Shrubsteppe and Eastside Steppe MapA User Guide for Local Governments from WDFW’s Priority Habitats and Species Program

About PHS Local Government User Guides

WDFW recognizes local governments’ authority and responsibility to manage land use – including for purposes beyond protecting fish and wildlife habitat. The agency deeply appreciates the significant role that local governments have in protecting habitat and species – without which it would be impossible for WDFW to fulfill its mission¹ on behalf of all Washingtonians. WDFW also appreciates the complexity local governments face when designating and protecting habitats and species; the agency takes seriously its responsibility to provide supportive technical assistance.

PHS Local Government User Guides are intended to augment the technical assistance Area Habitat Biologists provide to local governments in support of the many land use responsibilities the Legislature has given local governments in the Growth Management Act (GMA, RCW 36.70A), Shoreline Management Act (SMA, RCW 90.58), Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP), and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA, RCW 43.21C).

The details of Critical Area Ordinances (CAOs), Shoreline Master Programs (SMPs), and other development regulations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For the purposes of this PHS Local Government User Guide, we assume that a jurisdiction’s CAO contains the following common provisions:

1. PHS Priority Habitats and Priority Species are designated and protected as Fish and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Areas (FWHCAs),
2. PHS maps are adopted and incorporated by reference,
3. for projects that potentially disturb FWHCAs, applicants are required to complete a critical area report (aka habitat management plan) to delineate and evaluate the FWHCA, and
4. the planning department has the discretion to require a screening level critical area report (in lieu of a more extensive report) when warranted.

If a jurisdiction’s CAO does not contain one or more of these provisions, we recommend that the jurisdiction work with WDFW’s Area Habitat Biologist to modify the CAO to incorporate these provisions.

This PHS Local Government User Guide describes key features of the PHS Shrubsteppe and Eastside Steppe map and its appropriate land use applications. Technical details are provided in Appendix A PHS Technical Report: PHS Shrubsteppe and Eastside Steppe Map. Frequently Asked Questions for local government planners, policy makers, and citizens are provided in Appendix C. The maps and this user guide report meet the definition of Best Available Science (BAS) as defined by GMA in WAC 365-195.

¹ WDFW Mission: To preserve, protect, and perpetuate fish, wildlife, and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.