Planning Update 3, March 2003

Tulare Basin

Land Protection Planning Study

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Tulare Basin Wildlife

Management Area Proposal

The Service is studying a proposal to establish the Tulare Basin Wildlife

Management Area (WMA). This WMA would conserve wetland and

associated upland habitats as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

For this project, habitat protection could be achieved by the Service acquiring

conservation easements from property owners who are willing sellers.

As part of the planning process for establishing new refuge system lands,

an Environmental Assessment, Land Protection Plan, and Conceptual

Management Plan, will be developed. Three alternatives will be analyzed

in the documents, the preliminary alternatives are described on page 2.

The preliminary alternatives are based on the Service’s wildlife habitat

conservation goals, and issues and concerns raised at the public meetings

and in your letters and e-mail messages. Your comments on the preliminary

alternatives are welcome.

Wetland habitat in the Tulare Basin.

Photo, Scott Frazer, USFWS

This is the third in a series

of Planning Updates

provided by the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service to

keep you informed and

involved in the Service’s

planning process for

protecting wetland and

associated upland habitats

within the Tulare Basin.

Greetings!
2

WhatArethePreliminaryAlternatives?

Alternative 1. No Action, under this status quo alternative:

•The Service would not establish a Tulare Basin WMA, nor acquire

interest in the lands in the study area.

•Future land use changes would be guided by county zoning ordinances.

•Additional losses of wetland habitats would be expected in the future.

Alternative 2. Under this alternative:

•The Service would establish a WMA by acquiring conservation easements

from willing sellers, on up to approximately 14,000 acres of wetland and

associated upland habitats.

•These easements would be managed as part of the Tulare Basin WMA.

•The WMA would provide minimum protection to private wetlands

necessary to conserve wetland dependant wildlife and native habitats.

Alternative 3. Under this alternative:

•Potential fee acquisition of not more than 2,000 acres from willing sellers

would occur, as well as permanent protection of conservation easement

lands identified under Alternative 2.

•Protecting high quality or unique wetland habitats or connecting similar

areas of high quality habitat, would be the Service’s focus for the additional 2,000 acres.

A schedule of the key planning steps follows. Unforseen circumstances

could cause schedule changes. We will keep you informed if any major

planning dates change. The Environmental Assessment, Land Protection

Plan, and Conceptual Management Plan will be sent to everyone on the

update mailing list and to public libraries in the project area.

Public Scoping and Comment Period_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Completed

Review Public Comments_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Completed

Planning Update 3 developed providing

 Preliminary Alternatives for public comment _ _ _ _ _ _ Completed

Public Comment Period on the

 Preliminary Alternatives_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ April thru May, 2003

Draft Planning Documents available

 for Public Review and Comment_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Summer 2003

Final Planning Documents and

 Notice of Decision Released_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Fall 2003

What Happens Next?

The Old Tulare Duck Club Cabin.

Photo, Scott Frazer, USFWS

2

Canada geese frequent the Tulare Basin.
The following alternatives have been considered, however, they will not

be assessed in any detail for the current Tulare Basin land conservation

planning study.

All fee acquisition: A conservation program based primarily on acquiring

easements rather than fee acquisitions, could adequately achieve the land

protection goals for this project and would cost less than an all fee

acquisition program.

Acquiring 10,000 acres in habitat corridors for listed species:

This option would add considerable complexity to the project which

could substantially increase the time needed to complete the planning

process. Significant delays in implementing a land conservation program

would likely result in additional wildlife habitat losses.

Accepting administrative jurisdiction: This would involve lands

enrolled in either the USDA Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) or Central

Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) land retirement program. These

existing protections are adequate for the lands currently enrolled.

Establishing a smaller project area: This would leave out important

wetland and associated upland habitats that are necessary to meet the

project goals of supporting long term viability of private wetlands and

supporting the Central Valley Habitat Joint Venture (CVHJV) migratory

bird population goals for the Tulare Basin as well as the Pacific Flyway.

Establishing an expanded study area: The resulting area would contain

large gaps in protected habitats, and lands requiring significant restoration.

Expanding the proposed area could also cause delays in completing the study.

What Other Alternatives

were Considered?

Ducks at dusk in the Tulare Basin. Photo, Scott Frazer, USFWS.

3

The shallow wetlands in the Tulare Basin

provide ideal foraging for shorebirds

such as these dunlin.
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Kern NWR

Pixley NWR

Creek

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Deer Creek

Kings Co.Tulare Co.

Kern Co. Kern Co.

_To Sacramento

_

To Los Angles

Tulare

Lake

Kern

Lake

Buena

Vista

Lake

Goose

Lake

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Taft

Wasco

Delano

Avenal

Tulare

Shafter

Hanford

Visalia

Bakersfield

Porterville

5 0 5 10

Miles

Tulare Basin Study Area

CA/NV Refuge Planning Office - June 2002 I

Approved Refuge Boundaries

Tulare Basin Study Area

FWS Lands Historic Lakes

Focus Area
5

Who Do I Contact?

For Information on the National Wildlife Refuge System, contact:

Dave Hardt, Project Leader

Kern National Wildlife Refuge

P.O. Box 670

Delano, California 93216

Phone: (661) 725-2767

Fax: (661) 725-6041

Scott Frazer, Biologist

Kern National Wildlife Refuge

P.O. Box 670

Delano, California 93216

Phone: (661) 725-2767

Fax: (661) 725-6041

Fish & Wildlife Service

Attn: NWRS/RPL

911 NE 11th Avenue

Portland, Oregon 97232-4181

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Address correction requested

Welcome to

Refuge

Planning’s

Website

Your participation is encouraged throughout the process. Please send

your written comments to Scott Frazer or Richard Smith as follows, or

via e-mail to FW1PlanningComments@r1.fws.gov.

Richard Smith

Natural Resource Specialist

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

CA/NV Refuge Planning Office

2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-1916

Sacramento, California 95825

Phone: (916) 414-6502

Fax: (916) 414-6512

USE OUR E-MAIL OR WEBSITE

E-mail: FW1PlanningComments

 @r1.fws.gov

Refuge Planning Web site:

http://pacific.fws.gov/planning

(Please use “Tulare

Basin” in the subject.)