23 



nia. The headwaters in the area in southern Humboldt County has 

 about 20 percent of that statewide population, or roughly 1,500 in- 

 dividuals. 



In the 44,000 acres, I would estimate something on the order of 

 1,000 to 1,200 individual birds would be in this area. There is 

 roughly, depending on how you define old growth, something like 

 15,000 acres of old growth on Pacific Lumber Company lands and 

 residuals as well. This is a majority of the population in one popu- 

 lation of the three populations in California. 



Mr. Kingston. Mr. Detrich, you do a lot with endangered spe- 

 cies. Is that cost-efficient? If it is 1,500 for the 44,000 acres or pre- 

 sumably a lesser amount on the 4,500 acres that this price tag — 

 I don't know what the math comes to per animal — but is it a cost- 

 efficient acquisition in that respect? 



Mr. Detrich. I don't believe that we can put a price tag per ani- 

 mal, Mr. Kingston. However, I would state that this particular 

 habitat is the highest quality habitat for this species remaining in 

 private hands south of Puget Sound, so it does have considerable 

 value for the species. 



Mr. Kingston. If you get the 4,500 acres, can you breed them 

 and transfer them on — as I understand, there is about 290,000 

 acres in California, and would they live in those acres? Do you 

 transfer them? 



Mr. Detrich. I don't understand the basis of the 290,000 acres, 

 but let me discuss the biology question. We know very little about 

 the reproductive biology of the marbled murrelet. It lays a single 

 egg on a large limb of a tree. Only 30 some nests are known in the 

 entire range, so whether we could translate that into some kind of 

 captive breeding, I think would be problematic in the near term. 



Mr. Kingston. How many acres in California are publicly owned, 

 State, Federal, and local government? Approximately? 



Mr. Leonard. Approximately 60 percent of the State, I believe. 



Mr. Kingston. Mr. Hamburg, this is your legislation and I am 

 not trying to delve into California matters. 



But one of the things that concerns me out West is, as we ac- 

 quire more and more land publicly, it limits the opportunities for 

 private industry and job expansion and so forth. 



And I have heard that California is 60 percent publicly owned as 

 opposed to Massachusetts which is about 14 percent. 



Mr. Leonard. Mr. Kingston, if I could interject. Staff just told 

 me my guess is wrong. It is 47 percent of the State is publicly 

 owned. 



Mr. Kingston. Federal, State, and all three levels of govern- 

 ment? 



Mr. Leonard. Yes. 



Mr. Kingston. I yield back the balance of my time. 



Mr. Bishop. Thank you, Mr. Kingston. 



Let me ask a question of Mr. Leonard. In your testimony — I re- 

 viewed some of your testimony — ^you indicate that the administra- 

 tion is interested in exploring a number of the possible alternatives 

 to purchasing the land, including conservation easements, land do- 

 nations, and land exchanges to accomplish the objectives of the leg- 

 islation, that balancing the real concern that you have against the 

 cost of acquisition. 



