Biologists Tim Simon and Mike Litwin rescue a Paddlefish at Griffy Creek. - Photo by Steve Cotter, Bloomington Parks Department

  For federal activities in Indiana during the 3rd quarter of Fiscal Year 2006, the Bloomington Field Office reviewed 27 Section 404 permits, 37 highway projects, 62 other federal aid projects, 49 cell tower projects (resulting in  7 site-specific letters), 14 coal mining permit actions,  four federal projects, two FERC hydropower projects and 12 other federal/state/local permit projects.

This report does not include non-Section 7 aspects of the Endangered Species Program, or the Private Lands or Contaminants programs. It also does not include our northern Indiana sub-office.

Highlights of the third quarter project reviews included:

- Reviewed individual 404 permit applications for several coal mining operations under the Corps interim policy while nationwide permits are being renewed.   Previously most coal mines received nationwide permits (#21).

- A pre-application bat survey for a large surface coal mining proposal along Pigeon Creek captured 13 reproductive female Indiana bats.  Pigeon Creek was already known to support a major reproducing population of copperbelly water snakes.

- Reviewed a communication tower proposal for a 500-foot tower in a forested wetland area adjacent to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

- Reviewed a proposal by the Town of Plainfield for a major stream channel/bank stabilization project on several miles of White Lick Creek, a large significant smallmouth bass stream.   The work is being funded by a USDA grant.

- Reviewed a proposal by a licensed FERC hydropower facility to sell project lands for development.

- "Rescued" a paddlefish that was stranded in a pool of a small stream on Bloomington City Parks property and released it in the stream's deeper receiving waters (photos attached) .