Proposed Amendment to the Willamette Valley Native Prairie Habitat Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement for the Fender's Blue Butterfly in Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties, Oregon

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposes to amend an enhancement of survival (EOS) permit issued to itself on May 26, 2009, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The EOS permit is associated with a programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) developed for the conservation of the federally-listed endangered Fender's blue butterfly within the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The proposed amendment would extend the term of the SHA and the permit for an additional 11 years. The amendment includes adding Washington County, Oregon, to the geographical area covered by the SHA and the permit. The amended permit would continue to authorize the Service to extend incidental take coverage to eligible landowners who are willing to carry out habitat management actions that benefit the Fender's blue butterfly by enrolling landowners under the SHA through Certificates of Inclusion. We request comments from the public on the proposed amendment of the EOS permit and the SHA, and a draft environmental action statement (EAS) prepared pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).