Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 213 / Thursday, November 2, 2000 / Notices 65877

The Environmental Assessment

considers the environmental

consequences of the Proposed Action

and two alternatives. The Proposed

Action consists of the issuance of an

incidental take permit and

implementation of the Plan and its

Implementing Agreement, which

include measures to minimize and

mitigate impacts of the project to the

San Bernardino kangaroo rat.

Alternative 2 (Modification of the Site

Design) would also require a Habitat

Conservation Plan and issuance of an

incidental take permit. This alternative

assumes a 6-foot wide graded dirt

parkway on the north and south sides of

Base Line Street and a 20-foot wide

graded dirt parkway on the east side of

Boulder Avenue. This alternative would

result in a total of 1.6 acres of

disturbance to occupied San Bernardino

kangaroo rat habitat, a 1.55-acre increase

over the Proposed Action. Under the No

Action Alternative, the Service would

not issue a permit, the existing roadway

conditions would remain unchanged,

pedestrian traffic would continue along

the unpaved shoulders of Base Line

Street, and non-native, invasive plant

species would not be managed at the

site. The two alternatives would result

in less habitat value for the San

Bernardino kangaroo rat than the off-site

mitigation proposed under the Proposed

Action.

This notice is provided pursuant to

section 10(a) of the Endangered Species

Act and the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969 regulations (40 CFR

1506.6). We will evaluate the

application, associated documents, and

comments submitted thereon to

determine whether the application

meets the requirements of the National

Environmental Policy Act regulations

and section 10(a) of the Endangered

Species Act. If we determine that those

requirements are met, then we will issue

a permit to the Applicants for incidental

take of the San Bernardino kangaroo rat.

Our final permit decision will be made

no sooner than 60 days from the date of

this notice.

Dated: October 26, 2000.

John Engbring,

Deputy Manager, California/Nevada

Operations Office, Sacramento, California.

[FR Doc. 00–28070 Filed 11–1–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Receipt of Applications for Incidental

Take Permits for the Delhi Sands

Flower-Loving Fly and Availability of

an Environmental Assessment

Associated With the Development of

Five Sites in the Cities of Rialto and

Colton, San Bernardino County, CA

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability and

receipt of applications.

SUMMARY: John J. Reichel, Serenata LLC,

West San Bernardino County Water

District, Richard A. Steidl, and Brigitta

M. Steidl (Applicants) have applied to

the Fish and Wildlife Service for the

approval of a Habitat Conservation Plan

and issuance of incidental take permits

pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the

Endangered Species Act, 1973, as

amended (Act). The Applicants propose

to independently develop a municipal

well, commercial/retail development,

two residential developments, and one

project that will either be residential

and/or commercial/retail on five

different sites in the cities of Colton and

Rialto. The Applicants seek permits for

a period of 20 years that would

authorize incidental take of the

endangered Delhi Sands flower-loving

fly (Rhaphiomidas terminatus

abdominalis) associated with the

development and use of an

approximately 32.8-acre area of which

29.9 acres is appropriate Delhi soils.

The Service seeks public comment on

the permit applications, which include

a Habitat Conservation Plan and the

Implementation Agreement that defines

the responsibilities of the parties under

the Habitat Conservation Plan. We also

seek comment on an Environmental

Assessment for our proposed permit

actions. All comments will become part

of the administrative record and may be

released to the public.

DATES: We must receive your written

comments on or before January 2, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Please address comments to

Mr. Ken Berg, Field Supervisor, Fish

and Wildlife Service, 2730 Loker

Avenue West, Carlsbad, California

92008. You may send comments by

facsimile to telephone (760) 930–0846.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Jim Bartel, Assistant Field Supervisor,

Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Service

Office, at the above address or call (760)

431–9440.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Availability of Documents

You may obtain copies of the

documents for review by calling the

Service’s Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife

Office at the above referenced telephone

number. Documents also are available

for public inspection, by appointment,

during normal business hours at the

above address.

