Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement and Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit for the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, Riverside County, CA, 8604-8605 [05-3276]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
8604
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 22, 2005 / Notices
TE095181–0 in such comments, or in
requests of the documents discussed
above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
David Dell, Regional HCP Coordinator,
Southeast Regional Office (see
ADDRESSES above), telephone: 404/679–
7313, facsimile: 404/679–7081; or
George Dennis, Fish and Wildlife
Biologist, South Florida Ecological
Services Office, Vero Beach, Florida (see
ADDRESSES above), telephone: 772/562–
3909, ext. 309.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you
wish to comment, you may submit
comments by any one of several
methods. You may mail comments to
the Service’s Southeast Regional Office
(see ADDRESSES). You may also
comment via the Internet to
david_dell@fws.gov. Please submit
comments over the Internet as an ASCII
file, avoiding the use of special
characters and any form of encryption.
Please also include your name and
return address in your Internet message.
If you do not receive a confirmation
from the Service that we have received
your Internet message, contact us
directly at either telephone number
listed above (see FURTHER INFORMATION).
Finally, you may hand-deliver
comments to either Service office listed
above (see ADDRESSES). Our practice is
to make comments, including names
and home addresses of respondents,
available for public review during
regular business hours. Individual
respondents may request that we
withhold their home addresses from the
administrative record. We will honor
such requests to the extent allowable by
law. There may also be other
circumstances in which we would
withhold from the administrative record
a respondent’s identity, as allowable by
law. If you wish us to withhold your
name and address, you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your
comments. We will not, however,
consider anonymous comments. We
will make all submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from
individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, available
for public inspection in their entirety.
The Florida scrub-jay (scrub-jay) is
geographically isolated from other
species of scrub-jays found in Mexico
and the western United States. The
scrub-jay is found exclusively in
peninsular Florida and is restricted to
xeric uplands (mostly consisting of oakdominated scrub). Increasing urban and
agricultural development has resulted in
habitat loss and fragmentation, which
has adversely affected the distribution
VerDate jul<14>2003
19:10 Feb 18, 2005
Jkt 205001
and numbers of scrub-jays. The total
estimated population is between 7,000
and 11,000 individuals. The decline in
the number and distribution of scrubjays in Florida has been exacerbated by
tremendous urban growth in the past 50
years.
Xeric upland vegetative communities
in southwestern Florida are restricted
primarily to ancient coastal dunes
which are typically much dryer and less
susceptible to flooding due to their
deep, well-drained soils. Historically,
these areas extended in a nearly
continuous, narrow band along the
western mainland portions of northern
Charlotte to southern Hillsborough
County. However, the same physical
attributes that resulted in the evolution
of xeric vegetation on these sandy dunes
also provided sites for both agriculture
and urban development. Over the past
50 years, these ancient dunes have
served as the backbone of residential
and commercial growth in southwestern
Florida. The Project area is under
tremendous development pressure, as is
much of Charlotte County. Much of the
remaining scrub-jay habitat is now
relatively small and isolated. What
remains is largely degraded due to
interruption of the natural fire regime,
which is needed to maintain xeric
uplands in conditions suitable for scrubjays.
Florida scrub-jays using the Project
area were documented on several
occasions by researchers collecting data
on scrub-jays in the subdivision and
surrounding areas. Based on
preliminary information, it appears that
a family of scrub-jays, of up to five
individuals maintains a territory that
includes the Project area. It is not
known whether these families of scrubjays previously nested on the subject lot,
though the birds apparently use the
scrub vegetation on site for foraging and
shelter. Scrub-jays using the Project site
are part of a metapopulation of scrubjays in Charlotte County that occurs east
of the Peace River and Punta Gorda. The
continued survival and recovery of
scrub-jays in this area may be
dependent on the maintenance of
suitable habitat and the restoration of
unsuitable habitat.
