Incidental Take Public Notice:

Proposed April Meadows Residential Development

The Department of Natural Resources proposes to authorize the "incidental taking" of the state-Threatened Blanding’s turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) resulting from the construction of roadways to support a residential subdivision in the Town of Caledonia. The applicants are Tom and April Nakielski. The proposed development site is located in the northwest quarter of section 17 of T12N R9E, one mile south of Portage. The approximately 51-acre site includes grassed areas, driveways and wooded patches. The Wisconsin River and associated floodplain are located directly to the northwest. A manmade wetland detention pond is located on site and may serve as overwintering habitat for the Blanding’s turtle. Presence has not been confirmed but the turtle is known to occur within the surrounding landscape and is especially associated with the adjacent Wisconsin River system.

Ten acres of the 51-acre site will be destroyed as a result of grading for roadway construction and erosion control structures to support future lot development. Construction will impact the manmade pond, which may include overwintering turtles. The department does not expect the proposed activities to pose a direct or indirect threat to the local Blanding's turtle population. The pond does not support submergent and emergent vegetation necessary to make it suitable for seasonal foraging for Blanding's, it only provides potential overwintering habitat. The surrounding landscape supports numerous natural waterbodies and wetlands that serve as much more suitable habitat for this species. As such, the department has determined that avoiding or minimizing direct mortality of the turtle is appropriate for this project. Through the Incidental Take Consultation process, conservation measures were developed that include the placement of silt fencing to isolate the pond area and a turtle removal program to relocate turtles out of the project area for placement locally within the Wisconsin River system.

The Department has determined that the proposed project will minimize impacts to the turtle by adhering to the conservation measures described within the Jeopardy Assessment and is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence and recovery of the state population of the turtle or the whole plant-animal community of which they are a part; and has benefit to the public health, safety or welfare that justifies the actions.

Copies of the jeopardy assessment and conservation measures are available below or upon request from:

Information & Supporting Materials:
Jeopardy Assessment and Background Information [PDF 24KB]