Last month, Pima County’s Office of Sustainability and Conservation released their latest annual report outlining the achievements of their Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan. According to an email from Environmental Planning Manager Julia Fonseca:

“Notable achievements during calendar year 2018 included:
•       The Section 10 permit covered impacts of 44 private development projects.
•       Forty-seven County Capital Improvement Projects were covered by the permit during calendar year 2018. 
•       A total of 974 acres of mitigation land was required to offset public and private impacts to habitat.  Over 4,000 acres is being allocated in the San Pedro and Cienega Creek valleys to compensate for current and future years of habitat loss.
•       The Regional Flood Control District (RFCD) estimates that the Section 10 permit saved them $200,000 in direct costs and $1.5 million indirectly due to avoided delays with one project.
•       The County developed a procedure allowing private developments to rely on Certificates of Coverage to streamline compliance with certain provisions of the County’s Native Plant Preservation Ordinance.
•       The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and USFWS allowed a developer to rely on Certificates of Coverage to meet mitigation obligations for the Pima Pineapple Cactus under an existing Section 404 permit. This saved the developer an estimated $280,000.
•       The County RFCD reported a substantial increase in the number of riparian habitat reviews over last year.  Over 95% of applicants avoided impacting regulated riparian habitat, resulting in 2,196 instances of avoidance. 
•       Pima County staff, contractors, and volunteers removed or treated approximately 1,300 acres of buffelgrass on County preserve lands, and 90 tons of garbage from illegal dumpsites.

During the past year, Office of Sustainability and Conservation staff made 1,193 separate observations on Covered Species.  For me, one of the fun outcomes of staff’s efforts are their incidental observations, for instance this video of rattlesnake courtship at https://www.facebook.com/pimacountyarizona/videos/411068969458107   (Note, rattlesnakes are not Covered Species but careful observation will keep us all safe!)”

The full 2018 MSCP Annual Report  and 2018 MSCP Progress Report can be found HERE. 

Tags: conservation, endangered species, habitat conservation planning, HCP, Multi-Species Conservation Plan, Pima County