Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Enhancement of Survival Permit Application; Draft Black-Footed Ferret Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement and Environmental Assessment, 75185-75186 [2012-30470]

Download as PDF 75185 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 244 / Wednesday, December 19, 2012 / Notices awarded under the program was last completed in 2005 (‘‘An Evaluation of HUD’s Healthy Homes Initiative: Current Findings and Outcomes,’’ Healthy Housing Solutions, March 5, 2007). The objectives of the Healthy Homes Demonstration (HHD) grants that will be evaluated through the effort described in this notice include: • Carrying out direct remediation where housing-related hazards may contribute to injury or illness, with a focus on children’s health; • Delivering education and outreach activities to protect children from housing-related hazards; and • Building capacity to increase the probability that aspects of grantsupported Healthy Homes programs are sustained. OHHLHC intends to administer an online questionnaire for up to 30 HHD grantees. This questionnaire will capture key project information to supplement information already available in reports and manuscripts from the approximately 54 HHD grants that were awarded from fiscal years 2005 to 2009, including any 2004 grant not included in the earlier evaluation, and any more recent grantee whose grant ends this fiscal year. OHHLHC is especially interested in determining whether any of the grantee’s data sets (i.e., resulting from project evaluation) would be of value to OHHLHC for additional analyses. After a review of available reports and manuscripts, OHHLHC anticipates roughly half of these grantees (up to 30) will be asked to complete the online questionnaire. OHHLHC will target those grantees that have carried out the greatest number of interventions, collected the most detailed evaluation data on cost, health and housing impacts and outcomes, and can demonstrate significant capacity- building and sustainable approaches to guide policy development and guidance for future healthy homes efforts. A questionnaire was developed for the 2005 evaluation that captured key information about recruitment/ enrollment, assessment, interventions, skills training, and community education/outreach in HHI grantee projects. This questionnaire will be modified for this new data collection effort. The online questionnaire will be administered through a secure Web site. Agency Form Numbers: None. Members of Affected Public: HUD Office of Healthy Homes Demonstration grantees (i.e., not-for profit and forprofit firms located in the United States, state and local governments, federally recognized Indian Tribes, and colleges and universities). Participation is voluntary. The only cost to respondents is their time. TOTAL BURDEN ESTIMATE Requirement Number of respondents Hours per respondent Total hours Cost per hour Startup cost Labor cost O&M cost Total cost Complete questionnaire .................... 30 16 480 $32.75 $15,720 $0 $0 $15,720 Total ................ 30 16 480 ........................ 15,720 0 0 15,720 Status of the Proposed Information Collection: New request. OMB approval is requested for up to two years, with data collection beginning approximately July 2013. Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended. Dated: December 12, 2012. Jon L. Gant, Director, HUD Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. [FR Doc. 2012–30600 Filed 12–18–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4210–67–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R6–ES–2012–N190; FF06E16000– 123–FXES11130600000D2] sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Enhancement of Survival Permit Application; Draft Black-Footed Ferret Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement and Environmental Assessment Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments. AGENCY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:35 Dec 18, 2012 Jkt 229001 We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an application from the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Coordinator for an enhancement of survival permit under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The application includes a draft programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement (Agreement) to reintroduce the federally endangered black-footed ferret on properties of voluntary participants across the species’ range to further recovery of this species. Pursuant to the ESA and the National Environmental Policy Act, we announce the availability of the draft Agreement and draft environmental assessment (EA) for review and comment by the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments. DATES: Written comments must be submitted by January 18, 2013. ADDRESSES: Send written comments by U.S. mail to Kimberly Tamkun, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center, P.O. Box 190, Wellington, CO 80549– 0190, or via email to FerretSHA@fws.gov. You also may send comments by facsimile to (970) 897– 2732. The draft Agreement and EA are available on the Black-Footed Ferret SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00081 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Recovery Program Web site at https:// www.blackfootedferret.org/. You also may review copies of these documents during regular business hours at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center (Ferret Center), 19180 North East Frontage Road Carr, CO 80612–9719. If you do not have access to the Web site or cannot visit our office, you may request copies by telephone at (970) 897–2730 ext. 238 or by letter to the Ferret Center. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pete Gober, Black-footed Ferret Recovery Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (970) 897–2730 ext. 224; pete_gober@fws.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under a Safe Harbor Agreement, participating landowners voluntarily undertake conservation activities on their property to benefit species listed under the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Enrolled landowners have the option to return their property to baseline conditions established at the time the Agreement was developed. If the Agreement meets all the permit issuance criteria, we issue an enhancement-of-survival permit under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA. The permit authorizes incidental take of the covered species that may result from implementation of conservation actions, E:\FR\FM\19DEN1.SGM 19DEN1 sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with 75186 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 244 / Wednesday, December 19, 2012 / Notices specific land uses, and return to baseline under the Agreement. We also provide enrollees assurances that we will not impose further land, water, or resource-use restrictions or additional commitments of land, water, or finances beyond that agreed to in the Agreement. Application requirements and issuance criteria for enhancement-of-survival permits through Safe Harbor Agreements are found in 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32. We are providing this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations (40 CFR 1506.6; 43 CFR part 46). We are requesting comments on the proposed Agreement and issuance of enhancement-of-survival permit. We prepared a draft environmental assessment (EA) to comply with NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and will evaluate whether the proposed Agreement, issuance of permit, and other alternatives in the draft EA may cause significant impacts to the quality of the human environment. We also invite comments on the draft EA. The historic range of the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) overlaps with suitable habitat supporting black-tailed, white-tailed, and Gunnison’s prairie-dog (their primary prey) in portions of the 12 States of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as Canada and Mexico. The black-footed ferret was twice considered extinct or nearly extinct before all known wild ferrets were captured for captive breeding in 1985. Today, due to reintroduction efforts, 20 populations exist throughout the species’ range. However, the Service’s 1988 Recovery Plan and 2009 Spotlight Species Action Plan for the ferret advise that more ferret populations be established to move toward recovery. Therefore, we have developed the proposed Agreement to provide incentives for landowners to volunteer lands with adequate habitat for ferret reintroductions across the historic range of the species within the United States. Under the proposed Agreement, we would issue a permit to the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Coordinator, who would then enroll willing landowners under certificates of inclusion that would confer incidental take authorization and assurances to the enrollees. Consistent with the Safe Harbor policy (64 FR 32717) and section 7 of the ESA, we would also provide non-enrolled neighboring landowners with incidental take authorization through the section 7 biological opinion VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:35 Dec 18, 2012 Jkt 229001 and assurances to those neighbors who sign a separate agreement. To enroll in the Agreement, an eligible landowner would voluntarily work with the Coordinator to develop a site-specific reintroduction plan. Each reintroduction plan would identify a conservation zone on the enrollee’s property, consisting of either (a) at least 1,500 acres of habitat occupied by blacktailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) or (b) 3,000 acres occupied by white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus) or Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni). The conservation zone would be targeted for ferret reintroductions. Depending on the needs of the enrollee, a management zone surrounding the conservation zone might also be established. Because grazing is considered compatible with ferret habitat, enrollees may graze their cattle in the both zones throughout the life of the reintroduction plan. If necessary, efforts to control diseases, such as sylvatic plague, will be carried out in both zones. Prairie dog control may also occur within the management zone, as necessary, but not in the conservation zone. Where beneficial, State wildlife agencies, tribes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service—Wildlife Services, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, nongovernmental organizations, and other partners may be party to the reintroduction plan to assist implementation by the enrolled landowner. Each reintroduction plan would have a term of 10 to 40 years within the duration of the Agreement, which is proposed to be 50 years. Public Availability of Comments Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. 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. Dated: November 29, 2012. Michael Thabault, Acting Regional Director—Ecological Services, Mountain-Prairie Region, Denver, Colorado. [FR Doc. 2012–30470 Filed 12–18–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–55–P PO 00000 Frm 00082 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [LLUTW01100–12200000–AL0000] Notice of Closure, Target Shooting Public Safety Closure on the Lake Mountains in Utah County, UT Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice of Closure. AGENCY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), pursuant to their regulations, has closed approximately 900 acres of public land on the Lake Mountains in Utah County, Utah, to recreational target shooting to protect public safety. This closure does not restrict other public activities or access to the Lake Mountains area. DATES: This target shooting closure within the described area will remain in effect no longer than two years from December 19, 2012, or earlier if a land use planning decision is completed. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Oliver, District Manager, BLM West Desert District Office; 2370 South 2300 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84119; Phone: 801–977–4300; email: blm_ut_sl_mail@blm.gov. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 800–877–8339 to contact the above individuals during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individuals. You will receive a reply during normal hours. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This temporary closure affects public lands on the Lake Mountains, Utah County, Utah. The legal description of the affected public lands is: SUMMARY: Salt Lake Meridian T. 7 S., R. 1 E., Sec. 6, lot 1, NE1⁄4SE1⁄4; Sec. 7, lot 1. T. 7 S., R. 1 W., Sec. 13, lots 2, 11, 12, and portions of lots 3, 4, 9, and 10, and the SE1⁄4SW1⁄4 lying east of the 345 KV power line*; Sec. 24, lots 1–3, 10, 13, 17, 18, and portions of lots 11 and 12, and the NW1⁄4 lying east of the 345 KV power line*; Sec. 26, NW1⁄4NE1⁄4, NW1⁄4SW1⁄4, and portions of the N1⁄2NW1⁄4 lying east of the 345 KV power line.* * BLM right-of-way UTU 0115794. The area described contains approximately 900 acres more or less. The Salt Lake Field Office hereby closes a portion of the Lake Mountains, Utah County, Utah to all target shooting E:\FR\FM\19DEN1.SGM 19DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75185-75186]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30470]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R6-ES-2012-N190; FF06E16000-123-FXES11130600000D2]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Enhancement of 
Survival Permit Application; Draft Black-Footed Ferret Programmatic 
Safe Harbor Agreement and Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an 
application from the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation 
Coordinator for an enhancement of survival permit under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The application includes a draft 
programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement (Agreement) to reintroduce the 
federally endangered black-footed ferret on properties of voluntary 
participants across the species' range to further recovery of this 
species. Pursuant to the ESA and the National Environmental Policy Act, 
we announce the availability of the draft Agreement and draft 
environmental assessment (EA) for review and comment by the public and 
Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted by January 18, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments by U.S. mail to Kimberly Tamkun, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, National Black-footed Ferret Conservation 
Center, P.O. Box 190, Wellington, CO 80549-0190, or via email to 
FerretSHA@fws.gov. You also may send comments by facsimile to (970) 
897-2732. The draft Agreement and EA are available on the Black-Footed 
Ferret Recovery Program Web site at https://www.blackfootedferret.org/. 
