[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 24, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17838-17839]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08494]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2018-N029; FXES11130400000EA-123-FF04EF1000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Availability of
Proposed Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink,
Orange County, FL
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have
received an application for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. Orange County Public
Schools (applicant) is requesting a 3-year ITP for take of the
federally listed sand skink. We request public comment on the permit
application, which includes a proposed habitat conservation plan, and
on our preliminary determination that the plan qualifies as low effect
under the National Environmental Policy Act. To make this
determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-
effect screening form, which are also available for review.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by
May 24, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments and request copies of the
application, including the HCP, as well as our environmental action
statement or low-effect screening form, by any one of the following
methods:
Email: northflorida@fws.gov. Use ``Attn: Permit number TE74732C-0''
as your subject line.
Fax: Field Supervisor, (904) 731-3191, ``Attn: Permit number
TE74732C-0.''
U.S. mail: Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Ecological Services Field
Office, Attn: Permit number TE74732C-0, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
7915 Baymeadows Way, Suite 200, Jacksonville, FL 32256.
In-person: You may deliver comments during regular business hours
at the office address listed above under U.S. mail. You may inspect the
application, HCP, environmental action statement, or low-effect
screening form by appointment during normal business hours at the same
address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin M. Gawera, telephone: (904) 731-
3121; email: erin_gawera@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA;
16 U.S.C. et seq.) and our implementing regulations in the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR part 17 prohibit the ``take'' of
fish and wildlife species listed as endangered or threatened. Take of
listed fish or wildlife is defined under the ESA as ``to harass, harm,
pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to
attempt to engage in any such conduct'' (16 U.S.C. 1532(19)). However,
under limited circumstances, we issue permits to authorize incidental
take, i.e., take that is incidental to, and not the purpose of, the
carrying out of an otherwise lawful activity.
Regulations governing incidental take permits for endangered and
threatened species are at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32, respectively. The
ESA's take prohibitions do not apply to federally listed plants on
private lands unless such take would violate State law. In addition to
meeting other criteria, the take authorized by an incidental take
permit must not jeopardize the existence of federally listed fish,
wildlife, or plants.
Applicant's Proposal
Orange County Public Schools is requesting an incidental take
permit (ITP) to take sand skink (Neoseps reynoldsi) through the
permanent destruction of approximately 5.3 acres (ac) of occupied
foraging and sheltering habitat. The take would be incidental to the
construction of a school and associated facilities in Orange County,
Florida. The 26.0-ac habitat conservation plan (HCP) project site is
located on Orange County Parcel No. 27232500000004, within Section 25,
Township 23 South, Range 27 East. The project activities also include
clearing, infrastructure building, and landscaping associated with
constructing a school and associated facilities. The applicant proposes
to mitigate for the take of the species by purchasing 10.6 mitigation
credits within a Service-approved sand skink conservation bank.
Our Preliminary Determination
A low-effect HCP is one 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.
We have determined that the applicant's proposed HCP, including the
proposed mitigation and minimization measures, would have minor or
negligible effects on the covered species and the environment so as to
be ``low effect'' and qualify for categorical exclusion under the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), as
provided by Department of the Interior implementing regulations in part
46 of title 43 of the Code of Federal Regulations (43 CFR 46.205,
46.210, and 46.215).
Next Steps
We will evaluate the HCP and comments we receive to determine
whether the ITP application meets the requirements of section 10(a) of
the ESA. We will also conduct an intra-Service consultation to evaluate
take of the sand skink in accordance with section 7 of the ESA. We will
use the results of the consultation, in combination with the above
findings, in our analysis of whether or not to issue the ITP. If the
requirements are met, we will issue ITP number TE74732C-0 to the
applicant.
Public Comments
If you wish to comment on the permit application, HCP, or
associated documents, you may submit comments by any one of the methods
listed in ADDRESSES.
Public Availability of 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.
[[Page 17839]]
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10 of the ESA and NEPA
regulation 40 CFR 1506.6.
Jay B. Herrington,
Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2018-08494 Filed 4-23-18; 8:45 am]
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