Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; NewMark Merrill Companies Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan and Associated Documents; San Bernardino County, CA

Résumé

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from NewMark Merrill Companies (applicant) for a 5-year incidental take permit (permit). The application includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), as required by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). If approved, the permit would authorize incidental take of the endangered Delhi Sands flower-loving fly in the course of routine construction activities associated with the construction of a commercial retail development bounded by West San Bernardino Avenue, Riverside Avenue, and Willow Avenue in the City of Rialto, California. We invite public comment on the permit application and proposed HCP, and on our preliminary determination that the HCP qualifies as "low-effect" for a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act. To make this determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, which are also available for review.