Protecting Delaware’s Natural Heritage: Tools for Biodiversity Conservation A publication of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA87OZ0229. Protecting Delaware’s Natural Heritage: Tools for Biodiversity Conservation Copyright©, 1999. Environmental Law Institute, All rights reserved. ELI Project #972500-04. ISBN# 1-58576-000-5 Environmental Law Institute®, The Environmental Forum®, ELR®, and the Environmental Law Reporter® are registered trademarks of the Environmental Law Institute. Cover photos: Ron Vickers, DNREC. Awned meadow beauty; DNREC. Bald Cypress Swamp; B. Fahey, DNHP. Northern leopard frog, Great Cypress Swamp; Ron Vickers, DNREC. Showy orchis, Brandywine Creek State Park Acknowledgements This publication is a project of the Environmental Law Institute. Funding was provided by generous grants from the Welfare Foundation, Longwood Foundation, Surdna Foundation, Town Creek Foundation, and Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Funding for production of the report was generously pro- vided by The Nature Conservancy’s Delaware Field Office, the Delaware Nature Society, and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and Coastal Management Program. The contents of the report are the responsibility of the Institute. Authors of the report were Jessica B. Wilkinson, Shi-Ling Hsu, Brian Rohan, David Schorr, and James McElfish, with research assistance from Jill van Berg, Elizabeth Gordon, Hank Kessler, Marc Dworin, and Rasheq Rahman. Special thanks to Jerry Vaughn who catalyzed interest in the project; Lorraine Fleming, Roger Jones Jr., Andrew T. Manus, and Michael Riska for encouraging ELI to embark upon the effort; and to the Delaware biodiversity working group — Lloyd Alexander, Gregory Breese, Lynn E. Broaddus, Lorraine M. Fleming, Roger L. Jones Jr., Robert Line, Andrew T. Manus, Kenneth M. Reynolds, Charles R. Vickers — for helping to kick the report off with characteristic Delaware enthusiasm. Although the views expressed in this report should not be attributed to particu- lar individuals or organizations, we gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the fol- lowing people who provided us with valuable information and guidance: Joe Abele, Jennifer Atkins, Charles Baker, Robert Baldwin, Tom Barthelmeh, Ted Beauvais, Chris Bradley, Hooper Brooks, Dennis Brown, Joseph Cantalupo, Jim Chaconas, Toby Clark, Sarah Cooksey, Eli Cooper, Sloane Crawford, Alton Dahl, Paul Daly, Forbes Darby, Mark A. Davis, Jim Dobson, Kevin Donnelly, Ken Dunne, Donald A. Eggen, Peggy Emslie, Al Farling, Joe Field, Terry Fulmer, Lisa Gelvin- Innvaer, Nancy Goggin, Richard Greene, Lynn Harrison, Rusty Harvey, Chris Heckscher, Robert Henry, Lynn Herman, Terrance L. Higgins, Vasuka Hiraesave, Elizabeth Holloway, Rob Hossler, David Hugg, Pat Hurley, Herb M. Inden, Kathleen Jamison, Jon Jensen, Terry Johnson, William Jones, Tim Kaden, Desmond Kahn, Sally Kepfer, Kathy Klein, Debra von Koch, Charles Lesser, Stewart Lovell, Jennifer Lukens, Miriam Lynam, Mike Mahaffie, Al Matlack, John Maxted, James May, Rick McCorkle, Jenny McDermott, Mike McGrath, Stewart McKenzie, Bob Moore, Greg Moore, Peter Morrow, William Moyer, Larry Niles, Tom O'Connell, Tim O’Connor, James Olson, George O’Shea, Jack Perdue, Arlyn Perkey, Robert Perry, Grace Pierce-Beck, Larry Pomatto, Leah Roedel, Jim Rassman, Bruce Richards, William Ritter, Roland Roth, Charles Salkin, Wendell Scheib, John Schneider, John Schwalm, Christine B. Shelton, E. Austin Short, III, Cheryl Sipple, Richard Smith, Carl Solberg, Art Spingarn, Linda Stapleford, Chet Stachecki, Kathy Tidball, Earl Timson, Christophe Tulou, Michael Valenti, Jack Vanderryn, Junior Webb, Sue Welles, Sallie Welte, Jim White, John Wik, Lynn Williams, Steve Williams, Lisa Wool, Rodney Wyatt, and Mark Zankel. Table of Contents SECTION I: Local Land Use Planning and Biodiversity DELAWARE’S BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY — Considerations . 39 A VALUABLE RESOURCE . 1 Zoning and Subdivision Regulations: Implementation of the Plan . 39 Chapter 1: Delaware’s Biological Diversity — Counties . 39 Values, Trends, and the Future . 3 Municipalities . 39 Zoning Regulations and Consideration of Biodiversity. 40 Delaware's Historic Biological Diversity . 3 Environmental Design Standards . 40 Delaware’s Natural Regions . 4 Protection of Wetlands, Floodplains, and Why Conserve Biological Diversity? . 