Tehama supervisors blast critical habitat designation
Chico Enterprise Record - 12/21/02
By Marti Taylor, staff writer, Red Bluff Daily News

RED BLUFF - The Tehama County Board of Supervisors have forwarded critical comments about a proposal to designate 200,000 privately-held acres in the county as critical habitat.

Supervisors issued a three-page commentary in response to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposed designation of critical habitat for four vernal pool crustaceans and 11 vernal pool plants in California and Southern Oregon.

Supervisors were concerned the designation would require monitoring of lands used for grazing cattle and sheep and could result in "significant hardships to private landowners."

The supervisors were also worried that changes in land use would require mitigations with "significant economic impact to current and future landowners."

They said the designation would reduce land values and impact gas and oil exploration.

In its conclusion the board indicts Fish and Wildlife for, "ignoring the impacts of the designation on agriculturists, small businesses and county government."

The board recommended the proposal for critical habitat designation be re-examined and the areas of concern be addressed. The board also called for economic impacts to be considered and local data be included.

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