Endangered species deal spurs concerns in rangeland owners

Due to concerns of landowners, the California Cattlemen's Association recently pulled out of a deal with wildlife agencies for a "safe harbor" agreement on habitat and endangered species. While the draft plan is still in the works through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Game, the Cattlemen's Association is no longer planning to serve as administrator for the program. The safe harbor program is geared toward the counties of Butte, Glenn, Tehama and Shasta. Property owners would voluntarily enter agreements that enhanced or restored habitat for threatened or endangered species. Then, the property owner would be protected from increased regulations if protected species moved to that habitat and were harmed by routine agricultural and rangeland management. Biologists would also document "baseline conditions" so property owners could return their property to that baseline. Matt Byrne, executive vice president of the state Cattlemen's Association, said his group had planned to serve as administrator of the program to help protect ranchers who are "doing all the right things for species habitat." After more than two years in the works, landowners have been looking at the plan more closely. "It didn't meet muster in terms of making landowners feel fully comfortable," he continued. One of the worries was that if one landowner took part, and protected species moved in, nearby landowners would risk increased regulations. Also, there have been questions about confidentiality of data provided by landowners...read more

Curious as to what is really going on here. Did staff get out ahead of the industry and need to be reined in? Was CCA to be paid for being "administrator"? Has there ever been a case where a species was declared endangered and those having safe harbor agreements were "protected from increased regulations"?