[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 154 (Tuesday, August 11, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 42757-42762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-21550]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1080-AF01


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Emergency Listing 
of the Jarbidge River Population Segment of Bull Trout as Endangered

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Emergency rule.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) exercises its 
emergency authority to determine the Jarbidge River population segment 
of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) from the Jarbidge River basin in 
southern Idaho and northern Nevada to be endangered pursuant to the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Jarbidge River 
population segment, composed of a single subpopulation, is threatened 
by habitat degradation from past and ongoing land management activities 
such as mining, road construction and maintenance, and grazing. 
Recently initiated river channel alteration associated with 
unauthorized road construction on the West Fork of the Jarbidge River 
is believed to imminently threaten the survival of the Jarbidge River 
bull trout population. Because of the need to make the protective 
measures afforded by the Act immediately available to the Jarbidge 
River population of bull trout and its habitat, the Service finds that 
an emergency rule action is justified. This emergency rule provides 
Federal protection pursuant to the Act for the Jarbidge River 
population of bull trout for a period of 240 days. A proposed rule to 
list the Jarbidge River population of bull trout as threatened, which 
requested data and comment from the public, was published in the 
Federal Register on June 10, 1998. The comment period on the proposed 
rule closes on October 8, 1998.

DATES: This emergency rule is effective on August 11, 1998, and expires 
on April 8, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The complete file for this rule is available for inspection, 
by appointment, during normal business hours at the U. S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office, 1340 Financial 
Boulevard, Suite 234, Reno, Nevada 89502.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert D. Williams, Field Supervisor, 
Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES section; telephone: 702/
861-6300).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    A complete discussion of this section is contained in the proposed 
rule published on June 10, 1998 (63 FR 31693).

Distinct Population Segments

    The best available scientific and commercial information supports 
designating five distinct population segments (DPSs) of bull trout in 
the coterminous United States--(1) Klamath River, (2) Columbia River, 
(3) Coastal-Puget Sound, (4) Jarbidge River, and (5) St. Mary-Belly 
River. A final listing determination for the Klamath River and Columbia 
River DPSs was published in the Federal Register on June 10, 1998 (63 
FR 31647), and includes a detailed description of the rationale behind 
the DPS delineation. A proposed rule to list the Coastal Puget Sound, 
Jarbidge River, and St. Mary-Belly River population segments as 
threatened was also published in the Federal Register on June 10, 1998 
(63 FR 31693). The approach is consistent with the joint National 
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and Service's policy for recognizing 
distinct vertebrate population segments under the Act (February 7, 
1996; 61 FR 4722). This emergency rule addresses only the Jarbidge 
River bull trout DPS.
    The Jarbidge River, located in southwest Idaho and northern Nevada, 
is a tributary in the Snake River basin and contains the southernmost 
habitat occupied by bull trout. This population segment is discrete 
because it is segregated from other bull trout in the Snake River basin 
by a large gap (greater than 240 kilometers (km) (150 miles (mi)) in 
suitable habitat and several impassable dams on the mainstem Snake 
River. The occurrence of a species at the extremities of its range is 
not necessarily sufficient evidence of significance to the species as a 
whole. However, because the Jarbidge River possesses bull trout habitat 
that is disjunct from other patches of suitable habitat, the population 
segment is considered significant because it occupies a unique or 
unusual ecological setting, and its loss would result in a substantial 
modification of the species' range.

Status and Distribution

    To facilitate evaluation of current bull trout distribution and 
abundance for the Jarbidge River population segment, the Service 
analyzed data on a subpopulation basis within the segment because 
fragmentation and barriers have isolated bull trout. A subpopulation is 
considered a reproductively isolated bull trout group that spawns 
within a particular area(s) of a river system.
    The Jarbidge River DPS consists of one bull trout subpopulation 
occurring primarily in Nevada (Service 1998b). Resident fish inhabit 
the headwaters of the East Fork and West Fork of the Jarbidge River and 
several tributary streams, and low numbers of migratory (fluvial) fish 
are present (Zoellick et al. 1996; L. McLelland, Nevada Division of 
Wildlife (NDOW), in litt. 1998; K. Ramsey, Humboldt National Forest 
(HNF), in litt. 1997). Bull trout were not observed during surveys in 
the Idaho portion of the Jarbidge River basin in 1992 and 1995 (Warren 
and Partridge 1993; Allen et al. 1997), however, a single, small bull 
trout was captured when traps were operated on the lower East Fork and 
West Fork Jarbidge River during August through October 1997 (F. 
Partridge, Idaho Department of Fish and

[[Page 42758]]

Game (IDFG), pers. comm. 1998). A loss of range likely has occurred for 
migratory bull trout (fluvial) in the lower Jarbidge and Bruneau rivers 
and perhaps downstream to the Snake River (Johnson and Weller 1994; 
Zoellick et al. 1996). Low numbers of migratory (fluvial) bull trout 
have been documented in the West Fork Jarbidge River from the 1970's 
through the mid-1980's (Johnson and Weller 1994).
    The distribution of bull trout in Nevada includes at least six 
headwater streams above 2,200 meters (m) (7,200 feet (ft)), primarily 
in wilderness areas-- East Fork and West Fork Jarbidge River and Slide, 
Dave, Pine, and Jack creeks (Johnson and Weller 1994). Zoellick et al. 
(1996) compiled data from 1954 through 1993 and estimated bull trout 
population size in the middle and upper headwater areas of the West 
Fork and East Fork of the Jarbidge River. In each stream, sampled areas 
were located at elevations above 1,792 m (5,880 ft), and population 
estimates were less than 150 fish/km (240 fish/mi) (Zoellick et al. 
1996).
    In general, bull trout represent a minor proportion of the fish 
fauna downstream of the headwater reaches; native redband trout are the 
most abundant salmonid and sculpin the most abundant fish (Johnson and 
Weller 1994). Although accounts of bull trout distribution in the 
Jarbidge River basin date to the 1930's, historic abundance is not well 
documented. In 1934, bull trout were collected in the East Fork 
Jarbidge River drainage downstream of the Idaho-Nevada border (Miller 
and Morton 1952). In 1985, 292 bull trout ranging from 73 to 266 
millimeters (mm) (2.9 to 10.5 inches (in)) in total length, were 
estimated to reside in the West Fork Jarbidge River (Johnson and Weller 
1994). In 1992, the abundance of bull trout in the East Fork Jarbidge 
River was estimated to be 314 fish ranging from 115 to 165 mm (4.5 to 
6.5 in) in total length (Johnson and Weller 1994). In 1993, bull trout 
numbers in Slide and Dave creeks were estimated at 361 and 251 fish, 
respectively (Johnson and Weller 1994). During snorkel surveys 
conducted in October 1997, no bull trout were observed in 40 pools of 
the West Fork Jarbidge River or in four 30-m (100-ft) transects in Jack 
Creek (G. Johnson, NDOW, pers. comm. 1998). Only one bull trout had 
been observed at the four transects in 1992 (Johnson, pers. comm. 
1998). However, it is premature to consider bull trout extirpated in 
Jack Creek (Service 1998b). There is no information on whether bull 
trout have been extirpated from other Jarbidge River headwater 
tributaries.
    It is estimated that between 50 and 125 bull trout spawn throughout 
the Jarbidge River basin annually (Johnson, pers. comm. 1998). However, 
exact spawning sites and timing are uncertain (Johnson, pers. comm. 
1998) and only two redds have been observed in the basin (Ramsey, in 
litt. 1997; Ramsey, pers. comm. 1998a). Presumed spawning streams have 
been identified by records of one or more small bull trout (about 76 mm 
(3 in)).
    Population trend information for bull trout in the Jarbidge River 
subpopulation is not available, although the current characteristics of 
bull trout in the basin (i.e., low numbers and disjunct distribution) 
have been described as similar to that observed in the 1950's (Johnson 
and Weller 1994). Based on recent surveys, the subpopulation is 
considered ``depressed'' (less than 5,000 individuals or 500 spawners 
likely occur in the subpopulation, abundance appears to be declining, 
or a life-history form historically present has been lost). Past and 
present activities within the basin are likely restricting bull trout 
migration in the Jarbidge River, thus reducing opportunities for bull 
trout reestablishment in areas where the fish are no longer found 
(Service 1998b).

Previous Federal Action

    A complete discussion of this section is contained in the proposed 
rule published on June 10, 1998 (63 FR 31693).

