Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Eastern Collier Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan; Collier County, Florida, 16200-16202 [2016-06792]
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16200
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 58 / Friday, March 25, 2016 / Notices
We may not conduct or sponsor and a
person is not required to respond to a
collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number. However, under OMB
regulations, we may continue to
conduct or sponsor this information
collection while it is pending at OMB.
You must submit comments on
or before April 25, 2016.
DATES:
Send your comments and
suggestions on this information
collection to the Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior at OMB–
OIRA at (202) 395–5806 (fax) or
OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov
(email). Please provide a copy of your
comments to the Service Information
ADDRESSES:
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, MS BPHC, 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–
3803 (mail), or hope_grey@fws.gov
(email). Please include ‘‘1018–0007’’ in
the subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Hope Grey at
hope_grey@fws.gov (email) or 703–358–
2482 (telephone). You may review the
ICR online at https://www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to review
Department of the Interior collections
under review by OMB.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Information Collection Request
OMB Control Number: 1018–0007.
Title: Annual Certification of Hunting
and Sport Fishing Licenses Issued, 50
CFR 80, subpart D.
Service Form Numbers: 3–154a and
3–154b.
Type of Request: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
56.
Description of Respondents: States,
territories (Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, Guam, U.S. Virgin
Islands, and American Samoa), and
District of Columbia.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: Annually.
Completion
time per
response
(hours)
Number of
responses
Activity
Total annual
burden hours
FWS Form 3–154a ......................................................................................................................
FWS Form 3–154b ......................................................................................................................
56
56
12
20
672
1,120
Totals ....................................................................................................................................
112
........................
1,792
Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden
Cost: None.
Abstract: The Pittman-Robertson
Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669
et seq.) and the Dingell-Johnson Sport
Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777 et
seq., except 777e–1) provide authority
for Federal assistance to the States for
management and restoration of fish and
wildlife. These Acts and our regulations
in the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) at 50 CFR 80, subpart D, require
that States, territories, and the District of
Columbia annually certify their hunting
and fishing license sales. States,
territories, and the District of Columbia
that receive grants under these Acts use
FWS Forms 3–154a (Part I–Certification)
and 3–154b (Part II–Summary of
Hunting and Sport Fishing Licenses
Issued) to certify the number of hunting
and fishing licenses sold and the
amount of sales. We use the information
collected to apportion and distribute
funds according to the formula specified
in each Act.
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Comments Received and Our Responses
Comments: On December 23, 2015,
we published in the Federal Register
(80 FR 79924) a notice of our intent to
request that OMB renew approval for
this information collection. In that
notice, we solicited comments for 60
days, ending on February 22, 2016. We
received one comment in response to
this notice. The respondent objected to
the Wildlife Restoration Act, but did not
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:30 Mar 24, 2016
Jkt 238001
address the information collection
requirements. We did not make any
changes to our requirements.
Request for Public Comments
We again invite comments concerning
this information collection on:
• Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary, including
whether or not the information will
have practical utility;
• The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information;
• Ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• Ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. Before including your
address, phone number, email address,
or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that your entire
comment, including your personal
identifying information, may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask OMB and us in your
comment to withhold your personal
identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that it will
be done.
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Dated: March 21, 2016.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy, Performance, and
Management Programs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2016–06781 Filed 3–24–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R4–ES–2016–N037]; [40120–1112–
0000–F2]
Draft Environmental Impact Statement;
Eastern Collier Multi-Species Habitat
Conservation Plan; Collier County,
Florida
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; announcement
of public meeting.
AGENCY:
Under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), we,
the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
advise the public that we intend to
gather information necessary to prepare
a draft environmental impact statement
(dEIS) related to an anticipated permit
application from nine Collier County,
Florida, landowners (prospective
applicants) for the incidental take of
federally listed species. The permit
application would include an Eastern
Collier Multiple Species Habitat
Conservation Plan (ECMSHCP) prepared
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 58 / Friday, March 25, 2016 / Notices
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
in accordance with the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).
We provide this notice to (1) describe
the anticipated action; (2) advise other
Federal and State agencies, affected
Tribes, and the public of our intent to
prepare a dEIS; (3) announce the
initiation of a public scoping period;
and (4) obtain suggestions and
information on the scope of issues and
alternatives to be included in the dEIS
as well as any other written data, views,
or arguments with respect to the
anticipated permit application.
DATES: Comments: We must receive any
written comments at our Field Office
(see ADDRESSES) on or before April 25,
2016.
Public Meetings: One public scoping
meeting will be held on April 12, 2016:
From 5 to 7 p.m.
