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Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment and Receipt of Applications for Incidental Take Permits for I.P. Pacific Timberlands, Inc. (I.P. Pacific) Draft Habitat Conservation Plan, Yakima and Klickitat Counties, WA.

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: September 19, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 182)]
[Notices]
[Page 56535-56537]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19se00-32]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[I.D. 091100E]


Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment and Receipt of
Applications for Incidental Take Permits for I.P. Pacific Timberlands,
Inc. (I.P. Pacific) Draft Habitat Conservation Plan, Yakima and
Klickitat Counties, WA.

AGENCIES: National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, Commerce; Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.

ACTION: Notice of application and availability for public comment.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises other agencies and the public that I.P.
Pacific has submitted applications to the Fish and Wildlife Service and
the National Marine Fisheries Service (collectively, the Services) for
Incidental Take Permits (Permits) pursuant to the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (Act). As required by the Act, I.P. Pacific has
also prepared a draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) intended to
minimize and mitigate any such take of endangered or threatened
species. The Permit applications are related to forest land management
and timber harvest on 28,388 acres of I.P. Pacific's lands within the
Yakama Indian Reservation, located in Yakima and Klickitat Counties,
WA.
    The Permit applications include the draft HCP and the draft
Implementing Agreement. The Services also announce the availability of
a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Permit applications. The
draft EA and HCP have been combined in a single document with the HCP
as the Proposed Action Alternative, Alternative B, termed the Multi-
species HCP Alternative.
    This notice is provided pursuant to the Act and National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. The Services are
furnishing this notice in order to allow other agencies and the public
an opportunity to review and comment on these documents. All comments
received will become part of the public record and will be available
for review pursuant to the Act.

DATES: Written comments on the permit applications, draft EA, HCP, and
Implementing Agreement must be received no later than November 20,
2000.

ADDRESSES: Requests for documents on CD ROM should be made by calling
the Fish and Wildlife Service at (360) 534-9330. Hardbound copies are
also available for viewing, and partial or complete duplication (see
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, under the heading Libraries).
    The documents may also be viewed electronically on the World Wide
Web at the Fish and Wildlife Service Region 1 HCP Home Page: http://
pacific.fws.gov/hcp.
    Comments and requests for information should be directed to Tim
McCracken, Project Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Service, 215 Melody
Lane, Wenatchee, WA 98801, telephone: (509) 665-3505, facsimile:
(509)665-3509, or Matt Longenbaugh, Project Biologist,

[[Page 56536]]

