Fish and Wildlife Service April 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have completed a comprehensive conservation plan, environmental assessment (CCP/EA), and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the McNary and Umatilla National Wildlife Refuges (Refuges), which are part of the Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Complex). The CCP/ EA was developed to provide a foundation for the management and use of the Refuges. We are furnishing this notice to advise other agencies and the public of the availability of the CCP/EA and FONSI, and the decision to implement Alternative 2 as described in the CCP/EA. The Service's Regional Director for the Pacific Region selected Alternative 2 for managing the Refuges for the next 15 years. The Refuges are located along the Columbia River in the states of Oregon and Washington.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or we) proposes to amend the regulations for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (refuge) that pertain to existing programs for migratory game bird hunting, upland game hunting, and big game hunting. These changes would take effect with the 2009-2010 season, would implement portions of the Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the refuge approved in 2006, and would amend other regulations. We also propose amendments to part 25 reflecting recent OMB approval of new hunting and fishing application forms and activity reports for national wildlife refuges.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on our September 16, 2008, proposed revised designation of critical habitat for the California red-legged frog under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We also announce the availability of the draft economic analysis (DEA), a revision to proposed critical habitat Unit MEN-1, and an amended required determinations section of the proposal. We are reopening the comment period to allow all interested parties an opportunity to comment simultaneously on the proposed revision of critical habitat (including the changes to proposed critical habitat Unit MEN-1), the associated DEA, and the amended required determinations section. Comments previously submitted on this rulemaking do not need to be resubmitted. These comments have already been incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in preparation of the final rule.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan (Draft CCP/EA) for Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) for public review and comment. In this Draft CCP/EA, we describe the alternative we propose to use to manage this refuge for the 15 years following approval of the Final CCP.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Tehachapi slender salamander (Batrachoseps stebbinsi) as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the Tehachapi slender salamander may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a status review to determine if listing this species is warranted. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting information and data regarding this species. We will initiate a determination on critical habitat for this species, if and when we initiate a listing action.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period on our July 26, 2006, proposed rule on the designation of critical habitat for the Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). At this time the Service is reconsidering designating critical habitat on the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri as identified in the July 26, 2006, proposal. During the process of reconsidering the exclusion of these Federal lands, critical habitat designated by the September 5, 2007, final rule remains in place, while the Federal lands as described in the July 2006 proposed rule are considered as proposed critical habitat. Through this notice, the Service is also taking the opportunity pursuant to section 4(a)(3)(B) of the Act to propose a new unit on the Mark Twain National Forest that was not known to be occupied by the Hine's emerald dragonfly at the time of the September 5, 2007, final rule but has since been discovered. The reopened comment period will provide all interested parties with an additional opportunity to submit written comments on the proposed rule, specifically regarding the new proposed unit and the exclusion of U.S. Forest Service lands from the 2007 final designation. Comments previously submitted on the proposed critical habitat designation need not be resubmitted; they have already been incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in the final decision.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of the Revised Recovery Plan for the Hawaiian crow or [revaps]Alala (Corvus hawaiiensis). This species, found only on the island of Hawai[revaps]i, was Federally listed as endangered in 1967.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an application from Hossain Ahmadi (applicant) for a 3-year incidental take permit for five species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973,

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species and/or marine mammals. Both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act require that we invite public comment on these permit applications.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), make available a record of decision (ROD) under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). This ROD documents our decision to select an alternative including implementation of the Williamson County Regional Habitat Conservation Plan (RHCP). Our selected action (Alternative B, described below and in the ROD) entails the issuance of a 30-year incidental take permit (ITP) to Williamson County, Texas (the County), to incidentally take golden-cheeked warbler (Dendroica chrysoparia), black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla), Bone Cave harvestman (Texella reyesi), and Coffin Cave mold beetle (Batrisodes texanus). The RHCP will mitigate for take by purchasing mitigation credits in an existing conservation bank and by acquiring and managing replacement habitats and additional conservation measures as specifically described in the RHCP.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce that our Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan (Plan) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Sullys Hill National Game Preserve is available. This Final CCP describes how the Service intends to manage this refuge for the next 15 years.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the San Francisco Bay-Delta population of the longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) as endangered with critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After a thorough review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that the San Francisco Bay-Delta population of the longfin smelt does not meet our definition of a distinct population segment (DPS), as identified in our DPS policy (61 FR 4721, February 7, 1996). As a result, listing the species as a DPS is not warranted. However, we are initiating a status assessment of the longfin smelt, and we solicit information on the status of the species range wide.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) are initiating 5-year status reviews of 13 species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We conduct these reviews to ensure that the classification of species as threatened or endangered on the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants is accurate. A 5-year review is an assessment of the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, intend to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and associated National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents for St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). We provide this notice in compliance with our CCP policy to advise other Federal and State agencies, Tribes, and the public of our intentions, and to obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues to consider in the planning process.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, extend the expiration dates for two existing depredation orders for double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) for 5 years so that we can continue to authorize take of double-crested cormorants without a permit under the terms and conditions of the depredation orders. This action will continue to allow take of depredating double-crested cormorants to protect aquaculture, fish hatcheries, fish resources, other birds, vegetation, and habitats.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and draft environmental assessment (EA) for Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) for public review and comment. In this draft CCP/EA, we describe how we propose to manage the refuge for the next 15 years.

Under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), identify a distinct population segment (DPS) of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in the Northern Rocky Mountains (NRM) of the United States and revise the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife by removing gray wolves within NRM DPS boundaries, except in Wyoming. The NRM gray wolf DPS encompasses the eastern one-third of Washington and Oregon, a small part of north-central Utah, and all of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Our current estimate for 2008 indicates the NRM DPS contains approximately 1,639 wolves (491 in Montana; 846 in Idaho; 302 in Wyoming) in 95 breeding pairs (34 in Montana; 39 in Idaho; 22 in Wyoming). These numbers are about 5 times higher than the minimum population recovery goal and 3 times higher than the minimum breeding pair recovery goal. The end of 2008 will mark the ninth consecutive year the population has exceeded our numeric and distributional recovery goals.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. The Endangered Species Act requires that we invite public comment on these permit applications.