DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit for Construction of a Single-Family Home in Charlotte County, FL

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Carmen and John Wilson (Applicants) request an incidental take permit (ITP) for a duration of one year, pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Applicants anticipate removal of about 0.23 acre of Florida scrub- jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) (scrub-jay) foraging, sheltering, and possibly nesting habitat, incidental to lot preparation for the construction of a single-family home and supporting infrastructure in Charlotte County, Florida (Project). The Applicants' Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) describes the mitigation and minimization measures proposed to address the effects of the Project to the scrub- jay. These measures are outlined in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below.


DATES: Written comments on the ITP application and HCP should be sent to the Service's Regional Office (see ADDRESSES) and should be received on or before January 26, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the application and HCP may obtain a copy by writing the Service's Southeast Regional Office, 1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30345 (Attn: Endangered Species Permits), or the Service's South Florida Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, Florida 32960-3559. Please reference permit number TE118198-0 in such requests. Documents will also be available for public inspection by appointment during normal business hours at the Southeast Regional Office or the South Florida Ecological Services Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Dell, Regional HCP Coordinator, (see ADDRESSES above), telephone: 404/679-7313, facsimile: 404/679-7081; or Elizabeth Landrum, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, South Florida Ecological Services Field Office, Vero Beach, Florida (see ADDRESSES above), telephone: 772/562-3909, ext. 304, facsimile: 772/ 562/4288.

Recent surveys by environmental consultants documented the presence of scrub-jays using the Applicants' property in Port Charlotte, Florida (Harbor Heights Subdivision). It was determined that one scrub-jay family, currently consisting of two adult birds, likely use the property as a portion of their territory. The scrub-jays using the subject residential lot and adjacent properties are part of a larger complex of scrub-jays located in a matrix of urban and natural settings in Charlotte County.

The Applicants propose to minimize impacts to the scrub-jay by conducting land clearing activities outside of the nesting season (March 1 through June 30). In addition, the Applicants would landscape only with native scrub oaks and other native scrub vegetation, and would avoid planting tall growing trees that could serve as perches for scrub-jay predators.

The Applicants would not keep and would try to prevent free-roaming cats from residing on the property as these may prey upon young scrub-jays. The Applicants propose to mitigate the take of scrub-jays through contribution of $12,190 to an approved scrub-jay conservation fund. Funds in this account would be earmarked for use in the conservation and recovery of scrub-jays, including habitat acquisition, restoration, and management.