Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Nevada Department of Wildlife; Application for Enhancement of Survival Permit; Proposed Programmatic Candidate Conservation Agreement With Assurances for the Relict Leopard Frog; Clark County, Nevada

Résumé

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announce receipt from the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) of an application for an enhancement of survival permit (permit) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The requested permit would authorize take of the relict leopard frog (RLF) resulting from certain land use and conservation activities, should the species be listed as endangered or threatened in the future. The permit application includes a proposed programmatic candidate conservation agreement with assurances (CCAA) between NDOW and the Service. The requested term of the proposed CCAA and permit is 30 years. In accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), we have prepared a draft low-effect screening form supporting our determination that the proposed action qualifies as a categorical exclusion under NEPA. We are accepting comments on the permit application, proposed CCAA, and draft NEPA compliance documentation.