# Endangered Species; 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, permit renewals, and/or permit amendments to conduct activities intended to enhance the propagation or survival of endangered 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 written data or comments on the applications by November 10, 2022.
**ADDRESSES:**
*Reviewing Documents:* Submit requests for copies of applications and other information submitted with the applications to Karen Marlowe (see *FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT* ). All requests and comments should specify the applicant name and application number ( *e.g.,* Mary Smith, ESPER0001234).
*Submitting Comments:* If you wish to comment, you may submit comments by one of the following methods:
• *Email (preferred method): [email protected].* Please include your name and return address in your email message. If you do not receive a confirmation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that we have received your email message, contact us directly at the telephone number listed in *FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT* .
• *U.S. mail:* U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Office, Ecological Services, 1875 Century Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30345 (Attn: Karen Marlowe, Permit Coordinator).
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Karen Marlowe, Permit Coordinator, 404-679-7097 (telephone) or *[email protected]* (email). 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:**
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite review and comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies on applications we have received for permits to conduct certain activities with endangered and threatened species under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 *et seq.* ), and our regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR part 17. Documents and other information submitted with the applications are available for review, subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a) and the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).
**Background**
With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits take of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that authorizes such take. The ESA's definition of “take” includes hunting, shooting, harming, wounding, or killing, and also such activities as pursuing, harassing, trapping, capturing, or collecting.
A recovery permit issued by us under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA authorizes the permittee to take endangered or threatened species while engaging in activities that are conducted for scientific purposes that promote recovery of species or for enhancement of propagation or survival of species. These activities often include the capture and collection of species, which would result in prohibited take if a permit were not issued. 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**
The ESA requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits. Accordingly, we invite local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies and the public to submit written data, views, or arguments with respect to these applications. The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are those supported by quantitative information or studies. Proposed activities in the following permit requests are for the recovery and enhancement of propagation or survival of the species in the wild.
| Permit application No. | Applicant | Species | Location | Activity | Type of take | Permit action |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| TE 61981B-4 | The Peregrine Fund, Boise, ID | Puerto Rican sharp-shinned hawk (
) | Puerto Rico | Captive propagation and reintroduction | Capture; band; color band; radio tag; collect blood and chest feathers; salvage carcasses, eggshells, and infertile eggs; treat individuals and nests for parasites; feed; collect eggs for captive propagation; and release | Renewal and amendment. |
| TE 237544-2 | Stephen Golladay, Newton, GA | Fat threeridge (
), Gulf moccasinshell (
), oval pigtoe (
), purple bankclimber (
), and shinyrayed pocketbook (
) | Georgia | Presence/ | Capture, handle, identify, release, and salvage relic shells | Renewal. |
| TE 063179-9 | Edwards-Pitman Environmental, Inc., Atlanta, GA | Fishes: Amber darter (
), blue shiner (
[=
]
), Cherokee darter (
), Conasauga logperch (
), Etowah darter (
), goldline darter (
), snail darter (
), and trispot darter (
); | Georgia and North Carolina | Presence/ | Capture, handle, identify, release, and salvage relic shells | Renewal. |
