12-Month Finding for a Petition to List the Southern Torrent Salamander in California as Endangered or Threatened

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding for a petition to list the southern torrent salamander (Rhyacotriton variegatus) in northern California and southern Oregon under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. After review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the southern torrent salamander is not warranted at this time. The finding is based on the following information: The species still occurs throughout its entire historical range; the species persists in its habitats after habitat alterations have occurred, including logging; the lack of information on short-and long-term population trends for the species across its range; the adverse impacts to the species from logging, construction of logging roads, and logging related activities do not threaten the survival of the species; the lack of substantial information indicating that overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes adversely impacts the species; the lack of evidence showing conclusively that predation is a threat to the species' survival; current regulatory practices do not constitute a threat to the survival of the species; and the lack of information that the species is threatened by low gene flow and low genetic diversity across its range.