Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery Plan for the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse, 1774-1776 [2022-00362]

Download as PDF 1774 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 12, 2022 / Notices qualified applicants may apply for a LEOSA ID Card, a Retired Badge, and/ or a Retired Credential, as applicable, either while still employed by TSA (shortly before separating or retiring) or after they have separated or retired (after they become private citizens, i.e., are no longer employed by the Federal Government). The LEOSA Identification Card Application (TSA Form 2825A) requires collection of identifying information, contact information, official title, separation date, and last known field office. Identifying information, such as the date of birth and social security number, are necessary to confirm the individual’s identity and to process the individual through the National Crime Information Center database. Similarly, for purposes of a retired badge and/or credential, TSA Form 2808–R, Retired Badge and/or Retired Credential Application, requires collection of identifying information, contact information, TSA employment/position information (TSA component or Government agency), official title, and entry on duty date. This collection of information is necessary to confirm the identity of the individual, conduct the necessary qualification process to determine the individual’s eligibility for a retired badge and/or credential, and to contact the individual if needed. Based on current data, TSA estimates 183 TSA Forms 2825A and 183 TSA Forms 2808–R will be submitted, for a total of 366 respondents annually. It takes approximately 5 minutes (0.08333 hours) to complete either form, so the total annual hour burden to the public will be 366 x 0.08333 hours, or 30.5 hours. Dated: January 6, 2022. Christina A. Walsh, TSA Paperwork Reduction Act Officer, Information Technology. [FR Doc. 2022–00386 Filed 1–11–22; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 9110–05–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R2–ES–2021–0136; FXES11130200000–212–FF02ENEH00] lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery Plan for the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments. AGENCY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:04 Jan 11, 2022 Jkt 256001 availability of our draft recovery plan for the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus). This subspecies occurs in riparian habitats in New Mexico, Arizona, and southern Colorado, and was listed as endangered in 2014 under the Endangered Species Act. We request review and comment on this draft recovery plan from local, State, and Federal agencies; Tribes; nongovernmental organizations; and the public. DATES: We must receive any comments on or before March 14, 2022. Comments submitted online at https:// www.regulations.gov (see ADDRESSES) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 14, 2022. ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may obtain a copy of the draft recovery plan and species status assessment by the following methods: • Internet: Go to one of the following sites: Æ https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS–R2–ES–2021–0136; Æ https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/ 7965; or Æ https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/ NewMexico/. • U.S. mail: Send a request to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office (NMESFO), 2105 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113. • Telephone: 505–346–2525 or 800– 299–0196. Submitting Comments: Submit your comments in writing by one of the following methods: • Internet: https:// www.regulations.gov. Search for and submit comments on Docket No. FWS– R2–ES–2021–0136. • U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R2– ES–2021–0136; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–3803. For additional information about submitting comments, see Request for Public Comments and Public Availability of Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shawn Sartorius, Field Supervisor, at 505–346–2525, or by email at nmesfo@ fws.gov. Individuals who are hearing or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339 for TTY assistance. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), announce the availability of our draft recovery plan for New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus PO 00000 Frm 00060 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 hudsonius luteus), which we listed as endangered in 2014 (79 FR 33119) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The subspecies is endemic to New Mexico, Arizona, and a small area of southern Colorado. It nests in dry soils and uses dense riparian vegetation up to an elevation of about 9,500 feet. The draft recovery plan includes specific goals, objectives, and criteria that may help to inform our consideration of whether to reclassify the species as threatened (i.e., ‘‘downlist’’) or remove the subspecies from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (i.e., ‘‘delist’’). We request review of and comment on the draft recovery plan from local, State, and Federal agencies; Tribes; nongovernmental organizations; and the public. Recovery Planning and Implementation Section 4(f) of the ESA requires the development of recovery plans for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a particular species. Also pursuant to section 4(f) of the ESA, a recovery plan must, to the maximum extent practicable, include: (1) A description of site-specific management actions as may be necessary to achieve the plan’s goals for the conservation and survival of the species; (2) Objective, measurable criteria that, when met, would support a determination under section 4(a)(1) that the species should be removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Species; and (3) Estimates of the time and costs required to carry out those measures needed to achieve the plan’s goal and to achieve intermediate steps toward that goal. In 2016 the USFWS revised its approach to recovery planning, and is now using a process termed recovery planning and implementation (RPI) (see https://www.fws.gov/endangered/esalibrary/pdf/RPI.pdf). The RPI approach is intended to reduce the time needed to develop and implement recovery plans, increase recovery plan relevance over a longer timeframe, and add flexibility to recovery plans so they