Summary of Factors Affecting The Species

    Procedures found in section 4 of the Act and regulations (50 CFR 
part 424) promulgated to implement the Act set forth the procedures for 
adding species to the Federal lists. A species may be determined to be 
an endangered or threatened species due to one or more of the five 
factors described in section 4(a)(1). These factors and their 
application to the Jarbidge River population segment of bull trout 
(Salvelinus confluentus) are as follows:

A. The Present or Threatened Destruction, Modification, or Curtailment 
of its Habitat or Range

    Land and water management activities that degrade and continue to 
threaten all of the bull trout distinct population segments, including 
the Jarbidge River population segment, in the coterminous United States 
include dams, forest management practices, livestock grazing, 
agriculture and agricultural diversions, roads, and mining (Beschta et 
al. 1987; Chamberlain et al. 1991; Furniss et al. 1991; Meehan 1991; 
Nehlsen et al. 1991; Sedell and Everest 1991; Craig and Wissmar 1993; 
Frissell 1993; Henjum et al. 1994; McIntosh et al. 1994; Wissmar et al. 
1994; U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of the 
Interior (USDI) 1995, 1996, 1997; Light et al. 1996; MBTSG 1995a-e, 
1996a-h).
    Although timber was historically removed from the Jarbidge River 
basin, forest management is not thought to be a major factor currently 
affecting bull trout habitat. The steep terrain of the Jarbidge River 
basin has been a deterrent to grazing (J. Frederick, HNF, in litt. 
1998a); and grazing does not occur in approximately 60 percent of the 
watershed. Although much of the remaining 40 percent of public and 
private lands are grazed, the effects are localized and considered of 
relatively minor importance to bull trout habitat in the Jarbidge River 
basin. For example, livestock grazing is affecting about 3.2 km (2 mi) 
of the East Fork Jarbidge River and portions of Dave Creek and Jack 
Creek (Frederick, pers. comm. 1998; Johnson, pers. comm. 1998).
    Ongoing threats affecting bull trout habitat have created degraded 
conditions in the West Fork Jarbidge River (McNeill et al. 1997; 
Frederick, pers. comm. 1998; Ramsey, pers. comm. 1998a). At least 11.2 
km (7 mi) of the West Fork Jarbidge River has been affected by over a 
century of human activities such as road development and maintenance, 
historic mining and mine (adit) drainage, channelization and removal of 
large woody debris, residential development, road and campground 
development on U.S. Forest Service lands (McNeill et al. 1997). As a 
result of these activities, the riparian canopy and much of the upland 
forest has been removed, recruitment of large woody debris reduced, and 
channel stability has decreased (McNeill et al. 1997; Ramsey, in litt. 
1997; Frederick, in litt. 1998a). These activities reduce habitat 
complexity and likely elevate water temperatures seasonally. For 
example, water temperatures recorded near Bluster Bridge were 15 to 
17 deg.C (59 to 63 deg. F) for 24 days in 1997.
    Culverts installed at road crossings may act as barriers to bull 
trout movement in the Jarbidge River basin. For example, an Elko County 
road culvert had prevented upstream movement of bull trout in Jack 
Creek, a West Fork Jarbidge River tributary, for approximately 17 
years. Private and public funding was used to replace the culvert with 
a bridge in the fall of 1997 (Frederick, in litt. 1998b); however, a 
rock structure approximately 300 m

[[Page 42759]]

(1,000 ft) upstream the bridge in Jack Creek may still impede bull 
trout movement, at least seasonally during low flows.

B. Overutilization for Commercial, Recreational, Scientific, or 
Educational Purposes

    Declines in bull trout have prompted states to institute 
restrictive fishing regulations and eliminate the harvest of bull trout 
in most waters in Idaho and Nevada. Overutilization by angling was a 
concern in the past for the Jarbidge River DPS of bull trout. Although 
Idaho prohibited harvest of bull trout beginning in 1995, Nevada, until 
recently, allowed harvest of up to 10 trout per day, including bull 
trout, in the Jarbidge River basin. An estimated 100 to 400 bull trout 
were harvested annually in the Jarbidge River basin (Johnson 1990; P. 
Coffin, Service, pers. comm. 1994; Coffin, in litt. 1995). Nevada State 
regulations were recently amended to allow only catch-and-release of 
bull trout starting March 1, 1998 (G. Weller, NDOW, in litt. 1997; 
Johnson, pers. comm. 1998). The Service anticipates that this change in 
the regulations will have a positive effect on conservation of bull 
trout, however, the effects of the new harvest regulations may require 
five years to evaluate (Johnson, pers. comm. 1998).

