[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 63 (Monday, April 1, 2024)] [Notices] [Pages 22438-22441] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2024-06830] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS-R2-ES-2024-N020; FXES11130200000-245-FF02ENEH00] Endangered Wildlife; 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, 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 May 1, 2024. 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 [[Page 22439]] 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Permit record No. Applicant Species Location Activity Type of take Permit action -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PER6195945.............. Wildlife World Kemp's ridley sea Arizona................ Educational Harass, harm...... New. Zoo, Inc.; turtle (Lepidochelys display. Litchfield Park, kempii). Arizona. PER5348794.............. Vaughn, Caryn; Ouachita rock Arkansas, Missouri, Presence/absence Harass, harm...... New. Norman, Oklahoma. pocketbook (Arcidens Oklahoma. surveys. wheeleri), scaleshell mussel (Leptodea leptodon), winged mapleleaf (Quadrula fragosa). PER5348793.............. Cantu, Eric; Texas hornshell Texas.................. Presence/absence Harass, harm...... New. Edinburg, Texas. (Popenaias popeii). surveys. PER5530131.............. Martin, Keith; Indiana bat (Myotis Arkansas, Kansas, Presence/absence Harass, harm...... Renew. Claremore, sodalis), gray bat Missouri, Oklahoma. surveys. Oklahoma. (Myotis grisescens), Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus (=Plecotus) townsendii ingens), northern long- eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis). PER5699079.............. McLean, Jesse; Golden-cheeked warbler Texas.................. Presence/absence Harass, harm...... Renew. Dallas, Texas. (Setophaga surveys. chrysoparia). PER6816223.............. Gonzales, Kelly; Gulf coast jaguarundi Arizona, New Mexico, Presence/absence Harass, harm...... Renew/amend. Houston, Texas. (Puma yagouaroundi Texas. surveys. cacomitli), ocelot (Leopardus (=Felis) pardalis), northern aplomado falcon (Falco femoralis septentrionalis). PER7135821.............. Tulsa District Indiana bat (Myotis Kansas, Oklahoma....... Presence/absence Capture, harass, Renew. U.S. Army Corps sodalis), gray bat surveys, handle, harm. of Engineers; (Myotis grisescens), tag, salvage, bio- Tulsa, Oklahoma. Ozark big-eared bat sample, band. (Corynorhinus (=Plecotus) townsendii ingens) Ouachita rock pocketbook (Arcidens wheeleri), winged mapleleaf (Quadrula fragosa). PER8668105.............. Center of Lesser prairie-chicken New Mexico............. Presence/absence Harass, harm...... New. Excellence for (Tympanuchus surveys, lek Hazardous pallidicinctus). tours. Materials Management; Carlsbad, New Mexico. PER6353114.............. Solari, Whitney; Golden-cheeked warbler Texas.................. Presence/absence Harass, harm...... New. Bryan, Texas. (Setophaga surveys. chrysoparia). PER7248560.............. Raven Red-cockaded woodpecker Louisiana, Texas....... Presence/absence Capture, harass, Renew/amend. Environmental (Picoides borealis). surveys, nest harm. Services, Inc.; monitoring, band, Huntsville, Texas. sexing, translocation, artificial cavity installation. PER7365932.............. Kutz, Julie; Southwestern willow New Mexico............. Presence/absence Harass, harm...... Renew. Albuquerque, New flycatcher (Empidonax surveys. Mexico. traillii extimus). [[Page 22440]] PER7032540.............. Blankenship, Ryan; Gray bat (Myotis Alabama, Arkansas, Presence/absence Capture, harass, New. Duncanville, grisescens), Ozark big- Colorado, Connecticut, surveys, handle, harm. Texas. eared bat Delaware, District of tag, salvage, bio- (Corynorhinus Columbia, Florida, sample, band. (=Plecotus) townsendii Georgia, Illinois, ingens), northern long- Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, eared bat (Myotis Kentucky, Louisiana, septentrionalis), Maine, Maryland, Indiana bat (Myotis Massachusetts, sodalis), lesser Michigan, Minnesota, prairie-chicken Mississippi, Missouri, (Tympanuchus Montana, Nebraska, New pallidicinctus), Hampshire, New Jersey, fountain darter New Mexico, New York, (Etheostoma North Carolina, North fonticola), Neosho Dakota, Ohio, mucket (Lampsilis Oklahoma, rafinesqueana), Pennsylvania, Rhode Ouachita rock Island, South pocketbook (Arcidens Carolina, South wheeleri), scaleshell Dakota, Tennessee, mussel (Leptodea Texas, Virginia, West leptodon), winged Virginia, Vermont, mapleleaf (Quadrula Wisconsin, Wyoming. fragosa). PER8778179.............. Baer Engineering Golden-cheeked warbler Texas.................. Presence/absence Harass, harm...... Amend. and Environmental (Setophaga surveys. Consulting, Inc.; chrysoparia). Austin, Texas. PER9199896.............. Bey, Trinity; Golden-cheeked warbler Texas.................. Presence/absence Harass, harm...... Renew. Boerne, Texas. (Setophaga surveys. chrysoparia). PER8778158.............. Blackland Golden-cheeked warbler Louisiana, Texas....... Presence/absence Harass, harm...... New. Environmental, (Setophaga surveys. LLC.; Garden chrysoparia), red- Ridge, Texas. cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis). PER8668106.............. Hall, Ellen; Fort Gray bat (Myotis Alabama, Arkansas, Presence/absence Capture, harass, New. Worth, Texas. grisescens), Ozark big- Connecticut, Delaware, surveys, handle, harm. eared bat District of Columbia, tag, salvage, bio- (Corynorhinus Florida, Georgia, sample, band. (=Plecotus) townsendii Illinois, Indiana, ingens), northern long- Iowa, Kansas, eared bat (Myotis Kentucky, Louisiana, septentrionalis), Maine, Maryland, Indiana bat (Myotis Massachusetts, sodalis). Michigan, 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, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. PER9200393.............. SeaWorld of Texas; Kemp's ridley sea Texas.................. Rehabilitate, Capture, harass, Renew. San Antonio, turtle (Lepidochelys educational harm. Texas. kempii), hawksbill sea display. turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). PER8748209.............. University of Big Bend gambusia Texas.................. Presence/absence Capture, harass, New. Texas Austin; (Gambusia gaigei). surveys, trap, harm. Austin, Texas. anesthetize. PER9229906.............. Gluesenkamp, Barton Springs Texas.................. Presence/absence Capture, harass, New. Andrew; salamander (Eurycea surveys, collect, harm, kill. Driftwood, Texas. sosorum), Austin blind voucher specimen. salamander (Eurycea waterlooensis), Peck's Cave amphipod (Stygobromus (=Stygonectes) pecki), Comal Springs riffle beetle (Heterelmis comalensis), Comal Springs dryopid beetle (Stygoparnus comalensis), Texas blind salamander (Eurycea rathbuni), Mexican blindcat (Prietella phreatophila). PER9229948.............. Bureau of Southwestern willow Arizona, California.... Presence/absence Capture, harass, Amend. Reclamation--Boul flycatcher (Empidonax surveys, band, harm. der City; Boulder traillii extimus), tag. City, Nevada. Yuma Ridgway's rail (Rallus obsoletus yumanensis). PER9229950.............. Burns, Jodie; Red-cockaded woodpecker Alabama, Arkansas, Presence/absence Harass, harm...... Amend. Bentonville, (Picoides borealis). Florida, Georgia, surveys. Arkansas. Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [[Page 22441]] 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. [FR Doc. 2024-06830 Filed 3-29-24; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333-15-P