| TE 117405-5 | Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, TN | Mammals: Gray bat (
), Indiana bat (
), northern long-eared bat (
), and Virginia big-eared bat (
); Reptiles: Flattened musk turtle (
) and ringed map turtle (
); Fishes: Alabama cavefish (
), Alabama sturgeon (
), amber darter (
), blackside dace (
), blue shiner (
[=
]
), bluemask darter (
), boulder darter (
), Cahaba shiner (
), Cherokee darter (
), chucky madtom (
), Conasauga logperch (
), Cumberland darter (
), duskytail darter (
), | Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia | Presence/probable absence surveys and population monitoring | Mammals: Enter hibernacula or maternity roost caves, capture with mist nets or harp traps, handle, identify, band, collect hair samples, radio tag, light tag, and wing punch; Reptiles: Capture, identify, and release; Fishes: Capture, identify, fin clip, and release; Mussels and Snails: Capture, identify, release, and salvage relic shells; Arachnids: Search bryophyte mats; Crustaceans: Capture, identify, measure, sex, and release; Plants: Remove and reduce to possession (collect) seeds and plant material | Renewal and amendment. |
| | | finerayed pigtoe (
), flat pigtoe (
), fluted kidneyshell (
), Georgia pigtoe (
), green blossom (
), heavy pigtoe (
), inflated heelsplitter (
), littlewing pearlymussel (
), northern riffleshell (
), orangefoot pimpleback (
), orangenacre mucket (
), ovate clubshell (
), oyster mussel (
), pale lilliput (
), pink mucket (
), purple bean (
), purple cat's paw (
), rabbitsfoot (
), rayed bean (
), ring pink (
), rough pigtoe (
), rough rabbitsfoot (
), scaleshell mussel (
), sheepnose mussel (
), shiny pigtoe (
), slabside pearlymussel (
), | | | | |
| | | snuffbox mussel (
), southern acornshell (
), southern clubshell (
), southern combshell (
), | | | | |
| | | winged mapleleaf (
), and | | | | |
| | | rough hornsnail (
), royal marstonia (
), slender campeloma (
), and tulotoma snail (
); Arachnids: Spruce-fir moss spider (
); Crustaceans: Kentucky cave shrimp (
) and Nashville crayfish (
); | | | | |
| | | Plants: Alabama leather flower (
), Alabama streak-sorus fern (
var.
), American chaffseed (
), American hart's tongue fern (
var.
), Blue Ridge goldenrod (
bunched arrowhead (
), | | | | |
| | | Cumberland rosemary (
), Georgia rockcress (
), fleshy-fruit gladecress (
), green pitcher-plant (
), harperella (
), Heller's blazingstar (
), large-flowered skullcap (
), | | | | |
| | | leafy prairie-clover (
), lyrate bladderpod (
Michaux's sumac (
), Mohr's Barbara's buttons (
), Morefields leather flower (
), Mountain sweet pitcher-plant (
ssp.
), persistent trillium (
), | | | | |
| | | pondberry (
), Prices potato-bean (
), Guthrie's [=Pyne's] ground-plum (
), relict trillium (
Roan Mountain bluet (
var.
), rock gnome lichen (
), Ruth's golden aster (
), Short's bladderpod (
), | | | | |
| | | small whorled pogonia (
), smooth coneflower (
), spreading avens (
), Spring Creek bladderpod (
), swamp pink (
), Tennessee yellow-eyed grass (
), Virginia round-lead birch (
), Virginia spiraea (
), white irisette (
), and whorled sunflower (
) | | | | |
| TE 34882A-4 | Mark Bailey, Andalusia, AL | Black warrior waterdog (
) | Alabama | Presence/ | Capture, handle, and release | Amendment. |
| TE 81492B-1 | Dylan Brooks, Sylva, NC | Gray bat (
), Indiana bat (
), and northern long-eared bat (
) | Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin | Presence/ | Capture with mist nets and harp traps, handle, identify, band, and radio tag | Renewal and amendment. |
| TE 070846-4 | Jeffrey Walters, Blacksburg, VA | Red-cockaded woodpecker (
) | Camp Lejeune, NC | Population management and monitoring | Monitor nests, capture, band, radio tag, construct artificial nest cavities and restrictors, and translocate | Renewal. |
| TE 91733B-1 | Joshua Adams, Lexington, KY | Mammals: Gray bats (
), Indiana bats (
), northern long-eared bats (
), Ozark big-eared bat
and Virginia big-eared bats
); Fishes: Blackside dace
) and Kentucky arrow darter (
) | Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin | Presence/ | Mammals: Capture with mist nets, handle, band, radio tag, and release; Fishes: capture via seining, netting, or electroshocking, handle, identify, and release | Renewal |
**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 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.
**Next Steps**
If we decide to issue a permit to an applicant 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.* ).
John Tirpak,
Deputy Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services, Southeast Region.