street site is used as a base for Coast Guard operations. 

 Based on these and other considerations, the Commission 

 formally recommended that the Coast Guard not move its 

 Peanut Island Station to the 59th Street site in West Palm 

 Beach. 



On 2 April 1982, the Commission learned that the Coast 

 Guard had relocated a 95-foot cutter to the 59th Street 

 site and intended to keep it there until 31 October 1982. 

 On 20 May 1982, representatives of the Commission met with 

 representatives of the Coast Guard and the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service to discuss the proposed relocation and its possible 

 effect on manatees. The Commission pointed out: that Coast 

 Guard actions taken with respect to construction of the 

 facility appeared to have been in violation of the Endangered 

 Species Act; that the Coast Guard, having requested comments 

 and set a comment period, moved its cutter before the 

 comment period ended; and that there was need to examine 

 other alternatives. Subsequently, the Coast Guard made 

 known to the Fish and Wildlife Service its intent to discontinue 

 use of the 59th Street pier pending the results of the Fish 

 and Wildlife Service's Section 7 consultation under the 

 Endangered Species Act. 



By letter of 29 December 1982, the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service forwarded its Biological Opinion to the Coast Guard. 

 Consistent with the comments and recommendations put forth 

 by the Commission in its 29 March 1982 letter, the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service concluded that the proposed relocation of 

 the Coast Guard station to the 59th Street site would be 

 likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the manatee 

 and that reasonable and prudent alternatives to the proposed 

 59th Street location would be: (1) to renovate and maintain 

 the existing station on Peanut Island; or (2) to select a 

 new site away from the Riviera Beach power plant so as to 

 eliminate the need for vessel traffic through the area of 

 high manatee concentrations. 



In early 1983, the Commission resumed discussions 

 with the Coast Guard to resolve this potentially serious 

 problem, and was pleased to learn of the Coast Guard's 

 intention to vigorously pursue alternative sites for the 

 relocation of the Peanut Island facility. The Commission 

 will assist the Coast Guard in any way that it can in this 

 effort. 



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