Incidental Take Public Notice:

Proposed Burlington Bypass

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 the Burlington Bypass around the city of Burlington, Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation proposes to construct a highway bypass around the city of Burlington, Wisconsin. It will connect STH 36/83 on the northeast side of Burlington and extend east and south of the city to connect at STH 11 on the west side of Burlington, crossing both STH 11 on the east and STH 36 on the west. It will include new crossings of the Fox and White Rivers as well as adjacent wetlands. A mussel relocation was conducted at the crossing of the Fox River in August, 2006. No listed species were found at the actual bridge crossing location, but all mussels encountered, including state special concern species were translocated, no mussels were present at the White River crossing. Wetlands were inventoried for herptile species and conservation measures were incorporated into the project design and implementation to avoid impacts to most herptile species. More extensive conservation measures were necessary to avoid impacts to Blanding’s turtles in the project area.

Through the Incidental Take Consultation process, conservation measures were developed to avoid or minimize impacts to Blanding’s turtles. These conservation measures include turtle exclusionary fencing to keep Blandings turtles out of the construction area, turtle removals in areas where potential overwintering habitat occurs, and permanent turtle barriers and underpasses. The barriers will prevent turtles from accessing the new highway during migration and avoid direct mortality of the turtles from the new highway. The underpasses will allow movement of turtles under the highway and maintain connectivity of wetland habitats that would otherwise be fragmented. A turtle telemetry study was conducted in the project area to guide proper siting of barriers and underpasses to accommodate existing turtle movement patterns. These structures will be part of a long-term monitoring study.

The Department has determined that the proposed project will minimized impacts to Blanding’s 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 Blandings turtles 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 on the DNR website at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/take/notices.html or upon request from Lisie Kitchel at the above address. Public comments will be taken through October 23rd, 2007.

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

Information & Supporting Materials:
Burlington Bypass Jeopardy Assessment [PDF 7KB]