[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 119 (Thursday, June 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 34271]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12001]



[[Page 34271]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit for 
Construction of the Fire Station/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) 11 
Facility in Charlotte County, FL

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of an incidental take permit (ITP) and Habitat 
Conservation Plan (HCP). Charlotte County Facilities Construction and 
Maintenance (applicant) requests an ITP pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) 
of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The applicant 
anticipates taking about 4.56 acres (1.85 hectares (ha)) of Florida 
scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) (scrub-jay) foraging and sheltering 
habitat incidental to lot preparation for the construction of the Fire 
Station/EMS 11 facility and supporting infrastructure in Charlotte 
County, Florida (project). The applicant's HCP describes the mitigation 
and minimization measures proposed to address the effects of the 
project on the Florida scrub-jay.

DATES: We must receive your written comments on the ITP application and 
HCP on or before July 23, 2007.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for information 
on how to submit your comments on the ITP application and HCP. You may 
obtain a copy of the ITP application and HCP by writing to the South 
Florida Ecological Services Office, Attn: Permit number TE108859-0, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960-
3559. In addition, we will make the ITP application and HCP available 
for public inspection by appointment during normal business hours at 
the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Trish Adams, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, South Florida Ecological Services Office (see ADDRESSES); 
telephone: (772) 562-3909, ext. 232.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: If you wish to comment on the ITP 
application and HCP, you may submit comments by any one of the 
following methods. Please reference permit number TE108859-0 in such 
comments.
    1. Mail or hand-deliver comments to our South Florida Ecological 
Services Office address (see ADDRESSES).
    2. E-mail comments to [email protected]. If you do not receive a 
confirmation that we have received your e-mail message, contact us 
directly at the telephone number listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comments, 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 review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    Construction for the Fire Station/EMS 11 HCP will take place within 
Section 16, Township 40 South, Range 23 East, Punta Gorda, Charlotte 
County, Florida, at 2403 Highlands Road, in the Harbor Heights 
Subdivision. This lot is within scrub-jay occupied habitat.
    The lot encompasses about 4.56 acres (1.85 ha), and the footprint 
of the project facility, infrastructure, and landscaping precludes 
retention of scrub-jay habitat on this lot. In order to minimize take 
on site, the applicant proposes to mitigate for the loss of 4.56 acres 
(1.85 ha) of scrub-jay habitat by restoring and managing 9.02 acres 
(3.65 ha) of a conservation easement that they have acquired for scrub-
jays.
    We have determined that the applicant's proposal, including the 
proposed mitigation and minimization measures, will have a minor or 
negligible effect on the species covered in the HCP. Therefore, the ITP 
is a ``low-effect'' project and qualifies as a categorical exclusion 
under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as provided by the 
Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 2 Appendix 1 and 516 DM 6 
Appendix 1). Low-effect HCPs are those involving (1) minor or 
negligible effects on federally listed or candidate species and their 
habitats and (2) minor or negligible effects on other environmental 
values or resources. Based on our review of public comments that we 
receive in response to this notice, we may revise this preliminary 
determination.
    We will evaluate the HCP and comments submitted thereon to 
determine whether the application meets the requirements of section 
10(a) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). If we determine that the 
application meets the requirements, we will issue the ITP for 
incidental take of the Florida scrub-jay. We will also evaluate whether 
issuance of the section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP complies with section 7 of the 
Act by conducting an intra-Service section 7 consultation. We will use 
the results of this consultation, in combination with the above 
findings, in the final analysis to determine whether or not to issue 
the ITP.

    Authority: We provide this notice pursuant to Section 10 of the 
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and NEPA regulations 
(40 CFR 1506.6).

    Dated: June 8, 2007.
Paul Souza,
Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Field Office.
[FR Doc. E7-12001 Filed 6-20-07; 8:45 am]
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