Zasoby i środowisko · 05/09/2014

Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Proposed Washington Department of Natural Resources Aquatic Lands Habitat Conservation Plan, Washington

The Washington Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) has submitted applications to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) (together, the Services) for incidental take permits (permits) for a term of 50 years, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The permit applications address incidental take of listed species caused by WDNR authorizations of shellfish aquaculture, log booming and storage, and overwater structures undertaken by individuals, businesses, and governmental agencies on 2.6 million acres of State-owned aquatic lands, including marine and freshwater tidelands, shorelands, and bedlands of the State of Washington. The proposed permits would authorize take, incidental to otherwise lawful activities, of 29 species of fish and wildlife, including federally listed threatened and endangered species. As required by the ESA, WNDR has prepared a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) designed to minimize and mitigate the impacts to the maximum extent practicable, that will likely result from such taking. A draft implementing agreement (IA) for the HCP has also been prepared. The Services have jointly prepared