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DNS FOG Temp: 42 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, December 12, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate 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 Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 27, 2002 Fairy shrimp habitat protection is likely to cause economic harm By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune WHITE CITY — Protecting the tiny fairy shrimp in the vernal pools located on industrial land in the Agate Desert could have a jumbo impact on the local economy, warns Bill Leever. "My reaction is that it will have untenable expenses for perspective users of this land," said the partner in the Pulver & Leever Real Estate Co. "But this is the world we live in today," he added. "It’s environmental reality." Leever was referring to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s draft economic analysis released Monday on its proposal to designate some 1.7 million acres as critical habitat for the threatened fairy shrimp and 14 other vernal pool species that are threatened or endangered. Over the next two decades, the proposal could cause private landowners and public agencies to absorb between $5.4 million and $11.9 million in administrative costs, according to the analysis. Moreover, it indicates that up to $122.9 million in project modification costs may be necessary to comply with the federal Endangered Species Act. While most of the proposed acreage is in California, it includes about 7,600 acres in Jackson County, an area considered the northern edge of the shrimp’s habitat. A breakdown on the predicted economic impact on land within the county was not available. The analysis also finds that designating critical habitat could produce regional and local economic benefits, although it acknowledges those are difficult to quantify. The public has until Dec. 23 to comment on the report. The analysis can be reviewed at the agency’s California Web site at http://Sacramento.fws.gov Comments on the proposal may be mailed to the Field Supervisor, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, W-2605, Sacramento, CA 95825. Leever’s concerns were echoed by Bruce Laird, a regional economist with the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department. "Oftentimes, when a threatened or endangered species is involved, a site is simply not developed — that’s the ugly reality," Laird said. "More often than not, people choose not to mess with it," he added. "When this issue first came up (in the White City area), several companies looked at it and walked away." As a result of that trend, it is difficult to factor in the economic impact, he said. "In real terms, companies are looking for sites that are ‘shovel ready,’" he said, avoiding land that may be wrapped in red tape. "The number of sites that receive wetland mitigation isn’t high," he said, adding that point makes land containing vernal pools difficult to sell or develop. Craig Tuss, the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southern Oregon representative, agreed that critical habitat designation can have an impact on the economy. "It does give the perception there are additional restrictions on the land, that there are additional hoops people have to go through," he said. "That can make some people shy away from doing something." However, he noted that in most cases, the land involved already has been designated as wetland, which requires permits before being developed. "But in this case, this doesn’t add a whole new overlay into the landscape," he said. Critical habitat designation does not impose restrictions on private lands, unless federal funds, permits or activities are involved, officials stressed. Besides providing habitat for the shrimp that were listed as threatened in 1994, the pools play a valuable role in the food chain for a wide array of animals, from birds of prey, migratory waterfowl and shorebirds to frogs, toads, salamanders and pollinating insects, officials said. The main threat to the continued existence of the vernal pool species is the loss of habitat, largely because of residential or commercial development and lands converted to farm use. Although the vernal pools once thrived through what is now Medford and Central Point to the Rogue River and east to Eagle Point, they have been eradicated by development and farming in about 90 percent of their original habitat, according to Darren Borgias, southwestern Oregon director for The Nature Conservancy. That conservation group has worked to protect more than 300 acres of vernal pool areas in the county through land purchases and other agreements. The local impact caused by designating vernal pools as critical habitat will not be anywhere near the estimated 7,600 acres, Borgias stressed. "It will be considerably less," he said, adding that the economic impact also will be much less when considering the Oregon portion is a very small part of the overall package. "There is also a considerable chunk of vernal pool areas that are small, isolated and degraded that weren’t included in the (proposed) critical habitat listing," he said, adding those sites wouldn’t be affected by the proposal. But Leever is concerned that the proposal will significantly impact industrial land available in the north valley region. "The burden of proof is going to be on the applicant to prove the property is not going to be affected," he said. "That’s going to be an expensive and time-consuming process. . . It will have a big impact on trying to attract major industry to the area." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [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 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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