Northern California Conservation
Planning Partners
Eleventh Annual Habitat
Conservation Planning From
Tahoe to the Bay Workshop
John Kopchik
East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy
www.cocohcp.org
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION PLANNING PARTNERS
TAHOE to the BAY
The Nature of Our Regional
Conservation Plans
• Plans that proactively address conservation
of endangered and rare species and the
biological communities of an area, while
providing more assured and streamlined
permitting for economic activities.
• Cover a whole county or a
sub-county area
• Local government usually the
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION PLANNING PARTNERS
lead agency
TAHOE to the BAY
Problems regional conservation plans
are designed to address
How regional conservation plans
try to address these problems
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION PLANNING PARTNERS
TAHOE to the BAY
Definitions
• HCP (Habitat Conservation Plan): A federallyapproved plan to conserve and permit
impacts to endangered species.
• NCCP (Natural Community Conservation
Plan): Similar to HCP, but approved by the
State (CDFW).
• RGP (Regional General Permit): A permit
issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
to cover
a specified
category
of projects.
NORTHERN
CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION
PLANNING
PARTNERS
TAHOE to the BAY
Approved NCCPP Plans
• San Joaquin MSHCP
5/2001
• East Contra Costa HCP/NCCP
• Santa Clara Valley HCP / NCCP
8/2007
7/2013
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION PLANNING PARTNERS
TAHOE to the BAY
NCCPP Plans in Preparation
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Butte Regional Conservation Plan
Placer County Conservation Plan
South Sacramento HCP
Solano HCP
Yolo Natural Heritage Program
Yuba / Sutter HCP/NCCP
State
PlanCALIFORNIA
of Flood
Control
NCCP
NORTHERN
CONSERVATION
PLANNING
PARTNERS
TAHOE to the BAY
Other Regulatory Processes
• Section 404, Clean Water Act
• Section 401, Clean Water Act
• Porter – Cologne Water Quality Control
Act
• Future state Wetlands and Riparian
Protection Policy
• Section 1600, Fish and Game Code
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION PLANNING PARTNERS
TAHOE to the BAY
Some Biological Advantages Over
Project by Project Permitting
• Direct limited resources away from project-byproject permitting and toward conservation
• Assemble a regional system of large reserves
and landscape linkages drawing on the best
available science to
• Avoid postage stamp preserves that become
surrounded by development
• In-perpetuity monitoring and adaptive
management at system-level
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION PLANNING PARTNERS
• Additional funding sources
/ better coordination
TAHOE to the BAY
Some Economic Advantages Over
Project by Project Permitting
• Avoid long and costly delays in obtaining
permits
• Avoid financial institution concern about
presence of listed species
• Secure regulatory permits from local
planning agencies (more local contol)
• Certainty about habitat conservation
requirements
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION PLANNING PARTNERS
TAHOE to the BAY
Conservation Planning in California
• 30 years since first HCP in nation
• 20 years since first regional conservation plans
in southern California
• 10 years since NCCP Act
• Regional conservation plans are in place or
under preparation in 22 California counties
• Total planning area: 11.7 million acres
• Planned/proposed conservation: 2 million acres
• Market value of covered activities: $1.6 trillion
• Conserve habitat for more than 700 rare and
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION PLANNING PARTNERS
imperiled
species
TAHOE to the BAY
California Habitat Conservation
Planning Coalition
• Multi-sector
• Four goals
- funding for HCPs and NCCPs
- coordination with other permitting and
regional plans
- effectiveness
- build support
• E-newsletter
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION PLANNING PARTNERS
TAHOE to the BAY
NCCPP Coordinator:
John Hopkins
Institute for Ecological Health
409 Jardin Place, Davis, CA 95616
ieh@cal.net (530) 756-6455
www.instituteforecologicalhealth.org
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION PLANNING PARTNERS
TAHOE to the BAY