Fish and Wildlife Service August 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received applications from Apache Alaska Corporation (Apache), SAExploration, Inc., LLC (SAE), and BlueCrest Energy, Inc. (BlueCrest), formerly Buccaneer Alaska Operations, LLC, for authorization under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA), as amended, to take small numbers of northern sea otters from the Southcentral stock by harassment incidental to proposed oil and gas exploration activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska. In accordance with provisions of the MMPA, we request comments on our proposed authorization for the applicant to incidentally take, by harassment, small numbers of northern sea otters from the Southcentral stock for a period of 1 year. 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), determine threatened species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa), an amphibian species from British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California. The effect of this regulation will be to add this species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have issued the following permits to conduct certain activities with endangered species under the authority of the Endangered Species Act, as amended (Act).

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered or threatened species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (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.

This rule prescribes final early-season frameworks from which the States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands may select season dates, limits, and other options for the 2014-15 migratory bird hunting seasons. Early seasons are those that generally open prior to October 1, and include seasons in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The effect of this final rule is to facilitate the selection of hunting seasons by the States and Territories to further the annual establishment of the early-season migratory bird hunting regulations.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of a draft comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and draft environmental impact statement for the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuge Complex (refuge complex) in Alamosa, Rio Grande, and Saguache, Colorado. In these documents, we describe alternatives, including our proposed action alternative, to manage the refuge complex for the 15 years following approval of the final CCP.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a revised 12-month finding on a petition to list the least chub (Iotichthys phlegethontis) as an endangered or threatened species and to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the least chub is not warranted at this time. Therefore, we are removing the species from our list of candidates under the Act. However, we ask the public to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning threats to the least chub or its habitat at any time.

The Fish and Wildlife Service (hereinafter Service or we) is proposing to establish the 2014-15 late-season hunting regulations for certain migratory game birds. We annually prescribe frameworks, or outer limits, for dates and times when hunting may occur and the number of birds that may be taken and possessed in late seasons. These frameworks are necessary to allow State selections of seasons and limits and to allow recreational harvest at levels compatible with population and habitat conditions.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a public teleconference of the Joint Implementation Working Group (Working Group) for the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy (Strategy). The purpose of the Strategy is to inspire and enable natural resource professionals and other decision makers to take action to conserve the nation's fish, wildlife, plants, and ecosystem functions, as well as the human uses and values these natural systems provide, in a changing climate. At this meeting, the Working Group will review the first Strategy Implementation Progress Report, discuss future approaches to implementation, hear comments from stakeholders, and make plans for the Fall-2014 in-person meeting. With this notice, we also initiate the Working Group's recently approved Stakeholder Engagement Plan, which commits the Working Group to open meetings going forward. This will be the only announcement of meetings made in the Federal Register. All future meetings (including logistical information) will be made only via the Strategy Web site (www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov).

