Fish and Wildlife Service November 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Council) will meet to select North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant proposals for recommendation to the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission (Commission). This meeting is open to the public, and interested persons may present oral or written statements.

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 Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) upper Missouri River system distinct population segment (DPS). We conduct status reviews to determine whether the entity meets the definition of an endangered or threatened species under the Act. Following this status review, we will issue a proposed listing rule or a not warranted finding for the Arctic grayling upper Missouri River system DPS. Through this document, we encourage all interested parties to provide us information regarding the Arctic grayling in the upper Missouri River basin.

This document delays for an additional 4 weeks the effective date of two rules to conserve Eriogonum codium (Umtanum desert buckwheat) and Physaria douglasii subsp. tuplashensis (White Bluffs bladderpod). Both rules had an effective date of November 22, 2013. We are taking this action to allow time for us to address additional public comments received on the rules.

In this Candidate Notice of Review (CNOR), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), present an updated list of plant and animal species native to the United States that we regard as candidates for or have proposed for addition to the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. Identification of candidate species can assist environmental planning efforts by providing advance notice of potential listings, allowing landowners and resource managers to alleviate threats and thereby possibly remove the need to list species as endangered or threatened. Even if we subsequently list a candidate species, the early notice provided here could result in more options for species management and recovery by prompting candidate conservation measures to alleviate threats to the species. The CNOR summarizes the status and threats that we evaluated in order to determine that species qualify as candidates and to assign a listing priority number (LPN) to each species or to determine that species should be removed from candidate status. Additional material that we relied on is available in the Species Assessment and Listing Priority Assignment Forms (species assessment forms) for each candidate species. Overall, this CNOR recognizes no new candidates, changes the LPN for three candidates, and removes three species from candidate status. Combined with other decisions for individual species that were published separately from this CNOR in the past year, the current number of species that are candidates for listing is 146. This document also includes our findings on resubmitted petitions and describes our progress in revising the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants (Lists) during the period October 1, 2012, through September 30, 2013. We request additional status information that may be available for the 146 candidate species identified in this CNOR.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are initiating a 5-year review under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), of the vicu[ntilde]a. A 5-year review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. We are requesting submission of information that has become available since the last review of the species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft long range transportation plan for public review and comment. The Draft Long Range Transportation Plan outlines a strategy for improving and maintaining transportation assets that provide access to Service-managed lands in the Midwest Region (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin) over the next 20 years.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the revised taxonomy of Dendroica kirtlandii (Kirtland's warbler) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We are revising the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife to reflect the scientifically accepted taxonomy and nomenclature of this species. We revise the scientific name of the species as follows: Setophaga kirtlandii (= D. kirtlandii).

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) as an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After review of the best available scientific and commercial information on both subspecies of Gunnison's prairie dog, we find that listing either C. g. gunnisoni or C. g. zuniensis or both is not warranted at this time. The best available information indicates that populations of both subspecies are stable and that there are no threats causing or projected to cause either subspecies to be at risk of extinction. This action also removes the Gunnison's prairie dog from our candidate list. Although listing is not warranted at this time, we ask the public to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning threats to the Gunnison's prairie dog or its habitat at any time.

We (U.S. 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 February 28, 2014. 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 the availability of our comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental assessment (EA) for the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). In this CCP, we describe how we will manage the Refuge 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, marine mammals, or both. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) prohibit activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

We (U.S. 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 May 31, 2014. 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 (U.S. 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 April 30, 2014. 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 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to renew approval for 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 February 28, 2014. 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 (U.S. 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 information collection is scheduled to expire on November 30, 2013. 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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), intend to gather additional information and to prepare, in coordination with the County of Sacramento, California, a joint environmental impact statement and environmental impact report (EIS/ EIR) under the National Environmental Policy Act and the California Environmental Quality Act for the proposed South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). The draft EIS/ EIR will evaluate the impacts of several alternatives related to the proposed issuance of Endangered Species Act permits to eight permit applicants in south Sacramento County, California. The permit applicants intend to apply for either a 30-year or a 50-year permit from the Service that would authorize the incidental take resulting from implementation or approval of covered activities, including various kinds of development projects. We also announce public scoping meetings and the opening of a public comment period. We request data, comments, new information, or suggestions from other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific community, Tribes, industry, or any other interested party.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment periods on our January 11, 2013, proposed rules to list the Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) as endangered and to designate critical habitat for the species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In addition, we announce the rescheduling of two public informational sessions and public hearings for both the proposed listing and proposed critical habitat rules, and the addition of a third public informational session and public hearing. We are reopening the comment periods to allow all interested parties an additional opportunity to comment on the proposed listing and the proposed designation of critical habitat, and to comment on the proposed critical habitat's associated draft economic analysis (DEA), draft environmental assessment (EA), and amended required determinations section. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted, as they will be fully considered in preparation of the final rules.

Nonnative species in Hawaii displace, compete with, and consume native species, some of which are endangered, threatened, or otherwise in need of additional protection. To protect native species, we propose to establish a control order for cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) and barn owls (Tyto alba), two introduced migratory bird species in Hawaii. We also make the supporting draft environmental assessment available for public comment.

This notice advises the public that the Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Region is permanently closing and/or restricting hunting and trapping within the Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area (Skilak Loop Management Area), a portion of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. This action is consistent with refuge management plans and objectives and historic State of Alaska hunting and trapping regulations (regulations in effect from 1987 to 2012, and as amended in 2007 and 2012).

We revise the regulations that allow control of depredating birds in California. We specify the counties in which this order is effective, identify the species that may be taken under the order, add a requirement that landowners attempt nonlethal control, add a requirement for use of nontoxic ammunition, and revise the reporting required. These changes update and clarify the current regulations and enhance our ability to carry out our responsibility to conserve migratory birds.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, revise the List of Migratory Birds by both adding and removing species. Reasons for the changes to the list include adding species based on new taxonomy and new evidence of occurrence in the United States or U.S. territories, removing species no longer known to occur within the United States, and changing names to conform to accepted use. The net increase of 19 species (23 added and 4 removed) brings the total number of species protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) to 1,026. We regulate most aspects of the taking, possession, transportation, sale, purchase, barter, exportation, and importation of migratory birds. An accurate and up-to-date list of species protected by the MBTA is essential for public notification and regulatory purposes.