Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

Endangered Species Act) or through regulations adopted in compliance withsection 4(d) of the act.Several measures are available to achieve recovery through alternatives thatwould be more effective than maintenance of the current take circles (see toolsfor implementing recovery on nonfederal lands in this section). Recovery goalimplementation likely will differ by state due to the variations in the degree offederal ownership by province, states' authorities, and availability of informationabout the owls. Protective management, which encourages creativeapproaches to recovery goal implementation, is a likely alternative to maintenanceof take circles. States, landowners, the FWS would negotiate with statewildlife agencies and other interested parties to develop a plan to improvespecies protection and landowners' ability to manage their land. The EndangeredSpecies Act allows protective management to serve as the basis for eitherconservation plans (section 10 of the Endangered Species Act) or special rules(section 4(d)).Incentives to Participate in Protective Management.Biologists, landowners, communities, and government agencies share severalincentives to participate in protective management:1. Managementflexibilityfor owl protection and timber harvest planning.A plan could tailor protection to fit the owl population's long-term habitatrequirements, with less emphasis on short-term protection of individualsand pairs. Long-term protection could be adjusted across the landscape toimprove the configuration of owl habitat blocks and to complement reserveson federal lands more effectively. The FWS could authorize anincreased level of take if assurances were provided by landowners thatlong-term, effective mitigation efforts would be implemented providing theneeded level of support for recovery. Measures such as designatingcertain areas to be protected or instituting FWS-approved habitat managementplans might be more attractive to landowners than continuing takecircles and annual surveys.2. Certainty of owl protection and timber harvest planning.Landowners would manage for long-term owl habitat needs, providing abetter guarantee of habitat than the transient and potentially vulnerablecircles (see section II.C.). Landowners then could plan timber harvestbased on the certainty of knowing which areas would be affected by owlprotection.3. Cost reduction of owl protection.Perhaps the most compelling incentive for landowners to participate in analternative conservation program is a significant reduction of the costs ofowl protection they now incur including: a) maintenance of habitat withincurrent take circles; b) conducting annual owl surveys; and c) administrativecosts associated with compliance with state forest practices regulationsprotecting listed species (see section II.C. for description of each state'sregulations).4. Authorizing incidental take in exchange for implementing conservationmeasures identified in the recovery plan.Consistent with the Endangered Species Act, landowners could be authorizeda level of incidental take through the HCP or 4(d) process if they are130