What is the distinction between the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA) and the Washington County Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)?
The HCP is a plan that was developed by local citizens after the desert tortoise and its habitat were protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). It took several years to develop a plan that everyone could agree to. The County submitted it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and it was approved in 1996. The 62,000 acres of habitat protected by the HCP for tortoises and other wildlife is called the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. In 2009, approximately 45,000 acres of public lands in the Reserve were designated as the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA). These federal lands are managed by the St. George BLM field office.
