Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Nevada Department of Wildlife; Application for Enhancement of Survival Permit; Proposed Programmatic Candidate Conservation Agreement With Assurances for the Relict Leopard Frog; Clark County, Nevada, 42837-42838 [2015-17705]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 138 / Monday, July 20, 2015 / Notices
surveys in Tennessee, Alabama,
Kentucky, and Georgia.
Permit Application Number: TE
66480B–0
Applicant: Thomas Gilbert, Greenwood,
Arkansas.
The applicant requests a permit to
take (live-trap and release) American
burying beetles (Nicrophorus
americanus) for the purpose of
conducting presence/absence surveys in
Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Permit Application Number: TE
017853–3
Applicant: Lynne Byrd, Mote Marine
Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida.
The applicant requests renewal of his
current permit to take (euthanize)
Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii),
hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata),
leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea),
green (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead
(Caretta caretta), sea turtles for the
purpose of veterinary treatment in the
state of Florida and elsewhere as
directed by the U.S Fish and Wildlife
Service.
grisescens), and northern long-eared
bats (Myotis septentrionalis) in
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois,
Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland,
Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia,
and take (capture, identify, release, and
collect relict shells) 26 species of
freshwater mussels in Kentucky for the
purpose of conducting presence/absence
surveys.
Dated: June 23, 2015.
Leopoldo Miranda,
Assistant Regional Director—Ecological
Services, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2015–17070 Filed 7–17–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–ES–2015–N123; FF08ENVD00–
FXES11120888ENR0–156]
Permit Application Number: TE
68616B–0
Applicant: Carla Atkinson, University of
Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
The applicant requests a permit to
take (capture, identify, release) 33
species of mussels for the purpose of
conducting presence absence surveys in
Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
and Plants; Nevada Department of
Wildlife; Application for Enhancement
of Survival Permit; Proposed
Programmatic Candidate Conservation
Agreement With Assurances for the
Relict Leopard Frog; Clark County,
Nevada
AGENCY:
Permit Application Number: TE
121059–2
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Permit Application Number: TE
64232B–0
Applicant: Joshua R. Young, Lexington,
Kentucky.
The applicant requests a permit to
take (capture, identify, tag, and release)
Virginia big-eared (Corynorhinus
(=plecotus) townsendii virginianus),
Indiana (Myotis sodalis), gray (Myotis
16:30 Jul 17, 2015
Jkt 235001
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service) announce
receipt from the Nevada Department of
Wildlife (NDOW) of an application for
an enhancement of survival permit
(permit) under the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The
requested permit would authorize take
of the relict leopard frog (RLF) resulting
from certain land use and conservation
activities, should the species be listed as
endangered or threatened in the future.
The permit application includes a
proposed programmatic candidate
conservation agreement with assurances
(CCAA) between NDOW and the
Service. The requested term of the
proposed CCAA and permit is 30 years.
In accordance with the requirements of
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), we have prepared a draft loweffect screening form supporting our
determination that the proposed action
qualifies as a categorical exclusion
under NEPA. We are accepting
comments on the permit application,
proposed CCAA, and draft NEPA
compliance documentation.
SUMMARY:
Applicant: Peggy Measel, Round
Mountain Biological & Environmental
Studies Inc., Nicholasville, Kentucky.
The applicant requests an amendment
of her current permit to add the states
of Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, and West
Virginia for already permitted activities
with Indiana (Myotis sodalis) and gray
(Myotis grisescen) bats. Permitted
activities will continue to be take (enter
hibernacula and maternity roost caves,
salvage bead bats, collect hair samples,
mist-net, harp trap, band, radio-tag,
light-tag, wing punch, and salvage) for
the purpose of carrying out presence/
absence surveys.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Receipt of application; request
for comment.
PO 00000
Frm 00051
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
42837
Written comments on the permit
application, proposed programmatic
CCAA, and draft NEPA compliance
documentation must be received on or
before August 19, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents:
Persons wishing to review the
application, the proposed CCAA, the
draft NEPA compliance documentation,
or other related documents may obtain
copies by written or telephone request
to Jeri Krueger, by mail at U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Reno Fish and Wildlife
Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Suite
234, Reno, NV 89502, or by phone at
775–861–6300. Copies of these
documents may also be obtained on the
Internet at https://www.fws.gov/nevada/
protected_species/amphibians/species/
relict_leopard_frog.html.
