Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Petition To Reclassify the Wood Bison From Endangered to Threatened, 5908-5910 [E9-2084]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 21 / Tuesday, February 3, 2009 / Proposed Rules
invites comments on whether the rule
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List of Subjects in 12 CFR Part 337
Banks, Banking, Reporting and
recordkeeping requirements, Savings
associations, Securities.
For the reasons stated above, the
Board of Directors of the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation proposes
to amend part 337 of title 12 of the Code
of Federal Regulations as follows:
1. The authority citation for part 337
continues to read as follows:
Authority: 12 U.S.C. 375a(4), 375b, 1816,
1818(a), 1818(b), 1819, 1820(d)(10), 1821(f),
1828(j)(2), 1831.
2. In § 337.6, revise paragraphs
(a)(5)(iii), (b)(2)(ii)(B) , and (b)(4) to read
as follows:
yshivers on PROD1PC62 with PROPOSALS
§ 337.6
Brokered deposits.
(a) * * *
(5) * * *
(iii) Notwithstanding paragraph
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broker includes any insured depository
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and any employee of any such insured
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purposes of this paragraph, the
prevailing rates of interest in such
depository institution’s normal market
area shall be deemed to be the national
rate as defined in paragraph (b)(2)(ii)(B)
of this section unless the FDIC
determines, based on available
evidence, that the prevailing rates differ
from the national rate.
*
*
*
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*
(b) * * *
(2) * * * (ii) * * *
(B) The national rate paid on deposits
of comparable size and maturity for
deposits accepted outside the
institution’s normal market area. For
purposes of this paragraph (b)(2)(ii)(B),
the national rate, which would be
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shall be a simple average of rates paid
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available.
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*
(4) For purposes of the restrictions
contained in paragraphs (b)(2)(ii)(A) and
(b)(3)(ii) of this section, a presumption
shall exist that the effective yield in the
relevant market is the national rate as
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defined in paragraph (b)(2)(ii)(B) of this
section unless the FDIC determines,
based on available evidence, that the
effective yield differs from the national
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with an odd maturity violates
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this section if it is more than 75 basis
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operating in the same area.
*
*
*
*
*
Dated at Washington, DC, this 27th day of
January, 2009.
Authorized to be published in the Federal
Register by Order of the Board of Directors
of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Robert E. Feldman,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9–2112 Filed 2–2–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6714–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[FWS–R9–IA–2008–0123; 96100–1671–
0000–B6]
RIN 1018–AI83
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
and Plants; Petition To Reclassify the
Wood Bison From Endangered to
Threatened
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of 90-day petition
finding and initiation of status review.
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), announce our
90-day finding on a petition to reclassify
the wood bison (Bison bison
athabascae) from endangered to
threatened throughout its range in the
List of Endangered and Threatened
Wildlife established under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act),
as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). We
find that the petition presents
substantial scientific and commercial
information indicating that the
petitioned action of reclassifying the
wood bison from endangered to
threatened status under the Act may be
warranted. Therefore, we are initiating a
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Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
status review of the wood bison to
determine if reclassification, as
petitioned, is warranted under the Act.
To ensure that the status review is
comprehensive, we are requesting
submission of any new information on
the wood bison since its original listing
as endangered throughout its entire
range under the predecessor of the Act
on June 2, 1970 (35 FR 8491). At the
conclusion of our status review, we will
issue a 12-month finding on the
petition, as provided in section
4(b)(3)(B) of the Act.
DATES: The finding announced in this
document was made on January 14,
2009. To be considered in the 12-month
finding on this petition, we will accept
comments and information from all
interested parties until April 6, 2009.
ADDRESSES: You may submit
information, materials, and comments
by one of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R9–
IA–2008–0123; Division of Policy and
Directives Management; U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive;
Suite 222; Arlington, VA 22203.
