Draft Habitat Conservation Plan for the California Department of Parks and Recreation Oceano Dunes District, San Luis Obispo County, California; Notice of Intent To Prepare Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement; Initiation of Public Scoping Process

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to prepare draft environmental analysis (either an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the proposed habitat conservation plan for the California Department of Parks and Recreation Oceano Dunes District (HCP). The HCP is a conservation plan as required under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), for issuance of an incidental take permit (ITP). The draft environmental analysis will evaluate the impacts of several alternatives related to the proposed issuance of an ITP to the California Department of Parks and Recreation Oceano Dunes District (CDPR, applicant) for incidental take of threatened and endangered wildlife species that could result from activities covered under the HCP. The HCP would also include conservation measures for endangered plants. We also are announcing the initiation of a public scoping process to engage Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments and the public in the identification of issues and concerns, potential impacts, and possible alternatives to the proposed action.