Receive verbal and written public comments related to:

• Environmental factors to be considered.• Significant issues of concern.• Potential alternatives to be considered in

the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Proposed Action Issuance of an incidental take permit (ITP) for the

northern spotted owl (NSO) and California spotted owl (CSO) based on the Sierra Pacific Industries’ (SPI) Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP).

The issuance of an ITP to SPI is considered a Federal action (authorize, fund, permit, or otherwise carryout).

An HCP is a necessary part of the application for an ITP.

The SPI HCP will describe avoidance and minimization measures where necessary and a strategy for conserving NSO/CSO on SPI lands.

SPI is proposing a 50 – 100 year permit term for incidental take coverage associated with timber harvest and associated activities.

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Proposed Action (cont.)

Alternatively, SPI may choose to prepare a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) for the CSO.

• A CCAA is a voluntary agreement that provides benefits for candidate species before the species needs to be listed.

• If a candidate species becomes listed, a CCAA includes a permit that allows for incidental take while conservation measures that benefit the species continue to be applied.

• A CCAA is accompanied by an “Enhancement of Survival Permit” (ESP) that authorizes incidental take of the covered species.

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Covered SpeciesNorthern Spotted Owl

• Federally listed threatened in 1990

• State listed threatened in 2017

• Threats: Habitat loss and competition with barred owl

• Habitat requirements: Structurally complex and old-growth forest; forest patches of at least several hundred acres

California Spotted Owl

• Petitioned species for federal listing

• Threats: Habitat loss, large catastrophic fire

• Habitat requirements: Structurally complex and old-growth forest

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

SPI: Covered Lands Covered Lands includes

SPI property where Covered Activities will occur

Approximately 1.6 million acres of commercially-managed timberlands owned by SPI in the state of California

• 377,913 acres NSO habitat

• 1,195,445 acres CSO habitat

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Proposed SPI Spotted Owl Conservation Strategy

Strategy to conserve NSO and CSO on approximately 1.6 million acres of managed timberland in California.

Spotted owl habitat will be conserved over the proposed 50 to 100-year term of the ITP. Spotted owl habitat is expected to increase in both quality and abundance.

Prioritize protection of habitat based on the conservation value for spotted owls. Habitat protection zones will surround spotted owl activity centers and limited

operating periods will be implemented seasonally. Address threats associated with barred owl competition. US Forest Service/SPI coordinated cooperative fuel strategy to reduce risk from

large catastrophic wildfires. Monitoring program will track habitat conditions to determine if the amount of

authorized take is likely to be exceeded. Adaptive management actions will be implemented if monitoring indicates

changes are warranted.Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 9 of the ESA prohibits “take” (without a permit) of threatened or

endangered fish and wildlife. Take under the ESA means to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct.”

Endangered species are animals and plants that are in danger of becoming extinct.

Threatened species are animals and plants that are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.

Section 10(a)1(B) of the ESA allows the Service to issue permits to authorize “Incidental Take.”

• Incidental Take – take that is incidental to an otherwise lawful activity.

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Why is the ITP needed? Both the NSO and CSO may be subject to injury or mortality

during timber harvest operations and management activities.

NSO are covered as listed species. CSO would be covered in the event they became listed.

The ITP would cover incidental take of NSO and CSO (should they become listed) that could result from timber harvest and associated activities on the covered portions of SPI’s ownership in California.

Incidental Take Permit Application

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

ITP Issuance Criteria The Service may issue permits to authorize “Incidental Take” under section

10(a) of the ESA provided the following criteria are met:

The taking will be incidental to an otherwise lawful activity;

The applicant will, to the maximum extent practicable, minimize and mitigate the impact of such taking;

The applicant will develop a proposed HCP and ensure that adequate funding for the plan will be provided;

The taking will not appreciably reduce the likelihood of the survival and recovery of the species in the wild; and

The applicant will carry out any other measures as required by the Secretary of the Interior.

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Previous Spotted Owl HCPs, Conservation Efforts, and Recovery

The Service has undertaken similar projects and recognizes the role private landowners can play in conserving listed species and contributing to conservation efforts for non-listed species.

• There are several HCPs and other formal conservation efforts that include NSO that have been completed or are in development.

• The Service’s 2011 Revised Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl describes the benefits of working with private landowners to recover the species.

• This is the first formal conservation plan for CSO on private lands.

• HCPs and CCAAs are important tools that non-federal landowners can voluntarily use to assist in the recovery of the NSO and contribute to conservation of CSO.

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Environmental Review Process

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Purpose – maintain environmental quality by requiring all federal agencies to

respond to the same policy.

Intended to help federal agencies make decisions based on an understanding of potential environmental consequences.

• Federal Action: Issuance of Incidental Take Permit (ITP)• Federal Agency: USFWS• Cooperating Agency: U.S. Forest Service

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will analyze the potential for environmental impacts to occur as the result of the issuance of the ITP, and the implementation of the HCP.

• An analysis of Alternatives will be conducted to ensure there is an appropriate balance between feasibility, the significance of potential impacts, and ability to achieve the purpose and need of the project.

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)EIS will cover:

Direct Effects - effects caused by the action and occur at the same time and place.

Indirect Effects - effects caused by the action and are later in time or farther removed in distance, but are still reasonably foreseeable .

Cumulative Effects - effects that result from the incremental impact of the action when added to other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable actions.

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Environmental Review Process

Tent

ativ

e S

ched

ule

Scoping

Draft EIS

Final EIS

Record of Decision (ROD)Service Makes Final Decision

Respond to Comments on Draft EIS and SPI HCP Prepare and Release Final EIS and SPI HCP

Prepare and Release Draft EIS(Draft SPI HCP released at same time)

Hold Public Meetings

Issue Notice of Intent(August 23, 2017)

Conduct Public Scoping Meetings

Compile Scoping Comments

Data Collection and Analysis to Evaluate

Alternatives

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2017

Spr

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2018

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Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Open House

Sept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Public Comment SessionTwo Methods: Verbal comments received during today’s scoping meeting. In writing via:

• Hand delivery or U.S. MailU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAttn: Kim Turner, Deputy Assistant Field SupervisorSacramento Fish and Wildlife Office2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-2605Sacramento, California 95825

OR• FAX: 916–414–6713

All comments are due on or before Sept. 22, 2017.

Please use the following subject line when providing written comments:

Sierra Pacific Industries EIS ScopingSept. 13-14, 2017

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Verbal Comments Say and spell your name State your affiliation or organization, if applicable Staff may respond to clarify questions Time limit: 3-5 minutes

The Service encourages you to provide written comments on the following topics: • Reasonable alternatives (what could SPI or the Service do to avoid or

minimize environmental impacts).• Measures to minimize or mitigate the impacts of the taking (what should be

done to reduce or offset the impacts to covered species).• Likely significant adverse impacts (what important issues should be analyzed

in the EIS).• Any other data or information that should be included in the EIS.

Sept. 13-14, 2017