Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Emergency Rule To List the Columbia Basin Distinct Population Segment of the Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) as Endangered

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), exercise our authority under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), to emergency list the Columbia Basin distinct population segment of the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) as endangered. This population segment consists of a single, wild colony totaling fewer than 50 individuals in Douglas County, central Washington, and a small captive population. The Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit is imminently threatened by a recent significant decrease in population that has caused it to be susceptible to the combined influence of catastrophic environmental events, habitat or resource failure, disease, predation, and loss of genetic heterogeneity. We find that these threats constitute an immediate and significant risk to the well-being of the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit. Because of the need to make protective measures afforded by the Act immediately available to this species, we find that an emergency rule action is justified. This emergency rule provides Federal protection pursuant to the Act for a period of 240 days. A proposed rule to list the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit as endangered is published concurrently with this emergency rule in the proposed rule section of this issue of the Federal Register.