[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 219 (Tuesday, November 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56366-56369]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-24607]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2018-N107; FXES11140400000-189-FF04E00000]


Endangered Species; Recovery Permit Applications

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 species under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended. 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 written data or comments on the applications by 
December 13, 2018.

ADDRESSES: 
    Reviewing Documents: Documents and other information submitted with 
the applications are available for review, subject to the requirements 
of the

[[Page 56367]]

Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act. Submit a request for a copy 
of such documents to Karen Marlowe (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT).
    Submitting Comments: If you wish to comment, you may submit 
comments by one of the following methods:
     U.S. mail or hand-delivery: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Regional Office, Ecological Services, 1875 Century Boulevard, Atlanta, 
GA 30345 (Attn: Karen Marlowe, Permit Coordinator).
     Email: [email protected]. Please include your name and 
return address in your email message. If you do not receive a 
confirmation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that we have 
received your email message, contact us directly at the telephone 
number listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Marlowe, Permit Coordinator, 
404-679-7097 (telephone), [email protected] (email), or 404-679-
7081 (fax). Individuals who are hearing or speech impaired may call the 
Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We invite review and comment from local, 
State, and Federal agencies and the public on applications we have 
received for permits to conduct certain activities with endangered and 
threatened species under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and our 
regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR part 17. 
With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities that constitute take 
of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such 
activities. The ESA's definition of ``take'' includes hunting, 
shooting, harming, wounding, or killing, and also such activities as 
pursuing, harassing, trapping, capturing, or collecting.
    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 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, and 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.
    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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Permit application  No.       Applicant         Species/numbers          Location             Activity          Type of take          Permit action
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TE 676379-6............  National Oceanic     Hawksbill            Florida,             Turtle Excluder      Conduct nest        Renewal and Amendment.
                          and Atmospheric      (Eretmochelys        Mississippi, and     Device (TED)         surveys, locate
                          Administration,      imbricata), Kemp's   Texas.               certification        egg chambers,
                          National Marine      ridley                                    trials and nest      screen and mark
                          Fisheries Service,   (Lepidochelys                             surveys and          nests, monitor
                          Southeast            kempii), and                              excavation.          nests for
                          Fisheries Science    Leatherback                                                    hatching, and
                          Center, Miami, FL.   (Dermochelys                                                   excavate nests.
                                               coriacea) sea                                                  Remove Kemp's
                                               turtles.                                                       ridley sea turtle
                                                                                                              hatchlings from
                                                                                                              wild to rear in
                                                                                                              captivity for a
                                                                                                              period of 1-2
                                                                                                              years for use in
                                                                                                              TED certification
                                                                                                              trials.
TE 97308A-1............  John L. Harris,      19 species of        Alabama, Arkansas,   Presence/absence     Remove from         Renewal.
                          Scott, AR.           freshwater mussels.  Illinois, Indiana,   surveys,             substrate,
                                                                    Iowa, Kansas,        population           handle, identify,
                                                                    Kentucky,            estimate surveys,    collect tissue
                                                                    Louisiana,           and DNA sampling.    swabs, return to
                                                                    Michigan,                                 substrate, and
                                                                    Minnesota,                                salvage relic
                                                                    Mississippi,                              shells.
                                                                    Missouri,
                                                                    Nebraska, Ohio,
                                                                    Oklahoma,
                                                                    Pennsylvania,
                                                                    South Dakota,
                                                                    Tennessee,
                                                                    Virginia, West
                                                                    Virginia, and
                                                                    Wisconsin.
TE 48576B-1............  Carson Wood, Castle  Red-cockaded         Alabama, Arkansas,   Population           Capture, band,      Renewal.
                          Hayne, NC.           woodpecker           Florida, Georgia,    management and       monitor nest
                                               (Picoides            Louisiana,           monitoring.          cavities,
                                               borealis).           Mississippi, North                        construct and
                                                                    Carolina, and                             monitor
                                                                    South Carolina.                           artificial nest
                                                                                                              cavities and
                                                                                                              restrictors, and
                                                                                                              salvage.
TE 86956C-0............  Robert Davis,        16 species of        Alabama, Florida,    Presence/absence     Remove from the     New.
                          Tallahassee, FL.     freshwater mussels.  and Georgia.         surveys.             substrate,
                                                                                                              handle, identify,
                                                                                                              and return to
                                                                                                              substrate.

[[Page 56368]]