can be adjusted to new information or circumstances. Under RPI, a recovery plan addresses the statutorily required elements under section 4(f) of the Act, including site-specific management actions, objective and measurable recovery criteria, and the estimated time and cost to recovery. The RPI recovery plan is supported by two supplementary documents: A species status assessment (SSA), which describes the best E:\FR\FM\12JAN1.SGM 12JAN1 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 12, 2022 / Notices lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 available scientific information related to the biological needs of the species and assessment of threats, and a recovery implementation strategy, which details the particular near-term activities needed to implement the recovery actions identified in the recovery plan. Under this approach, we can more nimbly incorporate new information on species biology or details of recovery implementation by updating these supplementary documents without concurrent revision of the entire recovery plan, unless changes to statutorily required elements are necessary. Species Background On June 10, 2014, we published a final rule (79 FR 33119) to list the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse as endangered. On March 16, 2016, we published a final rule (81 FR 14264) designating critical habitat for the subspecies. The New Mexico meadow jumping mouse is a small (181 to 233 millimeters (mm); 7.1 to 9.2 inches (in) in total length) dark brown rodent with an extremely long, bicolored tail (125.1 mm; 4.9 in), with a white underside and yellowish-brown sides. It is a true hibernator, hibernating from October through May, and is active from late May or early June into early October. The subspecies occurs within elevations ranging from approximately 1,372 m (4,500 ft) up to approximately 2,896 m (9,500 ft). It is a habitat specialist that requires dense riparian herbaceous vegetation with a minimum height of 61 cm (24 in) associated with seasonally available or perennial (persistent) flowing water, moist soils, and adjacent uplands that can support the vegetation characteristics needed for jumping mouse foraging, breeding, and hibernating. Past and current habitat loss has resulted in the extirpation of historical populations and has reduced the size and increased the isolation of existing populations. The primary sources of current and anticipated future habitat loss include (1) livestock, elk, and feral horse grazing pressure that is incompatible with maintaining needed vegetation structure and diversity (i.e., contributes to riparian herbaceous vegetation loss); (2) incompatible water management and use (e.g., dams and water diversion and mowing along irrigation ditches); (3) lack of water due to drought (exacerbated by climate change); and (4) severe wildland fires that cause changes to riparian habitat (also exacerbated by climate change). Additional sources of habitat loss are likely to occur from post-fire scouring floods, stream incision resulting in VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:04 Jan 11, 2022 Jkt 256001 disconnection of the floodplain from the stream channel, loss of beaver ponds, highway construction and maintenance, residential and commercial development, coalbed methane development, and unregulated recreation. Recovery Criteria The draft recovery criteria are summarized below. For a complete description of the rationale behind the objective, measurable criteria, the recovery strategy, site-specific management actions, and estimated time and costs associated with recovery, refer to the draft recovery plan for New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (see ADDRESSES for document availability). The ultimate recovery goal is to delist the subspecies by ensuring the longterm viability in the wild. The New Mexico meadow jumping mouse currently is known to occur within thirteen 8th hydrological unit code (HUC8) subunits distributed across the subspecies’ historical range in eastern Arizona, southern Colorado, and New Mexico. The thirteen HUC8s are within six geographical units (GUs) that contain the currently known populations. In the recovery plan, we define the following criteria for downlisting and delisting. Downlisting Criteria Criterion 1: Occupied riparian and adjacent upland New Mexico meadow jumping mouse habitat within each of 13 HUC8s are protected, maintained, and/or restored. Criterion 2: Within an occupied HUC8, an overall stable or increasing New Mexico meadow jumping mouse estimate population trend is documented over an 8-year period. Criterion 3: Threats to New Mexico meadow jumping mouse are decreasing or abated when the protection and expansion of occupied New Mexico meadow jumping mouse riparian functionally connected habitat and adjacent upland habitat meet Criteria 1 and 2. Criterion 4: At least one HUC8 in each of the GUs has functional habitat and population(s) maintained as to meet criteria 1 and 2 above, to ensure genetic and ecological representation. Delisting Criteria Criterion 1: Occupied riparian and adjacent upland New Mexico meadow jumping mouse habitat within each of 16 HUC8s are protected, maintained, and/or restored. Criterion 2: Within an occupied HUC8, an overall stable or increasing New Mexico meadow jumping mouse PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 1775 estimated population trend is documented over a 12-year period. Criterion 3: Threats to New Mexico meadow jumping mouse are decreasing or abated when the protection and expansion of occupied New Mexico meadow jumping mouse riparian functionally connected habitat and adjacent upland habitat meet Criteria 1 and 2, and significant threats that include excessive grazing, ineffective water management and/or water diversions, stream degradation, and stream incision with flood plain disconnection are controlled or managed to the extent that they do not pose imminent or chronic downward pressures on the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse and its habitat. Criterion 4: At least two HUC8s in each of the GUs have functional habitat and populations maintained as to meet criteria 1 and 2 above to ensure genetic and ecological representation. Request for Public Comments Section 4(f) of the ESA requires us to provide public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment during recovery plan development. It is also our policy to request peer review of recovery plans (59 FR 34270; July 1, 1994). In an appendix to the final recovery plan, we will summarize and respond to the issues raised during public comment and peer review. Substantive comments may or may not result in changes to the recovery plan. Comments regarding recovery plan implementation will be forwarded as appropriate to Federal agencies or other entities so that they can be taken into account during the course of implementation of recovery actions. We invite written comments on this draft recovery plan. In particular, we are interested in additional information regarding the current threats to the species, ongoing beneficial management efforts, and the costs associated with implementing the recommended recovery actions. The species status assessment is accessible as a supporting document for the draft recovery plan, but we are not seeking comments on that document. We will consider all comments we receive by the date specified in DATES, above, prior to final approval of the plan. Public Availability of Comments All comments we receive, including names and addresses, will become part of the administrative record and will be available to the public. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you E:\FR\FM\12JAN1.SGM 12JAN1 1776 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 12, 2022 / Notices should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—will be publicly available. While you may request in your comment that we withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Authority We developed our draft recovery plan and publish this notice under the authority of section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Amy L. Lueders, Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. [FR Doc. 2022–00362 Filed 1–11–22; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333–15–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R5–ES–2021–N198; FXES11130500000–212–FF05E00000] Endangered Species; Receipt of Recovery Permit Applications AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments. ACTION: the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The requested permits would allow the applicants to conduct activities intended to promote recovery of species that are listed as endangered under the ESA. Background With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities that constitute take of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activity. The ESA’s definition of ‘‘take’’ includes such activities as pursuing, harassing, trapping, capturing, or collecting, in addition to hunting, shooting, harming, wounding, or killing. A recovery permit issued by us under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA authorizes the permittee to conduct activities with endangered or threatened species for scientific purposes that promote recovery or for enhancement of propagation or survival of the species. Our regulations implementing section 10(a)(1)(A) for these permits are found at 50 CFR 17.22 for endangered wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.32 for threatened wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.62 for endangered plant species, and 50 CFR 17.72 for threatened plant species. Permit Applications Available for Review and Comment We invite local, State, and Federal agencies; Tribes; and the public to comment on the following applications. Permit action Application No. Applicant Species Location Activity Type of take PER0002181 ... Paul L. Angermeier, dba USGS/Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. State University of New York—ESF, Syracuse, NY. Candy darter (Etheostoma osburni). Add: West Virginia ......... Electrofish, survey .......... Capture, collect .............. Amend. Piping plover (Charadrius melodus). New York ....................... Survey, band, biological samples, propagate. Capture, collect, wound New. PER0027548 ... lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1 We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received applications for permits to conduct activities intended to enhance the propagation or survival of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period. DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before March 14, 2022. ADDRESSES: Use one of the following methods to request documents or submit comments. Requests and comments should specify the applicant name and application number (e.g., PER0001234): • Email: permitsR5ES@fws.gov. • U.S. Mail: Abby Gelb, Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Dr., Hadley, MA 01035. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Abby Gelb, 413–253–8212 (phone), or permitsR5ES@fws.gov (email). Individuals who are hearing or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339 for TTY assistance. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on applications for permits under section 10(a)(1)(A) of SUMMARY: Public Availability of Comments Written comments we receive become part of the administrative record associated with this action. 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 request in your comment that we withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:04 Jan 11, 2022 Jkt 256001 organizations or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their entirety. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Next Steps [222A2100DD/AAKC001030/ A0A51010.999900] If we decide to issue permits to the applicants listed in this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register. Authority Section 10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Martin Miller, Manager, Division of Endangered Species, Ecological Services, North AtlanticAppalachian Region. [FR Doc. 2022–00363 Filed 1–11–22; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333–15–P PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Bureau of Indian Affairs Notice of Deadline for Submitting Completed Applications To Begin Participation in the Tribal SelfGovernance Program in Fiscal Year 2023 or Calendar Year 2023 Office of Self-Governance, Interior. ACTION: Notice of application deadline. AGENCY: In this notice, the Office of Self-Governance (OSG) establishes a March 1, 2022, deadline for Indian tribes/consortia to submit completed applications to begin participation in SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\12JAN1.SGM 12JAN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1774-1776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-00362]


