2024-06830. Endangered Wildlife; 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, invite the public to comment on the following applications for a permit to conduct activities intended to recover and enhance endangered species survival. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits certain activities that may impact endangered species, unless a Federal permit allows such activity. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

DATES:

To ensure consideration, please submit your written comments by May 1, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

Document availability: Request documents from the contact in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

Comment submission: Submit comments by email to [e-mail]. Please specify the permit application you are interested in by number ( e.g., Permit Record No. PER1234567).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Marty Tuegel, Supervisor, Environmental Review Division, by phone at 505-248-6651, or via email at [e-mail]. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), prohibits activities that constitute take of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activity. The ESA's definition of “take” includes hunting, shooting, harming, wounding, or killing, and also such activities as pursuing, harassing, trapping, capturing, or collecting.

The ESA and our implementing regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at title 50, part 17, provide for issuing such permits and require that we invite public comment before issuing permits for activities involving listed species.

A recovery permit we issue under the ESA, section 10(a)(1)(A), authorizes the permittee to conduct activities with endangered or threatened species for scientific purposes that promote recovery or enhance the species' propagation or survival. These activities often include such prohibited actions as capture and collection. 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

Documents and other information submitted with these applications are available for review by any party who submits a request as specified in ADDRESSES . Our release of documents is subject to Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) and Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) requirements.

Proposed activities in the following permit requests are for the recovery and enhancement of propagation or survival of the species in the wild. We invite local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies and the public to submit written data, views, or arguments with respect to these applications. The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are those supported by quantitative information or studies. Please refer to the permit record number when submitting comments.

Permit record No.	Applicant	Species	Location	Activity	Type of take	Permit action
PER6195945	Wildlife World Zoo, Inc.; Litchfield Park, Arizona	Kemp's ridley sea turtle ( Lepidochelys kempii)	Arizona	Educational display	Harass, harm	New.
PER5348794	Vaughn, Caryn; Norman, Oklahoma	Ouachita rock pocketbook ( Arcidens wheeleri), scaleshell mussel ( Leptodea leptodon), winged mapleleaf ( Quadrula fragosa)	Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	New.
PER5348793	Cantu, Eric; Edinburg, Texas	Texas hornshell ( Popenaias popeii)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	New.
PER5530131	Martin, Keith; Claremore, Oklahoma	Indiana bat ( Myotis sodalis), gray bat ( Myotis grisescens), Ozark big-eared bat ( Corynorhinus (= Plecotus) townsendii ingens), northern long-eared bat ( Myotis septentrionalis)	Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	Renew.
PER5699079	McLean, Jesse; Dallas, Texas	Golden-cheeked warbler ( Setophaga chrysoparia)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	Renew.
PER6816223	Gonzales, Kelly; Houston, Texas	Gulf coast jaguarundi ( Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli), ocelot ( Leopardus (= Felis) pardalis), northern aplomado falcon ( Falco femoralis septentrionalis)	Arizona, New Mexico, Texas	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	Renew/amend.
PER7135821	Tulsa District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Tulsa, Oklahoma	Indiana bat ( Myotis sodalis), gray bat ( Myotis grisescens), Ozark big-eared bat ( Corynorhinus (= Plecotus) townsendii ingens) Ouachita rock pocketbook ( Arcidens wheeleri), winged mapleleaf ( Quadrula fragosa)	Kansas, Oklahoma	Presence/absence surveys, handle, tag, salvage, bio-sample, band	Capture, harass, harm	Renew.
PER8668105	Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management; Carlsbad, New Mexico	Lesser prairie-chicken ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus)	New Mexico	Presence/absence surveys, lek tours	Harass, harm	New.
PER6353114	Solari, Whitney; Bryan, Texas	Golden-cheeked warbler ( Setophaga chrysoparia)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	New.
PER7248560	Raven Environmental Services, Inc.; Huntsville, Texas	Red-cockaded woodpecker ( Picoides borealis)	Louisiana, Texas	Presence/absence surveys, nest monitoring, band, sexing, translocation, artificial cavity installation	Capture, harass, harm	Renew/amend.
PER7365932	Kutz, Julie; Albuquerque, New Mexico	Southwestern willow flycatcher ( Empidonax traillii extimus)	New Mexico	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	Renew.
PER7032540	Blankenship, Ryan; Duncanville, Texas	Gray bat ( Myotis grisescens), Ozark big-eared bat ( Corynorhinus (= Plecotus) townsendii ingens), northern long-eared bat ( Myotis septentrionalis), Indiana bat ( Myotis sodalis), lesser prairie-chicken ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), fountain darter ( Etheostoma fonticola), Neosho mucket ( Lampsilis rafinesqueana), Ouachita rock pocketbook ( Arcidens wheeleri), scaleshell mussel ( Leptodea leptodon), winged mapleleaf ( Quadrula fragosa)	Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming	Presence/absence surveys, handle, tag, salvage, bio-sample, band	Capture, harass, harm	New.
PER8778179	Baer Engineering and Environmental Consulting, Inc.; Austin, Texas	Golden-cheeked warbler ( Setophaga chrysoparia)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	Amend.
PER9199896	Bey, Trinity; Boerne, Texas	Golden-cheeked warbler ( Setophaga chrysoparia)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	Renew.
PER8778158	Blackland Environmental, LLC.; Garden Ridge, Texas	Golden-cheeked warbler ( Setophaga chrysoparia), red-cockaded woodpecker ( Picoides borealis), Houston toad ( Bufo houstonensis)	Louisiana, Texas	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	New.
PER8668106	Hall, Ellen; Fort Worth, Texas	Gray bat ( Myotis grisescens), Ozark big-eared bat ( Corynorhinus (= Plecotus) townsendii ingens), northern long-eared bat ( Myotis septentrionalis), Indiana bat ( Myotis sodalis)	Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming	Presence/absence surveys, handle, tag, salvage, bio-sample, band	Capture, harass, harm	New.
PER9200393	SeaWorld of Texas; San Antonio, Texas	Kemp's ridley sea turtle ( Lepidochelys kempii), hawksbill sea turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata)	Texas	Rehabilitate, educational display	Capture, harass, harm	Renew.
PER8748209	University of Texas Austin; Austin, Texas	Big Bend gambusia ( Gambusia gaigei)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys, trap, anesthetize	Capture, harass, harm	New.
PER9229906	Gluesenkamp, Andrew; Driftwood, Texas	Barton Springs salamander ( Eurycea sosorum), Austin blind salamander ( Eurycea waterlooensis), Peck's Cave amphipod ( Stygobromus (= Stygonectes) pecki), Comal Springs riffle beetle ( Heterelmis comalensis), Comal Springs dryopid beetle ( Stygoparnus comalensis), Texas blind salamander ( Eurycea rathbuni), Mexican blindcat ( Prietella phreatophila)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys, collect, voucher specimen	Capture, harass, harm, kill	New.
PER9229948	Bureau of Reclamation—Boulder City; Boulder City, Nevada	Southwestern willow flycatcher ( Empidonax traillii extimus), Yuma Ridgway's rail ( Rallus obsoletus yumanensis)	Arizona, California	Presence/absence surveys, band, tag	Capture, harass, harm	Amend.
PER9229950	Burns, Jodie; Bentonville, Arkansas	Red-cockaded woodpecker ( Picoides borealis)	Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	Amend.

Public Availability of Comments

All comments we receive become part of the public record associated with this action. Requests for copies of comments will be handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Service and Department of the Interior policies and procedures. 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 to 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.

Authority

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

Amy Lueders,

Regional Director, Southwest Region.