The Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) and Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA)

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Safe Harbor and Candidate Fact Sheet Conservation Program April 2008 Upper Little Red River Watershed

practices on your property, benefits to Program Principles you, the covered species, and other  Voluntary natural resources.  Regulatory assurances 3. If you decide to enroll in the program,  Potential for incentives a property owner management agreement (POMA) specific to your property must  Habitat restoration be developed. This involves at least one site visit to your property to determine  Recover imperiled species existing conditions and identify  Leverage resources through partnerships yellowcheek darter. Both species conservation practices required to are occur only in the four forks of the provide a net conservation benefit to the upper Little Red River watershed. covered species. Overview 3. Following the site visit, a draft POMA The Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) and Benefits Candidate Conservation Agreement with is developed by your cooperating agency This SHA and CCAA will help Assurances (CCAA) programs are and will be sent to you for review and landowners maintain and implement voluntary conservation programs that further negotiations, if necessary. conservation practices that provide support ongoing stewardship for benefits to not only the two covered imperiled species on private land. The 4. Agreements can be developed in 1-3 species, but also promote better water program’s main purpose is to promote months depending on the complexity. quality and fishable streams. voluntary cooperation and participation in management and protection for listed 5. Enrollment in the program begins The conservation benefits gained will species on non-federal property. upon final signature of the POMA and help landowner properties be more Incentives include: issuance of a Certificate of Inclusion. environmentally sustainable and will 1. Regulatory assurances that no Enrollment last for 10-30 years increase the natural resource benefits to additional restrictions will be depending upon the time of enrollment. all Arkansans. Every landowner imposed as a result of conservation participating in the program receives actions implemented on non-federal 6. Incentives are available upon issuance regulatory assurances from the U.S. Fish property. of the Certificate of Inclusion. and Wildlife Service (FWS) that they have met their obligations under the For More Information 2. Financial assistance to assist Endangered Species Act and there will Additional information on SHAs and landowners maintain and enhance be no future threat of restrictions on land CCAAs is available from the FWS at both aquatic and terrestrial habitats. use. http://www.fws.gov/endangered/permits/ index.html. 3. Tax credits (as of March 2008 this Enrollment Process incentive was still pending 1. All landowners within the area of congressional approval under the eligibility can enroll at anytime at their 2008 Farm Bill). local NRCS office or by contacting the FWS (501-513-4481), AR Game & Fish Yellowcheek Darter The Upper Little Red River SHA and Commission (501-776-0218), or The CCAA are available to all private Nature Conservancy (479-973-9110). Speckled Pocketbook landowners within the watershed (refer to map on reverse side). This particular 2. A representative from one of the SHA and CCAA promotes conservation agencies will meet with you to explain of the federally endangered speckled the details of the program, including pocketbook and federal candidate potential implications to land use