Habitat – The place or environment where a plant or animal naturally lives and grows (a group of particular environmental conditions). (DOI/USFWS) – This glossary is intended to give the meaning of key words, but does not necessarily provide a legal definition or thorough description. Legal definitions can be found in the Endangered Species Act, and throughout its implementing regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Title 50 of the CFR is called Wildlife and Fisheries and its shorthand designation is written as: 50 CFR. Title 50 contains the regulations governing all programs of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries. The 50 CFR is subdivided into nearly 700 parts, with each part covering a different general topic. For example, part 17 covers endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. Its shorthand designation is written as: 50 CFR 17. Part 17 is further subdivided into sections, with each section covering a different specific topic. For example, section 3 contains definitions and its shorthand designation is written as: 50 CFR 17.3. This is just one of many sections in the 50 CFR that contain definitions. The list of endangered and threatened wildlife is found at 50 CFR 17.11. The corresponding list of endangered and threatened plants is found at 50 CFR 17.12. Revised April 2005 http://www.fws.gov/endangered/glossary.pdf 2. The location where a particular taxon of plant or animal lives and its surroundings (both living and nonliving) and includes the presence of a group of particular environmental conditions surrounding an organism including air, water, soil, mineral elements, moisture, temperature, and topography. – Glossary for Endangered Species Act terms. (DOI/USFWS) http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/glossary/ 3. The physical location or type of environment in which an organism or biological population lives or occurs; often characterized by a dominant plant form or physical characteristics (i.e., the oak-savanna, wetland, or a coastal habitat). – (DOI/NPS) Majority of definitions adapted from “A Park and Recreation Professionals' Glossary,” California Department of Parks and Recreation Planning Division, January 1, 2003; other definitions from California State Law, CEQ (NEPA), and Santa Barbara County. Draft Gaviota Coast Feasibility Study & Environmental Assessment http://www.nps.gov/pwro/gaviota/gaviota_draft_report_232-234.pdf 4. Areas that meet the environmental requirements of a species. – (DOI/NPS) Long-Term Monitoring Plan – National Capital Region Network, September 30, 2005. Submitted by: Inventory and Monitoring Program, National Capital Region Network, Center for Urban Ecology, 4598 MacArthur Boulevard NW, Washington, D.C. 20007. http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/monitor/plans/NCRN_MonitoringPlan.pdf (Pages G-1 through G-8 - Glossary – or pages 150 through 156 of 156 pages) 5. The location and the combination of biotic and abiotic surroundings that a particular kind or type of plant or animal occupies for part of its life cycle. It typically includes the substrate (soil, rocks, water), other nonliving features, vegetation, and often, other organisms. – (DOI/NPS) Long-Term Monitoring Plan – National Capital Region Network, September 30, 2005. Submitted by: Inventory and Monitoring Program, National Capital Region Network, Center for Urban Ecology, 4598 MacArthur Boulevard NW, Washington, D.C. 20007. http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/monitor/plans/NCRN_MonitoringPlan.pdf (Pages G-1 through G-8 - Glossary – or pages 150 through 156 of 156 pages) 6. The environment in which a plant or animal lives (includes vegetation, soil, water, and other factors). – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Glossary of Planning Terms http://www.fws.gov/pacific/planning/gloss1.htm 7. The natural home or dwelling place of an organism, including its total environment (physical features, vegetation, climate, etc.). DOI/USFWS http://www.fws.gov/midwest/FoxRiverNEPA/documents/Appe ndixA.pdf 8. Suite of existing environmental condition required by an organism for survival and reproductions. The place where an organism typically lives. http://pacific.fws.gov/planning/LPOccp/v2.pdf 9. The particular type of place where an organism lives within a more extensive area or range. Habitat is characterized by its biological components and/or physical features (e.g., sandy bottom of the littoral zone, or on kept blades within 10 m of the water surface). – "DEIS for EFH for the Gulf of Mexico FMPs" [Fishery Management Plans] – Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Generic Essential Fish Habitat Amendment to the following fishery management plans for the Gulf of Mexico (GOM): Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Stone Crab Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Coral and Coral Reef Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; and the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. This is a publication of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA17FC102. http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/websites/www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/habitatprotection/eis/Full%20Gulf%20EFH%20EIS%20703.pdf (pages 9-13 of 654) 10. An area that provides some portion of the requirements for the life history of a given species. (Corps of Engineers) http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/lsr/final_fseis/study_kit/Main_Report/chap10.htm 11. An area that provides some portion of the requirements for the life history of a given species. – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement, Chapter 10, Glossary http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/lsr/final_fseis/study_kit/Main_Report/chap10.htm 12. The place where an organism lives and its surrounding environment, including its biotic and abiotic components. Habitat includes everything an organism needs to survive. http: //www.epa.gov/glnpo/solec/96/landbylakes/glossary.html and http://iaspub.epa.gov/trs/search$.startup 13. The place where a plant or animal organism lives. – Appendix H (Biological Assessment and Evaluation for Revised Land and Resource Management Plans and Associated Oil and Gas Leasing Decisions) http://www.fs.fed.us/ngp/final/pdf_feis/Appendix_H.pdf 14. The place, including physical and biotic conditions, where a plant or an animal usually occurs. http://biology.usgs.gov/s+t/SNT/noframe/zy198.htm 15. The sum of the physical, chemical, and biological environment occupied by individuals of a particular species, population, or community, including the food, cover , and space resources needed for plant and animal livelihood. – Patuxent Wildlife Research Center Glossary (DOI, USGS, United Nations) http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/educatnl/glossary/index.cfm 16. The place where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows. – The Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team (FEMAT) http://pnwin.nbii.gov/nwfp/FEMAT/ Chapter 9 Glossary http://pnwin.nbii.gov/nwfp/FEMAT/Chapter_9.htm 17. A specific set of physical conditions in a geographic area(s) that surrounds a single species, a group of species, or a large community. In wildlife management, the major components of habitat are food, water, cover, and living space. – McGregor Range Dra ft Resource Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement, Prepared for United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, Las Cruces (New Mexico) Field Office, January 2005.

