2019-07485. 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 species under the Endangered Species Act. 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 May 16, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Document availability and comment submission: Use one of the following methods to request documents or submit comments. Requests and comments should specify the applicant name(s) and application number(s) (e.g., TE123456):

• Email: [e-mail].
• U.S. Mail: Marjorie Nelson, Chief, Division of 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), or [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 Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 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	Permit action
TE049748-3	Utah State University, Logan, Utah	June sucker (Chasmistes liorus)	Utah	Presence/absence surveys, population monitoring	Renew.
TE057401-2	Bureau of Land Management, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Utah	Southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus)	Utah	Presence/absence surveys, nest monitoring	Renew.
TE069553-2	USDA Forest Service, Wall Ranger District, Buffalo Gap National Grassland, South Dakota	Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes)	South Dakota	Presence/absence surveys, capture, handle, mark, anesthetize, vaccinate, release	Renew.
TE094832-2	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, Pickstown, South Dakota	Pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus)	South Dakota	Display for scientific and educational purposes	Renew.
TE131638-3	Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, Draper, Utah	Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), bonytail chub (Gila elegans), Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), humpback chub (Gila cypha), June sucker (Chasmistes liorus), razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), Virgin River chub (Gila robusta seminuda), woundfin (Plagopterus argentissimus), green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)	Utah	Display for educational purposes	Renew.
TE131639-1	USDA Forest Service, Chadron, Nebraska	Blowout penstemon (Penstemon haydenii)	Nebraska	Presence/absence surveys, remove and reduce to possession for propagation and reintroduction	Renew.
TE26376D-0	Steve Forrest, Truckee, California	Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes)	Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wyoming	Presence/absence surveys	New.
TE61451C-1	Amy Hammesfahr	Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), gray bat (Myotis grisescens)	Missouri	Presence/absence surveys, capture, handle, mark, biosample, release	Amend.
TE26405D-0	Miranda Hanson, Lincoln, Nebraska	American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus)	Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota	Presence/absence surveys	New.
TE32556D-0	Stephen Yarbrough, Golden, Colorado	New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus)	Colorado	Presence/absence surveys	New.
TE26536D-0	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, John Martin Reservoir, Colorado	Interior least tern (Sternula antillarum athalassos)	Colorado	Presence/absence surveys, nest monitoring	New.

Public Availability of Comments

Written comments we receive become part of the administrative record. 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.).

Maria Boroja,

Acting Assistant Regional Director, Mountain-Prairie Region.