Fish and Wildlife Service 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or ``we''), advise the public that we intend to gather information necessary to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed incidental take permit and associated Habitat Conservation Plan for the Beech Ridge Wind Energy Project (HCP). The proposed HCP is being prepared under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The incidental take permit is needed to authorize the incidental take of listed species as a result of implementing activities covered under the proposed HCP.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the giant Palouse earthworm (Driloleirus americanus) as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, (Act) and to designate critical habitat. Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the giant Palouse earthworm as threatened or endangered may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a review of the status of the species to determine if listing the giant Palouse earthworm is warranted. To ensure that this status review is comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species. Based on the status review, we will issue a 12-month finding on the petition,

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Restoration Center, Southwest Region, for authorization to take small numbers of marine mammals by harassment incidental to construction of the Parson's Slough Project, a tidal wetlands restoration project on the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in northern Monterey County, California. In accordance with provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA), as amended, we request comments on our proposed authorization for the applicant to incidentally take, by harassment, small numbers of southern sea otters for a period of 6 months beginning on September 1, 2010, and ending on March 1, 2011. We anticipate no take by injury or death and include none in this proposed authorization, which would be for take by harassment only.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Amargosa toad (Anaxyrus nelsoni) as threatened or endangered and to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. After review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the Amargosa toad is not warranted at this time. However, we ask the public to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning the threats to the Amargosa toad or its habitat at any time.

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 November 30, 2010. 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.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is gathering the information needed to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and associated environmental assessment (EA) for Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). We publish this notice in compliance with our policy of advising other agencies and the public of our intentions to conduct detailed planning on refuges and obtain suggestions and information about the scope of issues to consider in the planning process.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits activities with listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activities. The ESA laws require that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from CJR General Partnership (applicant) for an incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We are considering issuing a permit that would authorize the applicant's take of the federally threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) and State threatened Mohave ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus mohavensis) incidental to otherwise lawful activities that would result in the permanent loss of 120 acres of habitat for the species near Oro Grande in San Bernardino County California. We invite comments from the public on the application, which includes the AgCon Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that fully describes the proposed project and measures the applicant will undertake to minimize and mitigate anticipated take of the species. We also invite comments on our preliminary determination that the HCP qualifies as a ``low- effect'' plan, which is eligible for a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended. We explain the basis for this determination in our draft Environmental Action Statement and associated Low-Effect Screening Form, both of which are also available for review.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental Assessment (CCP/EA) for the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge for public review and comment. The CCP/EA, prepared under the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, and in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, describes how the Service will manage the Refuge for the next 15 years. Draft compatibility determinations for several existing and proposed public uses are also available for review and public comment with the Draft CCP/EA.

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 Crane Meadows 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.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of an incidental take permit (ITP) application and habitat conservation plan (HCP). Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC (applicant) requests a 24-year ITP under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The applicant anticipates taking approximately 75 acres (ac) of Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)-occupied habitat incidental to land clearing and phosphate mining in Manatee County, Florida (project). The applicant's HCP describes the mitigation and minimization measures the

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on the proposed rule to amend our regulations to add Indian python (Python molurus, including Burmese python Python molurus bivittatus), reticulated python (Broghammerus reticulatus or Python reticulatus), Northern African python (Python sebae), Southern African python (Python natalensis), boa constrictor (Boa constrictor), yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), DeSchauensee's anaconda (Eunectes deschauenseei), green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), and Beni anaconda (Eunectes beniensis) to the list of injurious reptiles under the Lacey Act. If you have previously submitted comments, please do not resubmit them because we have already incorporated them in the public record and will fully consider them in our final decision.

