[Federal Register: September 8, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 174)]
[Notices]
[Page 53130-53131]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08se06-65]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Proposed John W. Starr Memorial Forest, Mississippi State
University Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Safe Harbor Agreement, Oktibbeha and
Winston Counties, MS
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Mississippi State University (MSU or Applicant) has applied to
the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an enhancement of survival
permit (ESP) under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (Act). The ESP application includes a proposed Safe
Harbor Agreement (Agreement) for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker
(Picoides borealis) (RCW) for a period of 20 years. If approved, the
Agreement would allow the Applicant to establish and enhance RCW
habitat on the John W. Starr Memorial Forest (JSMF).
We announce the opening of a 30-day comment period and request
comments from the public on the Applicant's ESP application, the
accompanying proposed Agreement, and the supporting Environmental
Action Statement (EAS) Screening Form.
DATES: Written comments should be received on or before October 10,
2006.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the information available by
contacting the Field Supervisor, Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological
Services Field Office, 6578 Dogwood View Parkway, Suite A, Jackson,
Mississippi 39213. Alternatively, you may set up an appointment to view
these documents during normal business hours. Written data or comments
should be submitted to the Service's Regional Safe Harbor Coordinator,
Fish and Wildlife Service, 1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 200, Atlanta,
Georgia 30345. Note that requests for any documents must be in writing
to be processed. When you are requesting or reviewing the information
provided in this notice, please reference ``Proposed Mississippi State
University Red-cockaded Woodpecker Safe Harbor Agreement'' in any
correspondence.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Kathy Lunceford, Fish and Wildlife
Biologist, Mississippi Ecological Services Field Office (see
ADDRESSES), telephone: (601) 321-1132; or Mr. Rick Gooch, Regional Safe
Harbor Program Coordinator at the Service's Southeast Regional Office
(see ADDRESSES), telephone: (404) 679-7124.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under a Safe Harbor Agreement, participating
property owners voluntarily undertake management activities on their
property to enhance, restore, or maintain habitat benefiting species
listed under the Act. Safe Harbor Agreements encourage private and
other non-Federal property owners to implement conservation efforts for
listed species by assuring property owners that they will not be
subjected to increased property use restrictions if their efforts
attract listed species to their property or increase the numbers or
distributions of listed species already on their property. Application
requirements and issuance criteria for ESPs through Safe Harbor
Agreements are found in 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32.
MSU's proposed Agreement is designed to allow for management
activities for the RCW on the JSMF and
[[Page 53131]]
to provide regulatory assurance to MSU by relieving it from any
additional responsibility under the Act beyond that which exists at the
time it enters into the program, i.e., the Safe Harbor Agreement.
Specifically, the Applicant will restore and enhance RCW habitat by the
following actions: (1) Grow and maintain trees of sufficient size and
quantity for suitable nesting /roosting habitat for three recruitment
clusters; (2) Install artificial nesting cavity inserts; and (3)
Control hardwood mid and under story vegetation and provide diverse
herbaceous groundcover by thinning timber and prescribing frequent
fire.
No RCWs currently occupy the JSMF; therefore, MSU has a zero
baseline. As a result of the specific conservation actions, however, it
is expected that the RCW population on the JSMF will increase from this
baseline. Under the Agreement, MSU may be allowed the opportunity to
incidentally take RCWs at some point in the future if above-baseline
RCWs are attracted to the enrolled property by the proactive management
measures undertaken by MSU. The authorization for incidental take in
the Agreement and ESP will have certain conditions. Further details on
the topics described above are found in the aforementioned documents
available for review under this notice.
The geographic scope of the Applicant's Agreement is approximately
8,136 acres of land (e.g., the JSMF), which is located in Oktibbeha and
Winston Counties, Mississippi.
We have made a preliminary determination that execution of the
Agreement and associated issuance of the ESP will not result in
significant environmental, economic, social, historical or cultural
impacts and is, therefore, categorically excluded from review under the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, pursuant
to 516 Department Manual 2, Appendix 1 and 516 Department Manual 6
Appendix 1. In addition, we have evaluated the proposed Agreement and
ESP application under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
Act and have concluded that approval will not affect cultural resources
on, or eligible for, the National Historic Register of Historic Places.
We base our conclusions on our review of the process for protection and
consideration of cultural resources included in the associated
Agreement as well as on the scope of the voluntary management actions
identified in the Agreement. We have consulted with the Mississippi
State Historic Preservation Officer and have received concurrence with
our conclusion.
We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the Act (16 U.S.C.
1531, et seq.) and under our implementing regulations for NEPA (40 CFR
1506.6). We will evaluate the proposed Agreement, associated documents,
and comments submitted thereon to determine whether the requirements of
section 10(a) of the Act and NEPA have been met. If we determine that
the requirements are met, we will issue an ESP under section
10(a)(1)(A) of the Act to the Applicant in accordance with the terms of
the Agreement and specific terms and conditions of the authorizing ESP.
We will not make our final decision until after the end of the 30-day
comment period and will fully consider all comments received during the
comment period.
Dated: August 30, 2006.
Ed Buskirk,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. E6-14868 Filed 9-7-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P