5 Steep Slopes . 40 Sources of the Loss of Biological Diversity . 6 Protecting the Rural Landscape . 40 Habitat Loss and Fragmentation . 8 Protection of Agricultural Land . 41 Habitat Loss. 8 The TDR Option . 41 Habitat Fragmentation. 9 Subdivision Review . 41 Habitat Degradation . 10 State Agency Influence On Land Use – Exotic Species . 11 the Role of DNREC . 42 Current Threats: Why Delaware Needs to Act Now . 13 State Resource Areas . 42 The Loss of Native Species . 13 Wastewater Disposal . 42 The Loss of Wetland Resources . 13 Transportation Planning . 43 Tidal Wetlands . 14 NEPA: Minimizing Environmental Damage . 43 Non-Tidal Wetlands . 14 Tea-21 . 43 Diverse Forest Habitats . 15 Long Range Transportation Planning . 44 Water Quality Impairment . 15 Multi-Modal Transportation Planning . 45 Runoff, Siltation, and Erosion . 16 Conclusion . 46 Effects of Agricultural Drainage . 16 Recommendations . 46 Hopeful Trends . 17 Chapter 4: Laws and Regulations Related to Species and Chapter 2: Principles of Conservation . 23 Habitat Protection . 51 Goals of Biodiversity Conservation . 23 The Protection of Fish and Wildlife Generally . 51 Fundamentals of Biological Diversity Conservation . 24 Protecting at-Risk Species . 51 Protecting Animals . 52 Protecting Plants . 53 SECTION II: Enhancing the Protection of at-Risk Species . 53 DELAWARE’S LAW, POLICY AND MANAGEMENT: OPPORTUNITIES Protections to Control Exotic Species . 53 FOR THE CONSERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY . 31 Noxious Weed Control . 53 Phragmites Control . 54 Introduction . 33 Plant Pest Law . 54 Nursery Law . 54 Chapter 3: Planning Mechanisms . 35 Seed Law . 55 Control of Exotic Mammals, Reptiles, and State Level Planning . 35 Aquatic Species . 55 The Delaware Planning Act and Office of State Promoting Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry . 55 Planning Coordination . 35 Controlling Pesticide Use . 55 Intergovernmental Coordination in Land Use Planning. 36 Forestry Laws and Regulations . 56 “Shaping Delaware’s Future” . 36 Seed Tree Program . 56 Mapping to Guide Investment . 37 Forestry Sedimentation and Erosion Local Land Use Planning and Zoning . 38 Control Program . 56 Land Use Planning: Opportunity and Requirements. 38 Wetland Laws and Regulations . 57 Tidal Wetlands Protection . 57 Chapter 6: Management and Research . 97 Non-Tidal Wetlands Protection . 59 The Use of Section 401 to Protect Non-Tidal Wetlands. 59 Data Collection, Management, Monitoring, and Sharing . 97 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Delaware Natural Heritage Program . 97 Planning for Delaware’s Tidal and Gap Analysis . 98 Non-Tidal Wetlands . 60 Water Quality Monitoring . 98 Compensatory Wetland Mitigation . 61 Development of a Statewide Biodiversity Inventory Compensatory Wetland Mitigation for Impacts and Assessment . 98 From Transportation Projects . 61 Managing Delaware’s Fish and Wildlife . 99 Delaware Mitigation Banking Policies . 62 Wildlife-Related Recreation . 99 DelDOT’s Mitigation Banking Policy . 62 Funding for Wildlife . 99 DNREC’s Mitigation Banking Policy . 63 Non-Game and at-Risk Species Management . 99 The Future of Wetlands Conservation in Delaware . 63 Enhancing Wildlife Diversity . 100 Subaqueous Lands Regulations . 63 Marine Restoration and Research . 102 Drainage Activities in Delaware . 64 Small Game Management . 103 Lessening the Impact of Drainage Activities . 66 Small Game Management On Public Lands . 104 Water Quality Regulation . 67 Leased Wildlife Areas . 104 Sedimentation and Erosion Control Requirements . 67 Species Management Decision-Making and Seeking Solutions for Nutrient Control . 68 Priority Setting . 104 Septic System Regulations . 68 Current Planning Mechanisms . 104 Water Quantity Regulations . 69 Management of Delaware’s Forests . 105 Coastal Zone Protection . 69 Forest Health and Fire Prevention . 106 The Federal Coastal Zone Management Act . 69 Funding for State Forest Management . 106 Consistency Provisions . 70 Forest Management Conclusions . 106 State Coastal Zone Protection Program . 70 Balancing the Needs of State Parks . 106 Marine Fisheries Law . 71 Management of Open Space . 107 Horseshoe Crab Regulations . 72 Funding for Stewardship . 107 Blue Crab Regulations . 72 Native Species Protection Efforts . 107 The Effect of Gill Nets . 72 Delaware Invasive Species Council . ..