Proposed Endangered Status for the Buena Vista Lake Shrew

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Buena Vista Lake shrew, Sorex ornatus relictus, as endangered pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Prior to 1986, this subspecies had not been observed since it was first described in 1932. In 1986, three Buena Vista Lake shrews were observed at a permanent pond located within a former preserve, approximately 26 kilometers (km) (16 miles (mi)) south of Bakersfield, CA. No more than 38 individuals have been observed since they were rediscovered in 1986. The only known extant Buena Vista Lake shrew population is threatened primarily by agricultural activities, modifications and potential impacts to local hydrology, uncertainty of water delivery, possible toxic effects from selenium poisoning, and random naturally occurring events. This proposal, if made final, would implement the Federal protection and recovery provisions afforded by the Act for the Buena Vista Lake shrew.