The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is proposing to designate 4,698 acres in Southern California, nearly half in San Diego County, as critical habitat for a rare plant called thread-leaved brodiaea.
Critical habitat is land considered essential to the conservation and recovery of a species protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. The designation carries with it some restrictions, such as a requirement by federal agencies to consult with the wildlife service if a landowner's plans could harm the species.
Private property owners are not affected, unless they propose a development or other project that requires a permit from a federal agency.
Thread-leaved brodiaea, a member of the lily family, is a low-growing, purple-flowered perennial found in Southern California at elevations below 2,500 feet on clay soils. It is found in or near coastal sage scrub, grasslands, vernal pools and chaparral.
The thread-leaved brodiaea, which is listed as threatened, was generally not harmed by last year's wildfires that burned 750,000 acres in Southern California, said Jane Hendron, spokeswoman for the wildlife service.
The critical habitat proposal for the brodiaea is required under a court order resulting from lawsuits brought by the California Native Plant Society and the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, Hendron said.
Of the 84 populations of the plant documented in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties, the wildlife service is proposing that 57 be designated as critical habitat.
The acreage affected in San Diego County includes:
1,527 acres in the Cleveland National Forest near San Diego County's border with Riverside County.
199 acres of private property in Oceanside.
125 acres of private property in Carlsbad.
315 acres of private property in San Marcos.
57 acres of private property on the Double LL Ranch in Encinitas.
74 acres of private property near Highland Valley Road in Ramona.
Areas where the plant exists that were excluded from the proposed critical habitat boundaries included 4,713 acres already protected by government-sanctioned habitat conservation plans.
Camp Pendleton was exempted from the proposed designation because base officials contend it could interfere with military training.
The Defense Authorization Act of 2004 amended the Endangered Species Act, allowing the military certain exemptions from the regulations for national security reasons, Hendron said.
The public can submit comments on the proposed critical habitat boundaries until Feb. 7. The deadline for requesting a public hearing is Jan. 24.
The wildlife service is also preparing an economic analysis to assess the costs associated with listing the plant and designating its critical habitat.
Further information can be obtained by calling the Carlsbad office of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, (760) 431-9440.
Terry Rodgers: (619) 542-4566; email@example.com