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 applications for a permit to conduct activities intended to enhance the survival of endangered or threatened species. Federal law prohibits certain activities with endangered species unless a permit is obtained.
DATES:
We must receive any written comments on or before December 27, 2016.
ADDRESSES:
Send written comments by U.S. mail to the Regional Director, Attn: Carlita Payne, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services, 5600 American Blvd. West, Suite 990, Bloomington, MN 55437-1458; or by electronic mail to permitsR3ES@fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Carlita Payne, (612) 713-5343.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), prohibits certain activities with endangered and threatened species unless the activities are specifically 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 permit granted by us under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA authorizes the permittee to conduct activities with U.S. endangered or threatened species for scientific purposes, enhancement of propagation or survival, or interstate commerce (the latter only in the event that it facilitates scientific purposes or enhancement of propagation or survival). Our regulations implementing section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA 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, Tribal, and Federal agencies and the public to comment on the following applications. Please refer to the permit number when you submit comments. Documents and other information the applicants have submitted with the applications are available for review, subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) and Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).
Permit Applications
Proposed activities in the following permit requests are for the recovery and enhancement of survival of the species in the wild.
Application No. | Applicant | Species | Location | Activity | Type of take | Permit action |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TE38856A | Skelly & Loy, Inc | Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), Virginia big eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus) | Rangewide | Conduct presence/absence surveys, document habitat use, conduct population monitoring, evaluate impacts | Capture, handle, radio-tag, release | Amend, renew. |
TE11135C | Herpetological Resource and Management, LLC | Copperbelly water snake (Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta), Eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus), Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis), Mitchell's satyr butterfly (Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii), Poweshiek skipperling butterfly (Oarisma poweshiek), Pitcher's Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri), Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris), Michigan monkey flower (Mimulus michiganensis), and Eastern prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera leucophaea) | Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio | Survey and Monitoring, Habitat mapping and assessment | Capture and release | New. |
TE11145C | Lisa Kleinschmidt | Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat, gray bat (Myotis grisescens) | Rangewide | Conduct presence/absence surveys, document habitat use, conduct population monitoring, evaluate impacts | Capture, handle, radio-tag, harp trap, release | New. |
TE11170C | Ashleigh Cable | Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat, gray bat | Illinois | Conduct presence/absence surveys, document habitat use, conduct population monitoring, evaluate impacts | Capture, handle, radio-tag, harp trap, release | New. |
TE174388 | Metropolitan Park District of the Toledo Area | Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) | Ohio | Conduct habitat management for the benefit of the species; document habitat use | Conservation and species management | Renew. |
TE64241B | Barker Lemar Engineering Consultants | Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat | Illinois, Iowa | Conduct presence/absence surveys, document habitat use, conduct population monitoring, evaluate impacts | Capture, handle, radio-tag, release | Amend. |
National Environmental Policy Act
The proposed activities in the requested permits qualify as categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act, as provided by Department of the Interior implementing regulations in part 46 of title 43 of the CFR (43 CFR 46.205, 46.210, and 46.215).
Public Availability of Comments
We seek public review and comments on these permit applications. Please refer to the permit number when you submit comments. Comments and materials we receive in response to this notice are available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the address listed above in ADDRESSES.
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 ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: November 18, 2016.
Lori H. Nordstrom,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2016-28346 Filed 11-23-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P