Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Initiation of 5-Year Status Reviews of 66 Species in California and Nevada

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of initiation of reviews; request for information.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are initiating 5-year status reviews of 66 species in California and Nevada under the Endangered Species Act. A 5-year review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we are requesting submission of any new information on these species that has become available since the last review.

DATES:

To ensure consideration in our reviews, we are requesting submission of new information no later than March 27, 2020. However, we will continue to accept new information about any species at any time.

ADDRESSES:

For how and where to submit information or questions, see Request for New Information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For general questions, please contact Peter Erickson, 916-414-6741. For whom to contact with species-specific information or questions, see Request for New Information.

Individuals who are hearing impaired or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8337 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Why do we conduct 5-year reviews?

Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we maintain lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plant species (referred to as the List) in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 17.11 (for wildlife) and 17.12 (for plants). Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the Act requires us to review each listed species' status at least once every 5 years. For additional information about 5-year reviews, refer to our factsheet at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/recovery-overview.html.

What information do we consider in our review?

A 5-year review considers all new information available at the time of the review. In conducting these reviews, we consider the best scientific and commercial data that have become available since the listing determination or most recent status review, such as:

(A) Species biology, including but not limited to population trends, distribution, abundance, demographics, and genetics;

(B) Habitat conditions, including but not limited to amount, distribution, and suitability;

(C) Conservation measures that have been implemented to benefit the species;

(D) Threat status and trends in relation to the five listing factors (as defined in section 4(a)(1) of the Act); and

(E) Other new information, data, or corrections, including but not limited to taxonomic or nomenclatural changes, identification of erroneous information contained in the List, and improved analytical methods.

Any new information will be considered during the 5-year review and will also be useful in evaluating the ongoing recovery programs for the species.

Which species are under review?

This notice announces our active review of the species listed in the table below.

Request for New Information

To ensure that a 5-year review is complete and based on the best available scientific and commercial information, we request new information from all sources. See What Information Do We Consider in Our Review? for specific criteria. If you submit information, please support it with documentation such as maps, bibliographic references, methods used to gather and analyze the data, and/or copies of any pertinent publications, reports, or letters by knowledgeable sources.

To get more information on a species, submit information on a species, or review information we receive, please use the contact information for the Lead Fish and Wildlife Office for the species specified in the table above.

Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office: Bradd Baskerville-Bridges, 760-431-9440 (phone); fw8cfwocomments@fws.gov (email); or 2177 Salk Avenue, Suite 250, Carlsbad, CA 92008 (U.S. mail, hand-delivery, or in-person review of documents).

Reno Fish and Wildlife Office: Shawna Theisen, 775-861-6378 (phone); shawna_theisen@fws.gov (email); or 1340 Financial Boulevard, Suite 234, Reno, NV 89502 (U.S. mail, hand-delivery, or in-person review of documents).

Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office: Josh Hull, 916-414-6742 (phone); fw8sfwocomments@fws.gov (email); or 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W2605, Sacramento, CA 95825 (U.S. mail, hand-delivery, or in-person review of documents).

San Francisco Bay-Delta Fish and Wildlife Office: Steven Detwiler, 916-930-2640 (phone); steven_detwiler@fws.gov (email); or 650 Capitol Mall, Sacramento, CA 95814 (U.S. mail, hand-delivery, or in-person review of documents).

Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office: Glen Knowles, 702-515-5244 (phone); glen_knowles@fws.gov (email); or 4701 N Torrey Pines Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89130 (U.S. mail, hand-delivery, or in-person review of documents).

Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office: Cat Darst, 805-677-3318 (phone); cat_darst@fws.gov (email); or 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura CA 93003 (U.S. mail, hand-delivery, or in-person review of documents).

Public Availability of Comments

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.

Comments and materials received will be available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the offices to which the comments are submitted.

Authority

This document is published under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).