We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received applications for permits to conduct activities intended to enhance the propagation or survival of endangered species under ...
Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.
SUMMARY:
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received applications for permits to conduct activities intended to enhance the propagation or survival of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.
DATES:
We must receive written data or comments on the applications by March 23, 2020.
ADDRESSES:
( printed page 9797)
Reviewing Documents:
Documents and other information submitted with the applications are available for review, subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act. Submit a request for a copy of such documents to Karen Marlowe (see
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
).
Submitting Comments:
If you wish to comment, you may submit comments by one of the following methods:
U.S. mail or hand-delivery:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office, Ecological Services, 1875 Century Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30345 (Attn: Karen Marlowe, Permit Coordinator).
Email: permitsR4ES@fws.gov.
Please include your name and return address in your email message. If you do not receive a confirmation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that we have received your email message, contact us directly at the telephone number listed in
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Karen Marlowe, Permit Coordinator, 404-679-7097 (telephone),
karen_marlowe@fws.gov
(email), or 404-679-7081 (fax). Individuals who are hearing or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
We invite review and comment from local, State, and Federal agencies and the public on applications we have received for permits to conduct certain activities with endangered and threatened species under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531et seq.), and our regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR part 17. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities that constitute take of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activities. The ESA's definition of “take” includes hunting, shooting, harming, wounding, or killing, and also such activities as pursuing, harassing, trapping, capturing, or collecting.
A recovery permit issued by us under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA authorizes the permittee to conduct activities with endangered or threatened species for scientific purposes that promote recovery or for enhancement of propagation or survival of the species. These activities often include such prohibited actions as capture and collection. Our regulations implementing section 10(a)(1)(A) for these permits are found at 50 CFR 17.22 for endangered wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.32 for threatened wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.62 for endangered plant species, and 50 CFR 17.72 for threatened plant species.
Permit Applications Available for Review and Comment
Proposed activities in the following permit requests are for the recovery and enhancement of propagation or survival of the species in the wild. The ESA requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits. Accordingly, we invite local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies and the public to submit written data, views, or arguments with respect to these applications. The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are those supported by quantitative information or studies.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
( printed page 9798)
Permit Application No.
Applicant
Species/numbers
Location
Activity
Type of take
Permit action
TE 56515D-0
Leslie Meade, Olympia, WA
Virginia big-eared bat (
Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus), gray bat (
Myotis grisescens), northern long-eared bat (
Myotis septentrionalis), and Indiana bat (
Myotis sodalis)
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee
Presence/absence surveys
Capture with mist nets, handle, identify, band, radio-tag, and release
Population monitoring and management; surveys; and captive rearing trials
Red-cockaded woodpecker: capture, band, construct and monitor artificial nest cavities and restrictors, and translocate; eastern indigo snake: capture, measure, weigh, and PIT-tag; frosted flatwoods salamander: capture with dip-nets and minnow traps, drift fences and buckets and collect larvae for captive rearing trials; smooth coneflower: remove and reduce to possession (collect) seeds for sowing on-site
Renewal and amendment.
TE 66005D-0
Joseph T. Johnson, Todd, NC
Gray bat (
Myotis grisescens), Indiana bat (
M. sodalis), northern long-eared bat (
M. septentrionalis), Ozark big-eared bat (
Corynorhinus
(=
Plecotus)
townsendii ingens), and Virginia big-eared bat (
Corynorhinus
(=
Plecotus)
townsendii virginianus)
Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming
Presence/absence surveys, habitat assessments, habitat use studies, population monitoring, and studies to evaluate the effectiveness of acoustic identification methods
Enter hibernacula or maternity roost caves, capture with mist-nets or harp traps, handle, collect hair, fungal lift tape, swab, wing-punch, band, radio-tag, light-tag, PIT-tag, and salvage
New.
TE 56746B-4
Joseph Johnson, Ohio University, Athens, OH
Indiana bat (
Myotis sodalis) and northern long-eared bat (
M. septentrionalis)
16 U.S.C. 1531
50 CFR part 17