Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Availability of Habitat Conservation Plan and Categorical Exclusion for the Mount Hermon June Beetle, Santa Cruz County, California, 53080-53081 [2018-22748]

Download as PDF 53080 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 203 / Friday, October 19, 2018 / Notices used for other activities. Impacts to covered species from the activities would be mitigated through habitat management measures and the placement of conservation easements on up to 107,000 acres of the covered lands. The Applicants also propose to make contributions to a conservation endowment, the Marinelli Fund, to implement conservation measures for the covered species throughout and beyond the covered lands. Draft Environmental Impact Statement We published a notice of intent to prepare an EIS for this HCP in the Federal Register on March 25, 2016 (81 FR 16200). A public scoping meeting was held in Naples, Florida on April 12, 2016, and an online public participation webcast was conducted on April 19, 2016. We have incorporated issues identified during these scoping meetings into the draft EIS. A summary of the comments received during the scoping period is provided in the Scoping Report appended to the draft EIS. The draft EIS assesses the likely environmental impacts associated with the implementation of the activities proposed in the HCP, compared to the likely consequences of not issuing the requested ITPs, i.e., uncoordinated project-by-project and lot-by-lot planning and mitigation as currently occurs. The Department of the Army, through its bureau the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, is a cooperating agency in the development of the draft EIS. Public Comments If you wish to comment on the HCP, or draft EIS, you may submit comments by any one of the methods listed above in ADDRESSES. 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 available to the public at any time. While you may request in your comment that we withhold your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 Next Steps We will evaluate the HCP, draft EIS, and your comments to determine whether the collective ITP application meets the permit issuance requirements of section 10(a) of the ESA. We will also conduct an intra-Service consultation pursuant to section 7 of the ESA. If the requirements for permit issuance are VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:25 Oct 18, 2018 Jkt 247001 met, we will issue individual ITPs to the Applicants. comments by facsimile to (805) 644– 3958. Authority FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: We provide this notice under section 10 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and ESA regulations in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations and, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). Mike Oetker, Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region. [FR Doc. 2018–22755 Filed 10–18–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333–15–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R8–ES–2018–N022; FXES11130800000–189–FF08EVEN00] Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Availability of Habitat Conservation Plan and Categorical Exclusion for the Mount Hermon June Beetle, Santa Cruz County, California Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment. AGENCY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an application from Lantana, LLC for a 5year incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The permit would authorize ‘‘take’’ of the federally endangered Mount Hermon June beetle, incidental to the otherwise lawful activities associated with the demolition of a single-family home and construction of two duet homes at 22 Blake Lane, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz County, California. We invite comments from the public on the application package, which includes a low-effect habitat conservation plan. DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by November 19, 2018. ADDRESSES: You may download a copy of the draft habitat conservation plan, draft environmental action statement, and draft low-effect screening form at https://www.fws.gov/ventura/, or you may request copies of the documents by U.S. mail to our Ventura office or by phone (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Please address written comments to Stephen P. Henry, Field Supervisor, Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, CA 93003. You may alternatively send SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Karen Sinclair, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, by U.S. mail to the Ventura address in ADDRESSES, or by telephone at (805) 677–3315. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We have received an application from Lantana, LLC for a 5-year incidental take permit under the Act. The application addresses the potential for take of the federally endangered Mount Hermon June beetle (Polyphylla barbata) likely to occur incidental to the demolition of a single-family home and construction of two duet homes at 22 Blake Lane, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz County, California. We invite comments from the public on the application package, which includes the Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for the Mount Hermon June Beetle. Background The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) listed the Mount Hermon June beetle as endangered on January 24, 1997 (62 FR 3616). Section 9 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations prohibit the take of fish or wildlife species listed as endangered or threatened. ‘‘Take’’ is defined under the Act to include the following activities: ‘‘to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct’’ (16 U.S.C. 1532); however, under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act, we may issue permits to authorize incidental take of listed species. The Act defines ‘‘Incidental Take’’ as take that is incidental to, and not the purpose of carrying out an otherwise lawful activity. Regulations governing incidental take permits for threatened and endangered species are in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 17.32 and 17.22, respectively. Issuance of an incidental take permit must not jeopardize the existence of federally listed fish, wildlife, or plant species. All species covered by the incidental take permit associated with this low-effect HCP receive assurances under our ‘‘No Surprises’’ regulations (50 CFR 17.22(b)(5) and 17.32(b)(5)). Applicant’s Proposal Lantana, LLC (hereafter, the applicant) has submitted a low-effect HCP in support of their application for an incidental take permit (ITP) to address take of the Mount Hermon June beetle that is likely to occur as the result of direct impacts on up to 0.32 acre (ac) (14,031 square feet (sf)) of degraded E:\FR\FM\19OCN1.SGM 19OCN1 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 203 / Friday, October 19, 2018 / Notices amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 sandhills habitat occupied by the species. Take would be associated with the demolition of a single-family home and construction of two duet homes on a parcel legally described as Assessor Parcel Number: 022–172–47. The current site address is 22 Blake Lane in Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz County, California. The applicant is requesting a permit for take of Mount Hermon June beetle that would result from ‘‘covered activities’’ that are related to the demolition of a single-family home and construction of two duet homes at 22 Blake Lane. The applicant proposes to avoid, minimize, and mitigate take of Mount Hermon June beetle associated with the covered activities by fully implementing the HCP. The following measures will be implemented: (1) Locating the project on a developed parcel where habitat is more degraded relative to intact habitat; (2) Avoiding the flight season, if possible, and using plastic sheeting or other soil-covering material to prevent Mount Hermon June beetles from burrowing into exposed soil in the construction site when/if soil disturbing activities must occur between May and August; (3) Having a qualified biologist translocate any larval beetles unearthed during construction activities to a portion of the project site outside of the impact area that supports intact vegetation; (4) Minimizing hardscaping associated with the project, and using native Sandhills plants and noninvasive ornamental plants in landscape areas; (5) Minimizing removal of native trees on the site, including the ponderosa pines and coast live oaks; (6) Revegetating areas of temporary habitat disturbance with native and noninvasive ornamental plants that do not degrade Mount Hermon June beetle habitat; and (7) Securing off-site mitigation at a ratio of 1:1 to mitigate for habitat impacts through the acquisition of 0.32 ac (14,031 sf) of conservation credits at the Zayante Sandhills Conservation Bank. The applicant will fund all elements of the proposed conservation strategy to ensure implementation of all minimization measures, monitoring, and reporting requirements identified in the HCP. Our Preliminary Determination The Service has made a preliminary determination that issuance of the incidental take permit is neither a major Federal action that will significantly affect the quality of the human environment within the meaning of section 102(2)(C) of NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) nor that it will, individually or cumulatively, have more than a negligible effect on the Mount VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:25 Oct 18, 2018 Jkt 247001 Hermon June beetle, the only species covered in the HCP. Therefore, the permit qualifies for a categorical exclusion under NEPA. Public Review We request comments on our determination that the applicant’s proposal will have a minor or negligible effect on the Mount Hermon June beetle and that the plan qualifies as a loweffect HCP. We will evaluate the permit application, including the plan and comments we receive, to determine whether the application meets the requirements of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act. We will use the results of our internal Service consultation, in combination with the above findings, in our final analysis to determine whether to issue the ITP. If the requirements are met, we will issue the ITP to the applicant. We will make the final permit decision no sooner than 30 days after the publication date of this notice. Public Comments If you wish to comment on the permit application, HCP, and associated documents, you may submit comments by any one of the methods in ADDRESSES. Public Availability of Comments 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 us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public view, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. 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: October 11, 2018. Stephen P. Henry, Field Supervisor, Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office. [FR Doc. 2018–22748 Filed 10–18–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333–15–P PO 00000 Frm 00055 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 53081 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs [190A2100DD/AAKC001030/ A0A501010.999900 253G; OMB Control Number 1076–0122] Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Data Elements for Student Enrollment in Bureau-Funded Schools Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment. AGENCY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) are proposing to renew an information collection. DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before November 19, 2018. ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget’s Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior by email at OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov; or via facsimile to (202) 395–5806. Please provide a copy of your comments to Dr. Joe Herrin, Bureau of Indian Education, 1849 C Street NW, MS–3620–MIB, Washington, DC 20240; facsimile: (202) 208–7658; email: Joe.Herrin@BIE.edu. Please reference OMB Control Number 1076–0122 in the subject line of your comments. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information about this ICR, contact Dr. Joe Herrin, phone: (202) 208–7658. You may also view the ICR at https://www.reginfo.gov/public/ do/PRAMain. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public’s reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. A Federal Register notice with a 60day public comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on April 9, 2018 (83 FR 15174). No comments were received. SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\19OCN1.SGM 19OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 203 (Friday, October 19, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53080-53081]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-22748]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-ES-2018-N022; FXES11130800000-189-FF08EVEN00]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Availability of 
Habitat Conservation Plan and Categorical Exclusion for the Mount 
Hermon June Beetle, Santa Cruz County, California

