Proposed Willamette Valley Native Prairie Habitat Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement for the Fender's Blue Butterfly in Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties, OR, 58263-58264 [E8-23556]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 194 / Monday, October 6, 2008 / Notices
hours. You may also view the
documents on the Internet at https://
www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/species/.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R1–ES–2008–N00172; 10120–1112–
0000–F2]
Proposed Willamette Valley Native
Prairie Habitat Programmatic Safe
Harbor Agreement for the Fender’s
Blue Butterfly in Benton, Lane, Linn,
Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties,
OR
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; receipt of
application.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service) proposes to issue itself
an enhancement of survival permit
pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (Act), for a programmatic Safe
Harbor Agreement (Agreement). The
proposed term of the Agreement is 15
years, and the proposed term of the
permit is 25 years. In accordance with
regulation, the Service is completing the
application process for this proposed
permit. The requested permit would
authorize the Service to extend
incidental take coverage with
assurances to eligible landowners who
are willing to carry out habitat
management measures that would
benefit the federally-listed endangered
Fender’s blue butterfly (Icaricia
icarioides fenderi) and the threatened
Kincaid’s lupine (Lupinus sulphureus
ssp. kincaidii) by enrolling them under
the Agreement as Cooperators through
issuance of Certificates of Inclusion. The
covered area or geographic scope of this
Agreement includes the known and
potential range of the Fender’s blue
butterfly, which occurs on prairie
habitat within Benton, Lane, Linn,
Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties of
Oregon. We request comments from the
public on the permit application,
proposed Agreement and related
documents, which are available for
review (see ADDRESSES below).
DATES: Comments must be received
from interested parties on or before
November 5, 2008.
ADDRESSES: You may submit your
written comments to: Project Leader,
Fish and Wildlife Service, 2600 S.E.
98th Ave., Suite 100, Portland, Oregon
97266, or facsimile (503) 231–6195.
Include your name and address in your
comments and refer to the ‘‘Willamette
Valley Programmatic Safe Harbor
Agreement.’’ Copies of the draft
documents are available for public
inspection, by appointment, at the
above address during normal business
17:44 Oct 03, 2008
Jkt 217001
Under a
Safe Harbor Agreement, participating
landowners voluntarily undertake
management activities on their property
to enhance, restore, or maintain habitat
benefiting species listed under the Act
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Safe Harbor
Agreements, and the subsequent
enhancement of survival permits that
are issued pursuant to section
10(a)(1)(A) of the Act, encourage private
and other non-federal property owners
to implement conservation efforts for
listed species by assuring that they will
not be subjected to increased property
use restrictions as a result of their efforts
to attract listed species to their property,
or to increase the numbers or
distribution of listed species already on
their property. Application
requirements and issuance criteria for
enhancement of survival permits
through Safe Harbor Agreements are
found in 50 CFR 17.22(c). These permits
allow future incidental take of covered
species above the mutually agreed upon
baseline conditions for those species in
accordance with the terms of the permit
and accompanying agreement.
The Service has developed the
proposed Agreement for the
conservation of the Fender’s blue
butterfly. The Fender’s blue butterfly
was listed as an endangered species by
the Service in 2000 (65 FR 3875). As of
the time of its listing, it was known to
occupy only 32 sites across 408 acres
(165 hectares). Of the 32 sites found to
support Fender’s blue butterfly,
Kincaid’s lupine (Lupinus sulphureus
ssp. kincaidii) has been documented as
co-occurring as a larval host plant at 27
of the sites (65 FR 3875).
The geographical area covered by this
Agreement includes the known and
potential range of the Fender’s blue
butterfly within the Willamette Valley
in Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion, Polk,
and Yamhill counties of Oregon.
Properties that are eligible for
enrollment are non-Federal lands where
the butterfly occurs or could occur
through colonization, translocation, or
reintroduction. Activities under the
Agreement are also expected to benefit
Kincaid’s lupine, a federally-listed as
threatened plant. However, Kincaid’s
lupine is not included as a ‘‘covered
species.’’
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
AGENCY:
VerDate Aug<31>2005
For
further information or to receive copies
of the documents on CD ROM, please
contact Richard Szlemp at (503) 231–
6179.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
PO 00000
Frm 00154
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
58263
The Fender’s blue butterfly is
threatened due to few populations, low
numbers, and habitat fragmentation.
