City of los angeles general plan

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CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

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Sensitive species. All the plant and animal species classified as

endangered, threatened, rare or of special concern.

Threatened species. Likely to become an endangered species in the

foreseeable future.

Species of special concern. Rare, very restricted distribution,

declining or at a critical life cycle stage when residing in

California.

Species protection. Under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973

(Public Law 93-205, 16 United States Code 1531 et seq.) the Secretary

of the Interior or Secretary of Commerce determines which species are

to be listed on the endangered or threatened species registers. Any

species on these lists is protected. The current registries are

available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which also maintains

lists of sensitive species and species of special concern. Some of the

animal species are further protected through international treaties,

such as the migratory bird treaties that have been signed between the

United States and Canada, Mexico and Japan and the Migratory Bird

Treaty Act, which is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service. The latter protects all common wild birds except house

sparrows, starlings, feral pigeons and resident game birds. Under this

act it is unlawful to kill, capture, collect, possess, import or export

any migratory bird or items associated with them, such as feathers,

parts, nests and eggs, except by permit for scientific purposes,

falconry, Native American ceremonial purposes or taxidermy.

Under the California Endangered Species Act (Fish and Game Code,

Division 3, Chapter 1.5) the California Fish and Game Commission

establishes endangered and threatened species lists and lists of

species classified as "of special concern."

The California Native Plant Protection Act (NPPA) prohibits the taking,

import or sale of rare, threatened or endangered plant species, except

as exempted by the act. Even where exceptions apply, where the

Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has notified a property owner of the

presence of such a plant, the property owner must notify the DFG before

destroying the plant. This provides an opportunity for the state to

salvage the plant. 

With the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in

1969, protection of significant features of the natural environment was

mandated. NEPA applies only to projects in which federal funds are

involved or where a major federal permit is required. The California

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) of 1970 established environmental

protection procedures for processing land development projects within

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CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

II-12

the state. It provides the primary local means of identifying and

protecting species listed in any of the sensitive species categories;

protecting local species diversity and numbers; and evaluating

potential impacts on and protecting habitats, wildlife dispersal and

migration corridors.

If a protected species is identified as potentially impacted by a

proposed development project, the developer is required by CEQA to

provide protection of the species. Protection may involve project

design to avoid disturbing, damaging or destroying the habitat;

acquisition of all or part of the site by an environmental conservation

or governmental agency for purposes of resource management; agreement

to contribute to the protection of a habitat at another site; or some

other mitigation measure. The DFG and/or U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, often with the assistance of local environmental conservation

organizations, works with the developer and city to devise a mitigation

plan.

Protection/propagation enhancement programs. A few examples of

sensitive species protection and propagation enhancement programs that

exist within the city are described below.

Belding's Savannah Sparrow. The endangered sparrow lives in the Ballona

wetlands. The Playa Vista development project mitigation measures

include restoration of the wetlands. Restoration will include

increasing the flow of water which will enhance the survival and growth

of pickleweed upon which the sparrow depends for foraging, breeding and

perching.

California condor and other endangered captive species. Zoos, including

the Los Angeles Zoo, have joined with other organizations in efforts to

research and carry out programs for propagation of endangered species,

some of which no longer exist in the wild. For example, the Los Angeles

and San Diego zoos have joined with the Peregrine Fund and U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service in a condor breeding program. The program includes

mating of birds in captivity, hatching eggs, raising young condors,

releasing captive birds into local mountain ranges, monitoring their

survival, and evaluating carcasses of dead condors to assess how to

better protect them in the wild.

California Least Tern. The endangered terns nest at two sites within

the city, on the Venice Beach and within the Los Angeles Harbor. Both

sites are restricted to public access during nesting season. It is

estimated that the breeding pairs at the Venice beach site have

increased from 165 pairs to 375 pairs since 1988.

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