[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 95 (Thursday, May 17, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27840-27841]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9484]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Receipt of Applications for Incidental Take Permit for Four 
Condominium Complexes in Escambia County, Florida

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

[[Page 27841]]


ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability of 
four habitat conservation plans (HCPs), accompanying applications, and 
an environmental assessment (EA). One EA has been prepared for the four 
projects and analyzes the take of Perdido Key beach mice (Peromyscus 
polionotus trissyllepsis) incidental to developing, constructing, and 
human occupancy of Acropolis Development Enterprises, LLC, Midnight 
Property, Lorelei Development, LLC, and The Millennium Group I, LLC 
(Applicants) four condominium complexes in Escambia County, Florida 
(Projects). The applicants request incidental take permits (ITPs) 
pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
(Act), as amended. The Applicants' HCPs describe the mitigation and 
minimization measures proposed to address the effects of the Project to 
the Perdido Key beach mouse.

DATES: Written comments on the ITP applications and HCPs should be sent 
to the Fish and Wildlife Service's Regional Office (see ADDRESSES) and 
should be received on or before July 16, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Documents will be available for public inspection by 
appointment during normal business hours at the Fish and Wildlife 
Service's Regional Office, 1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 200, Atlanta, 
GA 30345 (Attn: Aaron Valenta); or Field Supervisor, Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 1601 Balboa Avenue, Panama City, FL 32405.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Aaron Valenta, Regional HCP 
Coordinator (see ADDRESSES), telephone: 404/679-4144, or Ms. Sandra 
Sneckenberger, Field Office Project Manager (see ADDRESSES), at 850/
769-0552, ext. 239.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We specifically request information, views, 
and opinions from the public via this notice on the Federal action, 
including the identification of any other aspects of the human 
environment not already identified in the EA. Further, we specifically 
solicit information regarding the adequacy of the HCPs as measures 
against our ITP issuance criteria found in 50 CFR parts 13 and 17.
    The EA is an assessment of the likely environmental impacts 
associated with the Projects and considers the environmental 
consequences of two alternatives and the proposed action. The proposed 
action alternative is issuance of the ITPs and implementation of the 
HCPs as submitted by the Applicants. The HCPs provide for: (1) 
Minimizing the footprint of the development; (2) restoring, preserving, 
and maintaining onsite beach mouse habitat at the project site; (3) 
incorporating requirements in the operation of the residence that 
provide for the conservation of the beach mouse; (4) monitoring the 
status of the beach mouse at the project site post-construction; (5) 
donating funds initially and on an annual basis to Perdido Key beach 
mouse conservation efforts; (6) including conservation measures to 
protect nesting sea turtles and non-breeding piping plover; and, (7) 
funding the mitigation measures.
    If you wish to comment, you may submit comments by any one of 
several methods. Please reference permit numbers TE-143687-0, TE-
143686-0, TE-143685-0, and TE-143688-0 in such comments. You may mail 
comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service's Regional Office (see 
ADDRESSES). You may also comment via the internet to [email protected]. Please include your name and return address in your 
internet message. If you do not receive a confirmation from us that we 
have received your internet message, contact us directly at either 
telephone number listed below (see FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
    Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to either Fish and Wildlife 
Service office listed (see ADDRESSES). Our practice is to make 
comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available 
for public review during regular business hours. Individual respondents 
may request that we withhold their home address from the administrative 
record. We will honor such requests to the extent allowable by law. 
There may also be other circumstances in which we would withhold from 
the administrative record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. 
If you wish us to withhold your name and address, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your comments. We will not, however, 
consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.
    The areas encompassed under the four ITPs total 5.77 acres along 
the beachfront of the Gulf of Mexico. Three of the projects are located 
on the western portion of Perdido Key, a 16.9 mile barrier island, and 
one project is located centrally on the Key. Perdido Key constitutes 
the entire historic range of the Perdido Key beach mouse.
    We will evaluate the HCPs, applications and any received comments 
to determine whether the applications meet the requirements of section 
10(a) of the Act. If it is determined that those requirements are met, 
the ITPs will be issued for the incidental take of the Perdido Key 
beach mouse. We will also evaluate whether issuance of the section 
10(a)(1)(B) ITPs comply with section 7 of the Endangered Species Act by 
conducting an intra-Service section 7 consultation. The results of this 
consultation, in combination with the above findings, will be used in 
the final analysis to determine whether or not to issue the ITPs.

    Dated: February 13, 2007.
Jackie Parrish,
Acting Regional Director.
 [FR Doc. E7-9484 Filed 5-16-07; 8:45 am]
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