Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

found to exceed protection called for in the conservation objectives, allowingthem to plan future timber harvests (see section II.C.).5. Relaxation of owl conservation requirements on federal lands in response toincreased efforts on nonfederal lands.Some nonfederal landowners are more willing to contribute to owl recoveryif they see that their efforts can lead to a reduction of conservation requiredon federal lands.Guidelinesfor protective management.1. Protective management should provide for the identified recovery objectivesfor nonfederal lands while placing the minimum burden on landownersnecessary to achieve those conservation objectives.2. Explicit goals for nonfederal lands should describe when recovery would bereached and how a landowner's efforts would contribute to overall recovery.Protective management should be based on the recovery plan's identificationof the amount, spatial and temporal configuration, and function of thenecessary habitat; and the target number of individuals and populationtrends required to meet delisting goals. The protective management planshould describe the specific implementation actions needed to implementthe recovery plan's provincial goals.3. Incentives, rather than disincentives, should be provided for finding owls,when consistent with the Endangered Species Act. Possible incentivesinclude: a) landowner flexibility in where they protect habitat, b) reductionof total area required for protection, c) off-site mitigation for owl protection,or d) relaxation of restrictions on adjacent federal lands. Based on therecovery plan's description of contribution from nonfederal lands, landownerscould be authorized some amount of incidental take where conservationmeasures had been implemented.4. A protective management plan should explain the variation in owl protectionrequirements based on biological and physiographic distinctions andthe degree of federal conservation by province, so that the public willunderstand the basis for differences in federal and state owl protectionregulations.5. Protective management plans should start with the recovery plan's assessmentof the take prohibition.The protective management plan should be based on the recovery plan'sgeneral assessment of the amount and rate of incidental take that can beallowed on nonfederal lands where conservation mechanisms are being putinto place to accomplish recovery goals for a province. The protectivemanagement plan should identify where implementation of provincerecovery objectives cannot allow incidental take. Where possible, theallowable amount and rate should be identified. The form and pattern oflandowner contribution to recovery can be negotiated. If areas are identifiedwhere protection of individual owls is not essential for conservation,incidental take could be permitted with minimal mitigation required. Theprotection of owls beyond the level needed could be considered as mitigationfor impacts on owls in other nearby areas.Land purchase and exchange should be considered for nonfederal areasessential to recovery that do not have take prohibitions to serve as anincentive to negotiate conservation with landowners.131