4.5. SR 09-08-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• All observations of live or dead individual turtles will be photographed and recorded using NHIS rare species data spreadsheet templates. If a Blanding’s turtle, or other species, is encountered during meander surveys, monitoring and inspections or if encountered by the construction contractor the following steps will be followed as required by the MNDNR public waters permit and Blanding’s Turtle Avoidance Plan for turtle relocation: • WSB staff will be notified Blanding’s Turtles were encountered within the project limits by contractor and City of Elk River staff. • WSB staff will obtain a Permit for the Use of Endangered or Threatened Species in a Scientific Study prior to capturing and moving Blanding’s turtles. • WSB staff will move the turtle by hand into a temporary storage container. On the same day that the turtles are collected, they will be transported to the relocation site (Appendix B) and released to resume overwintering behaviors. • If a Blanding's turtle is injured or killed as a result of project activities the Minnesota Endangered Species Coordinator will be notified immediately. • All dead individual Blanding’s Turtles found onsite will be transferred to the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History for curation to the collection or disposal. 3) Correspondence with MNDNR, NHIS and City of Elk River: WSB staff will correspond with MNDNR wildlife specialists, NHIS endangered species coordinator and City of Elk River staff on all collected turtle survey data, turtle relocation and final summary report regarding Blanding’s Turtles during dewatering and construction of the Lake Orono Enhancement and Restoration project as required by the MNDNR public waters permit and the Blanding’s Turtle Avoidance plan. 4) Final Summary Report: WSB will summarize the results of the daily logs, meander surveys and turtle relocation in a final documentation report. The report will be completed in accordance with the Blanding’s Turtle Avoidance Plan and MNDNR Public Waters Permit requirements and shall include the following: • Supporting documentation from the MNDNR Public Waters Permit, MNDNR Blanding’s Turtle fact sheet and Blanding’s Turtle Avoidance plan upon which the findings and opinions are based. • Scope of services performed. • A “findings” section which will detail any encountered turtles during surveys and monitoring by WSB, contractor and City of Elk River prior to and during construction. • Any conclusions drawn from the surveys, monitoring and relocation. • The final report will be submitted to the City of Elk River, MNDNR and NHIS staff.