# Endangered Wildlife and Plants; 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, invite the public to comment on the following applications for a permit to conduct scientific research to promote conservation or other activities intended to recover and enhance endangered species survival. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits certain activities that may impact endangered species, unless a Federal permit allows such activity. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.
**DATES:**
To ensure consideration, please submit your written comments by February 23, 2026.
**ADDRESSES:**
*Document availability:* Request documents from the contact in the *FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT* section.
*Comment submission:* Submit comments by email to *[email protected].* Please specify the permit application you are interested in by number ( *e.g.,* Permit Record No. PER1234567).
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Katie Boyer, Acting Supervisor, Environmental Review Division, by phone at 737-932-1341, or via email at *[email protected].* 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:**
**Background**
With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 *et seq.* ), prohibits activities that constitute take of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activity. The ESA's definition of “take” includes hunting, shooting, harming, wounding, or killing, and also such activities as pursuing, harassing, trapping, capturing, or collecting.
The ESA and our implementing regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at title 50, part 17, provide for issuing such permits and require that we invite public comment before issuing permits for activities involving listed species.
A recovery permit we issue under the ESA, section 10(a)(1)(A), authorizes the permittee to conduct activities with endangered or threatened species for scientific purposes that promote recovery or enhance the species' propagation or survival. These activities often include such prohibited actions as capture and collection. 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**
Documents and other information submitted with these applications are available for review by any party who submits a request as specified in *ADDRESSES* . Our release of documents is subject to Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) and Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) requirements.
Proposed activities in the following permit requests are for the recovery and enhancement of propagation or survival of the species in the wild. 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. Please refer to the permit record number when submitting comments.
| Permit record No. | Applicant | Species | Location | Activity | Type of take | Permit action |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| PER23398797 | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 2/Ocelot Recovery; Alpine, Arizona | Ocelot (
) | Ohio, Texas | Captive propagation, bio-sample | Harass, harm | New. |
| PER23398796 | Bruhns, Wanda; Flagstaff, Arizona | Southwestern willow flycatcher (
) | Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Utah | Presence/absence surveys, nest monitoring | Harass, harm | New. |
| PER23188967 | Norris, Thomas; Kyle, Texas | Golden-cheeked warbler (
) | Texas | Presence/absence surveys | Harass, harm | New. |
| PER23249867 | Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; Durant, Oklahoma | Gray bat (
), Indiana bat (
), northern long-eared bat (
) | Oklahoma | Presence/absence surveys, bio-sample | Harass, harm, capture | New. |
| PER22884850 | Jenkerson, Jeffrey; San Marcos, Texas | Texas hornshell (
), Ouachita rock pocketbook (
), Neosho mucket (
), scaleshell mussel (
), winged mapleleaf (
), dunes sagebrush lizard (
) | Arkansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas | Presence/absence surveys, relocations, trap | Harass, harm, capture | Amend. |
| PER21892107 | Vidal, Amanda; Leander, Texas | Golden-cheeked warbler (
) | Texas | Presence/absence surveys | Harass, harm | New. |
| PER21921910 | Lewis, Chancey; Cameron, Texas | Houston toad (
) | Texas | Presence/absence surveys | Harass, harm | Renew. |
| PER21485967 | Allira, Meagan; Norman, Oklahoma | Gray bat (
), Indiana bat (
) | Oklahoma | Presence/absence surveys | Harass, harm, capture | New. |
| PER21344773 | Edwards, Christine; St. Louis, Missouri | Texas trailing phlox (
) | Texas | Presence/absence surveys, collection | Harm, collect | Renew. |
| PER21344774 | Tetra Tech, Inc.—Tucson; Tucson, Arizona | Southwestern willow flycatcher (
) | Arizona | Presence/absence surveys | Harass, harm | Amend. |
| PER21266468 | Frey, Jennifer; Radium Springs, New Mexico | New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (
), Penasco least chipmunk (
) | Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico | Presence/absence surveys, trap, capture, handle, tag, bio-sample | Harass, harm, capture | New. |
| PER21344775 | Leonard, Wendy; Helotes, Texas | Golden-cheeked warbler (
) | Texas | Presence/absence surveys | Harass, harm | Renew. |
| PER21339358 | Brown and Gay Engineers, Inc.; Frisco, Texas | Golden-cheeked warbler (
), lesser prairie-chicken (
), dunes sagebrush lizard (
), Houston toad (
) | Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas | Presence/absence surveys, | Harass, harm | Renew. |
| PER21344776 | Dallas Zoo Management, Inc.; Dallas, Texas | Dunes sagebrush lizard (
), Houston toad (
