Incidental Take Notice For Grant County

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes to issue a permit for the incidental taking of a rare frog, which may result from the Grant River Sand Pit.

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.

BARD Materials, the applicant business managing the project, proposes to expand a sand pit to produce mineral products for use in both the construction and agricultural industry. Future mining will occur as a progressive expansion that will limit the disturbed areas to less than 1 acre per year and incorporate reclamation of mined areas. 

The presence of the state endangered Blanchard’s cricket frog is confirmed in the vicinity of the project site. DNR staff determined that the proposed project may result in the incidental taking of some frogs.

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 Blanchard’s cricket frog are available by visiting the DNR Incidental Take Public Notices webpage or upon request from DNR Conservation Biologist Rori Paloski at 608-516-3742 or Rori.Paloski@wisconsin.gov.

The public is encouraged to submit written comments regarding project-related impacts to the Blanchard’s cricket frog by April 10, 2023 to:

Department of Natural Resources
c/o Rori Paloski, DNR Conservation Biologist
101 S. Webster St. Madison, WI 53707
Rori.Paloski@wisconsin.gov or 608-516-3742