We will not accept e-mail or faxes. We
will post all comments on https://
www.regulations.gov. This generally
means that we will post any personal
information you provide us (see the
Public Comments section below for
more information).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rosemarie Gnam, Ph.D., Chief, Division
of Scientific Authority, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive,
Room 110, Arlington, VA 22203;
telephone 703–358–1708; facsimile
703–358–2276; electronic mail
ScientificAuthority@fws.gov. Persons
who use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at
800–877–8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Information Solicited
We intend that any final action
resulting from this status review will be
as accurate and as effective as possible
based on the best available scientific
and commercial information. Therefore,
we solicit information, comments, or
suggestions on the wood bison from the
public, concerned government agencies,
the scientific community, or any other
interested party. We are opening a 60day public comment period to allow all
interested parties an opportunity to
provide information on the status of the
E:\FR\FM\03FEP1.SGM
03FEP1
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 21 / Tuesday, February 3, 2009 / Proposed Rules
wood bison throughout its range,
including:
(1) Information on taxonomy,
distribution, habitat selection and use,
food habits, population density and
trends, habitat trends, disease, and
effects of management on wood bison;
(2) Information on captive herds,
including efficacy of breeding and
reintroduction programs, origin of
parental stock, stock supplementation
for genetic purposes, growth rates, birth
and mortality rates in captivity; location
of captive herds in comparison to wild
populations, effects of captive breeding
on the species’ natural habitats and wild
populations, and any other factors from
captive breeding that might affect wild
populations or natural habitat;
(3) Information on the adequacy of
existing regulatory mechanisms; trends
in domestic and international trade of
live specimens, sport-hunted trophies,
or other parts and products; poaching of
wild wood bison; illegal trade and
enforcement efforts and solutions; and
oversight of reintroduction or
introduction programs;
(4) Information on the effects of other
potential threat factors, including
contaminants, changes of the
distribution and abundance of wild
populations, disease episodes within
wild and captive populations, large
mortality events, climate change, or
negative effects resulting from the
presence of invasive species; and
(5) Information on management
programs for wood bison conservation
in the wild, including private, tribal, or
governmental conservation programs
that benefit wood bison.
We will base our finding on a review
of the best scientific and commercial
information available, including all
information received during the public
comment period.
You may submit your comments and
materials concerning this proposed rule
by one of the methods listed in the
ADDRESSES section. We will not accept
comments you send by e-mail or fax.
Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that we
will post your entire comment—
including your personal identifying
information—on https://
www.regulations.gov. While you can ask
us in your comment to withhold your
personal identifying information from
public review, we cannot guarantee that
we will be able to do so.
Comments and materials we receive,
as well as supporting documentation we
used in preparing this 90-day finding,
will be available for public inspection
on https://www.regulations.gov, or by
VerDate Nov<24>2008
10:42 Feb 02, 2009
Jkt 217001
5909
appointment, during normal business
hours, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Division of Scientific Authority
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
and rest and ruminate in aspen and
coniferous forests (Government of
Canada 1997, p. 2; Reynolds et al. 2003,
p. 1037).
Background
We received a petition from the cochairs of the National Wood Bison
Recovery Team (NWBRT) based at the
University of Calgary, Canada, dated
November 26, 2007, requesting that we
reclassify the wood bison (Bison bison
athabascae) from endangered to
threatened. The petition contained
information about recovery efforts in
Canada and referred to information
provided to the United States Division
of Scientific Authority by the NWBRT
since 2004 regarding the natural history
and biology of the wood bison,
including the species’ current status and
distribution.
All wild, disease-free wood bison,
3,382 specimens in 2004, are found in
northwestern Canada (Reynolds et al.
2004, p. 32). They are distributed among
seven managed populations in the
Northwest Territories, the Yukon
Territory, British Columbia, Alberta,
and Manitoba. There are also 15 captivebreeding herds (5 public herds and 10
private herds), with all of the public
herds located in northwestern Canada.
The wood bison differs
morphologically from the more common
plains bison (Bison bison bison). The
wood bison is larger and heavier within
similar age and sex classes, darker in
color with a more squarish hump than
the rounder hump of the plains bison.
There is less hair on top of the head of
the wood bison, around the horns and
in the beard, which makes the horns
appear longer and the head appear
smaller than those of the plains bison.
The long hair on the front legs of plains
bison is short or absent in wood bison,
and the cape on the hump, shoulders,
and neck is less distinct (Reynolds et al.
2003, p. 1013).
In contrast to the plains bison, wood
bison herds are smaller. During rut,
wood bison herds disperse into even
smaller groups with some bulls
temporarily becoming solitary
(Reynolds et al. 2003, p. 1021). Whereas
plains bison bulls establish dominance
hierarchies for breeding, wood bison
bulls establish harems (Reynolds et al.
2003, p. 1021). Wood bison home range
size varies with age, sex, and
availability of forage (Reynolds et al.
2003, pp. 1024–25). The breeding
season is from July to October. Bulls
between the ages of 6 and 9 years do
most of the breeding (Reynolds et al.
