The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will collect information during a scoping period to evaluate the impacts of a proposed plan to conserve endangered Indiana and gray bats on state forest lands in Indiana. The resulting Environmental Impact Statement/Habitat Conservation Plan will be developed in response to an application from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources for an “incidental take” permit under the Endangered Species Act for activities on forest lands that may affect the two species.
In a notice published June 27, 2005 in the Federal Register, the Service outlined the IDNR’s proposed alternative, along with two other alternatives that will be analyzed in the document. The public is invited to provide comments on the alternatives and issues of concern as the agencies begin to prepare the EIS and plan. Deadline for comments is July 27, 2005. The complete Federal Register notice is available at the Service’s Midwest website: permitsR3ES@fws.gov. Faxed copies should be followed by a mailed copy to ensure complete submission is received.
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 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 and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
