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Environmental Law

: ESA Blawg

Safe Harbor Agreement with expanded habitat for Palos Verdes blue butterfly could ease burden on U.S. Navy

By Keith Rizzardi

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74 Fed. Reg. 15516 / Vol. 74, No. 64 / Monday, April 6, 2009 / DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service / Proposed Safe Harbor Agreement for the Deane Dana Friendship Community Regional Park in Los Angeles County, CA / Notice of Availability

SUMMARY: The County of Los Angeles, Department of Parks and Recreation (Applicant) has applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an Enhancement of Survival permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The Service is considering the issuance of a 30-year permit to the Applicant that would authorize take of the federally endangered Palos Verdes blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis; ‘‘PVB’’) through a Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA). The purpose of this SHA is for the Applicant to restore a minimum of 8 acres of habitat for the PVB through the implementation of a habitat restoration plan at Deane Dana Friendship Community Regional Park (Friendship Park), a known historic location for this species. Friendship Park is owned by the County of Los Angeles. The Applicant seeks to provide for the long-term recovery of PVB in the wild through the restoration of suitable habitat that can accommodate passive or active reintroduction of the site from the U.S. Navy Defense Fuel Support Point, San Pedro (DFSP) or other extant locations that may be present within the historic range of the species. The Service has made a preliminary determination that the proposed SHA and permit application are eligible for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The basis for this preliminary determination is contained in an Environmental Action Statement. We request comments from the public on the permit application and the Environmental Action Statement, both of which are available for review. The permit application includes the proposed SHA. The SHA describes the proposed project and the measures that the Applicant would undertake to avoid and minimize take of the covered species.

According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's 5-year Review of the status of the Palos Verdes blue butterfly (PVB) (completed in 2008), the only area currently known to be consistently occupied by the PVB includes the Defense Fuel Support, San Pedro, and the former Palos Verdes Navy housing area. See also, SDSU. FWS says this Safe Harbor Agreement provides for the restoration, enhancement, and management of coastal sage scrub habitat containing hostplants suitable for the PVB within Friendship Park. Photo from Wikipedia

Full post as published by ESA Blawg on April 05, 2009 (boomark / email).