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an 
application from Lantana, LLC for a 5-year incidental take permit under 
the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The permit would 
authorize ``take'' of the federally endangered Mount Hermon June 
beetle, incidental to the otherwise lawful activities associated with 
the demolition of a single-family home and construction of two duet 
homes at 22 Blake Lane, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz County, California. 
We invite comments from the public on the application package, which 
includes a low-effect habitat conservation plan.

DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by 
November 19, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may download a copy of the draft habitat conservation 
plan, draft environmental action statement, and draft low-effect 
screening form at https://www.fws.gov/ventura/, or you may request 
copies of the documents by U.S. mail to our Ventura office or by phone 
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Please address written comments 
to Stephen P. Henry, Field Supervisor, Ventura Fish and Wildlife 
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, 
Ventura, CA 93003. You may alternatively send comments by facsimile to 
(805) 644-3958.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Sinclair, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, by U.S. mail to the Ventura address in ADDRESSES, or by 
telephone at (805) 677-3315.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We have received an application from 
Lantana, LLC for a 5-year incidental take permit under the Act. The 
application addresses the potential for take of the federally 
endangered Mount Hermon June beetle (Polyphylla barbata) likely to 
occur incidental to the demolition of a single-family home and 
construction of two duet homes at 22 Blake Lane, Scotts Valley, Santa 
Cruz County, California. We invite comments from the public on the 
application package, which includes the Low-Effect Habitat Conservation 
Plan (HCP) for the Mount Hermon June Beetle.

