[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8267-8268]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-3863]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2008-N0332; 40120-1112-0000-F2]


Receipt of Applications for the Renewal of Incidental Take 
Permits for Residential Construction in Charlotte and Sarasota County, 
FL

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit renewal applications; request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) issued incidental 
take permits (permits), pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, for incidental take of the 
threatened Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) (scrub-jay) in 
Sarasota County, Florida, to Paul Athanas (TE126176-0) and to David 
Boxer (TE156306-0) in Charlotte County, Florida (Applicants). The 
Applicants have requested renewals that will extend permit expiration 
by 5 years from the date their permits are reissued. The Applicants 
have agreed to follow all of the existing habitat conservation plan 
(HCP) conditions. If renewed, no additional take will be authorized.

DATES: We must receive your written comments on the permit renewals on 
or before March 26, 2009.

ADDRESSES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for 
information on how to submit your comments on the permit renewals. You 
may obtain a copy of the permit renewal applications and the HCPs by 
writing to the South Florida Ecological Services Office, Attn: Permit 
number TE126176-1/TE156306-1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1339 20th 
Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960-3559. In addition, we will make the permit 
renewal applications and HCPs 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 permit 
renewals, you may submit comments by any one of the following methods. 
Please reference permit number TE126176-1/TE156306-1 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.
    Residential construction for the Paul Athanas HCP will take place 
within Section 33, Township 39, Range 19, South Venice, Sarasota 
County, Florida,

[[Page 8268]]

at Poinciana Road, Lots 1652, 1653, and 1654, of South Venice unit 5, 
property identification number 0459-05-0033. These lots are within 
scrub-jay occupied habitat. The lots encompass about 0.275 acres (0.11 
ha), and the footprint of the home, infrastructure, and landscaping 
precludes retention of scrub-jay habitat on these lots. Details of the 
habitat conservation plan are available (see ADDRESSES).
    Residential construction for the David Boxer HCP will take place 
within Section 24, Township 40, Range 21, Port Charlotte, Charlotte 
County, Florida, at 3300 Liberty Street, property identification number 
402124336005. This lot is within scrub-jay occupied habitat. The lot 
encompasses about 0.23 acres (0.09 ha), and the footprint of the home, 
infrastructure, and landscaping precludes retention of scrub-jay 
habitat on this lot. Details of the habitat conservation plan are 
available (see ADDRESSES).
    The Service has made preliminary determinations that renewal of the 
permits is neither a major Federal action that will significantly 
affect the quality of the human environment within the meaning of 
section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), nor 
will they individually or cumulatively have more than a negligible 
effect on the species covered in the HCPs. Therefore, the permit 
renewals qualify as categorical exclusions under NEPA as provided by 
the Department of Interior Manual (516 DM 2, Appendix 1 and 516 DM 
8.5).

    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: December 2, 2008.
Paul Souza,
Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Field Office.
[FR Doc. E9-3863 Filed 2-23-09; 8:45 am]
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