Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed Rule to Remove the Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus) From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

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Under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service, us, our, or we), propose to remove the West Virginia northern flying squirrel (WVNFS) (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, due to recovery. This action is based on a review of the best available scientific and commercial data, which indicates that the subspecies is no longer endangered or threatened with extinction, or likely to become so within the foreseeable future. Recovery actions have resulted in a reduction in the threats which has led to: (1) A significant increase in the number of known WVNFS capture sites; (2) an increase in the number of individual squirrels; (3) multiple generation reproduction; (4) the proven resiliency of the squirrels; and (5) the vast improvement and continued expansion of suitable habitat.