For more information and a different point of view, click on the owl above for Sacramento Audubon Society.

For more info on Swainson's Hawk needs

Habitat Protection and Restoration Needs
How can creatures who have become rare be protected while losing habitat? That is the premise of Habitat Conservation Plans [HCP], considered a major method for defining habitat protection needs while allowing destruction of habitat for urban development. HCPs often allow urban development on critically important habitat areas while "preserving" areas of far less importance to the threatened species. In addition, HCPs typically require that land may be acquired only from "willing sellers." If we depended on "willing sellers" to build our transportation system, our economy would be in a shambles.

Many species share the same habitat. They may use different parts of the habitat or use it during different parts of the year. When plans are written, species needs can be compromised all around, or some can be sacrificed for the benefit of others. Restoration is rarely discussed or financed. Proponents argue that HCPs provide better mitigation because they work on a regional level, rather than project by project. While this is true, habitat protection plans lack important protections. The grainy photo below shows burrowing owls who were displaced by housing construction, but not protected by the habitat conservation plan.