Primer for the Santa Rosa Plains Conservation Strategy Plan November 17, 2006

Here is suggested language to use with the public when discussing how the Santa Rosa Plain Conservation Strategy Plan affects them. It is important that applicants for any type of ground disturbing activities understand they are responsible for meeting the requirements of the State and federal Endangered Species Acts and the Santa Rosa Plain Conservation Strategy Plan.

General Information
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service has listed the California tiger salamander in Sonoma County as "Endangered" under the federal Endangered Species Act. As a result of this listing, actions that kill or harm the salamanders or impact their habitat are prohibited by federal law. In addition, there are four rare plant species that are federally and State listed within Sonoma County that are included in the Santa Rosa Plains Conservation Strategy Plan. They include Sonoma sunshine, (Blennosperma bakeri), many-flowered Navarretia (Navarretia leucocephala var. plieantha), Burkes goldfields, (Lasthenia burkei), and the Sebastopol meadowfoam (Limnanthes vinculans).

You are directly responsible for complying with both the Federal Endangered Species Act (FESA) and the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). Obtaining a permit from PRMD will not protect you from liability under the ESA(s) if you harm a California tiger salamander, rare plant or their respective habitats, during the course of constructing your project.

Santa Rosa Plains Conservation Strategy Area
If your project is within the mapped Conservation Strategy Area, when you apply for a permit from PRMD you will receive a notice containing some background on the California tiger salamander and the four listed rare plant species, and suggesting that you consider contacting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to discuss your project. The exceptions to ESA restrictions for CTS and the four listed plants are the properties that are located within the following Strategy Designations: "not likely"or indicated as "already developed." For CTS, these include the "buff," "magenta," and "gray" areas listed in Figure 3 of the Strategy Plan. For the rare plant species, these include the "gray" and "magenta" Strategy Designations only.

The telephone number for FWS is (916) 414-6600 and you can get more information about the Conservation Strategy Plan on the USFWS web site: http://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es/santa_rosa_conservation.html

Ministerial Permits
If your project only requires a building permit, grading permit, encroachment permit, or some other permit that will not require review under the California Environmental Quality Act, PRMD will not require any review of the impact of your project on the California tiger salamander or rare plants as a prerequisite to issuing your permit. However, issuance of the County permit does not relieve you of your obligation under the federal and State ESAs. To avoid harming California tiger salamanders, rare plants and their habitat, you should contact USFWS to discuss the potential impact of your project.

Discretionary Permits
If your project requires a use permit, design review, subdivision approval, or some other discretionary approval, it will require review under the California Environmental Quality Act, (CEQA). Depending upon the location of your project you may be required to evaluate the impacts of your project within the framework of the Conservation Strategy Plan and mitigate such impacts to offset impacts as a condition of CEQA and project approval.

Maps and Other Information
We have available 8 1/2" by 11" versions of Figure 3 of the Conservation Strategy Plan for $1.00. Upon request, we can provide the names of consulting biologists that applicants can contact for further assistance.