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Draft Mitigation Guidelines <br /> for Swainson's Hawks (Buteo swainsoni) <br /> in the Central valley of California <br /> (Revised January 1, 1992) <br /> CURRENT AND RECOMMENDED MANAGEMENT <br /> The Department of Fish and Game has established the <br /> mitigation goal of no net loss of Swainson's hawk breeding or <br /> foraging habitat value, and has developed the following <br /> strategies and mitigation criteria to reverse the dramatic . <br /> population decline of this species in the Central Valley. These <br /> criteria provide guidelines for lead agencies and project <br /> sponsors to follow in developing adequate mitigation for the loss <br /> of Swainson' s hawk habitat. Direction for management towards <br /> restoration of this species is also included within this <br /> document. These guidelines are to be considered interim and will <br /> remain in effect until a comprehensive Swainson's Hawk Recovery <br /> Plan is completed by the Department. Several Habitat Management <br /> Plans (HMP's) for Swainson's hawk within specific project areas <br /> are currently being proposed. These guidelines will be used in <br /> conjunction with a Swainson's Hawk Recovery Plan to establish <br /> criteria for species recovery through population expansion into <br /> former habitat, recruitment of young into the population, and <br /> other identified recovery goals. Currently, translocation of <br /> active nests will not be considered a viable option to enable <br /> development to proceed. Hacking (controlled release) of captive <br /> reared young has not been employed to enhance the population at <br /> this time. <br /> During project review, the Department will consider whether <br /> suitable foraging habitat occurs within a ten (10) mile radius of <br /> an active nest and contributes to maintaining that Swainson's <br /> hawk breeding territory. This ten-mile radius standard was <br /> developed through evaluation of the results of Department funded <br /> telemetry studies. It is within the documented flight distance <br /> from active nest sites to suitable foraging habitats within the <br /> home range of a Swainson's hawk. Therefore, proposed development <br /> projects may be required to mitigate impacts at active nest sites <br /> and surrounding suitable feeding habitat areas; both of which are <br /> essential to the integrity of the breeding territory. In <br /> addition, since over 95% of Swainson's hawk nests occur on <br /> private land, a program of incentives for the private landowner <br /> is needed to ensure that crops which are compatible to the <br /> foraging needs of Swainson's hawks are not replaced by <br /> incompatible agriculture practices, urbanization, or other land <br /> uses. <br /> If you have any questions, please contact Mr. David Zezulak, <br /> Environmental Specialist, Region 2 , (916) 355-7030, or Mr. Ron <br /> Schlorff, Nongame Section, Wildlife Management (916) 654-4262 . <br /> 1 <br />