[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 24, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32772-32773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-12159]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2016-N058; 40120-1112-0000-F2]
Incidental Take Permit Applications for Alabama Beach Mouse; Gulf
Shores, Alabama
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: Under the Endangered Species Act, we, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, announce the receipt and availability of two proposed
low-effect habitat conservation plans and accompanying incidental take
permit applications for take of the Alabama beach mouse habitat
incidental to construction in Gulf Shores, Alabama. We invite public
comments on these documents.
DATES: We must receive any written comments at our Alabama Field Office
(see ADDRESSES) on or before June 23, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: Documents are available for public
inspection by appointment during normal business hours at the Fish and
Wildlife Service's Alabama Field Office, 1208-B Main Street, Daphne,
Alabama 36526. Please submit comments by U.S. mail to the Fish and
Wildlife Service's Alabama Field Office.
Submitting Comments: For how to submit comments, see Public
Comments in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Bill Lynn, Fish and Wildlife
Biologist (see ADDRESSES); telephone: 251-441-5868.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
We announce the availability of two proposed low-effect habitat
conservation plans (HCP), which analyze the take of the Alabama beach
mouse (Peromyscus polionotus ammobates) (ABM) incidental to
construction of 19 single-family homes by West Beach LLC on a 1.02-acre
lot and construction of single-family home by Charles M. Smith on a
0.39 acre lot in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The applicants request
incidental take permits (ITP) under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the
Endangered Species Act (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). If we approve
these two ITP's, the West Beach LLC anticipates the taking of up to
1.02 acres of ABM habitat over a requested 25-year ITP, and Charles M.
Smith anticipates the taking of up to 0.06 acre of ABM habitat over a
50-year ITP.
Applicants' Proposals
West Beach LLC
The applicant proposes to minimize and mitigate the take of up to
1.02 acres of ABM habitat at 1932 West Beach Boulevard, Gulf Shores,
Alabama, by using routine ABM conservation measures at the proposed
development (such as minimizing construction footprint, restoration of
native vegetation, and measures to minimize effects to ABM during
occupancy and use of the development) and by donating a 0.91-acre
``inholding'' lot of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (BSNWR). The
lot proposed for development currently has a single-family house on it
and a large portion of the lot has been previously used as a
construction storage yard. The lot proposed for mitigation is within
the acquisition boundary of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, and
contains high-quality habitat and will be donated to the Alabama
Coastal Heritage Trust (ACHT). ACHT will either place a conservation
easement on the lot or eventually convey it to BSNWR.
Charles M. Smith
The applicant proposes to minimize and mitigate the take of up to
0.06 acres of ABM habitat at an inholding lot off Mobile Street within
the Perdue Unit of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (BSNWR), Gulf
Shores, Alabama by using standard ABM conservation measures at the
proposed development and by donating an ``in-lieu'' fee to the Friends
of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge group (FBSNWR). The lot proposed
for development currently is undeveloped, but will utilize an existing
driveway to minimize impacts. The ``in-lieu'' fee will be donated to
the FBSNWR group whom will use the fee to either managed, maintain, or
acquire ABM habitat within the BSNWR Perdue Unit.
Our Preliminary Determination
We have made a preliminary determination that the applicants'
projects, including the mitigation measures, will individually and
cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the species covered
in the HCPs. Therefore, our proposed issuance of the requested ITPs
qualifies as a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), as provided by Department of the Interior
implementing regulations in part 46 of
[[Page 32773]]
title 43 of the Code of Federal Regulations (43 CFR 46.205, 46.210, and
46.215).
We base our determination that issuance of each 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 plan, 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. As more fully explained
in our environmental action statement and associated Low-Effect
Screening Form, the applicant's proposed project qualifies as a ``low-
effect'' project. This preliminary determination may be revised based
on our review of public comments that we receive in response to this
notice.
Public Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email 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.
If you wish to comment, you may submit comments by any one of
several methods. Please reference TE84215B-0 (West Beach LLC), or
TE84216B-0 (Charles M. Smith) in such comments. You may mail comments
to the Fish and Wildlife Service's Alabama Field Office (see
ADDRESSES). You may also comment via the internet to
william_lynn@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 the office listed under
ADDRESSES.
Covered Area
The area encompassed by the HCPs and applications is the 1.02-acre
lot located at 1932 West Beach Boulevard, and the 0.39-acre inholding
lot located in the Perdue Unit of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge,
in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Next Steps
We will evaluate the ITP applications, including the HCP's and any
comments we receive, to determine whether the application meets the
requirements of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act. We will also evaluate
whether issuance of a 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 our final analysis to determine whether or not to
issue the ITP. If we determine that the requirements are met, we will
issue the ITPs for the incidental take of ABM habitat.
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: May 18, 2016
William J. Pearson,
Field Supervisor, Alabama Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2016-12159 Filed 5-23-16; 8:45 am]
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