http://www.nm.blm.gov/lcfo/mcgregor/docs/Draft%20RMPA_EIS_01_05_low.pdf (DOI/BLM)

Glossary (Pages 259-268 of 282) 18. The physical location or type of environment in which an organism or biological population lives or occurs. – City of Scottsdale, Arizona, Planning, Building and Zoning Reference Guide Glossary. http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/generalplan/Glossary.asp 19. The environment occupied by individuals of a particular species, population, or community. – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station, Wetlands Research Program Technical Report Y-87-1 (on-line edition) 1987 Wetlands Delineation Manual by Environmental Laboratory, January 1987, Final Report, Approved For Public Release; Distribution Is Unlimited. http://el.erdc.usace.army.mil/elpubs/pdf/wlman87.pdf (Page A5/109 of 143)

Habitat Areas of Particular Concern (HAPCs) – "HAPCs are localized areas that are especially vulnerable or ecologically important" 50 CFR, Part 600 2357. – "DEIS for EFH for the Gulf of Mexico FMPs" [Fishery Management Plans] – Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Generic Essential Fish Habitat Amendment to the following fishery management plans for the Gulf of Mexico (GOM): Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Stone Crab Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Coral and Coral Reef Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; and the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. This is a publication of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Awa rd No. NA17FC102.

http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/websites/www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/habitatprotection/eis/Full%20Gulf%20EFH%20EIS%20703.pdf (page 159 of 654; not defined in the Glossary)

