Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex, MT, 48237-48238 [E8-19085]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 160 / Monday, August 18, 2008 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
environmental assessment; request for
comments.
Federal Emergency Management
Agency
SUMMARY: This notice advises that the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service)
intends to gather information necessary
to prepare a Comprehensive
Conservation Plan (CCP) and associated
environmental documents for the
Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Complex (Complex) in Montana, which
includes the Benton Lake National
Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Lost Trail NWR,
Blackfoot Valley Wildlife Management
Area, Rocky Mountain Front
Conservation Area, Benton Lake
Wetland Management District (WMD),
Swan River NWR, and the Northwest
Montana Flathead County WMD.
The Service is furnishing this notice
in compliance with Service CCP policy
to advise other agencies and the public
of its intentions, and to obtain
suggestions and information on the
scope of issues to be considered in the
planning process.
DATES: Written comments must be
received by September 17, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Comments and requests for
more information regarding the Benton
Lake NWR Complex should be sent to
Toni Griffin, Planning Team Leader,
Division of Refuge Planning, P.O. Box
25486, Denver Federal Center, Denver,
Colorado 80225.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Toni
Griffin, 303–236–4378, or John
Esperance, Chief, Branch of
Comprehensive Conservation Planning
at 303–236–4369.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Service has initiated the CCP for the
Benton Lake NWR Complex with
headquarters in Great Falls, Montana.
Each unit of the National Wildlife
Refuge System has specific purposes for
which it was established and for which
legislation was enacted. Those purposes
are used to develop and prioritize
management goals and objectives within
the National Wildlife Refuge System
mission, and to guide which public uses
will occur on the Complex. The
planning process is a way for the
Service and the public to evaluate
management goals and objectives for the
best possible conservation efforts of this
important wildlife habitat, while
providing for wildlife-dependent
recreation opportunities that are
compatible with the Complex’s
establishing purposes and the mission
of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
The Service will conduct a
comprehensive conservation planning
process that will provide opportunity
for Federal, Tribal, State, and local
governments; agencies; organizations;
[FEMA–1780–DR]
Texas; Amendment No. 2 to Notice of
a Major Disaster Declaration
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, DHS.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This notice amends the notice
of a major disaster declaration for the
State of Texas (FEMA–1780–DR), dated
July 24, 2008, and related
determinations.
DATES:
Effective Date: August 1, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Peggy Miller, Disaster Assistance
Directorate, Federal Emergency
Management Agency, 500 C Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20472, (202) 646–3886.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is
hereby given that the incident period for
this disaster is closed effective August 1,
2008.
(The following Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance Numbers (CFDA) are to be used
for reporting and drawing funds: 97.030,
Community Disaster Loans; 97.031, Cora
Brown Fund; 97.032, Crisis Counseling;
97.033, Disaster Legal Services; 97.034,
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA);
97.046, Fire Management Assistance Grant;
97.048, Disaster Housing Assistance to
Individuals and Households In Presidentially
Declared Disaster Areas; 97.049,
Presidentially Declared Disaster Assistance—
Disaster Housing Operations for Individuals
and Households; 97.050, Presidentially
Declared Disaster Assistance to Individuals
and Households—Other Needs; 97.036,
Disaster Grants—Public Assistance
(Presidentially Declared Disasters); 97.039,
Hazard Mitigation Grant.)
R. David Paulison,
Administrator, Federal Emergency
Management Agency.
[FR Doc. E8–19021 Filed 8–15–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–10–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
[FWS–R6–R–2008–N0113; 60138–1265–
6CCP–S3]
Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Complex, MT
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a
comprehensive conservation plan and
AGENCY:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:50 Aug 15, 2008
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PO 00000
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48237
and the public to participate in issue
scoping and public comment. The
Service is requesting input for issues,
concerns, ideas, and suggestions for the
future management of the Complex.
Anyone interested in providing input is
invited to respond to the following two
questions.
(1) What problems or issues do you
want to see addressed in the CCP?
(2) What improvements would you
recommend for the Benton Lake NWR
Complex?
The Service has provided the above
questions for your optional use; you are
not required to provide information to
the Service. The Planning Team
developed these questions to facilitate
finding out more information about
individual issues and ideas concerning
the Complex. Comments received by the
Planning Team will be used as part of
the planning process; individual
comments will not be referenced in our
reports or directly responded to.
An opportunity will be given to the
public to provide input at a public
meeting to scope issues and concerns
(schedule can be obtained from the
Planning Team Leader at the above
address). Comments may also be
submitted anytime during the planning
process by writing to the above address.
All information provided voluntarily by
mail, phone, or at public meetings
becomes part of the official public
record (i.e., names, addresses, letters of
comment, input recorded during
meetings). If requested under the
Freedom of Information Act by a private
citizen or organization, the Service may
provide informational copies.
The environmental review of this
project will be conducted in accordance
with the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); NEPA
Regulations (40 CFR 1500–1508); other
appropriate Federal laws and
regulations; and Service policies and
procedures for compliance with those
regulations. All comments received
from individuals on Service
Environmental Assessments and
Environmental Impact Statements
become part of the official public
record. Requests for such comments will
be handled in accordance with the
Freedom of Information Act, NEPA (40
CFR 1506.6(f)), and other Departmental
and Service policies and procedures.
When requested, the Service generally
will provide comment letters with the
names and addresses of the individuals
who wrote the comments. However, the
telephone number of the commenting
individual will not be provided in
response to such requests to the extent
permissible by law. Additionally, public
E:\FR\FM\18AUN1.SGM
18AUN1
48238
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 160 / Monday, August 18, 2008 / Notices
comment letters are not required to
contain the commentator’s name,
address, or any other identifying
information. Such comments may be
submitted anonymously to the Service.
Date: May 15, 2008.
Gary G. Mowad,
Acting Regional Director.
Editorial Note: This document was
received in the Office of the Federal Register
on August 13, 2008.
[FR Doc. E8–19085 Filed 8–15–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–ES–2008–N0193; 1112–0000–
81440–F2]
Receipt of an Application for an
Incidental Take Permit for the Santa
Cruz Gardens Low-Effect Habitat
Conservation Plan, Santa Cruz County,
CA
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Porter-Livingston
Development, Inc., a California-based
corporation, and O’Hara-Balfour LP, a
California Limited Partnership,
(Applicants), have applied to the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or
‘‘we’’) for an incidental take permit
(permit) pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B)
of the Endangered Species Act of 1973,
as amended (Act). We are considering
issuing a 10-year permit to the
Applicants that would authorize take of
the federally endangered Ohlone tiger
beetle (Cicindela ohlone) incidental to
otherwise lawful activities associated
with the construction of nine new
single-family residences on 2.96 acres of
a 58.5-acre property in Aptos, Santa
Cruz County, California. Effects from
covered activities on, and conservation
measures for, the federally threatened
Santa Cruz tarplant (Holocarpha
macradenia) and the non-listed
Gairdner’s yampah (Perideridia
gairdneri ssp. gairdneri) are also being
considered.
We are requesting comments on the
permit application and on our
preliminary determination that the
proposed Habitat Conservation Plan
(HCP) qualifies as a ‘‘low-effect’’ HCP,
eligible for a categorical exclusion under
the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969, as amended. We explain the
basis for this possible determination in
a draft Environmental Action Statement
(EAS) and associated Low Effect
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:50 Aug 15, 2008
Jkt 214001
Screening Form. The Applicants’ low
effect HCP describes the mitigation and
minimization measures they would
implement, as required in section
10(a)(2)(B) of the Act, to address the
effects of the project on the Ohlone tiger
beetle, Santa Cruz tarplant, and
Gairdner’s yampah. These measures are
outlined in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section below. The draft
HCP and EAS are available for public
review.
DATES: Written comments should be
received on or before September 17,
2008.
ADDRESSES: Please address written
comments to Diane Noda, Field
Supervisor, Ventura Fish and Wildlife
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
2493 Portola Road, Ventura, California
93003. You may also send comments by
facsimile to (805) 644–3958. To obtain
copies of draft documents, see
‘‘Availability of Documents’’ under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Douglass Cooper, Fish and Wildlife
Biologist, (see ADDRESSES) telephone:
(805) 644–1766, extension 272.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability of Documents
You may obtain copies of the
application, HCP, and EAS by
contacting the Fish and Wildlife
Biologist (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT). Documents will also be
available for review by appointment,
during normal business hours, at the
Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office (see
ADDRESSES) or via the Internet at:
https://www.fws.gov/ventura.
Background
Section 9 of the Act and Federal
regulation prohibit the ‘‘take’’ of fish or
wildlife species listed as endangered or
threatened, respectively. Take of listed
fish or wildlife is defined under the Act
to mean to harass, harm, pursue, hunt,
shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or
collect, or to attempt to engage in any
such conduct. However, the Service,
under limited circumstances, may issue
permits to authorize incidental take; i.e.,
take that is incidental to, and not the
purpose of, the carrying out of an
otherwise lawful activity. Regulations
governing incidental take permits for
threatened and endangered species are
found at 50 CFR 17.32 and 17.22,
respectively. The taking prohibitions of
the Act do not apply to federally listed
plants on private lands unless such take
would violate State law. Among other
criteria, issuance of such permits must
not jeopardize the existence of federally
listed fish, wildlife, or plants.
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The Applicant owns 58.5 acres of
property (Santa Cruz Gardens) that
includes coastal terrace prairie, mixed
grassland, non-native grassland, coastal
scrub, coast live oak woodland, and
riparian habitats. The project site is
located in the Live Oak Planning Area,
an unincorporated part of Santa Cruz
County, north of the town of Soquel.
Santa Cruz Gardens is situated
approximately one-third of a mile north
of Soquel Avenue and west of Rodeo
Gulch Road. The property is bounded
(approximately) by the terminus of
Benson Avenue, Tiffany Court, and
residential areas to the south; Thurber
Lane to the west; Winkle Avenue and
undeveloped lands to the north; and
Rodeo Gulch Road to the east.
Currently, the project site is
undeveloped, but ranching, including
grazing horses and/or livestock,
previously occurred there. Existing
surrounding land uses include singlefamily homes to the north and south,
and commercial and higher-density
multi-family housing to the south along
Soquel Drive. Lower-density residential
is located east of the site along Rodeo
Gulch and across Thurber Lane to the
west. The Applicant proposes to
construct nine single-family residences,
which include the footprints of the
homes and associated access roads,
driveways, sidewalks, and underground
utilities on 2.96 acres of land.
Development of this portion of the
project site will result in the loss of
approximately 1.24 acres of coastal
prairie, 0.87 acre of mixed grasslandscrub mosaic, 0.65 acre of coast live oak
woodland and eucalyptus groves, and
0.2 acre of an existing emergency access
road.
The Applicant proposes to implement
the following measures to minimize and
mitigate take of the Ohlone tiger beetle
and effects to the Santa Cruz tarplant
and Gairdner’s yampah, including:
Preserve (under a conservation
easement), manage, and monitor a 9.3acre coastal prairie/grassland
management area for the benefit of the
Ohlone tiger beetle, Santa Cruz tarplant,
and Gairdner’s yampah; hire a Serviceapproved monitor and biologist;
implement a construction worker
education program; ensure monitoring
of all grading, clearing, and other
ground disturbing activities; mark
construction area boundaries; construct
drift fencing around the construction
area; control trash accumulation and
install covered trash receptacles; remove
invasive, nonnative plant species;
construct signs; use best management
practices; and implement other
minimization measures. The
E:\FR\FM\18AUN1.SGM
18AUN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 160 (Monday, August 18, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48237-48238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-19085]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R6-R-2008-N0113; 60138-1265-6CCP-S3]
Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex, MT
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan
and environmental assessment; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice advises that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service) intends to gather information necessary to prepare a
Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and associated environmental
documents for the Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge Complex
(Complex) in Montana, which includes the Benton Lake National Wildlife
Refuge (NWR), Lost Trail NWR, Blackfoot Valley Wildlife Management
Area, Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area, Benton Lake Wetland
Management District (WMD), Swan River NWR, and the Northwest Montana
Flathead County WMD.