Background

Section 9 of the Act and its

implementing regulations prohibit the

‘‘take’’ of threatened or endangered

species. That is, no one may harass,

harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill,

trap, capture or collect listed animal

species, or attempt to engage in such

conduct (16 U.S.C. 1538). Harm may

include significant habitat modification

where it actually kills or injures wildlife

by significantly impairing essential

behavioral patterns, including breeding,

feeding, and sheltering [50 CFR 17.3(c)].

The Service, however, may issue

permits to take endangered and/or

threatened wildlife species incidental

to, and not the purpose of otherwise

lawful activities. Regulations governing

permits for endangered and/or

threatened species are found at 50 CFR

17.22 and 17.32.

We propose to authorize incidental

take of the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly

from the Applicants’ proposed

activities, on the five sites, as described

in the Habitat Conservation Plan. The

Habitat Conservation Plan describes

alternatives to the proposed action and

provisions for minimization, mitigation,

and monitoring of impacts.

The Applicants propose to develop up

to 32.8 acres, of which, approximately

29.9 acres consists of Delhi soils. The

majority of the 29.9 acres proposed for

development consists of compacted

soils with invasive weed species.

Approximately 11 acres of Delhi Sands

flower-loving fly habitat is proposed to

be transferred in fee title to the National

Fish and Wildlife Foundation to be

preserved and managed in perpetuity

for the conservation of the Delhi Sands

flower-loving fly. The proposed

conservation area is comprised of Delhi

soils, contiguous to other known

occupied habitat. Prior to ground

disturbance, the Applicants and the

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

propose to provide funding for the

management of the conservation area.

This action would compensate for the

loss of habitat resulting from the project

and would benefit the long-term

conservation of the Delhi Sands flowerloving fly.

The Habitat Conservation Plan and

the Environmental Assessment

65878 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 213 / Thursday, November 2, 2000 / Notices

considered three alternatives to the

proposed Project: (1) No permits issued

(the ‘‘No Project’’ alternative), (2)

revising the project by decreasing the

size of the developable area, and (3)

revising the project by increasing the

size of the conservation area.

Under the ‘‘No Project’’ alternative the

permits would not be issued to each

individual landowner. The landowners

would be independently responsible for

their respective projects and would

pursue local approvals and individual

incidental take permits where

necessary. It is likely that some of the

projects would receive local approvals

to proceed and some of the projects

would be denied approvals by their

local jurisdictions until they either

conducted focused Delhi Sands flowerloving fly surveys to determine presence

or absence or received individual

incidental take permits. Although this

alternative would likely result in no

impact by development of some of the

Project sites immediately, the

Applicants would not collectively

secure, enhance, or restore the

conservation area for recovery or

conservation of the Delhi Sands flowerloving fly currently being proposed

under the Proposed Action. If

individual project sites are determined

to be occupied by the Delhi Sands

flower-loving fly, then an incidental

take permit will be necessary for those

project proponents who wish to proceed

with development.

Under the second alternative, some of

the parcels would be eliminated from

the developable area while maintaining

the conservation measures that are part

of the Proposed Action. This would

result in fewer Delhi soils being

developed and the size of the proposed

conservation area for the Delhi Sands

flower-loving fly would remain the

same as under the Proposed Action.

Under the third alternative, there

would be a 1-acre (12 acres total)

increase in the size of land being

conserved while maintaining the same

area proposed for development that is

part of the Proposed Action. Compared

to the Proposed Action, this alternative

would result in an additional acre being

conserved for the Delhi Sands flowerloving fly.

This notice is provided pursuant to

section 10(a) of the Endangered Species

Act and Service regulations for

implementing the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (40

CFR 1506.6). We will evaluate the

permit applications, the Habitat

Conservation Plan, Environmental

Assessment, the associated documents

and comments submitted thereon to

determine whether the applications

meet the requirements of section 10(a)

of the Endangered Species Act. If we

determine that the requirements are

met, we will issue permits for the

incidental take of the Delhi Sands

flower-loving fly to the Applicants. We

will make a final decision on these

permit actions no sooner than 60 days

from the date of this notice.

