[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 14, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38884-38886]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12722]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R6-ES-2023-N054; FXES11130600000-234-FF06E00000]


Endangered and Threatened 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, have received 
applications for permits, permit renewals, and/or permit amendments 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 
these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we 
will take into consideration any information that we receive during the 
public comment period.

[[Page 38885]]


DATES: We must receive written data or comments on the applications by 
July 14, 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 name(s) and application number(s) 
(e.g., Smith, PER0123456 or Jones, ES-056001):
     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 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. Documents and other 
information submitted with the applications 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 Applications 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 requests 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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PER2247920.......  SWCA               Lesser  Colorado, New    Survey and       New.
                    Incorporated,     prairie-         Mexico,          monitor.
                    Austin, TX.       chicken          Kansas,
                                      (Tympanuchus     Oklahoma, and
                                      pallidicinctus   Texas.
                                      ).
PER2006094.......  Tetra Tech,        Lesser  Colorado, New    Survey and       New.
                    Incorporated,     prairie-         Mexico,          monitor.
                    Golden, CO.       chicken          Kansas,
                                      (Tympanuchus     Oklahoma, and
                                      pallidicinctus   Texas.
                                      ).
ES-106182........  Denver Botanic     Clay-   Colorado,        Remove and       Renew and amend.
                    Gardens, Inc.,    loving wild      Montana,         reduce to
                    Denver, CO.       buckwheat        Nebraska,        possession
                                      (Eriogonum       Utah, and        from lands
                                      pelinophilum).   Wyoming.         under Federal
                                      Mancos                    jurisdiction.
                                      milk-vetch
                                      (Astragalus
                                      humillimus).
                                      North
                                      Park phacelia
                                      (Phacelia
                                      formosula).
                                     
                                      Osterhout
                                      milkvetch
                                      (Astragalus
                                      osterhoutii).
                                      Pagosa
                                      skyrocket
                                      (Ipomopsis
                                      polyantha).
                                     
                                      Penland
                                      beardtongue
                                      (Penstemon
                                      penlandii).
ES-064680........  Capitol Reef               Utah...........  Remove and       Renew.
                    National Park,    Barneby reed-                     reduce to
                    Torrey, UT.       mustard                           possession
                                      (Schoenocrambe                    from lands
                                      barnebyi).                        under Federal
                                                                        jurisdiction.
                                      Wright
                                      fishhook
                                      cactus
                                      (Sclerocactus
                                      wrightiae).
ES-09941B........  Felsburg Holt &            Iowa, Kansas,    Survey,          Renew and amend.
                    Ullevig,          Indiana bat      Montana,         monitor,
                    Lincoln, NE.      (Myotis          Nebraska,        capture,
                                      sodalis).        North Dakota,    handle, tag,
                                               South Dakota,    release, and
                                      Northern long-   and Wyoming.     perform radio
                                      eared bat                         telemetry.
                                      (Myotis
                                      septentrionali
                                      s).
ES-080647........  Wildlife                   Nevada.........  Play taped       Amend.
                    Specialties,      Southwestern                      vocalizations
                    Lyons, CO.        willow                            for surveys.
                                      flycatcher
                                      (Empidonax
                                      traillii
                                      extimus).
PER0057787.......  Western           Lesser prairie-  Colorado, New    Survey and       Amend.
                    Ecosystems        chicken          Mexico,          monitor.
                    Technology,       (Tympanuchus     Kansas,
                    Fort Collins,     pallidicinctus   Oklahoma, and
                    CO.               ).               Texas.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

[[Page 38886]]

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 an 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.).

Clinton Riley,
Acting Assistant Regional Director, Mountain-Prairie Region.
[FR Doc. 2023-12722 Filed 6-13-23; 8:45 am]
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