Selkirk woodland caribou final critical habitat less than proposed

BONNERS FERRY — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is designating 30,010 acres in Boundary County and Washington’s Pend Oreille County as critical caribou habitat.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the final critical habitat designation for the southern Selkirk Mountains population of woodland caribou. The Selkirk caribou have been protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as an endangered species since 1984.

This final designation modifies the 2011 proposed rule which proposed to designate 375,552 acres as critical habitat in Boundary, Bonner and Pend Oreille County.

Under the final designation 6,029 acres in Boundary County (all on National Forest System lands) will be designated as critical habitat and there will be no critical habitat in Bonner County.

“I think this was a very good conclusion that was based on science presented. I want to complement everyone in the community and everyone who looked at the science,” said Dan Dinning, Boundary County Commissioner and Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative Co-chair.

“I appreciated Fish and Wildlife personnel listening and being receptive to requests by Boundary County.”

In Boundary County, the critical habitat is in the northwest corner of county on the west side of Upper Priest River.

The area includes Snowy Top, the ridge to the south and the area north to the Canadian border.

The critical habitat designated contains the physical and biological features essential to the conservation of the species. These areas also were occupied by caribou at the time of listing in 1983 and 1984.

The significant reduction in critical habit area was based on scientific findings and public comments according to Bryon Holt of the USFWS Northern Idaho Field Office. Part of the reduction included moving the proposed critical habitat up in elevation from 4,000 feet to 5,000 feet, according to Holt.

As stated in the final rule, literature and peer review comments confirm that although caribou may use elevations below 5,000 feet, habitats at this elevation and above are essential to their conservation.

“Regardless of the critical habitat designation, we still intend to manage the caribou recovery zone,” said Holt. This management includes maintaining and retaining old growth habitat that is critical to woodland caribou.

“I look forward to having input into the management team,” said Dinning.

The critical habitat designation will become effective on Dec. 28, 2012.

“Thoughtful inquiry and scientific information was presented to us by tribes, citizens, federal and state agencies, elected officials and other interested parties. Because of this, we have a modified rule that adheres to policy, is responsive to issues raised by others, and most importantly, addresses priority habitat for caribou conservation,” said Brian T. Kelly, Idaho supervisor for USFWS.

Idaho delegation is praising the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for its final decision on critical habitat for the woodland caribou.

 “I am pleased that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service listened to the public outcry regarding the impacts this expanded critical habitat designation would have had upon people’s livelihoods,” said Congressman Raúl Labrador in a press release.

"It is appropriate for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to appropriately modify the critical habitat proposal to better balance the caribou's recovery needs with recreational and other human use of Idaho's landscape," said Sen. Mike Crapo, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which oversees the USFWS and the Endangered Species Act.

"It is clear that the Fish and Wildlife Service has done its work on this issue, resulting in a reasonable and fact-based decision,” said Rep. Mike Simpson, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior. 

"I'm pleased to see the final designation of critical habitat for caribou in northern Idaho is more realistic than the initial proposal,” said Sen. James E. Risch.

The final critical habitat designation; proposed rule; draft economic analysis; maps; public comments and reports are available at http://www.fws.gov/idaho, or by appointment during normal business hours at the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Office’s Spokane and/or Boise offices.