[Federal Register: October 20, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 201)]
[Notices]
[Page 53758-53759]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20oc09-73]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2009-N204; 40120-1112-0000-F2]
Receipt of Application for Incidental Take Permit for One Parking
Facility in Escambia County, FL
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice: receipt of application for incidental take permit (ITP)
for a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP); availability of proposed HCP and
environmental assessment (EA); request for comment.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability
of a proposed HCP, an accompanying ITP application, and an EA related
to a proposed development that would take the Perdido Key beach mouse
(Peromyscus polionotus trissyllepsis) on Perdido Key in Escambia
County, Florida. The HCP analyzes the take of the Federally endangered
Perdido Key beach mouse incidental to construction and maintenance of a
parking facility (Project). Spanish Key Condominium (Applicant)
requests an ITP under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as
amended. The Applicant's HCP describes the mitigation and minimization
measures proposed to address the effects on the species.
DATES: We must receive any written comments on the ITP application, EA,
and HCP at our Regional Office (see ADDRESSES) on or before November
19, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Documents will be available for public inspection by
appointment during normal business hours at the Fish and Wildlife
Service's Regional Office, 1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 200, Atlanta,
GA 30345 (Attn: David Dell); or Field Supervisor, Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1601 Balboa Avenue, Panama City, FL 32405.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Dell, Regional HCP
Coordinator, (see ADDRESSES), telephone: (404) 679-7313; or Mr. Ben
Frater, Field Office Project Manager, at the Panama City Field Office
(see ADDRESSES), telephone: (850) 769-0552, ext. 248.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We announce the availability of a proposed
HCP, accompanying ITP application, and an EA, which analyzes the take
of the Perdido Key beach mouse incidental to the Project. The applicant
requests a 30-year ITP under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), as amended.
We specifically request information, views, and opinions from the
public via this notice on our proposed Federal action, including
identification of any other aspects of the human environment not
already identified in the EA pursuant to NEPA regulations (40 CFR
1506.6). Further, we specifically solicit information regarding the
adequacy of the HCP per 50 CFR parts 13 and 17.
An assessment of the likely environmental impacts associated with
the implementation of the Spanish Key HCP, the EA considers the
environmental consequences of the no-action alternative and the
proposed action. The proposed action alternative is issuance of the ITP
and implementation of the HCP as submitted by the Applicant. The HCP
covers activities associated with the construction and maintenance of a
parking facility. Avoidance, minimization and mitigation measures
include a reduced design footprint, on-site land management to maintain
use of the site by Perdido Key beach mice, and
[[Page 53759]]
funding off-site habitat acquisition and management.
Public Comments
If you wish to comment, you may submit comments by any one of
several methods. Please reference TE227165-0 in such comments. You may
mail comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service's Regional Office (see
ADDRESSES). You may also comment via the Internet to david_
dell@fws.gov. Please include your name and return address in your
Internet message. If you do not receive a confirmation from us that we
have received your Internet message, contact us directly at either
telephone number listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to either of our offices
listed under ADDRESSES. Before including your address, phone number, e-
mail address, or other personal identifying information in your
comment, 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.
Covered Area
The area encompassed under the HCP and ITP application is a 0.49-
acre parcel located on the bayside of the western portion of Perdido
Key, a 16.9-mile barrier island. Perdido Key constitutes the entire
historic range of the Perdido Key beach mouse.
Next Steps
We will evaluate these ITP applications, including the HCP and any
comments we receive, to determine whether these applications meet the
requirements of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act. We will also evaluate
whether issuance of the section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP complies with section 7
of the Endangered Species Act by conducting an intra-Service section 7
consultation. We will use the results of this consultation, in
combination with the above findings, in our final analysis to determine
whether or not to issue the ITP. If we determine that the requirements
are met, we will issue the ITP for the incidental take of the Perdido
Key beach mouse.
Authority: We provide this notice under section 10 of the Act
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Dated: September 17, 2009.
David Viker,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E9-25140 Filed 10-19-09; 8:45 am]
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