West Mojave Plan FEIR/S - Desert Managers Group

NAMETable 3-10Current And Historic Tortoise Management AreasDATENOTESESTABLISHEDCrucial Habitat 1980 California Desert Conservation Area Plan DesignationCategory I, II, and III 1993 California Desert Conservation Area Plan DesignationCritical Habitat 1994 Designation pursuant to FESARecovery Plan 1994 Suggests that DWMAs be establishedBLM Crucial Habitat: Desert tortoise crucial habitat was first identified in the BLM’s1980 CDCA Plan (Map 4, CDCA Plan, 1980). The crucial habitat area was considered to be“…essential to the continued existence of the species.” The BLM (1987) described crucialhabitat as follows: “Crucial habitat includes portions of the habitats of officially designatedBLM sensitive species that if destroyed or adversely modified could result in their being listed asthreatened or endangered pursuant to Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, asamended.”Within the planning area, the CDCA Plan recognized two areas of tortoise crucial habitat:(a) Western Mojave Desert Crucial Habitat, which included most of the proposed Fremont-Kramer DWMA, the western portions of the Superior-Cronese and Ord-Rodman DWMAs, andthe Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area; and (b) two small polygons located near the northernand central portions of the Johnson Valley Open Area (see Map 4, CDCA Plan).BLM Category I, II, and III Habitat: In 1992, the BLM and CDFG adopted aCalifornia Statewide Desert Tortoise Management Policy. The crucial habitat designation wasexpressly dropped in 1992 in favor of BLM tortoise Category I, II, and III habitat areas (BLMand CDFG 1992). This policy included management goals for Category I, II, and III tortoisehabitats, as follows: Category I: maintain stable, viable populations and increase populationswhere possible; Category II: maintain stable, viable populations; Category III: limit declines tothe extent possible using mitigation measures. In April 1993, the BLM amended the CDCA planto delineate these three categories of desert tortoise habitat on public lands (Map 1A, CDCAPlan, as amended, 1999).The BLM’s and CDFG’s long-range goals for the management of desert tortoises in thesethree categories were given as follows (BLM and CDFG 1992): (a) Restore and maintain stable,viable tortoise populations within designated Category I and II habitats in the species’ existingnatural range in the California Desert; (b) Minimize impacts to tortoises in Category III Habitatthrough humane, low-level mitigation and compensation requirements; (c) Reduce non-naturalmortality to the extent possible; (d) Prevent deterioration and promote restoration of Category Iand Category II habitats; (e) Acquire private lands within Category I and Category II habitatsthrough purchase or exchange and through compensation for habitat losses in Category I, II, andIII habitats; (f) Maintain and increase populations through translocation of wild tortoises intosuitable unoccupied or depleted habitats within the historic range; (g) Achieve interagencycoordination and demonstrate commitment necessary to maintain viable tortoise populations inthe California Desert; and, (h) Develop and implement a monitoring program to determineChapter 3 3-70