Scrub-jays in urban areas are
particularly vulnerable and typically do
not successfully produce young that
survive to adulthood. Persistent urban
growth in the Project area will likely
result in further reductions in the
amount of suitable habitat for scrubjays. Increasing urban pressures are also
likely to result in the continued
degradation of scrub-jay habitat as
exclusion of the natural fire regime
slowly results in vegetative overgrowth.
PO 00000
Frm 00037
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Thus, over the long term, scrub-jays are
unlikely to persist in urban settings, and
conservation efforts for this species
should target acquisition and
management of large parcels of land
outside the direct influence of
urbanization.
Construction of the Project’s
infrastructure and facilities will result
in harm to scrub-jays, incidental to the
carrying out of these otherwise lawful
activities. Habitat alteration associated
with the proposed residential
construction will reduce the availability
of nesting, foraging, and sheltering
habitat for a family of scrub-jays. The
Applicants propose to minimize take of
scrub-jays by preserving 4.5 acres of
scrub-jay habitat on their 5.5-acre lot in
perpetuity. This is a 4.5:1 mitigation
ratio.
The Service will evaluate the HCP
and comments submitted thereon to
determine whether the application
meets the requirements of section 10(a)
of the Act. If it is determined that those
requirements are met, the ITP will be
issued for incidental take of the Florida
scrub-jay. We will also evaluate whether
issuance of the section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP
complies with section 7 of the Act by
conducting an intra-Service section 7
consultation. The results of this
consultation, in combination with the
above findings, will be used in the final
analysis to determine whether or not to
issue the ITP.
Dated: February 9, 2005.
Noreen Walsh,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 05–3278 Filed 2–18–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Draft Environmental Impact Report/
Environmental Impact Statement and
Receipt of an Application for an
Incidental Take Permit for the
Coachella Valley Multiple Species
Habitat Conservation Plan, Riverside
County, CA
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; reopening
of public comment period.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service) is reopening the public
comment period on the Draft Coachella
Valley Multiple Species Habitat
Conservation Plan (MSHCP), Draft
Implementing Agreement, and Draft
Environmental Impact Report/
Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/
E:\FR\FM\22FEN1.SGM
22FEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 22, 2005 / Notices
EIS) for an incidental take permit for 27
species in Riverside County, California.
DATES: To ensure consideration of
comments, they must be received on or
before March 7, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to
Mr. Jim Bartel, Field Supervisor, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Fish
and Wildlife Office, 6010 Hidden Valley
Road, Carlsbad, California 92009. You
may also submit comments by facsimile
to (760) 431–9624.
Information, comments, and/or
questions related to the EIR and the
California Environmental Quality Act
should be submitted to Mr. Jim Sullivan
at Coachella Valley Association of
Governments, 73710 Fred Waring Drive,
Suite 200, Palm Desert, California
92260; facsimile (760) 340–5949.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Therese O’Rourke, Assistant Field
Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife
Office (see ADDRESSES); telephone (760)
431–9440; or Mr. Jim Sullivan,
Coachella Valley Association of
Governments (see ADDRESSES),
telephone (760) 346–1127.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability of Documents
Documents available for public
review include the permit applications,
the Public Review Draft MSHCP and
Appendices I (the Technical Appendix)
and II (the Planning Agreement), the
accompanying Draft Implementing
Agreement, and the Draft EIR/EIS.
Individuals wishing copies of the
documents should contact the Service
by telephone at (760) 431–9440 or by
letter to the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife
Office (see ADDRESSES). Copies of the
MSHCP, Draft EIR/EIS, and Draft
Implementing Agreement also are
available for public review, by
appointment, during regular business
hours, at the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife
Office or at the Coachella Valley
Association of Governments (see
ADDRESSES). Copies are also available
for viewing in each of the Applicant
cities, in the Applicants public libraries,
the Riverside County Planning
Departments, and on the World Wide
Web at https://www.cvmshcp.org.