Submitting Comments: Please address
written comments to Michael J. Senn,
Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Southern Nevada Fish and
Wildlife Office, 4701 North Torrey Pines
Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130. You may
also send comments by facsimile to
702–515–5231. Please note that your
information request or comment is in
reference to the Programmatic CCAA for
the Relict Leopard Frog, Clark County,
Nevada.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeri
Krueger, Reno Fish and Wildlife Office,
at the address or telephone number
listed above under ADDRESSES.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DATES:
Document Availability
You may obtain copies of the permit
application, proposed CCAA, draft
NEPA compliance documentation, and
other related documents from the
individual listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT. Copies of these
documents are also available for public
inspection, by appointment, during
regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30
p.m.), at the Southern Nevada Fish and
Wildlife Office, 4701 North Torrey Pines
Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130.
Background Information
Enhancement of survival permits
issued for CCAAs encourage nonFederal landowners to implement
conservation measures for species that
are, or are likely to become, candidates
for Federal listing as endangered or
threatened by assuring landowners they
will not be subjected to increased
property use restrictions if the covered
species becomes listed in the future.
Application requirements and issuance
criteria for enhancement of survival
permits issued for CCAAs are in the
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50
CFR 17.22(d) and 17.32(d). The policy
E:\FR\FM\20JYN1.SGM
20JYN1
42838
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 138 / Monday, July 20, 2015 / Notices
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
for CCAAs was published in the Federal
Register on June 17, 1999 (64 FR 32726).
Proposed Project
The proposed RLF CCAA is a
programmatic agreement between the
Service and NDOW to further the
conservation of the RLF on non-Federal
lands or on lands under the
management authority of a non-Federal
entity. A RLF Conservation Agreement
and Strategy (CAS) that directs the
implementation of conservation actions
on Federal land was completed and
approved in 2005, and is being
implemented by the RLF Conservation
Team, which is comprised of
representatives from the signatory
agencies of the CAS. One of the primary
goals of the CAS is to establish
additional populations of RLF within its
historic range to secure species
persistence into the future. However,
the CAS does not provide a mechanism
to establish populations on non-Federal
lands while providing regulatory
assurances to the landowner in the
event the species becomes listed in the
future. The proposed programmatic
CCAA would provide these assurances
to non-Federal landowners, thus
promoting opportunities to implement
conservation actions and increase RLF
distribution on non-Federal land.
Under the proposed RLF CCAA,
NDOW would establish a program in
which individual landowners would
enroll their property. To enroll in the
program, a landowner would enter into
a cooperative agreement (CA) with
NDOW that contains a site-specific
management plan for the enrolled lands.
NDOW would then issue the landowner
a Certificate of Inclusion that would
authorize a certain level of take of RLF
under NDOW’s permit as described in
the CCAA and CA if the species
becomes listed under the ESA in the
future. The CA would specify
conservation measures to address
known threats to the RLF which may
include, but are not limited to,
translocation of RLF, fencing, deepening
a tank or pool, removal of non-native
aquatic predators, maintenance of
suitable habitat conditions,
enhancement of dispersal corridors,
vegetation enhancement, and public
education. The CA would also specify
measures to minimize the incidental
take of RLF that might occur as a result
of implementing the conservation
measures or conducting other land use
activities.
NDOW seeks to enroll lands in Clark
County, Nevada, that are associated
with the Virgin, Muddy, and Colorado
River drainages within or in close
proximity to the historic range of the
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:30 Jul 17, 2015
Jkt 235001
RLF, identified as the Potential
Management Zone in the CAS and
CCAA. The proposed CCAA would
include properties that have existing,
historic, or potentially suitable habitat
for RLF. Such habitats may include
reliable and protected water supplies
and water quality, limited or
controllable public access, accessibility
for management actions and RLF
translocations or removal, permanent
ponds and/or wetland areas, natural
springs, spring outflows or reaches of
springbrooks and streams that represent
suitable habitat for any or all life stages
of RLF. An enrolled property may
include all or some combination of
suitable habitat types, or the potential to
create those habitats.
As required by NEPA, we evaluated
impacts to the human environment that
would result from issuance of the
requested permit, and we do not foresee
any significant effects. Therefore, we are
proposing to categorically exclude this
action from further analysis under
NEPA. Entering into a cooperative
agreement is strictly a voluntary action
for landowners, and the activities to be
covered under the permit are generally
activities already occurring on these
properties.