Conserving existing populations and
actively maintaining, enhancing, and
expanding the size of existing butterflyoccupied habitat patches is essential for
recovery. In addition, reestablishing
habitat connectivity by creating
stepping stones of habitat between
existing butterfly populations will
improve the prospects for individuals to
reach other suitable 9 habitats for
reproduction, dispersal, and
recolonization (71 FR 63874). This
Agreement is intended to encourage
non-federal landowners to undertake
proactive conservation and restoration
actions for the Fender’s blue butterfly
(and Kincaid’s lupine).
Site-specific plans will be developed
for each property to be enrolled. In
addition to the monitoring, one or more
of the following on-the-ground activities
will be included in the plans: (a)
Removal of invasive, non-native
herbaceous plants and woody
vegetation; (b) revegetation with native
species; (c) collection of Kincaid’s
lupine seed and plant material for use
in species recovery efforts; (d)
reintroduction and augmentation of
Kincaid’s lupine; and (e) reducing
threats. Environmental baseline
conditions for the Fender’s blue
butterfly will be established on each
property as lands are enrolled.
The programmatic nature of the
Agreement provides eligible landowners
with a streamlined process for obtaining
assurances that specified actions taken
to benefit the Fender’s blue butterfly
will not result in additional regulatory
obligations under the Act. Without the
regulatory assurances provided through
the Agreement and permit, landowners
may otherwise be unwilling or reluctant
to engage in activities that would benefit
the Fender’s blue butterfly on their
properties.
A draft Environmental Action
Statement now available for public
review (see ADDRESSES ) indicates that
the proposed Agreement and permit
decision may be eligible for a categorical
exclusion under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
The Service will evaluate the permit
application, associated documents, and
comments submitted thereon to
determine whether the permit
application meets the requirements of
section 10(a) of the Act and the
requirements under NEPA. All
comments received, including names
and addresses, will become part of the
administrative record and will be
available for review pursuant to section
E:\FR\FM\06OCN1.SGM
06OCN1
58264
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 194 / Monday, October 6, 2008 / Notices
10(c) of the Act. Individual respondents
may request that we withhold their
home addresses and telephone numbers
to the extent allowable by law. If you
wish us to withhold this personal
information, you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your
comment. Anonymous comments will
not be considered. All submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from
individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, are
available for public inspection in their
entirety.
If we determine that all requirements
are met, we will sign the Agreement and
issue an enhancement of survival permit
under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Act to
the Service’s Oregon Fish and Wildlife
Office (OFWO). The OFWO will serve as
the permit holder, and may extend
coverage to interested, eligible
landowners for the take of Fender’s blue
butterfly, incidental to otherwise lawful
activities in accordance with the terms
of the Agreement, Certificates of
Inclusion and permit. Please note that
the Service will not be receiving any
assurances as holder of the permit, but
permitted landowners will. This notice
is provided pursuant to section 10(c) of
the Act and NEPA regulations (40 CFR
1506.6).
Dated: August 8, 2008.
David J. Wesley,
Deputy Regional Director, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. E8–23556 Filed 10–3–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[ES–956–1420–BK–TRST, ES–055522 Group
62, Louisiana]
Eastern States: Filing of Plat of Survey
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Filing of Plat of
Survey; Louisiana.
jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) will file the plat of
survey of the lands described below in
the BLM-Eastern States, Springfield,
Virginia, 30 calendar days from the date
of publication in the Federal Register.
Contact Information: Bureau of Land
Management, 7450 Boston Boulevard,
Springfield, Virginia 22153. Attn:
Cadastral Survey.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
survey was requested by the Bureau of
Indian Affairs.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
17:44 Oct 03, 2008
Jkt 217001
The plat represents the dependent
resurvey of lands held in trust by the
United States of America for the TunicaBiloxi Indian Tribe in Township 2
North, Range 3 East of the Louisiana
Meridian, Louisiana. The survey was
accepted on September 15, 2008.
We will place a copy of the plat we
described in the open files. It will be
available to the public as a matter of
information. If BLM receives a protest
against this survey, as shown on the
plat, prior to the date of official filing,
we will stay the filing pending our
consideration of the protest. We will not
officially file the plat until the day after
we accepted or dismissed all protests
and they have become final, including
decisions on appeals. Copies of the plat
will be made available upon request and
prepayment of the reproduction fees.
Dated: September 16, 2008.
Ronald J. Eberle,
Acting Chief Cadastral Surveyor.
[FR Doc. E8–23509 Filed 10–3–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–GJ–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[ES–956–1420–BK–TRST, ES–055523 Group
20, North Carolina]
Eastern States: Filing of Plat of Survey
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Filing of Plat of
Survey; North Carolina.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) will file the plat of
survey of the lands described below in
the BLM-Eastern States, Springfield,
Virginia, 30 calendar days from the date
of publication in the Federal Register.