2003, p. 1025). Peak breeding age for
cows is between 5 and 14 years of age.
Wood bison forage in open meadows,
History of the Endangered Species Act
Listing
The wood bison was listed under the
U.S. Endangered Species Conservation
Act of 1969; the listing of which went
into effect on June 2, 1970, with the
publication of our final rule,
Conservation of endangered species and
other fish or wildlife (35 FR 8491). At
that time through the present, the only
wild wood bison herds were found in
the boreal wilderness of northwestern
Canada (Government of Canada 1997, p.
2). While never numerous, the
subspecies, which numbered
approximately 200,000 animals in
Canada in 1800, was almost
exterminated by the late 1800s due to
overhunting for food and the fur trade.
About 250 specimens survived in the
early 1900s and were protected by the
Government of Canada in Wood Buffalo
National Park. The growing herd was
jeopardized by the introduction of
plains bison, however, with which the
remaining wood bison hybridized. The
plains bison also introduced
tuberculosis and brucellosis in wood
bison herds. A total of 200 disease-free
bison with wood bison morphological
characteristics were discovered in 1959
in a remote area of Wood Bison National
Park. Between 1963 and 1965, just prior
to the Endangered Species Conservation
Act listing, 42 of these specimens were
introduced into the Mackenzie Bison
Sanctuary, near Fort Providence, in the
Northwest Territories, and into Elk
Island National Park in Central Alberta
(Government of Canada 1997, p. 2).
These specimens became the founder
stock for the 4,336 disease-free
specimens of wood bison (Reynolds et
al. 2004, p. 32).
Because the wood bison was
summarily listed under the 1969
Endangered Species Conservation Act,
along with many other species, there
was no separate Federal Register final
rule for its listing. On June 2, 1970, the
wood bison first appeared on the list of
foreign species (Appendix A) in our
final rule, Conservation of endangered
species and other fish or wildlife (35 FR
8491). According to this rule, the taxa
included in Appendix A of that
document were considered as
endangered throughout their range. It
was likely that the total subspecies
population of about 200 specimens
contributed to the listing decision.
Appendix A indicated Canada as the
sole range country (in the ‘‘Where
Found’’ column), with the explanation
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 21 / Tuesday, February 3, 2009 / Proposed Rules
that the range information ‘‘is a general
guide to the native countries or regions
where the named animals are found. It
is not intended to be definitive.’’
In 1979, the listing status of wood
bison within the United States was
reviewed due to a potential failure to
comply with a procedural requirement
of the 1969 Act (i.e., consulting with the
governor of any state in which the
species was found) (44 FR 43705; July
25, 1979). On July 25, 1980, the Service
published a proposed rule discussing
the earlier procedural error, but did not
propose changes to the listing status of
wood bison as we had determined that
no pure bred individuals of the
subspecies were known to occur in the
United States (45 FR 49844).
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Other Wood Bison Listings
The wood bison was placed in
Appendix I of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) on July 1, 1975, when the treaty
went into effect (42 FR 10462; February
22, 1979). On September 28, 1997, the
wood bison was downlisted to
Appendix II based on a proposal from
Canada that described progress in
implementation of the Canadian
recovery plan (Government of Canada,
1997; 62 FR 44627; August 22, 1997).
The United States voted in support of
the downlisting. Listing in CITES
Appendix II allows for regulated
commercial trade as long as certain
findings are made, whereas a listing in
Appendix I generally prohibits
commercial trade. The wood bison is
also listed as a threatened species under
Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA),
which went into effect on June 1, 2004.
The 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species (https://www.iucnredlist.org/)
classifies the American bison (Bison
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10:42 Feb 02, 2009
Jkt 217001
bison) as ‘‘lower risk–conservation
dependent.’’ Subspecies, such as the
plains bison and wood bison, are not
evaluated separately from the species on
the IUCN list.
The NWBRT petition is the second
petition that we have received regarding
the wood bison. On May 14, 1998, the
Service received a petition from a
private individual requesting that we
remove the wood bison from the List of
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife,
primarily because it had just been
downlisted under CITES. In a 90-day
finding published on November 25,
1998 (63 FR 65164), we found that the
petitioner did not supply substantial
information to indicate that the delisting
was warranted.
The NWBRT, with this petition,
requests reclassification of the wood
bison from endangered to threatened
because—according to their petition—
populations are healthy, habitat remains
plentiful, and recovery and management
plans are being implemented. With this
action, we find that the NWBRT petition
presents substantial scientific evidence
and commercial information indicating
that reclassification from an endangered
species to a threatened species may be
warranted.
