Fish and Wildlife Service August 13, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed endangered Karner blue butterfly incidental to otherwise lawful activities associated with expansion of an existing trail system and routine property maintenance and management activities within the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. The applicant also seeks take coverage for the frosted elfin butterfly, listed as threatened by the State of New York, should it become federally listed in the future. The applicant proposes a conservation program to minimize and mitigate the impacts of unavoidable incidental take of the two species, as described in its habitat conservation plan (HCP). We invite public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed HCP, and the Service's preliminary determination that the covered actions and incidental take which may occur under this proposed HCP, if implemented, qualifies as ``low effect,'' and therefore our issuance of the requested ITP authorizing the take would be categorically excluded from further review under the National Environmental Policy Act. To make this determination, we used our environmental action statement and low- effect screening form, both of which are also available for public review. We provide this notice to seek comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments.