U.S. Moves to Protect Gnatcatcher : O.C. impact: Tollways might be endangered too. They cut across sage scrub that is songbird’s habitat.

A decision Thursday to propose the California gnatcatcher for the nation’s endangered species list sent a shudder through the Southern California development community and cast a shadow over three tollways planned for Orange County.

Although promoters of the long-awaited highways say the bird won’t stand in the way, environmentalists and even some supporters of the roads say they are destined for trouble.

“It really in my judgment will cast a serious cloud over whether we’re ever going to see these additional roadways built,” said Rep. William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton), who decried Thursday’s decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The highways cut across sprawling stretches of coastal sage scrub, the scruffy vegetation that harbors the gnatcatcher, that are being eyed as sanctuaries for the bird. Some authorities also worry that any connection between the tollways and an endangered species could undermine the financial community’s confidence in the projects.

“Because the toll roads run through some of the largest remaining areas (of coastal scrub), listing of the gnatcatcher might have a dramatic effect on those projects,” said Joel Reynolds, a Natural Resources Defense Council attorney. “There’s serious questions whether they can mitigate a highway that runs right through the heart of a greenbelt, right through the heart of gnatcatcher habitat.”

But officials with the Transportation Corridor Agencies, the coalition of city and county representatives planning the roads, contend that the gnatcatcher will not pose problems. The agency has planned the roads all along with the idea the bird might be declared endangered.

“We don’t have that gloom-and-doom approach,” said Steve Letterly, tollway environmental manager. “This is not an unforeseen situation. We’ve planned for the fact the gnatcatcher could be listed, and we’re working in a cooperative effort to establish habitat conservation areas for coastal sage.”

Fish and Wildlife Service officials said that no decisions have been made about the roads but that they threatened to fragment the bird’s territory, one of the biggest threats to its survival.

“It’s one thing to run a road through a habitat with no on- and off-ramps like the Autobahn in Germany; it’s another to have one with off-ramps every quarter-mile to housing developments,” said Jeff Opdycke, the service’s Southern California supervisor.

Developers, meanwhile, were predicting drastic consequences if the bird is declared endangered. A Building Industry Assn. official argued that ultimate listing, which could come after a one-year review by federal wildlife authorities, would result in a financial meltdown for the Southern California economy.

“It’s devastating,” said Hugh Hewitt, a BIA spokesman. “It’s a depression-inducing event.”

Hewitt wasn’t alone in voicing such dire predictions.

“I think it would be a disaster not just for the development industry, I think it would be a major setback to California’s economy,” said Donald Steffensen, executive vice president of the Lusk Co., a national builder based in Irvine.

Even short of listing, some developers believe that Thursday’s action creates so much uncertainty in an already ailing industry that projects could grind to a halt.

“It certainly will hurt the financing prospects,” said Frank Panarisi, president of the Construction Industry Federation in San Diego. “This will identify a further risk in development projects, so money will tighten up even more and it will delay the recovery of our economy.”

He worried in particular about the decision’s effect on efforts to provide the key infrastructure for development and growth.

“The freeway projects, your sewer and water systems, your public works infrastructure will all be impacted by this. By impacted, I mean stopped,” Panarisi said. “The important thing is what this does to the economic health of our communities. . . . We need a balanced, reasonable solution to preserve the sensitive lands and species.”

Opdycke, however, suggested that measures taken to protect the bird shouldn’t produce the sorts of severe hardships that some developers envision. “I would never dream that the circumstances would be that drastic,” he said.

A top state official expressed hope that Thursday’s announcement would spur all sides to join in a new effort by the Administration of Gov. Pete Wilson to set aside preserves for the gnatcatcher and other sensitive creatures inhabiting the coastal sage.

“I think this helps keep all the necessary parties at the table,” said Michael A. Mantell, state undersecretary for resources.

But Mantell also voiced concern that the federal decision could shift the emphasis away from the state’s efforts to protect the fast-vanishing coastal sage. Developers, he warned, could expend their energy challenging the listing in court instead of participating in the state’s so-called Natural Community Conservation Planning approach.

Hewitt suggested that the move toward protecting the gnatcatcher could undermine the conservation planning program, instilling doubt in developers concerned that deals they negotiate with the state to set aside land might not pass muster with federal officials.

“There’s uncertainty there,” he said. “Why would anyone make a voluntary commitment to save land if the Fish and Wildlife Service is going to come in and say it’s not good enough?”

Reynolds of the Natural Resources Defense League, meanwhile, said Thursday’s decision should prod developers to cooperate in the effort to save the bird’s habitat.

“I think this is an additional incentive for them to participate,” Reynolds said. “We viewed listing all along as a force motivating participation in these cooperative programs. We don’t believe the cooperative programs would adequately substitute for listing, but we hope the programs that are developed offer an equal or greater opportunity for protection.”

Times staff writer Marla Cone contributed to this report.

California Gnatcatcher Habitat

The California gnatcatcher is found on sagebrush mesas and dry coastal slopes from Southern California to northern Baja California in Mexico. It has a distinctive call, a rising and falling, kitten-like mew. Only about 4 1/2 inches in length, the gnatcatcher is brownish and top with lighter-colored feathers underneath and has a longish black tail.

Source: County of Orange