San Luis Valley Regional Habitat Conservation Plan Draft for Public Review
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3.4Riparian Conservation and RestorationHabitat Creation, Restoration, and ProtectionBackgroundHabitat creation, restoration, and protection efforts include several tools to promote the establishment of riparian habitat and to protect existing habitat. These tools include fencing to manage livestock; planting or transplanting willows, cottonwoods, and grasses in the restoration area; periodically removing dead and falling trees; and managing grazing within riparian areas once they are reestablished. River restoration work, including channel shaping and stabilization, and the installation of instream structures, generally requires separate wetland permitting and ESA clearances, and therefore would not be covered by this HCP. Note that habitat restoration efforts on Federal lands are not covered by this HCP, while restoration projects conducted or funded by Federal agencies (such as NRCS) on non-federal lands are generally subject to Section 7 permitting requirements of the lead agency and, therefore, would not be eligible for incidental take coverage under this HCP. (See the Implementation section for a description of how mitigation credits for restoration projects resulting from Federal/non-federal partnerships would be addressed.) In the unlikely event that river restoration efforts were not subject to separate ESA permitting, those projects would be covered by this HCP.
These activities would result in isolated habitat impacts due to site preparation and excavation, as well as periodic removal of created habitat if needed to re-configure a restoration site. Overall, these activities are expected to result in long-term benefits to riparian habitat and the covered species. ImpactsThe impacts of habitat creation, restoration, and protection efforts are expected to be negligible, and will be mitigated within the 2-acre mitigation pool for conservation and restoration activities. Weed ManagementBackgroundThe proliferation of invasive plant species is both a biological and economic threat in the Valley and throughout the West. Weed management is a key component of any agricultural or land stewardship operation. One invasive species in particular, salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima), has overtaken much of the native riparian habitat throughout the southwestern United States. Salt cedar has yet to gain a foothold in the Valley, but any occurrence will have to be promptly eradicated both for the benefit of riparian habitat and in compliance with the Colorado Noxious Weed Act (Title 35, Article 5.5). Weed management tools typically include mechanical control (mowing, cutting, or targeted grazing), prescribed fire, or biological control (release of natural predators). Herbicide use is not covered by this HCP, but is covered through a separate regulatory process. 20 General EffectsWeed management may result in the disturbance to individuals or territories, and have the potential to impact non-target vegetation (and potentially the covered species), although these impacts would be minimal. Weed management activities would result in long-term habitat benefits by promoting and protecting native riparian communities. ImpactsThe overall impacts of weed management on the covered species and their habitat is expected to be negligible, and are mitigated within the 2-acre contingency pool for conservation and restoration activities. Wetland Creation and ManagementBackgroundSeveral organizations and landowners have worked to create and enhance wetland habitat in the Valley. These projects are conducted for a variety of purposes, but are primarily for wildlife habitat enhancement, and may include open water, emergent wetlands, and wet meadow areas. Willow plantings and cottonwood removal are often components of these wetland projects, which complement riparian areas as part of the overall mosaic of habitat types in the Valley. However, in some cases, willows can overtake other habitat types in a project area and need to be removed to maintain the primary habitat goals of the project area. Methods for removing willows in these areas include, but are not limited to, cutting, excavating, and burning. General EffectsThe removal of willows to support wetland management goals would result in the short-term elimination of potential habitat for the covered species, and could result in the direct take of individual birds. However, the removal of riparian habitat for wetland enhancement purposes is expected to be extremely infrequent. The long-term benefits include the maintenance of an overall mosaic of habitat types that will support a healthy riparian ecosystem. ImpactsThe overall impact of wetland creation and management activities on the covered species and their habitat is expected to be negligible. The potential for such impacts will be mitigated within the 2-acre contingency pool for conservation and restoration activities. 3.5Impact ContingenciesMany of the covered activities and their impacts occur on an ad hoc basis and are randomly dispersed throughout the Valley from year to year. Where possible, these activities and their impacts to riparian habitat are described and quantified to support the mitigation commitments for this HCP. However, several of the covered activities result in impacts that are exceedingly small, and/or are impossible to quantify in a defensible manner. Nonetheless, these activities with negligible impacts, however small or isolated, still have the potential to result in habitat impacts (take) and should be covered and mitigated by this HCP. In these instances, an additional “contingency pool” will be mitigated to account for activities with such negligible impacts. Routine AgricultureRoutine agricultural activities that are impossible to quantify, yet still have the potential to result in negligible habitat impacts include fence construction and maintenance, small impoundment construction, water diversions, reservoir operations, and flow management. These activities, and their general effects, are described above in Section 3.2. To account for uncertainties with these activities and their impacts, an additional 10 acres of temporary impacts will be accounted for and mitigated by this HCP. Community InfrastructureRoutine community infrastructure activities that are impossible to quantify but could still result in negligible habitat impacts include sediment removal and spoils disposal and infrastructure maintenance. The general effects of these covered activities are described above in Section 3.3. To account for uncertainties with the impacts of these community infrastructure activities, an additional six (6) acres of temporary impacts will be accounted for and mitigated by this HCP. Riparian Conservation and RestorationAll of the riparian conservation and restoration activities covered by this HCP have potential impacts that that are exceedingly low, impossible to quantify, yet still have the potential to result in take of the covered species or their habitat. These activities, including habitat creation, restoration and protection, weed management, and wetland creation and management; and their general effects, are described above in Section 3.4. To account for uncertainties with these activities and their impacts, an additional two (2) acres of temporary impacts will be accounted for and mitigated by this HCP. Total Contingency ImpactsThe total contingency impact acres are as follows:
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