This final rule establishes regulations for seasons, harvest limits, methods, and means related to taking of wildlife for subsistence uses in Alaska during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 regulatory years. The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) completes the biennial process of revising subsistence hunting and trapping regulations in even-numbered years and subsistence fishing and shellfish regulations in odd-numbered years; public proposal and review processes take place

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), notify the public that we are reinstating that portion of our December 5, 2002, proposed rule that concerns the listing of the mountain plover (Charadrius montanus) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We are not reinstating the portion of that proposed rule that concerned a proposed special rule under section 4(d) of the Act. We invite public comments on the proposed listing and announce the availability of new information relevant to our consideration of the status of the mountain plover. We encourage those who may have commented previously to submit additional comments, if appropriate, in light of this new information.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on our October 13, 2009, proposed revised designation of critical habitat for the arroyo toad (Anaxyrus californicus) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We also announce the availability of a draft economic analysis (DEA) of the proposed revised designation of critical habitat for the arroyo toad; revisions to proposed critical habitat; and an amended required determinations section of the proposal. We are reopening the comment period for an additional 30 days to allow all interested parties an opportunity to comment on the items listed above. If you submitted comments previously, you do not need to resubmit them because we have already incorporated them into the public record and will fully consider them in preparation of the final rule.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Cumberland darter (Etheostoma susanae), rush darter (Etheostoma phytophilum), yellowcheek darter (Etheostoma moorei), chucky madtom (Noturus crypticus), and laurel dace (Phoxinus saylori) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would extend the Act's protections to these species throughout their ranges, including, Cumberland darter in Kentucky and Tennessee, rush darter in Alabama, yellowcheek darter in Arkansas, and chucky madtom and laurel dace in Tennessee. We have determined that critical habitat for these species is prudent, but not determinable at this time.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to designate critical habitat for the Tumbling Creek cavesnail (Antrobia culveri) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We propose to designate as critical habitat approximately 25 acres (10.12 hectares) in one unit. The proposed critical habitat encompasses Tumbling Creek and associated springs, located near Protem, in Taney County, Missouri.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), the Honduran emerald hummingbird (Amazilia luciae). We find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the Honduran emerald hummingbird may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a status review of the Honduran emerald hummingbird to determine if listing is warranted. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting information and data regarding this species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits activities with listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activities. The ESA requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, propose to revise designated critical habitat for the Pecos assiminea (Assiminea pecos), and to newly designate critical habitat for the Roswell springsnail (Pyrgulopsis roswellensis), Koster's springsnail (Juturnia kosteri), and Noel's amphipod (Gammarus desperatus), under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. In total, we are proposing to designate as critical habitat approximately 515 acres (208.4 hectares) for the four species. The proposed critical habitat is located in Chaves County, New Mexico, and Pecos and Reeves Counties, Texas. We also announce the availability of the draft economic analysis and draft environmental assessment for this action.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (Act) prohibits activities with endangered and threatened species unless a Federal permit allows such activity. The Act requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of our final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental assessment for Egmont Key, Pinellas, and Passage Key National Wildlife Refuges. These three refuges, known as the Tampa Bay Refuges, are managed as part of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex. In the final CCP, we describe how we will manage these refuges for the next 15 years.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits activities with listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activities. The ESA requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

We (Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. We summarize the ICR below and describe the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost. This ICR is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2010. 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. However, under OMB regulations, we may continue to conduct or sponsor this information collection while it is pending at OMB.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the availability of a proposed HCP, accompanying ITP applications, and a dSEIS related to two proposed developments that would take the Alabama beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus ammobates) and place fill in wetlands on the Fort Morgan peninsula, Baldwin County, Alabama. The HCP analyzes the take of the Federally endangered Alabama beach mouse and fill in wetlands incidental to construction and occupation of adjacent residential and recreational condominium developments: Beach Club West and Gulf Highlands Condominiums (collectively BCWGH) projects. Fort Morgan Paradise Joint Venture and Gulf Highlands Condominiums, LLC (applicants) request ITPs under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, (Act) as well as permits from the Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers (Corps) for placing fill in wetlands under jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. The Applicants' HCP describes the

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of the Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for Modoc National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). The CCP describes how we will manage the Refuge for the next 15 years.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of our draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental assessment (DCCP/EA) for the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge (refuge), for public review and comment. The DCCP/EA describes our alternatives, including our preferred alternative, for managing the refuge for the 15 years following approval of the final CCP.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (Act) prohibits activities with endangered and threatened species unless a Federal permit allows such activity. The Act also requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list a Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in five northeastern States as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We find that the petition does not present substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing a DPS of the gray wolf in Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine may be warranted. Therefore, we will not initiate a further status review in response to this petition. However, we ask the public to submit to us at any time, any new information that becomes available concerning the presence of the gray wolf in the northeastern United States, particularly information to substantiate the presence of breeding pairs.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have waived the 30-day public notice period and have issued endangered species permits

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period on our February 4, 2010, proposed rule to reestablish the Sonoran pronghorn (Antilocapra americana sonoriensis) in southwestern Arizona. We proposed to reestablish the Sonoran pronghorn under section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), and to classify that reestablished population as a nonessential experimental population (NEP). The proposed rule provided a plan for establishing the NEP and provided for allowable legal incidental taking of Sonoran pronghorn within the defined NEP area. A draft environmental assessment (EA) on this proposed action was also made available for comment. This action will provide all interested parties with an additional opportunity to submit comments on the proposed rule to reestablish Sonoran pronghorn into southwest Arizona and its accompanying draft EA. Information previously submitted need not be resubmitted as it has already been incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in the final rule.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for Tennessee 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 Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of the final post-delisting monitoring plan (PDM Plan) for the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). The Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that we implement a system, in cooperation with the States, to monitor effectively for at least 5 years the status of all species that have been recovered and no longer need ESA protection. In 2007, we removed the bald eagle in the contiguous 48 States from the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife and Plants (delisted) due to recovery. Over a 20-year period, we will monitor the status of the bald eagle, at 5-year intervals.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, propose to designate critical habitat for the Mississippi gopher frog (Rana sevosa) [= Rana capito sevosa] under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). A total of 792 hectares (1,957 acres) in 11 units are proposed for critical habitat designation. The proposed critical habitat is located within Forrest, Harrison, Jackson, and Perry Counties, Mississippi.

NMFS and USFWS hereby extend the comment period on the proposed listing of nine distinct population segments of loggerhead sea turtles as endangered or threatened, which was published on March 16, 2010, until September 13, 2010. In addition, NMFS and USFWS will hold a public hearing in Berlin, MD, on June 16, 2010 to answer questions and receive public comments.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list Castanea pumila var. ozarkensis (Ozark chinquapin), a tree, as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing this species may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a status review of the species to determine if listing Castanea pumila var. ozarkensis is warranted. To ensure that the review is comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species. Based on the status review,

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 Swan Lake 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.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of the draft comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and draft environmental assessment (EA) for Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) for a 45-day public review and comment period. The draft CCP/EA describes four alternatives, including our Service-preferred alternative B, for managing this refuge for the next 15 years. Also available for public review and comment are the draft compatibility determinations, which are included as appendix B in the draft CCP/EA.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the white-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys leucurus) as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. After a review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the white-tailed prairie dog is not warranted at this time. However, we ask the public to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning the threats to the white-tailed prairie dog or its habitat at any time.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, published a final rule in the Federal Register on October 27, 2003, to create regulations governing migratory bird rehabilitation in the United States. Before creation of those regulations, rehabilitators were required to obtain a special purpose permit to engage in rehabilitation activities. The language in the final paragraph of the 2003 regulations dealt with the transition of special purpose permit holders to operation under the new rehabilitation permit regulations. This paragraph is no longer relevant, so we remove it from the regulation.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period on the proposed revised designation of critical habitat for the Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. We also announce the availability of a draft economic analysis, a draft environmental assessment, and an amended required determinations section of the proposal. We are reopening the comment period for the proposal to allow all interested parties an opportunity to comment simultaneously on the revised proposed rule, the associated draft economic analysis and draft environmental assessment, and the amended required determinations section. If you submitted comments previously, you do not need to resubmit them because we have already incorporated them into the public record and will fully consider them in preparation of the final rule.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of the record of decision (ROD) for the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for a Proposed Land Exchange in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge (NWR, Refuge). We completed a thorough analysis of the environmental, social, and economic considerations and presented it in our final EIS, which we released to the public on March 12, 2010.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce availability of our finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental assessment (EA) for limiting mountain lion (Puma concolor) predation on desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) on the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in southwest Arizona. In the final EA and FONSI, we describe how we will manage mountain lion predation to help achieve bighorn sheep population objectives on the Refuge.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for Pine Island, Matlacha Pass, Island Bay, and Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) for public review and comment. In the Draft CCP/EA, we describe the alternative we propose to use to manage these four refuges for the 15 years following approval of the final CCP.

In accordance with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the public to comment on applications for permits to conduct enhancement of survival activities with endangered species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits activities with listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activities. The ESA laws require that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on our August 27, 2009, proposed rule to designate critical habitat for Ambrosia pumila (San Diego ambrosia). We also announce the availability of the draft economic analysis (DEA), revisions to proposed critical habitat, 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 critical habitat, the associated DEA, the proposed addition of three subunits based on new information, and the amended required determinations section. If you submitted comments previously, you do not need to resubmit them because we have already incorporated them into the public record and will fully consider them in preparation of the final rule.

We (Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. We summarize the ICR below and describe the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost. This ICR is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2010. 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. However, under OMB regulations, we may continue to conduct or sponsor this information collection while it is pending at OMB.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for Piedmont 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), intend to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and environmental assessment (EA) for Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Seneca, Wayne, and Cayuga Counties, New York. We provide this notice in compliance with our CCP policy to advise other Federal and State agencies, Tribal Governments, and the public of our intentions, and to obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues to consider in the planning process. We are also announcing public meetings and requesting public comments.

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. 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), propose to remove our regulations implementing the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1980. The Act authorized financial and technical assistance to States to design conservation plans and programs to benefit nongame species; however, funds never became available to carry out the Act, and we do not expect funds to become available in the future.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of the Mexican Wolf Conservation Assessment (assessment). The assessment provides scientific information relevant to the conservation of the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) in Arizona and New Mexico as a component of the Service's gray wolf (Canis lupus) recovery efforts. Not required by the Endangered Species Act (Act), the assessment is a nonregulatory document that does not require action by any party.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibit activities with listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activities. The ESA laws require that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

This document informs the public that the Western Interior Alaska Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Council will hold a public meeting by teleconference on May 14, 2010. The public is invited to participate and to provide oral testimony.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for Cape Romain 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 Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to prepare a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Upper Klamath, Lower Klamath, Tule Lake, Bear Valley, and Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuges (Refuges) located in Klamath County, Oregon, and Siskiyou and Modoc Counties, California. The Refuges are part of the Klamath Basin Complex. 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, announce a public meeting of the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (Council).

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits activities with listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activities. The ESA requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Mohave ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus mohavensis) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the Mohave ground squirrel may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a status review of the species to determine if listing the species is warranted. To ensure that this status review is comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species. Based on the status review,

These proposed guidelines set forth best practices that we, the Fish and Wildlife Service, find are appropriate for safely and nonlethally deterring polar bears from damaging private and public property and endangering the public. We would not require anyone to implement these guidelines, nor would anyone be liable if they did not implement them. If the guidelines are finalized, anyone deciding to implement them could do so without our authorization or supervision. We are proposing these guidelines to reduce occurrences of bear-human interactions with only minor, short-term behavioral effects on polar bears. As discussed in the background section of this proposed rule, we authorize other, more aggressive deterrence activities through separate provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. We seek public comment on these proposed guidelines.

The City of Kent, Washington (Kent), has submitted applications to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) (together, the Services, us) for Incidental Take Permits (Permit) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). We jointly prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to support permit-issuance decisions by each agency. As required by the ESA, Kent has also prepared a Habitat Conservation Plan (Plan) designed to minimize and mitigate any such take of endangered or threatened species. The Permit applications are related to water withdrawal and habitat enhancement measures on Rock Creek, tributary to the Cedar River, King County, Washington. The Permit and the Plan each have a proposed term of 50 years.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are designating critical habitat for the Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, approximately 26,531.8 acres (ac) (10,737 hectares (ha)) in 37 units fall within the boundaries of our critical habitat designation. The critical habitat units are located in Cook, DuPage, and Will Counties in Illinois; Alpena, Mackinac, and Presque Isle Counties in Michigan; Crawford, Dent, Iron, Phelps, Reynolds, Ripley, Washington, and Wayne Counties in Missouri; and Door and Ozaukee Counties in Wisconsin.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (Act) prohibits activities with endangered and threatened species unless a Federal permit allows such activity. The Act also requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (Act) prohibits activities with endangered and threatened species unless a Federal permit allows such activity. The Act requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits. We are also making available for comment an associated environmental assessment (EA) written for each permit application.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), announce the initiation of a status review for the Sacramento splittail (Pogonichthy macrolepidotus). To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species. Based on the status review,

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regarding an expected application from the Green Diamond Resource Company, California Timberlands Division (Green Diamond), for an incidental take permit (ITP, or permit) authorizing incidental take of federally threatened wildlife species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). Green Diamond is preparing a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and application for an ITP related to forest management and timber operations on its lands in Del Norte and Humboldt Counties, California. The HCP and ITP will cover the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) (NSO or spotted owl) and may also cover the Pacific fisher (Martes pennanti) (fisher), a currently unlisted species which has the potential to become listed during the term of the HCP. We are furnishing this notice to announce the initiation of a public scoping period during which we invite other agencies, Tribes, and the public to submit written comments providing suggestions and information on the scope of issues

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan and environmental assessment (Draft CCP/EA) for Watercress Darter 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), under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), announce the initiation of a status review of the North American wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) in the contiguous United States. We conduct status reviews to determine whether the entity should be listed as endangered or threatened under the Act. Through this notice, we encourage all interested parties to provide us information regarding North American wolverines throughout their range and in the contiguous United States.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Wyoming pocket gopher (Thomomys clusius) as endangered or threatened and to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. After review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the Wyoming pocket gopher as either endangered or threatened is not warranted at this time. We ask the public to continue to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning the status of, or threats to, the Wyoming pocket gopher or its habitat.

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 September 30, 2010. 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.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or we) establishes migratory bird subsistence harvest regulations in Alaska for the 2010 season. These regulations enable the continuation of customary and traditional subsistence uses of migratory birds in Alaska and prescribe regional information on when and where the harvesting of birds may occur. These regulations were developed under a co-management process involving the Service, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and Alaska Native representatives. This rulemaking is necessary because the regulations governing the subsistence harvest of migratory birds in Alaska are subject to annual review. This rulemaking establishes region-specific regulations that go into effect April 13, 2010 and expire August 31, 2010.

The Fish and Wildlife Service adds two refuges to the list of areas open for hunting and/or sport fishing programs and increases the activities available at eight other refuges for the 2009-2010 season. One refuge will see a decrease in activities and another refuge will see no net change in activities for the 2009-2010 season.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are initiating 5-year status reviews of 10 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.

This notice announces the availability of the Paiute Cutthroat Trout Restoration Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/ Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for public review. We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), along with the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (Cooperating Agency) and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG, California Environmental Quality Act lead agency) (collectively, agencies), are proposing to restore Paiute cutthroat trout to the species 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 are publishing this notice to inform the public of the proposed action and to make available for review the Final EIS/ EIR, which includes responses to public comments received on the March 2009, Draft EIS/EIR.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are initiating 5-year reviews for 69 species in Idaho, Washington, Hawaii, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 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. Based on the results of our 5-year reviews we will determine whether these species are properly classified under the Act.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), will be developing a revised comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and environmental impact statement (EIS) for Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (NWR, Refuge). The Revised CCP will establish goals and objectives, review Refuge rivers for potential recommendation for Congress for inclusion within the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and review Refuge lands for potential recommendation for Congress for inclusion within the National Wilderness Preservation System. We will use the internet, special mailings, public service announcements, newspaper advertisements, and other media to keep people updated throughout the planning process and to provide opportunities for input. We will hold public meetings in communities within and near the Refuge during preparation of the Revised CCP. We will also hold meetings in Anchorage, AK, Fairbanks, AK, and Washington, DC.

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 November 30, 2010. 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), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) in the Big Lost River, Idaho, as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. After review of all available scientific and commercial information, we find that the mountain whitefish in the Big Lost River does not constitute a listable entity under the Act and, therefore, listing is not warranted. However, we ask the public to continue to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning the taxonomy, biology, ecology, and status of the mountain whitefish in the Big Lost River, and to support cooperative conservation of mountain whitefish within its historical range in the Big Lost River.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and environmental assessment (EA) for the Hopper Mountain, Bitter Creek, and Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) located in Kern, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, and Ventura counties of California. We provide this notice in compliance with our CCP policy to advise other Federal, State, and local 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 (Service), are clarifying a prior published notice regarding our 5-year status review for the roseate tern (Sterna dougalli dougalli) 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. The prior notice indicated that we are conducting a status review of only the northeastern population of the roseate tern; we are actually conducting a status review of this species throughout the entire area where it is listed.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list Thorne's hairstreak butterfly (Callophrys [Mitoura] grynea thornei or Callophrys [Mitoura] thornei) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended and to designate critical habitat. We find the petition and information currently available in our records presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing Thorne's hairstreak butterfly may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a status review to determine if the petitioned action is warranted. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species. Based on the status review,

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are updating our regulations for Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) to codify decisions from our 2007 Kodiak NWR Revised Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP). Specifically, we are amending our current seasonal closure of the O'Malley River area within Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge to allow operation of a bear-viewing program; prohibiting camping within one-quarter mile of public use cabins and Federal and State administrative facilities on the Kodiak NWR, with authorized exceptions; and prohibiting snowmachine use on approximately 4,972 acres of important brown-bear denning habitat in the Den Mountain area. We are also making technical corrections to the authorities section of our regulations.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Tucson shovel-nosed snake (Chionactis occipitalis klauberi) as threatened or endangered with critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After review of the best scientific and commercial information available, we find that listing the Tucson shovel-nosed snake as threatened or endangered throughout its range is warranted. Currently, however, listing the Tucson shovel-nosed snake is precluded by higher priority actions to amend the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. Upon publication of this 12-month petition finding, we will add the Tucson shovel-nosed snake to our candidate species list. We will develop a proposed rule to list the Tucson shovel-nosed snake as our priorities allow. We will make any determination on critical habitat during development of the proposed rule.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the availability of the draft comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and draft environmental assessment (EA) for Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) for a 30-day public review and comment period. In this draft CCP/EA, we describe three alternatives, including our Service- preferred Alternative B, for managing this refuge for the next 15 years. Also available for public review and comment are the draft compatibility determinations, which are included as Appendix A in the draft CCP/EA.

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) are issuing this final rule to comply with a court order that has the effect of reinstating the regulatory protections under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended, for the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) and surrounding area. This rule corrects the grizzly bear listing to reinstate the listing of grizzly bears in the GYA. This final rule also takes administrative action to correct two associated special rules.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on the proposed revision of critical habitat for the bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. In total, approximately 36,498 kilometers (km) (22,679 miles (mi)) of streams (which includes 1,585.7 km (985.30 mi) of marine shoreline area in the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound), and 215,870 hectares (ha) (533,426 acres (ac)) of reservoirs or lakes are being proposed for the revised critical habitat designation. If you have previously submitted comments, please do not resubmit them because we have already incorporated them in the public record and will fully consider them in our final decision.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the striped newt (Notophthalmus perstriatus) as threatened 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 striped newt may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a review of the status of the species to determine if listing the species is warranted. To ensure that this status review is comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species. Based on the status review, we will issue a 12-month

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), advise the public that we intend to prepare a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the impacts of, and alternatives to, the proposed issuance of an Endangered Species Act permit to the Lower Colorado River Authority Transmission Services Corporation (LCRA TSC; applicant) for incidental take of six federally listed or candidate species from activities associated with LCRA TSC's construction, maintenance, operation, and repair of four Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) ``priority'' transmission lines and related facilities (i.e., substations, substation upgrades, and access roads) required to be constructed by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) (collectively, the LCRA TSC CREZ transmission lines). We also announce plans for a series of public scoping meetings and a public comment period.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Berry Cave salamander (Gyrinophilus gulolineatus) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing this species may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a review of the status of the species to determine if listing the Berry Cave salamander is warranted. To ensure that this status review is comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species. Based on the status review, we will issue a 12-month finding

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to prepare a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and environmental assessment (EA) for Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, Maryland. 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 are also announcing public meetings and requesting public comments.

