Butte County  •  City of Chico
City of Oroville  •  City of Gridley
City of Biggs  •  Caltrans District 3
Western Canal Water District  •  Richvale Irrigation District 
Biggs West-Gridley Water District  •  Butte Water District

The BRCP is both a federal Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and a state Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP). It provides streamlined state and federal endangered species act and wetlands permitting for transportation projects, land development and other covered activities over the 50 year term of the permits. It also provides comprehensive species, wetlands and ecosystem conservation and contributes to the recovery of endangered species within the Plan Area.

For further information, see our video and informational brochures below:

 

BRCP Video highlighting the purpose and benefits of the BRCP, and how the program will work

during implementation. 

 

BRCP 4-page informational brochure highlighting the benefits of the BRCP for the participating cities and county.

THE PROBLEM
The current process of obtaining Endangered Species Act permits and implementing habitat mitigation is inefficient, resulting in uncertainty and unnecessary delays for project proponents at times resulting in ineffective habitat mitigation that provide insufficient long-term protection for the species they're trying to protect.

THE PROPOSED SOLUTIONS
The Butte Regional Conservation Plan replaces the existing problematic permitting process with a smarter, simper process. It results in a coordinated regional approach to conservation and regulation that benefits species and habitat conservation, wildlife agencies and project proponents alike.

THE BRCP: BALANCING GROWTH AND CONSERVATION
The BRCP is a win-win that helps ensure that growth and development of the cities and the County go forward in a timely and efficient manner while ensuring the conservation of species and habitats is accomplished in a more biologically sound fashion. Development activities, including housing, industrial parks, shopping centers, government buildings, schools, and infrastructure such as roads and bike paths contribute to our community and our economy, but they also have the potential to negatively affect state and federally protected species and their habitats, requiring permits from state and federal agencies.

The BRCP allows project proponents to follow straightforward guidelines in the BRCP, pay a fee, receive approval and permits for endangered species impacts at the local level, and proceed with their projects without negotiating with state and federal agencies in Sacramento.

WHAT WILL THE BUTTE REGIONAL CONSERVATION PLAN ACHIEVE?
The BRCP replaces the existing "project-by-project" environmental permitting process for federal and state species in Butte County, with a more certain, streamlined, and consistent process. This allows for projects to go forward to construction with local approvals and little or no involvement of federal and state agencies in Sacramento.

At the same time, the BRCP ensures all impacts on protected species are mitigated as required by state and federal laws, and also contributes to the recovery of species and the conservation of the ecosystems on which they depend through a well-planned and managed system of conservation lands established primarily through conservation easements over 50-years. Additional benefits of the BRCP are the preservation of open space and ongoing farming and ranch economies in the Plan Area that will maintain much of the rural character and natural beauty of our landscape.

WHO DOES THIS APPLY TO?
Once adopted, the BRCP will primarily apply to two main groups: public and private project proponents who are implementing projects that affect lands containing habitat value, and land owners who voluntarily wish to sell a conservation easement on their land, or sell their land in fee title for conservation purposes.

The BRCP does not bring forth a new zoning requirement that will affect property owners, nor does it change protection requirements for species or habitat in the Plan Area.

For further information, see the BRCP Documents section above, and also our informational brochures below.

BRCP 8-page informational brochure highlighting the main components of the Plan.

BRCP 4-page informational brochure highlighting the benefits of the BRCP for the participating cities and county.