California Department of Water Resources Sutter and Sacramento Maintenance Yards Habitat Conservation Plan for Eight Elderberry Management Zones

Draft Habitat Conservation Plan and Draft Categorical Exclusion; California Department of Water Resources Sutter and Sacramento Maintenance Yards Habitat Conservation Plan for Eight Elderberry Management Zones

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is accepting public comment on a draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and draft categorical exclusion submitted by the California Department of Water Resources for a 5-year incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The permit covers routine vegetation management, including elderberry shrub trimming and removal, along approximately 3,162 acres of State-maintained levees in seven California counties. The only covered species is the federally threatened valley elderberry longhorn beetle. The Service has preliminarily determined that the action qualifies for a NEPA categorical exclusion because impacts to the beetle and the human environment are minor. Comments are due December 26, 2025.