2022-27605. 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 January 19, 2023.

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
PER0055320	George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center; Bartlesville, Oklahoma	Masked bobwhite quail ( Colinus virginianus ridgwayi)	Arizona, Oklahoma	Captive propagation	Harass, harm, capture	Renew.
PER0055321	Boatright, Patrick; Dripping Springs, Texas	Golden-cheeked warbler ( Setophaga chrysoparia)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys, habitat assessment	Harass, harm	Amend.
PER0055322	East Foundation; San Antonio, Texas	Ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys, live capture, chemical immobilization, handling, tagging, bio-sample collection	Harass, harm, capture, collect	Renew/Amend.
PER0055325	Gladstone, Nicholas; Austin, Texas	Coffin Cave mold beetle ( Batrisodes texanus), Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle ( Texamaurops reddelli), Tooth Cave ground beetle ( Rhadine persephone), Bee Creek Cave harvestman ( Texella reddelli), Bone Cave harvestman ( Texella reyesi), Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion ( Tartarocreagris texana), Tooth Cave spider ( Tayshaneta myopica)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys, habitat assessment	Harass, harm	Amend.
PER0055729	Francke, Christopher; Cedar Park, Texas	Barton Springs salamander ( Eurycea sosorum), Austin blind salamander ( Eurycea waterlooensis), Texas blind salamander ( Eurycea rathbuni), Tooth Cave spider ( Tayshaneta myopica), Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion ( Tartarocreagris texana), Bee Creek Cave harvestman ( Texella reddelli), Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle ( Texamaurops reddelli), Tooth Cave ground beetle ( Rhadine persephone), Bone Cave harvestman ( Texella reyesi), Coffin Cave mold beetle ( Batrisodes texanus), ground beetle ( Rhadine exilis), ground beetle ( Rhadine infernalis), Helotes mold beetle ( Batrisodes venyivi), Cokendolpher Cave harvestman ( Texella cokendolpheri), Robber Baron Cave meshweaver ( Cicurina baronia), Madla Cave meshweaver ( Cicurina madla), Government Canyon Bat Cave meshweaver ( Cicurina vespera), Government Canyon Bat Cave spider ( Neoleptoneta microps), Comal Springs riffle beetle ( Heterelmis comalensis), Comal Springs dryopid beetle ( Stygoparnus comalensis), Peck's Cave amphipod ( Stygobromus pecki)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys, handling, capture, voucher specimen collection	Harass, harm, kill, capture	Renew.
PER0055763	Texas State Aquarium; Corpus Christi, Texas	Kemp's ridley sea turtle ( Lepidochelys kempii), hawksbill sea turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricata), leatherback sea turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea)	Texas	Document, examine, and salvage stranded sea turtles, capture/handle, tag, transport, receive, rehabilitate, and release stranded sea turtles, tissue/blood sample collection, educational display	Harass, harm, capture, collect	Renew/Amend.
PER0056417	Cowan, Casey; San Antonio, Texas	Golden-cheeked warbler ( Setophaga chrysoparia)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	New.
PER0070221	Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute; Kingsville, Texas	Ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis), Gulf Coast jaguarundi ( Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli)	Texas	Tissue sample collection	Harass, harm, capture, collect	Amend.
PER0065413	Travis Audubon Society, Inc.; Leander, Texas	Golden-cheeked warbler ( Setophaga chrysoparia)	Texas	Presence/absence surveys, habitat assessment	Harass, harm	Renew.
PER0070375	Clemens, Brad; Sierra Vista, Arizona	Southwestern willow flycatcher ( Empidonax traillii extimus)	Arizona	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	New.
PER0052843	Pernicano, Martina; Golden, Colorado	Southwestern willow flycatcher ( Empidonax traillii extimus)	Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah	Presence/absence surveys	Harass, harm	Renew.
PER0018550	Mowad, Gary; Scottsdale, Arizona	Ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis), Gulf Coast jaguarundi ( Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli)	Arizona, Texas	Camera monitoring using scents/attractants	Harass, harm	New.
PER0075733	USFWS Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge; Sasabe, Arizona	Masked bobwhite quail ( Colinus virginianus ridgwayi)	Arizona	Maintain, propagate, release, monitor, conduct research, habitat management	Harass, harm, capture	Renew.

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, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.