ADDRESSES: Public Meeting: University
of Florida/Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences Collier County
Extension, 14700 Immokalee Road,
Naples, Florida. Document Availability:
Documents will be available for public
inspection by appointment during
normal business hours at the South
Florida Ecological Services Office, 1339
20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960.
Documents are also available at:
www.easterncollierHCPEIS.com.
Comments: For how and where to
submit comments, see Public Comments
under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kenneth McDonald,
(Kenneth_mcdonald@fws.gov) Project
Manager, at the South Florida Ecological
Services Office (see ADDRESSES),
telephone: 772/469–4284.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under
NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), we
announce our intention to gather
information necessary to prepare a dEIS
on the anticipated permit application
under the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
The Department of the Army, through
its bureau the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, will be a cooperating agency
in the development of the dEIS.
Background
Section 9 of the Act and the Service’s
implementing regulations in the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR
Part 17 prohibit the ‘‘take’’ of federally
listed ‘‘endangered’’ and ‘‘threatened’’
species (16 U.S.C. 1538). The Act
defines the term ‘‘take’’ as to harass,
harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill,
trap, capture, or collect listed species or
to attempt to engage in such conduct (16
U.S.C. 1532). ‘‘Harm’’ includes an act
that actually kills or injures a listed
species and may include significant
habitat modification or degradation that
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:30 Mar 24, 2016
Jkt 238001
actually kills or injures a species by
significantly impairing essential
behavioral patterns, including breeding,
feeding, and sheltering (50 CFR 17.3).
Under section 10(a)(1)(B) (16 U.S.C.
1539) of the Act, the Service may issue
permits authorizing ‘‘incidental take’’ of
listed species. ‘‘Incidental take’’ is
defined as take otherwise prohibited but
incidental to, and not the purpose of,
carrying out an otherwise lawful activity
(50 CFR 17.3). Regulations governing
incidental take permits for endangered
species and threatened species,
respectively, are found in 50 CFR 17.22
and 50 CFR 17.32.
Eastern Collier Multiple Species
Habitat Conservation Plan (ECMSHCP)
The prospective applicants intend to
seek an incidental take permit (ITP) that
would authorize take resulting from the
residential and commercial
development and earth mining activities
described in the ECMSHCP on certain
lands (‘‘covered lands’’). The ECMSHCP
would include measures to avoid,
minimize, and mitigate for incidental
take with an emphasis on preserving
some of the lands to maintain the
viability and continued existence of
populations of federally- listed
threatened and endangered species.
The ECMSHCP also would include a
funding mechanism for the avoidance,
minimization, and mitigation measures,
such as land acquisition, habitat
mitigation, establishment of wildlife
crossings, ecological restoration, land
management, and actions to assist in the
conservation of species through
research. The proposed term of the ITP
would be 50 years.
The prospective applicants are
expected to seek incidental take
authorization for the following federally
listed species: The Florida scrub-jay
(Aphelocoma coerulescens), Audubon’s
crested caracara (Polyborus plancus)
(alternatively identified as the northern
crested caracara (Caracara cheriway)),
wood stork (Mycteria americana), redcockaded woodpecker (Picoides
borealis), Everglade snail kite
(Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus),
eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon
corais couperi), Florida bonneted bat
(Eumops floridanus), and Florida
panther (Puma concolor coryi)
(‘‘covered species’’). The gopher tortoise
(Gopherus polyphemus), which is a
candidate species, would also be
included as a covered species for which
the prospective applicants would seek
incidental take authorization. The
prospective applicants’ ECMSHCP
would also cover the following State
listed and unlisted species: The
burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia),
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16201
eastern diamondback rattlesnake
(Crotalus adamanteus), Florida sandhill
crane (Grus canadensis pratensis), little
blue heron (Egretta caerulea),
Southeastern American kestrel (Falco
sparverius paulus), tricolored heron
(Egretta tricolor), and the Big Cypress
fox squirrel (Sciurus niger avicennia).
The covered lands of the ECMSHCP
encompass approximately 152,124 acres
in northeastern Collier County, Florida,
that surround the town of Immokalee.
The covered lands are bordered to the
south by the Florida Panther National
Wildlife Refuge and Big Cypress
National Preserve, to the north and east
by the Okaloacoochee Slough State
Forest, and to the northwest by the
Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
The prospective applicants are expected
to propose a conservation strategy in the
ECMSHCP that would preserve a large
portion of the covered lands as habitat
for the covered species while
conducting activities on smaller,
clustered portions of the covered lands.
