TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has received a complete prospectus proposing the establishment of a mitigation bank pursuant to the 2008 Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources regulations (33 CFR Part 332) as described below:
APPLICANT: Southern States Land and Timber, LLC
Russell Walters
203 Main Street
Franklin, LA 70538
LOCATION: The proposed project, identified as the 166.52-acre Crooked Lake Mitigation Bank (CLKMB), is located in Sections 23 and 26, Township 31S, Range 27E, Polk County, Florida.
APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES: Latitude: 27.761629°
Longitude: -81.585971°
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY: Pursuant to 33 CFR 332.8(d)(4), the Corps has posted a full copy of the CLKMB prospectus online so that it is available for review by the public. The prospectus may be downloaded from the Regulatory In-Lieu Fee and Bank Information Tracking System (RIBITS) at web address: https://ribits.ops.usace.army.mil/ords/f?p=107:2.
Once on the RIBITS homepage, select "Jacksonville" from the "ALL DISTRICTS" drop down menu located in the lower left corner of the screen. Once the district filter has been selected, click on the “Banks & ILF Sites” link located in the Navigation box (upper left corner). This will generate a list of projects, scroll down the list and click on the “Crooked Lake MB” link. On this page, click on the "Cyber Repository" link located on the menu bar above the General Information box, then click on the Prospectus Documents folder to access the prospectus associated with the CLKMB project.
If you are unable to access the web address, a copy of the prospectus is available upon request to the project manager listed at the end of this public notice.
PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: According to the applicant, the overall goal of the CLKMB is to restore and permanently protect the hydrology and wildlife habitat of 166.52 acres of wetland habitats and adjacent upland buffer habitats while increasing the wetland function of Crooked Lake and the Kissimmee River watershed. Specific restoration objectives include:
• Re-establishment of 6.60 acres of wet pine flatwoods forested wetlands, an underrepresented habitat type in the conservation network, that provide flood attenuation, water quality treatment, nutrient cycling, aquifer recharge, and wildlife habitat within the watershed.
• Rehabilitation of 3.23 acres of wet pine flatwoods and wetland forested mixed wetlands, an under-represented habitat type in the conservation network, that provide flood attenuation, water quality treatment, nutrient cycling, aquifer recharge, and wildlife habitat within the watershed.
• Re-establishment of 26.50 acres of wet prairie that will provide additional flood attenuation, water quality treatment, nutrient cycling, aquifer recharge, and wildlife habitat within the watershed.
• Rehabilitation of 125.77 acres of wet prairie that provides flood attenuation, water quality treatment, nutrient cycling, aquifer recharge, and wildlife habitat within the watershed.
• Rehabilitation of 4.42 acres of pine-mesic-oak upland buffer habitats that provide wildlife habitat within the watershed.
• Preservation of all 166.52 acres of restored wetland habitat and upland buffer habitat in order to protect and manage the natural resources in perpetuity.
PROPOSED SERVICE AREA: The project is located within the Kissimmee Sub-basin Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 03090101. The Applicant proposes a Mitigation Service Area (MSA) that includes a smaller portion of the Kissimmee Sub-basin. The CLKMB MSA is anticipated to include wetland habitat communities that could reasonably be expected to occur on the CLMMB.
CULTURAL RESOURCES: The proposed bank is not expected to have any direct or indirect impact to cultural resources based on the historical agricultural use of potential land disturbance areas. Project review will, however, include review of the proposal for any potential impact to cultural resources.
ENDANGERED SPECIES: The site will be reviewed for potential critical habitat and presence of endangered species. The findings will be coordinated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service.
ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT (EFH): It is unlikely that essential fish habitat is present onsite, however, the project proposal will be coordinated with the pertinent federal agencies to minimize the risk for any potential impact to EFH.
NOTE: This public notice is being issued based on information furnished by the applicant. This information has not been verified or evaluated to ensure compliance with laws and regulation governing the regulatory program.
REQUEST FOR PUBLIC HEARING: Any person may request a public hearing. The request must be submitted in writing to the District Engineer within the designated comment period of the notice and must state the specific reasons for requesting the public hearing.
COMMENTS: Comments regarding the proposed mitigation bank should be submitted in writing to the District Engineer at the address below within 30 days from the date of this notice.
The initial evaluation pertaining to whether or not this mitigation bank proposal has the potential for providing compensatory mitigation for activities authorized by issued Department of the Army permits will be based on the information contained in the prospectus, received from this public notice and obtained during an inspection of the project site.
If you have any questions concerning this proposed project, you may contact Mr. Steven Currie by electronic mail at steven.j.currie@usace.army.mil, by fax at 904-232-1904, or by telephone at 904-232-3701 or at the following address:
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT CORPS OF ENGINEERS
P. O. BOX 4970
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 32232-0019
IMPACT ON NATURAL RESOURCES: Preliminary review of this application indicates that an Environmental Impact Statement will not be required. Coordination with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Marine Fisheries Services, and other Federal, State, and local agencies, environmental groups, and concerned citizens generally yields pertinent environmental information that is instrumental in determining the impact the proposed action will have on the natural resources of the area. By means of this notice, we are soliciting comments on the potential effects of the project on threatened or endangered species or their habitat
EVALUATION: After the end of the comment period, the district engineer will review all comments received and make an initial determination as to the potential of the proposed project to provide compensatory mitigation for activities authorized by Department of the Army permits. That determination will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources. The benefits, which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal, must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. Factors relevant to the proposal will be considered including conservation, economics, esthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historical properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, floodplain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food, and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property ownership, and in general, the needs and welfare of the people.
The Corps is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, State, and local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other Interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the proposed activity. All comments received will be considered by the Corps during the formulation of the initial determination of potential for the proposed activity.