Contact Information: Bureau of Land
Management, 7450 Boston Boulevard,
Springfield, Virginia 22153. Attn:
Cadastral Survey.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
survey was requested by the Bureau of
Indian Affairs.
The plat represents the dependent
resurvey of a portion of the Cathcart
Tract, lands held in trust by the United
States of America for the Eastern Band
of the Cherokee Indians in Swain
County, North Carolina. The survey was
accepted on September 10, 2008.
We will place a copy of the plat we
described in the open files. It will be
available to the public as a matter of
information. If BLM receives a protest
against this survey, as shown on the
plat, prior to the date of official filing,
we will stay the filing pending our
PO 00000
Frm 00155
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
consideration of the protest. We will not
officially file the plat until the day after
we accepted or dismissed all protests
and they have become final, including
decisions on appeals. Copies of the plat
will be made available upon request and
prepayment of the reproduction fees.
Dated: September 16, 2008.
Ronald J. Eberle,
Acting Chief Cadastral Surveyor.
[FR Doc. E8–23510 Filed 10–3–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–GJ–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Special Resource Study,
Environmental Impact Statement,
Blackstone River Valley,
Massachusetts and Rhode Island
National Park Service,
Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement,
Blackstone River Valley Special
Resource Study.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with section
102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, the National Park
Service (NPS) is preparing an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for a Special Resource Study (SRS) of
landscape features and sites that
contribute to the understanding of the
Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor as the birthplace of
the Industrial Revolution in the United
States. This study was mandated by
Public Law 109–338, the ‘‘John H.
Chafee Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor Reauthorization Act of
2006.’’
The Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor encompasses 24
communities located along the
Blackstone River and its tributaries
spanning from Worcester, MA to
Providence, RI. Within the boundaries
of the heritage corridor lie
approximately 400,000 acres of land and
over 500,000 people. The waters of the
Blackstone River powered the Slater
Mill, a National Historic Landmark, in
Pawtucket, RI, America’s first successful
textile mill. This creative spark
contributed to the nation’s historic
evolution as a global industrial and
technological power.
The Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor was established by
Public Law 99–647 in November 1986
for the purpose of preserving and
interpreting for educational and
inspirational benefit of present and
future generations the unique and
E:\FR\FM\06OCN1.SGM
06OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 194 (Monday, October 6, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58263-58264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-23556]
[[Page 58263]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R1-ES-2008-N00172; 10120-1112-0000-F2]
Proposed Willamette Valley Native Prairie Habitat Programmatic
Safe Harbor Agreement for the Fender's Blue Butterfly in Benton, Lane,
Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties, OR
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; receipt of application.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposes to issue
itself an enhancement of survival permit pursuant to section
10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act),
for a programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement (Agreement). The proposed term
of the Agreement is 15 years, and the proposed term of the permit is 25
years. In accordance with regulation, the Service is completing the
application process for this proposed permit. The requested permit
would authorize the Service to extend incidental take coverage with
assurances to eligible landowners who are willing to carry out habitat
management measures that would benefit the federally-listed endangered
Fender's blue butterfly (Icaricia icarioides fenderi) and the
threatened Kincaid's lupine (Lupinus sulphureus ssp. kincaidii) by
enrolling them under the Agreement as Cooperators through issuance of
Certificates of Inclusion. The covered area or geographic scope of this
Agreement includes the known and potential range of the Fender's blue
butterfly, which occurs on prairie habitat within Benton, Lane, Linn,
Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties of Oregon. We request comments from
the public on the permit application, proposed Agreement and related
documents, which are available for review (see ADDRESSES below).
DATES: Comments must be received from interested parties on or before
November 5, 2008.
ADDRESSES: You may submit your written comments to: Project Leader,
Fish and Wildlife Service, 2600 S.E. 98th Ave., Suite 100, Portland,
Oregon 97266, or facsimile (503) 231-6195. Include your name and
address in your comments and refer to the ``Willamette Valley
Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement.'' Copies of the draft documents are
available for public inspection, by appointment, at the above address
during normal business hours. You may also view the documents on the
Internet at https://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/species/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or to receive
copies of the documents on CD ROM, please contact Richard Szlemp at
(503) 231-6179.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under a Safe Harbor Agreement, participating
landowners voluntarily undertake management activities on their
property to enhance, restore, or maintain habitat benefiting species
listed under the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Safe Harbor Agreements,
and the subsequent enhancement of survival permits that are issued
pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Act, encourage private and other
non-federal property owners to implement conservation efforts for
listed species by assuring that they will not be subjected to increased
property use restrictions as a result of their efforts to attract
listed species to their property, or to increase the numbers or
distribution of listed species already on their property. Application
requirements and issuance criteria for enhancement of survival permits
through Safe Harbor Agreements are found in 50 CFR 17.22(c). These
permits allow future incidental take of covered species above the
mutually agreed upon baseline conditions for those species in
accordance with the terms of the permit and accompanying agreement.
