bccp infrastructure 101
TRANSCRIPT
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Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan,
Balcones Canyonlands Preserve,
&
Public Service Infrastructure
William A. Conrad City of Austin Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan Secretary
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• USFWS Regional 10(a) Permit 1996
• Established the Balcones
Canyonlands Preserve
• Permit Holders: City of Austin and
Travis County
• Allows for participation by private
property owners and public service
providers
Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan
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Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan
• Provided TC, COA, and landowners
with a streamlined approach to
Endangered Species Act compliance
• The BCCP Permit allows “take” of
habitat and requires mitigation by
protecting land within the Balcones
Canyonlands Preserve (BCP)
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Who must comply with the ESA?
Any landowner or individual engaging in activities that
result in “take”.
Private Landowners
Commercial Developers
Agricultural Users
Governmental Agencies
Infrastructure Providers
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“Take” of Habitat Allowed Under BCCP Permit in Travis County
GCWA Habitat : 74% BCVI Habitat : 50%
The Balcones Canyonlands Preserve is the mitigation for that “take”.
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BCCP Partners
City of Austin
LCRA
Potential Future Preserve
Private Land Management
Travis County
Unavailable
Travis Audubon Society
The Nature Conservancy
30,540 ac
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The BCCP Partners
Permit Holders: Travis County & City of Austin
Managing Partners: The Lower Colorado River Authority
City of Sunset Valley
Through USFWS: Private Landowners with 10(a) permits
Informal Partners: Travis Audubon Society
The Nature Conservancy of Texas
Texas Cave Management Association
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The Permit covers
more than 561,000
acres in western Travis
County.
The Permit area is
illustrated in green.
The Preserve is shown
in yellow.
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BCCP Permit Commitments
• Provide landowners with a streamlined approach
to comply with the Endangered Species Act
• Acquire and manage at least 30,428 acres of
habitat for two endangered songbirds
• Protect 62 karst features
• Protect populations of rare plants wherever they
occur on the Preserve
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Photo by John Ingram
Endangered Birds
Photo by John Ingram
Black-capped Vireo
Range Map
Golden-cheeked Warbler Range Map
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Photo by Jean Krejca
Endangered Karst Invertebrates in the Austin Area
All are troglobites (cave obligates) Species evolved through isolation Physical adaptations to cave environment
•Eyeless or with vestigial eyes •Often lack pigmentation •Longer appendages •Live longer than surface-dwelling relatives •Reduced energy requirements
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Jollyville Plateau Salamanders
•Protect within Preserves (not covered for
“incidental take”)
•Listed as threatened 2013
Rare Plants •Isolated populations of Texabama Croton and Canyon Mock Orange
are found in the Balcones Canyonlands area and in Alabama
•The Bracted Twistflower is a rare species threatened by habitat loss
and grazing pressure from white-tailed deer
Additional Protection Provided to Other Species
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The Role of the BCP
• The BCP isn’t just “for the birds”. • The BCP protects all of our native wildlife. • The BCP demonstrates that economic
growth/ development and habitat protection can coexist.
• Without the BCP, economic growth and
development would be at a standstill.
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The BCCP allows development of over 50% of endangered species habitat in Travis County; thus, protection and management of the habitat within the
Balcones Canyonlands Preserve is critical.
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Key to Austin Long Term Future
• Resulted in 279 private entities participating in BCCP
• Facilitated development on 14,532 acres
• Improved compliance through BCCP participation
• Participation resulted in $4.5 billion assessed valued contributing to the local tax base
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Within the BCP: Guidelines for New Construction
• Must be in existing or planned corridor consistent with uses prescribed by Appendix B
• Minor construction < 3,000 square feet – Submit plan or sketch (application preferred)
– Requires BCCP approval (Secretary)
• Major Construction > 3,000 square feet – Submit plans to BCCP and Austin Area Utility Coordinating
Committee
– Requires BCCP approval (Secretary)
• Guidelines on City of Austin BCP website
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Within the BCP: Guidelines for Infrastructure Corridor Maintenance
• Coordinating Committee Secretary should be notified of any planned maintenance within preserves
• The notification should contain – Description of planned work
– Dates the work will be performed
• Opportunity to design and secure pre-approval
• Provisions for Emergency Maintenance – Considered emergency if imminent threat to public health,
safety, property damage, or loss of service
– Poor project planning does not constitute an emergency
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Today’s New Challenges • Jollyville Plateau Salamander
• Karst Substitution Process
• Proposed Roads
• Addressing threats from wildfire
– Austin Travis County Community Wildfire Protection Plan
• Identifies potential risks
• Defines practices for mitigating risk
• http://www.austintexas.gov/wildfireprotectionplan
– USFWS and BCP Partners have adopted fuel mitigation standards.
– During high fire danger, wildfire prevention plans are required but they are always encouraged.
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BCP office – Wildland Conservation Division – (512) 972-1662 Willy Conrad BCCP Secretary (512) 972-1661 Kimberlee Harvey Environmental Program Cord. (512) 972-1686
Sherri Kuhl BCP Program Manager (512)972-1664
Jon White or Mike Wallace Travis County BCP 512-854-7212 512-854-7213
Questions? Come and Talk to Us!
www.balconescanyonlands.org