[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
[[Page 34862]]
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: W8GreenDiamondEISHCP@fws.gov.
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
[[Page 34863]]
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