Fish and Wildlife Service July 2, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Malpai Borderlands Group (Applicant) has applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an incidental take permit (TE- 155587-0) pursuant to Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended. The requested permit, which is for a period of 30 years, would authorize incidental take of the following listed endangered species: Yaqui chub (Gila purpurea), Yaqui topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis sonoriensis), Huachuca water-umbel (Lilaeopsis schaffneriana recurva), Northern Aplomado falcon (Falco femoralis septentrionalis); listed threatened species: Yaqui catfish (Ictalurus pricei), beautiful shiner (Cyprinella formosa), Chiricahua leopard frog (Rana chiricahuensis), Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida), New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi obscurus); candidate species: western yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus); and unlisted species: Yaqui sucker (Catostomus bernardini), longfin daceYaqui form (Agosia chrysogaster), Mexican stoneroller (Campostoma ornatum), lowland leopard frog (Rana yavapaiensis), northern Mexican gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops), black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus), western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea), white-sided jackrabbit (Lepus callotis), and western red bat (Lasiurus blosseveillii). The proposed incidental take would occur as a result of grassland improvement and ranch management activities on non- Federal lands within approximately 828,000 acres of the Malpai borderlands region of Cochise County, Arizona and Hidalgo County, New Mexico. We invite public comment.