[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 24, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32772-32773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-12159]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2016-N058; 40120-1112-0000-F2]


Incidental Take Permit Applications for Alabama Beach Mouse; Gulf 
Shores, Alabama

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Under the Endangered Species Act, we, the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, announce the receipt and availability of two proposed 
low-effect habitat conservation plans and accompanying incidental take 
permit applications for take of the Alabama beach mouse habitat 
incidental to construction in Gulf Shores, Alabama. We invite public 
comments on these documents.

DATES: We must receive any written comments at our Alabama Field Office 
(see ADDRESSES) on or before June 23, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: Documents are available for public 
inspection by appointment during normal business hours at the Fish and 
Wildlife Service's Alabama Field Office, 1208-B Main Street, Daphne, 
Alabama 36526. Please submit comments by U.S. mail to the Fish and 
Wildlife Service's Alabama Field Office.
    Submitting Comments: For how to submit comments, see Public 
Comments in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Bill Lynn, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist (see ADDRESSES); telephone: 251-441-5868.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction

    We announce the availability of two proposed low-effect habitat 
conservation plans (HCP), which analyze the take of the Alabama beach 
mouse (Peromyscus polionotus ammobates) (ABM) incidental to 
construction of 19 single-family homes by West Beach LLC on a 1.02-acre 
lot and construction of single-family home by Charles M. Smith on a 
0.39 acre lot in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The applicants request 
incidental take permits (ITP) under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the 
Endangered Species Act (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). If we approve 
these two ITP's, the West Beach LLC anticipates the taking of up to 
1.02 acres of ABM habitat over a requested 25-year ITP, and Charles M. 
Smith anticipates the taking of up to 0.06 acre of ABM habitat over a 
50-year ITP.

Applicants' Proposals

West Beach LLC

    The applicant proposes to minimize and mitigate the take of up to 
1.02 acres of ABM habitat at 1932 West Beach Boulevard, Gulf Shores, 
Alabama, by using routine ABM conservation measures at the proposed 
development (such as minimizing construction footprint, restoration of 
native vegetation, and measures to minimize effects to ABM during 
occupancy and use of the development) and by donating a 0.91-acre 
``inholding'' lot of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (BSNWR). The 
lot proposed for development currently has a single-family house on it 
and a large portion of the lot has been previously used as a 
construction storage yard. The lot proposed for mitigation is within 
the acquisition boundary of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, and 
contains high-quality habitat and will be donated to the Alabama 
Coastal Heritage Trust (ACHT). ACHT will either place a conservation 
easement on the lot or eventually convey it to BSNWR.

Charles M. Smith

    The applicant proposes to minimize and mitigate the take of up to 
0.06 acres of ABM habitat at an inholding lot off Mobile Street within 
the Perdue Unit of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (BSNWR), Gulf 
Shores, Alabama by using standard ABM conservation measures at the 
proposed development and by donating an ``in-lieu'' fee to the Friends 
of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge group (FBSNWR). The lot proposed 
for development currently is undeveloped, but will utilize an existing 
driveway to minimize impacts. The ``in-lieu'' fee will be donated to 
the FBSNWR group whom will use the fee to either managed, maintain, or 
acquire ABM habitat within the BSNWR Perdue Unit.

Our Preliminary Determination

    We have made a preliminary determination that the applicants' 
projects, including the mitigation measures, will individually and 
cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the species covered 
in the HCPs. Therefore, our proposed issuance of the requested ITPs 
qualifies as a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), as provided by Department of the Interior 
implementing regulations in part 46 of

[[Page 32773]]

title 43 of the Code of Federal Regulations (43 CFR 46.205, 46.210, and 
46.215).
    We base our determination that issuance of each ITP qualifies as a 
low-effect action on the following three criteria: (1) Implementation 
of the project would result in minor or negligible effects on federally 
listed, proposed, and candidate species and their habitats; (2) 
Implementation of the project would result in minor or negligible 
effects on other environmental values or resources; and (3) Impacts of 
the plan, considered together with the impacts of other past, present, 
and reasonably foreseeable similarly situated projects, would not 
result, over time, in cumulative effects to environmental values or 
resources that would be considered significant. As more fully explained 
in our environmental action statement and associated Low-Effect 
Screening Form, the applicant's proposed project qualifies as a ``low-
effect'' project. This preliminary determination may be revised based 
on our review of public comments that we receive in response to this 
notice.

Public Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, 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.
    If you wish to comment, you may submit comments by any one of 
several methods. Please reference TE84215B-0 (West Beach LLC), or 
TE84216B-0 (Charles M. Smith) in such comments. You may mail comments 
to the Fish and Wildlife Service's Alabama Field 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 under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 
Finally, you may hand-deliver comments to the office listed under 
ADDRESSES.

Covered Area

    The area encompassed by the HCPs and applications is the 1.02-acre 
lot located at 1932 West Beach Boulevard, and the 0.39-acre inholding 
lot located in the Perdue Unit of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, 
in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Next Steps

    We will evaluate the ITP applications, including the HCP's and any 
comments we receive, to determine whether the application meets the 
requirements of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act. We will also evaluate 
whether issuance of a 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 our final analysis to determine whether or not to 
issue the ITP. If we determine that the requirements are met, we will 
issue the ITPs for the incidental take of ABM habitat.

Authority

    We provide this notice under Section 10 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 
et seq.) and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).

    Dated: May 18, 2016
William J. Pearson,
Field Supervisor, Alabama Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2016-12159 Filed 5-23-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P