Receipt of a Revised Application for an Incidental Take Permit for the Florida Scrub-Jay Resulting From Construction of a Multi-Home Subdivision in Marion County, FL, 59768-59769 [05-20500]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices
alternative (not to issue the ITP) and
two action alternatives that would
require issuance of an ITP. The no
action alternative would ultimately
result in loss of sand skink and bluetail
mole skink habitat within the project
vicinity due to habitat degradation. The
no action alternative could also expose
the Applicant to violations under
section 9 of the Act.
An action alternative considered in
the EA would be the issuance of the ITP
for the development as approved by
local government authorities, with offsite mitigation for project impacts to
occupied sand skink habitat. Under this
alternative, the acquisition of up to
201.0 acres of suitable skink habitat
would be required. This alternative
would also result in the loss of 89.7
acres of occupied sand skink habitat at
the development site.
The second action alternative
(proposed project) would be issuance of
the ITP according to the HCP as
submitted and described above. This
alternative, which includes a
modification of the Applicant’s
currently approved development plan,
would affect about 18.59 acres of
occupied sand skink habitat in Polk
County, Florida. The mitigation
measures for the proposed action
alternative include enhancement and
management of 32.50 acres of suitable
habitat, and restoration and
management of 38.64 acres of low
quality habitat in Polk County, Florida.
The Service has made a preliminary
determination that the issuance of the
ITP is not a major Federal action
significantly affecting the quality of the
human environment within the meaning
of section 102(2)(C) of NEPA. This
preliminary information may be revised
due to public comment received in
response to this notice and is based on
information contained in the EA and
HCP.
The Service will evaluate the HCP
and comments submitted thereon to
determine whether the application
meets the requirements of section
10(a)(1)(B) of the Act. If it is determined
that those requirements are met, the ITP
will be issued for incidental take of the
sand skink and bluetail mole skink. The
Service 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 the
biological opinion, in combination with
the above findings, will be used in the
final analysis to determine whether or
not to issue the ITP.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:14 Oct 12, 2005
Jkt 208001
Dated: September 27, 2005.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 05–20498 Filed 10–12–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Receipt of a Revised Application for an
Incidental Take Permit for the Florida
Scrub-Jay Resulting From
Construction of a Multi-Home
Subdivision in Marion County, FL
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Southern Multicapital
Corporation (Applicant) requests an
incidental take permit (ITP) for a
duration of ten years, pursuant to
section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended
(U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The Applicant
anticipates destroying about 93 acres of
occupied Florida scrub-jay
(Aphelocoma coerulescens) (scrub-jay)
habitat in Section 21, Township 16
South, Range 21 East, Marion County,
Florida. Habitat destruction would be
expected due to vegetation clearing and
the subsequent construction of
infrastructure and single-family homes.
Up to four scrub-jay families could be
taken as a result of the Applicant’s
proposed actions.
This ITP application was previously
announced in the Federal Register on
June 14, 2005. On July 29, 2005, the
Applicant withdrew the Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP) that was part
of the application, in order to make
modifications. The Service suspended
processing the application pending
receipt of a modified HCP. The
Applicant submitted the current HCP on
August 1, 2005.
The Applicant’s HCP describes the
mitigation and minimization measures
proposed to address the effects of the
proposed project on the scrub-jay. These
measures are outlined in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section
below. We announce the availability of
the ITP application, HCP, and an
environmental assessment. Copies of the
application, HCP, and environmental
assessment may be obtained by making
a request to the Southeast Regional
Office (see ADDRESSES). Requests must
be in writing to be processed. This
notice is provided pursuant to section
10 of the Act and National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
PO 00000
Frm 00055
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Written comments on the ITP
application, HCP, and environmental
assessment should be sent to the
Service’s Southeast Regional Office (see
ADDRESSES) and should be received on
or before December 12, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review
the application, HCP, and
environmental assessment may obtain a
copy by writing the Service’s Southeast
Regional Office at the address below.
