Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 37 / Friday, February 24, 1995 / Notices 10401

responsibility under the Act beyond that

which exists at the time he or she enters

into the agreement; i.e., to provide a

‘‘safe harbor.’’ The cooperative

agreement will identify any existing

RCW clusters and will describe the

actions that the landowner commits to

take (e.g., hardwood midstory removal,

cavity provisioning, etc.) or allows to be

taken to improve RCW habitat on the

property and the time period within

which those actions are to be taken and

maintained. Participating landowners

who enter into cooperative agreements

with the Service will be included within

the scope of the incidental take permit

by Certificates of Inclusion. A

participating landowner must maintain

the baseline habitat requirements on

his/her property (i.e., any existing RCW

groups and associated habitat) but will

be allowed to incidentally take RCWs at

some point in the future on other habitat

on the property if they are attracted to

the site by the proactive management

measures undertaken by the landowner.

No incidental taking of any existing

RCW group is permitted under this

program except under the special

circumstances that are described in the

HCP. Further details about this program

are found in the HCP.

The EA considers the environmental

consequences of three alternatives,

including the preferred alternative—to

implement the ‘‘Safe Harbor’’ program.

The likely effects of the no-action

alternative are the continued decline of

the Sandhills RCW population on

private land and the continued lack of

management of many of the longleaf

pine stands that remain in the

Sandhills. The third alternative involves

offering interested landowners financial,

rather than regulatory, incentives to

undertake the desired land management

activities for RCWs. This alternative is

not being pursued because the Service

is presently unable at present to fund

such a program. The proposed action

alternative is the issuance of an

incidental take permit and

implementation of the ‘‘Safe Harbor’’

program.

Dated: February 16, 1995.

Noreen Clough,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 95–4543 Filed 2–23–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

Extension of the Public Comment

Period—Availability of an

Environmental Assessment and

Receipt of an Application for an

Incidental Take Permit from Mr. D.

Gregory Luce, in Baldwin County,

Alabama

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of extension of the public

comment period.

SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service

gives notice that the pubilc comment

period on the environmental

assessment/habitat conservation plan

for Mr. D. Gregory Luce’s (Applicant)

application for an incidental take permit

pursuant to Section 10(a) of the

Endangered Species Act (Act) is being

extended. The Applicant has been

assigned permit number PRT–797979.

The original 30-day comment period

closed on February 8, 1995 (Federal

Register 60:2400–2401). During the

original comment period, numerous

public commentors requested an

extension to more fully address the

potential impacts to the Bon Secour

National Wildlife Refuge.

DATES: The public comment period for

this proposal, which originally closed

on February 8, 1995, is now extended

until March 10, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review

the application may obtain a copy by

writing the Service’s Southeast Regional

Office, Atlanta, Georgia. Persons

wishing to review the EA or HCP may

obtain a copy by writing the Regional

Office or the Jackson, Mississippi, Field

Office. Documents will also be available

for public inspection, by appointment,

during normal business hours at the

Regional Office, or the Field Office.

Written data or comments concerning

the application, EA, or HCP should be

submitted to the Regional Office. Please

reference permit under PRT–797979 in

such comments.

Regional Permit Coordinator (TE), U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, 1875

Century Boulevard, Suite 210,

Atlanta, Georgia 30345, (telephone

404/679–7110, FAX 404/679–7280)

Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, 6578 Dogwood View

Parkway, Suite A, Jackson,

Mississippi 39213 (telephone 601/

965–4900, FAX 601/965–4340).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Will

McDearman at the above Jackson,

Mississippi, Field Office.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Alabama Beach Mouse (ABM),

Peromyscus polionotus ammobates, is a

subspecies of the common oldfield

mouse Peromyscus polionotus and is

restricted to the dune systems of the

Gulf Coast of Alabama. The known

current range of ABM extends from Fort

Morgan eastward to the western

terminus of Alabama Highway 182,

including the Perdue Unit on the Bon

Secour National Wildlife Refuge. The

sand dune systems inhabited by this

species are not uniform; several habitat

types are distinguishable. The species

inhabits primary dunes, interdune areas,

secondary dunes, and scrub dunes. The

depth and area of these habitats from

the beach inland varies. Population

surveys indicate that this subspecies is

usually more abundant in primary

dunes than in secondary dunes, and

usually more abundant in secondary

dunes than in scrub dunes. Optimal

habitat consists of dune systems with all

dune types. Though fewer ABM inhabit

scrub dunes, these high dunes can serve

as refugia during devastating hurricanes

that overwash, flood, and destroy or

alter secondary and frontal dunes. ABM

surveys have not been conducted on the

Applicant’s property. The ABM

occupied adjacent and nearby dunes of

the Bon Secour National Wildlife

Refuge. Suitable habitat in the form of

secondary and scrub dunes exist on the

Applicant’s property. These habitats are

likely to be occupied by ABM. None of

the Applicant’s property resides in

designated critical habitat for the ABM.

Construction of the single family

residence on about 0.1–0.2 acres of the

Applicant’s property may result in the

death of, or injury to, ABM. Habitat

alterations due to house placement and

its subsequent use may reduce available

habitat for food, shelter, and

reproduction.

The EA considers the environmental

consequences of three alternatives. The

proposed action alternative is the

issuance of the incidental take permit.

This provided for restrictions that

include house placement landward of

the frontal crest of the scrub dune line,

establishment of a walkover structure

across that scrub dune, a prohibition

against housing or keeping pet cats,

scavenger-proof garbage containers, no

landscaping, and the minimization and

control of outdoor lighting. The HCP

provides a funding source for these

mitigation measures.

Dated: February 16, 1995.

Noreen K. Clough,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 95–4542 Filed 2–23–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P