[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 46 (Thursday, March 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9863-9865]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04648]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R6-ES-2017-N174; FXES11130600000-189-FF06E00000]


U.S. Endangered Species; Receipt of Recovery Permit Applications

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to 
comment on applications for permits to conduct activities intended to 
enhance the propagation or survival of endangered species. With some 
exceptions, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), 
prohibits activities that constitute take of listed species unless a 
Federal permit is issued that allows such activity. The ESA also 
requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

DATES: We must receive your written comments by April 9, 2018.

ADDRESSES: 
    Document availability: Documents and other information 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), by any party who submits a written 
request for a copy of such documents to the following office within 30 
days of the date of publication of this notice (see DATES): U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service Regional Office, Ecological Services, [INSERT 
REGION-SPECIFIC ADDRESS], (Attn: [INSERT COORDINATOR'S NAME], Permit 
Coordinator).
    Submitting comments: You may submit comments by one of the 
following methods. Please specify applicant name(s) and application 
number(s) to which your comments pertain (e.g., TE-XXXXXX).
     Email: [email protected]. Please refer to the respective 
permit number (e.g., Application No. TE-XXXXXX) in the subject line of 
your email message.
     U.S. Mail: Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, P.O. Box 25486-DFC, Denver, CO 80225.
     Hand-delivery, Pickup, or Viewing: Call 303-236-4224 to 
make an appointment during regular business hours between 8 a.m. and 4 
p.m. Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays, at 134 Union 
Blvd., Suite 645, Lakewood, CO 80228.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathy Konishi, Recovery Permits

[[Page 9864]]

Coordinator, Ecological Services, 303-236-4224 (phone); 
[email protected] (email). Individuals who are hearing or speech 
impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY 
assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; ESA) prohibits 
certain activities with endangered and threatened species unless 
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 recovery permit issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA 
authorizes the permittee to conduct activities with endangered species 
for scientific purposes that promote recovery or for enhancement of 
propagation or survival of the species. 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

    We invite local, State and Federal agencies, Tribes, and the public 
to comment on the following applications.

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                             Applicant, city,
     Application No.               state                Species              Location              Activity            Type of take       Permit action
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TE106182-2...............  Denver Botanic        Eriogonum             Colorado, New         Seed, fruit           Remove and reduce    Renew.
                            Gardens, Denver, CO.  pelinophilum (Clay-   Mexico, Utah.         collection, bio       to possession.
                                                  loving wild                                 samples, collect
                                                  buckwheat),                                 voucher specimens,
                                                  Phacelia submutica.                         propagation.
                                                 (Mancos milk-vetch),
                                                  Phacelia formosula
                                                  (North Park
                                                  phacelia),
                                                  Astragalus
                                                  osterhoutii
                                                  (Osterhout
                                                  milkvetch).
                                                 Ipomopsis polyantha
                                                  (Pagosa skyrocket).
                                                 Penstemon penlandii
                                                  (Penland
                                                  beardtongue),
                                                  Pediocactus
                                                  despainii (San
                                                  Rafael cactus).
TE064680-2...............  Capitol Reef          Hesperidanthus        Utah................  Seed, fruit           Remove and reduce    Renew.
                            National Park,        barnebyi (Barneby                           collection, bio       to possession.
                            Torrey, UT.           reed-mustard),                              samples, collect
                                                  Sclerocactus                                voucher specimens.
                                                  wrightiae (Wright's
                                                  fishhook cactus).
TE067486-2...............  University of         Pallid sturgeon       Nebraska............  Implant radio         Capture, handle,     Renew.
                            Nebraska, Lincoln,    (Scaphirhynchus                             telemetry tags to     and radio tag.
                            NE.                   albus).                                     track spawning
                                                                                              migration in the
                                                                                              Missouri River
                                                                                              basin.
TE66511C-0...............  Milu S. Velardi,      New Mexico meadow     Colorado, New Mexico  Survey and monitor    Capture and handle.  New.
                            Denver, CO.           jumping mouse                               to determine
                                                  (Zapus hudsonius                            baseline population
                                                  luteus).                                    numbers.
TE68706C-0...............  Christopher Guy,      Pallid sturgeon       Montana.............  Survey, monitor,      Capture and handle.  New.
                            Bozeman, MT.          (Scaphirhynchus                             collect bio samples
                                                  albus).                                     to analyze pallid
                                                                                              sturgeon
                                                                                              reproduction in the
                                                                                              Missouri River
                                                                                              above Fort Peck
                                                                                              Reservoir, Montana.
TE98708A-2...............  State of South        Topeka shiner         South Dakota........  Survey and monitor    Capture and handle.  Renew.
                            Dakota                (Notropis topeka).                          to determine
                            Environmental                                                     baseline population
                            Agency, Pierre, SD.                                               numbers.
TE64613B-2...............  Andrew Phillips,      Southwestern willow   Arizona, New Mexico,  Survey and monitor    Disturbance........  Amend.
                            Colorado Springs,     flycatcher            Texas, Utah,          to determine
                            CO.                   (Empidonax traillii   California, Nevada.   baseline population
                                                  extimus).                                   numbers.
TE72607C-0...............  New Century           Interior least tern   Nebraska............  Survey and monitor    Disturbance........  New.
                            Environmental, LLC,   (Sternula                                   to determine
                            Columbus, NE.         antillarum                                  baseline population
                                                  athalassos).                                numbers.
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Public Availability of Comments

    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. If you submit 
a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, you 
may request at the top of your document that we withhold this 
information from public review; however, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

Contents of Public Comments

    Please make your comments as specific as possible. Please confine 
your comments to issues for which we seek comments in this notice, and 
explain the basis for your comments. Include sufficient information 
with your comments to allow us to authenticate any scientific or 
commercial data you include.
    The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and 
likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by 
quantitative information or studies; and (2) Those that include 
citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations.

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

[[Page 9865]]

1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.,)

Michael Thabault,
Assistant Regional Director, Mountain-Prairie Region.
[FR Doc. 2018-04648 Filed 3-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P