[Federal Register: August 24, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 163)]
[Notices]               
[Page 45088-45089]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24au98-84]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

 
Availability of an Environmental Assessment and Receipt of a 
Proposal for a Minor Adjustment to the Riverside County Habitat 
Conservation Agency's Stephens' Kangaroo Rat Habitat Conservation Plan 
in Western Riverside County, California

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service has under consideration a 
proposal for a minor adjustment to the Riverside County Habitat 
Conservation Agency's Stephens' Kangaroo Rat Habitat Conservation Plan 
(Plan). The proposed minor adjustment is in accordance with the Plan 
and Implementation Agreement for the existing section 10(a)(1)(B) 
permit (PRT-739678) issued by the Service in May 1996. The applicant is 
the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency (Agency), a joint 
powers agency comprised of the following nine member agencies: County 
of Riverside, City of Corona, City of Hemet, City of Lake Elsinore, 
City of Moreno Valley, City of Murrieta, City of Perris, City of 
Riverside, and the City of Temecula. In response to the proposal, an 
Environmental Assessment has been prepared pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act and is available. This notice describes the 
currently proposed action and alternatives, and solicits comments on 
the issues and alternatives raised in the Environmental Assessment.

DATES: Written comments related to the Service's Environmental 
Assessment and the Applicant's proposed minor adjustment to the Plan 
should be received by the Service on or before September 23, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Information, comments, or questions regarding the 
Environmental Assessment and the Applicant's proposed minor adjustment 
to the Plan should be submitted to Mr. Ken S. Berg, Field Supervisor, 
Fish and Wildlife Service, 2730 Loker Avenue West, Carlsbad, California 
92008. Written comments also may be sent by facsimile to (760) 431-
9618.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jim Bartel, Assistant Field 
Supervisor, at the above Carlsbad address, telephone (760) 431-9440.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Document Availability

    Individuals wishing copies of the Environmental Assessment should 
immediately contact the above individual. Persons wishing to review 
background material may obtain it by contacting Kristi Lovelady of the 
Agency, at 4080 Lemon Street, 12th floor, Riverside, California, 
telephone (909) 955-1131. Documents also will be available for public 
inspection by appointment during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday) at the Service's Carlsbad Field Office 
(see ADDRESSES section above) and at various public libraries 
throughout Riverside County. To find out the exact addresses of the 
public libraries, contact the Service or the Agency at the referenced 
locations.

Background

    The Service listed the Stephens' kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi) 
as an endangered species on September 30, 1988 (53 FR 38465). As an 
endangered species, the Stephens' kangaroo rat is protected pursuant to 
Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act (Act) against ``take;'' that 
is, no one may harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, 
capture or collect the species, or attempt to engage in such conduct 
(16 USC 1538). However, under certain circumstances, the Service may 
issue permits to take endangered wildlife species incidental to, and 
not the purpose of, otherwise lawful activities. Regulations governing 
permits for endangered species are at 50 CFR 17.22.
    Based upon the March 1996 Plan and Implementation Agreement, and 
after compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the 
Service issued a permit to the Agency on May 3, 1996, to incidentally 
take the Stephens' kangaroo rat. The 30-year Plan is designed to 
acquire and permanently conserve, maintain, and fund the conservation, 
preservation, restoration, and enhancement of Stephens' kangaroo rat 
occupied habitat. The Plan covers approximately 534,000 acres within 
the Agency member jurisdictions, including an estimated 30,000 acres of 
occupied Stephens' kangaroo rat habitat. The Plan requires Agency 
members to preserve and manage 15,000 acres of occupied Stephens' 
kangaroo rat habitat in 7 Core

[[Page 45089]]

Reserves encompassing over 41,000 acres. Currently 12,460 acres of 
occupied habitat exists within the Core Reserves.
    Article III, Section B(2) of the Implementation Agreement entered 
into by the Service, the Agency, and the California Department of Fish 
and Game (Department) mandates the establishment of the Core Reserves 
with boundaries as set forth in the Plan. This section of the 
Implementation Agreement allows the Agency, with written consent of the 
Service and the Department, to modify through sale, exchange, or 
otherwise the configuration, size and/or location of the Core Reserves, 
if in the opinion of the Service and the Department ``the revised 
configurations better address the overall conservation needs of the 
Stephens' kangaroo rat.'' Article VI, Section A(2), of the 
Implementation Agreement also allows minor adjustments to the Plan 
including ``modification to the configuration of a Core Reserve so long 
as the amount of occupied habitat contained within the Core Reserve is 
not diminished and so long as the Service and the Department determine, 
in writing, that the revised configuration better addresses the overall 
conservation needs of the Stephens' kangaroo rat.''
    The Agency proposes to adjust acreage in two Core Reserves set 
forth in the Plan (Lake Mathews/Estelle Mountain and Lake Skinner) 
pursuant to Article III, Section B(2) and Article VI, Section A(2) of 
the Implementation Agreement. The purpose of the proposed action is to 
allow 561 acres of property to be removed from two Core Reserves and 
replaced with 719 acres of other land with equal or better value to 
Stephens' kangaroo rat. This minor adjustment will also release from 
the Core Reserves all remaining private property owners that do not 
wish to sell their land to the Agency for inclusion in the Core 
Reserves.
    The Environmental Assessment analyses the proposed action and the 
no project alternatives in detail. In addition, several other 
alternatives were considered but not advanced for in-depth analysis due 
to inferior reserve design, unwilling property sellers and economic 
considerations. These alternatives include different configurations at 
three Core Reserves: Lake Mathews/Estelle Mountain, Lake Skinner, and 
San Jacinto Wildlife.
    This notice is provided pursuant to section 10 of the Act and the 
National Environmental Policy Act regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). The 
Service will evaluate the proposed minor adjustment to the Plan and 
comments submitted thereon. If it is determined that the requirements 
are met, the Plan will be amended. The final determinations will be 
made no sooner than 30 days from the date of this notice.

    Dated: August 18, 1998.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. 98-22608 Filed 8-21-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P