Biologically, the ECMSHCP would
focus on maintaining areas of high-value
habitat for the covered species while
engaging in residential and commercial
development and earth mining on
45,000 acres of the lands. The
prospective applicants also would
maintain suitable habitat within the
impacted areas to ensure the availability
of corridors for dispersal of the covered
species.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
The dEIS will consider a range of
alternatives, including the proposed
action (i.e., the issuance of an ITP to the
prospective applicants, no action (nonissuance of an ITP), variations in the
scope and location of the covered
activities or a combination of both. It
will also provide a detailed description
of the proposed action and alternatives,
as well as identify and analyze the
potential significance of direct and
indirect impacts from the proposed
action and alternatives to biological
resources, land use, air quality, water
quality, water resources, economics, and
other environmental resources. We also
will consider different strategies for
avoiding, minimizing, and mitigating
the impacts of incidental take from the
proposed action. The primary purpose
of the scoping process is to allow the
public to identify important issues
associated with the proposed action.
Public Comments
Outside of the public scoping
meeting, we will accept comments in
written form only. To assist us in
identifying the full range of issues
related to the prospective permit
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 58 / Friday, March 25, 2016 / Notices
application, we invite written comments
from interested parties. Any comments
submitted to us after the public meeting
must be in writing. Please reference the
ECMSHCP in such comments.
Comments may be submitted by any
one of the following methods:
U.S. mail: South Florida Ecological
Services Office (see ADDRESSES).
Email: commentseastcollierhcp@fws.gov. Please include
your name and return mailing address
in your email message. If you do not
receive a confirmation from us that we
received your email, contact us directly
at either of the telephone numbers listed
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Hand delivery: To the South Florida
Ecological Services Office (ADDRESSES).
Reasonable Accommodation
Persons needing reasonable
accommodations in order to attend and
participate in the public meeting should
contact Vickie Scott at 813/675–6546 by
no later than one week before the public
meeting. Information regarding this
proposed action is available in
alternative formats upon request.
Authority
We provide this notice under section
10 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Dated: March 2, 2016.
Mike Oetker,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2016–06792 Filed 3–24–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
Availability of Public Comments
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, be aware that your entire
comment—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you may ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, there is
no guarantee that we will be able to do
so.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS–HQ–IA–2016–0054;
FXIA16710900000–156–FF09A30000]
Endangered Species; Marine
Mammals; Issuance of Permits
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of issuance of permits.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), have issued
the following permits to conduct certain
activities with endangered species,
marine mammals, or both. We issue
these permits under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal
Protection Act (MMPA).
ADDRESSES: Brenda Tapia, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Division of
Management Authority, Branch of
Permits, MS: IA, 5275 Leesburg Pike,
Falls Church, VA 22041; fax (703) 358–
2281.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brenda Tapia, (703) 358–2104
(telephone); (703) 358–2281 (fax);
DMAFR@fws.gov (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On the
dates below, as authorized by the
provisions of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.), as amended, and/or the MMPA,
as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), we
issued requested permits subject to
certain conditions set forth therein. For
each permit for an endangered species,
we found that (1) The application was
filed in good faith, (2) The granted
permit would not operate to the
disadvantage of the endangered species,
and (3) The granted permit would be
consistent with the purposes and policy
set forth in section 2 of the ESA.
SUMMARY:
ENDANGERED SPECIES
Permit No.
Applicant
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
59838B
63281B
63550B
756101
676508
64786B
76168B
75313B
63829B
64101B
78222B
76169B
74563B
..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
66556B
77387B
59839B
61197B
68848B
68850B
73299B
71725B
78797B
79073B
71096B
677611
..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
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..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
..............
71724B ..............
66999B ..............
80785B ..............
75301B ..............
VerDate Sep<11>2014
Receipt of application Federal Register notice
The Wild Animal Sanctuary ........................................
University of Tennessee .............................................
Houston Zoo, Inc ........................................................
Rare Species Conservatory Foundation ....................
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom .....................................
Peter Langegger .........................................................
Luke Snyder ................................................................
Wildlife & Environmental Conservation, Inc ...............
City of Bridgeton/Cohanzick Zoo ................................
University of Colorado ................................................
Michael Long ..............................................................
Joshua Braun ..............................................................
Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration.
Abilene Zoological Gardens .......................................
St. Catherines Island Foundation ...............................
The Wild Animal Sanctuary ........................................
Megan Cattau .............................................................
Toledo Zoological Gardens ........................................
Toledo Zoological Gardens ........................................
Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society ..............
Fox Brown Outfitters ...................................................
David Hessler .............................................................
Margaret Williams .......................................................
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium .................................
Sacramento Zoological Society, dba Sacramento
Zoo.
Fox Brown Outfitters ...................................................
