[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 1, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12980-12981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-04156]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-ES-2023-N006; FXES11130200000-234-FF02ENEH00]


Endangered Wildlife; 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 the following applications for a permit to conduct 
activities intended to recover and enhance endangered species survival. 
With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits 
certain activities that may impact endangered species, unless a Federal 
permit allows such activity. The ESA also requires that we invite 
public comment before issuing these permits.

DATES: To ensure consideration, please submit your written comments by 
March 31, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Document availability: Request documents from the contact in the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
    Comment submission: Submit comments by email to 
[email protected]. Please specify the permit application you are 
interested in by number (e.g., Permit Record No. PER1234567).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marty Tuegel, Supervisor, 
Environmental Review Division, by phone at 505-248-6651, or via email 
at [email protected]. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, 
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. 
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services 
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 
amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), prohibits activities that 
constitute take of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued 
that allows such activity. The ESA's definition of ``take'' includes 
hunting, shooting, harming, wounding, or killing, and also such 
activities as pursuing, harassing, trapping, capturing, or collecting.
    The ESA and our implementing regulations in the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) at title 50, part 17, provide for issuing such 
permits and require that we invite public comment before issuing 
permits for activities involving listed species.
    A recovery permit we issue under the ESA, section 10(a)(1)(A), 
authorizes the permittee to conduct activities with endangered or 
threatened species for scientific purposes that promote recovery or 
enhance the species' propagation or survival. 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

    Documents and other information submitted with these applications 
are available for review by any party who submits a request as 
specified in ADDRESSES. Our release of documents is subject to Privacy 
Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) and Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) 
requirements.
    Proposed activities in the following permit requests are for the 
recovery and enhancement of propagation or survival of the species in 
the wild. 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. Please refer to the permit record 
number when submitting comments.

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    Permit record No.           Applicant             Species              Location             Activity           Type of take         Permit action
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PER0116052...............  New Mexico Office    Rio Grande Silvery   New Mexico.........  Captive              Harass, harm, and    Renew/Amend.
                            of the State         Minnow                                    propagation,         capture.
                            Engineer/            (Hybognathus                              maintain captive
                            Interstate Stream    amarus).                                  adult population,
                            Commission; Los                                                educational
                            Lunas, New Mexico.                                             display, conduct
                                                                                           research.

[[Page 12981]]

