Texas kangaroo rat candidate conservation agreement with assurances

This agreement between Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is a programmatic Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) for the Texas kangaroo rat (Dipodomys elator) (TKR) and part of TPWD’s application to the USFWS for an Enhancement of Survival Permit (Permit) under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). A CCAA is a voluntary agreement whereby landowners (including state, tribal, non-federal publicly owned, or privately owned lands) agree to manage their lands, or portion thereof, to both remove or reduce threats to affected covered species that may become listed under the ESA and, per Service’ regulations, are expected to provide a net conservation benefit to affected covered species (50 C.F.R. 17.22). The Permit would authorize take of TKR, should it become listed as “endangered” or “threatened” under the ESA during the term of this CCAA. The permitted take would result from activities undertaken by eligible non-Federal landowners (Participants) who engage in voluntary conservation actions on their enrolled properties for TKR and  abide by the terms and conditions of the Permit and CCAA. Under the Permit, TPWD will issue a Certificate of Inclusion (CI) (Appendix A) conveying incidental take coverage to each Participant. 50 CFR 17.22.