About the Natomas Basin Conservancy Plan (NBHCP)

The Natomas Basin Conservancy Habitat Conservation Plan (NBHCP), adopted in November 1997 and revised in 2003, was designed to promote biological conservation along with economic development and continuation of agriculture in the Natomas Basin.

The Natomas Basin

Located in the northern portion of Sacramento County and the southern portion of Sutter County, the NBHCP applies to the, approximately, 54,000-acre interior of the Basin, and contains incorporated and unincorporated areas within the jurisdiction of the City of Sacramento, Sacramento County and Sutter County.

The NBHCP was also prepared to satisfy a condition of an U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) permit, with the program implementation under the direction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)City of Sacramento, and the County of Sutter.

 

Preserve. Restore. Enhance.

The purpose of the NBHCP is to promote biological conservation along with economic development and the continuation of agriculture within the Natomas Basin.

The NBHCP establishes a multi-species conservation program to mitigate the expected loss of habitat values and incidental take of protected species that would result from urban development, operation of irrigation and drainage systems, and rice farming. The goal of the NBHCP is to preserve, restore, and enhance habitat values found in the Natomas Basin while allowing urban development to proceed according to local land use plans.

The NBHCP is a supporting document for federal Section 10(a)(1)(B) and State Section 2081 permit applications. Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the federal Endangered Species Act allows incidental take of endangered or threatened species subject to its permit requirements. Similarly, State Section 2081 of the California Fish and Game Code allows the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to enter into management agreements that allows activities which may otherwise result in habitat loss or take of individuals of a state listed species.