Finding
On the basis of the information
provided in the petition or contained in
Service files, we have determined that
the petition presents substantial
scientific and commercial information
indicating that reclassifying the wood
bison from endangered to threatened
may be warranted. Therefore, we are
initiating a status review to determine if
reclassification of the subspecies is
warranted. To ensure that the status
review is comprehensive, the Service is
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soliciting scientific and commercial
information regarding this subspecies.
References Cited
Government of Canada. 1997. Prop.
10.35. Proposal for the transfer of
wood bison (Bison bison athabascae)
from Appendix I to Appendix II of the
Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species. Tenth Meeting of
the Conference of the Parties held in
Harare, Zimbabwe, 9–20 June, 1997. 2
pp.
Reynolds, H.W., C.C. Gates, and R.D.
Glaholt. 2003. Bison (Bison bison). In:
G.A. Feldhamer, B.C. Thompson, and
J.A. Chapman (eds.), Wild Mammals
of North America. Biology,
Management, and Conservation. 2nd
Edition. The Johns Hopkins
University Press, Baltimore. Pp. 1009–
1060.
Reynolds, H., C. Gates, J. Nishi, T. Jung,
H. Schwantje, and B. Stephenson.
2004. Draft background on wood
bison recovery efforts and legal status
in Canada. Submitted to U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, August 2004. 32pp.
Author
The primary author of this document
is Jeffrey P. Jorgenson, Ph.D., Division of
Scientific Authority, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (see ADDRESSES
section).
Authority
The authority for this action is the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: January 14, 2009.
Kenneth Stansell,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. E9–2084 Filed 2–2–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
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03FEP1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 3, 2009)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 5908-5910]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-2084]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[FWS-R9-IA-2008-0123; 96100-1671-0000-B6]
RIN 1018-AI83
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Petition To
Reclassify the Wood Bison From Endangered to Threatened
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of 90-day petition finding and initiation of status
review.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce our
90-day finding on a petition to reclassify the wood bison (Bison bison
athabascae) from endangered to threatened throughout its range in the
List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife established under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.). We find that the petition presents substantial scientific and
commercial information indicating that the petitioned action of
reclassifying the wood bison from endangered to threatened status under
the Act may be warranted. Therefore, we are initiating a status review
of the wood bison to determine if reclassification, as petitioned, is
warranted under the Act. To ensure that the status review is
comprehensive, we are requesting submission of any new information on
the wood bison since its original listing as endangered throughout its
entire range under the predecessor of the Act on June 2, 1970 (35 FR
8491). At the conclusion of our status review, we will issue a 12-month
finding on the petition, as provided in section 4(b)(3)(B) of the Act.
DATES: The finding announced in this document was made on January 14,
2009. To be considered in the 12-month finding on this petition, we
will accept comments and information from all interested parties until
April 6, 2009.
ADDRESSES: You may submit information, materials, and comments by one
of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing,
Attn: FWS-R9-IA-2008-0123; Division of Policy and Directives
Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive;
Suite 222; Arlington, VA 22203.
We will not accept e-mail or faxes. We will post all comments on
https://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any
personal information you provide us (see the Public Comments section
below for more information).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rosemarie Gnam, Ph.D., Chief, Division
of Scientific Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N.
Fairfax Drive, Room 110, Arlington, VA 22203; telephone 703-358-1708;
facsimile 703-358-2276; electronic mail ScientificAuthority@fws.gov.
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call
the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Information Solicited
We intend that any final action resulting from this status review
will be as accurate and as effective as possible based on the best
available scientific and commercial information. Therefore, we solicit
information, comments, or suggestions on the wood bison from the
public, concerned government agencies, the scientific community, or any
other interested party. We are opening a 60-day public comment period
to allow all interested parties an opportunity to provide information
on the status of the
[[Page 5909]]
wood bison throughout its range, including:
(1) Information on taxonomy, distribution, habitat selection and
use, food habits, population density and trends, habitat trends,
disease, and effects of management on wood bison;
(2) Information on captive herds, including efficacy of breeding
and reintroduction programs, origin of parental stock, stock
supplementation for genetic purposes, growth rates, birth and mortality
rates in captivity; location of captive herds in comparison to wild
populations, effects of captive breeding on the species' natural
habitats and wild populations, and any other factors from captive
breeding that might affect wild populations or natural habitat;
(3) Information on the adequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms;
trends in domestic and international trade of live specimens, sport-
hunted trophies, or other parts and products; poaching of wild wood
bison; illegal trade and enforcement efforts and solutions; and
oversight of reintroduction or introduction programs;
(4) Information on the effects of other potential threat factors,
including contaminants, changes of the distribution and abundance of
wild populations, disease episodes within wild and captive populations,
large mortality events, climate change, or negative effects resulting
from the presence of invasive species; and
(5) Information on management programs for wood bison conservation
in the wild, including private, tribal, or governmental conservation
programs that benefit wood bison.
