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CLEAR Temp: 82 °F Wind: N at 4 mph Friday, August 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 7, 2003 Mail Tribune graphic Agate Desert decision protects fairy shrimp, costs $3.5 million U.S. designates vernal pools as critical habitatfor endangered species By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune WHITE CITY — Fairy shrimp will get further protection after the designation Wednesday of 7,574 acres of vernal pools in the Agate Desert as critical habitat by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The estimated loss in land value to Jackson County from this designation is $3.5 million, according to a recent Fish and Wildlife Service economic analysis. Earlier this month, the federal government awarded a $143,000 grant to develop a habitat conservation plan for the county’s vernal pools. Jackson is the only county in Oregon that falls under the new guidelines; the remaining 30 affected counties are in California. Advertisement Vernal pool fairy shrimp, one of the many species identified as threatened or endangered in these habitats, are also found in the San Joaquin Valley and in Santa Barbara. Under Fish and Wildlife’s original proposal, 1.7 million acres in both states would have fallen under the designation, but economic conditions, better mapping techniques and more up-to-date biological information reduced the acreage to 740,000. California counties such as Merced with 337,514 acres and Madera with 112,469 acres were taken off the list because of economic effects from the designation, particularly the impact on housing costs. There was no change in acreage identified in Jackson County. Bill Leever, a partner in Pulver & Leever Real Estate Co., said the designation will seriously inhibit the ability to attract a major company that would hire 500 to 1,000 employees. "I think it will be a deterrent to light and heavy industrial growth in areas where it needs to occur in, which is that White City Agate Desert area," said Leever. "These are monumental decisions being made quietly and are having an impact on attracting living wage jobs," he said. Bruce Laird, regional economist with the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, said the vernal pools are easy to identify and developers have stayed away from them for the past 15 years. "They really are pretty," he said. "They are very unique." Laird said a very rough estimate of the number of acres in the industrial White City corridor affected by the vernal pool classification would be 500. Developers have coped with the pools by building around them, he said. "We’re in the acceptance stage," he said. "Besides, we’re not going to build on a marsh." Jim Nickles, spokesman for Fish and Wildlife, said he believes the new designation doesn’t necessarily afford any more protection to species than they already have. "It’s not like we’re setting up a preserve or a refuge," he said. Since protections for threatened or endangered species already have been in place, the new designation will not mean any additional regulations on the affected properties. "On the one hand, it gets people really fired up," he said. "On the other hand, there isn’t that much difference." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times