=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-ES-2021-0136; FXES11130200000-212-FF02ENEH00]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery 
Plan for the New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mouse

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of our draft recovery plan for the New Mexico meadow 
jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus). This subspecies occurs in 
riparian habitats in New Mexico, Arizona, and southern Colorado, and 
was listed as endangered in 2014 under the Endangered Species Act. We 
request review and comment on this draft recovery plan from local, 
State, and Federal agencies; Tribes; nongovernmental organizations; and 
the public.

DATES: We must receive any comments on or before March 14, 2022. 
Comments submitted online at https://www.regulations.gov (see ADDRESSES) 
must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 14, 2022.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: You may obtain a copy of the draft recovery 
plan and species status assessment by the following methods:
     Internet: Go to one of the following sites:
    [cir] https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2021-0136;
    [cir] https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/7965; or
    [cir] https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/NewMexico/.
     U.S. mail: Send a request to U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office (NMESFO), 2105 
Osuna NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113.
     Telephone: 505-346-2525 or 800-299-0196.
    Submitting Comments: Submit your comments in writing by one of the 
following methods:
     Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and 
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2021-0136.
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-R2-ES-2021-0136; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: 
PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    For additional information about submitting comments, see Request 
for Public Comments and Public Availability of Comments under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shawn Sartorius, Field Supervisor, at 
505-346-2525, or by email at [email protected]. Individuals who are 
hearing or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-
877-8339 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(USFWS), announce the availability of our draft recovery plan for New 
Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius luteus), which we listed 
as endangered in 2014 (79 FR 33119) under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The subspecies is 
endemic to New Mexico, Arizona, and a small area of southern Colorado. 
It nests in dry soils and uses dense riparian vegetation up to an 
elevation of about 9,500 feet. The draft recovery plan includes 
specific goals, objectives, and criteria that may help to inform our 
consideration of whether to reclassify the species as threatened (i.e., 
``downlist'') or remove the subspecies from the Federal List of 
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (i.e., ``delist''). We request 
review of and comment on the draft recovery plan from local, State, and 
Federal agencies; Tribes; nongovernmental organizations; and the 
public.