We will base our finding on a review of the best scientific and
commercial information available, including all information received
during the public comment period.
You may submit your comments and materials concerning this proposed
rule by one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section. We will not
accept comments you send by e-mail or fax.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that we will post your entire comment--including your personal
identifying information--on https://www.regulations.gov. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Comments and materials we receive, as well as supporting
documentation we used in preparing this 90-day finding, will be
available for public inspection on https://www.regulations.gov, or by
appointment, during normal business hours, at the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Division of Scientific Authority (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
Background
We received a petition from the co-chairs of the National Wood
Bison Recovery Team (NWBRT) based at the University of Calgary, Canada,
dated November 26, 2007, requesting that we reclassify the wood bison
(Bison bison athabascae) from endangered to threatened. The petition
contained information about recovery efforts in Canada and referred to
information provided to the United States Division of Scientific
Authority by the NWBRT since 2004 regarding the natural history and
biology of the wood bison, including the species' current status and
distribution.
All wild, disease-free wood bison, 3,382 specimens in 2004, are
found in northwestern Canada (Reynolds et al. 2004, p. 32). They are
distributed among seven managed populations in the Northwest
Territories, the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, Alberta, and
Manitoba. There are also 15 captive-breeding herds (5 public herds and
10 private herds), with all of the public herds located in northwestern
Canada.
The wood bison differs morphologically from the more common plains
bison (Bison bison bison). The wood bison is larger and heavier within
similar age and sex classes, darker in color with a more squarish hump
than the rounder hump of the plains bison. There is less hair on top of
the head of the wood bison, around the horns and in the beard, which
makes the horns appear longer and the head appear smaller than those of
the plains bison. The long hair on the front legs of plains bison is
short or absent in wood bison, and the cape on the hump, shoulders, and
neck is less distinct (Reynolds et al. 2003, p. 1013).
In contrast to the plains bison, wood bison herds are smaller.
During rut, wood bison herds disperse into even smaller groups with
some bulls temporarily becoming solitary (Reynolds et al. 2003, p.
1021). Whereas plains bison bulls establish dominance hierarchies for
breeding, wood bison bulls establish harems (Reynolds et al. 2003, p.
1021). Wood bison home range size varies with age, sex, and
availability of forage (Reynolds et al. 2003, pp. 1024-25). The
breeding season is from July to October. Bulls between the ages of 6
and 9 years do most of the breeding (Reynolds et al. 2003, p. 1025).
Peak breeding age for cows is between 5 and 14 years of age. Wood bison
forage in open meadows, and rest and ruminate in aspen and coniferous
forests (Government of Canada 1997, p. 2; Reynolds et al. 2003, p.
1037).
History of the Endangered Species Act Listing
The wood bison was listed under the U.S. Endangered Species
Conservation Act of 1969; the listing of which went into effect on June
2, 1970, with the publication of our final rule, Conservation of
endangered species and other fish or wildlife (35 FR 8491). At that
time through the present, the only wild wood bison herds were found in
the boreal wilderness of northwestern Canada (Government of Canada
1997, p. 2). While never numerous, the subspecies, which numbered
approximately 200,000 animals in Canada in 1800, was almost
exterminated by the late 1800s due to overhunting for food and the fur
trade. About 250 specimens survived in the early 1900s and were
protected by the Government of Canada in Wood Buffalo National Park.
The growing herd was jeopardized by the introduction of plains bison,
however, with which the remaining wood bison hybridized. The plains
bison also introduced tuberculosis and brucellosis in wood bison herds.
A total of 200 disease-free bison with wood bison morphological
characteristics were discovered in 1959 in a remote area of Wood Bison
National Park. Between 1963 and 1965, just prior to the Endangered
Species Conservation Act listing, 42 of these specimens were introduced
into the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary, near Fort Providence, in the
Northwest Territories, and into Elk Island National Park in Central
Alberta (Government of Canada 1997, p. 2). These specimens became the
founder stock for the 4,336 disease-free specimens of wood bison
(Reynolds et al. 2004, p. 32).
