Transcript Successfully Writing Management Plans

Wildlife Conservation Lands Program
Introduction
• Legislation that
recognizes wildlife
conservation land as a
special class of property
that must be assessed at
a reduced value
• Signed into law in 2008
• Effective January 1, 2010
• Administered by NCWRC
– Incorporates priorities from
the NC Wildlife Action Plan
Program Structure
• Modeled after the
Present Use Value
programs, but NOT
one of them
• Tax evaluation at
agricultural PUV rate
• Carries the same
penalties as PUV
programs
Benefits of WCLP
• Provides deferred
taxes for
landowners whose
management
objectives are:
– Conserving priority
wildlife habitat
– Providing habitat
for protected
species
Priority Habitats
• Longleaf pine forest
• Early successional
habitat
• Small wetland community
• Stream and riparian zone
• Rock outcrops
• Bat caves
Conservation Recommendations
for Priority Terrestrial
Wildlife Species and Habitats
in North Carolina
Longleaf Pine Forest
(Ecosystem)
•
Longleaf dominant
– Mixed stands acceptable
– No maximum BA/density
•
Suitable ground cover
– Native grasses, forbs, legumes
– More important than % canopy
•
Active management
– Prescribed fire (preferred),
herbicides, and/or mechanical
•
Timber harvest acceptable
– Must perpetuate longleaf and
retain ground cover
•
Longleaf restoration acceptable
– 300-500 trees/ac
– Managed for plant diversity during
site prep and establishment
•
No pine straw raking
Early Successional
Habitat
•
Mix of grasses, legumes, wildflowers,
vines, shrubs, and saplings
– At least 20% of ground cover must be
grasses and forbs
– Tree density ≤50 BA
•
Acceptable habitats
– Abandoned farm fields, clear cuts,
field borders, savannas, prairies, and
meadows
– Must be beneficial for wildlife
•
Active management
– Frequent disturbance
– Burning, disking, timber harvest,
mowing, and/or herbicides
•
Not all open lands are acceptable
– Fescue pastures, agricultural crops,
lawns, golf courses, etc
Small Wetlands
•
Hydric soils and hydrophilic
vegetation
– Presence of water on surface at
least some portion of the year
•
Acceptable habitats
– Vernal pools, upland seeps,
ephemeral wetlands, beaver
ponds, depression ponds,
pocosins, Carolina bays, and bogs
•
•
Includes upland buffer for water
quality and foraging/nesting needs
Active management
– Controlling tree encroachment,
protecting water quality, limiting
ATV/recreation use, and/or proper
installation of crossings/roads
•
No introduction of fish, bullfrogs,
or other predatory species
Stream &
Riparian Zones
•
Perennial or intermittent water
body
– Buffer width 30-300ft
– From stream bank to edge of
floodplain
•
Acceptable habitats
– Riverine communities, floodplain
forests, river basins, blue-line
streams, springs, and seeps
•
Active management
– Protecting water quality and
associated upland habitat,
exclusion of livestock, controlling
invasive species, and/or
promoting plant diversity and
structure
•
No highly eroded areas
Rock Outcrops
•
Forest canopy generally open with
patchy understory
– Rock dominates land surface
– Lichens and mosses are
characteristic
•
Acceptable habitats
– Boulderfields, rocky summits,
granitic flatrocks and domes,
acidic and mafic cliffs, and talus
slopes
•
Active management
– Limiting recreational use,
controlling tree/shrub
encroachment, minimizing or
eliminating human disturbance
•
•
Conservation easements strongly
encouraged
No artificial rock piles
Bat Caves
•
Subterranean caves/excavations
– Must have documented use by
aggregations of bats
•
Acceptable habitats
– Solution caves, fissure caves, and
rock shelter/boulder caves
•
Mining caves are acceptable
– Must have shafts/tunnels that
resemble natural caves (temp,
humidity, structure, etc)
•
•
Includes entrance buffers
Active management
– Reduction or elimination of human
disturbance, gating cave
entrances, and limiting habitat
alterations around cave entrances
•
Survey required to confirm
presence of bats
Priority Species
• Must document the
presence of a
protected species
– Must “live on the land”
• Must manage their
land in a manner that
protects the species
and its habitat
• WRC must approve
the management
Protected Species
Photos courtesy of the USFWS
Acreage & Mgmt
• Qualifying acreage 20100 contiguous acres
– Within each county
• Land managed for WCLP
purposes for ≥3yrs prior
to application or it must
be enrolled in one of the
PUV programs
• Signed agreement and
management plan/map
Ownership
• Property ownership of ≥5yrs
prior to WCLP application
• Property must be owned by
individual, family business, or
family trust
– No publicly traded corporations
• WCLP transfers with property
if new owner files application
with county within 60 days of
land transfer
Application Process
• Landowner submits the
Application for Assistance
to WRC
• WRC conducts site visit
to determine eligibility
• WRC provides assistance
to prepare the Wildlife
Habitat Conservation
Agreement
Application Process
• Landowner submits the
Wildlife Habitat
Conservation Agreement
and the tax assessment
application to the county
tax office
• The county assessor will
determine if the property
qualifies for tax deferment
Components of the WCLA
• Landowner information
• Tract location and Property
Tax ID number
• Priority habitat or species
managed
• Parcel acre and mgmt acre
• Enrolled in PUV?
• Tract map with aerial and
mgmt acreage indicated
• Planned mgmt actions
WRC Provided Assistance
• Help landowner decide if
WCLP is the right
program for them
• Help landowner
understand the
requirements of WCLP
• Assist landowner with the
documentation process
(species and habitats)
WRC Provided Assistance
• Assist landowner with the
application process
• Connect the landowner to
the appropriate resources
(WRC biologist, county
tax office, private
consultants, habitat or
species specialists)
Contact Information
For additional information on the WCLP or for
applications, contact the WRC at:
http://www.ncwildlife.org/Wildlife_Species_Con/index.htm
1722 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1722
919-707-0050