Incidental Take Notice For Juneau County

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes to issue a permit for the incidental taking of a rare snake, which may result from Route G fiber installation in Juneau 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.

Wisconsin Power and Light is proposing the installation of a private fiber optic network across its service territory in Wisconsin as part of its plans to tie in all of its substations and facilities, improving connectivity and growth needs. The project is approximately 74 miles long, connecting Wisconsin Power and Light’s existing Wisconsin Rapids and Tomah facilities with additional facilities.

The installation of the conduits will be accomplished via directional bore for approximately 2,130 linear feet within the area of suitable habitat for the eastern massasauga snake. A 100’ x 30’ area (3,000 square feet) will be fenced off surrounding the disturbance within the suitable habitat. Ground disturbance is limited to the bore entry and exit pits, associated backfill and access from the adjacent roadside to the work area.

The presence of the state endangered and federally threatened eastern massasauga is confirmed in the vicinity of the project site. DNR staff determined that the proposed project may result in the incidental taking of some snakes. This permit would cover any incidental take for the state listing and would not cover any incidental take for the federal listing.

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 it is a part of or the habitat that is critical to its existence.

Conservation measures to minimize the adverse effect on the endangered species will be incorporated into the proposed Incidental Take Permit. Copies of the jeopardy assessment and background information on the eastern massasauga are available by visiting the DNR Incidental Take Public Notices webpage or upon request from DNR conservation biologist Stacy Rowe at 608-228-9796 or Stacy.Rowe@wisconsin.gov.

The public is encouraged to submit written comments regarding project-related impacts to the eastern massasauga by Sept. 18, 2024 to:

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
c/o Stacy Rowe, DNR Conservation Biologist
2514 Morse St.
Janesville, WI 53545
Stacy.Rowe@wisconsin.gov or 608-228-9796