Angelica Rodriquez/American Museum of Natural
History.
Kevin Poynter .............................................................
Big Cat Rescue Corporation .......................................
18:30 Mar 24, 2016
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Permit
issuance date
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FR
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FR
FR
47947;
53323;
55868;
55868;
55868;
58768;
58768;
58768;
58768;
58768;
62089;
62089;
62089;
August 10, 2015 ..................................
September 3, 2015 ..............................
September 17, 2015 ............................
September 17, 2015 ............................
September 17, 2015 ............................
September 30, 2015 ............................
September 30, 2015 ............................
September 30, 2015 ............................
September 30, 2015 ............................
September 30, 2015 ............................
October 15, 2015 ................................
October 15, 2015 ................................
October 15, 2015 ................................
10/13/2015
11/5/2015
12/11/2015
01/04/2016
1/21/2016
01/13/2015
11/10/2015
12/01/2015
12/26/2015
12/11/2015
11/24/2015
11/25/2015
12/08/2015
80
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FR
FR
FR
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FR
FR
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FR
FR
FR
FR
FR
62089;
62089;
62089;
64441;
68554;
68554;
68554;
68554;
70249;
70249;
70249;
70249;
October 15, 2015 ................................
October 15, 2015 ................................
October 15, 2015 ................................
October 23, 2015 ................................
November 5, 2015 ...............................
November 5, 2015 ...............................
November 5, 2015 ...............................
November 5, 2015 ...............................
November 13, 2015 .............................
November 13, 2015 .............................
November 13, 2015 .............................
November 13, 2015 .............................
12/09/2015
12/15/2015
12/11/2015
12/02/15
02/10/16
02/09/16
02/18/2016
3/11/2016
02/11/2016
02/11/2016
02/25/2016
2/24/2016
80 FR 70249; November 13, 2015 .............................
80 FR 70249; November 13, 2015 .............................
3/11/2016
2/23/2016
80 FR 73207; November 24, 2015 .............................
80 FR 73207; November 24, 2015 .............................
1/27/2016
3/16/2016
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 58 (Friday, March 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16200-16202]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-06792]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2016-N037]; [40120-1112-0000-F2]
Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Eastern Collier Multi-
Species Habitat Conservation Plan; Collier County, Florida
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; announcement of public meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), we, the
Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), advise the public that we intend
to gather information necessary to prepare a draft environmental impact
statement (dEIS) related to an anticipated permit application from nine
Collier County, Florida, landowners (prospective applicants) for the
incidental take of federally listed species. The permit application
would include an Eastern Collier Multiple Species Habitat Conservation
Plan (ECMSHCP) prepared
[[Page 16201]]
in accordance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended
(Act). We provide this notice to (1) describe the anticipated action;
(2) advise other Federal and State agencies, affected Tribes, and the
public of our intent to prepare a dEIS; (3) announce the initiation of
a public scoping period; and (4) obtain suggestions and information on
the scope of issues and alternatives to be included in the dEIS as well
as any other written data, views, or arguments with respect to the
anticipated permit application.
DATES: Comments: We must receive any written comments at our Field
Office (see ADDRESSES) on or before April 25, 2016.
Public Meetings: One public scoping meeting will be held on April
12, 2016: From 5 to 7 p.m.
ADDRESSES: Public Meeting: University of Florida/Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences Collier County Extension, 14700 Immokalee Road,
Naples, Florida. Document Availability: Documents will be available for
public inspection by appointment during normal business hours at the
South Florida Ecological Services Office, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach,
FL 32960. Documents are also available at:
www.easterncollierHCPEIS.com.
Comments: For how and where to submit comments, see Public Comments
under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth McDonald,
(Kenneth_mcdonald@fws.gov) Project Manager, at the South Florida
Ecological Services Office (see ADDRESSES), telephone: 772/469-4284.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), we
announce our intention to gather information necessary to prepare a
dEIS on the anticipated permit application under the Act (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.). The Department of the Army, through its bureau the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, will be a cooperating agency in the
development of the dEIS.
Background
Section 9 of the Act and the Service's implementing regulations in
the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR Part 17 prohibit the
``take'' of federally listed ``endangered'' and ``threatened'' species
(16 U.S.C. 1538). The Act defines the term ``take'' as to harass, harm,
pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect listed
species or to attempt to engage in such conduct (16 U.S.C. 1532).
