[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 37 (Monday, February 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6017-6018]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-03194]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2018-N066; FXES11140800000-189-FF08EACT00]
Safe Harbor Agreements for the Northern Spotted Owl for Eden
Property and RPH Comptche Properties, Mendocino County, California
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability and receipt of application.
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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that Jennifer and Jonathan Eden
and
[[Page 6018]]
RPH Comptche Property LLC (two separate applicants) have each applied
to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an enhancement of
survival (EOS) permit under the Endangered Species Act. If granted,
either or both EOS permits would be in effect for a 40-year period in
Mendocino County, California, and would authorize take of the northern
spotted owl that is likely to occur incidental to managing the timber
on their properties under periodic (approximately 10-year harvest
intervals) uneven-aged forestry management practices of single-tree and
group selection. The documents available for review and comment are the
applicants' safe harbor agreements and our draft environmental action
statements and low-effect screening forms, which support categorical
exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act. We invite
comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local
governments.
DATES: Submitting Comments: To ensure consideration, we must receive
written comments by 5 p.m. on March 27, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: For either or both of the applicants,
you may obtain the applicants' safe harbor agreements and our draft
environmental action statements and low-effect screening forms by one
of the following methods.
U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1655 Heindon
Road, Arcata, CA 95521;
In Person: You may visit our Arcata office (address
above). To make an appointment, contact the office by telephone at 707-
822-7201.
Submitting Comments: You may submit written comments by any one of
the following methods.
U.S. Mail or Hand-Delivery: Dan Everson, Field Supervisor,
at our Arcata office (address above).
Electronic mail: fw8_afwo_comments@fws.gov; in email
subject line, please indicate which safe harbor agreement on which you
are commenting.
Fax: 707-822-8411.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Bill McIver, at our Arcata office
(address above), or by telephone at 707-822-7201. If you use a
telecommunications device, please call the Federal Relay Service at
800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Under safe harbor agreements (SHAs), participating landowners
voluntarily undertake management activities on their properties to
enhance, restore, or maintain habitat benefiting species listed under
the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.). SHAs, and the subsequent enhancement of survival (EOS) permits
that are issued pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA, encourage
private and other non-Federal property owners to implement conservation
efforts for listed species, by assuring property owners that they will
not be subject to increased land use restriction as a result of efforts
to attract or increase the numbers or distribution of a listed species
on their property. Application requirements and issuance criteria for
EOS permits through SHAs are found in title 50 of the Code of Federal
Regulations at 50 CFR 17.22(c) and 17.32(c).
Applications
Eden Safe Harbor Agreement
We have worked with the Edens to develop an SHA for the creation
and enhancement of habitat for the northern spotted owl on two parcels
comprising the 242-acre Eden property, Mendocino County, California.
The term of the proposed SHA is 40 years. Currently the property
supports 143 acres of northern spotted owl nesting/roosting habitat and
one northern spotted owl activity center. We anticipate that, under the
northern spotted owl habitat creation and enhancement timber management
regime proposed in the SHA, approximately 185 acres of nesting/roosting
habitat and potentially up to two northern spotted owl activity centers
could exist on the property at the end of 40 years.
RPH Comptche Properties LLC Safe Harbor Agreement
We have worked with the applicant to develop an SHA for the
creation and enhancement of habitat for the northern spotted owl on the
120-acre RPH Comptche Properties (formerly, Herr et al. Ranch),
Mendocino County, California. The term of the proposed SHA is 40 years.
Currently the property supports 108 acres of northern spotted owl
nesting/roosting habitat, 12 acres of grassland, and one northern
spotted owl activity center. We anticipate that, under the northern
spotted owl habitat creation and enhancement timber management regime
proposed in the SHA, approximately 108 acres of nesting/roosting
habitat and potentially as many as two northern spotted owl activity
centers could exist on the property at the end of 40 years.
For both the Eden SHA and the RPH Comptche Properties LLC SHA, if
more than one northern spotted owl activity center become established
on the property, take of northern spotted owls associated with the
effects of timber harvest on such additional northern spotted owl
activity centers would be authorized under the incidental take permit
during the 40-year permit term. At the end of the 40-year SHA and
permit term, no further take of northern spotted owls would be allowed
unless the SHA and incidental take permit are renewed or extended. The
development and maintenance of high-quality functional habitat
employing uneven-aged timber management practices in a matrix of
private timberland subject to even-aged management regimes will provide
a relatively stable habitat condition that we believe will provide high
productivity for multiple generations of northern spotted owls.
Therefore, the cumulative impact of the SHA and the activities it
covers, which are facilitated by the allowable incidental take, are
expected to provide a net conservation benefit to the northern spotted
owl.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become part of the administrative
record associated with this action. 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 request in your comment that we
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their
entirety.
Authority: We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA
and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32) and the
National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its
implementing regulations for the Department of the Interior (43 CFR
part 46).
Daniel Everson,
Field Supervisor, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, Arcata, California.
[FR Doc. 2019-03194 Filed 2-22-19; 8:45 am]
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