Drafter
Clerk 03/02/2005
Title
A MOTION expressing council support for the implementation of the Snohomish Basin Salmon Conservation Plan and related commitments and conditions.
Body
WHEREAS, in March of 1999, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration ("NOAA") Fisheries listed the Puget Sound Chinook salmon evolutionarily significant unit as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act ("ESA"), and
WHEREAS, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service ("USFWS") listed the Puget Sound bull trout distinct population segment as a threatened species under the ESA in November of 1999, and
WHEREAS, under the ESA, it is illegal to "take" a listed species, and the ESA defines the term "take" to include actions that could harm listed species or their habitat, and
WHEREAS, certain federal court opinions may be interpreted to suggest that "take," if caused by actions that are directly or indirectly authorized by local governments, could potentially expose local governments to civil or criminal penalties under the ESA, and
WHEREAS, under ESA Section 4(f), NOAA Fisheries (for Chinook salmon) and the USFWS (for bull trout) are required to develop and implement recovery plans to address the recovery of the species, and
WHEREAS, the most essential ingredient for the development and implementation of effective recovery programs is coordination and cooperation among federal, state, and local agencies, tribes, academic researchers, nongovernmental organizations and private citizens, and
WHEREAS, NOAA Fisheries and the USFWS can provide certain regulatory assurances to jurisdictions that have committed to a recovery plan, and
WHEREAS, Shared Strategy for Puget Sound, a regional nonprofit organization, has assumed a lead role in the Puget Sound response to developing a recovery plan for submittal to NOAA Fisheries and the USFWS, and
WHEREAS, Shared Strategy for Puget Sound intends that its recovery plan will include commitments from st...

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