[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 163 (Monday, August 24, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45088-45089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-22608]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Availability of an Environmental Assessment and Receipt of a
Proposal for a Minor Adjustment to the Riverside County Habitat
Conservation Agency's Stephens' Kangaroo Rat Habitat Conservation Plan
in Western Riverside County, California
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service has under consideration a
proposal for a minor adjustment to the Riverside County Habitat
Conservation Agency's Stephens' Kangaroo Rat Habitat Conservation Plan
(Plan). The proposed minor adjustment is in accordance with the Plan
and Implementation Agreement for the existing section 10(a)(1)(B)
permit (PRT-739678) issued by the Service in May 1996. The applicant is
the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency (Agency), a joint
powers agency comprised of the following nine member agencies: County
of Riverside, City of Corona, City of Hemet, City of Lake Elsinore,
City of Moreno Valley, City of Murrieta, City of Perris, City of
Riverside, and the City of Temecula. In response to the proposal, an
Environmental Assessment has been prepared pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act and is available. This notice describes the
currently proposed action and alternatives, and solicits comments on
the issues and alternatives raised in the Environmental Assessment.
DATES: Written comments related to the Service's Environmental
Assessment and the Applicant's proposed minor adjustment to the Plan
should be received by the Service on or before September 23, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Information, comments, or questions regarding the
Environmental Assessment and the Applicant's proposed minor adjustment
to the Plan should be submitted to Mr. Ken S. Berg, Field Supervisor,
Fish and Wildlife Service, 2730 Loker Avenue West, Carlsbad, California
92008. Written comments also may be sent by facsimile to (760) 431-
9618.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jim Bartel, Assistant Field
Supervisor, at the above Carlsbad address, telephone (760) 431-9440.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Document Availability
Individuals wishing copies of the Environmental Assessment should
immediately contact the above individual. Persons wishing to review
background material may obtain it by contacting Kristi Lovelady of the
Agency, at 4080 Lemon Street, 12th floor, Riverside, California,
telephone (909) 955-1131. Documents also will be available for public
inspection by appointment during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 5
p.m., Monday through Friday) at the Service's Carlsbad Field Office
(see ADDRESSES section above) and at various public libraries
throughout Riverside County. To find out the exact addresses of the
public libraries, contact the Service or the Agency at the referenced
locations.
Background
The Service listed the Stephens' kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi)
as an endangered species on September 30, 1988 (53 FR 38465). As an
endangered species, the Stephens' kangaroo rat is protected pursuant to
Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act (Act) against ``take;'' that
is, no one may harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap,
capture or collect the species, or attempt to engage in such conduct
(16 USC 1538). However, under certain circumstances, the Service may
issue permits to take endangered wildlife species incidental to, and
not the purpose of, otherwise lawful activities. Regulations governing
permits for endangered species are at 50 CFR 17.22.
Based upon the March 1996 Plan and Implementation Agreement, and
after compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the
Service issued a permit to the Agency on May 3, 1996, to incidentally
take the Stephens' kangaroo rat. The 30-year Plan is designed to
acquire and permanently conserve, maintain, and fund the conservation,
preservation, restoration, and enhancement of Stephens' kangaroo rat
occupied habitat. The Plan covers approximately 534,000 acres within
the Agency member jurisdictions, including an estimated 30,000 acres of
occupied Stephens' kangaroo rat habitat. The Plan requires Agency
members to preserve and manage 15,000 acres of occupied Stephens'
kangaroo rat habitat in 7 Core
[[Page 45089]]
Reserves encompassing over 41,000 acres. Currently 12,460 acres of
occupied habitat exists within the Core Reserves.
Article III, Section B(2) of the Implementation Agreement entered
into by the Service, the Agency, and the California Department of Fish
and Game (Department) mandates the establishment of the Core Reserves
with boundaries as set forth in the Plan. This section of the
Implementation Agreement allows the Agency, with written consent of the
Service and the Department, to modify through sale, exchange, or
otherwise the configuration, size and/or location of the Core Reserves,
if in the opinion of the Service and the Department ``the revised
configurations better address the overall conservation needs of the
Stephens' kangaroo rat.'' Article VI, Section A(2), of the
Implementation Agreement also allows minor adjustments to the Plan
including ``modification to the configuration of a Core Reserve so long
as the amount of occupied habitat contained within the Core Reserve is
not diminished and so long as the Service and the Department determine,
in writing, that the revised configuration better addresses the overall
conservation needs of the Stephens' kangaroo rat.''
The Agency proposes to adjust acreage in two Core Reserves set
forth in the Plan (Lake Mathews/Estelle Mountain and Lake Skinner)
pursuant to Article III, Section B(2) and Article VI, Section A(2) of
the Implementation Agreement. The purpose of the proposed action is to
allow 561 acres of property to be removed from two Core Reserves and
replaced with 719 acres of other land with equal or better value to
Stephens' kangaroo rat. This minor adjustment will also release from
the Core Reserves all remaining private property owners that do not
wish to sell their land to the Agency for inclusion in the Core
Reserves.
The Environmental Assessment analyses the proposed action and the
no project alternatives in detail. In addition, several other
alternatives were considered but not advanced for in-depth analysis due
to inferior reserve design, unwilling property sellers and economic
considerations. These alternatives include different configurations at
three Core Reserves: Lake Mathews/Estelle Mountain, Lake Skinner, and
San Jacinto Wildlife.
This notice is provided pursuant to section 10 of the Act and the
National Environmental Policy Act regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). The
Service will evaluate the proposed minor adjustment to the Plan and
comments submitted thereon. If it is determined that the requirements
are met, the Plan will be amended. The final determinations will be
made no sooner than 30 days from the date of this notice.
Dated: August 18, 1998.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. 98-22608 Filed 8-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P