[GPSCC-chat] Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservation Plan

[Wes Rolley]

The following is quoted from the Morgan Hill Times.

Citizens have 120 days to comment on the long-awaited Santa Clara Valley 
Habitat Conservation Plan and the Natural Community Conservation Plan, a 
countywide plan to protect endangered species from future development.

Public comment on the 2,000-page draft plan starts today, and will 
continue until April 18, 2011.

The SCVHCP imagines a contiguous 500,000-acre swath, mostly in South 
County, to preserve and protect 21 endangered and threatened species. 
Participating in the plan are the cities of Morgan Hill, Gilroy, San 
Jose, Santa Clara County, the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the 
Valley Transportation Authority.

When completed, the plan will use building permits to allow developers 
and home builders to build on land where the covered species live if 
they implement mitigation efforts. Species covered under the plan 
include the Bay checkerspot butterfly, California red-legged frog, 
California tiger salamander.

Access to the plan starts here: 
http://www.scv-habitatplan.org/www/default.aspx

It is too long (~2000 pages) to expect everyone to read all of it.