[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35968-35969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15387]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2015-N114; FXES11120400000-156-FF04EF2000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Receipt of
Application for Incidental Take Permit Renewal; Availability of Low-
Effect Habitat Conservation Plan and Associated Documents; Charlotte
County, FL
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment/information.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of an incidental take permit (ITP) renewal application and
a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). TAVCOR, LLC (applicant) requests
renewal of ITP TE207151-1 under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (Act). The applicant anticipates taking about 1.91 acres of
feeding, breeding, and sheltering habitat used by the Florida scrub-jay
(Aphelocoma coerulescens) (scrub-jay) incidental to land preparation
and construction in Charlotte County, Florida. The applicant's HCP
describes proposed minimization measures and completed mitigation
measures to address the effects of development on the covered species.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on the ITP application and
HCP on or before July 23, 2015.
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
TE207151-2, 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.
[[Page 35969]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Elizabeth Landrum, South Florida
Ecological Services Office (see ADDRESSES); telephone: 772-469 -4304.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Submitting Comments
If you wish to comment on the ITP application or HCP, you may
submit comments by any one of the following methods:
Email: Elizabeth_Landrum@fws.gov. Use ``Attn: Permit number
TE207151-2'' as your message subject line.
Fax: Elizabeth Landrum, 772-562-4288, Attn.: Permit number
``TE207151-2.''
U.S. mail: Elizabeth Landrum, South Florida Ecological Services
Field Office, Attn: Permit number ``TE207151-2,'' U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960-3559.
In-person drop-off: You may drop off comments or request
information during regular business hours at the above office address.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email 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
request in your comments that your personal identifying information be
withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able
to do so.
Applicant's Proposed Project
We received an application from the applicant for renewal of an
incidental take permit. The applicant requests a 5-year renewal of an
ITP under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). If
we approve the renewal, the applicant anticipates taking a total of
approximately 1.91 acres of scrub-jay breeding, feeding, and sheltering
habitat, incidental to land preparation and construction in Section 9,
Township 40S, Range 23E, Charlotte County, Florida. The applicant
currently has neither a time frame for development, nor a specific site
plan; however, development of this parcel would likely include
construction of one or more structures, a parking area, and
installation of associated utilities.
The applicant proposes to minimize impacts to scrub-jays by: (1)
Using scrub oaks and other native plants in post-construction
landscaping; (2) avoiding land clearing activities during the scrub-jay
nesting season (March 1 to June 30); (3) avoiding planting trees that
will be 30 feet in height or more when mature because they can be used
as perches by predatory birds; and (4) refraining from keeping or
feeding free-roaming cats. Mitigation for unavoidable impacts has been
accomplished by the donation of 4.3 acres of suitable habitat to
Charlotte County for scrub-jay conservation. The Service listed the
scrub-jay as threatened in 1987 (June 3, 1987; 52 FR 20715), effective
July 6, 1987.
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary determination that the
applicant's project, including the mitigation measures, will
individually and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the
species covered in the HCP. Therefore, renewal of the ITP is a ``low-
effect'' action and qualifies as a categorical exclusion under the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 CFR 1506.6), as provided
by the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 2 Appendix 1 and 516
DM 6 Appendix 1). We base our preliminary determination that issuance
of the ITP qualifies as a low-effect action on the following three
criteria: (1) Implementation of the project would result in minor or
negligible effects on federally listed, proposed, and candidate species
and their habitats; (2) Implementation of the project would result in
minor or negligible effects on other environmental values or resources;
and (3) Impacts of the project, considered together with the impacts of
other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable similarly situated
projects, would not result, over time, in cumulative effects to
environmental values or resources that would be considered significant.
This preliminary determination may be revised based on our review of
public comments that we receive in response to this notice.
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the HCP and comments submitted thereon to
determine whether the application meets the requirements of section
10(a) of the Act. The Service 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. The results of this
consultation, in combination with the above findings, will be used in
the final analysis to determine whether or not to renew the ITP. If it
is determined that the requirements of the Act are met, the ITP will be
renewed.
Authority: We provide this notice under Section 10 of the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and NEPA regulations
(40 CFR 1506.6).
Dated: June 16, 2015.
Roxanna Hinzman,
Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Office.
[FR Doc. 2015-15387 Filed 6-22-15; 8:45 am]
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