47138 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 160 / Monday, August 23, 2021 / Notices 

License Agreement and regulations 

governing the NWR system at Title 50, 

Code of Federal Regulations. 

In 2002, the License Agreement was 

revised and renewed for an additional 

50 years. On February 26, 2018, the 

Service and SFWMD entered into a 

renegotiated 20-year license agreement. 

Currently, the size of the licensed 

lands, referred to as the Refuge Interior, 

is approximately 141,374 acres. In 

addition to the ‘‘Refuge Interior,’’ the 

USFWS owns 3,814.50 acres in fee title 

to the east. This acreage is sub-divided 

into three management impoundments 

(A, B, and C), a 400-acre cypress swamp, 

and the recently added 2,586-acre 

Strazzulla Marsh (see below). In total, 

the Refuge currently includes 145,188 

acres. 

Introduction 

In 2015, the Service developed an 

environmental assessment under which 

the Service would exchange a Serviceowned property, Compartment D, with 

a State of Florida-owned property, 

Strazzulla Marsh. Both parcels are 

adjacent to WCA–1, the northern limit 

of the greater Everglades ecosystem. The 

purpose of the exchange was to bring 

Strazzulla Marsh, which is the last 

remaining sawgrass habitat in the 

eastern Everglades and one of the few 

remaining sawgrass marshes adjacent to 

the coastal ridge, into permanent 

protection as part of the Refuge. At the 

same time, the SFWMD obtained 

Compartment D for use as part of the 

Everglades Restoration Strategies 

Initiative, to improve overall water 

quality in the Everglades Protection 

Area. 

When the Congressional 

Appropriations Committee approved the 

proposed land exchange, it requested 

that the Refuge acquisition boundary be 

formally adjusted to reflect the changes 

in land ownership. This Notice satisfies 

this request and ensures that the current 

Refuge boundary is properly recorded. 

The Service today announces that it 

has adjusted the Refuge boundary lines 

to reflect this approved action (See 

Appendices), which removes the 1,327- 

acre Compartment D parcel, which is 

now owned by the State of Florida, from 

the Refuge acquisition boundary. This 

action also brings a portion of Strazzulla 

Marsh, which was acquired by the 

United States in exchange for 

Compartment D, within the approved 

Refuge acquisition boundary. 

Authority 

This notice is published under the 

authority of the Improvement Act, 

Public Law 105–57. 

Leopoldo Miranda-Castro, 

Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Atlanta, GA. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18013 Filed 8–20–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R8–ES–2020–N081; 

FXES11140800000–212–FF08ECAR00] 

Proposed Programmatic Safe Harbor 

Agreement for the California RedLegged Frog; Orange, Riverside, and 

San Diego Counties, California; 

National Environmental Policy Act 

Documentation/Categorical Exclusion 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 

receipt of an enhancement of survival 

(EOS) permit application from the 

Service’s Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife 

Office that includes a proposed safe 

harbor agreement (SHA) in southern 

California for the federally threatened 

California red-legged frog. If granted, the 

SHA would provide for California redlegged frog recovery by providing a 

framework to reestablish frogs within 

their historical range. The EOS permit 

would be in effect for a 30-year period 

and would authorize take of the 

California red-legged frog incidental to 

the implementation of the Programmatic 

Safe Harbor Agreement in Orange, 

Riverside, and San Diego Counties, 

California. The documents available for 

review and comment are the SHA and 

National Environmental Policy Act 

documentation that supports a 

categorical exclusion. We invite 

comments from the public and Federal, 

Tribal, State, and local governments. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

received on or before September 22, 

2021. 

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 ‘‘California red-legged 

frog SHA for Orange, Riverside, and San 

Diego Counties.’’ 

Obtaining Documents: You may 

obtain the applicant’s safe harbor 

agreements and the National 

Environmental Policy Act 

documentation from the internet at 

https://www.fws.gov/Carlsbad. 

Submitting Comments: You may 

submit written comments by the 

following method: 

• Email: fw8cfwocomments@fws.gov. 

For additional information about 

submitting comments, see the Public 

Comments Solicited section below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Scott Sobiech, 760–431–9440. If you use 

a telecommunications device for the 

deaf, please call the Federal Relay 

Service at 800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 

have received an application from the 

Service’s Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife 

Office for an enhancement of survival 

(EOS) permit pursuant to section 

10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species 

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

requested 30-year permit would 

authorize the incidental take of the 

California red-legged frog (Rana 

draytonii), which is federally listed as 

threatened, in exchange for conservation 

measures that are expected to provide a 

net conservation benefit for the species. 

The application includes a proposed 

SHA that describes allowable land uses 

and the conservation measures that are 

intended to produce a net conservation 

benefit for the California red-legged frog 

on non-Federal lands in Orange, 

Riverside, and San Diego Counties. NonFederal property owners may enroll in 

this SHA, so long as the SHA remains 

in effect. 