C. Disease and Predation

    Diseases affecting salmonids are present or likely present in the 
Jarbidge DPS, but are not thought to be a factor for listing bull 
trout. However, interspecific interactions, including predation, likely 
negatively affect bull trout where non-native salmonids have been 
introduced (J. Palmisano and V. Kaczynski, Northwest Forestry Resources 
Council (NFRC), in litt. 1997).

D. The Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms

    Although efforts are underway to assist in conserving bull trout 
throughout the coterminous U.S. (e.g., Batt 1996; R. Joslin, USFS, in 
litt. 1997; A. Thomas, BLM, in litt. 1997), the implementation and 
enforcement of existing Federal and State laws designed to conserve 
fishery resources, maintain water quality, and protect aquatic habitat 
have not been sufficient to prevent past and ongoing habitat 
degradation leading to bull trout declines and isolation. Regulatory 
mechanisms, including the National Forest Management Act, the Federal 
Land Policy and Management Act, the Public Rangelands Improvement Act, 
the Clean Water Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, Federal 
Power Act, State Endangered Species Acts and numerous State laws and 
regulations oversee an array of land and water management activities 
that affect bull trout and their habitat.
    Regulatory mechanisms addressing alterations to stream channels, 
riparian areas, and floodplains from road construction and maintenance, 
and the effects associated with roads and past mining on water quality, 
have been inadequate to protect bull trout habitat in the Jarbidge 
River basin. For example, the Jarbidge Canyon Road parallels the West 
Fork Jarbidge River for much of its length and includes at least seven 
undersized bridges for the stream and floodplain. Maintenance of the 
road and bridges require frequent channel and floodplain modifications 
that affect bull trout habitat, such as channelization; removal of 
riparian trees and beaver dams; and placement of rock, sediment, and 
concrete (McNeill et al. 1997; Frederick, pers. comm. 1998; Frederick, 
in litt. 1998a). In 1995, debris torrents washed out a portion of the 
upper Jarbidge Canyon Road above Pine Creek. The Service has 
recommended that this road segment be closed to vehicular traffic and 
that a trail be maintained to reduce the effects of the road and its 
maintenance on the river (R. Williams, Service, in litt. 1998). 
Periodic channelization in the Jarbidge River by unknown parties has 
occurred without the oversight provided by the Corps of Engineers Clean 
Water Act section 404 regulatory program (M. Elpers, Service, pers. 
comm. 1998), and the HNF has been unable to control trespass 
(unauthorized road openings) on Federal lands. Several old mines 
(adits) are releasing small quantities of warm water and other 
contaminants into the West Fork Jarbidge River.
    The Nevada water temperature standards throughout the Jarbidge 
River are 21 deg.C (67 deg.F) for May through October, and 7 deg.C 
(45 deg.F) for November through April, with less than 1 deg.C (2 deg.F) 
change for beneficial uses (Nevada Department of Environmental 
Protection (NDEP), in litt. 1998). Water temperature standards for May 
through October exceed temperatures conducive to bull trout spawning, 
incubation, and rearing (Rieman and McIntyre 1993; Buchanan and Gregory 
1997).
    In 1994, a local Bull Trout Task Force was formed to gather and 
share information on bull trout in the Jarbidge River. The task force 
is open to any representative from Elko and Owyhee counties, the towns 
of Jarbidge (Nevada) and Murphy Hot Springs (Idaho), road districts, 
private landowners, NDOW, IDFG, the Boise District of Bureau of Land 
Management, HNF, and the Service. The task force was successful in 1997 
in obtaining nearly $150,000 for replacing the Jack Creek culvert with 
a concrete bridge to facilitate bull trout passage into Jack Creek. 
However, the task force has not yet developed a comprehensive 
conservation plan addressing all threats to bull trout in the Jarbidge 
River basin.
    In 1995, the Humboldt National Forest plan was amended to include 
the Inland Native Fish Strategy. This fish and wildlife habitat policy 
sets a no net loss objective and is currently guiding Forest Service 
planning of possible reconstruction of a portion of the Jarbidge Canyon 
Road (Ramsey 1997). In June 1998, HNF issued the Jarbidge River 
Environmental Assessment for Access and Restoration between Pine Creek 
Campground and the Jarbidge Wilderness (HNF 1998).

