The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites the public to review and comment on a plan that would protect and conserve the endangered Indiana bat and its habitat near the Indianapolis International Airport. Proposed construction of a new interchange for Interstate 70 near the airport would affect habitat used by this rare species.
A notice of availability of a draft Environmental Assessment and Habitat Conservation Plan and an application for an incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act, appears in the November 20, 2001, Federal Register. The public will have 60 days to comment on the assessment and plan. The permit application was made by the Interagency Task Force, a group of state, local, and federal agencies which is proposing the Six Points Road interchange on I-70 and related development in the area near the airport.
If approved, the incidental take permit would allow the proposed construction to affect some habitat used by Indiana bats, as well as take of some bats, as long as measures outlined in the Habitat Conservation Plan to minimize impacts to the bat are followed. These measures would protect and enhance Indiana bat habitat at and near the construction area. Before issuing an incidental take permit, the Service must evaluate alternatives considered in the Habitat Conservation Plan. This analysis is included in the Environmental Assessment that is now available for public review and comment, along with the plan.
The Endangered Species Act prohibits take -- harming, harassing, or killing a listed species, including destruction of habitat. However, the Act allows incidental take -- take which is incidental to but not the intent of a particular activity -- as long as an approved Habitat Conservation Plan is in place that would mitigate the effects of take and provide for future conservation of the species.
The Interagency Task Force is proposing construction and related development in an area near the airport that is known to be used by a maternity colony of Indiana bats. These bats, which include females and their young, use forested areas near the construction and development site to forage for food and roost during the summer months. The Habitat Conservation Plan includes a variety of measures that will avoid or lessen the impact of construction and development and provide for future conservation of the bat and its habitat near the airport. Included in the plan: seasonal tree-cutting to avoid clearing during summer months when bats are present; permanent protection of 373 acres of existing bat habitat; planting and protection of 346 acres of hardwood trees used by Indiana bats; monitoring for 15 years of the Indiana bat population in the project area; 5-year monitoring of plantings; and education and outreach.
Indiana bats were listed as endangered in 1967 under a law that preceded the current Endangered Species Act of 1973. The species hibernates in caves during the winter, and in late March or early April, migrates to summer range. Female Indiana bats form maternity colonies from mid-May to mid-September, and roost beneath the bark of trees. They give birth to one young in late June or early July and are known to return to the same areas each year to raise their young.
Indiana bats are found over most of the eastern half of the United States. However, large hibernating populations are found only in Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky. Their populations are threatened by a variety of factors including human disturbance in caves where they hibernate, and loss of summer habitat.
Copies of the Environmental Assessment, Habitat Conservation Plan and incidental take permit application are available by contacting Peter Fasbender, Regional HCP Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111-4056; 612-713-5343. These documents are also available on the Services website at http://midwest.fws.gov/nepa/ . Written comments may be submitted to the address listed above or by fax (612-713-5292) or e-mail (peter_fasbender@fws.gov ) .
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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