Incidental Take Notice For Waushara County

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes to issue a permit for the incidental taking of a rare lizard, which may result from the Y18/Y49 Transmission Line Rebuild project.

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.

The Project consists of rebuilding the 69kV Y-18 (Lincoln Pumping Station – Chafee Creek Substation) and the 69kV Y-49 (Chafee Creek Substation – Wautoma Substation) electric transmission lines (the Project) in Adams, Marquette, and Waushara Counties, Wisconsin. The Y-18 portion of the Project entails rebuilding the approximately 9-mile transmission line, whereas the Y-49 portion of the Project entails rebuilding the approximately 11.7 mile transmission line. Impacts to the slender glass lizard are only anticipated along portions of Y-49.

The Y-49 portion of the Project consists of approximately 93 tangent structures, two angle structures, four self-supporting dead-end structures, one self-supporting switch structure, and one self-supporting H-Frame dead-end structure. Nine tangent structures and two foundations occur within suitable SGL habitat, as well as the removal of 19 existing wooden pole structures. The rebuild portion of the line will be constructed in a skip-span configuration along the existing transmission corridor, with approximately every other existing structure being replaced with a new transmission structure. All tangent and small angle structures will be either direct embedded or installed atop vibratory steel caissons. There are 7 proposed concrete pier foundations.

The presence of the state endangered slender glass lizard is confirmed in the vicinity of the project site. DNR staff determined that the proposed project may result in the incidental taking of some lizards.

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 slender glass lizard are available by visiting the DNR's Incidental Take Public Notices webpage or upon request from DNR Conservation Biologist Stacy Rowe at 608-228-9796 or stacy.rowe@wi.gov.  

The public is encouraged to submit written comments regarding project-related impacts regarding project-related impacts to the slender glass lizard by July 30, 2022 to:

Department of Natural Resources
c/o Stacy Rowe, DNR Conservation Biologist
101 S. Webster St. Madison, WI 53707
stacy.rowe@wi.gov or 608-228-9796