 
PER0084202...............  Attwater Prairie     Attwater's greater   Texas, Oklahoma....  Capture, band, tag,  Harass, harm, and    Renew/Amend.
                            Chicken National     prairie-chicken                           collet bio-          capture.
                            Wildlife Refuge;     (Tympanuchus                              samples, captive
                            Eagle Lake, Texas.   cupido attwateri).                        propagation,
                                                                                           artificial
                                                                                           insemination,
                                                                                           collect eggs,
                                                                                           transport,
                                                                                           salvage,
                                                                                           educational
                                                                                           display.
PER0087313...............  Owen, Victoria; San  Golden-cheeked       Texas..............  Presence/absence     Harass and, harm...  New.
                            Antonio, Texas.      warbler (Setophaga                        surveys.
                                                 chrysoparia).
PER0104851...............  Prescott National    Southwestern willow  Arizona............  Presence/absence     Harass and, harm...  Renew/Amend.
                            Forest; Camp         flycatcher                                surveys.
                            Verde, Arizona.      (Empidonax
                                                 traillii extimus),
                                                 Gila chub (Gila
                                                 intermedia),
                                                 razorback sucker
                                                 (Xyrauchen
                                                 texanus), Colorado
                                                 pikeminnow
                                                 (Ptychocheilus
                                                 lucius), desert
                                                 pupfish
                                                 (Cyprinodon
                                                 macularius), Gila
                                                 topminnow
                                                 (Poeciliopsis
                                                 occidentalis),
                                                 spikedace (Meda
                                                 fulgida), loach
                                                 minnow (Tiaroga
                                                 cobitis).
PER0116611...............  Carreon, Sarah;      Golden-cheeked       Texas..............  Presence/absence     Harass and, harm...  New.
                            Helotes, Texas.      warbler (Setophaga                        surveys.
                                                 chrysoparia).
PER0115496...............  Aecom Technical      Golden-cheeked       Texas..............  Presence/absence     Harass, harm, and    Renew/Amend.
                            Services, Inc.;      warbler (Setophaga                        surveys, habitat     capture.
                            Austin, Texas.       chrysoparia),                             assessment,
                                                 Houston Toad (Bufo                        capture.
                                                 houstonensis).
PER0115497...............  Frost, Steve;        Golden-cheeked       Texas..............  Presence/absence     Harass and, harm...  New.
                            Helotes, Texas.      warbler (Setophaga                        surveys.
                                                 chrysoparia).
PER0116336...............  Bureau of Land       Mexican long-nosed   Arizona............  Presence/absence     Harass, harm,        Renew.
                            Management--Tucson   bat (Leptonycteris                        surveys, nest        capture, and kill.
                            Field Office;        nivalis),                                 monitoring,
                            Tucson, Arizona.     southwestern                              banding, capture,
                                                 willow flycatcher                         handle, voucher
                                                 (Empidonax                                specimen.
                                                 traillii extimus),
                                                 Gila chub (Gila
                                                 intermedia), Gila
                                                 topminnow
                                                 (Poeciliopsis
                                                 occidentalis),
                                                 desert pupfish
                                                 (Cyprinodon
                                                 macularius),
                                                 spikedace (Meda
                                                 fulgida), loach
                                                 minnow (Tiaroga
                                                 cobitis).
PER0192207...............  Hicks & Company;     Golden-cheeked       Arizona, New         Presence/absence     Harass, harm, and    Renew.
                            Austin, Texas.       warbler (Setophaga   Mexico, Texas.       surveys, habitat     capture.
                                                 chrysoparia),                             assessment,
                                                 northern aplomado                         capture.
                                                 falcon (Falco
                                                 femoralis
                                                 septentrionalis),
                                                 red-cockaded
                                                 woodpecker
                                                 (Picoides
                                                 borealis),
                                                 southwestern
                                                 willow flycatcher
                                                 (Empidonax
                                                 traillii extimus),
                                                 Houston Toad (Bufo
                                                 houstonensis).
PER0441990...............  Weiberg, Garrett;    Peppered chub        Kansas, New Mexico,  Presence/absence     Harass, harm, and    New.
                            Grand Prairie,       (Macrhybopsis        Oklahoma, Texas.     surveys, habitat     capture.
                            Texas.               tetranema),                               assessment,
                                                 sharpnose shiner                          capture, handle,
                                                 (Notropis                                 tag, translocate.
                                                 oxyrhynchus),
                                                 smalleye shiner
                                                 (Notropis buccula).
PER0658674...............  SWCA Flagstaff;      Southwestern willow  Arizona............  Capture, tag.......  Harass, harm, and    Amend.
                            Flagstaff, Arizona.  flycatcher                                                     capture.
                                                 (Empidonax
                                                 traillii extimus).
PER0666399...............  The Nature           Southwestern willow  Arizona............  Presence/absence     Harass and, harm...  New.
                            Conservancy          flycatcher                                surveys.
                            Arizona; Phoenix,    (Empidonax
                            Arizona.             traillii extimus).
PER0018550...............  Mowad, Gary;         Ocelot (Leopardus    Arizona, New         Camera monitoring    Harass and, harm...  New.
                            Scottsdale,          pardalis), Gulf      Mexico, Texas.       using scents/
                            Arizona.             Coast jaguarundi                          attractants.
                                                 (Puma yagouaroundi
                                                 cacomitli).
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Public Availability of Comments

    All comments we receive become part of the public record associated 
with this action. Requests for copies of comments will be handled in 
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, National Environmental 
Policy Act, and Service and Department of the Interior policies and 
procedures. 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 to withhold your personal identifying information from public 
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All 
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their 
entirety.

Authority

    We provide this notice under section 10 of the Endangered Species 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Amy Lueders,
Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-04156 Filed 2-28-23; 8:45 am]
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