Habitat Conservation Plans
Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act allows for the development of Habitat Conservation Plans, which result in permits that give exceptions to the prohibition against "take" of a listed species. These permits are most commonly issued to entities such as municipal water utilities, as their activities support long-term survival and recovery of listed species and benefit from stable, long-term regulations.
To obtain a Section 10 permit, a non-federal applicant develops and submits a Habitat Conservation Plan to NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for technical assistance and for National Environmental Policy Act and public review. Once all reviews are complete, the HCP is final, and all parties sign it. NOAA Fisheries and USFWS then issue ESA Section 10 incidental take permits that cover their respective species.
Current Habitat Conservation Plans in the Northwest Region:
- City of Portland Water Bureau Bull Run Water Supply
- City of Seattle PUD Cedar River Watershed
- City of Tacoma PUD Green River Water Supply
- Port Blakely Tree Farms/Robert B. Eddy Tree Farm
- Washington Department of Natural Resources Aquatic Lands Geoduck Harvest Program
- Green Diamond Timber
- City of Kent Rock Creek Watershed
- Mid-Columbia PUDs Rocky Reach, Wells and Rock Island
- Plum Creek Timber
- Storedahl Gravel Daybreak Mine Expansion
- Tagshinney Tree Farm
- Washington Department of Natural Resources State Forest Trust Lands West of the Cascades
- Washington Department of Natural Resources State Forest Practices
- West Fork Timber
