66296 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 246 / Wednesday, December 26, 2018 / Notices 

Regulation/activity 

Annual 

number of 

responses 

Completion 

time per 

response 

(hours) 

Total 

annual burden 

hours * 

21.61—Population Control Approval Request (Population and Distribution Estimates) 

Government ................................................................................................................................. 3 160 480 

Totals: ................................................................................................................................... 8,698 ........................ 3,360 

* Rounded. 

An agency 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 authority for this action is the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 

Dated: December 19, 2018. 

Madonna Baucum, 

Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–27891 Filed 12–21–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R1–ES–2018–N100; 

FXES11140100000–189–FF01E00000] 

Proposed Crestmont Farm Safe Harbor 

Agreement for the Taylor’s 

Checkerspot Butterfly in Benton 

County, Oregon 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior, 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), have received 

an enhancement of survival permit 

application from Crestmont Farm 

pursuant to the Endangered Species Act 

of 1973. The permit application 

includes a draft safe harbor agreement 

(SHA) developed for the conservation of 

the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly. The 

permit would authorize the incidental 

take of the endangered Taylor’s 

checkerspot butterfly associated with 

habitat management actions intended to 

benefit the butterfly. We have prepared 

a draft environment action statement 

(EAS) for our preliminary determination 

that the SHA and permit decision may 

be eligible for categorical exclusion 

under the National Environmental 

Policy Act. We are making the permit 

application package, including the 

proposed SHA and draft EAS, available 

for public review and comment. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, written 

comments must be received from 

interested parties no later than January 

25, 2019. 

ADDRESSES: To request further 

information or submit written 

comments, please use one of the 

following methods, and note that your 

information request or comments are in 

reference to the ‘‘Crestmont Farm SHA.’’ • Internet: Documents may be viewed 

on the internet at http://www.fws.gov/ 

oregonfwo/. • Email: CrestmontSHAcomments@

fws.gov. • U.S. Mail: State Supervisor, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service; 2600 SE 98th 

Avenue, Suite 100; Portland, OR 97266. • Fax: 503–231–6195, Attn: 

Crestmont Farm SHA. • In-Person Drop-off, Viewing, or 

Pickup: Comments and materials 

received will be available for public 

inspection, by appointment (necessary 

for viewing or picking up documents 

only), during normal business hours at 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (at 

the above address); call 503–231–6179 

to make an appointment. Written 

comments can be dropped off during 

regular business hours at the above 

address on or before the closing date of 

the public comment period (see DATES). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Richard Szlemp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (see ADDRESSES); telephone: 

503–231–6179; facsimile: 503–231– 

6195. If you use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf, please call the 

Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We have 

received an enhancement of survival 

permit application from Crestmont Farm 

pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 

The requested permit would authorize 

the incidental take of the Taylor’s 

checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas 

editha taylori) in exchange for habitat 

conservation actions that are expected 

to provide a net conservation benefit for 

the species. The permit application 

includes a proposed safe harbor 

agreement (SHA) that describes the 

existing baseline conditions, and the 

activities that are intended to produce a 

net conservation benefit for Taylor’s 

checkerspot butterfly. 

Background 

Section 9 of the ESA prohibits the 

take of fish and wildlife species listed 

as endangered or threatened under 

section 4 of the ESA. Under the ESA, 

the term ‘‘take’’ means to harass, harm, 

pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, 

capture, or collect, or to attempt to 

engage in any such conduct (16 U.S.C. 

1532(19)). The term ‘‘harm,’’ as defined 

in our regulations, includes significant 

habitat modification or degradation that 

results in death or injury to listed 

species by significantly impairing 

essential behavioral patterns, including 

breeding, feeding, or sheltering (50 CFR 

17.3). The term ‘‘harass’’ is defined in 

our regulations as an intentional or 

negligent act or omission which creates 

the likelihood of injury to wildlife by 

annoying it to such an extent as to 

significantly disrupt normal behavioral 

patterns, which include, but are not 

limited to, breeding, feeding, or 

sheltering (50 CFR 17.3). Under 

specified circumstances, however, we 

may issue permits that authorize take of 

federally listed species, provided the 

take is incidental to, but not the purpose 

of, an otherwise lawful activity. 

Regulations governing permits for 

endangered species are at 50 CFR 17.22. Under a SHA, participating 

landowners voluntarily undertake 

management activities on their property 

to enhance, restore, or maintain habitat 

benefiting species listed under the ESA. 

SHAs, and the subsequent enhancement 

of survival permits that are issued 

pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the 

ESA, encourage private and other nonfederal property owners to implement 

conservation efforts for listed species by 

providing assurances that they will not 

be subjected to increased property use 

restrictions as a result of their efforts to 

attract listed species to their property, or 

to increase the numbers or distribution 

of listed species already on their 

property. Application requirements and 

issuance criteria for enhancement of 

survival permits through SHAs are 

found in 50 CFR 17.22(c). As provided 

for in the Service’s final Safe Harbor 

Policy (64 FR 32717; June 17, 1999), 

SHAs provide assurances that allow the 

property owner to alter or modify their 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 246 / Wednesday, December 26, 2018 / Notices 66297 

enrolled property, even if such 

alteration or modification results in the 

incidental take of listed species to such 

an extent that it returned the species 

back to the originally agreed upon 

baseline conditions. 

We listed the Taylor’s checkerspot as 

an endangered species on October 3, 

2013 (78 FR 61452), with critical 

habitat. Historically, the Taylor’s 

checkerspot butterfly was likely 

distributed throughout grassland habitat 

found on prairies, grassland bluffs, and 

grassland openings within a forested 

matrix. Habitat has been lost through 

conversion and degradation of habitat, 

particularly from agricultural and urban 

development, successional changes 

where grassland habitat reverted more 

towards forest characteristics, and the 

spread of invasive plants. In Oregon, the 

Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly is 

presently only known to occur at two 

sites. Both sites are located in Benton 

County on grassland hills within a 

forested matrix in the Willamette 

Valley. 

Proposed Action 

Crestmont Farm and the Service 

jointly developed the proposed SHA for 

the conservation of the Taylor’s 

checkerspot butterfly. The physical area 

addressed by this SHA encompasses 

approximately 27 acres that lie within a 

suspended, high-voltage powerline 

corridor. The area covers the majority of 

the known population of Taylor’s 

checkerspot butterfly at this site. 

Current vegetative conditions are typical 

of powerline corridor areas and include 

a mixture of grassland, shrubs, and 

young trees, with a fairly linear border 

of managed conifer forest. Management 

actions taken under the SHA are 

intended to maintain existing habitat 

conditions as well as increase the 

distribution and abundance of Taylor’s 

checkerspot butterfly through 

enhancement of adjacent or nearby, 

unoccupied grassland habitat. Providing 

additional habitat areas can also 

increase the likelihood of persistence of 

the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly by 

offering microhabitat variations that 

may provide a range of habitat 

conditions that is not equally adversely 

affected by weather, plant community 

changes, predator populations, etc. The 

Service will coordinate a variety of 

management activities with Crestmont 

Farm pursuant to this SHA. These 

management activities generally 

include: (1) Controlling/reducing nonnative grasses; (2) controlling/reducing 

woody vegetation encroachment; (3) 

increasing the density and diversity of 

larval host plants, native nectar species, 

and other native species; and (4) 

maintaining suitable habitat conditions. 

In addition, the SHA provides for 

research and monitoring to occur. 

The draft EAS now available for 

public review (see ADDRESSESindicates 

that the proposed SHA and permit 

decision may be eligible for a categorical 

exclusion under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). We are making the 

permit application package, including 

the SHA, and draft EAS, available for 

public review and comment. 

Public Comments 

You may submit your comments and 

materials by one of the methods listed 

in the ADDRESSES section. We request 

data, comments, new information, or 

suggestions from the public, other 

concerned governmental agencies, the 

scientific community, Tribes, industry, 

or any other interested party on our 

proposed Federal action, including 

adequacy of the SHA pursuant to the 

requirements for permits at 50 CFR parts 

13 and 17 and adequacy of the EAS 

pursuant to NEPA. 

Public Availability of Comments 

All comments and materials we 

receive become part of the public record 

associated with this action. Before 

including your address, phone number, 

email address, or other personal 

identifying information in your 

comments, 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. All submissions from 

organizations or businesses, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, will be 

made available for public disclosure in 

their entirety. Comments and materials 

we receive, as well as supporting 

documentation, will be available for 

public inspection by appointment, 

during normal business hours, at our 

Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office (see 

ADDRESSES). 

Authority 

We provide this notice in accordance 

with the requirements of section 10(c) of 

the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and 

NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and their 

implementing regulations (50 CFR 

17.22, and 40 CFR 1506.6, respectively). 

Rollie White, 

Acting Deputy Regional Director, Pacific 

Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–27890 Filed 12–21–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R8–ES–2017–N103; FXES11130000– 

189–FF08E00000] 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; Draft Recovery Plan for 

Franciscan Manzanita (Arctostaphylos 

franciscana) 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of document availability. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, announce the 

availability of the Draft Recovery Plan 

for Franciscan Manzanita 

(Arctostaphylos franciscana) for public 

review and comment. The draft recovery 

plan includes objective, measurable 

criteria for downlisting the species to 

threatened, and site-specific actions 

necessary to reclassify the species from 

endangered to threatened on the Federal 

Lists of Endangered and Threatened 

Wildlife and Plants. 

DATES: We must receive any comments 

on the draft recovery plan on or before 

February 25, 2019. 

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of 

the draft recovery plan from our website 

at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/ 

species/recovery-plans.html. 

Alternatively, you may contact the 

Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2800 

Cottage Way, Suite W–2605, 

Sacramento, CA 95825 (telephone 916– 

414–6700). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jennifer Norris, Field Supervisor, at the 

above street address or telephone 

number (see ADDRESSES). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background 

Recovery of endangered or threatened 

animals and plants to the point where 

they are again secure, self-sustaining 

members of their ecosystems is a 

primary goal of our endangered species 

program and the Endangered Species 

Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Recovery means 

improvement of the status of listed 

species to the point at which listing is 

no longer appropriate under the criteria 


amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1