Foreign Endangered Species; Receipt of 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, invite the public to comment on applications to conduct certain activities with foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species.

DATES:

We must receive comments by December 21, 2022.

ADDRESSES:

Obtaining Documents: The applications, application supporting materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0153.

Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:

• Internet: https://www.regulations.gov . Search for and submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0153.

• U.S. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0153; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION .

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-2185 or via email at DMAFR@fws.gov. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

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.

You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in ADDRESSES . We will not consider comments sent by email or to an address not in ADDRESSES . We will not consider or include in our administrative record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see DATES ).

When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or commercial data you include. The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations.

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

C. Who will see my comments?

If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold this information from public review. However, 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.

II. Background

To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected species, and in consideration of section 10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we invite public comments on permit applications before final action is taken. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits certain activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. Permits issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA allow otherwise prohibited activities for scientific purposes or to enhance the propagation or survival of the affected species. Service regulations regarding prohibited activities with endangered species, captive-bred wildlife registrations, and permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 17.

III. Permit Applications

We invite comments on the following applications.

Endangered Species

Applicant: Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC; Permit No. PER0054384

The applicant requests a permit to import biological samples derived from wild black rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis) taken in Kruger National Park, South Africa, for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC; Permit No. PER0054387

The applicant requests a permit to import biological samples derived from wild mountain tapirs ( Tapirus pinchaque) taken in Ecuador for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center and NYS Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Ithaca, NY; Permit No. PER0042576

The applicant requests a permit to import biological samples derived from captive-bred African wild dogs ( Lycaon pictus) from the United Kingdom, for the purpose of scientific research. This notification is for a single import. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 1-year period.

Applicant: USGS Western Ecological Research Center, San Diego, CA; Permit No. PER0054702

The applicant requests authorization to import blood samples derived from wild light-footed clapper rail ( Rallus longirostris levipes) from Ensenada, Mexico, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species through scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI; Permit No. PER0040855

The applicant requests authorization to import biological samples for all wildlife species, both of wild-origin and captive-held or captive-bred, for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Safari Wild Animal Park, Como, MS; Permit No. PER0036455

The applicant requests a permit to purchase in interstate commerce 15 captive-born juvenile Galapagos tortoises ( Chelonoidis niger) from Jerry Fife, Laveen, AZ, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species. This notification is for a single interstate commerce activity.

Applicant: Russell B. Kimbrell, Mountain Home, TX; Permit No. PER0025148

The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) for Arabian oryx ( Oryx leucoryx) to enhance the propagation and survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Audubon Nature Institute, New Orleans, LA; Permit No. PER0054404

The applicant requests to amend its captive-bred wildlife registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) to add the following species, in order to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Safari Game Search Foundation, Winston, OR; Permit No. PER0036502

The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) for the following species, to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Applicant: Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI; Permit No. PER0054866

The applicant requests authorization to export and re-import nonliving museum specimens of endangered species previously accessioned into the applicant's collection for scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

Multiple Trophy Applicants

The following applicants request permits to import sport-hunted trophies of male bontebok ( Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from a captive herd maintained under the management program of the Republic of South Africa, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species.

Applicant: William Byron Taylor, Jr., Henderson, TX; Permit No. PER0055329

Applicant: Benjamin Caleb Wright, Montgomery, TX; Permit No. PER0056018

IV. Next Steps

After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register . You may locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to https://regulations.gov and search for “12345A”.

V. Authority

We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its implementing regulations.