Recovery Planning and Implementation

    Section 4(f) of the ESA requires the development of recovery plans 
for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote the 
conservation of a particular species. Also pursuant to section 4(f) of 
the ESA, a recovery plan must, to the maximum extent practicable, 
include:
    (1) A description of site-specific management actions as may be 
necessary to achieve the plan's goals for the conservation and survival 
of the species;
    (2) Objective, measurable criteria that, when met, would support a 
determination under section 4(a)(1) that the species should be removed 
from the List of Endangered and Threatened Species; and
    (3) Estimates of the time and costs required to carry out those 
measures needed to achieve the plan's goal and to achieve intermediate 
steps toward that goal.
    In 2016 the USFWS revised its approach to recovery planning, and is 
now using a process termed recovery planning and implementation (RPI) 
(see https://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/RPI.pdf). The RPI 
approach is intended to reduce the time needed to develop and implement 
recovery plans, increase recovery plan relevance over a longer 
timeframe, and add flexibility to recovery plans so they can be 
adjusted to new information or circumstances. Under RPI, a recovery 
plan addresses the statutorily required elements under section 4(f) of 
the Act, including site-specific management actions, objective and 
measurable recovery criteria, and the estimated time and cost to 
recovery. The RPI recovery plan is supported by two supplementary 
documents: A species status assessment (SSA), which describes the best

[[Page 1775]]

available scientific information related to the biological needs of the 
species and assessment of threats, and a recovery implementation 
strategy, which details the particular near-term activities needed to 
implement the recovery actions identified in the recovery plan. Under 
this approach, we can more nimbly incorporate new information on 
species biology or details of recovery implementation by updating these 
supplementary documents without concurrent revision of the entire 
recovery plan, unless changes to statutorily required elements are 
necessary.

Species Background

    On June 10, 2014, we published a final rule (79 FR 33119) to list 
the New Mexico meadow jumping mouse as endangered. On March 16, 2016, 
we published a final rule (81 FR 14264) designating critical habitat 
for the subspecies. The New Mexico meadow jumping mouse is a small (181 
to 233 millimeters (mm); 7.1 to 9.2 inches (in) in total length) dark 
brown rodent with an extremely long, bicolored tail (125.1 mm; 4.9 in), 
with a white underside and yellowish-brown sides. It is a true 
hibernator, hibernating from October through May, and is active from 
late May or early June into early October. The subspecies occurs within 
elevations ranging from approximately 1,372 m (4,500 ft) up to 
approximately 2,896 m (9,500 ft). It is a habitat specialist that 
requires dense riparian herbaceous vegetation with a minimum height of 
61 cm (24 in) associated with seasonally available or perennial 
(persistent) flowing water, moist soils, and adjacent uplands that can 
support the vegetation characteristics needed for jumping mouse 
foraging, breeding, and hibernating.
    Past and current habitat loss has resulted in the extirpation of 
historical populations and has reduced the size and increased the 
isolation of existing populations. The primary sources of current and 
anticipated future habitat loss include (1) livestock, elk, and feral 
horse grazing pressure that is incompatible with maintaining needed 
vegetation structure and diversity (i.e., contributes to riparian 
herbaceous vegetation loss); (2) incompatible water management and use 
(e.g., dams and water diversion and mowing along irrigation ditches); 
(3) lack of water due to drought (exacerbated by climate change); and 
(4) severe wildland fires that cause changes to riparian habitat (also 
exacerbated by climate change). Additional sources of habitat loss are 
likely to occur from post-fire scouring floods, stream incision 
resulting in disconnection of the floodplain from the stream channel, 
loss of beaver ponds, highway construction and maintenance, residential 
and commercial development, coalbed methane development, and 
unregulated recreation.