Please reference permit application
number TE098004–1 in such requests.
Documents will also be available for
public inspection by appointment
during normal business hours either at
the Southeast Regional Office, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, 1875 Century
Boulevard, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia
30345 (Attn: Endangered Species
Permits), or at the Jacksonville Field
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
6620 Southpoint Drive South, Suite 310,
Jacksonville, Florida 32216–0912 (Attn:
Field Supervisor).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
David Dell, Regional HCP Coordinator,
Southeast Regional Office (see
ADDRESSES above), at (404) 679–7313,
facsimile: (404) 679–7081; or Mr. Mike
Jennings, Fish and Wildlife Biologist,
Jacksonville Field Office (see ADDRESSES
above), at (904) 232–2580.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you
wish to comment, you may submit
comments by any one of several
methods. Please reference permit
application number TE098004–1 in
such comments. 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 e-mail message.
If you do not receive a confirmation
from us that we have received your email message, contact us directly at
either telephone number listed above
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
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
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\13OCN1.SGM
13OCN1
Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 197 / Thursday, October 13, 2005 / Notices
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 (well-drained, sandy soil
habitats supporting a growth of oakdominated scrub). Increasing urban and
agricultural development has resulted in
habitat loss and fragmentation, which
has adversely affected the distribution
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 scrub-jays in central
Florida has been exacerbated by
agricultural land conversions and urban
growth in the past 50 years. Much of the
historic commercial and residential
development has occurred on the dry
soils that previously supported scrubjay habitat. Based on existing soils data,
much of the current scrub-jay habitat of
central Florida occurs in what was once
the coastal sand dunes created over the
millennia due to rising and falling
oceans. These ancient dunes are most
prevalent from southern Highlands
County north to Marion County. Much
of this area of Florida was settled early
because few wetlands restricted urban
and agricultural development. Due to
the effects of urban and agricultural
development over the past 100 years,
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
that is needed to maintain xeric uplands
in conditions suitable for scrub-jays.
Residential construction would take
place within Section 21, Township 16
South, Range 21 East, Marion County,
Florida. Surveys conducted by the
Applicant indicated that scrub-jays
occupied 93 of the 137 acres proposed
to be developed as a residential
community. The clearing of vegetation
for infrastructure and home
construction would destroy feeding,
breeding, and sheltering habitat of the
scrub-jay.
The Applicant has not proposed to
minimize impacts to scrub-jays at the
proposed construction site because
small, on-site scrub-jay preserves may
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:14 Oct 12, 2005
Jkt 208001
actually harm scrub-jays by
concentrating birds into an area where
predators may attack them, increasing
their susceptibility to collisions with
automobiles, and increasing the
incidence of competition with other
more urban-adapted bird species.
Instead of protecting habitat within the
future residential community, the
Applicant is proposing to acquire 158
acres, of which 102 acres is considered
suitable for scrub-jays. The U.S. Forest
Service has tentatively agreed to accept
fee title and management
responsibilities for the 158 acres which
would be acquired by the Applicant.
Although the Forest Service must work
through processes and procedures prior
to accepting the land donation and
agreeing to restoration and management
of the tract, it does not anticipate any
issues to arise that would prevent this
from happening. In addition, the
acquisition and subsequent transfer of
fee title would allow the U.S. Forest
Service access to an additional 87 acres
it currently owns but has been unable to
manage due to restricted access.
In combination with the acquisition of
the 158 acres described above, the
Applicant proposes to contribute
$366,758 to the Florida Scrub-jay
Conservation Fund (Fund),
administered by the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). Through
an agreement between the Service and
NFWF, scrub-jay mitigation funds
deposited into the Fund are available for
the conservation of Florida scrub-jays.
Conservation efforts may include habitat
acquisition, habitat restoration and
habitat management.
