HCP Implementation in Pima County, Arizona Julia Fonseca Pima County Office of Sustainability and Conservation Photo by Aaron Flesch.

HCP HCP ImplementatioImplementatio

n in Pima n in Pima County, County, ArizonaArizona

Julia FonsecaPima County Office of

Sustainability and Conservation

Photo by Aaron Flesch

HCP overviewHCP overview44 species 44 species (down from 55)(down from 55)

30 years / 36,000 30 years / 36,000 acresacres

404 streamlining404 streamlining

Avoidance, Avoidance, minimization and minimization and mitigation are mitigation are already in placealready in place

Pima County, ArizonaPima County, Arizona

9,189 Square Miles

85% land is Federal, State or tribal

Population: 980,263

Tucson: 6th poorest city of its size class in US

Tucson

Rapid Growth & Development in Eastern Pima County,

Arizona

The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan elements respond to community values:Habitat and Corridors

Cultural ResourcesRiparianRanch

Mountain Parks

Pima County • Pima County Regional Flood Control District • Tohono O’odham Nation • U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service • City of Tucson • Town of Marana • Town of Oro Valley • Metropolitan Domestic Water District • U. S. Bureau of Land Management • U. S. Forest Service • Environmental Protection Agency • Arizona Game and Fish Department • National Park Service

Ranch lands define urban formRanch lands define urban form

Habitat and Corridors ElementHabitat and Corridors Element:: To ensure the long-term survival of the full spectrum of plants and animals that are indigenous to Pima County through maintaining or improving ecosystem structures and functions necessary for their survival.

View from Diamond Bell Ranch 2010

Reserve Design ProcessReserve Design Process

Implemented: From Implemented: From Development Guidelines to 2001 Development Guidelines to 2001 Land Use PlanLand Use Plan

1999-2003: Plan 1999-2003: Plan developmentdevelopment

2006: Owl delisted2006: Owl delisted

2010: HCP 2010: HCP submitted submitted

2012: FWS DEIS2012: FWS DEIS

Implemented: Implemented: Riparian Mitigation Riparian Mitigation OrdinanceOrdinance

Implemented: $165 million inImplemented: $165 million inOpen Space AcquisitionsOpen Space Acquisitions225,000 acres under 225,000 acres under managementmanagement

Experiment: Ranch Experiment: Ranch ManagementManagement

Land Management Land Management ImplementedImplemented

County mitigation lands have multiple uses for people as well as wildlife.

Other types of Other types of mitigation land:mitigation land:

Floodprone and In-Lieu Floodprone and In-Lieu Fee programsFee programs

Developer set-asidesDeveloper set-asides

DonationsDonations

Future bond Future bond acquisitionsacquisitions

Future land Future land exchanges and RPPA exchanges and RPPA acquisitionsacquisitions

Implemented: Cactus Implemented: Cactus Mitigation BankMitigation Bank

County-owned landFor County projectsEstablished 2002Banks have a benefit to Pima County, but a landscape approach is better.

Failed Species Restoration Failed Species Restoration ProjectProject

Experiment: Removal of Non-Experiment: Removal of Non-native Frogs in Ranch native Frogs in Ranch “Frogsheds”“Frogsheds”

Process Process ImprovemenImprovement: CIP t: CIP ImpactsImpacts

Other Advance Other Advance ImplementationImplementation

Invasive species managementTesting of monitoring protocolsDatabase developmentFunding: property taxes

NEPA ExperimentNEPA Experiment

Public scoping 2000, 2003

County-hosted public process, 7 draft HCPs

DEIS published 2012

22 comments 2012

Why advance Why advance implementation?implementation?

Protect habitat before more fragmentation.Success helps sustains political will and citizen support.Implementation creates certainty.Failure shows what is not “practicable”. Opportunity for process improvement before a permit is issued.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uMlomLOGFg

Sonoran Desert Conservation Planhttp://www.pima.gov/cmo/sdcp/