Background
The Coachella Valley Association of
Governments, Coachella Valley
Conservation Commission (to be formed
prior to a permit decision), County of
Riverside, Riverside County Flood
Control and Water Conservation
District, Riverside County Parks and
Open Space District, Riverside County
Waste Management District, Coachella
VerDate jul<14>2003
19:10 Feb 18, 2005
Jkt 205001
Valley Water District, Imperial Irrigation
District, California Department of
Transportation, California Department
of Parks and Recreation, Coachella
Valley Mountains Conservancy, and the
cities of Cathedral City, Coachella,
Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio,
La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs,
and Rancho Mirage (Applicants) have
applied to the Service for an incidental
take permit pursuant to section
10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The
Applicants seek a permit to incidentally
take 22 animal species and assurances
for 5 plant species, including 17
unlisted species should any of them
become listed, under the Act during the
term of the proposed 75-year permit.
The permit is needed to authorize take
of listed animal species (including
harm, injury, and harassment) during
development in the approximately 1.1
million-acre (1,719-square-mile) Plan
Area in the Coachella Valley of
Riverside County, California.
On November 5, 2004, we published
a ‘‘Notice of Availability of a Draft
Environmental Impact Report/
Environmental Impact Statement and
Receipt of an Application for an
Incidental Take Permit for the Coachella
Valley Multiple Species Habitat
Conservation Plan, Riverside County,
CA’’ (69 FR 64581). In that notice, we
requested public comment on the Draft
MSHCP, Draft Implementing
Agreement, and Draft EIR/EIS. The Draft
Environmental Impact Statement is the
Federal portion of the Draft EIR/EIS
prepared jointly by the Service and
Coachella Valley Association of
Governments to analyze the impacts of
the MSHCP. The analyses provided in
the Draft EIR/EIS are intended to inform
the public of the proposed action,
alternatives, and associated impacts;
address public comments received
during the scoping period for the Draft
EIR/EIS; disclose the direct, indirect,
and cumulative environmental effects of
the proposed action and each of the
alternatives; and indicate any
irreversible commitment of resources
that would result from implementation
of the proposed action.
The comment period for the
November 5, 2004, notice closed on
February 3, 2005. We are now reopening
the comment period until March 7,
2005. Comments on the Draft MSHCP,
Draft Implementing Agreement, and
Draft EIR/EIS need not be resubmitted,
as they will be fully considered in the
final decision documents.
Authority: This notice is provided
pursuant to section 10(a) of the Act as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the
Service regulations (40 CFR 1506.6) for
PO 00000
Frm 00038
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
8605
implementing the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.).
Dated: February 15, 2005.
Ken McDermond,
Deputy Manager, Region 1, California/Nevada
Operations Office, Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 05–3276 Filed 2–18–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Fish and Wildlife Service
Long-Term Environmental Water
Account, San Francisco Bay/
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, CA
Bureau of Reclamation and
Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
AGENCY:
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR)
and notice of public scoping meetings.
ACTION:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and
the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA), the Bureau of Reclamation
(Reclamation), the Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS), and the California
Department of Water Resources (DWR)
intend to prepare an EIS/EIR for
implementing the Long-Term
Environmental Water Account (EWA).
Reclamation and the FWS are the joint
lead Federal agencies and NOAA
Fisheries is a cooperating agency. DWR
is the lead State agency and the
Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is
the responsible agency and trustee
agency. A Draft EIS/EIR is expected to
be available December 2005.
The EWA has been established to
provide water for the protection and
recovery of fish beyond water available
through existing regulatory actions
related to the Central Valley Project/
State Water Project (Project) operations.
The EWA is a cooperative management
program whose purpose is to provide
protection to the fish of the Bay-Delta
estuary through environmentally
beneficial changes in project operations.
This approach to fish protection
requires the acquisition of alternative
sources of Project water supply, called
‘‘assets,’’ which will be used to augment
streamflows and Delta outflows, modify
exports to provide fishery benefits, and
repay the Project contractors whose
supplies have been interrupted by
actions taken to benefit fish. The period
of analysis for the purposes of the EIS/
EIR is through 2030.
