Washington Co, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes to issue a permit for the “incidental taking” of a rare plant, which may result from the Newark Drive – Roadway Rehabilitation Project.
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 town of Trenton proposes to recondition 1 mile of roadway along Newark Drive from Trenton Road to Indian Lore Road in the Town of Trenton and Town of Farmington. The existing roadway is approximately 20’ paved surface with 2’ wide gravel shoulders. The project will look to improve the roadway to two 11-foot paved lanes and 2’ wide shoulders.
Additional areas of grading and pavement reconstruction will be required along Newark Drive to improve vertical profile to minimum design standards and to install standard roadway section with ditches to address subgrade drainage concerns.
The presence of the state threatened Forked Aster is confirmed in the vicinity of the project site. DNR staff determined that the proposed project may result in the incidental taking of some plants.
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 these species 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 Forked Aster by Dec. 7, 2022 to:
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
