Notice2026-10238
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Enhancement of Survival Permit Application; Conservation Benefit Agreement for the Greenback Cutthroat Trout; Colorado
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 22, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service
Abstract
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are announcing the availability of documents supporting Colorado Parks and Wildlife's (CPW) application for an enhancement of survival permit (permit) for the greenback cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii stomias, GBCT) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. CPW's permit application includes a programmatic conservation benefit agreement (CBA) for the GBCT, which would enable CPW and nonfederal landowners to implement conservation measures for the species. The documents available for review and comment are the applicant's CBA and our draft environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, which support a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act. We invite comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 99 (Friday, May 22, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 99 (Friday, May 22, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30325-30326]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-10238]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2026-0826; FXES11140600000-267-FF06E24000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Enhancement of
Survival Permit Application; Conservation Benefit Agreement for the
Greenback Cutthroat Trout; Colorado
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are
announcing the availability of documents supporting Colorado Parks and
Wildlife's (CPW) application for an enhancement of survival permit
(permit) for the greenback cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii
stomias, GBCT) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
CPW's permit application includes a programmatic conservation benefit
agreement (CBA) for the GBCT, which would enable CPW and nonfederal
landowners to implement conservation measures for the species. The
documents available for review and comment are the applicant's CBA and
our draft environmental action statement and low-effect screening form,
which support a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental
Policy Act. We invite comments from the public and Federal, Tribal,
State, and local governments.
DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before June
22, 2026. Comments submitted online at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> (see
ADDRESSES) must be received by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the closing
date.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: The documents this notice announces, as well
as any comments and other materials that we receive, will be available
for public inspection online in Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2026-0826 at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Submitting comments: All submissions must include the docket number
[FWS-R6-ES-2026-0826] this document. To submit written comments, please
use one of the following methods, and note that your information
requests or comments are in reference to the greenback cutthroat trout
CBA.
<bullet> Online: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments to Docket Number FWS-R6-ES-2026-
0826.
<bullet> U.S. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R6-ES-2026-0826; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS:
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
Comments submitted through any method not authorized in this
document, or sent to an address not listed here, will not be
considered. We will not accept comments via email, fax, or hand
delivery. We are not required to consider comments that are submitted
after the comment period ends or that are submitted via a method
outside of these instructions. Comments containing profanity,
vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate content will not be
considered.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laurel Hill, by phone at 720-903-9407
or email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8ae6ebfff8efe6d5e2e3e6e6caecfdf9a4ede5fc"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="076b667275626b586f6e6b6b4761707429606871">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals in the United States who
are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may
dial 711 (TTY, TTD, 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
(Service), have received an application from Colorado Parks and
Wildlife (CPW). The applicant has applied for a 20-year enhancement of
survival permit (permit) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The application addresses the
potential take of the greenback cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii
stomias) associated with the implementation of a conservation benefit
agreement (CBA) on nonfederal lands throughout the South Platte River
Basin and Bear Creek in the Arkansas River Basin, in Colorado.
Applicant's Conservation Benefit Agreement
CPW has submitted this CBA to implement reintroductions of the GBCT
on enrolled nonfederal lands throughout the South Platte River Basin in
Colorado, and Bear Creek in the Arkansas River Basin. This includes the
counties of Larimer, Boulder, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Park, Jefferson,
Douglas, El Paso, and Teller. Through the CBA, CPW and participating
landowners will work to restore GBCT populations; improve management,
protection, enhancement, and restoration of instream habitat; prevent
non-native fish invasion; improve water quality; reduce erosion; reduce
sedimentation; improve riparian habitat; and/or improve land use
practices on enrolled lands during the term of the CBA. The requested
permit duration is 20 years, and the CBA provides regulatory assurances
to enrolled landowners: as long as enrolled landowners are properly
implementing the CBA, the Service will not impose additional
requirements or restrictions beyond those voluntarily agreed to and
described in the CBA.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become part of the administrative
record associated with this action. Before
[[Page 30326]]
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 request in your
comment that we 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
After the public comment period ends (see DATES), we will evaluate
the permit application, associated documents, and any comments received
to determine whether the permit application meets the requirements of
section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA. We will also evaluate whether issuance
of the requested permit would comply with section 7 of the ESA by
conducting an intra-Service consultation under section 7(a)(2) of the
ESA on the proposed action. The final National Environmental Policy Act
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and permit determinations will not be
completed until after the end of the 30-day comment period and will
fully consider all comments received during the comment period. If we
determine that all requirements are met, we will issue an Enhancement
of Survival Permit under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA and associated
implementing regulations found at 50 CFR 17.32(c).
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the Endangered
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations
(50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32) and the National Environmental Policy Act (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.5
and 43 CFR 46.305).
Marjorie Nelson,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services, Mountain-Prairie
Region.
[FR Doc. 2026-10238 Filed 5-21-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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