E:\FR\FM\22FEN1.SGM
22FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8604-8605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-3276]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement
and Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit for the
Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, Riverside
County, CA
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; reopening of public comment period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is reopening the
public comment period on the Draft Coachella Valley Multiple Species
Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP), Draft Implementing Agreement, and
Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/
[[Page 8605]]
EIS) for an incidental take permit for 27 species in Riverside County,
California.
DATES: To ensure consideration of comments, they must be received on or
before March 7, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Mr. Jim Bartel, Field Supervisor,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, 6010
Hidden Valley Road, Carlsbad, California 92009. You may also submit
comments by facsimile to (760) 431-9624.
Information, comments, and/or questions related to the EIR and the
California Environmental Quality Act should be submitted to Mr. Jim
Sullivan at Coachella Valley Association of Governments, 73710 Fred
Waring Drive, Suite 200, Palm Desert, California 92260; facsimile (760)
340-5949.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Therese O'Rourke, Assistant Field
Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife
Office (see ADDRESSES); telephone (760) 431-9440; or Mr. Jim Sullivan,
Coachella Valley Association of Governments (see ADDRESSES), telephone
(760) 346-1127.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability of Documents
Documents available for public review include the permit
applications, the Public Review Draft MSHCP and Appendices I (the
Technical Appendix) and II (the Planning Agreement), the accompanying
Draft Implementing Agreement, and the Draft EIR/EIS.
Individuals wishing copies of the documents should contact the
Service by telephone at (760) 431-9440 or by letter to the Carlsbad
Fish and Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES). Copies of the MSHCP, Draft
EIR/EIS, and Draft Implementing Agreement also are available for public
review, by appointment, during regular business hours, at the Carlsbad
Fish and Wildlife Office or at the Coachella Valley Association of
Governments (see ADDRESSES). Copies are also available for viewing in
each of the Applicant cities, in the Applicants public libraries, the
Riverside County Planning Departments, and on the World Wide Web at
https://www.cvmshcp.org.
Background
The Coachella Valley Association of Governments, Coachella Valley
Conservation Commission (to be formed prior to a permit decision),
County of Riverside, Riverside County Flood Control and Water
Conservation District, Riverside County Parks and Open Space District,
Riverside County Waste Management District, Coachella Valley Water
District, Imperial Irrigation District, California Department of
Transportation, California Department of Parks and Recreation,
Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, and the cities of Cathedral
City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta,
Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Rancho Mirage (Applicants) have applied
to the Service for an incidental take permit pursuant to section
10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).
The Applicants seek a permit to incidentally take 22 animal species and
assurances for 5 plant species, including 17 unlisted species should
any of them become listed, under the Act during the term of the
proposed 75-year permit. The permit is needed to authorize take of
listed animal species (including harm, injury, and harassment) during
development in the approximately 1.1 million-acre (1,719-square-mile)
Plan Area in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California.
On November 5, 2004, we published a ``Notice of Availability of a
Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement and
Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit for the
Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, Riverside
County, CA'' (69 FR 64581). In that notice, we requested public comment
on the Draft MSHCP, Draft Implementing Agreement, and Draft EIR/EIS.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is the Federal portion of the
Draft EIR/EIS prepared jointly by the Service and Coachella Valley
Association of Governments to analyze the impacts of the MSHCP. The
analyses provided in the Draft EIR/EIS are intended to inform the
public of the proposed action, alternatives, and associated impacts;
address public comments received during the scoping period for the
Draft EIR/EIS; disclose the direct, indirect, and cumulative
environmental effects of the proposed action and each of the
alternatives; and indicate any irreversible commitment of resources
that would result from implementation of the proposed action.
The comment period for the November 5, 2004, notice closed on
February 3, 2005. We are now reopening the comment period until March
7, 2005. Comments on the Draft MSHCP, Draft Implementing Agreement, and
Draft EIR/EIS need not be resubmitted, as they will be fully considered
in the final decision documents.
Authority: This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(a) of
the Act as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the Service
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6) for implementing the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.).
Dated: February 15, 2005.
Ken McDermond,
Deputy Manager, Region 1, California/Nevada Operations Office,
Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 05-3276 Filed 2-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
