MADISON, Wis. — State wildlife officials say a telephone cable project in south-central Wisconsin could kill endangered lizards.
Marquette-Adams Telephone Company wants to bury 36 miles of fiber optic cable in Adams County. Department of Natural Resources officials say endangered slender glass lizards live in the vicinity and the project could result in the incidental deaths of some of them.
DNR officials say the impact will be minimal and shouldn't hurt the overall population's chances of survival and recover in Wisconsin. The agency is preparing to issue a permit allowing incidental take of the lizards. An environmental monitor would walk ahead of the construction equipment looking for lizards and move them out of the way.
The DNR will take public comments on the permit through July 12.
