Natural community conservation planning agreements.

The Natural Community Conservation Planning Act authorizes the Department of Fish and Wildlife to enter into a specified agreement with any person or public entity for the purpose of preparing a natural community conservation plan, in cooperation with a local agency that has land use permit authority over the activities proposed to be addressed in the plan, to provide comprehensive management and conservation of multiple wildlife species, including, but not limited to, those species listed as endangered or threatened. The act authorizes any person, or any local, state, or federal agency, independently, or in cooperation with other persons, to undertake natural community conservation planning. The bill would also require an agreement to implement a natural community conservation plan to identify all lands within the planning area that are classified by the State Geologist as containing mineral deposits of regional or statewide significance. The bill would require the agreement, if classified mineral resources are found to exist on lands within the planning area, to include participation by the State Geologist, as specified. The bill would require the State Geologist to evaluate, among other plan principles, and, if feasible, to recommend, exclusion from the planning area of lands containing identified mineral resources or, when reclamation practices are proposed that would render the reclaimed lands suitable for future inclusion within the planning area, temporary exclusion until the mineral resources are developed.