2018-12346. Endangered and Threatened Species; Receipt of Recovery Permit Applications

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received applications for permits to conduct activities intended to enhance the propagation or survival of endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

DATES:

We must receive your written comments by July 9, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Document availability and comment submission: Submit requests for copies of the applications and related documents and submit any comments by one of the following methods. All requests and comments should specify the applicant name(s) and application number(s) (e.g., TEXXXXXX):

• Email: [e-mail].
• U.S. Mail: Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 134 Union Blvd., Suite 670, Lakewood, CO 80228.
• Pickup/hand-delivery: Call 303-236-4224 to make an appointment during regular business hours at Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 134 Union Blvd., Suite 670, Lakewood, CO 80228.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kathy Konishi, Recovery Permits Coordinator, Ecological Services, 303-236-4224 (phone); [e-mail] (email). Individuals who are hearing or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The ESA prohibits certain activities with endangered and threatened species unless authorized by a Federal permit. The ESA and our implementing regulations in part 17 of title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) provide for the issuance of such permits and require that we invite public comment before issuing permits for activities involving endangered species.

A recovery permit issued by us under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA authorizes the permittee to conduct activities with endangered species for scientific purposes that promote recovery or for enhancement of propagation or survival of the species. Our regulations implementing section 10(a)(1)(A) for these permits are found at 50 CFR 17.22 for endangered wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.32 for threatened wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.62 for endangered plant species, and 50 CFR 17.72 for threatened plant species.

Permit Applications Available for Review and Comment

We invite local, State, and Federal agencies, Tribes, and the public to comment on the following applications.

Application No.	Applicant, city, state	Species	Location	Activity	Type of take	Permit action
TE054237-3	USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region, Golden, CO	Southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus)	Colorado	Survey and monitor to determine baseline population numbers	Disturbance	Amend.
TE73239C-0	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, MO	Pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus)	Kansas, Missouri	Survey and monitor to determine baseline population numbers	Capture, handle, and radio tag; transfer limited numbers to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hatcheries for propagation efforts	New.
TE98300A-2	Amnis Opes Institute, LLC, Bend, OR	Pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus), white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), bonytail chub (Gila elegans), Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), humpback chub (Gila cypha), razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus)	Colorado, Montana	Survey and monitor to determine baseline population numbers	Capture, handle, and radio tag	Renew.
TE79700C-0	Brackett Mays, Grand Junction, CO	Southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus)	Colorado, Utah	Survey and monitor to determine baseline population numbers	Disturbance	New.
TE84251C-0	Westech Environmental Services, Inc., Helena, MT	Poweshiek skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek)	North Dakota	Survey and monitor to determine baseline population numbers	Disturbance	New.
TE056079-1	Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO	Bonytail chub (Gila elegans), Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), humpback chub (Gila cypha), razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus)	Colorado, Utah	Survey and monitor to determine baseline population numbers	Electrofish, capture, and handle	Renew.
TE067734-2	Badlands National Park	Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes)	South Dakota	Survey and monitor to determine baseline population numbers	Disturbance	Renew.

Public Availability of Comments

Written comments we receive become part of the administrative record associated with this Federal Register notice. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can request in your comment that we withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

Next Steps

If we decide to issue permits to any of the applicants listed in this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register.

Authority

We publish this notice under section 10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Michael Thabault,

Assistant Regional Director, Mountain-Prairie Region.