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 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
47140 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 160 / Monday, August 23, 2021 / Notices 

Service, Ecological Services, 5600 

American Blvd. West, Suite 990, 

Bloomington, MN 55437–1458. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Nathan Rathbun, 612–713–5343 

(phone); permitsR3ES@fws.gov (email). 

Individuals who are hearing or speech 

impaired may call the Federal Relay 

Service at 1–800–877–8339 for TTY 

assistance. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Endangered Species Act of 1973, 

as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

seq.), prohibits certain activities with 

endangered and threatened species 

unless authorized by a Federal permit. 

The ESA and our implementing 

regulations in part 17 of title 50 of the 

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 

provide for the issuance of such permits 

and require that we invite public 

comment before issuing permits for 

activities involving endangered species. 

A recovery permit issued by us under 

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

authorizes the permittee to conduct 

activities with endangered species for 

scientific purposes that promote 

recovery or for enhancement of 

propagation or survival of the species. 

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 

We invite local, State, and Federal 

agencies; Tribes; and the public to 

comment on the following applications: 

Application No. Applicant Species Location Activity Type of take Permit 

action 

PER0016072 .. Brittany Rogness, 

Urbana, IL.

Indiana bat (Myotis 

sodalis), gray bat 

(Myotis 

grisescens), northern long-eared bat 

(M. 

septentrionalis).

IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, 

MN, MO, WV, WI.

Conduct presence/ 

absence surveys, 

document habitat 

use, conduct population monitoring, 

evaluate impacts.

Capture, handle, 

harp trap, mistnet, band, collect 

tissue samples, 

radio-tag, enter 

hibernacula, release.

New. 

ES95228C ...... Terry VanDeWalle, 

Brandon, IA.

Add: New species— 

Rusty patched 

bumble bee 

(Bombus affinis)— 

to existing authorized species: 

Eastern 

Massasauga 

(Sistrurus 

catenatus).

IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, 

MO, WI.

Conduct presence/ 

absence surveys, 

document habitat 

use, conduct population monitoring, 

evaluate impacts.

Capture, handle, 

temporary hold, 

release.

Amend. 

ES72093B ...... Rebecca 

Winterringer, Euclid, OH.

34 freshwater mussel species.Add: New location— 

KS—to existing 

authorized locations: AL, AR, IL, 

IN, IA, KY, LA, 

MD, MI, MN, MS, 

MO, NJ, NY, NC, 

OK, OH, PA, TN, 

VA, WV, WI.

Conduct presence/ 

absence surveys, 

document habitat 

use, conduct population monitoring, 

evaluate impacts.

Capture, handle, 

temporary hold, 

release.

Amend. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Written comments we receive become 

part of the administrative 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. Moreover, 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. 

Next Steps 

If we decide to issue permits to any 

of the applicants listed in this notice, 

we will publish a notice in the Federal 

Register. 

Authority 

We publish this notice under section 

10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 

1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

seq.). 

Lori Nordstrom, 

Assistant Regional Director, Ecological 

Services. 

[FR Doc. 2021–17995 Filed 8–20–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2021–0074; 

FXES11140400000–212–FF04EF4000] 

Renewal of Enhancement of Survival 

Permit and Modification of Safe Harbor 

Agreement for the Florida Scrub-Jay, 

Volusia County, FL; Categorical 

Exclusion 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comment and information. 

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service), have received a 

written request from Daytona State 

College (applicant) to renew the 

enhancement of the survival permit 


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