Palm Springs, Calif. -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District announce the initiation of public scoping to prepare a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for a draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), and amendment to the BLM’s South Coast Resource Management Plan.
The draft Supplemental EIS/EIR will analyze the impacts of several alternatives related to a proposed land exchange and HCP that would provide applicants with a 30-year Incidental Take Permit under the Endangered Species Act.
Species proposed for coverage under the HCP include the federally endangered Santa Ana River woolly star, slender-horned spineflower, and San Bernardino kangaroo rat; the federally threatened coastal California gnatcatcher; and the cactus wren which is a state and federal species of conservation concern.
The project area encompasses approximately 4,467 acres within the area bounded by Greenspot Road to the north and east, Alabama Street to the west, and the Santa Ana River Wash to the south. Activities proposed within this area that will be analyzed include: flood control, mining, trails planning, transportation, and water conservation.
Public scoping meetings will take place on March 18, 2015, from 2-4 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District, 1630 West Redlands Boulevard, Suite A, Redlands, California 92373.
Copies of the documents are available at the BLM Palm Springs South Coast Field Office, located at 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262 during regular business hours of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
You may also request copies of the documents by email to fw8cfwocomments@fws.gov, or bganderson@blm.gov.
Comments may be sent by U.S. mail to Brandon Anderson, Santa Ana River Wash Project, Bureau of Land Management, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262; or to Kennon Corey, Santa Ana River Wash Project, Palm Springs Fish and Wildlife Service Office, 777 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 208, Palm Springs, CA 92262.
A copy of the notice of intent was published in today’s Federal Register.
