Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Species Status for Mount Rainier White-Tailed Ptarmigan With a Section 4(d) Rule

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine threatened species status for the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura rainierensis), a bird subspecies in Washington, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This rule adds the subspecies to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and extends the Act's protections to the subspecies. We also finalize a rule under the authority of section 4(d) of the Act that provides measures that are necessary and advisable to provide for the conservation of the Mount Rainier white-tailed ptarmigan.