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a revised 12-month finding on a petition to list the Upper Missouri River distinct population segment (Upper Missouri River DPS) of Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) 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, we find that listing the Upper Missouri River DPS of Arctic grayling is not warranted at this time. The best available scientific and commercial information indicates that habitat-related threats previously identified, including habitat fragmentation, dewatering, thermal stress, entrainment, riparian habitat loss, and effects from climate change, for the Upper Missouri River DPS of Arctic grayling have been sufficiently ameliorated and that 19 of 20 populations of Arctic grayling are either stable or increasing. This action removes the Upper Missouri River DPS of the Arctic grayling 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 the threats to the Upper Missouri River DPS of Arctic grayling or its habitat at any time.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce our 90-day finding on a petition To list the island marble butterfly (Euchloe ausonides insulanus) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended. Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial data indicating that the petitioned action may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this document, we are notifying the public that when resources become available, we will be conducting a review of the status of this subspecies to determine if the petitioned action is warranted. In order to assure that the best scientific and commercial data informs the status review and, if warranted, the subsequent listing determination, and to provide an opportunity for all interested parties to provide information for consideration for the status review, we are requesting information regarding the island marble butterfly. Based on the results of our status review, we will issue a 12-month finding on the petition, which will address whether the petitioned action is warranted, as provided in section 4(b)(3)(B) of the Act.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an application for an enhancement of survival permit under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The permit application includes a draft candidate conservation agreement with assurances (CCAA) for the greater sage-grouse on private rangelands in Baker and Malheur Counties, Oregon. We invite comments from all interested parties on the application, including the draft CCAA, and a draft environmental action statement prepared pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have issued the following permits to conduct certain activities with endangered species, marine mammals, or both. We issue these permits under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental assessment (EA) we prepared on the CCP for Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. The final CCP describes how we intend to manage the refuge for the next 15 years.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list the Warton's cave meshweaver (Cicurina wartoni) as an endangered or threatened species and to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended. After a review of the best available scientific information, we find that C. wartoni is not a distinct species. Therefore, we find that C. wartoni is not a listable entity under the Act and does not warrant listing as an endangered or threatened species. As a result, we are removing this species from the candidate list. However, we ask the public to submit to us any new information that becomes available at any time.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, determine endangered species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, for the Florida leafwing (Anaea troglodyta floridalis) and Bartram's scrub-hairstreak (Strymon acis bartrami), two butterflies endemic to South Florida. This final rule implements the protections provided by the Act for these species. This regulation will result in the addition of these species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (hereinafter, Service or we) proposes special migratory bird hunting regulations for certain Tribes on Federal Indian reservations, off-reservation trust lands, and ceded lands for the 2014-15 migratory bird hunting season.

Pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an incidental take permit (ITP) application, draft habitat conservation plan (HCP), and a draft Implementing Agreement (IA) from Pioneer Trail Wind Farm, LLC (applicant), located in Ford and Iroquois Counties, Illinois. If approved, the ITP would authorize incidental take of two species of bats (covered species): the Indiana bat, a federally endangered species, and northern long-eared bat, proposed for Federal listing under the ESA. In accordance with the NEPA, the Service has prepared a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) in response to the permit application. We invite public comment on the ITP application, draft HCP, draft IA, and draft EA.

On November 9, 2011, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), published a notice of availability of a draft environmental assessment (DEA) and receipt of an application for an incidental take permit (permit) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), submitted by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), for the Maine Trapping Program Incidental Take Plan (ITP). MDIFW is requesting a permit under the ESA to authorize take of the federally threatened Canada lynx incidental to otherwise lawful activities associated with MDIFW's statewide furbearer trapping program. The permit would be in effect for 15 years. During the 60-day comment period, the Service received numerous comments on the DEA and the ITP. MDIFW revised the draft ITP to address public and Service comments and submitted a revised ITP to the Service in July 2013. The Service then revised its DEA. This notice announces the availability for a 30-day supplemental public comment period of both the revised DEA and the revised ITP for MDIFW's incidental take permit application.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce that our draft environmental assessment (EA) for the proposed Annual Funding Agreement (AFA) with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) is available. The proposed AFA would allow CSKT to design, manage, and implement the biology, visitor services, fire, and maintenance program on the National Bison Range Complex. This draft EA describes and analyzes four alternatives, including the draft AFA and the No Action alternative.

Under the Endangered Species Act (Act), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the receipt and availability of a proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP) and environmental assessment (EA) for take of the Perdido Key beach mouse incidental to construction of a multi-unit condominium in Escambia County, Florida. We invite public comments on these documents.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, determine endangered species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, for the sharpnose shiner (Notropis oxyrhynchus) and smalleye shiner (N. buccula), two fish species from Texas. The effect of this regulation will be to add these species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. We have also determined that critical habitat for the sharpnose shiner and smalleye shiner is prudent and determinable. Elsewhere in today's Federal Register, we designate critical habitat for the sharpnose shiner and smalleye shiner under the Act.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine endangered species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for Physaria globosa (Short's bladderpod), Helianthus verticillatus (whorled sunflower), and Leavenworthia crassa (fleshy-fruit gladecress). Short's bladderpod occurs in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Whorled sunflower occurs in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. Fleshy-fruit gladecress occurs only in Alabama. The effect of this regulation will be to add these species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants.