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

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 Kirtland's Warbler Wildlife Management Area (Kirtland's Warbler WMA) for public review and comment. In this draft CCP/EA we describe how we propose to manage Kirtland's Warbler WMA for the next 15 years. The Kirtland's Warbler WMA is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System and is administered by the staff of Seney National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (hereinafter the Service or we) proposes to establish annual hunting regulations for certain migratory game birds for the 2009-10 hunting season. We annually prescribe outside limits (frameworks) within which States may select hunting seasons. This proposed rule provides the regulatory schedule, describes the proposed regulatory alternatives for the 2009-10 duck hunting seasons, requests proposals from Indian Tribes that wish to establish special migratory game bird hunting regulations on Federal Indian reservations and ceded lands, and requests proposals for the 2010 spring and summer migratory bird subsistence season in Alaska. Migratory game bird hunting seasons provide opportunities for recreation and sustenance; aid Federal, State, and Tribal governments in the management of migratory game birds; and permit harvests at levels compatible with migratory game bird population status and habitat conditions.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of an amendment and supplement to our draft revised Recovery Plan (Recovery Plan) for the Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The species currently inhabits the Rio Grande in New Mexico and has been introduced to the Big Bend area of Texas. This amendment and supplement consist of revised draft recovery criteria and a population viability assessment (PVA, or draft Appendix H), respectively. We invite public review and comment on these documents. After review we will incorporate the documents into the Final Recovery Plan (the PVA as Appendix H).

We announce our receipt of applications to conduct certain activities pertaining to enhancement of survival of endangered species. The Endangered Species Act requires that we invite public comment on these permit applications.

This notice announces the availability of the Report to Congress: John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Digital Mapping Pilot Project and draft maps for public review and comment. This notice also advises the public where the report and draft maps may be obtained and where comments should be sent.

The County of Los Angeles, Department of Parks and Recreation (Applicant) has applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an Enhancement of Survival permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The Service is considering the issuance of a 30-year permit to the Applicant that would authorize take of the federally endangered Palos Verdes blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis; ``PVB'') through a Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA). The purpose of this SHA is for the Applicant to restore a minimum of 8 acres of habitat for the PVB through the implementation of a habitat restoration plan at Deane Dana Friendship Community Regional Park (Friendship Park), a known historic location for this species. Friendship Park is owned by the County of Los Angeles. The Applicant seeks to provide for the long-term recovery of PVB in the wild through the restoration of suitable habitat that can accommodate passive or active reintroduction of the site from the U.S. Navy Defense Fuel Support Point, San Pedro (DFSP) or other extant locations that may be present within the historic range of the species. The Service has made a preliminary determination that the proposed SHA and permit application are eligible for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The basis for this preliminary determination is contained in an Environmental Action Statement.

This notice announces a meeting of the Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting topics are identified in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or USFWS) identify the Western Great Lakes (WGL) Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of the gray wolf (Canis lupus). The geographic extent of this DPS includes all of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan; the eastern half of North Dakota and South Dakota; the northern half of Iowa; the northern portions of Illinois and Indiana; and the northwestern portion of Ohio. We also revise the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife established under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) by removing gray wolves within the WGL DPS. We are taking these actions because available data indicate that this DPS no longer meets the definitions of threatened or endangered under the Act. The threats have been reduced or eliminated, as evidenced by a population that is stable or increasing in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and greatly exceeds the numerical recovery criteria established in its recovery plan. Completed State wolf management plans will provide adequate protection and management of the WGL DPS after this revision of the listing. This final rule removes this DPS from the lists of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife, removes the currently designated critical habitat for the gray wolf in Minnesota and Michigan, and removes the current special regulations for gray wolves in Minnesota.

This final rule establishes regulations for seasons, harvest limits, methods, and means related to taking of fish for subsistence uses during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 regulatory years. The Federal Subsistence Board completes the biennial process of revising subsistence fishing and shellfishing regulations in odd- numbered years and subsistence hunting and trapping regulations in even-numbered years; public proposal and review processes take place

The following applicants have applied for scientific research permits to conduct certain activities with endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Act requires that we invite public comment on these permit applications.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, initiate 5-year reviews for 58 species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We request any new information on these species that may have a bearing on their classification as endangered or threatened (see Table 1 below). Based on the results of these 5-year reviews, we will make a finding on whether these species are properly classified under the Act. We also indicate in this notice 42 5-year reviews we completed for species in California and Nevada in mid to late Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. Reviews we completed for 16 species in early FY 2008 were indicated in our previous initiation notice published in the Federal Register on March 5, 2008 (73 FR 11945).

This notice announces the availability of the Paiute Cutthroat Trout Restoration Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/ Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for public review and comment. We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), along with the USDA Forest Service, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (Cooperating Agency), and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG, California Environmental Quality Act lead agency) (collectively, the Agencies), are proposing to restore Paiute cutthroat trout to their historical range within the Silver King Creek watershed, Alpine County, California. To accomplish this, the Agencies must first eradicate the non-native and hybrid trout which currently occupy the habitat.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), initiate 5- year reviews of two threatened species (prairie bush-clover and Mead's milkweed) and seven endangered species [Scioto madtom, purple cat's paw pearlymussel, winged mapleleaf (mussel), Tumbling Creek cavesnail, Karner blue butterfly, Mitchell's satyr butterfly, and Michigan monkey- flower] under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We request any new information on each species that may have a bearing on its classification as endangered or threatened. Based on the results of these 5-year reviews, we will make a finding on whether these species are properly classified under the Act.

We (Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2009. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine endangered status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), for Phyllostegia hispida (no common name), a plant species from the island of Molokai in the Hawaiian Islands. This final rule implements the Federal protections provided by the Act for this species. We have also determined that critical habitat for P. hispida is prudent but not determinable at this time.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of an incidental take permit (ITP) and Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). Visually Impaired Persons of Charlotte County (applicant) requests an ITP pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The applicant anticipates taking about 1.91 acres of Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) (scrub-jay) foraging and sheltering habitat incidental to lot preparation for the construction of a training facility and supporting infrastructure in Charlotte County, Florida (Project). The applicant's HCP describes the mitigation and minimization measures proposed to address the effects of the Project to the scrub-jay.

We announce the availability of Birds of Conservation Concern 2008. This publication identifies species, subspecies, and populations of migratory and nonmigratory birds in need of additional conservation actions. We hope to stimulate coordinated and collaborative proactive conservation actions among Federal, State, tribal, and private partners.

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 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), take this action pursuant to a settlement agreement and court order that vacated, in part, the August 9. 2005 final rule that designated critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), for the Roswell springsnail (Pyrgulopsis roswellensis), Koster's springsnail (Juturnia kosteri), Noel's amphipod (Gammarus desperatus), and Pecos assiminea (Assiminea pecos) with respect to lands at the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Accordingly, the February 12, 2002, proposed critical habitat designation is reinstated for these invertebrates with respect to Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge and we announce the reopening of the public comment period for the February 12, 2002, proposed rule in order to reconsider designation of these lands. This re-evaluation of the designation of critical habitat at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge does not affect the designation of critical habitat at Diamond Y Spring and Sandia Spring. Comments previously submitted on the February 12, 2002, proposed rule (67 FR 6459) need not be resubmitted as they have been incorporated into the public record as part of this reopening of the comment period and will be fully considered in preparation of the final rule. Additionally, so that we may fully consider any new information available, we are also soliciting comments and information on the final economic analysis and final environmental assessment that were made available concurrent with the August 9, 2005, final designation of critical habitat.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on the proposed revised designation of critical habitat for Cirsium loncholepis (common name La Graciosa thistle) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We also announce the availability of the January 16, 2009, draft economic analysis (DEA) of the proposed revised designation of critical habitat for C. loncholepis and announce 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 revised designation of critical habitat for C. loncholepis, 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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to designate critical habitat for the Oregon chub (Oregonichthys crameri) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, approximately 53 hectares (ha) (132 acres (ac)) fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation. The proposed critical habitat is located in Benton, Lane, Linn, and Marion Counties, Oregon.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), will host a Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee (Committee) meeting on March 24-26, 2009. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting agenda will include reports from the Subcommittees on Incentives, Legal, Science Tools & Procedures, and Synthesis, and discussion of the draft Recommendations to the Secretary.

The public is invited to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with threatened and endangered species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce that Tundra Composites, LLC, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, has applied for our approval of shot composed of alloys of tungsten, iron, and fluoropolymer as nontoxic for waterfowl hunting in the United States. The alloys are 41.5 to 95.2 percent tungsten, 1.5 to 52.0 percent steel, and 3.5 to 8.0 percent fluoropolymer by weight. We have initiated review of the shot under the criteria we have set out in our nontoxic shot approval procedures in our regulations.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from the Town of Marana (Applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act). The Applicant has been assigned permit number TE-204887-0. If approved, the permit would be for a period of 25 years, and would authorize incidental take of two species currently listed under the Act, and 11 species that may become listed under the Act in the future (collectively ``covered species''). The proposed incidental take would occur in Pima County, Arizona, as a result of impacts on covered species and occupied habitat from specified actions conducted under the authority of the Town of Marana. We request public comments on the application and associated documents, and announce our plan to hold public meetings.