The Service is furnishing this notice in compliance with Service
CCP policy to advise other agencies and the public of its intentions,
and to obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues to be
considered in the planning process.
DATES: Written comments must be received by September 17, 2008.
ADDRESSES: Comments and requests for more information regarding the
Benton Lake NWR Complex should be sent to Toni Griffin, Planning Team
Leader, Division of Refuge Planning, P.O. Box 25486, Denver Federal
Center, Denver, Colorado 80225.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Toni Griffin, 303-236-4378, or John
Esperance, Chief, Branch of Comprehensive Conservation Planning at 303-
236-4369.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Service has initiated the CCP for the
Benton Lake NWR Complex with headquarters in Great Falls, Montana.
Each unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System has specific
purposes for which it was established and for which legislation was
enacted. Those purposes are used to develop and prioritize management
goals and objectives within the National Wildlife Refuge System
mission, and to guide which public uses will occur on the Complex. The
planning process is a way for the Service and the public to evaluate
management goals and objectives for the best possible conservation
efforts of this important wildlife habitat, while providing for
wildlife-dependent recreation opportunities that are compatible with
the Complex's establishing purposes and the mission of the National
Wildlife Refuge System.
The Service will conduct a comprehensive conservation planning
process that will provide opportunity for Federal, Tribal, State, and
local governments; agencies; organizations; and the public to
participate in issue scoping and public comment. The Service is
requesting input for issues, concerns, ideas, and suggestions for the
future management of the Complex. Anyone interested in providing input
is invited to respond to the following two questions.
(1) What problems or issues do you want to see addressed in the
CCP?
(2) What improvements would you recommend for the Benton Lake NWR
Complex?
The Service has provided the above questions for your optional use;
you are not required to provide information to the Service. The
Planning Team developed these questions to facilitate finding out more
information about individual issues and ideas concerning the Complex.
Comments received by the Planning Team will be used as part of the
planning process; individual comments will not be referenced in our
reports or directly responded to.
An opportunity will be given to the public to provide input at a
public meeting to scope issues and concerns (schedule can be obtained
from the Planning Team Leader at the above address). Comments may also
be submitted anytime during the planning process by writing to the
above address. All information provided voluntarily by mail, phone, or
at public meetings becomes part of the official public record (i.e.,
names, addresses, letters of comment, input recorded during meetings).
If requested under the Freedom of Information Act by a private citizen
or organization, the Service may provide informational copies.
The environmental review of this project will be conducted in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); NEPA Regulations (40
CFR 1500-1508); other appropriate Federal laws and regulations; and
Service policies and procedures for compliance with those regulations.
All comments received from individuals on Service Environmental
Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements become part of the
official public record. Requests for such comments will be handled in
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, NEPA (40 CFR
1506.6(f)), and other Departmental and Service policies and procedures.
When requested, the Service generally will provide comment letters with
the names and addresses of the individuals who wrote the comments.
However, the telephone number of the commenting individual will not be
provided in response to such requests to the extent permissible by law.
Additionally, public
[[Page 48238]]
comment letters are not required to contain the commentator's name,
address, or any other identifying information. Such comments may be
submitted anonymously to the Service.
Date: May 15, 2008.
Gary G. Mowad,
Acting Regional Director.
Editorial Note: This document was received in the Office of the
Federal Register on August 13, 2008.
[FR Doc. E8-19085 Filed 8-15-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P