[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 4 (Friday, January 6, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 2156]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-309]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Availability of a Revised Environmental Assessment and Receipt of 
an New Application for an Incidental Take Permit for a Project Called 
The Cloisters, a Single Family Residence Subdivision, in Brevard 
County, Florida

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Cavalear Companies (Applicant), is seeking an incidental 
take permit from the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), pursuant to 
Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as 
amended. The permit would authorize the take of two families of the 
threatened Florida scrub jay, Aphelocoma coerulescens coerulescens, and 
several of the threatened Eastern Indigo Snake, Drymarchon corais 
couperi, in Brevard County, Florida, for a period of 5 years. The 
proposed taking is incidental to construction of 266 single family 
homes including the necessary infrastructure on approximately 104 acres 
(Project), 15.5 acres of which is occupied by Florida scrub jay habitat 
to be permanently altered. The Project is called The Cloisters, and is 
located along State Road A1A, south of the Terrace Shores subdivision, 
in the south beaches area of Brevard County, Florida.
    The Service also announces the availability of a new environmental 
assessment (EA) and revised habitat conservation plan (HCP) for the 
incidental take application. Copies of the EA or HCP may be obtained by 
making a request to the Regional Office address below. This notice also 
advises the public that the Service has made a preliminary 
determination that issuing the incidental take permit is not a major 
Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human 
environment within the meaning of Section 102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. The Finding of No 
Significant Impact is based on information contained in the EA and HCP. 
The final determination will be made no sooner than 30 days from the 
date of this notice. This notice is provided pursuant to Section 10(c) 
of the Act and National Environmental Policy Act Regulations (40 CFR 
1506.6).

DATES: Written comments on the permit application, EA and HCP should be 
received on or before February 6, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the application, HCP, and EA may 
obtain a copy by writing the Service's Southeast Regional Office, 
Atlanta, Georgia. Documents will also be available for public 
inspection by appointment during normal business hours at the Regional 
Office, or the Jacksonville, Florida, Field Office. Written data or 
comments concerning the application, EA, or HCP should be submitted to 
the Regional Office. Please reference permit under PRT-795856 in such 
comments.
    Regional Permit Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1875 
Century Boulevard, Suite 210, Atlanta, Georgia 30345, (telephone 404/
679-7110, fax 404/679-7081).
    Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6620 Southpoint 
Drive, South, Suite 310, Jacksonville, Florida 32216-0912, (telephone 
904/232-2580, fax 904/232-2404).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dawn Zattau at the Jacksonville, 
Florida, Field Office, or Rick G. Gooch at the Atlanta, Georgia, 
Regional Office.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The notice announces the availability of a 
revised HCP and application for the Project. This notice modifies a 
previous one published for the Project in the Federal Register 
appearing on October 28, 1994 (Federal Register 59:54207). As a result 
of the public comment period on the original application, 15 comments 
were received. The majority of the comments identified several 
deficiences in the original HCP and application. Subsequent to 
discussions between the Service and the applicant, the applicant 
withdrew the original application from consideration. The applicant has 
resubmitted a revised HCP and application to address the identified 
deficiences.
    The following is a summary of the revised HCP and application:
     The total acreage of habitat occupied by the Florida scrub 
jay is determined to be 15.5 acres, not 12 acres as originally stated. 
Mitigation of 31.5 acres is now proposed in the revised HCP (versus an 
original mitigation of 24 acres in fee-simple acquisition).
     The revised HCP has added a request for incidental take of 
the threatened Eastern Indigo Snake on the Project, and several listed 
plants are now included in the Service's analysis of biological impacts 
from the Project.
     The revised HCP is seeking incidental take of two families 
of Florida scrub jays (versus one family of jays in the original 
application).

    Dated: December 30, 1994.
John T. Brown,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 95-309 Filed 1-5-95; 8:45 am]
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