[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 141 (Monday, July 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34861-34863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15660]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

 [FWS-R8-ES-2018-N082; FXES11140800000-189-FF08E00000]


Green Diamond Resource Company Proposed Forest Habitat 
Conservation Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Humboldt 
and Del Norte Counties, CA

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Green Diamond Resource Company of Korbel, California 
(applicant), has applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service) for the issuance of an incidental take permit under the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA) and issuance of a Migratory Bird 
Scientific Collecting Permit under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act 
(MBTA). We advise the public of the availability of a proposed habitat 
conservation plan (HCP), which covers the northern spotted owl and 
three other species, and

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the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), for public review and 
comment. The HCP covers forest management, species management, and 
monitoring activity on commercial timberland in Humboldt and Del Norte 
Counties, California.

DATES: We will receive public comments on the HCP and DEIS until 
September 6, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may obtain the documents by the 
following methods.
     Internet: https://www.fws.gov/arcata/es/HCP.htm.
     Public libraries: Electronic copies of the documents will 
be available for viewing at Del Norte and Humboldt County Libraries on 
their public access computer stations. In Del Norte County, the 
documents will be available in the Main Library in Crescent City and in 
the branch library in Smith River. In Humboldt County, the documents 
will be at the Eureka Main Library, and at branch libraries in Arcata, 
McKinleyville, and Willow Creek.
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the 
following methods. Please include your contact information.
     Email: [email protected].
     U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Jennifer L. Norris, Assistant 
Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arcata Fish and 
Wildlife Office, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521-4573.
     Fax: 707-822-8411.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Norris, Assistant Field 
Supervisor, by phone at 707-822-7201, or via U.S. mail to U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521-4573.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Green Diamond Resource Company of 
Korbel, California (applicant), has applied to the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service (Service) for the issuance of an incidental take 
permit under section 10 (a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act, as 
amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The applicant is applying for a 
new incidental take permit to replace an existing 30-year permit that 
is due to expire in 2022. The applicant is requesting a permit for 
incidental take of four animal species during the proposed 50-year 
permit. The permit is needed to authorize incidental take of listed 
animal species resulting from covered activities. Additionally, the 
Applicant has applied for the issuance of a Migratory Bird Scientific 
Collecting Permit (50 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 21.23) under 
the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in support of research to determine 
whether removal of barred owls (Strix varia) can be scaled up to the 
Plan Area level for the benefit of northern spotted owls. The 
applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP) area encompasses 
357,412 acres of commercial timberland in Humboldt and Del Norte 
counties, California.
    Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), we advise 
the public of the availability of the proposed HCP and our draft 
environmental impact statement (DEIS).

Background

    Section 9 of the ESA and Federal regulations prohibit the ``take'' 
of fish and wildlife species federally listed as endangered or 
threatened. Take of federally listed fish or wildlife is defined under 
the ESA as to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, 
capture, or collect listed species, or attempt to engage in such 
conduct (16 U.S.C. 1538). ``Harm'' includes significant habitat 
modification or degradation that actually kills or injures listed 
wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, 
including breeding, feeding, and sheltering (50 CFR 17.3). Under 
limited circumstances, we may issue permits to authorize incidental 
take that is not the purpose of, otherwise lawful activities.
    The Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects over 1000 species of birds, 
including the barred owl. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act provides that 
it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, possess, sell, 
purchase, barter, import, export, or transport any migratory bird, or 
any part, nest, or egg of any such bird, unless authorized under a 
permit issued by the Secretary of the Interior. As authorized by the 
Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Service may issue permits for scientific 
collecting (50 CFR 21.23). Migratory bird permits are issued by the 
Regional Migratory Bird Permit Offices. The permit for this experiment 
would be issued by the USFWS Pacific Southwest Region in Sacramento, 
California.
    The proposed incidental take permit would cover one bird species, 
the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), which is 
federally listed as threatened. Three mammal species are also proposed 
to be covered; these species have no Federal listing status, and are 
the fisher (Pekania pennanti), red tree vole (Arborimus longicaudus), 
and Sonoma vole (Arborimus pomo).
    To determine whether removal of barred owls can be scaled up to the 
Plan Area level for the benefit of northern spotted owls, a Migratory 
Bird Scientific Collecting Permit for barred owl is proposed.
    The HCP area encompasses 357,412 acres. The HCP and permit contain 
conservation measures considered necessary to minimize and mitigate the 
impacts, to the maximum extent practicable, of the potential taking of 
federally listed species to be covered by the HCP and the habitats upon 
which they depend. The covered activities under the HCP are those 
associated with commercial forest management within the plan area.

National Environmental Policy Act Compliance

    The DEIS analyzes four land management alternatives. These include 
a ``no action'' alternative, which allows the existing 30-year 
incidental take permit to expire at the end of its term in 2022 with no 
permit replacement. The proposed action consists of a four-species HCP 
and associated permit with a 50-year term. Two other ``action'' 
alternatives are included. Alternatives A and B evaluate a single-
species HCP and 50-year permit for the northern spotted owl only. 
Alternative B is unique from Alternative A, as it proposes a shift in 
company policy from even-aged forest management toward uneven-aged 
forest management.

Public Review

    Any comments we receive will become part of the decision record 
associated with this action. 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 request in your comment that we withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so. All submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their 
entirety.

Authority

    We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22), MBTA (16 
U.S.C. 703 et seq.) and implementing regulations (50 CFR 21.23), and 
NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321

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et seq.) and NEPA implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).

Michael Fris,
Assistant Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, Sacramento, 
California.
[FR Doc. 2018-15660 Filed 7-20-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P