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Land Entity White Paper <br />Novernber 30, 1999 <br />tasks and involve decisian-making at some level, whether day-to-day implementation <br />decisions (such as today is the day to mow a meadow) or broader decisions (such as <br />whether to close on a specific land protection transactian or how to restore a particuiar <br />tract of land as habitat). <br />All of the listed functions need to be assigned sornewhere in #he Progzam's <br />structure, but it is not likeiy that all would he assigned to a Land Entity. The selection of <br />a management structure for the land component will ultimately depend on how <br />respansibility for the listed functions is ta be divided: wtzaE levels of decision-making or <br />discretion will be in the hands of the task-implementing Land Entity or entities, and what <br />decision-maicing will be handled by the Govemance Committee or elsewhere in the <br />Program's governance structure. <br />The following land cornpanent functions must be assigned to the Governance <br />Committee, a Land Entity, ar another entity: <br />I . Negotiate, acquire and hold interests in iands counting towaxd <br />Program habitat protection goals. This incIudes the future ability to sell some of <br />the interests acquired, if appropriate. <br />2. Restore or enhance hahitat lands, and manage them to retain <br />habitat values into the future. Restoration and management involve both planning <br />and implementation tasks. They must: <br />a. Improve and maintain habitat vaiues for the target species <br />in a manner such that tt?e U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continues to <br />consider the Program sufficient to avoid je4pardy to the species. <br />b. Consistent vvq'th the willing buyerl willing seller/ voiuntary <br />participant philosophy of the Program, be a"gaod neighbor" to <br />sunounding lands. <br />3. Develop and use strategies to achieve land protection objectives. <br />Strategies would need to cost-effective, fair and flexible. <br />4. Coordinate actions with habitat lands protected by others hut <br />which will count toward Program habitat goals. <br />5. Coordinate actions with all Ievels of gavernment, stakeholders, <br />cammunities, non-profit groups and others. This includes: <br />a. If land is not owned in fee, working with landowners so <br />that they lnaw what to expect, understand their responsibilities, and <br />provide assurance that retained rights are not compromised. <br />4