E. Other Natural or Manmade Factors Affecting its Continued Existence

    Natural and manmade factors affecting the continued existence of 
bull trout include--previous introductions of non-native species that 
compete, hybridize, and prey on bull trout; fragmentation and isolation 
of bull trout subpopulations from habitat changes caused by human 
activities; and subpopulation extirpations due to naturally occurring 
events such as droughts, floods and other environmental events.
    Previous introductions of non-native species by the Federal 
government, State fish and game departments and unauthorized private 
parties, across the range of bull trout has resulted in declines in 
abundance, local extirpations, and hybridization of bull trout (Bond 
1992; Howell and Buchanan 1992; Leary et al. 1993; Donald and Alger 
1993; Pratt and Huston 1993; MBTSG 1995b,d, 1996g; Platts et al. 1995; 
Palmisano and Kaczynski, in litt. 1997). Non-native species may 
exacerbate stresses on bull trout from habitat degradation, 
fragmentation, isolation, and species interactions (Rieman and McIntyre 
1993). In some lakes and rivers, introduced species, such as rainbow 
trout or kokanee, may benefit large adult bull trout by providing 
supplemental forage (Faler and Bair 1991; Pratt 1992; ODFW, in litt. 
1993; MBTSG 1996a). However, the same introductions of game fish can 
negatively affect bull trout due to increased angling and subsequent 
incidental catch, illegal harvest of bull trout, and competition for 
space (Rode 1990; Bond 1992; WDW 1992; MBTSG 1995d).
    ``The smaller and more isolated parts of the range [such as the 
bull trout

[[Page 42760]]

remaining in the Owyhee Uplands ecological reporting units or Jarbidge 
River basin] likely face a higher risk'' of naturally occurring 
extirpation relative to other bull trout populations (Rieman et al. 
1997). One such risk is fire. In 1992, a 4,900 hectare (ha) (12,000 
acre (ac)) fire (Coffeepot Fire) occurred at lower elevations, up to 
2,286 m (7,500 ft), in areas adjacent to the Bruneau River basin and a 
small portion of the Jarbidge River basin. Although the Coffeepot Fire 
did not affect areas currently occupied by bull trout, similar 
conditions likely exist in nearby areas where bull trout occur. Adverse 
effects of fire on bull trout habitat may include loss of riparian 
canopy, increased water temperature and sediment, loss of pools, mass 
wasting of soils, altered hydrologic regime and debris torrents. Fires 
large enough to eliminate one or two suspected spawning streams are 
more likely at higher elevations where bull trout are usually found in 
the Jarbidge River basin (Frederick, in litt. 1998a; Ramsey, pers. 
comm. 1998b).
    Hybridization with introduced brook trout is also a potential 
threat. In the West Fork Jarbidge River, approximately one percent of 
the harvest from the 1960's through the 1980's was brook trout (Johnson 
1990). Some brook trout may spill out of Emerald Lake into the East 
Fork Jarbidge River during peak runoff events, but the lake lacks a 
defined outlet so that the event appears unlikely (Johnson, pers. comm. 
1994). Although low numbers of brook trout persist in the Jarbidge 
River basin, conditions are apparently not conducive to the expansion 
of a brook trout population.
    Other naturally occurring risks have been recently documented. The 
Jarbidge River Watershed Analysis (McNeill et al. 1997) indicates that 
65 percent of the upper West Fork Jarbidge River basin has a 45 percent 
or greater slope. Debris from high spring runoff flows in the various 
high gradient side drainages such as Snowslide, Gorge, and Bonanza 
gulches provide the West Fork Jarbidge River with large volumes of 
angular rock material. This material has moved down the gulches at 
regular intervals, altering the river channel and damaging the Jarbidge 
River Canyon road, culverts, and bridge crossings. Most of the river 
flows are derived from winter snowpack in the high mountain watershed, 
with peak flows corresponding with spring snowmelt, typically in May 
and June (McNeill et al. 1997). Rain on snow events earlier in the year 
(January and February) can cause extensive flooding problems and has 
the potential for mass-wasting, debris torrents, and earth slumps, 
which could threaten the existence of bull trout in the upper Jarbidge 
River and tributary streams. In June, 1995, a rain on snow event 
triggered debris torrents from three of the high gradient tributaries 
to the Jarbidge River in the upper watershed (McNeill et al. 1997). The 
relationship between these catastrophic events and the history of 
intensive livestock grazing, burning to promote livestock forage, 
timber harvest and recent fire control in the Jarbidge River basin is 
unclear. However, debris torrents may potentially affect the long-term 
viability of the Jarbidge River bull trout subpopulation.
    The Jarbidge River population segment is composed of a single 
subpopulation, characterized by low numbers of resident fish. 
Activities such as road construction and maintenance, mining and 
grazing threaten bull trout in the Jarbidge River basin. Although some 
of these activities have been modified or discontinued in recent years, 
the lingering effects continue to alter water quality, contribute to 
channel and bank instability, and inhibit habitat recovery. Ongoing 
threats include channel and bank alterations associated with road 
construction and maintenance, a proposed stream rechannelization 
project, recreational fishing (intentional and unintentional harvest), 
and competition with brook trout.
    Based on the above factors, the Service determined that it was 
appropriate to propose listing the Jarbidge River population of bull 
trout as threatened, and did so on June 10, 1998. Developments 
subsequent to publication of that proposed rule have led the Service to 
conclude that it is appropriate to use the Act's emergency provision to 
list the Jarbidge River bull trout population as endangered. This 
population is endangered by habitat destruction and degradation 
resulting from channel alteration associated with recently-initiated, 
unauthorized road construction along the West Fork Jarbidge River, and 
a substantial risk that this construction will continue. After 
carefully assessing the best scientific and commercial information 
available regarding the past, present, and future threats faced by the 
Jarbidge River population segment of bull trout, and based on the 
reasoning discussed below, the Service has concluded that this 
population is in imminent danger of extinction throughout all or a 
significant portion of its range within the distinct population 
segment. The Jarbidge River population segment is, therefore, 
endangered as defined in the Act.

