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. 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 on or before October 4, 2021.
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: permitsr8es@fws.gov.
- U.S. Mail: Susie Tharratt, Regional Recovery Permit Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2606, Sacramento, CA 95825.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Susie Tharratt, via phone at 760-414-6561, via email at permitsr8es@fws.gov, or via the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on applications for permits under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The requested permits would allow the applicants to conduct activities intended to promote recovery of species that are listed as endangered or threatened under the ESA.
Background
With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities that constitute take of wildlife species listed as endangered and, by regulation, certain wildlife species listed as threatened unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activity. The ESA's definition of “take” includes such activities as pursuing, harassing, trapping, capturing, or collecting, in addition to hunting, shooting, harming, wounding, or killing.
A recovery permit issued by us under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA authorizes the permittee to conduct activities with endangered or threatened species for scientific purposes that promote recovery or for enhancement of propagation or survival of the species. These activities often include such prohibited actions as capture and collection. Our regulations implementing section 10(a)(1)(A) for these permits are found in the Code of Federal Regulations 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
Proposed activities in the following permit requests are for the recovery and enhancement of propagation or survival of the species in the wild. The ESA requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits. Accordingly, we invite local, State, Tribal, 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.
Application No. | Applicant, city, state | Species | Location | Take activity | Permit action |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ES-839480 | Richard Zembal, Laguna Hills, California | • California least tern (Sterna antillarum browni) • Least Bell's vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) • Southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) • San Bernardino Merriam's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami parvus) | CA | Play taped vocalization, monitor nests, remove brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) eggs and chicks from parasitized nests, capture, handle, band, remove from wild, translocate, and release | Renew and Amend. |
• Stephens' kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi (incl. D. cascus)) | |||||
PER0016953 | Jim Rocks, San Diego, California | • Quino checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha quino) • Conservancy fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio) | CA | Pursue, capture, handle, collect vouchers, and release | Renew. |
• Longhorn fairy shrimp (Branchinecta longiantenna) | |||||
• San Diego fairy shrimp (Branchinecta sandiegonensis) | |||||
• Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus woottoni) | |||||
• Vernal pool tadpole shrimp (Lepidurus packardi) | |||||
PER0016955 | Melanie Rocks, San Diego, California | • Quino checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha quino) • Conservancy fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio) | CA | Pursue, capture, handle, collect vouchers, and release | Renew. |
• Longhorn fairy shrimp (Branchinecta longiantenna) | |||||
• San Diego fairy shrimp (Branchinecta sandiegonensis) | |||||
• Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus woottoni) | |||||
• Vernal pool tadpole shrimp (Lepidurus packardi) | |||||
PER0017052 | Bio-Studies, Inc., San Diego, California | • Monardella viminea (M. linoides subsp. v.) (willowy monardella) • Arctostaphylos glandulosa subsp. crassifolia (Del Mar manzanita) | CA | Remove and reduce to possession from lands under Federal jurisdiction | Renew. |
• Chorizanthe orcuttiana (Orcutt's spineflower) | |||||
• Fremontodendron mexicanum (Mexican flannelbush) | |||||
• Ambrosia pumila (San Diego ambrosia) | |||||
• Eryngium aristulatum var. parishii (San Diego button-celery) | |||||
• Pogogyne abramsii (San Diego mesa mint) | |||||
• Orcuttia californica (California Orcutt grass) | |||||
• Chloropyron maritimum subsp. maritimum (Cordylanthus maritimus subsp. maritimus) (salt marsh bird's beak) | |||||
PER0017053 | Tansley Team, Inc., Sheridan, California | • Conservancy fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio) • Longhorn fairy shrimp (Branchinecta longiantenna) • San Diego fairy shrimp (Branchinecta sandiegonensis) | CA | Capture, handle, collect vouchers, identify eggs, hydrate, release, and remove and reduce to possession from lands under Federal jurisdiction | Renew. |
• Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus woottoni) | |||||
• Vernal pool tadpole shrimp (Lepidurus packardi) | |||||
• Solano grass (Tuctoria mucronata) | |||||
ES-69046B | Jim Asmus, Vista, California | • San Diego fairy shrimp (Branchinecta sandiegonensis) | CA | Capture, handle, collect vouchers, and release | Renew. |
• Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus woottoni) | |||||
ES-796271 | Shana Dodd, San Diego, California | • Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus) • San Bernardino Merriam's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami parvus) | CA | Capture, handle, mark, and release | Renew. |
ES-90002A | Todd Wong, Sacramento, California | • California tiger salamander (Santa Barbara County and Sonoma County distinct population segments (DPSs)) (Ambystoma californiense) | CA, OR | Capture, handle, collect vouchers, and release | Renew. |
• Conservancy fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio) | |||||
• Longhorn fairy shrimp (Branchinecta longiantenna) | |||||
• San Diego fairy shrimp (Branchinecta sandiegonensis) | |||||
• Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus woottoni) | |||||
• Vernal pool tadpole shrimp (Lepidurus packardi) | |||||
ES-61175B | Lindsay Willrick, San Diego, California | • Quino checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha quino) | CA | Pursue | Renew. |
ES-749872 | David Germano, Bakersfield, California | • Blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia silus) | CA | Capture, handle, mark, and release | Renew. |
• Fresno kangaroo rat (Dipodomys nitratoides exilis) | |||||
• Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus) | |||||
• Tipton kangaroo rat (Dipodomys nitratoides nitratoides) | |||||
ES-27460A | Brian Zitt, Huntington Beach, California | • Tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi) | CA | Capture, handle, and release | Renew. |
• Arroyo (=arroyo southwestern) toad (Anaxyrus californicus) | |||||
• Unarmored threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus williamsoni) | |||||
• Mountain yellow-legged frog (southern California distinct population segment (DPS)) (Rana muscosa) | |||||
ES-61720B | Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County, Capitola, California | • California tiger salamander (Santa Barbara County and Sonoma County distinct population segments (DPSs)) (Ambystoma californiense) | CA | Capture, handle, collect voucher or tissue, mark, release, and restore habitat | Renew. |
• Santa Cruz long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum) |
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become part of the record associated with this action. 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.).
Peter Erickson,
Acting Regional Ecological Services Program Leader, California—Great Basin Region 10 (formerly Pacific Southwest Regional Office—Region 8).
[FR Doc. 2021-19137 Filed 9-2-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P