Thurston County’s habitat conservation plan for gophers nears final approval
Thurston County’s long-coming plan to locally manage federally protected species took another step toward realization on Wednesday with the release of a final environmental impact statement.
Once approved, the county’s Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) should make it easier for developers to get permits for projects in unincorporated Thurston County, said Thurston County Commission Chair Carolina Mejia in a news release.
“The County wants this federal permit so people in our community won’t have go to the federal government for a local building permit,” she said. “It will streamline the permit process, keep decisions local, and help us meet federal conservation requirements.”
The EIS is the last step before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decides whether to approve the plan and issue the county an incidental take permit. With this plan, the county will be set up to permit building projects while protecting habitat for federally protected species such as the Mazama pocket gopher.
“The publication of the final EIS is an important step, and we look forward to issuing a decision on Thurston County’s permit request in the coming weeks,” said Brad Thompson, State Supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In the coming weeks, the USFWS is expected to publish the final EIS in the Federal Register. After that happens, it will take at least 30 days for the USFWS to announce its final decision, meaning the plan may finally be adopted this summer.
The Endangered Species Act requires developers to get federal approval prior to starting projects on land that could be habitat for federally threatened and endangered species.
Thurston County applied to the USFWS for a federal permit and drafted its plan after certain species were added to the ESA list, according to the county’s informational webpage. The affected species include the Mazama pocket gopher, the Oregon spotted frog, Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly and the Oregon vesper sparrow.
Because the HCP is not yet in place, a final gopher inspection period will start June 1 and end Oct. 31 for people interested in developing property that is possible habitat for the critters, according to the county. Under the HCP, most developers will be able to apply and get answers on their development proposals year-round rather than wait for inspections during periods when the gophers are active.