Reasons for Emergency Determination

    Under section 4(b)(7) of the Act and 50 CFR 424.20, the Secretary 
may determine a species to be endangered or threatened by emergency 
rule that shall cease 240 days following publication in the Federal 
Register. The reasons for this rule are discussed below. If at any time 
after this rule has been published, the Secretary determines that 
substantial evidence does not exist to warrant such a rule, it shall be 
withdrawn.
    An emergency posing a significant risk to the well-being and 
continued survival of the Jarbidge River bull trout population exists 
as a result of channel alteration associated with unauthorized road 
construction, and the substantial risk that such construction will 
continue. On July 22, 1998, the Elko County Road Department was 
actively working in and along the Jarbidge River to repair the Jarbidge 
Canyon Road (also referred to as South Canyon Road and Forest 
Development Road #064), as directed in a resolution passed by the Elko 
County Board of Commissioners on July 15, 1998. On July 22, 1998, a 
Forest Service employee reported a 5.6 km (3.5 mi) plume of sediment 
downstream from the construction site. Fish and Wildlife Service and 
Forest Service staff visited the area on July 23, 1998. They observed 
approximately 275 m (300 yards (yd)) of new road where the river had 
previously flowed. To create the road, sections of river were roughly 
filled with material from adjacent hillsides and debris left by the 
1995 flood. The construction activity had completely destroyed all 
aquatic habitat in this area. The entire river flow was diverted into a 
newly created straight channel lacking pools and cover. All riparian 
vegetation, including mature trees, adjacent to the new channel had 
been removed. Impacts of resultant sedimentation in areas of the river 
downstream are being evaluated. The NDOW and HNF are currently 
evaluating the total extent of impacts from the construction. Water 
temperatures recorded on July 22, 1998, suggest that this portion of 
the river would have supported bull trout prior to the construction 
activity.
    Elko County stopped the road work at all locations on July 24, 
1998, after receiving cease and desist orders from the State of Nevada 
and the Corps of Engineers. At present, the Service is concerned that 
Elko County will resume the unauthorized road work. Continued 
unauthorized reconstruction of the 2.4 km (1.5 mi) of the Jarbidge 
Canyon Road damaged by the 1995 flood would result in the direct loss 
of 27 percent of the