Dated: October 26, 2000.

John Engbring,

Acting Deputy Manager, California/Nevada

Operations Office, Sacramento, California.

[FR Doc. 00–28071 Filed 11–1–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV–952–1420–BJ]

Filing of Plats of Survey; Nevada

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is

to inform the public and interested State

and local government officials of the

filing of Plats of Survey in Nevada.

EFFECTIVE DATES: Filing is effective at

10:00 a.m. on the dates indicated below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary J.M. Hartel, Acting Chief, Branch

of Geographic Services, Bureau of Land

Management (BLM), Nevada State

Office, 1340 Financial Blvd., P.O. Box

12000, Reno, Nevada 89520, 775–861–

6541.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. The Supplemental Plats of the

following described lands were

officially filed at the Nevada State

Office, Reno, Nevada on May 11, 2000:

The supplemental plat, showing

amended lottings in sections 13, 23 and

24, Township 19 South, Range 61 East,

Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada, was

accepted May 9, 2000. The

supplemental plat, showing amended

lottings in sections 15, 16 and 21,

Township 19 South, Range 61 East,

Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada, was

accepted May 9, 2000.

The supplemental plat, showing

amended lottings in sections 17, 18, 19

and 20, Township 19 South, Range 61

East, Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada,

was accepted May 9, 2000.

These plats were prepared to meet

certain administrative needs of the

Bureau of Land Management.

2. The Plat of Survey of the following

described lands was officially filed at

the Nevada State Office, Reno, Nevada

on May 11, 2000:

The plat, representing the dependent

resurvey of a portion of the west

boundary and a portion of the

subdivisional lines, and the subdivision

of section 18, Township 19 South,

Range 62 East, Mount Diablo Meridian,

Nevada, under Group 780, was accepted

May 9, 2000.

This survey was executed to meet

certain administrative needs of the

Bureau of Land Management.

3. The Supplemental Plat of the

following described lands was officially

filed at the Nevada State Office, Reno,

Nevada on July 24, 2000: The

supplemental plat, showing a

subdivision of original lot 1, section 5,

Township 20 South, Range 60 East,

Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada, was

accepted July 21, 2000.

This plat was prepared to meet certain

administrative needs of the Bureau of

Land Management and Clark County.

4. The Plat of Survey of the following

described lands was officially filed at

the Nevada State Office, Reno, Nevada

on July 24, 2000:

The plat, representing the entire

survey record of the dependent resurvey

of a portion of the northerly right-of-way

line of Lake Mead Drive and a metesand-bounds survey in section 34,

Township 21 South, Range 63 East,

Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada, under

Group 787, was accepted July 21, 2000.

This survey was executed to meet

certain administrative needs of the

Bureau of Land Management.

5. The Plat of Survey of the following

described lands was officially filed at

the Nevada State Office, Reno, Nevada

on September 25, 2000:

The plat, in 9 sheets, representing the

dependent resurvey of a portion of the

subdivisional lines, and portions of

certain mineral surveys, and the

subdivision of section 9, and the metesand-bounds surveys of a portion of

Nevada State Highway No. 374 and

Tract 37, Township 12 South, Range 46

East, Mount Diablo Meridian, Nevada,

under Group 774, was accepted

September 22, 2000.

This survey was executed to meet

certain administrative needs of the

Bureau of Land Management and

Barrick Bullfrog Inc.

6. The above-listed surveys are now

the basic record for describing the lands

for all authorized purposes. These

surveys have been placed in the open

files in the BLM Nevada State Office

and are available to the public as a

matter of information. Copies of the

surveys and related field notes may be

furnished to the public upon payment of

the appropriate fees.