), Barton Springs salamander (
), Texas blind salamander (
) | Texas | Hold, handle, captive rearing, captive propagation, headstarting, captive breeding, educational display, reintroduction | Harass, harm, capture | Renew/amend. |
| PER21894441 | Hawks Aloft, Inc.; Albuquerque, New Mexico | Southwestern willow flycatcher (
) | New Mexico | Presence/absence surveys | Harass, harm | Renew. |
| PER20350238 | Morrison, Michael; Bishop, California | Golden-cheeked warbler (
) | Texas | Presence/absence surveys, band, trap, handle, nest search, camera monitoring, | Harass, harm, capture | Renew. |
| PER20678521 | Forstner, Michael; Seguin, Texas | Houston toad (
), Barton Springs salamander (
), Austin blind salamander (
), fountain darter (
) | Texas | Presence/absence surveys, bio-sample, headstarting, reintroduction, translocation, capture, voucher specimen, captive propagation | Harass, harm, capture, kill | Renew/amend. |
| PER20350987 | Terrell, Danielle; Austin, Texas | Golden-cheeked warbler (
) | Texas | Presence/absence surveys | Harass, harm | Amend. |
| PER20285322 | Borstein, Samuel; San Marcos, Texas | Leon Springs pupfish (
), Comanche Springs pupfish (
), fountain darter (
), Big Bend gambusia (
), Clear Creek gambusia (
), Pecos gambusia (
), peppered chub (
), smalleye shiner (
), sharpnose shiner (
) | Texas | Capture, trap, euthanize, bio-sample, voucher specimen, DNA sequencing | Harass, harm, capture, kill | New. |
| PER22885812 | Henson, Jeremy; Round Rock, Texas | Pink mucket (
), fat pocketbook (
) | Arkansas | Presence/absence surveys | Harass, harm, capture | Amend. |
| PER20370275 | Joint Base San Antonio; Camp Bullis, Texas | Golden-cheeked warbler (
) | Texas | Presence/absence surveys, handle, band | Harass, harm, capture | Renew. |
| PER20284844 | Buckingham, Matthew; Lufkin, Texas | Houston toad (
), Guadalupe fatmucket (
), Texas fatmucket (
), Guadalupe orb (
), Texas pimpleback (
), Balcones spike (
), false spike (
), Texas hornshell (
) | Texas | Presence/absence Surveys, salvage | Harass, harm | New. |
| PER21344777 | Sonoran Institute; Tucson, Arizona | Gila topminnow (
) | Arizona | Presence/absence surveys, voucher specimen | Harass, harm, capture, kill | Renew. |
| | Texas State University; San Marcos, Texas | Barton Springs salamander (
), Austin blind salamander (
), Texas blind salamander (
), fountain darter (
), Comal Springs riffle beetle (
), Comal Springs dryopid beetle (
), Peck's Cave amphipod (
), diamond tryonia (
), Gonzales tryonia (
), phantom tryonia (
), phantom springsnail (
), Pecos amphipod (
), Pecos assiminea snail (
), diminutive amphipod (
), Coffin Cave mold beetle (
), ground beetle (
), ground beetle (
), Helotes mold beetle (
), Kretschmarr Cave mold beetle (
), Tooth Cave ground beetle (
), Cokendolpher cave harvestman (
), Robber Baron Cave meshweaver (
), Madla Cave meshweaver (
), Govermnment Canyon Bat Cave meshweaver (
), Government Canyon Bat Cave spider (
), Tooth Cave spider (
), Tooth Cave pseudoscorpion (
), Bee Creek Cave harvestman (
), Bone Cave harvestman (
), | Texas | Presence/absence surveys, harry, herd, handle, trap, voucher specimen | Harass, harm, capture, kill | Renew. |
| PER20454959 | Kutz, Julie; Albuquerque, New Mexico | Southwestern willow flycatcher (
) | New Mexico | Presence/absence surveys | Harass, harm | New. |
| PER22242412 | USDA Forest Service—Carson National Forest; Taos, New Mexico | Southwestern willow flycatcher (
) | New Mexico | Presence/absence surveys | Harass, harm | Renew/amend. |
| PER20454960 | Bureau of Land Management, Taos Field Office; Taos, New Mexico | Black-footed ferret (
), New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (
), southwestern willow flycatcher (
) | New Mexico | Presence/absence surveys, trap, nest monitoring | Harass, harm, capture | New. |
| PER20735572 | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation—Phoenix; Glendale, Arizona | Wildlife: Desert pupfish (
), Gila chub (
), spikedace (
), woundfin (
), Gila topminnow (
), Colorado pikeminnow (
), Yuma Ridgway's rail (
), loach minnow (
), razorback sucker (
), southwestern willow flycatcher (
); Plants: Pima pineapple cactus (
) | Arizona, New Mexico | Presence/absence surveys, nest monitoring, hold, voucher specimen | Harass, harm, capture, kill | New. |
| PER21273610 | Texas State Aquarium; Corpus Christi, Texas | Ocelot (
) | Texas | Transport, rehabilitation | Harass, harm, capture | Amend. |
| PER23567771 | Nueces County Coastal Parks; Corpus Christi, Texas | Hawksbill sea turtle (
), Kemp's ridley sea turtle (
), leatherback sea turtle (
) | Texas | Hold, handle, tag, nest searching, egg collection, transport, captive incubation | Harass, harm, capture | Amend. |
| PER21593741 | ACI Environmental Consulting; Austin, Texas | Texas hornshell (
), Texas fatmucket (
) | New Mexico, Texas | Presence/absence surveys, relocations | Harass, harm | Amend. |
**Public Availability of Comments**
All comments we receive become part of the public record associated with this action. Requests for copies of comments will be handled in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and Service and Department of the Interior policies and procedures. 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 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.
**Authority**
We provide this notice under section 10 of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 *et seq.* ).
Leston Jacks,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.