Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl - DRAFT

6. State of Oregonsent a range of levels of protection for the owl. The alternatives have beendeveloped with the assumption that a comprehensive owl conservation strategy,such as the ISC proposal, would be implemented on federal lands. A draftHCP and associated environmental review documents are expected to beavailable for public review by May 1992.Forest and Rangeland Resources Assessment Program. The Forest andRangeland Resources Assessment Program (FRRAP) was established in 1978.The charge of the program is to describe and analyze the current conditions ofCalifornia's forest and range resources base and to anticipate emerging managementproblems that require public or private action. The FRRAP is involvedin a number of efforts related to spotted owl conservation, including long-termmonitoring of forestland condition through periodic mapping; development of astatewide geographic information system for assessing impacts, uses, andtrends; development and use of long-term timber harvest simulators that alsotrack impacts on wildlife habitat; and economic impact estimation. The FRRAPprovides primary staff to the Timberland Task Force and HCP efforts.California Natural Diversity Data Base. The Department of Fish and Gamemaintains the California Natural Diversity Data Base, a computerized inventoryof the locations and condition of endangered, threatened, and rare animaland plant taxa, as well as significant terrestrial and aquatic plant communitieswhich was developed in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy. Projectproponents and agencies consult the data base during project developmentand during the environmental review of various land management activitiesunder the provisions of CEQA. Detailed northern spotted owl sighting informationis maintained in an associated data base that is accessed on a "need toknow" basis.Natural Community Conservation Planning. Recent California legislationhas established the natural community conservation planning (NCCP) processto meet the needs of threatened and endangered species and to provide protectionfor significant areas that support natural ecosystems and biologicaldiversity. A memorandum of understanding signed on December 4, 1991,between the FWS and the State of California (Resources Agency and Departmentof Fish and Game) provides for sharing data and cooperatively developingan NCCP pilot program in southern California.Oregon has regulatory programs, technical assistance programs, land managementobjectives, and research that are aimed at conservation efforts for thenorthern spotted owl.Regulatory ProgramsForest Practices. The Forest Practices Act (FPA) was enacted to assure thecontinuous growing and harvesting of forest tree species while protecting soil,air, wildlife, and water resources on 10.1 million acres of private, state, andcounty forestlands. It regulates commercial forest operations to ensure forestpractices that maintain and enhance the benefits of all forest resources.Under the FPA, threatened and endangered fish and wildlife species are inventoried.This resource inventory will be used to inform forest landowners of their obligationto protect the owl; furthermore, it may help local government protect some naturalresource sites in compliance with Oregon's land use laws.83