Habitat Capability – The ability of an area to support selected wildlife species for all or a part of its life cycle. – Appendix H (Biological Assessment and Evaluation for Revised Land and Resource Management Plans and Associated Oil and Gas Leasing Decisions) http://www.fs.fed.us/ngp/final/pdf_feis/Appendix_H.pdf 2. The estimated number of pairs of spotted owls that can be supported by the kind, amount, and distribution of suitable habitat in the area. As used in the Final Draft Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl, this means the same as capability to support spotted owl pairs. – The Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team (FEMAT) http://pnwin.nbii.gov/nwfp/FEMAT/ Chapter 9 Glossary http://pnwin.nbii.gov/nwfp/FEMAT/Chapter_9.htm

Habitat conservation area (HCA) – As proposed by the Interagency Scientific Committee, a contiguous block of habitat to be managed and conserved for breeding pairs, connectivity, and distribution of owls. Application may vary throughout its range according to local conditions.

Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) – A plan that outlines ways of maintaining, enhancing, and protecting a given habitat type needed to protect species; usually includes measures to minimize impacts, and may include provisions for permanently protecting land, restoring habitat, and relocating plants or animals to another area. Required before an incidental take permit may be issued. (DOI/USFWS) – This glossary is intended to give the meaning of key words, but does not necessarily provide a legal definition or thorough description. Legal definitions can be found in the Endangered Species Act, and throughout its implementing regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Title 50 of the CFR is called Wildlife and Fisheries and its shorthand designation is written as: 50 CFR. Title 50 contains the regulations governing all programs of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries. The 50 CFR is subdivided into nearly 700 parts, w ith each part covering a different general topic. For example, part 17 covers endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. Its shorthand designation is written as: 50 CFR 17. Part 17 is further subdivided into sections, with each section covering a different specific topic. For example, section 3 contains definitions and its shorthand designation is written as: 50 CFR 17.3. This is just one of many sections in the 50 CFR that contain definitions. The list of endangered and threatened wildlife is found at 50 CFR 17.11. The corresponding list of endangered and threatened plants is found at 50 CFR 17.12. Revised April 2005 http://www.fws.gov/endangered/glossary.pdf 2. A plan [that] outlines ways of maintaining, enhancing, and protecting a given habitat type needed to protect species. The plan usually includes measures to minimize impacts, and might incl ude provisions for permanently protecting land, restoring habitat, and relocating plants or animals to another area. A HCP is required before an incidental take permit may be issued. – Glossary for Endangered Species Act terms. (DOI/USFWS) http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/glossary/ Also: http://endangered.fws.gov/hcp/index.html (Note from RG: ITPs are generally based on HCPs. USFWS "allows" you to use part of your property IF you agree to a Permanent Conservation Easement on your land, pay fees, etc. I have seen ITPs granted when only a fee is paid for mitigation -- meaning the federal agency really just wants your money to fund a land grab. A HCP on your land is an easy way for them to get it. Many ITPs/HCPs are "voluntary" actions by landowners who are in fear of persecution by USFWS. In other cases, loc al governments -- alone or with other "partners" -- establish Regional Habitat Conservation Plans, or RHCPs. Regional HCPs are another way of grabbing land without the landowner's permission -- they generally/usually impose the requirement of the RHCP on all lands within a certain area.... such as within an area designated as "Critical Habitat" for a species. Then there are Multiple-Species RHCPs; see http://www.montereycountyfarmbureau.org/Habitat%20conservation%20planning.htm for more. A big problem with HCPs is that they -- as with many Conservation Easements -- are enforceable by third parties. Environmental Defense can sue because it says you are not fully complying with the requirements found in your agreement with USFWS, etc. RHCPs, like individual HCPs, are "voluntary agreements"  that are used to prove "mutual cooperation" in accomplishing USFWS goals. In one area, the head USFWS employee threatened to effectively shut the county down by declaring an endangered species in immediate peril. The answer was for the county to come up with a RHCP to "voluntarily" sacrifice Property Rights to "protect the species." HCPs permanently reduce the taxable value of land -- and USFWS does not pay one penny to make up for the lost tax income.)

