Post Ranch Inn Habitat Conservation Plan, Monterey County, CA

The Post Ranch Limited Partnership (Applicant) has applied to the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an incidental take permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The proposed permit would authorize take of the federally endangered Smith's blue butterfly (Euphilotes enoptes smithi) and federally threatened California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii) incidental to otherwise lawful activities associated with the expansion and operation of an existing inn, which would remove 0.003 acre of Smith's blue butterfly habitat and 0.826 acre of California red-legged frog upland habitat within a 91.98 acre parcel in Big Sur, Monterey County, California. We invite comments from the public on the permit application, which is available for review. The application includes a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), that fully describes the proposed project and the measures that the applicant would undertake to minimize and mitigate anticipated take of the Smith's blue butterfly and California red-legged frog, as required in section 10(a)(2)(B) of the Act. We also invite comments on our preliminary determination that the HCP qualifies as a ``low-effect'' plan, eligible for a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act. We explain the basis for this possible determination in a draft Environmental Action Statement, which is also available for public review.