ETWP; Proposed Rule to List the Northern Population of the Bog Turtle as Threatened and the Southern Population as Threatened Due to Similarity of Appearance

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposes to list the northern population of the bog turtle (Clemmys muhlenbergii) as threatened from New York and Massachusetts south to Maryland; and the southern population of bog turtle, which occurs in the Appalachian Mountains from southern Virginia to northern Georgia, as threatened due to similarity of appearance to the northern population, with a special rule, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 Act), as amended. The bog turtle is threatened by a variety of factors which include: habitat degradation and fragmentation from agriculture and urban development; habitat succession due to invasive exotic and native plants; and illegal trade and collecting.