We (NMFS and USFWS; also collectively referred to as the Services) have determined that the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is composed of nine distinct population segments (DPSs) that qualify as ``species'' for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and we propose to list two as threatened and seven as endangered. This also constitutes the 12-month findings on a petition to reclassify loggerhead turtles in the North Pacific Ocean as a DPS with endangered status and designate critical habitat, and a petition to reclassify loggerhead turtles in the Northwest Atlantic as a DPS with endangered status and designate critical habitat. We will propose to designate critical habitat, if found to be prudent and determinable, for the two loggerhead sea turtle DPSs occurring within the United States in a subsequent Federal Register notice.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposes to amend its regulations to add Indian python (Python molurus, including Burmese python Python molurus bivittatus), reticulated python (Broghammerus reticulatus or Python reticulatus), Northern African python (Python sebae), Southern African python (Python natalensis), boa constrictor (Boa constrictor), yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), DeSchauensee's anaconda (Eunectes deschauenseei), green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), and Beni anaconda (Eunectes beniensis) to the list of injurious reptiles. This listing would prohibit the importation of any live animal, gamete, viable egg, or hybrid of these nine constrictor snakes into the United States, except as specifically authorized. The best available information indicates that this action is necessary to protect the interests of humans, wildlife, and wildlife resources from the purposeful or accidental introduction and subsequent establishment of these large constrictor snake populations into ecosystems of the United States. If the proposed rule is made final, live snakes, gametes, or hybrids of the nine species or their viable eggs could be imported only by permit for scientific, medical, educational, or zoological purposes, or without a permit by Federal agencies solely for their own use. The proposed rule, if made final, would also prohibit any interstate transportation of live snakes, gametes, viable eggs, or hybrids of the nine species currently held in the United States. If the proposed rule is made final, interstate transportation could be authorized for scientific, medical, educational, or zoological purposes.

We, the United States, as a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), will attend the fifteenth regular meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP15) in Doha, Qatar, during March 13-25, 2010. This notice announces the availability of tentative U.S. negotiating positions on amendments to the CITES Appendices (species proposals), draft resolutions and decisions, and agenda items submitted by other countries and the CITES Secretariat for consideration at CoP15. All of this information is on our website at https://www.fws.gov/international/ newspubs/fedregnot_list.html and is also available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Management Authority.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of our final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental assessment for the Central Arkansas National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex, consisting of Bald Knob, Big Lake, Cache River, and Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuges. In the final CCP, we describe how we will manage the Central Arkansas NWR Complex over the next 15 years.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite the public to comment on an application for a permit amendment, which would allow Service employees and their designated agents to conduct enhancement of survival activities for a plant that was recently added to the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants (Phyllostegia hispida). The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), requires that we solicit public comment on this permit application involving endangered species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, propose to designate critical habitat for the Carex lutea (golden sedge) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. We propose to designate as critical habitat approximately 189 acres (76 hectares) in 8 units. The proposed critical habitat is located in Onslow and Pender Counties in North Carolina.

The Trinity Adaptive Management Working Group (TAMWG) affords stakeholders the opportunity to give policy, management, and technical input concerning Trinity River (California) restoration efforts to the Trinity Management Council (TMC). The TMC interprets and recommends policy, coordinates and reviews management actions, and provides organizational budget oversight. This notice announces a TAMWG meeting, which is open to the public.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), advise the public that we intend to prepare a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the impacts of, and alternatives to, the proposed issuance of an Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), section 10(a)(1)(B) permit to one or more members of the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program (the ``Applicant(s)'') for incidental take of seven Federally listed species from activities associated with management and use of the Edwards Aquifer. The Applicant may include, among others, the Edwards Aquifer Authority (``EAA'').