Regulacje i polityka gospodarcza · 7.09.2006

Draft Template Safe Harbor Agreement, Draft Environmental Assessment, and Receipt of Applications for Enhancement of Survival Permits

As part of ongoing recovery efforts for the endangered Columbia Basin distinct population segment of the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis), this notice advises the public that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or we), in cooperation with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), is making available for public review and comment a draft Template Safe Harbor Agreement (Agreement). The proposed Agreement addresses incidental take of Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits (CBPR) that could result from activities associated with ranching, farming, recreation, residential upkeep, conservation programs, and shrub steppe maintenance, restoration, and enhancement on an undeterminable number of non-Federal properties. The area covered by the proposed Agreement (Covered Area) includes portions of 6 counties in central Washington and totals approximately 2,650,000 acres. However, eligible properties that occur within the Covered Area and are most likely to be enrolled under the Agreement would primarily include those that have existing shrub steppe habitat and/or soil conditions that may be capable of supporting the species, either currently or in the foreseeable future. These