The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes to issue a permit for the incidental taking of a rare lizard and turtle, which may result from the Tim Andrews Horticulture Expansion Project in Dane County.
Incidental take refers to the unintentional loss of individual endangered or threatened animals or plants that does not put the species’ overall population at risk.
Tim Andrews Horticulture proposes to expand a gravel parking and storage areas into adjacent undeveloped land. The project area will be approximately 1.23 acres, with 0.88 acres of temporary impacts and 0.35 acres of permanent impacts. The proposed project area is currently a northern hardwood and upland brush mix with some open areas.
The presence of the state endangered slender glass lizard and state endangered ornate box turtle are confirmed in the vicinity of the project site. DNR staff determined that the proposed project may result in the incidental taking of some lizards and turtles.
Conservation measures to minimize the adverse effect on the species will be incorporated into the proposed Incidental Take Permit and are detailed in the Jeopardy Assessment. They include having a biological monitor on site during project construction, moving animals out of the project site prior to construction and mitigating for impacts by enhancing adjacent habitat.
The DNR concludes that the proposed project is not likely to appreciably reduce the likelihood of the survival or recovery of the species within the state, the whole plant-animal community of which they are a part of or the habitat that is critical to their existence.
Copies of the Jeopardy Assessment and background information on the slender glass lizard and ornate box turtle are available by visiting the DNR Incidental Take Public Notices webpage or upon request from DNR Conservation Biologist Rori Paloski at 608-516-3742 or [email protected].
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