Background 

Section 9 of the ESA and the 

implementing Federal regulations in 

effect at the time the California redlegged frog was listed prohibit the take 

of animal species listed as endangered 

or threatened. For the California redlegged frog, the take prohibitions as 

outlined in 50 CFR 17.31 apply, except 

that incidental take of California redlegged frog is not prohibited if resulting 

from routine ranching activities (as 

described in 50 CFR 17.43(d)(3)(i)–(xi) 

on private and tribal lands. ‘‘Take’’ is 

defined under the ESA as ‘‘to harass, 

harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, 

trap, capture, or collect [listed animal 

species], or to attempt to engage in such 

conduct’’ (16 U.S.C. 1532(19)). ‘‘Harm’’ 

includes significant habitat modification 

or degradation that actually kills or 

injures listed wildlife by significantly 

impairing essential behavioral patterns, 

such as breeding, feeding, or sheltering 

(50 CFR 17.3). Under specified 

circumstances, however, we may issue 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 160 / Monday, August 23, 2021 / Notices 47139 

permits that authorize take of federally 

listed species, provided the take is 

incidental to, but not the purpose of, an 

otherwise lawful activity. ‘‘Incidental 

taking’’ is defined by the ESA 

implementing regulations as taking that 

is incidental to, and not the purpose of, 

carrying out an otherwise lawful activity 

(50 CFR 17.3). Regulations governing 

incidental take permits for endangered 

and threatened species, respectively, are 

found at 50 CFR 17.22 and 50 CFR 

17.32. 

Under SHAs, private and non-Federal 

participating landowners voluntarily 

undertake management activities on 

their properties to enhance, restore, or 

maintain habitat benefiting species 

listed under the Endangered Species Act 

of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 

1531 et seq.). SHAs, and the subsequent 

EOS permits that are issued pursuant to 

section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA, 

encourage private and other non-Federal 

property owners to implement 

conservation efforts for listed species, 

by assuring property owners that they 

will not be subject to increased land use 

restriction as a result of efforts to attract 

or increase the numbers or distribution 

of a listed species on their property. In 

this case, an ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) 

EOS permit is proposed to be issued to 

the Service’s Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife 

Office under a programmatic SHA 

providing a specific level of incidental 

take coverage should the enrolled 

landowners’ agreed-upon conservation 

measures and routine land uses (e.g., 

recreation, ranching, agriculture, and 

maintenance activities) result in take of 

the covered species. Application 

requirements and issuance criteria for 

EOS permits through SHAs are found at 

50 CFR 17.22(c) and 17.32(c). 

California Red-Legged Frog 

The California red-legged frog is 

currently extirpated from its former 

range in Southern California south of 

the Transverse Ranges. It was last 

recorded in Riverside County in the 

early 2000s. Population declines have 

been attributed to habitat loss and 

degradation including introduced 

predators, water diversions, and poor 

water quality. Eligible lands under the 

SHA include aquatic (e.g., streams, 

creeks, ponds, and marshes), riparian, 

and adjacent upland habitat where 

threats to frogs have been addressed and 

minimized. Primary conservation 

measures implemented under the SHA 

include reintroductions, habitat 

management, and the minimization of 

potential threats (e.g., bullfrog predation 

and sedimentation). Additional 

conservation measures include allowing 

agency staff to monitor frogs and their 

habitat and to salvage/rescue frogs when 

necessary. Covered land use activities 

include recreation, ranching, 

agriculture, maintenance activities, and 

ongoing activities associated with the 

enrolled lands. 

If California red-legged frog 

populations become established within 

the eligible lands covered under the 

SHA, take of California red-legged frogs 

associated with the approved land uses 

and conservation measures outlined 

under the certificate of inclusion for 

enrolled lands would be authorized 

under the EOS permit during the 30- 

year permit term. The proposed SHA 

would implement conservation 

measures that contribute to the recovery 

of the California red-legged frog. The 

proposed SHA with the option for 

renewal is based on the commitment to 

implement the proposed SHA, 

including issuance of certificates of 

inclusion to participating non-Federal 

landowners. The reestablishment of the 

Southern California genetic lineage is an 

important conservation action for the 

species’ recovery. Therefore, the 

cumulative impact of the SHA and the 

activities it covers, which are facilitated 

by the allowable incidental take, are 

expected to provide a net conservation 

benefit to the California red-legged frog. 

Public Comments Solicited 

We solicit written comments on the 

proposed safe harbor agreement and 

National Environmental Policy Act 

documentation described in this notice. 

All comments received by the date 

specified in DATES will be considered in 

development of a final safe harbor 

agreement for the California red-legged 

frog. You may submit written comments 

and information by email to the 

Service’s Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife 

Office at the above address (see 

ADDRESSES). 

Public Availability of Comments 

Written comments we receive become 

part of the decision record associated 

with this action. 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 request in your comment that 

we withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. All submissions from 

organization or businesses, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representative or officials of 

organization or business, will be made 

available for public disclosure in their 

entirety. 

Authority 

We provide this notice under Section 

10(c) of the ESA and its implementing 

regulations (50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32) 

and the National Environmental Policy 

Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its 

implementing regulations for the 

Department of the Interior (43 CFR part 

46). 

Scott Sobiech, 

Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife 

Office, Carlsbad, California. 

[FR Doc. 2021–17968 Filed 8–20–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R3–ES–2021–N184; 

FXES11130300000–201–FF03E00000] 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Receipt of Recovery Permit 

Applications 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: 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 

or threatened species under the 

Endangered Species Act. 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 your written 

comments on or before September 22, 

2021. 

ADDRESSES: Document availability and 

comment submission: Submit requests 

for copies of the applications and 

related documents, as well as any 

comments, by one of the following 

methods. All requests and comments 

should specify the applicant name(s) 

and application number(s) (e.g., 

TEXXXXXX; see table in 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION): 

• Email: permitsR3ES@fws.gov. 

Please refer to the respective application 

number (e.g., Application No. 

TEXXXXXX) in the subject line of your 

email message. 

• U.S. Mail: Regional Director, Attn: 

Nathan Rathbun, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 


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