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Executive Summary <br />Habitat Segment C would be protected and managed near existing protected areas <br />starting in 2006 (2,570 acres). <br />The protection and management of habitat under this scenario, other than the Cottonwood Ranch <br />property, would be based on the perceived needs of the existing protected areas. For instance, it <br />may be determined that existing protected areas need additional acreage managed as buffers to <br />enhance the protection and management of certain habitat areas. Alternatively, existing <br />protected areas may need additional habitat acreage to meet the biological needs of the target <br />species. It is anticipated that the management of habitat under this scenario would be similar to <br />the management under Scenario 1. <br />Scenario 3 - This scenario describes a situation where the proposed Program would acquire <br />and/or protect habitat lands scattered throughout the Habitat Protection Area. The location of <br />habitat lands would be driven by the cooperation of voluntary participants. The habitat lands <br />under Scenario 3 will be protected and managed according to the schedule proposed for Scenario <br />1 and Scenario 2. Under Scenario 3, 7,820 acres of habitat would be protected in a series of <br />blocks approximately 500 to 600 acres in size in each of the bridge segment areas. Additionally, <br />Cottonwood Ranch would protect 2,650 acres of habitat under this scenario. <br />Restoration and Management of Habitat Lands. The third party impact analysis considered <br />how habitat lands would be managed and enhanced under the Program Management plans have <br />not been developed at this time but it is presumed that an adaptive management approach will be <br />implemented by the management entity. The restoration and management methods used for the <br />purposes of this study were based on information from the FWS and the preliminary results of <br />the study being completed by Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc. titled Draft — Habitat <br />Management Methods for Least Terns, Piping Plovers, and Whooping Cranes.' <br />The FWS provided acreage summaries of habitat areas that would require restoration and <br />management from the 1998 GIS database of land cover types in the study area. The acreage <br />summaries were used in conjunction with information provided in the Draft Report completed by <br />West, Inc. The study provided results of a survey of land managers in Nebraska who have <br />experience with relevant habitats as well as a literature search of appropriate management <br />techniques. The report was used to estimate the restoration and management technique that may <br />be utilized by the Program to restore each habitat type (e.g. wet meadows). Additionally, the cost <br />per acre for each relevant restoration and management technique was estimated from information <br />provided in this report. <br />Economic Impacts in the Study Area. Economic impacts of the proposed Program can occur <br />as employment and income of households and businesses are affected by the change in land use <br />on 10,000 acres in the central Platte Region. Economic models were developed and used to <br />I Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc. "Draft — Habitat Management Methods for Least Terns, Piping Plovers, and <br />Whooping Cranes", prepared for the Habitat Criteria Subcommittee, Land Committee and the Governance Committee, <br />January, 2000. Cheyenne, Wyoming. <br />Hwd.40210R009.doc ES -5 Third Party Impact Study <br />Final Report <br />