[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 185 (Tuesday, September 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66045-66046]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20833]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R6-ES-2023-N077; FXES11130600000-234-FF06E00000]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Receipt of Recovery Permit 
Application

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an 
application for a permit to conduct activities intended to enhance the 
propagation or survival of endangered species under the Endangered 
Species Act. We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal 
agencies to comment on this application. Before issuing the requested 
permit, we will take into consideration any information that we receive 
during the public comment period.

[[Page 66046]]


DATES: We must receive written data or comments on the application by 
October 26, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Document availability and comment submission: Use one of the 
following methods to request documents or submit comments. Requests and 
comments should specify the applicant and application number, i.e., 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado Field Office; PER4054943.
     Email: [email protected].
     U.S. Mail: Tom McDowell, Division Manager, Ecological 
Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 25486 DFC, Denver, 
CO 80225.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Krijgsman, Recovery Permits 
Coordinator, Ecological Services, 303-236-4347 (phone), or 
[email protected] (email). 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: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
invite review and comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and 
Federal agencies on an application we have received for a permit to 
conduct certain activities with endangered 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. Documents and other information 
submitted with the application are available for review, subject to the 
requirements of the Privacy Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

Background

    With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits take of listed species 
unless a Federal permit is issued that authorizes such take. 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 take endangered or threatened species while 
engaging in activities that are conducted for scientific purposes that 
promote recovery of species or for enhancement of propagation or 
survival of species. These activities often include the capture and 
collection of species, which would result in prohibited take if a 
permit were not issued. 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 Application Available for Review and Comment

    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.
    Proposed activities in the following permit request are for the 
recovery and enhancement of propagation or survival of the species in 
the wild:

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             Permit No.                     Applicant                Species                Location               Activity            Permit action
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PER4054943.........................  U.S. Fish and Wildlife   Gray wolf      Arizona, Colorado,     Capture, handle,       New.
                                      Service, Colorado       (Canis lupus)           Kansas, Nebraska,      anesthetize, collar,
                                      Field Office,            Mexican wolf   New Mexico, North      track, tag,
                                      Lakewood, CO.           (Canis lupus baileyi).  Dakota, Oklahoma,      administer first
                                                                                      South Dakota, and      aid, transport,
                                                                                      Utah.                  hold, relocate,
                                                                                                             collect tissue,
                                                                                                             collect biological
                                                                                                             samples, and
                                                                                                             euthanize moribund
                                                                                                             individuals.
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Public Availability of Comments

    Written comments we receive become part of the administrative 
record associated with this action. 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. 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.

Next Steps

    If we decide to issue a permit to the applicant 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 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Marjorie Nelson,
Acting Assistant Regional Director, Mountain-Prairie Region.
[FR Doc. 2023-20833 Filed 9-25-23; 8:45 am]
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