[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 104 (Wednesday, June 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-13283]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: June 1, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Finding on
a Petition to List the Swift Fox as Endangered
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of 90-day petition finding.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces a 90-
day finding for a petition to add the swift fox (Vulpes velox) to the
List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife and Plants. While the
petition did not present substantial information indicating that the
requested action may be warranted throughout the species range, the
Service has found that substantial information exists to support a
decision that listing of the swift fox may be warranted throughout its
entire range. The Service is continuing a status review of the species
and requests any additional information regarding this finding.
DATES: The finding announced in this notice was made on May 23, 1994.
Comments and materials related to this petition finding may be
submitted to the Field Supervisor (see ADDRESSES below) until further
notice.
ADDRESSES: Information, comments, or questions concerning the swift fox
petition may be submitted to the Field Supervisor, Ecological Services,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 420 South Garfield Avenue, Suite 400,
Pierre, South Dakota 57501-5408. The petition, finding, and comments
are available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal
business hours at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elizabeth McPhillips, Acting Supervisor, at the above address,
telephone (605) 224-8693.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 4(b)(3)(A) of the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as
amended in 1982 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), requires that the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (Service) make a finding on whether a petition to
list, delist, or reclassify a species presents substantial scientific
or commercial information to indicate that the petitioned action may be
warranted. To the maximum extent practical, this finding is to be made
within 90 days of the receipt of the petition, and the finding is to be
published promptly in the Federal Register. If the finding is positive,
the Service also is required to promptly commence a status review of
the species.
A petition dated February 22, 1992 from Mr. Jon C. Sharps was
received by the Service on March 3, 1992. The petition requested the
Service to list the swift fox (Vulpes velox) as an endangered species
in the northern portion of its range, if not the entire range. A status
review for the species was first initiated for the swift fox by a
notice of review published on December 30, 1982 (47 FR 58454).
The petition and its referenced documentation states that the swift
fox once occurred in abundant numbers throughout the species historical
range. the species was known from the Canadian Prairie Province south
through Montana, eastern Wyoming, and North and South Dakota to the
Texas Panhandle. The petitioner asserts that the swift fox has declined
and is considered rare in the northern portion of its range. The
petitioner indicates that the swift fox is extremely vulnerable to
human activities such as trapping, hunting, automobiles, agricultural
conversion of habitat, and prey reduction from rodent control programs.
The petitioner requests that, at a minimum, the swift fox be listed as
an endangered species in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and
Nebraska. Justification for such action as cited by the petitioner
includes the present status of the species and its habitat in the
petitioned area, geographic and climatic positioning of the species,
the strong link to the prairie dog ecosystem, the large distance from
the kit-swift fox hybrid zone, and the potential for these populations
to contain the subspecies, Vulpes velox hebes or northern swift fox.
The Service has reviewed information regarding the status of the
swift fox throughout its range. Historically, the swift fox was
considered abundant throughout the Great Plains and the prairie
provinces of Canada (Hall and Kelron 1959; Egoscue 1979; Zumbaugh and
Choates 1985; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1990; FaunaWest 1991).
Beginning in the late 1800's to early 1900's, the swift fox declined in
numbers, and soon the northern population collapsed and the southern
population became quite rare (Cary 1911; Warren 1942; Egoscue 1979; Bee
et al. 1981; FaunWest 1991).
In the mid-1950's the swift fox staged a limited comeback in
portions of its historical range (Long 1965; Kilgore 1969; McDaniel
1976; Sharps 1977; Hines 1980; FaunaWest 1991). However, this
reappearance was limited in nature and in recent years many of these
populations have again declined. Several factors are provided as
reasons for the decline of the species throughout much of its
historical range. These factors include: (1) Loss of native prairie
habitat through conversion for agricultural production and mineral
extraction, (2) fragmentation of the remaining habitat, creating a less
suitable cropland-grassland habitat mosaic, (3) degradation of habitat
due to colonial rodent control activities, (4) predation and
interspecific competition, and (5) the species' vulnerability to human
activities, such as predator control, trapping, shooting, and
collisions with automobiles (Hillman and Sharps 1978; Hines 1980;
Armbruster 1983; Uresk and Sharps 1986; Jones et al. 1987; Sharps 1989;
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1990; FaunaWest 1991; Carbyn et al.
1992).
Currently, swift fox exist in highly disjunct populations in a
greatly reduced portion of the species' historical range (Hines 1980;
Jones et al. 1987; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1990; FaunaWest
1991). Presently, North Dakota, Montana, and Oklahoma do not contain
known populations of swift fox. South Dakota and Nebraska only contain
one to five remnant populations in a fraction of the States' historical
range. Kansas, Texas, and Wyoming maintain localized populations with
limited distributions. Colorado and New Mexico appear to contain
localized populations distributed throughout reduced portions of the
States' historical range.
In 1970, the Service listed the northern subspecies (Vulpes velox
hebes) as endangered (35 FR 8485). This designation was removed in the
United States due to controversy over taxonomy; however, the
designation for Canada as endangered remains in place (45 FR 49844).
Canada classified the swift fox as extirpated in 1978 (Carbyn et
al. 1992). Since 1983, the Canadian Wildlife Service has been involved
in a reintroduction experiment in the hope of recovering the swift fox.
This 12-year program has resulted in an estimated wild fox population
of 150 foxes within two release areas (Carbyn et al. 1992). However,
the viability of this population is in question due to the low numbers
of established animals, high predation rates, continued habitat loss or
modification within the release areas, and the unpredictability of
climatic or other stochastic events such as disease (Carbyn et al.
1992).
The Service notes that the majority of information reviewed
supported many of the petitioner's contentions concerning the decline
of and threats to the swift fox within the northern portion of its
historical range. This information also indicated that many of the
petitioner's contentions appear valid throughout the remainder of the
species' range.
The petitioner provided substantial information that listing of the
swift fox may be warranted in the northern portion of its range but did
not provide substantial information on the species' status in the
southern portion of its range. The Service found that additional
information existed to indicate that listing of the swift fox
throughout its range may be warranted.
Therefore, after reviewing the petition, accompanying
documentation, references cited, and the best scientific and commercial
data available, the Service finds that the requested action may be
warranted throughout the swift fox's historical range. Through issuance
of this notice of the 90-day finding, the Service is continuing a
status review of the swift fox and solicits additional information on
the species. The Service will prepare a 12-month finding to determine
if the petitioned action is warranted as required by section 4(b)(3)(B)
of the Endangered Species Act.
References Cited
A complete list of all references cited herein, as well as others,
it available upon request from the Service's, Pierre Field Office (see
ADDRESSES above).
Author
This notice was prepared by Daniel Eklund (see ADDRESSES above).
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544).
List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 17
Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, and Transportation.
Dated: May 23, 1994.
Mollie H. Beattie,
Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 94-13283 FIled 5-31-94; 8:45 am]
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