WSGA Sage Grouse CCAA/CCA Educational Program

A Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) is a voluntary agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and a private landowner whereby private landowners agree to manage their lands to remove or reduce threats to species at risk of being listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).An enrolled landowner’s individual CCAA ensures that ongoing private land operations and any additional covered activities described in the umbrella CCAA may continue and the landowner receives incidental take coverage under the ESA for covered activities if greater sage-grouse are listed.

Information and Resources (Click to View):

CCA/BLM Information

The BLM CCA here provides an outline for what will be developed on an allotment-level basis with permittees/lessees who request a CCA. The individual allotment-level CCA will contain the appropriate site-specific information chosen from this outline.

UPDATED DOCUMENT:

Greater Sage-Grouse Candidate Conservation Agreement for Range Management on Bureau of Land Management Lands in Wyoming

BLM Guidance and Support for Developing CCA

CCA/Forest Service Information

The Forest Service CCA here provides an outline for what will be developed on an allotment-level basis with permittees/lessees who request a CCA. The individual allotment-level CCA will contain the appropriate site-specific information chosen from this outline.

USFS Grazing CCA Guidance Document

USFS Grazing CCA Application

CCAA/CCA Forms and Templates

Appendix B Form - Wyoming Sage-Grouse Umbrella CCAA Information Screen

Appendix C Form - Wyoming Sage-Grouse Individual CCAA Application

Appendix D Form - Sample Annual Individual CCAA Report

Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit Application Form

Freedom of Information Act Withholding Document

Meeting Dates

There are no meetings scheduled for this time.

Acronyms and Definitions

  • CCA—Candidate Conservation Agreement
  • CCAA—Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances
  • CM—Conservation Measure
  • ESA—Endangered Species Act
  • EOS—Enhancement of Survival
  • PA—Participating Agency
  • FWS—U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Avoid—Used in the context of the CCAA, avoid is to “minimize impacts from an action to the maximum extent possible.” It does not infer that a specific action will never occur.
  • Conservation Measures—Specific management actions that directly benefit a species or its habitat.
  • Enhancement of Survival Permit—The permit issued under a CCAA that authorizes incidental and intentional take associated with the land uses and conservation measures covered by the CCAA.
  • Incidental Take—The take of a species listed under the ESA that is incidental to, and not the purpose of, carrying out an otherwise lawful activity.

40 CCAAs and 24 CCAs completed to date.
Total CCAA acres: 507,630 acres (319,113 acres in core areas and 20,348 acres in connectivity)
Total CCA acres: 1,032,565 acres (590,871 acres in core areas and 7,569 in connectivity)