San Luis Valley Regional Habitat Conservation Plan Draft for Public Review
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7.0Funding and Implementation7.1Funding AssurancesThis HCP outlines specific actions and commitments that will be implemented by the District and Applicants to ensure that the impacts of the covered activities are mitigated in a manner that satisfies the ITP issuance criteria, does not appreciably reduce the likelihood of survival and recovery of the covered species in the wild, and promotes the long-term conservation and sustainability of riparian habitat in the Valley. These measures are described in Section 5, and Section 6. This section outlines the anticipated costs of the HCP commitments and identifies how they will be funded. The District and Applicants are committed to fully implementing the mitigation and implementation strategy documented in this HCP. While the mitigation acreage is relatively certain, the specific mechanisms and partnerships that will be used to satisfy mitigation requirements are not certain and will likely change over time. Such flexibility is a key part of the implementation approach and will be integral to its success. For example, HCP mitigation can be achieved through the conservation of a single large tract of riparian habitat, the enhancement of numerous smaller areas, or some combination thereof. Therefore, the assurances for sufficient and effective incidental take mitigation are found in the District’s and Applicants’ implementation and adaptive management commitments. The District has committed to providing the necessary funding to implement the HCP and its mitigation and monitoring program. While the District will work with other Applicants and partners to collaborate on HCP implementation, and recognizing that the other Applicants have implementation responsibilities, the funding assurances for HCP implementation ultimately falls with the District. Funding sources for HCP implementation elements that are easily foreseeable will come from the District’s regular operating expenses, County discretionary funds, and State funding through the CPW, DNR, or other programs. These basic funding sources also may be supplemented by State or private grants. The District is managed and controlled by a Board of Directors, and is funded by levying taxes on real property within the boundaries of the District in accordance with its enabling legislation, C.R.S. 37-48-107 (2010). The mill levy is calculated yearly and is limited by TABOR restrictions and/or a statutory cap of 2.5 mills. The District’s budget revenues from 2009 through 2011 have steadily increased from $1,407,561 to $1,626,067. By Colorado law, the District is not allowed to budget monies for future expenditures, but the Board of Directors has made a commitment in past years to fund the personnel necessary to carry out the requirements of the HCP and continues to recognize the need to fund the HCP in the future if monies continue to be available in the District’s annual budget process. As part of the District’s ongoing support of the development and implementation of the HCP, the District added a line item to the yearly budget in 2008 for the position of HCP Administrator and has approved expenditures for an HCP administrator every year since. The 2011 budget was approved in October 2010 and the personnel salary expenditure (up to $40,000) for the HCP was included. Since 2005, the District has also contributed about $100,000 to conservation and restoration efforts along the Rio Grande. These contributions have included $40,000 to the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust (for the Rio Grande Initiative), and $60,000 to the Rio Grande Headwaters Restoration Project to provide matching funds for grants. The District Board will continue to contribute funds to these efforts on an annual basis as the budget allows. The State will include, in its annual budget and grant requests, funds to fulfill its obligations under this HCP and the Implementing Agreement. However, the State cannot guarantee future funds that are not yet appropriated by the State Legislature. Pursuant to CRS § 29-1-110, the financial obligations of the Applicants shall extend only to monies duly and lawfully appropriated and budgeted by the Applicants, and encumbered for the purposes set forth in this HCP and the Implementing Agreement. If at any point in the implementation and administration of this HCP, funding appears to be unavailable to meet commitments, the Applicants will consult with the Service to determine whether this HCP or ITP needs amendment, modification, or termination (see Sections 7.5 and 7.6). Implementation funding commitments (in 2012 dollars) are summarized in Table 13, and are described below under three topic areas: Habitat Mitigation, HCP Administration, and Monitoring. Table 13. Estimated implementation costs, years 1 – 10.
*Estimated costs based on 2012 dollars. At this time, it is not realistic to accurately forecast costs beyond year 10. **The District and Applicants are committed to securing and maintaining sufficient mitigation lands within five years of HCP implementation; mitigation expenses are anticipated to be primarily staff time, rather than any direct costs. The cost of $10,000 for staff time is an estimated proportion of the Staff Support costs, and are not included in the total HCP cost. HCP AdministrationThe primary HCP administration commitments, including staffing, education, and outreach, will be the responsibility of the District, with assistance from the CPW and other Applicants. HCP Start-UpThe District and Applicants anticipate additional expenses in the first year following the issuance of the permit to facilitate the initiation of the mitigation, monitoring, and administration efforts. While some of this effort will be covered by existing staff support, additional costs for outside consultant support, legal counsel, and administrative overhead are likely to be needed. Anticipated Cost: $35,000 in year 1 Responsible Entities: District and Applicants HCP Staff SupportThe District will commit to an appropriate level of staffing to coordinate HCP implementation, monitoring, reporting, and other commitments. This coordination will primarily be the responsibility of the District Manager and his/her designated assistant. While the District will commit to funding a certain level of staff capacity, it reserves the right to manage its own staffing levels over the long term, provided that HCP administration responsibilities continue to be met. Likewise, the District also may increase its staffing capacity as needed to effectively manage and implement this HCP. For cost-estimating purposes, the District will commit to funding a ½ FTE HCP coordinator for the first 10 years of HCP implementation, and the equivalent of a ¼ FTE employee thereafter. HCP staff support will be funded by the District as a portion of its annual operating budget. The District also may seek additional outside funding sources to assist with HCP administration, which may include the Applicants (Counties and State), local communities, or grant programs. Anticipated Cost:
Responsible Entity: District Habitat MitigationThe heart of this HCP is the on-the-ground mitigation of impacts through conservation easements, habitat management agreements, and habitat restoration or enhancement efforts on State and private lands. Section 5 outlines the various tools that will be available for mitigation credit, and the details of how those credits will be obtained and managed. Considering this approach, the actual cost of habitat mitigation is not known, but is anticipated to be primarily District staff time, rather than direct costs. Anticipated Cost: Up to about $10,000 per year (staff time), diminishing over time as mitigation parcels are established Responsible Entities: District Education and OutreachThe District and Applicants will commit to an education and outreach program, as described in Section 5. These efforts are anticipated to be conducted by District and Applicant agency staff, and are not expected to incur additional staffing costs. Anticipated costs are based on the annual targets for outreach contacts. The direct costs for these activities (including printing costs, gas/mileage, and other expenses) are expected to be about $150 per outreach event/contact. Education and outreach activities will be funded by the District as a portion of its annual operating budget. The District also may seek other sources to assist with these costs. Anticipated Cost:
Responsible Entities: District and Applicants Landowner NotificationWithin the first six months of HCP completion, and every 10 years thereafter, the District and Applicants will use a variety of methods to notify landowners about this HCP. Key landowners along the 100-year floodplain will receive a letter, while other landowners will receive general notification through other means. These notification efforts will be coordinated by the District as part of its staffing commitment. The costs associated with the District’s coordination include advertisement space for print media, expenses, and other direct costs. The identification of, and mailing to, individual landowners will be the responsibility of each respective Applicant county. Coordination of landowner notification activities will be funded by the District as a portion of its annual operating budget. The Counties’ notification responsibilities will be funded individually by each County. The specific department or fund will be at the discretion of each individual County. Anticipated Cost: $10,000 every 10 years ($2,000 for each of the five counties) Responsible Parties: District and Counties MonitoringMonitoring the effectiveness of the conservation measures and ensuring compliance with the implementation commitments are mandatory elements of a HCP. As described in Section 6, HCP monitoring focuses on three general parameters:
Anticipated Cost:
Responsible Entities:
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