[[Page 42761]]

known occupied bull trout habitat in the West Fork Jarbidge River (8.8 
km (5.5 mi); Johnson and Weller 1994), which has among the highest 
reported densities of bull trout within the Jarbidge River DPS (85 
fish/km; 53 fish/mi; Johnson and Weller 1994). The road construction 
would also indirectly impact an additional 21 km (13 mi) of bull trout 
habitat downstream of the construction site in the West Fork Jarbidge 
River, and potentially 45 km (28 mi) in the mainstem Jarbidge River. 
This construction activity has deposited additional sediment into the 
West Fork Jarbidge River; this sediment has been carried downstream 
causing further damage to bull trout habitat. Indirect impacts include 
alteration of stream flow and water temperature, increased sediment 
transport, decreased invertebrate production, disruption of migration 
and spawning during August through September caused by stream turbidity 
and sedimentation, and decreased survival of eggs and juveniles from 
deposition of fine sediment. The combination of direct and indirect 
impacts resulting from the unauthorized road construction, and the 
substantial risk that the construction will continue, constitutes an 
emergency posing a significant risk to the well-being and continued 
survival of the already depressed Jarbidge River bull trout population.

Critical Habitat

    A complete discussion of this section is contained in the proposed 
rule published on June 10, 1998 (63 FR 31693).

Available Conservation Measures

    Conservation measures provided to species listed as endangered or 
threatened under the Endangered Species Act include recognition, 
recovery actions, requirements for Federal protection, and prohibitions 
against certain activities. Recognition through listing encourages and 
results in conservation actions by Federal, State, and private 
agencies, groups, and individuals. The Act provides for possible land 
acquisition and cooperation with the State and requires that recovery 
actions be carried out for all listed species. The protection required 
of Federal agencies and the prohibitions against taking and harm are 
discussed, in part, below.
    Section 7(a) of the Act, as amended, requires Federal agencies to 
evaluate their actions with respect to any species that is proposed or 
listed as endangered or threatened and with respect to its critical 
habitat, if any is being designated. Regulations implementing this 
interagency cooperation provision of the Act are codified at 50 CFR 
Part 402. Section 7(a)(4) requires Federal agencies to confer with the 
Service on any action that is likely to jeopardize the continued 
existence of a species proposed for listing or result in destruction or 
adverse modification of proposed critical habitat. If a species is 
listed subsequently, section 7(a)(2) requires Federal agencies to 
insure that activities that they authorize, fund, or carry out are not 
likely to jeopardize the continued existence of a listed species or to 
destroy or adversely modify its critical habitat. If a Federal action 
may affect a listed species or its critical habitat, the responsible 
Federal agency must enter into formal consultation with the Service.
    The Jarbidge bull trout population segment occurs on lands 
administered by the USFS, various State-owned properties, and private 
lands. Federal agency actions that may require conference or 
consultation as described in the preceding paragraph include COE 
involvement in projects such as the construction of roads and bridges, 
and the permitting of wetland filling and dredging projects subject to 
section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344 et seq.); USFS 
timber, recreational, mining, and grazing management activities; 
Environmental Protection Agency authorized discharges under the 
National Pollutant Discharge System of the Clean Water Act; and U.S. 
Housing and Urban Development projects.
    The Act and its implementing regulations, found at 50 CFR 17.21 and 
17.31, set forth a series of general trade prohibitions and exceptions 
that apply to all threatened and endangered wildlife. These 
prohibitions, in part, make it illegal for any person subject to the 
jurisdiction of the United States to take (includes harass, harm, 
pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, or collect; or attempt any of 
these), import or export, ship in interstate commerce in the course of 
commercial activity, or sell or offer for sale in interstate or foreign 
commerce any listed species. It is also illegal to possess, sell, 
deliver, carry, transport, or ship any such wildlife that has been 
taken illegally. Certain exceptions apply to agents of the Service and 
State conservation agencies.
    Permits may be issued to carry out otherwise prohibited activities 
involving endangered and threatened wildlife under certain 
circumstances. Regulations governing permits are at 50 CFR 17.22, 
17.23, and 17.32. Such permits are available for scientific purposes, 
to enhance the propagation or survival of the species, and/or for 
incidental take in connection with otherwise lawful activities.
    It is the policy of the Service, as published in the Federal 
Register on July 1, 1994 (59 FR 34272), to identify to the maximum 
extent practicable at the time a species is listed those activities 
that would or would not constitute a violation of section 9 of the Act. 
The intent of this policy is to increase public awareness of the effect 
of this listing on proposed and ongoing activities within the species' 
range. The Service believes the following would not be likely to result 
in a violation of section 9:
    (1) Actions that may affect bull trout in the Jarbidge River 
population segment and are authorized, funded or carried out by a 
Federal agency when the action is conducted in accordance with an 
incidental take statement issued by the Service pursuant to section 7 
of the Act.
    The following actions likely would be considered a violation of 
section 9:
    (1) Take of bull trout without a permit, which includes harassing, 
harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, 
capturing, or collecting, or attempting any of these actions;
    (2) Possession, sale, delivery, carriage, transportation, or 
shipment of illegally taken bull trout;
    (3) Interstate and foreign commerce (commerce across state and 
international boundaries) and import/export of bull trout (as discussed 
earlier in this section);
    (4) Introduction of non-native fish species that compete or 
hybridize with, or prey on bull trout;
    (5) Destruction or alteration of bull trout habitat by dredging, 
channelization, diversion, in-stream vehicle operation or rock removal, 
or other activities that result in the destruction or significant 
degradation of cover, channel stability, substrate composition, 
temperature, and migratory corridors used by the species for foraging, 
cover, migration, and spawning;
    (6) Discharges or dumping of toxic chemicals, silt, or other 
pollutants into waters supporting bull trout that result in death or 
injury of the species; and
    (7) Destruction or alteration of riparian and adjoining uplands of 
waters supporting bull trout by recreational activities, timber 
harvest, grazing, mining, hydropower development, or other 
developmental activities that result in destruction or significant 
degradation of cover, channel stability, substrate composition, 
temperature, and migratory corridors

