Palm Springs, Calif. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces the opening of a public review period of a draft environmental impact statement for a general conservation plan for the federally threatened Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in California.
The general conservation plan will support local agencies and individuals proposing a range of covered activities on non-federal lands in meeting the statutory and regulatory requirements of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, while promoting conservation of the desert tortoise.
“The general conservation plan will advance desert tortoise conservation by working with project proponents to direct mitigation to focused areas that have more protection and higher quality habitat. This proposal would focus mitigation within conservation areas, create a more consistent approach rather than working on a case-by-case basis, and allow more staff time for on-the ground conservation work for the desert tortoise,” said Peter Sanzenbacher, Palm Springs Fish and Wildlife Office, Mojave Desert Division Supervisor.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to streamline ESA compliance for the species on non-federal lands during commercial, agricultural, residential, industrial and infrastructure development while providing for a more consistent and durable approach to off-setting potential effects. The Bureau of Land Management is a cooperating agency for the environmental impact statement because some areas of public land could be used for relocation of desert tortoises displaced by covered activities, and for mitigation resulting from issued incidental take permits to more effectively promote tortoise conservation and recovery.
The draft environmental impact statement evaluates potential impacts of the general conservation plan. The public can assist in this evaluation by reviewing the alternatives and the analyses in the draft environmental impact statement.
The draft general conservation plan and instructions on how to submit comments are available at www.regulations.gov, by searching Docket No. FWS-R8-ES-2023-0084. Comments will be accepted until December 10, 2024.
Additionally, the Fish and Wildlife Service will hold two virtual public meetings to provide an overview of the general conservation plan and draft environmental impact statement and answer questions. The virtual meetings are scheduled for November 12 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and November 13 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
Meeting details are available at https://www.virtualpublicmeeting.com/usfws-desert-tortoise-gcp-eis.
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