19740 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 76 /Tuesday, April 21, 1998 / Notices

Wildlife Service’s endangered species

program. To help guide the recovery

effort, the Service is working to prepare

recovery plans for most of the listed

species native to the United States.

Recovery plans describe actions

considered necessary for conservation of

the species, establish criteria for the

recovery levels for downlisting or

delisting them, and estimate time and

cost for implementing the recovery

measures needed.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973

(Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et

seq.) requires the development of

recovery plans for listed species unless

such a plan would not promote the

conservation of a particular species.

Section 4(f) of the Act, as amended in

1988, requires that public notice and an

opportunity for public review and

comment be provided during recovery

plan development. The Service will

consider all information presented

during a comment period prior to

approval of each new or revised

recovery plan. The Service and other

Federal agencies will also take these

comments into account in the course of

implementing approved recovery plans.

The Oregon chub, which was listed as

endangered in 1993, is a small fish that

occurs only in western Oregon’s

Willamette River Valley. The species

evolved in slack water off-channel

habitats such as beaver ponds, oxbows,

side channels, backwater sloughs, low

gradient tributaries, and flooded

marshes. In the last 80 years, backwater

and off-channel habitats have

disappeared because of changes in

seasonal flows resulting from the

construction of dams throughout the

basin, channelization of the Willamette

River and its tributaries, and

agricultural practices. Current threats to

Oregon chub include continued habitat

alteration; the proliferation of nonnative fish and amphibians; accidental

chemical spills; runoff from herbicide or

pesticide application on farms or along

roadways, railways, and powerline

rights-of way; desiccation of habitats;

unauthorized water withdrawals,

diversions, or fill and removal activities;

and siltation resulting from timber

harvesting in the watershed.

The recovery plan calls for restoration

and protection of habitat for the Oregon

chub mainly on public lands throughout

the Mainstem Willamette, Middle Fork

Willamette and Santiam Rivers. When

completed, the plan will guide the

actions of all Federal and State agencies

whose actions affect the conservation of

the Oregon chub.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments

on the draft recovery plan described. All

comments received by the date specified

above will be considered prior to

approval of the plan.

Authority

The authority for this action is section

4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, 16

U.S.C. 1533 (f).

Thomas J. Dwyer,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 98–10463 Filed 4–20–98; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of an

Environmental Assessment/Habitat

Conservation Plan (EA/HCP) and

Receipt of Application for Incidental

Take Permit for Construction and

Operation of a Residential and

Commercial Development on

Approximately 590 Acres of the 1,277-

Acre Highlands of Lakeway Property,

Lakeway, Travis County, Texas

SUMMARY: Lakeway Partners, L.L.C.

(applicant) has applied to the Fish and

Wildlife Service (Service) for an

incidental take permit pursuant to

Section 10(a) of the Endangered Species

Act (Act). The applicant has been

assigned permit number PRT–812696.

The requested permit, which is for a

period of 30 years, would authorize the

incidental take of the endangered

golden-cheeked warbler (Dendroica

chrysoparia). The proposed take would

occur as result of the construction and

operation of a residential and

commercial development on

approximately 590 acres of the 1,277-

acre parcel. All construction will occur

on the 1,277-acre Highlands of Lakeway

Property located in Austin, Travis

County, Texas.

The Service has prepared the EA/HCP

for the incidental take application. A

determination of jeopardy to the species

or a Finding of No Significant Impact

(FONSI) will not be made until at least

30 days from the date of publication of

this notice. This notice is provided

pursuant to Section 10(c) of the Act and

the National Environmental Policy Act

regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).

DATES: Written comments on the

application should be received on or

before May 21, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review

the application may obtain a copy by

writing to the Regional Director, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box

1306, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103.

Persons wishing to review the EA/HCP

may obtain a copy by contacting Sybil

Vosler, Ecological Services Field Office,

10711 Burnet Road, Suite 200, Austin,

Texas 78758 (512/490–0063).

Documents will be available for

public inspection by appointment only

during normal business hours (8:00 a.m.

to 4:30 p.m.) at the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Austin, Texas office.

Written data or comments concerning

the application and EA/HCP should be

submitted to the Field Supervisor,

Ecological Field Office, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, 10711 Burnet Rd.,

Austin, Texas 78758. Please refer to

permit number PRT–812696 when

submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sybil Vosler at the above Austin

Ecological Services Field Office.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 9

of the Act prohibits the ‘‘taking’’ of

endangered species such as the goldencheeked warbler. However, the Service,

under limited circumstances, 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.

Applicant: Lakeway Partners, L.L.C.

plans to construct a residential and

commercial development on

approximately 590 acres of the 1,277-

acre tract and purchase 321 mitigation

credits from the Lakeway Mitigation

Account. The Lakeway Mitigation

Account provided $3.5 million to the

City of Austin to enable the purchase of

the approximately 942-acre Ivanhoe

tract containing essential, high-quality

golden-cheeked warbler habitat to be

included in the Balcones Canyonlands

Preserve in perpetuity. The construction

will be located at the Highlands of

Lakeway property located on the south

side of Lake Travis immediately west of

the City of Lakeway and approximately

18 miles west-northwest of the

downtown City of Austin.

Alternatives to this action were

rejected because selling or not

developing the subject property with

federally listed species present was not

economically feasible.

Geoffery L. Haskett,

Regional Director, Region 2, Albuquerque,

New Mexico.

[FR Doc. 98–10456 Filed 4–20–98; 8:45 am]

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