Incidental Take Notice For La Crosse 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 WIB11901 Tomah Branch Line Project in La Crosse 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.

Northern Natural Gas Co.’s proposed project includes the replacement of the WIB11901 Tomah Branch Line between Mileposts 3.9 and 4.2 via horizontal directional drilling underneath Gillette Street. The project will include two temporary workspace areas, two extra temporary workspace areas and two temporary access roads, totaling 1.6 acres.

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 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 Blanchard’s cricket frog by Aug. 7, 2024 to:

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
C/O Stacy Rowe, DNR Conservation Biologist
2514 Morse St.
Janesville, WI 53535
Stacy.Rowe@wisconsin.gov or 608-228-9796