We will evaluate the permit
application, associated documents, and
comments we receive to determine
whether the permit application meets
the requirements of the ESA, NEPA, and
implementing regulations. If we
determine that all requirements are met,
we will sign the proposed CCAA and
issue a permit under section 10(a)(1)(A)
of the ESA to NDOW for take of RLF.
We will not make our final decision
until after the end of the 30-day public
comment period, and we will fully
consider all comments we receive
during the public comment period.
Public Availability of Comments
All comments we receive become part
of the public record. Requests for copies
of comments will be handled in
accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act, NEPA, and Service and
Department of Interior policies and
procedures. 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 to withhold your
personal identifying information from
public review, we cannot guarantee we
will be able to do so.
PO 00000
Frm 00052
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Authority
We provide this notice under section
10(c) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
and its implementing regulations (50
CFR 17.22 and 17.32), and the National
Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C.
4371 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Dated: July 14, 2015.
Michael J. Senn,
Field Supervisor, Southern Nevada Fish and
Wildlife Office, Las Vegas, Nevada.
[FR Doc. 2015–17705 Filed 7–17–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
U.S. Geological Survey
National Earthquake Prediction
Evaluation Council
U.S. Geological Survey,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
AGENCY:
Pursuant to Public Law 106–
503, the National Earthquake Prediction
Evaluation Council (NEPEC) will hold
its next meeting at the Southern
Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
The Committee is comprised of
members from academia, industry, and
State government. The Committee shall
advise the Director of the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) on matters
relating to the USGS’s participation in
the National Earthquake Hazards
Reduction Program.
At the meeting, the Council will
receive briefings and updates on: The
USGS’s strategic plan for operational
earthquake forecasting and outcomes of
a user-needs workshop on that subject
held in March 2015; on USGS work to
calculate the probability of future
earthquakes in areas of the U.S. subject
to induced seismicity; on the estimation
of aftershock probabilities and on new
modeled estimates of earthquake
likelihood along the Wasatch fault zone
by a technical working group; and on
development of a plan for rapid
communication of earthquake
information in the Cascadia region. The
NEPEC will review USGS procedures
for calculating and communicating
aftershock probabilities following large
earthquakes in areas outside of
California and the application of these
procedures following the M7.8 Gorkha,
Nepal earthquake of April 2015. The
council will also finalize a statement for
public release summarizing the proper
procedures for posing and testing
earthquake predictions and forecasts.
Meetings of the National Earthquake
Prediction Evaluation Council are open
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\20JYN1.SGM
20JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 138 (Monday, July 20, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42837-42838]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-17705]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2015-N123; FF08ENVD00-FXES11120888ENR0-156]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Nevada Department
of Wildlife; Application for Enhancement of Survival Permit; Proposed
Programmatic Candidate Conservation Agreement With Assurances for the
Relict Leopard Frog; Clark County, Nevada
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Receipt of application; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announce
receipt from the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) of an application
for an enhancement of survival permit (permit) under the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The requested permit would
authorize take of the relict leopard frog (RLF) resulting from certain
land use and conservation activities, should the species be listed as
endangered or threatened in the future. The permit application includes
a proposed programmatic candidate conservation agreement with
assurances (CCAA) between NDOW and the Service. The requested term of
the proposed CCAA and permit is 30 years. In accordance with the
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), we have
prepared a draft low-effect screening form supporting our determination
that the proposed action qualifies as a categorical exclusion under
NEPA. We are accepting comments on the permit application, proposed
CCAA, and draft NEPA compliance documentation.
DATES: Written comments on the permit application, proposed
programmatic CCAA, and draft NEPA compliance documentation must be
received on or before August 19, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: Persons wishing to review the
application, the proposed CCAA, the draft NEPA compliance
documentation, or other related documents may obtain copies by written
or telephone request to Jeri Krueger, by mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Reno Fish and Wildlife Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Suite
234, Reno, NV 89502, or by phone at 775-861-6300. Copies of these
documents may also be obtained on the Internet at https://www.fws.gov/nevada/protected_species/amphibians/species/relict_leopard_frog.html.
Submitting Comments: Please address written comments to Michael J.
Senn, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southern Nevada
Fish and Wildlife Office, 4701 North Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, NV
89130. You may also send comments by facsimile to 702-515-5231. Please
note that your information request or comment is in reference to the
Programmatic CCAA for the Relict Leopard Frog, Clark County, Nevada.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeri Krueger, Reno Fish and Wildlife
Office, at the address or telephone number listed above under
ADDRESSES.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Document Availability
You may obtain copies of the permit application, proposed CCAA,
draft NEPA compliance documentation, and other related documents from
the individual listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Copies of
these documents are also available for public inspection, by
appointment, during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), at
the Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office, 4701 North Torrey Pines
Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89130.
