US Fish & Wildlife Service releases plover habitat report

The US Fish and Wildlife Service released its estimate of the economic impact of designating 35 spots on the Pacific coast as critical habitat for the western snowy plover [PDF of report, Press release , FAQ ]. One designated area is Half Moon Bay State Beach, north of Kelly Ave.

The proposal is in response to a lawsuit filed by the Coos County Board of County Commissioners. Today’s action re-opens a 30-day comment period on the proposed rule.

It will be the responsibility of the California Department of Parks and Recreation to determine the impact this designation will have on recreation.

The report estimates the loss over the next 20 years to be between $273 million and $645 million, mostly due to beach recreation losses. Other losses may be due to plover management and in impacts to real estate development, military base operations and gravel extraction. Over three-quarters of the projected impact occurs in Monterey Bay, Pismo Beach, Morro Bay and Coronado’s Silver Strand.

How to comment:

1. Submit written comments and information to the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825.

2. Hand deliver written comments to the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, at the address above.

3. Submit comments by e-mail to [email protected]