Recovery Criteria

    The draft recovery criteria are summarized below. For a complete 
description of the rationale behind the objective, measurable criteria, 
the recovery strategy, site-specific management actions, and estimated 
time and costs associated with recovery, refer to the draft recovery 
plan for New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (see ADDRESSES for document 
availability).
    The ultimate recovery goal is to delist the subspecies by ensuring 
the long-term viability in the wild. The New Mexico meadow jumping 
mouse currently is known to occur within thirteen 8th hydrological unit 
code (HUC8) subunits distributed across the subspecies' historical 
range in eastern Arizona, southern Colorado, and New Mexico. The 
thirteen HUC8s are within six geographical units (GUs) that contain the 
currently known populations. In the recovery plan, we define the 
following criteria for downlisting and delisting.

Downlisting Criteria

    Criterion 1: Occupied riparian and adjacent upland New Mexico 
meadow jumping mouse habitat within each of 13 HUC8s are protected, 
maintained, and/or restored.
    Criterion 2: Within an occupied HUC8, an overall stable or 
increasing New Mexico meadow jumping mouse estimate population trend is 
documented over an 8-year period.
    Criterion 3: Threats to New Mexico meadow jumping mouse are 
decreasing or abated when the protection and expansion of occupied New 
Mexico meadow jumping mouse riparian functionally connected habitat and 
adjacent upland habitat meet Criteria 1 and 2.
    Criterion 4: At least one HUC8 in each of the GUs has functional 
habitat and population(s) maintained as to meet criteria 1 and 2 above, 
to ensure genetic and ecological representation.

Delisting Criteria

    Criterion 1: Occupied riparian and adjacent upland New Mexico 
meadow jumping mouse habitat within each of 16 HUC8s are protected, 
maintained, and/or restored.
    Criterion 2: Within an occupied HUC8, an overall stable or 
increasing New Mexico meadow jumping mouse estimated population trend 
is documented over a 12-year period.
    Criterion 3: Threats to New Mexico meadow jumping mouse are 
decreasing or abated when the protection and expansion of occupied New 
Mexico meadow jumping mouse riparian functionally connected habitat and 
adjacent upland habitat meet Criteria 1 and 2, and significant threats 
that include excessive grazing, ineffective water management and/or 
water diversions, stream degradation, and stream incision with flood 
plain disconnection are controlled or managed to the extent that they 
do not pose imminent or chronic downward pressures on the New Mexico 
meadow jumping mouse and its habitat.
    Criterion 4: At least two HUC8s in each of the GUs have functional 
habitat and populations maintained as to meet criteria 1 and 2 above to 
ensure genetic and ecological representation.

Request for Public Comments

    Section 4(f) of the ESA requires us to provide public notice and an 
opportunity for public review and comment during recovery plan 
development. It is also our policy to request peer review of recovery 
plans (59 FR 34270; July 1, 1994). In an appendix to the final recovery 
plan, we will summarize and respond to the issues raised during public 
comment and peer review. Substantive comments may or may not result in 
changes to the recovery plan. Comments regarding recovery plan 
implementation will be forwarded as appropriate to Federal agencies or 
other entities so that they can be taken into account during the course 
of implementation of recovery actions.
    We invite written comments on this draft recovery plan. In 
particular, we are interested in additional information regarding the 
current threats to the species, ongoing beneficial management efforts, 
and the costs associated with implementing the recommended recovery 
actions. The species status assessment is accessible as a supporting 
document for the draft recovery plan, but we are not seeking comments 
on that document. We will consider all comments we receive by the date 
specified in DATES, above, prior to final approval of the plan.

Public Availability of Comments

    All comments we receive, including names and addresses, will become 
part of the administrative record and will be available to the public. 
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your comment, you

[[Page 1776]]

should be aware that your entire comment--including your personal 
identifying information--will be publicly available. While you may 
request in your comment that we withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

Authority

    We developed our draft recovery plan and publish this notice under 
the authority of section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Amy L. Lueders,
Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-00362 Filed 1-11-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P


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