2003 AMENDED BIOLOGICAL OPINION United States Department of the Interior
2003 AMENDED BIOLOGICAL OPINION United States Department of the Interior FISH AND WILDUFE SERVICE Ecological Services do TAMU-CC, Campus Box 338 6300 Ocean Drive Corpus Christi, Texas 78412 May23, 2003 Ms. Sylvia A, Waggoner Division Engineer Environmental Management Division International Boundary and Water Commission The Commons, Building C, Suite 310 4171 N. Mesa Street El Paso, TX 79902 Consultation No. 2-11-91-F-144 Dear Ms. Waggoner: This document transmits the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service) reinitiated Final Biological Opinion based on our review of the United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission's (USIBWC) ongoing implementation of vegetation management practices for the Lower Rio Grande Flood Control Project (LRGFCP) in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy Counties, Texas. We have analyzed the proposed action and its effects on the endangered ocelot Leopardus (Felis) pardalis, listed throughout its entire range that includes Texas, Arizona, Mexico to Central and South America, and the Gulf Coast jaguarundi Hemailurus yagouaroundi cacomitli that ranges from Texas to Mexico, in accordance with section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). USffiWC's request and information provided for reinitiation of the 1993 formal consultation and Biological Opinion was considered complete by the Corpus Christi, Texas Ecological Services Field Office (CCESFO) on December 11, 2002. This biological opinion is based on information provided in the April 2002 "Threatened and Endangered Species Report in Support of the Environmental Impact Statement f~r the Maintenance Program of the Lower Rio Grande Flood Control Project", Volume III of the Preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement {PDEIS) entitled Alternative Vegetation Management Practices for the LRGFCP Cameron, Hildago, and Willacy Counties, Texas, as well as telephone conversations, field investigations, and other relevant sources of information.
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