Background Information
Enhancement of survival permits issued for CCAAs encourage non-
Federal landowners to implement conservation measures for species that
are, or are likely to become, candidates for Federal listing as
endangered or threatened by assuring landowners they will not be
subjected to increased property use restrictions if the covered species
becomes listed in the future. Application requirements and issuance
criteria for enhancement of survival permits issued for CCAAs are in
the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 17.22(d) and 17.32(d).
The policy
[[Page 42838]]
for CCAAs was published in the Federal Register on June 17, 1999 (64 FR
32726).
Proposed Project
The proposed RLF CCAA is a programmatic agreement between the
Service and NDOW to further the conservation of the RLF on non-Federal
lands or on lands under the management authority of a non-Federal
entity. A RLF Conservation Agreement and Strategy (CAS) that directs
the implementation of conservation actions on Federal land was
completed and approved in 2005, and is being implemented by the RLF
Conservation Team, which is comprised of representatives from the
signatory agencies of the CAS. One of the primary goals of the CAS is
to establish additional populations of RLF within its historic range to
secure species persistence into the future. However, the CAS does not
provide a mechanism to establish populations on non-Federal lands while
providing regulatory assurances to the landowner in the event the
species becomes listed in the future. The proposed programmatic CCAA
would provide these assurances to non-Federal landowners, thus
promoting opportunities to implement conservation actions and increase
RLF distribution on non-Federal land.
Under the proposed RLF CCAA, NDOW would establish a program in
which individual landowners would enroll their property. To enroll in
the program, a landowner would enter into a cooperative agreement (CA)
with NDOW that contains a site-specific management plan for the
enrolled lands. NDOW would then issue the landowner a Certificate of
Inclusion that would authorize a certain level of take of RLF under
NDOW's permit as described in the CCAA and CA if the species becomes
listed under the ESA in the future. The CA would specify conservation
measures to address known threats to the RLF which may include, but are
not limited to, translocation of RLF, fencing, deepening a tank or
pool, removal of non-native aquatic predators, maintenance of suitable
habitat conditions, enhancement of dispersal corridors, vegetation
enhancement, and public education. The CA would also specify measures
to minimize the incidental take of RLF that might occur as a result of
implementing the conservation measures or conducting other land use
activities.
NDOW seeks to enroll lands in Clark County, Nevada, that are
associated with the Virgin, Muddy, and Colorado River drainages within
or in close proximity to the historic range of the RLF, identified as
the Potential Management Zone in the CAS and CCAA. The proposed CCAA
would include properties that have existing, historic, or potentially
suitable habitat for RLF. Such habitats may include reliable and
protected water supplies and water quality, limited or controllable
public access, accessibility for management actions and RLF
translocations or removal, permanent ponds and/or wetland areas,
natural springs, spring outflows or reaches of springbrooks and streams
that represent suitable habitat for any or all life stages of RLF. An
enrolled property may include all or some combination of suitable
habitat types, or the potential to create those habitats.
As required by NEPA, we evaluated impacts to the human environment
that would result from issuance of the requested permit, and we do not
foresee any significant effects. Therefore, we are proposing to
categorically exclude this action from further analysis under NEPA.
Entering into a cooperative agreement is strictly a voluntary action
for landowners, and the activities to be covered under the permit are
generally activities already occurring on these properties.
We will evaluate the permit application, associated documents, and
comments we receive to determine whether the permit application meets
the requirements of the ESA, NEPA, and implementing regulations. If we
determine that all requirements are met, we will sign the proposed CCAA
and issue a permit under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA to NDOW for
take of RLF. We will not make our final decision until after the end of
the 30-day public comment period, and we will fully consider all
comments we receive during the public comment period.
Public Availability of Comments
All comments we receive become part of the public record. Requests
for copies of comments will be handled in accordance with the Freedom
of Information Act, NEPA, and Service and Department of Interior
policies and procedures. 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 to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee we will be able to
do so.
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the Act (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22 and
17.32), and the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4371 et
seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Dated: July 14, 2015.
Michael J. Senn,
Field Supervisor, Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office, Las Vegas,
Nevada.
[FR Doc. 2015-17705 Filed 7-17-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