You also may review copies of these documents during regular business 
hours at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center (Ferret 
Center), 19180 North East Frontage Road Carr, CO 80612-9719. If you do 
not have access to the Web site or cannot visit our office, you may 
request copies by telephone at (970) 897-2730 ext. 238 or by letter to 
the Ferret Center.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pete Gober, Black-footed Ferret 
Recovery Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (970) 897-2730 
ext. 224; pete_gober@fws.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under a Safe Harbor Agreement, participating 
landowners voluntarily undertake conservation activities on their 
property to benefit species listed under the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.). Enrolled landowners have the option to return their property to 
baseline conditions established at the time the Agreement was 
developed. If the Agreement meets all the permit issuance criteria, we 
issue an enhancement-of-survival permit under section 10(a)(1)(A) of 
the ESA. The permit authorizes incidental take of the covered species 
that may result from implementation of conservation actions,

[[Page 75186]]

specific land uses, and return to baseline under the Agreement. We also 
provide enrollees assurances that we will not impose further land, 
water, or resource-use restrictions or additional commitments of land, 
water, or finances beyond that agreed to in the Agreement. Application 
requirements and issuance criteria for enhancement-of-survival permits 
through Safe Harbor Agreements are found in 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32.
    We are providing this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA and 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations (40 CFR 1506.6; 43 
CFR part 46). We are requesting comments on the proposed Agreement and 
issuance of enhancement-of-survival permit. We prepared a draft 
environmental assessment (EA) to comply with NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.), and will evaluate whether the proposed Agreement, issuance of 
permit, and other alternatives in the draft EA may cause significant 
impacts to the quality of the human environment. We also invite 
comments on the draft EA.
    The historic range of the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) 
overlaps with suitable habitat supporting black-tailed, white-tailed, 
and Gunnison's prairie-dog (their primary prey) in portions of the 12 
States of Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, 
North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, as well 
as Canada and Mexico. The black-footed ferret was twice considered 
extinct or nearly extinct before all known wild ferrets were captured 
for captive breeding in 1985. Today, due to reintroduction efforts, 20 
populations exist throughout the species' range. However, the Service's 
1988 Recovery Plan and 2009 Spotlight Species Action Plan for the 
ferret advise that more ferret populations be established to move 
toward recovery.
    Therefore, we have developed the proposed Agreement to provide 
incentives for landowners to volunteer lands with adequate habitat for 
ferret reintroductions across the historic range of the species within 
the United States. Under the proposed Agreement, we would issue a 
permit to the Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Coordinator, 
who would then enroll willing landowners under certificates of 
inclusion that would confer incidental take authorization and 
assurances to the enrollees. Consistent with the Safe Harbor policy (64 
FR 32717) and section 7 of the ESA, we would also provide non-enrolled 
neighboring landowners with incidental take authorization through the 
section 7 biological opinion and assurances to those neighbors who sign 
a separate agreement.
    To enroll in the Agreement, an eligible landowner would voluntarily 
work with the Coordinator to develop a site-specific reintroduction 
plan. Each reintroduction plan would identify a conservation zone on 
the enrollee's property, consisting of either (a) at least 1,500 acres 
of habitat occupied by black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) 
or (b) 3,000 acres occupied by white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys 
leucurus) or Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni). The 
conservation zone would be targeted for ferret reintroductions. 
Depending on the needs of the enrollee, a management zone surrounding 
the conservation zone might also be established. Because grazing is 
considered compatible with ferret habitat, enrollees may graze their 
cattle in the both zones throughout the life of the reintroduction 
plan. If necessary, efforts to control diseases, such as sylvatic 
plague, will be carried out in both zones. Prairie dog control may also 
occur within the management zone, as necessary, but not in the 
conservation zone. Where beneficial, State wildlife agencies, tribes, 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Animal Plant Health Inspection 
Service--Wildlife Services, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, 
the U.S. Geological Survey, nongovernmental organizations, and other 
partners may be party to the reintroduction plan to assist 
implementation by the enrolled landowner. Each reintroduction plan 
would have a term of 10 to 40 years within the duration of the 
Agreement, which is proposed to be 50 years.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. 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.

    Dated: November 29, 2012.
Michael Thabault,
Acting Regional Director--Ecological Services, Mountain-Prairie Region, 
Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. 2012-30470 Filed 12-18-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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