[Federal Register: May 23, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 101)]
[Notices]
[Page 30139]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23my08-88]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2008-N0127; 40120-1112-0000-F2]
Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit for
Residential Construction in Charlotte County, FL
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of an incidental take permit (ITP) and Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP). Ronald and Jacquelyn Perron (applicants)
request an ITP pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The applicants anticipate taking
about 0.25 acre of Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) (scrub-
jay) foraging and sheltering habitat incidental to lot preparation for
the construction of a single-family residence and supporting
infrastructure in Charlotte County, Florida (project). The applicants'
HCP describes the mitigation and minimization measures proposed to
address the effects of the project on the scrub-jay.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on the ITP application and
HCP on or before June 23, 2008.
ADDRESSES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for
information on how to submit your comments on the ITP application and
HCP. You may obtain a copy of the ITP application and HCP by writing
the South Florida Ecological Services Office, Attn: Permit number
TE182089-0, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1339 20th Street, Vero
Beach, FL 32960-3559. In addition, we will make the ITP application and
HCP available for public inspection by appointment during normal
business hours at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Trish Adams, Fish and Wildlife
Biologist, South Florida Ecological Services Office (see ADDRESSES);
telephone: (772) 562-3909, ext. 232.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you wish to comment on the ITP
application and HCP, you may submit comments by any one of the
following methods. Please reference permit number TE182089-0 in such
comments.
1. Mail or hand-deliver comments to our South Florida Ecological
Services Office address (see ADDRESSES).
2. E-mail comments to trish_adams@fws.gov. If you do not receive a
confirmation that we have received your e-mail message, contact us
directly at the telephone number listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or
other personal identifying information in your comments, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Single-family residential construction for the applicants' HCP will
take place within Section 04, Township 40, Range 23, Punta Gorda,
Charlotte County, Florida, at 26181 Bage Drive. This lot is within
scrub-jay-occupied habitat.
The lot encompasses about 0.25 acre, and the footprint of the
single-family residence, infrastructure, and landscaping preclude
retention of scrub-jay habitat on this lot. In order to minimize take
on site, the applicants propose to mitigate for the loss of 0.25 acre
of scrub-jay habitat by contributing a total of $18,113 to the Florida
Scrub-jay Conservation Fund administered by The Nature Conservancy or
acquiring 0.50 acre of credit at a Service approved scrub-jay
conservation bank. Funds in the Florida Scrub-jay Conservation Fund are
earmarked for use in the conservation and recovery of scrub-jays and
may include habitat acquisition, restoration, and/or management.
We have determined that the applicants' proposal, including the
proposed mitigation and minimization measures, will have a minor or
negligible effect on the species covered in the HCP. Therefore, the ITP
is a ``low-effect'' project and qualifies as a categorical exclusion
under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as provided by the
Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 2 Appendix 1 and 516 DM 6
Appendix 1). Low-effect HCPs are those involving (1) minor or
negligible effects on federally listed or candidate species and their
habitats and (2) minor or negligible effects on other environmental
values or resources. Based on our review of public comments that we
receive in response to this notice, we may revise this preliminary
determination.
We will evaluate the HCP and comments submitted thereon to
determine whether the application meets the requirements of section
10(a) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). If we determine that the
application meets the requirements, we will issue the ITP for
incidental take of the scrub-jay. We will also evaluate whether
issuance of the section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP complies with section 7 of the
Act by conducting an intra-Service section 7 consultation. We will use
the results of this consultation, in combination with the above
findings, in the final analysis to determine whether or not to issue
the ITP.
Authority: We provide this notice pursuant to Section 10 of the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and NEPA regulations
(40 CFR 1506.6).
Dated: April 15, 2008.
Paul Souza,
Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Office.
[FR Doc. E8-11587 Filed 5-22-08; 8:45 am]
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