Incidental Take Notice For Sauk 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 Mirror Lake Dredging Project in Sauk 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.

The Mirror Lake Management District proposes to dredge an existing previously dredged channel within Mirror Lake. Sediment has accumulated in this channel since it was originally dredged in 2008. The primary construction activity will be the hydraulic removal of accumulated material and pumping of this material to the nearby sediment basin. The sediment basin location is the same location that was used during the 2008 dredge. Once dredging is completed, the sediment basin will be restored, seeded with native prairie grasses, and mulched.

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 Incidental Take Public Notices webpage or upon request from DNR Conservation Biologist Rori Paloski at rori.paloski@wisconsin.gov or 608-516-3742.

The public is encouraged to submit written comments regarding project-related impacts to the slender glass lizard by June 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