[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 49 (Thursday, March 12, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14496-14497]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [http://www.gpo.gov/]
[FR Doc No: 2020-05043]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R1-ES-2020-N017; FXES11140100000-201-FF01E00000]
Proposed Site Plans Under a Candidate Conservation Agreement With
Assurances for the Fisher in Oregon; Enhancement of Survival Permit
Applications
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 two enhancement of survival permit (permit) applications
pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). If granted, the requested
permits would authorize incidental take of the fisher, should the
species become federally listed in the future under the ESA. The permit
applications are associated with a template candidate conservation
agreement with assurances (CCAA) previously developed by the Service
for the conservation of the fisher. The conservation measures in the
CCAA are intended to provide a net conservation benefit to the fisher.
We have also prepared draft environmental action statements (EASs)
pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969 for each of these permit applications. We are making the permit
application packages and draft EASs available for public review and
comment.
DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be received from
interested parties no later than April 13, 2020.
ADDRESSES: To request further information or submit written comments,
please use one of the following methods: Note that your information
request or comments are in reference to the ``Campbell Fisher CCAA''
and indicate by name, which permit application (see below) you are
interested in or addressing.
Internet: Documents may be viewed on the internet at
http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/.
Email: [email protected]. Include ``Campbell
Fisher CCAA'' in the subject line of the message or comments and
indicate which permit application on which you are providing comments.
U.S. Mail: State Supervisor, Oregon Fish and Wildlife
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 2600 SE 98th Avenue, Suite 100;
Portland, OR 97266.
Fax: 503-231-6195, Attn: Fisher CCAA.
In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or Pickup: Comments and
materials received will be available for public inspection, by
appointment (necessary for viewing or picking up documents only),
during normal business hours at the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office (at
the above address); call 503-231-6179 to make an appointment. Written
comments can be dropped off during regular business hours at the above
address on or before the closing date of the public comment period (see
DATES).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Szlemp (see ADDRESSES);
telephone: 503-231-6179; facsimile: 503-231-6195. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf, please call the Federal Relay
Service at 800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Service, have received two permit
applications from timber land owners in Oregon pursuant to section
10(a)(l)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The requested permits would authorize incidental
take of the fisher (Pekania pennanti) caused by the applicants' routine
forest-related management activities through June 20, 2047, or the
remaining duration of the CCAA, should the fisher become federally
listed in the future under the ESA. Each permit application includes a
proposed individual site plan prepared in accordance with the template
CCAA previously developed by the Service for the conservation of the
fisher. We also have prepared draft environmental action statements
(EASs) pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) for each of these
permits.
Background
A CCAA is a voluntary agreement whereby landowners agree to manage
their lands to remove or reduce threats to species that may become
listed under the ESA (64 FR 32726; June 17, 1999). CCAAs are intended
to facilitate the conservation of proposed and candidate species, and
species likely to become candidates in the near future, by giving non-
Federal property owners incentives to implement conservation measures
for declining species by providing certainty with regard to land,
water, or resource use restrictions that might be imposed should the
species later become listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA.
In return for managing their lands to the benefit of the covered
species, enrolled landowners receive assurances that additional
regulatory requirements pertaining to the covered species will not be
required if the covered species becomes listed as threatened or
endangered under the ESA, so long as the CCAA remains in place and is
being fully implemented.
A CCAA serves as the basis for the Service to issue permits to non-
Federal participants pursuant to section 10(a)(l)(A) of the ESA.
Application requirements and issuance criteria for permits under CCAAs
are found in the Code of Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 17.22(d) and
17.32(d). The Service developed a template CCAA for the West Coast
distinct population segment (DPS) of the fisher in Oregon and a draft
EAS for future issuance of permits under the finalized template to
comply with NEPA. The template CCAA and the EAS were noticed for
comment in the Federal Register (81 FR 15737; March 24, 2016). The
template CCAA and EAS were finalized and signed by the Service on June
20, 2018.
The CCAA template established general guidelines and identified
minimum conservation measures for potential participants in the CCAA.
Interested participants can voluntarily enroll their properties under
the CCAA through development of individual site plans prepared in
accordance with the provisions of the CCAA and that are submitted as
part of their permit applications. The permits would authorize
incidental take of the fisher with assurances to qualifying landowners
who carry out conservation measures that would benefit the West Coast
DPS of the fisher.
Proposed Actions
We have received applications for ESA section 10(a)(l)(A) permits
under the template CCAA for the fisher from the Pacific West Timber
Company, LLC and the Franklin-Clarkson Timber Company (applicants) for
their identified lands in Oregon. They are being represented by
Campbell Global, LLC, who will be principally responsible for timber
management on these lands.
Each requested permit would authorize incidental take of the
fisher, should it become federally listed and affected by the
applicant's routine
[[Page 14497]]
forest-related management activities on their managed properties
through June 20, 2047. Fisher are not currently known to occur on
either of the applicants' proposed enrolled lands.
Each permit application includes a proposed site plan that
describes the lands to be covered by the permit and the conservation
measures required under the template CCAA that will be implemented on
covered lands. The primary conservation measures common to the two site
plans include:
Allowing access to covered lands to conduct fisher
surveys;
Protecting fisher dens and their young by limiting
disturbance and impacts to denning structures;
Limiting trapping/nuisance control for other animals that
could pose a risk to fisher (trapping of fisher is prohibited by State
of Oregon law);
Allowing the potential future translocation of the fisher
onto enrolled lands; and
Promoting the development of habitat structures that would
support the fisher.
Public Comments
We are making the two permit application packages, including the
individual site plans and the two draft EASs, available for public
review and comment (see ADDRESSES). The final template CCAA and EAS
that were finalized and signed by the Service on June 20, 2018, are
also available for public information. You may submit your comments and
materials by one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section. We
request data, comments, new information, or suggestions from the
public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific
community, Tribes, industry, or any other interested party on our
proposed Federal action, including on the adequacy of the site plans
prepared in accordance with the template CCAA, pursuant to the
requirements for permits at 50 CFR parts 13 and 17.
Public Availability of Comments
All comments and materials we receive become part of the public
record associated with this action. 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 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. 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. Comments and materials we receive, as well as supporting
documentation, will be available for public inspection by appointment,
during normal business hours, at our Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office
(see ADDRESSES).
Authority
We provide this notice in accordance with the requirements of
section 10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and NEPA (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.), and their implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22, and 40
CFR 1506.6, respectively).
Robyn Thorson,
Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-05043 Filed 3-11-20; 8:45 am]
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