A Mazama pocket gopher.
Thurston County residents, at two virtual meetings next week, can learn about and weigh in on the next steps for a plan that would set aside land for federally protected species in the area, including the Mazama pocket gopher.
In part, the 30-year Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) would streamline what can be a burdensome permitting process for people who want to build on the species’ habitat.
The county has submitted four drafts of its HCP to date, Christina Chaput, senior planner with the county Community Planning and Economic Development department, wrote in response to emailed questions from The Olympian. The first draft was submitted in May 2016.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published on Oct. 16 a Notice of Intent to start the National Environmental Policy Act review of the county’s plan, according to a recent press release. As part of the county’s next steps, it issued a Determination of Significance and Request for Comments on scope of the draft HCP Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Chaput called the EIS a “milestone” for the county and its residents, and wrote that it’s the next step in the permit request process for the county’s HCP to be approved.
“This comment period is about scoping out the areas for the federal government to analyze in the EIS,” Chaput wrote. “This ranges from analyzing impacts of the proposed action, reasonable alternatives, and no action on species and their habitat to elements of the human environment likely affected by the action — like socioeconomics and historical and cultural resources.”
The federal government has a year to complete its review, according to the county’s press release.
The county and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are hosting virtual meetings Oct. 26 and 28 to get community feedback. According to the county’s press release, attendees will learn about the EIS process and can ask questions.
The draft HCP and other documents are available online: https://www.thurstoncountywa.gov/planning/Pages/hcp-docs-maps.aspx.
