Residents have a new opportunity to comment on a Thurston County plan to locally manage federally protected species, including three subspecies of Mazama pocket gophers.
The county and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a draft environmental impact statement on the Thurston County Habitat Conservation Plan on Friday, Sept. 24. The move kicked off a 45-day public comment period prior to final federal approval, according to a county news release.
The Endangered Species Act requires local developers to get federal approval prior to starting projects on land that could affect listed federally threatened and endangered species. This adds an extra hurdle to a developer's permitting process in Thurston County.
The county decided to apply to the USFWS for a federal permit and draft its plan after certain species, including Mazama pocket gopher subspecies, were added to the ESA list.
If approved, the plan would allow the county to handle the entire permit process. This would allow most residents to apply and get answers year-round rather wait for ideal times for necessary gophers inspections, according to a county web page.
The plan describes how the county will protect threatened and endangered species in accordance with the ESA. The draft EIS evaluates how the plan may impact the human environment.
In the news release, Thurston County Commission Chair Tye Menser called the issuance of the draft EIS an "important milestone" for the community.
"It is our next step in meeting federal conservation requirements while keeping permit decisions at the county level," Menser said in the release.
The county developed the plan with the help of the USFWS.
"We are proud to collaborate with Thurston County on this initiative that can both protect imperiled species and simultaneously support economic development," said Robyn Thorson, Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in the release.
In addition to gopher subspecies, the release says the county's plan covers the Oregon spotted frog, Taylor's checkerspot butterfly and the Oregon vesper sparrow.
Thurston County and the USFWS will accept any relevant data, comments, new information or suggestions during the 45-day comment period, per the release. Such comments will inform the final EIS.
People can submit comments through the internet, by mail or in person, per the release. To submit comments online, residents can visit www.regulations.gov or www.ThurstonHCP.org.
Comments must be postmarked or received by Nov. 8. Mailed-in comments should be addressed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 510 Desmond Drive SE, Suite 102, Lacey, WA 98503.
Senior Planner Christina Chaput will accept comments delivered by mail or in person at the Thurston County Courthouse, Community Planning and Economic Development Department, Building 1, Second Floor, 2000 Lakeridge Drive, Olympia, WA 98502-6045.
Additionally, the USFWS and the county plan to host two online informational meetings, at 6 p.m. Oct. 12 and 14. Public comments will not be accepted during these meetings as they are just informational.
To participate in the online meetings, residents can visit the Washington Fish and Wildlife Office website at least one week prior to the first public meeting.
Once the EIS is finalized, the county's Planning Commission will review the plan by the first quarter of 2022, according to the county. The Board of County Commissioners may then adopt the plan by the second quarter of 2022.
