2013-01952. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Permit Applications

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of availability; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following application for a permit to conduct activities with the purpose of enhancing the survival of endangered species. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), prohibits certain activities with respect to endangered species unless a Federal permit allows such activity. The Act also requires that we invite public comment before issuing such permits.

DATES:

To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by March 1, 2013.

ADDRESSES:

Endangered Species Program Manager, Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Regional Office, 911 NE 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97232-4181. Please refer to the permit number for the application when submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Grant Canterbury, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, at the above address or by telephone [phone]) or fax [phone]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) prohibits certain activities with respect to endangered and threatened species unless a Federal permit allows such activity. Along with our implementing regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR part 17, the Act provides for certain permits, and requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits for endangered species.

A permit granted by us under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Act authorizes the permittee to conduct activities (including take or interstate commerce) with respect to U.S. endangered or threatened species for scientific purposes or enhancement of propagation or survival. Our regulations implementing section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Act 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.

Applications Available for Review and Comment

We invite local, State, and Federal agencies, and the public to comment on the following application. Please refer to the appropriate permit number for the application when submitting comments.

Documents and other information submitted with this application are available for review by request from the Endangered Species Program Manager at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice, subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) and Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

Permit Number: TE-096741

Applicant: Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

The applicant requests an amendment to an existing recovery permit to take (conduct taped-playback surveys) the Micronesian megapode (Megapodius laperouse laperouse), nightingale reed-warbler (Acrocephalus luscinia), and Mariana common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus guami), in conjunction with research in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, for the purpose of enhancing their survival. This permit currently covers take of the Hawaiian picture-wing flies Drosophila aglaia, D. hemipeza, D. montgomeryi, D. obatai, D. substenoptera, D. tarphytrichia, and D. musaphilia; and removal and reduction to possession of Abutilon menziesii (ko'oloa'ula), Abutilon sandwicense (no common name), Achyranthes splendens var. rotundata (round-leaved chaff flower), Alectryon macrococcus var. micrococcus (mahoe), Bonamia menziesii (no common name), Chamaesyce kuwaleana (akoko), Chamaesyce skottsbergii var. kalaeloana ('Ewa Plains 'akoko), Cyperus trachysanthos (puukaa), Flueggea neowawraea (mehamehame), Hedyotis parvula (no common name), Lepidium arbuscula (anaunau), Lipochaeta lobata var. leptophylla (nehe), Lipochaeta tenuifolia (nehe), Lobelia niihauensis (no common name), Marsilea villosa (ihi'ihi), Melicope pallida (alani), Melicope saint-johnii (alani), Neraudia angulata (no common name), Nototrichium humile (kului), Schiedea hookeri (no common name), Tetramolopium filiforme (no common name), Tetramolopium lepidotum ssp. lepidotum (no common name), and Viola chamissoniana ssp. chamissoniana (pamakani), for which notices were originally published in the Federal Register on January 7, 2005 (70 FR 1456) and April 22, 2009 (74 FR 18396).

Public Availability of Comments

All comments and materials we receive in response to this request will be available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of this 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 ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Authority

We provide this notice under section 10 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Dated: January 22, 2013.

Richard R. Hannan,

Acting Regional Director, Pacific Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.