Orono_Route_Permit_Application - Docket # W002/TL-11-223

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Minnesota Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Division of Ecological and Water Resources, Box 25 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-4025 OEPARTMENTOF Phone: (651) 259-5109 E-mail: lisa.joyal@state.mn.us NATURAL RESOURCES March 31, 2011 Mr. Dustin Daniels URS Corporation, Inc. 100 South Fifth Street, Suite 1500 Minneapolis, MN 55402 Correspondence # ERDB 20110246-0002 RE: Natural Heritage Review of the proposed Orono Substation Expansion; TI 18N R23W Sections 29, 30, 31, & 32; Hennepin County Dear Mr. Daniels, As requested, the Minnesota Natural Heritage Information System has been queried to determine if any rare species or other significant natural features are known to occur within an approximate one -mile radius of the proposed project. Based on this query, rare features have been documented within the search area (for details, see the enclosed database reports; please visit the Rare Species Guide at hiip://www.dnr.state.mn.us/rsg/index.html for more information on the biology, habitat use, and conservation measures of these rare species). Please note that the following rare features may be adversely affected by the proposed project: Trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator), a state -listed threatened species, have been documented nesting in close proximity to the proposed project. These rare birds may be at risk for colliding with or being electrocuted by overhead transmission lines. We recommend the use of bird diverters on overhead lines near lakes and rivers, or other areas that may attract large concentrations of waterfowl. Please contact the DNR Regional Environmental Assessment Ecologist, Melissa Doperalski at 651-259-5738, for a regional perspective on the recommended number and locations of bird diverters for this specific line. The Route Permit Application should address whether the proposed project has the potential to adversely affect this state -listed species and, if so, any avoidance or mitigation measures that will be implemented. The Natural Heritage Information System (NNIS), a collection of databases that contains information about Minnesota's rare natural features, is maintained by the Division of Ecological and Water Resources, Department of Natural Resources. The NHIS is continually updated as new information becomes available, and is the most complete source of data on Minnesota's rare or otherwise significant species, native plant communities, and other natural features. However, the NHIS is not an exhaustive inventory and thus does not represent all of the occurrences of rare features within the state. Therefore, ecologically significant features for which we have no records may exist within the project area. The enclosed results include an Index Report and a Detailed Report of records in the Rare Features Database, the main database of the NHIS. To control the release of specific location information, which might result in the destruction of a rare feature, both reports are copyrighted. www.mndnr.gov AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER