Environmental Analysis and Notice of Public Scoping Meeting Related tothe San Luis Valley Regional Habitat Conservation Plan

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) advises the public that we intend to gather information necessary to prepare a NEPA document and determine whether to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP) that is being prepared by the Rio Grande Water Conservation District (District) on behalf of Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Rio Grande, and Saguache Counties (five counties). The proposed HCP is being prepared in support of an application for an incidental take permit (ITP) pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The District intends to apply for an ITP, through development and implementation of the San Luis Valley Regional Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), as required by the ESA. The HCP will provide measures to minimize and mitigate the impacts of the proposed actions, which might result in take of federally listed species. We provide this notice to: (1) Advise other Federal and State agencies, affected tribes, and the public of our intent to prepare a NEPA document; (2) Announce the initiation of a public scoping period; and (3) Obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues and alternatives to be considered in the scoping process.