River Designated Habitat for Bell’s Vireo : Environment: Fish & Wildlife Service takes action to protect endangered songbird’s nesting areas.

A federal wildlife agency has designated a 12-mile strip of the Santa Clara River as a “critical habitat” for the least Bell’s vireo, a long-awaited move that biologists say will help protect the endangered songbird’s nesting areas.

The designation triggers another layer of government review for landowners seeking federal permits to dredge the river channel or stabilize its banks east of Piru, raising farmers’ fears that it could slow or even halt efforts to protect their property during floods.

“We are obviously very disappointed,” said Marlee Lauffer, spokeswoman for Newhall Land & Farming Co., which owns much of the land affected by the designation. “We feel that the government study did not take into full account the economic impact on farmers of this decision.”

Establishing the protected area does not mean that private landowners cannot use their land, said Cat Brown, a biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Ventura office. The area provides minimal protection for the least Bell’s vireo and Fish & Wildlife reviews would be initiated only when a proposed development involves the federal government.

The most likely time that the Fish & Wildlife Service will become involved is when a landowner seeks a federal permit to dredge the river channel or shore up banks that tend to crumble when the river is full, Brown said.

In those cases, the owner will need permission to do the work from the agency as well as other local, state and federal agencies, she said. Fish & Wildlife will review the permit application and make recommendations about what can be done to reduce the impact on the habitat, she said.

The added review should not significantly slow down the permit process, Brown said.

“For all of the hoopla it takes to add critical habitat, it generally does not add that much more protection for the species.”

Most of the 4,200 acres involved in the designation is owned by the Newhall Land & Farming Co. and is considered unsuitable for development because of its proximity to flood plains, Brown said. The protected area involves a 3,500-foot wide strip hugging both sides of the Santa Clara River, starting about two miles east of Piru and stretching east to Castaic Junction in Los Angeles County.

Biologists sought protection for the area because it is one of several prime nesting sites in Southern California for the least Bell’s vireo. Besides the Santa Clara River area, nine other stream-side thickets in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties were included in the critical habitat classification.

Only about 500 nesting pairs of least Bell’s vireo remain in the United States, and about 90% of them nest in the critical habitat areas. Biologists hope that management actions will encourage the songbird to reproduce and re-establish its dwindling population.

The Fish & Wildlife Service attempted to designate a much longer portion of the Santa Clara River in a proposal five years ago, Brown said. So much controversy erupted that the service let the proposal languish until about 18 months ago, when a National Audubon Society lawsuit forced biologists to resurrect the designation.

Because it was under pressure to move quickly, the agency did not include for classification the stretch of the river between Fillmore and Santa Paula, Brown said. Some farmers are concerned that biologists eventually will move to place the entire river under added federal protection.

The permitting process to shore up banks has become so entangled in red tape over the past few years that it often is not practical to even apply for a permit when fast-running waters threaten to take out orchards along the riverbanks, said Allen Camp, who owns 200 acres of lemons along the river in Ventura.

“It costs so much money in permitting fees and studies that the flood, or the rainy season that the farmer is trying to protect his or her land from, has come and gone five times before you get through the process,” Camp said. “It’s government at its silliest.”

Lauffer of Newhall Land said the company believes the designated area includes parcels that clearly are not habitat, such as a section of parking lot at the Magic Mountain amusement park.

Fish & Wildlife’s Brown acknowledged that the boundary lines are not perfect. She and other supporters of the habitat, however, say it represents good policy and does not place an undue burden on landowners.

Lloyd Kiff, president of the national Cooper Ornithological Society, said development has already carved up 95% of the least Bell’s vireo natural habitat in California. The remaining 5% must be preserved if the species is to survive, he said.

“I would ask opponents just how much do they want to leave?” Kiff said. “One percent? Two percent? We ought to be able to run society in a balanced way.”

Brown said recent increased sightings of the least Bell’s vireo indicate that management techniques may be working.

In the last few years, more nesting pairs of vireos have been found on the Santa Clara River. And last spring, a nesting pair was sighted on the Ventura River for the first time in about 50 years, she said.

“I think there is some hope that we are doing the right thing and that they are moving toward recovery.”

Bird Protected Area

A 12-mile-long 3,500 foot-wide segment of the Santa Clara River has been designated a “critical habitat” for the least Bell’s viraeo, giving the endangered bird added protection from dredging and development.