How does the HCP benefit people and development needs in Washington County?
The plan allowed the issuance of a permit to the county from the USFWS which “unlocked” over 350,000 acres of desert tortoise habitat on private property outside the reserve so it could be developed. To date, thousands of acres from Ivins to Springdale have been developed as a result of the HCP, including shopping centers, hospitals, a freeway interchange and major residential and commercial areas. The HCP also stipulated that 1,169 tortoises could be “taken” or removed from these properties or accidentally killed as long as certain processes were followed.
