Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Establishment of a Nonessential Experimental Population of the Oregon Silverspot Butterfly in Northwestern Oregon

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We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or USFWS), with the support of the State of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), propose to establish a nonessential experimental population (NEP) of the Oregon silverspot butterfly (Speyeria zerene hippolyta), a threatened species, under the authority of section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This proposed rule provides a plan for reintroducing the Oregon silverspot butterfly into portions of the subspecies' historical range at two sites in northwestern Oregon: Saddle Mountain State Natural Area (SNA) in Clatsop County, and Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Tillamook County. It would also provide for allowable legal incidental taking of the Oregon silverspot butterfly within the defined NEP areas. The best available data indicate that reintroduction of the Oregon silverspot butterfly to Saddle Mountain SNA and Nestucca Bay NWR is biologically feasible and would promote the conservation of the subspecies.