[[Page 42762]]

used by the species for foraging, cover, migration, and spawning.
    Questions regarding whether specific activities may constitute a 
violation of section 9 should be directed to the Field Supervisor of 
the Service's Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES section). 
Requests for copies of the regulations concerning listed animals and 
inquiries regarding prohibitions and permits may be addressed to the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species Permits, 911 NE. 
11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232-4181 (telephone 503/231-6241; 
facsimile 503/231-6243).

National Environmental Policy Act

    The Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that Environmental 
Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements, as defined under the 
authority of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, need not be 
prepared in connection with regulations adopted pursuant to section 
4(a) of the Act. A notice outlining the Service's reasons for this 
determination was published in the Federal Register on October 25, 1983 
(48 FR 49244).

Required Determinations

    This rule does not contain any new collections of information other 
than those already approved under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq., and assigned Office of Management and Budget 
clearance number 1018-0094. For additional information concerning 
permit and associated requirements for endangered species, see 50 CFR 
17.32.

References Cited

    A complete list of all references cited herein is available upon 
request from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nevada Fish and 
Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES section).
    Author: The primary authors of this emergency rule include --
Jeffery Chan, Western Washington Fishery Resource Office, Olympia, WA; 
Timothy Cummings, Columbia River Fisheries Program Office, Vancouver, 
WA; Stephen Duke, Snake River Basin Office, Boise, ID; Robert Hallock, 
Upper Columbia River Basin Office, Spokane, WA; Samuel Lohr, Snake 
River Basin Office, Boise, ID; Leslie Propp, Western Washington State 
Office, Olympia, WA; Selena Werdon, Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office .

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 17

    Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements, Transportation.

Regulation Promulgation

    Accordingly, the Service amends part 17, subchapter B of chapter I, 
title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as follows:

PART 17--[AMENDED]

    1. The authority citation for part 17 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361-1407; 16 U.S.C. 1531-1544; 16 U.S.C. 
4201-4245; Pub. L. 99-625, 100 Stat. 3500; unless otherwise noted.

    2. Amend Sec. 17.11(h) by adding the following, in alphabetical 
order under Fishes, to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 
to read as follows:


Sec. 17.11  Endangered and threatened wildlife.

* * * * *
    (h) * * *

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Species                                                    Vertebrate                                                           
--------------------------------------------------------                        population where                                  Critical     Special  
                                                            Historic range       endangered or         Status      When listed    habitat       rules   
           Common name                Scientific Name                              threatened                                                           
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                                        
                   *                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *                  
              Fishes                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                        
                   *                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *                  
Trout, bull......................  Salvelinus            U.S.A. (Pacific NW)  Jarbidge R. Basin    E                      639E           NA           NA
                                    confluentus.          Canada (NW           (U.S.A.--ID, NV).                                                        
                                                          Territories).                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                        
                   *                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *                  *                  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Dated: August 6, 1998.
John G. Rogers,
Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 98-21550 Filed 8-7-98; 10:09 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P