Restoration Activities
Maintenance of Existing Habitat
The Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) outlines the establishment of a $25 million dollar habitat maintenance fund to be developed early in the term of the LCR MSCP to implement projects for maintenance of existing habitats for the southwestern willow flycatcher, yellow-billed cuckoo, Yuma clapper rail and the California black rail. At the time of the signing of the HCP existing habitat was delineated as part of the environmental process to assess impacts to species from covered activities; a strategy to mitigate those effects is maintenance of existing habitat areas by implementing actions that will prevent the future degradation or loss of habitat. Maintaining existing habitat will also help ensure the continued existence of source populations from which individuals will be available to colonize LCR MSCP–created habitats as they develop.
In 2012, Reclamation developed, in cooperation with the US Fish and Wildlife, the Habitat Maintenance Fund process which describes a set of detailed criteria for selection of habitat maintenance activities. These criteria were designed to ensure the activities are consistent with the goal of habitat maintenance, goals for covered species and overall goals of the LCR MSCP. The habitat maintenance activities will occur within the LCR MSCP planning area and may be implemented through funding projects by any appropriate entity in the planning area in cooperation with the managing land owner.
Updated January 4, 2017