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4 <br />�pPt�gNT QK <br />United States Departrrrentof the Interior. <br />N <br />FISH AND t1ILDLIFE SERVICE. <br />�''RCFrs •"'' 6612O.Sxuly till Ohne, South <br />(�z6samiltc.ltorid.i,t•"?llktk)p? <br />1=ebntary 7. 1995 <br />toPM <br />ft�v <br />Mr. Kenneth <br />Board of Coin ty Commissioners ltt <br />c`f 1��z'6l$2t <br />1840 25th Street <br />Vero Beach, FL, 32960 <br />Dear Mr. Maclu: <br />In 1994, Indian River County voted to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). Critical <br />to the success of an IICP is preserving and maintaining as much of the remaining scrub in <br />Indian River County as possible. Sone of the most critical areas for protection are contained <br />in approximately 155 platted lots in Unit li of the Sebastian highlands. Until some <br />protection is afforded these lots, all of the estimated 2,000 platted lots throughout the <br />Sebastian Highlands will be subject to scrutiny under the Endangered Species Act for <br />compliance with Section 9. <br />At a recent 1.amd Acquisition Commission (LAC) mectitrg, the LAC recommended the <br />purchase of the 65 -acre Sebastian Industrial Site Scrub. While the U.S. Fish and Wildlife <br />Service cornrnends the County for proceeding with scrub habitat acquisition, we feel a better <br />use of these limited funds would be to acquire as many of the single family lots as gtuckl} as <br />possible. Acquisition of these lots would significantly improve the chance of implementing a <br />successful HCP and would reduce the controversy surrounding Florida scrub jay protection <br />in Indian River County. <br />Therefore, the Service recommends that a main core of approximately 120 scrub lots <br />neighboring the protected Indi.an River County School Board scrub site at Pelican Island <br />Elementary School, be highest priority for scrub acquisition during title H(''P process, This <br />would help create support for the HCP and reduce listed species conflicts. The approved <br />IICP and subsequent Section 10(a)(1)(11) permit issuance would facilitate the release of all <br />remaining platted lots in the City of Sebastian. The successfully negotiated transfer of these <br />120 lots in the IICP would virtually assure public support of the complete 1-1(11). <br />Ilse Sebastian Industrial Site scrub is under no immediate threat of development, and any <br />proposed impacts to scrub habitat on that site prior to completion of the County IIC1) would <br />require and individual 1ICP, <br />