National Marine Fisheries Service, 510 Desmond Drive, S.E., Suite 103,
Lacey, WA 98503-1263, telephone: (360)753-7761; facsimile: (360)753-
9517. Comments and materials received will also be available for public
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours by calling
(360) 534-9330.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 9 of the Act and Federal regulations
prohibit the ``taking'' of a species listed as endangered or
threatened. The term ``take'' is defined under the Act to mean harass,
harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or
to attempt to engage in any such conduct. Harm is defined to include
significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills
or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral
patterns, including breeding, spawning, rearing, migrating, feeding, or
sheltering.
    The proposed Permits would authorize take of the following
endangered or threatened species incidental to otherwise lawful
activities: northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), bald
eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), gray
wolf (Canis lupus), Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), bull trout
(Salvelinus confluentus), and the mid-Columbia River Evolutionarily
Significant Unit of steelhead (Onchorhyncus mykiss). The proposed
Permits would also authorize future incidental take for 30 currently
unlisted species, should they become listed in the future, such as coho
salmon (Onchorhyncus kisutch), Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa).
    The Services may issue permits, under limited circumstances, to
take listed species incidental to, and not the purpose of, otherwise
lawful activities. Fish and Wildlife Service regulations governing
permits for endangered species are promulgated in 50 CFR 17.22 and,
regulations governing permits for threatened species are promulgated in
50 CFR 17.32. National Marine Fisheries Service regulations governing
permits for threatened and endangered species are promulgated in 50 CFR
222.307.
    I.P. Pacific owns and manages scattered parcels throughout the
upper Klickitat River Basin. The portion of these lands located within
the Yakama Indian Reservation are being considered by the Services for
coverage under section 10(a) of the Act. I.P. Pacific's ownership
proposed for coverage totals 28,388 acres, located near the southwest
corner of Yakima County near the town of Glenwood, WA. Proposed
management activities include timber harvest and general forest
management. Some timber harvest and forest management activities have
the potential to affect species subject to protection under the Act.
Section 10 of the Act contains provisions for the issuance of permits
to non-federal land owners for the take of endangered and threatened
species, provided the take is incidental to otherwise lawful
activities, and will not appreciably reduce the likelihood of the
survival and recovery of the species in the wild. In addition, the
applicant must prepare and submit to the Services for approval an HCP
containing a strategy for minimizing and mitigating all take associated
with the proposed activities to the maximum extent practicable. The
applicant must also ensure that adequate funding for the HCP will be
provided.
    I.P. Pacific has developed the draft HCP with technical assistance
from the Services to obtain the Permits for their activities on land
under their ownership within the boundaries of the Yakama Indian
Reservation. Activities proposed for Permit coverage include the
following: harvest of trees; silvicultural treatments; site
preparation; tree planting; timberland inventory and monitoring;
construction, maintenance, and use of logging roads and landings;
quarrying stone and gravel; fire prevention and suppression; habitat
restoration; use of low-flying aircraft; tribal access; and, aerial
spraying of the biological pesticide Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) to
control spruce budworm. Clear-cutting of timber will be minimized and
used only where necessary to restore sustainable stands. The Permits
also propose to cover certain monitoring activities and fish and
wildlife surveys within the Plan area.
    Federal guidelines regarding tribal trust responsibilities and
government-to-government relations with the Yakama Tribe are being
closely followed by the Services. The Yakama Tribal Council, Timber
Program, and Resources Offices have been consulted throughout the Plan
development process to the greatest extent possible. The following
three alternatives are currently analyzed in detail in the draft EA:
(A) the No Action Alternative; (B) the Proposed Plan Alternative,
titled the Multi-species HCP Alternative; and, (C) the Spotted Owl Only
Alternative. Under Alternative A, the No Action Alternative, no permit
would be issued, take would be avoided for all threatened and
endangered species on the property, and Yakama Indian Nation guidelines
for protection of riparian areas would be followed. Alternative B, the
Multi-species HCP Alternative, involves issuing a Permit authorizing
take of seven threatened and endangered species on the property, with
provisions for authorizing take for 30 unlisted species in the future
should they be listed during the term of the Permits. The Plan details
minimization and mitigation measures for these threatened, endangered,
and unlisted species. Alternative C, the Spotted Owl Only Alternative,
involves the Fish and Wildlife Service issuing a permit for the
northern spotted owl only, and I.P. Pacific would continue to follow
the Yakama Indian Nation guidelines for protection of riparian areas,
as in the No Action Alternative.
    Alternatives considered during scoping but which were not analyzed
in detail include a Historical Forest Restoration Alternative, a
Washington State Forest and Fish Agreement Alternative, an Expanded
Covered Species Alternative, and a Northwest Forest Plan Alternative.
These four alternatives were not analyzed in detail because they did
not meet the stated purpose and needs of the proposed action, which are
to provide protection and conservation to listed and proposed species
and their habitats to the extent intended under section 10(a)(1)(B) of
the Act, while allowing I.P. Pacific to fulfill its forest management
and timber harvest planning in a practical manner.
    This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(a) of the Act and
NEPA regulations. The Services will evaluate the applications,
associated documents, and comments submitted thereon to determine
whether the application meets the requirements of the Act and NEPA. If
it is determined that the requirements are met, a permit will be issued
for the incidental take of all covered species. The final permit
decisions will be made no sooner than November 20, 2000.
    Libraries: Copies of the documents are available at the following
libraries: Yakima Valley Regional Library, 102 North 3rd Street,
Yakima, WA, 98901 (509) 452-8541; Wenatchee Public Library, 310 Douglas
Street, Wenatchee WA, 98801, (509) 664-3910; Seattle Public Library,
Government Publications Desk, 1000 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA, (260) 386-
4636; Olympia Timberland Library, Reference Desk, 313 8th Avenue SE,
Olympia, WA, (360) 352-0595; and, White Salmon Valley Community
Library, 5 Town and Country Square, White Salmon, WA 98672.

[[Page 56537]]

    Dated: June 27, 2000.
Don Weathers,
Regional Director, Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1, Portland,
Oregon

    Dated: September 14, 2000.
Wanda Cain,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 00-24016 Filed 9-18-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODES 3510-22-S,4310-55-S

 
 

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