Habitat Database – The relational database of habitat preferences and functional relationships between fish species and their habitat created for the EFH analysis. – "DEIS for EFH for the Gulf of Mexico FMPs" [Fishery Management Plans] – Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Generic Essential Fish Habitat Amendment to the following fishery management plans for the Gulf of Mexico (GOM): Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Stone Crab Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Coral and Coral Reef Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; and the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. This is a publication of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA17FC102. http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/websites/www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/habitatprotection/eis/Full%20Gulf%20EFH%20EIS%20703.pdf (pages 9-13 of 654)

Habitat diversity – The number of different types of habitat within a given area. – The Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team (FEMAT) http://pnwin.nbii.gov/nwfp/FEMAT/ Chapter 9 Glossary http://pnwin.nbii.gov/nwfp/FEMAT/Chapter_9.htm

Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) – An index of the suitability of one or more habitat characteristics (e.g. depth, substrate) for a species. HSIs are used in habitat suitability models. – "DEIS for EFH for the Gulf of Mexico FMPs" [Fishery Management Plans] – Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Generic Essential Fish Habitat Amendment to the following fishery management plans for the Gulf of Mexico (GOM): Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Stone Crab Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Coral and Coral Reef Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic; and the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. This is a publication of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA17FC102.

http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/websites/www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/habitatprotection/eis/Full%20Gulf%20EFH%20EIS%20703.pdf (pages 9-13 of 654)

Habitat Suitability Model (HSM) – Habitat suitability modeling (HSM) is a tool for predicting the quality or suitability of habitat for a given species based on known affinities with habitat characteristics, such as depth and substrate type. This information is combined with maps of those same habitat characteristics to produce maps of expected distributions of species and life stages. – "DEIS for EFH for the Gulf of Mexico FMPs" [Fishery Management Plans] – Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Generic Essential Fish Habitat Amendment to the following fishery management plans for the Gulf of Mexico (GOM): Shrimp Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Red Drum Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Stone Crab Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Coral and Coral Reef Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico; Spiny Lobster Fishery of the Gulf of Mexico and S outh Atlantic; and the Coastal Migratory Pelagic Resources of the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic. This is a publication of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA17FC102.

Habitat Types – Carolinian, Estuarine, Forest, Grassland, Lakeshore, Marsh, Savannah, and Wetland (Nature Conservancy, for their ‘projects’). http://www.cec.org/statepage/Physical.rtf (CEC - Commission for Environmental Cooperation http://www.cec.org/ “At the international level there are three programs that attempt to focus restoration and protection activities in the Gulf of Maine. The Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (EHJV) is a partnership between the Province of Nova Scotia, Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Wildlife Habitat Canada, The Nature Conservancy of Canada, the United States Federal Government, Ducks Unlimited Inc. and other American partners. The EHJV was formed as part of the North American Waterfowl Conservation Council. RAMSAR adopted by UNESCO in 1971 attempts to stem progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future.”

Habitat units (HUs) – A numerical value derived from multiplying the index of suitable habitat for a given species by the size of the area available for that species. The habitat unit is a means of communicating the gains and losses in habitat resulting from the management activities and project implementation. – U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Glossary http://www.usbr.gov/uc/envdocs/eis/navajo/pdfs/deis_glossary.pdf 2. A numerical value used to quantify wildlife habitat. HUs are developed using the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP). – U.S. Army Corp s of Engineers, Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement, Chapter 10, Glossary http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/lsr/final_fseis/study_kit/Main_Report/chap10.htm

Habitat units (HUs) – A numberical value used to quantify wildlife habitat. HUs are developed using the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP). (Corps of Engineers) http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/lsr/final_fseis/study_kit/Main_Report/chap10.htm

Human-induced land transformation – Land degradation that contributes to, and represents a response to, loss of biodiversity, degradation of soil and water resources, and changes in land cover. Changes in land cover contribute to climate change, altered biodiversity, and affect the hydrological cycle, and these interactions feed back to influence land-use systems. (GEF – Global Environment Facility) http://www.gefweb.org/COUNCIL/GEF_C14/gef_c14_inf15.doc