``Harm'' includes an act that actually kills or injures a listed
species and may include significant habitat modification or degradation
that actually kills or injures a species by significantly impairing
essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding, and
sheltering (50 CFR 17.3). Under section 10(a)(1)(B) (16 U.S.C. 1539) of
the Act, the Service may issue permits authorizing ``incidental take''
of listed species. ``Incidental take'' is defined as take otherwise
prohibited but incidental to, and not the purpose of, carrying out an
otherwise lawful activity (50 CFR 17.3). Regulations governing
incidental take permits for endangered species and threatened species,
respectively, are found in 50 CFR 17.22 and 50 CFR 17.32.
Eastern Collier Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (ECMSHCP)
The prospective applicants intend to seek an incidental take permit
(ITP) that would authorize take resulting from the residential and
commercial development and earth mining activities described in the
ECMSHCP on certain lands (``covered lands''). The ECMSHCP would include
measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate for incidental take with an
emphasis on preserving some of the lands to maintain the viability and
continued existence of populations of federally- listed threatened and
endangered species.
The ECMSHCP also would include a funding mechanism for the
avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures, such as land
acquisition, habitat mitigation, establishment of wildlife crossings,
ecological restoration, land management, and actions to assist in the
conservation of species through research. The proposed term of the ITP
would be 50 years.
The prospective applicants are expected to seek incidental take
authorization for the following federally listed species: The Florida
scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), Audubon's crested caracara
(Polyborus plancus) (alternatively identified as the northern crested
caracara (Caracara cheriway)), wood stork (Mycteria americana), red-
cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), Everglade snail kite
(Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus), eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon
corais couperi), Florida bonneted bat (Eumops floridanus), and Florida
panther (Puma concolor coryi) (``covered species''). The gopher
tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), which is a candidate species, would
also be included as a covered species for which the prospective
applicants would seek incidental take authorization. The prospective
applicants' ECMSHCP would also cover the following State listed and
unlisted species: The burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), eastern
diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus), Florida sandhill crane
(Grus canadensis pratensis), little blue heron (Egretta caerulea),
Southeastern American kestrel (Falco sparverius paulus), tricolored
heron (Egretta tricolor), and the Big Cypress fox squirrel (Sciurus
niger avicennia).
The covered lands of the ECMSHCP encompass approximately 152,124
acres in northeastern Collier County, Florida, that surround the town
of Immokalee. The covered lands are bordered to the south by the
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and Big Cypress National
Preserve, to the north and east by the Okaloacoochee Slough State
Forest, and to the northwest by the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
The prospective applicants are expected to propose a conservation
strategy in the ECMSHCP that would preserve a large portion of the
covered lands as habitat for the covered species while conducting
activities on smaller, clustered portions of the covered lands.
Biologically, the ECMSHCP would focus on maintaining areas of high-
value habitat for the covered species while engaging in residential and
commercial development and earth mining on 45,000 acres of the lands.
The prospective applicants also would maintain suitable habitat within
the impacted areas to ensure the availability of corridors for
dispersal of the covered species.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
The dEIS will consider a range of alternatives, including the
proposed action (i.e., the issuance of an ITP to the prospective
applicants, no action (non-issuance of an ITP), variations in the scope
and location of the covered activities or a combination of both. It
will also provide a detailed description of the proposed action and
alternatives, as well as identify and analyze the potential
significance of direct and indirect impacts from the proposed action
and alternatives to biological resources, land use, air quality, water
quality, water resources, economics, and other environmental resources.
We also will consider different strategies for avoiding, minimizing,
and mitigating the impacts of incidental take from the proposed action.
The primary purpose of the scoping process is to allow the public to
identify important issues associated with the proposed action.
Public Comments
Outside of the public scoping meeting, we will accept comments in
written form only. To assist us in identifying the full range of issues
related to the prospective permit
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application, we invite written comments from interested parties. Any
comments submitted to us after the public meeting must be in writing.
Please reference the ECMSHCP in such comments.
Comments may be submitted by any one of the following methods:
U.S. mail: South Florida Ecological Services Office (see
ADDRESSES).
Email: comments-eastcollierhcp@fws.gov. Please include your name
and return mailing address in your email message. If you do not receive
a confirmation from us that we received your email, contact us directly
at either of the telephone numbers listed (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT).
Hand delivery: To the South Florida Ecological Services Office
(ADDRESSES).
Availability of Public Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that
your entire comment--including your personal identifying information--
may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in
your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from
public review, there is no guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Reasonable Accommodation
Persons needing reasonable accommodations in order to attend and
participate in the public meeting should contact Vickie Scott at 813/
675-6546 by no later than one week before the public meeting.
Information regarding this proposed action is available in alternative
formats upon request.
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.) and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Dated: March 2, 2016.
Mike Oetker,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2016-06792 Filed 3-24-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P