The Service has developed the proposed Agreement for the
conservation of the Fender's blue butterfly. The Fender's blue
butterfly was listed as an endangered species by the Service in 2000
(65 FR 3875). As of the time of its listing, it was known to occupy
only 32 sites across 408 acres (165 hectares). Of the 32 sites found to
support Fender's blue butterfly, Kincaid's lupine (Lupinus sulphureus
ssp. kincaidii) has been documented as co-occurring as a larval host
plant at 27 of the sites (65 FR 3875).
The geographical area covered by this Agreement includes the known
and potential range of the Fender's blue butterfly within the
Willamette Valley in Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill
counties of Oregon. Properties that are eligible for enrollment are
non-Federal lands where the butterfly occurs or could occur through
colonization, translocation, or reintroduction. Activities under the
Agreement are also expected to benefit Kincaid's lupine, a federally-
listed as threatened plant. However, Kincaid's lupine is not included
as a ``covered species.''
The Fender's blue butterfly is threatened due to few populations,
low numbers, and habitat fragmentation. Conserving existing populations
and actively maintaining, enhancing, and expanding the size of existing
butterfly-occupied habitat patches is essential for recovery. In
addition, reestablishing habitat connectivity by creating stepping
stones of habitat between existing butterfly populations will improve
the prospects for individuals to reach other suitable 9 habitats for
reproduction, dispersal, and recolonization (71 FR 63874). This
Agreement is intended to encourage non-federal landowners to undertake
proactive conservation and restoration actions for the Fender's blue
butterfly (and Kincaid's lupine).
Site-specific plans will be developed for each property to be
enrolled. In addition to the monitoring, one or more of the following
on-the-ground activities will be included in the plans: (a) Removal of
invasive, non-native herbaceous plants and woody vegetation; (b)
revegetation with native species; (c) collection of Kincaid's lupine
seed and plant material for use in species recovery efforts; (d)
reintroduction and augmentation of Kincaid's lupine; and (e) reducing
threats. Environmental baseline conditions for the Fender's blue
butterfly will be established on each property as lands are enrolled.
The programmatic nature of the Agreement provides eligible
landowners with a streamlined process for obtaining assurances that
specified actions taken to benefit the Fender's blue butterfly will not
result in additional regulatory obligations under the Act. Without the
regulatory assurances provided through the Agreement and permit,
landowners may otherwise be unwilling or reluctant to engage in
activities that would benefit the Fender's blue butterfly on their
properties.
A draft Environmental Action Statement now available for public
review (see ADDRESSES ) indicates that the proposed Agreement and
permit decision may be eligible for a categorical exclusion under the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.).
The Service will evaluate the permit application, associated
documents, and comments submitted thereon to determine whether the
permit application meets the requirements of section 10(a) of the Act
and the requirements under NEPA. All comments received, including names
and addresses, will become part of the administrative record and will
be available for review pursuant to section
[[Page 58264]]
10(c) of the Act. Individual respondents may request that we withhold
their home addresses and telephone numbers to the extent allowable by
law. If you wish us to withhold this personal information, you must
state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. Anonymous
comments will not be considered. All submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, are
available for public inspection in their entirety.
If we determine that all requirements are met, we will sign the
Agreement and issue an enhancement of survival permit under section
10(a)(1)(A) of the Act to the Service's Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office
(OFWO). The OFWO will serve as the permit holder, and may extend
coverage to interested, eligible landowners for the take of Fender's
blue butterfly, incidental to otherwise lawful activities in accordance
with the terms of the Agreement, Certificates of Inclusion and permit.
Please note that the Service will not be receiving any assurances as
holder of the permit, but permitted landowners will. This notice is
provided pursuant to section 10(c) of the Act and NEPA regulations (40
CFR 1506.6).
Dated: August 8, 2008.
David J. Wesley,
Deputy Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1,
Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. E8-23556 Filed 10-3-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
