Incidental Take Notice For Monroe County

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes to issue a permit for the incidental taking of a rare lizard and terrestrial invertebrates, which may result from the Oakdale Electric Co-op Fort McCoy Project in Monroe 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 project includes installation of 7.2 kV single phase underground electric cable 5,200 feet west from an existing pad-mounted transformer, installation of three new pad-mounted transformers and trench installation of secondary cable to customer-installed meter pedestals to support the ATC Q-100 FAA Radio Power Project. The project area is approximately 6 acres, encompassing a 50-foot-wide project boundary along the 5,200-foot route in which all access and construction will occur, within a portion of the Q-100 transmission line and along the south side of State Highway 16.

The presence of the state endangered slender glass lizard, endangered ottoe skipper, endangered phlox moth, threatened frosted elfin, threatened prairie leafhopper and endangered red-tailed prairie leafhopper 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 and terrestrial invertebrates.

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 they are a part of or the habitat that is critical to their existence.

Conservation measures to minimize the adverse effect on the threatened and endangered species will be incorporated into the proposed Incidental Take Permit. Copies of the jeopardy assessment and background information on the slender glass lizard, ottoe skipper, phlox moth, frosted elfin, prairie leafhopper and red-tailed prairie leafhopper 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 slender glass lizard, ottoe skipper, phlox moth, frosted elfin, prairie leafhopper and red-tailed prairie leafhopper by June 5, 2025 to:

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
c/o Stacy Rowe, DNR Conservation Biologist
2514 Morse St.
Janesville, WI 53545
Stacy.Rowe@wisconsin.gov or 608-228-9796

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.