Incidental Take Notice for Sauk County
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes to issue a permit for the incidental taking of a rare snake, which may result from the Red Tag Pole Project: Line X-52, Structures 754-764 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.
American Transmission Company’s (ATC) The Friends of Platte River proposes to replace specific structures 754, 756, 759, and 761 which are wooden H‑frame tangent structures on the 138 kilovolt (kV) Line X‑52 within an existing 80‑foot‑wide ROW. Each structure will undergo a pole‑for‑pole replacement along the existing centerline. The new H‑frame tangent structures will be offset approximately 5-10 feet from the existing structures, installed via direct embedment, and will match the existing structures in overall dimensions, including height, pole diameter, and floodplain/wetland footprint. All replacement activities will occur within the existing ROW; no ROW expansion is proposed. Construction activities include right-of-way vegetation management, access matting and work pads, structure replacement, and restoration. Anticipated schedule is from August – October 2026 with restoration taking place Spring 2027.
The presence of the state endangered eastern ribbonsnake is confirmed in the vicinity of the project site. DNR staff determined that the proposed project may result in the incidental taking of some snakes.
Conservation measures to minimize the adverse effect on the species will be incorporated into the proposed Incidental Take Permit and are detailed in the Jeopardy Assessment. They include installing exclusion fencing to keep snakes out of the project area as well as relocation of any snakes found within the fenced project area. All areas of habitat will be restored to existing or better conditions.
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.
Copies of the Jeopardy Assessment and background information on the eastern ribbonsnake 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 eastern ribbonsnake by August 14, 2026 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.
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