Frequently Asked Questions

Benton County Prairie Species Habitat Conservation Plan

Questions

• General

General

1. What is the Benton County Prairie Species Habitat Conservation Plan?
2. What is an “Incidental Take Permit"?
3. What constitutes a "taking" of a listed species?
4. Does the habitat conservation plan apply to all lands within Benton County?
5. What activities are covered by the habitat conservation plan?
6. What species are covered by the habitat conservation plan?
7. Are these the only listed species found within Benton County?
8. Why aren’t all listed species in the county included in the habitat conservation plan?
9. What are candidate species?
10. Why are candidate species included in the habitat conservation plan if there is no liability for take of these species?
11. Doesn’t "take" apply only to listed animal species? Why is the County also including plant species and candidate species in the Habitat Conservation Plan
12. What are examples of impacts to Fender’s blue butterfly?
13. How does the habitat conservation plan protect the County from legal liability?
14. Does a Habitat Conservation Plan really provide for protection of these species?
15. How can I determine whether my property has any of these species?
16. If I volunteer to have my property surveyed and one or more species is found on my property, then what happens?
17. What is a certificate of inclusion?
18. Do I need a certificate of inclusion if I only have non-listed species such as Taylor’s checkerspot my property and I want to develop my property?
19. Does state law prohibit me from taking plant species on my property?
20. What if I need "take" coverage, but do not wish to get a certificate of inclusion from the County?
21. How was the development of the habitat conservation plan funded?
22. What happens if I have a listed animal species other than the Fender’s blue butterfly on my property and my proposed activity will impact that species?
23. How many Habitat Conservation Plans for listed species have been entered into between non-federal landowners and the USFWS?
24. What if the species recover before expiration of the incidental take permit? Is the County still bound by the terms of the permit?