WEST VALLEY, UT  (10/04/06) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released an analysis that estimates costs related to the designation of critical habitat for two federally endangered plants, the Shivwits milk-vetch and the Holmgren milk-vetch, at $8.8 to $14.1 million over the next 20 years. The Service also refined the boundaries of its earlier critical habitat proposal and reopened the public comment period on the proposal. 

The Holmgren milk-vetch and Shivwits milk-vetch were listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2001. In 2006, the Service proposed to designate approximately 2,241 acres of critical habitat for the Holmgren milk-vetch and 6,475 acres for the Shivwits milk-vetch in Washington County, Utah and Mohave County, Arizona. 

The Service is also proposing to refine boundaries for two of the critical habitat units based on updated information on plant habitat and occupancy.  One subunit in Stucki Springs, Utah is proposed to decrease from 147 to 129 acres and a second subunit in South Hills, Utah is proposed to increase from 412 acres to 437 acres.

Approximately ninety-nine percent of the economic impact from designating critical habitat is anticipated to affect Federal agencies, primarily the Bureau of Land Management and State Departments of Transportation.

Development-related costs due to losses in Federal land values resulting from the removal of BLM-administered public lands from disposal status account for approximately 70 to 80 percent of forecast costs and range from $7.2 to $10.0 million.  Potential costs to transportation and utility operations are estimated to range between $1.0 and $3.5 million and future costs associated with managing critical habitat on public and tribal lands are estimated at approximately $0.5 million.  All estimated costs are for a period of 20 years.

Both the Shivwits milk-vetch and the Holmgren milk-vetch are members of the pea family.  The Shivwits milk-vetch, often associated with purple hued patch of soft clay soil, is found only in southern Washington County, Utah and numbers fewer than 4,000 plants. The Holmgren milk-vetch is most frequently found on the skirt edges of hill and plateau formations, slightly above or on the edge of drainage areas.  Holmgren population numbers vary greatly depending on yearly precipitation.  Rapid urban expansion and population growth in the plants' habitat, which includes construction of new roads, power lines and other development and the spread of noxious weeds, has caused both plants to decline rapidly.

In conjunction with the economic analysis, the Service released a draft environmental assessment which broadly evaluates the social and cultural effects of the proposed critical habitat designation.

The documents and the proposal to designate critical habitat for the Shivwits and Holmgren milk-vetches are available online.

Comments on the proposed critical habitat and/or the draft economic analysis maybe submitted to: Larry Crist, Acting Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2369 West Orton Circle, Suite 50, West Valley City, UT  84119 or electronically mailed to hsmilkvetch@fws.gov using "Attn:  Shivwits or Holmgren milk-vetch" in the subject line.  Comments may also be faxed to 801-975-3331. All comments must be received by close of business on October 26, 2006.