GSRC is currently conducting a Biological Assessment for proposed road, embankment, and culvert repairs in El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico. El Yunque National Forest is a 27,948-acre expanse of land located in the Luquillo Mountains in northeastern Puerto Rico, occupying approximately 1.4 percent of the island’s total area. The area is managed and administrated by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Elevations range from around 390 feet in the lowlands along the northeastern boundary of the forest, to over 3,280 feet on mountain peaks. The region receives an average of more than 157 inches of precipitation annually. In September 2025, GSRC completed botanical and avian inventory and focused surveys for federally listed rare, threatened, and endangered (RTE) species. Federally listed threatened and endangered species that occur in El Yunque National Forest include Puerto Rican broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus brunnescens), Puerto Rican sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus venator), elfin-woods warbler (Setophaga angelae), Puerto Rican boa (Chilabothrus inornatus), capa rosa (Callicarpa ampla), Ternstroemia subsessilis, palo colorado (Ternstroemia luquillensis), palo de jazmin (Styrax portoricensis), Schoepfia arenaria, uvillo (Eugenia haematocarpa), and chupacallos (Pleodendron macranthum). In September 2025, GSRC completed botanical and avian inventory and focused surveys for federally listed rare, threatened, and endangered (RTE) species. Protected species detected included the Puerto Rican boa and the elfin-woods warbler. GSRC is now developing the draft Biological Assessment document as part of Section 7 consultation for the Endangered Species Act.
