90-day Finding for a Petition to List the Washington Population of the Western Gray Squirrel as Threatened or Endangered

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding for a petition to list the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus griseus) in Washington under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. After reviewing the petition and all available scientific and commercial information, we find that the petition presents substantial information indicating that there may be one or more distinct population segments (DPS) of western gray squirrels in Washington for which listing may be warranted. With the publication of this notice, we are initiating a status review of the western gray squirrel subspecies Sciurus griseus griseus in Washington. In addition to requesting information on the status of the western gray squirrel in Washington, we are requesting information on the subspecies rangewide for the purpose of determining if one or more of the Washington populations of this subspecies constitutes a DPS, or constitutes a significant portion of the range of the subspecies. We will prepare a 12-month finding on our determination.