Because the wood bison was summarily listed under the 1969
Endangered Species Conservation Act, along with many other species,
there was no separate Federal Register final rule for its listing. On
June 2, 1970, the wood bison first appeared on the list of foreign
species (Appendix A) in our final rule, Conservation of endangered
species and other fish or wildlife (35 FR 8491). According to this
rule, the taxa included in Appendix A of that document were considered
as endangered throughout their range. It was likely that the total
subspecies population of about 200 specimens contributed to the listing
decision. Appendix A indicated Canada as the sole range country (in the
``Where Found'' column), with the explanation
[[Page 5910]]
that the range information ``is a general guide to the native countries
or regions where the named animals are found. It is not intended to be
definitive.''
In 1979, the listing status of wood bison within the United States
was reviewed due to a potential failure to comply with a procedural
requirement of the 1969 Act (i.e., consulting with the governor of any
state in which the species was found) (44 FR 43705; July 25, 1979). On
July 25, 1980, the Service published a proposed rule discussing the
earlier procedural error, but did not propose changes to the listing
status of wood bison as we had determined that no pure bred individuals
of the subspecies were known to occur in the United States (45 FR
49844).
Other Wood Bison Listings
The wood bison was placed in Appendix I of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) on July 1, 1975, when the treaty went into effect (42 FR 10462;
February 22, 1979). On September 28, 1997, the wood bison was
downlisted to Appendix II based on a proposal from Canada that
described progress in implementation of the Canadian recovery plan
(Government of Canada, 1997; 62 FR 44627; August 22, 1997). The United
States voted in support of the downlisting. Listing in CITES Appendix
II allows for regulated commercial trade as long as certain findings
are made, whereas a listing in Appendix I generally prohibits
commercial trade. The wood bison is also listed as a threatened species
under Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA), which went into effect on
June 1, 2004. The 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (https://
www.iucnredlist.org/) classifies the American bison (Bison bison) as
``lower risk-conservation dependent.'' Subspecies, such as the plains
bison and wood bison, are not evaluated separately from the species on
the IUCN list.
The NWBRT petition is the second petition that we have received
regarding the wood bison. On May 14, 1998, the Service received a
petition from a private individual requesting that we remove the wood
bison from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, primarily
because it had just been downlisted under CITES. In a 90-day finding
published on November 25, 1998 (63 FR 65164), we found that the
petitioner did not supply substantial information to indicate that the
delisting was warranted.
The NWBRT, with this petition, requests reclassification of the
wood bison from endangered to threatened because--according to their
petition--populations are healthy, habitat remains plentiful, and
recovery and management plans are being implemented. With this action,
we find that the NWBRT petition presents substantial scientific
evidence and commercial information indicating that reclassification
from an endangered species to a threatened species may be warranted.
Finding
On the basis of the information provided in the petition or
contained in Service files, we have determined that the petition
presents substantial scientific and commercial information indicating
that reclassifying the wood bison from endangered to threatened may be
warranted. Therefore, we are initiating a status review to determine if
reclassification of the subspecies is warranted. To ensure that the
status review is comprehensive, the Service is soliciting scientific
and commercial information regarding this subspecies.
References Cited
Government of Canada. 1997. Prop. 10.35. Proposal for the transfer of
wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) from Appendix I to Appendix II of
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Tenth
Meeting of the Conference of the Parties held in Harare, Zimbabwe, 9-20
June, 1997. 2 pp.
Reynolds, H.W., C.C. Gates, and R.D. Glaholt. 2003. Bison (Bison
bison). In: G.A. Feldhamer, B.C. Thompson, and J.A. Chapman (eds.),
Wild Mammals of North America. Biology, Management, and Conservation.
2nd Edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Pp. 1009-
1060.
Reynolds, H., C. Gates, J. Nishi, T. Jung, H. Schwantje, and B.
Stephenson. 2004. Draft background on wood bison recovery efforts and
legal status in Canada. Submitted to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
August 2004. 32pp.
Author
The primary author of this document is Jeffrey P. Jorgenson, Ph.D.,
Division of Scientific Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (see
ADDRESSES section).
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: January 14, 2009.
Kenneth Stansell,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E9-2084 Filed 2-2-09; 8:45 am]
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