ETWP; Emergency Rule To List the San Bernardino Kangaroo Rat as Endangered

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) exercises its emergency authority to determine the San Bernardino kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami parvus) to be an endangered species pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This subspecies occurs primarily in alluvial scrub habitats with appropriate vegetative cover and substrate composition. The historic range of the San Bernardino kangaroo rat has been reduced by approximately 96 percent due to agricultural and urban development. All of the remaining populations of the San Bernardino kangaroo rat are threatened by habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation due to sand and gravel mining operations, flood control projects, urban development, and vandalism. In addition, the three largest remaining populations of the San Bernardino kangaroo rat are threatened by habitat loss resulting from a change in the natural stream flow regime including seasonal flooding and associated modification of plant succession patterns. The threat of vandalism to large portions of the remaining habitat may be imminent. Threats have been made indicating that habitat would be destroyed if the Service attempted to list the San Bernardino kangaroo rat. Because of the need to make protective measures afforded by the Act immediately available to this subspecies and its habitat, the Service finds that an emergency rule action is justified. This emergency rule provides Federal protection pursuant to the Act for this subspecies for a period of 240 days. A proposed rule to list the San Bernardino kangaroo rat, requesting data and comment from the public, is being published concurrently in this same Federal Register issue under the proposed rule section.