The Service has made a preliminary
determination that the issuance of the
ITP is not a major Federal action
significantly affecting the quality of the
human environment within the meaning
of section 102(2)(C) of NEPA. This
preliminary information may be revised
due to public comment received in
response to this notice and is based on
information contained in the
environmental assessment and HCP.
The Service will evaluate the HCP
and comments submitted thereon to
determine whether the application
meets the requirements of section
10(a)(1)(B) 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. The Service will also
evaluate whether issuance of the section
10(a)(1)(B) ITP complies with section 7
of the Act by conducting an intraService section 7 consultation. The
results of this consultation, in
combination with the above findings,
will be used in the final analysis to
PO 00000
Frm 00056
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
59769
determine whether or not to issue the
ITP.
Dated: September 27, 2005.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 05–20500 Filed 10–12–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Notice of Meeting of the Trinity
Adaptive Management Working Group
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 10(a)(2) of
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5
U.S.C. App), this notice announces a
meeting of the Trinity Adaptive
Management Working Group (TAMWG).
The TAMWG affords stakeholders the
opportunity to give policy, management,
and technical input concerning Trinity
River restoration efforts to the Trinity
Management Council. Primary
objectives of the meeting will include:
History of restoration efforts on the
Trinity River; Introduction to the Trinity
River Restoration Program (TRRP);
TAMWG priorities, procedures,
organization, operations and interaction
with other TRRP entities; and status of
wildlife in TRRP policy and budget.
Completion of the agenda is dependent
on the amount of time each item takes.
The meeting could end early if the
agenda has been completed. The
meeting is open to the public.
DATES: The Trinity Adaptive
Management Working Group will meet
from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday,
November 4, 2005.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Weaverville Victorian Inn, 1709
Main Street, Weaverville, CA 96093.
Telephone: (530) 623–4432.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mike Long of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office,
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, California
95521, (707) 822–7201. Mike Long is the
working group’s Designated Federal
Official.
For
background information and questions
regarding the Trinity River Restoration
Program, please contact Douglas
Schleusner, Executive Director, Trinity
River Restoration Program, P.O. Box
1300, 1313 South Main Street,
Weaverville, California 96093, (530)
623–1800.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\13OCN1.SGM
13OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 197 (Thursday, October 13, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59768-59769]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-20500]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Receipt of a Revised Application for an Incidental Take Permit
for the Florida Scrub-Jay Resulting From Construction of a Multi-Home
Subdivision in Marion County, FL
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Southern Multicapital Corporation (Applicant) requests an
incidental take permit (ITP) for a duration of ten years, pursuant to
section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as
amended (U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The Applicant anticipates destroying
about 93 acres of occupied Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)
(scrub-jay) habitat in Section 21, Township 16 South, Range 21 East,
Marion County, Florida. Habitat destruction would be expected due to
vegetation clearing and the subsequent construction of infrastructure
and single-family homes. Up to four scrub-jay families could be taken
as a result of the Applicant's proposed actions.
This ITP application was previously announced in the Federal
Register on June 14, 2005. On July 29, 2005, the Applicant withdrew the
Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that was part of the application, in
order to make modifications. The Service suspended processing the
application pending receipt of a modified HCP. The Applicant submitted
the current HCP on August 1, 2005.
The Applicant's HCP describes the mitigation and minimization
measures proposed to address the effects of the proposed project on the
scrub-jay. These measures are outlined in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section below. We announce the availability of the ITP application,
HCP, and an environmental assessment. Copies of the application, HCP,
and environmental assessment may be obtained by making a request to the
Southeast Regional Office (see ADDRESSES). Requests must be in writing
to be processed. This notice is provided pursuant to section 10 of the
Act and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations (40 CFR
1506.6).
