The Agriculture and Interior departments unveiled an eco-system-wide program to enhance habitat for threatened and endangered species in the U.S. Southwest. The program builds on an existing program to improve habitat for the Southwestern willow flycatcher on 7,000 acres of riparian land. “Expansion of this program will engage more landowners by providing incentives for six additional conservation practices. It will also expand the scale of the program by providing predictability under the Endangered Species Act for 83 species in addition to the flycatcher,” said the USDA.
A small bird about six inches tall, the flycatcher was put on the Endangered Species list in 1995. It nests in dense vegetation along waterways.
Three days earlier, the two departments announced an agreement for a voluntary conservation program to protect up to 2.3 million acres of habitat in eastern and central Oregon for the greater sage-grouse. “Landowners who participate receive assurances that they will not face additional regulatory requirements if the bird is protected under the Endangered Species Act,” said the USDA.