The Northwest Environmental Training Center presents:
NEPA Review, Habitat Conservation Planning,
and NEPA Requirements for Section 10 Incidental Take Activities
Course No. POL-303
August 31, 2006, from 8:30-5:00 (1 Day)
Ecotrust Conference Center
721 NW 9th Avenue
Portland, Oregon
Speakers: Craig Hansen and Jon Hale, Jones & Stokes
Course Description:
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) are intricately connected and increasingly applied together across the nation to accomplish natural resource protection in a variety of environmental settings. This course provides attendees with a basic understanding of the purpose and function of conducting environmental reviews under NEPA and developing Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) under Section 10 of the ESA. Attendees will also gain an understanding of how the two laws are associated, and which NEPA and ESA section 10 approaches are appropriate for different activities in different environmental settings.
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Schedule and Topics 8:30 - 10:15 A.M.: NEPA Overview and Fundamentals - The instructors will describe and discuss NEPA's purpose and how it affects Federal decision-making, how to determine the appropriate level of NEPA compliance, and how to prepare NEPA documents. 10:15 - 10:30 A.M.: Break 10:30 - 11:45 A.M.: NEPA Public Scoping and Document Review Process - We will cover the requirements, explain the process, and recommend ways to avoid common pitfalls. 11:45 - 12:45 P.M.: Lunch 12:45 - 2:15 P.M.: Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) Under Section 10 of ESA - We will provide an overview of HCPs including the various ESA section 10 conservation planning tools, basic components of an HCP, policies affecting HCPs, common issues that arise during HCP development, and the process required to obtain an incidental take permit. 2:15 - 2:30 P.M.: Break 2:30 - 3:30 P.M.: NEPA Assessment Requirements for ESA Incidental Take Activities - We will focus on the Federal agencies' (National Marine Fisheries Service & U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) action of issuing an incidental take permit under section 10 of ESA and how this action requires an environmental review under NEPA. Various conservation plans and their associated NEPA assessments will be explored. 3:30 - 4:30 P.M.: Group Exercise - We will form small groups and evaluate the significance of a conservation project scenario determining which ESA section 10 tool applies and the level of NEPA assessment necessary and/or appropriate. 4:30 - 5 P.M.: Final Questions and Evaluations |
This course is part of a series and is preceded by the Endangered Species Act Implementation and Compliance workshop, August 30, 2006. Attendees may register for either course individually or both courses. A discount applies when registering for both courses. Courses will begin each day at 8:30 A.M. and end at 5 P.M.
Course Materials: Each attendee will receive a copy of the course proceedings, reference material, and a certificate of completion.
About the Speakers
Jon Hale - Jon is an Associate Principal with Jones and Stokes, based in the firm's Portland Office, who specializes in NEPA compliance. Prior to joining Jones & Stokes two years ago, Jon was a 17-year Federal employee, working for both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Jon's two most recent agency positions were NEPA Coordinator for the USFWS Pacific Region, and NEPA Specialist in the Western Washington Fish and Wildlife Service Office. His NEPA experience is diverse, ranging from forest management and fisheries, to transportation and municipal water supplies.
Craig Hansen - After 32 years with USFWS and other Federal agencies, Craig is now Senior Environmental Scientist with Jones & Stokes. With USFWS, Craig served as an HCP/NEPA project lead biologist and a Division Manager. During this period he had a hand in developing virtually every HCP in Washington state. Craig's work included providing technical assistance to HCP applicants, negotiating conservation provisions, developing and writing NEPA EIS analysis sections, and developing agency ESA and NEPA decision documents. As Division Manager with USFWS, Craig supervised eight HCP/NEPA project biologists developing HCPs and NEPA documents, implementing completed HCPs on more than two million acres of forestlands, and acting as policy lead for the USFWS on difficult biological and process issues at the local, regional, and national level.