Background

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) listed the Mount 
Hermon June beetle as endangered on January 24, 1997 (62 FR 3616). 
Section 9 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing 
regulations prohibit the take of fish or wildlife species listed as 
endangered or threatened. ``Take'' is defined under the Act to include 
the following activities: ``to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, 
wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any 
such conduct'' (16 U.S.C. 1532); however, under section 10(a)(1)(B) of 
the Act, we may issue permits to authorize incidental take of listed 
species. The Act defines ``Incidental Take'' as take that is incidental 
to, and not the purpose of carrying out an otherwise lawful activity. 
Regulations governing incidental take permits for threatened and 
endangered species are in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 
CFR 17.32 and 17.22, respectively. Issuance of an incidental take 
permit must not jeopardize the existence of federally listed fish, 
wildlife, or plant species. All species covered by the incidental take 
permit associated with this low-effect HCP receive assurances under our 
``No Surprises'' regulations (50 CFR 17.22(b)(5) and 17.32(b)(5)).

Applicant's Proposal

    Lantana, LLC (hereafter, the applicant) has submitted a low-effect 
HCP in support of their application for an incidental take permit (ITP) 
to address take of the Mount Hermon June beetle that is likely to occur 
as the result of direct impacts on up to 0.32 acre (ac) (14,031 square 
feet (sf)) of degraded

[[Page 53081]]

sandhills habitat occupied by the species. Take would be associated 
with the demolition of a single-family home and construction of two 
duet homes on a parcel legally described as Assessor Parcel Number: 
022-172-47. The current site address is 22 Blake Lane in Scotts Valley, 
Santa Cruz County, California. The applicant is requesting a permit for 
take of Mount Hermon June beetle that would result from ``covered 
activities'' that are related to the demolition of a single-family home 
and construction of two duet homes at 22 Blake Lane.
    The applicant proposes to avoid, minimize, and mitigate take of 
Mount Hermon June beetle associated with the covered activities by 
fully implementing the HCP. The following measures will be implemented: 
(1) Locating the project on a developed parcel where habitat is more 
degraded relative to intact habitat; (2) Avoiding the flight season, if 
possible, and using plastic sheeting or other soil-covering material to 
prevent Mount Hermon June beetles from burrowing into exposed soil in 
the construction site when/if soil disturbing activities must occur 
between May and August; (3) Having a qualified biologist translocate 
any larval beetles unearthed during construction activities to a 
portion of the project site outside of the impact area that supports 
intact vegetation; (4) Minimizing hardscaping associated with the 
project, and using native Sandhills plants and non-invasive ornamental 
plants in landscape areas; (5) Minimizing removal of native trees on 
the site, including the ponderosa pines and coast live oaks; (6) 
Revegetating areas of temporary habitat disturbance with native and 
non-invasive ornamental plants that do not degrade Mount Hermon June 
beetle habitat; and (7) Securing off-site mitigation at a ratio of 1:1 
to mitigate for habitat impacts through the acquisition of 0.32 ac 
(14,031 sf) of conservation credits at the Zayante Sandhills 
Conservation Bank. The applicant will fund all elements of the proposed 
conservation strategy to ensure implementation of all minimization 
measures, monitoring, and reporting requirements identified in the HCP.

Our Preliminary Determination

    The Service has made a preliminary determination that issuance of 
the incidental take permit is neither a major Federal action that will 
significantly affect the quality of the human environment within the 
meaning of section 102(2)(C) of NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) nor that 
it will, individually or cumulatively, have more than a negligible 
effect on the Mount Hermon June beetle, the only species covered in the 
HCP. Therefore, the permit qualifies for a categorical exclusion under 
NEPA.

Public Review

    We request comments on our determination that the applicant's 
proposal will have a minor or negligible effect on the Mount Hermon 
June beetle and that the plan qualifies as a low-effect HCP. We will 
evaluate the permit application, including the plan and comments we 
receive, to determine whether the application meets the requirements of 
section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act. We will use the results of our internal 
Service consultation, in combination with the above findings, in our 
final analysis to determine whether to issue the ITP. If the 
requirements are met, we will issue the ITP to the applicant. We will 
make the final permit decision no sooner than 30 days after the 
publication date of this notice.

Public Comments

    If you wish to comment on the permit application, HCP, and 
associated documents, you may submit comments by any one of the methods 
in ADDRESSES.

Public Availability of Comments

    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 us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public view, we cannot guarantee that we will be able 
to do so.

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: October 11, 2018.
Stephen P. Henry,
Field Supervisor, Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office.
[FR Doc. 2018-22748 Filed 10-18-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P

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