U.S., State to Collaborate on Study of Sage Scrub, Wetlands

Kicking off the National Biological Survey, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the California Resources Agency agreed Friday to collaborate in gathering and sharing scientific information about the state’s rare wildlife.

Two major issues that pit developers against conservationists were chosen as the primary focus of the agreement: the California gnatcatcher and other species that live in Southern California’s sage scrub, and the Sacramento Valley wetlands, which are home to a threatened species of snake. The federal government agreed to devote $200,000 this fiscal year to each of the two projects.

The National Biological Survey, a new division of the Interior Department, was created in November by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt with the purpose of collecting scientific data on all of the nation’s animals and plants.

With Friday’s agreement, state and federal officials will create an electronic system in California to disseminate the data to local officials and property owners for their use in deciding how to develop land.

During a visit to San Diego, Babbitt said the California issues are “exactly the kind of research” that he wants for the survey. Although California is the first state to agree to a partnership with the federal government, similar projects are expected across the nation in areas where natural resources are deemed endangered.

“By making sound, objective scientific information available to the public, we can . . . work on collaborative planning that meets economic development as well as conservation needs,” Babbitt said.

Douglas Wheeler, California’s secretary of resources, said the financial and scientific help is important. “Private property owners, government officials and others will be able to access the same reliable information,” he said.

Researchers in the national survey will help the state fill in gaps in its research of sage scrub inhabited by the California gnatcatcher, a threatened songbird that nests on expensive real estate in Orange, San Diego and Riverside counties.

The information is needed for an unusual state project that is trying to create plans for setting aside preserves of the scrub while allowing the rest to be built on without landowners encountering delays.

The federal researchers will also help the state create a similar plan for Sacramento Valley wetlands and uplands inhabited by the giant garter snake, a threatened species.