Cooperative Agreement for Platte River Research and Other Efforts Relating to Endangered Species Habitats

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C. Acquisition of land interests may be in the form of, but not • limited to, fee simple acquisition, acquisition of suitable conservation easements, purchase or transfer of development rights, donation of lands appropriate for Program purposes, and the dedication"of the use of lands acquired by the-States, private or public entities or conservation entities to the Program. The Governance Committee, with the advice of the Land Committee, shall determine the type of interest in land appropriate to particular situations, subject to any applicable limitations on ownership of land purchased by federal/state funds. The Program is to avoid shifting tax burdens to adjacent landowners or communities. d. The Governance Committee will designate an entity or entities which may, on behalf of the Program, hold title or other interests in land acquired by or contributed to the Program. In the case of lands dedicated to the Program on behalf of a state, the entity dedicating such lands may comae to hold title or other interests in those lands, provided that sufficient interest or access is granted to the Program's representatives to permit Program restoration and management of the lands, or the lands are otherwise protected for Program purposes. 2. Restoration and Protection. The Governance Committee, through the Land Committee and the executive director of the Program, will be responsible for restoring and maintaining lands obtained through the Program. Plans for to developing and maintaining each block of land as a habitat complex will be prepared at the direction of the Land Committee. Plans are initially expected to include identifying the habitat baseline for the block of land in question, adapting the recommendations of the Platte River Management Joint Study to the specific geography of the block of land, and developing site - specific monitoring and maintenance requirements. Habitat management practices will be evaluated as part of the adaptive management regime used by the Program. a. Land currently protected and managed for the benefit of endangered and threatened species by the Platte River Whooping Crane Critical Habitat Maintenance Trust, the National Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy within the Central Platte River Valley will be credited to the Program's long -term objectives if such land meets criteria established by the Governance Committee, but not toward the objectives of the first Program increment without the prior approval of the managing entity. b. Land acquired by or on behalf of existing water related activities • completing section 7 consultation prior to or during the term of the 0