What is the Etowah HCP?
• Beginning in 2002, the counties and cities of the Etowah River Basin embarked on a multi-jurisdictional effort to create a HCP to protect three federally-listed threatened and endangered fish species (the Cherokee, Amber and Etowah Darters), while accommodating the continued growth and development of the area, located just north of Atlanta. What is the goal of the Etowah HCP? • The goal was to ensure that the HCP policies were sufficiently protective of the fish species while placing no unnecessary burdens on landowners, developers or local governments. The scientific research on which the HCP is based has been published in a series of articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Why implement an HCP? • HCPs are a provision of the Endangered Species Act, the federal law that prohibits the harming of species in danger of extinction. While most HCPs are designed to protect one species in a small area, the Etowah Aquatic HCP is different because it covers three species and multiple lo