 
TE 041314-6............  U.S. Army, Fort      Red-cockaded         Fort Polk Military   Population           Red-cockaded        Renewal and Amendment.
                          Polk, LA.            woodpecker           Base, Fort Polk,     management and       woodpecker:
                                               (Picoides            Louisiana. Red-      monitoring and       Capture, band,
                                               borealis) and        cockaded             screening for        translocate,
                                               Louisiana pine       woodpecker           disease.             monitor nest
                                               snake (Pituophis     translocation                             cavities,
                                               ruthveni).           activities also in                        construct and
                                                                    Arkansas,                                 monitor
                                                                    Louisiana,                                artificial nest
                                                                    Oklahoma, and                             cavities and
                                                                    Texas.                                    restrictors.
                                                                                                              Louisiana pine
                                                                                                              snake: capture,
                                                                                                              handle, measure,
                                                                                                              weigh, PIT-tag,
                                                                                                              swab, remove
                                                                                                              radio
                                                                                                              transmitters, and
                                                                                                              collect blood,
                                                                                                              fecal, and shed
                                                                                                              skin samples.
TE 88796C-0............  Geological Survey    Watercress darter    Watercress Darter    Presence/absence     Capture with seine  New.
                          of Alabama,          (Etheostoma          National Wildlife    and population       nets, identify,
                          Tuscaloosa, AL.      nuchale).            Refuge, Bessemer,    surveys.             and release.
                                                                    Alabama.
TE 89030C-0............  Mark Strong,         25 species of        Lake Wales Ridge     Collect genomic      Collect leaf        New.
                          Smithsonian          plants.              National Wildlife    tissue samples and   tissue samples
                          Institution,                              Refuge, Florida.     herbarium vouchers.  and a single
                          Washington, DC.                                                                     branch or small
                                                                                                              above-ground
                                                                                                              portion of the
                                                                                                              plant.
TE 171594-1............  Craig Martin,        Alabama beach mouse  Alabama and Florida  Presence/absence     Capture, identify,  Renewal and Amendment.
                          Wetland Sciences,    (Peromyscus                               surveys.             and release.
                          Inc., Pensacola,     polionotus
                          FL.                  ammobates),
                                               Choctawhatchee
                                               beach mouse
                                               (Peromyscus
                                               polionotus
                                               allophrys), and
                                               Perdido Key beach
                                               mouse (Peromyscus
                                               polionotus
                                               trissyllepsis).
TE 97394A-3............  Zachary Couch,       Gray bats (Myotis    Alabama, Arkansas,   Presence/absence     Enter hibernacula   Renewal.
                          Pleasureville, KY.   grisescens),         Connecticut,         surveys,             or maternity
                                               Indiana bats         Delaware, District   population           roost caves,
                                               (Myotis sodalis),    of Columbia,         monitoring, and      capture with mist
                                               Northern long-       Florida, Georgia,    studies to           nets or harp
                                               eared bats (Myotis   Illinois, Indiana,   document habitat     traps, handle,
                                               septentrionalis),    Iowa, Kansas,        use.                 identify, band,
                                               and Virginia big-    Kentucky,                                 radio-tag, light-
                                               eared bats           Louisiana, Maine,                         tag, collect hair
                                               (Corynorhinus        Maryland,                                 samples, wing-
                                               townsendii           Massachusetts,                            punch, and
                                               virginianus).        Michigan,                                 salvage.
                                                                    Minnesota,
                                                                    Mississippi,
                                                                    Missouri, Montana,
                                                                    Nebraska, New
                                                                    Hampshire, New
                                                                    Jersey, New York,
                                                                    North Carolina,
                                                                    North Dakota,
                                                                    Ohio, Oklahoma,
                                                                    Pennsylvania,
                                                                    Rhode Island,
                                                                    South Carolina,
                                                                    South Dakota,
                                                                    Tennessee,
                                                                    Vermont, Virginia,
                                                                    West Virginia,
                                                                    Wisconsin, and
                                                                    Wyoming.
TE 02200B-1............  Atlanta Botanical    Helonias bullata     Federal lands in     Long-term storage,   Remove and reduce   Renewal and Amendment.
                          Garden, Atlanta,     (Swamp pink),        Alabama, Georgia,    artificial           to possession
                          GA.                  Platanthera          North Carolina,      propagation, and     (collect) seeds.
                                               integrilabia         and Tennessee.       ex situ
                                               (White fringeless                         safeguarding.
                                               orchid),
                                               Sarracenia
                                               oreophila (Green
                                               pitcher plant),
                                               Spiraea virginiana
                                               (Virginia
                                               spiraea), Trillium
                                               persistens
                                               (Persistent
                                               trillium),
                                               Trillium reliquum
                                               (Relict trillium),
                                               and Xyris
                                               tennesseensis
                                               (Tennessee yellow-
                                               eyed grass).

[[Page 56369]]

 
TE 35594A-3............  Alabama Power        Gray bats (Myotis    Alabama............  Presence/absence     Bats: Capture with  Amendment.
                          Company,             grisescens),                              surveys,             mist-nets,
                          Birmingham, AL.      Indiana bats                              population           handle, identify,
                                               (Myotis sodalis),                         monitoring, upper    band, and radio-
                                               Northern long-                            respiratory tract    tag. Gopher
                                               eared bats (Myotis                        disease testing,     tortoise: Add
                                               septentrionalis),                         and DNA analysis.    authorization to
                                               Gopher tortoise                                                trap, attach
                                               (Gopherus                                                      radio
                                               polyphemus), Black                                             transmitters, and
                                               Warrior waterdog                                               collect blood.
                                               (Necturus                                                      Black Warrior
                                               alabamensis).                                                  waterdog: Trap,
                                                                                                              handle, identify,
                                                                                                              and collect tail
                                                                                                              sample.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    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.).

Leopoldo Miranda,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2018-24607 Filed 11-9-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P