DATES: Written comments on the ITP application, HCP, and environmental
assessment should be sent to the Service's Southeast Regional Office
(see ADDRESSES) and should be received on or before December 12, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the application, HCP, and
environmental assessment may obtain a copy by writing the Service's
Southeast Regional Office at the address below. Please reference permit
application number TE098004-1 in such requests. Documents will also be
available for public inspection by appointment during normal business
hours either at the Southeast Regional Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30345
(Attn: Endangered Species Permits), or at the Jacksonville Field
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6620 Southpoint Drive South,
Suite 310, Jacksonville, Florida 32216-0912 (Attn: Field Supervisor).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Dell, Regional HCP
Coordinator, Southeast Regional Office (see ADDRESSES above), at (404)
679-7313, facsimile: (404) 679-7081; or Mr. Mike Jennings, Fish and
Wildlife Biologist, Jacksonville Field Office (see ADDRESSES above), at
(904) 232-2580.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you wish to comment, you may submit
comments by any one of several methods. Please reference permit
application number TE098004-1 in such comments. 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 e-mail message. If you do not receive a
confirmation from us that we have received your e-mail message, contact
us directly at either telephone number listed above (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT). 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
[[Page 59769]]
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 (well-drained, sandy soil habitats
supporting a growth of oak-dominated scrub). Increasing urban and
agricultural development has resulted in habitat loss and
fragmentation, which has adversely affected the distribution 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 scrub-jays in central
Florida has been exacerbated by agricultural land conversions and urban
growth in the past 50 years. Much of the historic commercial and
residential development has occurred on the dry soils that previously
supported scrub-jay habitat. Based on existing soils data, much of the
current scrub-jay habitat of central Florida occurs in what was once
the coastal sand dunes created over the millennia due to rising and
falling oceans. These ancient dunes are most prevalent from southern
Highlands County north to Marion County. Much of this area of Florida
was settled early because few wetlands restricted urban and
agricultural development. Due to the effects of urban and agricultural
development over the past 100 years, 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 that is needed
to maintain xeric uplands in conditions suitable for scrub-jays.
Residential construction would take place within Section 21,
Township 16 South, Range 21 East, Marion County, Florida. Surveys
conducted by the Applicant indicated that scrub-jays occupied 93 of the
137 acres proposed to be developed as a residential community. The
clearing of vegetation for infrastructure and home construction would
destroy feeding, breeding, and sheltering habitat of the scrub-jay.
The Applicant has not proposed to minimize impacts to scrub-jays at
the proposed construction site because small, on-site scrub-jay
preserves may actually harm scrub-jays by concentrating birds into an
area where predators may attack them, increasing their susceptibility
to collisions with automobiles, and increasing the incidence of
competition with other more urban-adapted bird species. Instead of
protecting habitat within the future residential community, the
Applicant is proposing to acquire 158 acres, of which 102 acres is
considered suitable for scrub-jays. The U.S. Forest Service has
tentatively agreed to accept fee title and management responsibilities
for the 158 acres which would be acquired by the Applicant. Although
the Forest Service must work through processes and procedures prior to
accepting the land donation and agreeing to restoration and management
of the tract, it does not anticipate any issues to arise that would
prevent this from happening. In addition, the acquisition and
subsequent transfer of fee title would allow the U.S. Forest Service
access to an additional 87 acres it currently owns but has been unable
to manage due to restricted access.
In combination with the acquisition of the 158 acres described
above, the Applicant proposes to contribute $366,758 to the Florida
Scrub-jay Conservation Fund (Fund), administered by the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). Through an agreement between the
Service and NFWF, scrub-jay mitigation funds deposited into the Fund
are available for the conservation of Florida scrub-jays. Conservation
efforts may include habitat acquisition, habitat restoration and
habitat management.
The Service has made a preliminary determination that the issuance
of the ITP is not a major Federal action significantly affecting the
quality of the human environment within the meaning of section
102(2)(C) of NEPA. This preliminary information may be revised due to
public comment received in response to this notice and is based on
information contained in the environmental assessment and HCP.
The Service will evaluate the HCP and comments submitted thereon to
determine whether the application meets the requirements of section
10(a)(1)(B) 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. The Service 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: September 27, 2005.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 05-20500 Filed 10-12-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
