ETWP; Proposal To List the Santa Barbara County Distinct Population of the California Tiger Salamander as Endangered

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Santa Barbara County Distinct Vertebrate Population Segment of the California tiger salamander, (Ambystoma californiense), as endangered pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended (Act). An emergency rule listing the population is published concurrently in this issue of the Federal Register. The Santa Barbara County population segment of the California tiger salamander is endemic to low elevation (typically below 300 meters (1,000 feet)) vernal pools and seasonal ponds and the surrounding grasslands, oak woodlands, and coastal scrub of Santa Barbara County, California, and is imperiled primarily by habitat loss from conversion of natural habitat to intensive agriculture and urban development, habitat fragmentation, and agricultural contaminants.