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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 161 / Tuesday, August 24, 2021 / Rules and Regulations neonicotinoids on all lands in the National Wildlife Refuge System in 2014 Service 2014; however, no refuge lands occur within the range of the Franklins bumble bee, and the Service rescinded the ban in 2018 Service 2018b, entire. None of these aforementioned regulatory or conservation measures has appreciably reduced or fully ameliorated threats to the Franklins bumble bee, as evidenced by the species acute and rangewide decline.
We note that, by using the SSA
framework to guide our analysis of the scientific information documented in the SSA report, we have not only analyzed individual effects on the species, but we have also analyzed their potential cumulative effects. We incorporate the cumulative effects into our SSA analysis when we characterize the current and future condition of the species. Our assessment of the current status of the Franklins bumble bee incorporates the threats individually and cumulatively. Our assessment is iterative because it accumulates and evaluates the effects of all the factors that may be influencing the species, including threats and conservation efforts. Because the SSA framework considers not just the presence of the factors, but to what degree they collectively influence risk to the entire species, our assessment integrates the cumulative effects of the factors and replaces a standalone cumulative effects analysis.

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Summary of Status The significant decrease in abundance and distribution of the Franklins bumble bee to date has greatly reduced the species ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions and to guard against further losses of adaptive diversity and potential extinction due to catastrophic events. It also substantially reduced the ability of the Franklins bumble bee to withstand environmental variation, catastrophic events, and changes in physical and biological conditions. Coupled with the increased risk of extirpation due to the interaction of reduced population size and the species haplodiploid genetic system, the Franklins bumble bee may lack the resiliency required to sustain populations into the future, even without further exposure to pathogens and pesticides.
Summary of Comments and Recommendations In our proposed rule published on August 13, 2019 84 FR 40006, we requested that all interested parties submit written comments on the
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proposal by October 15, 2019. All comments we received are posted at http www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FWSR1ES20180044.
We contacted appropriate Federal and State agencies in both Oregon and California, scientific experts and organizations, and other interested parties and invited them to comment on the proposal, even if they previously provided peer or partner review comments on the SSA report. We did not receive any additional comments from individuals or agencies who had previously provided peer review or partner review on the SSA report. We did not receive any requests for a public hearing. We reviewed all comments for substantive issues and new information regarding the Franklins bumble bee.
During the comment period, we received 53 letters or statements directly addressing the proposed action, including one comment with 15,749
signatures supporting the listing of the Franklins bumble bee. All but one of the commenters supported the listing of the Franklins bumble bee as endangered. All but one of the commenters disagreed with our determination that designating critical habitat is not prudent. Substantive comments we received during the comment period are addressed below and, where appropriate, are incorporated directly into this final rule.
Public Comments 1 Comment: Several commenters disagreed with our conclusion that Franklins bumble bees are habitat generalists. Commenters stated that the limited range of the species demonstrates that it is only found in specific habitats and that if the species was truly a habitat generalist, it would be expected to have a much larger range.
They noted that the range of the species is limited to the Siskiyou Mountains, a subset of the Klamath Mountain region of southern Oregon and southwestern California, and that there are specific characteristics of Franklins bumble bee habitat in that area that can be identified, such as montane meadows rich in lupine, California poppy, mountain monardella, and clover.
Commenters note that the Siskiyou Range is known for its high number of endemic species and these other endemic species are not considered habitat generalists.
Our Response: As stated in the SSA
report, our analyses are predicated on multiple assumptions due to the significant lack of species-specific information for Franklins bumble bee 2018a, p. 6. We further note that for the purposes of the analyses in the SSA

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report, we rely heavily on information from closely-related species from the same sub-genus, Bombus sensu stricto, particularly the rusty patched bumble bee and the western bumble bee. The range of the western bumble bee completely overlaps the historical range of Franklins bumble bee, and the western bumble bee is still found at several known Franklins bumble bee locations, most recently in 2019 at Mt.
Ashland, the last known location of Franklins bumble bee. As mentioned in the August 13, 2019, proposed rule 84
FR 40006 and the SSA report, a specific habitat study for the species has not been completed, nor have the specific life-history characteristics and behavior of this rare species been studied.
Despite uncertainties regarding the Franklins bumble bees habitat needs, we know they need 1 floral resources for nectaring throughout the colony cycle, and 2 relatively protected areas for breeding and shelter. The habitat elements appearing to fulfill those needs that have documented use by the Franklins bumble bee are relatively plentiful and widely distributed.
In our expert elicitation, we asked the following question: In looking at the distribution map of all known occurrences of Franklins bumble bee, are there areas in Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Siskiyou, and Trinity Counties in addition to these occurrence sites that might contain the species known foraging plants: Lupine Lupinus spp., California poppy Eschscholzia californica, horsemint or nettle-leaf giant hyssop Agastache urticifolia, and mountain monardella Monardella odoratissima? Dr. Thorp the preeminent authority on Franklins bumble bee responded that he was trying to figure out what defined or limited habitat at the time that the species disappeared. Dr. Thorp noted that the species had historically ranged from 500 ft in elevation at Sutherland to over 6,700 ft at Mt. Shasta and Mt.
Ashland, meaning they could go through multiple mountain passes to extend east or south, but they did not;
they were not limited by geography.
Further, they were also not limited by flowering plants; they are generalist foragers Thorp 2018, pers. comm. In addition, bumble bees are classic generalist foragers, capable of working a wide variety of plants for their resources Williams et al. 2014, p. 15.
The historical record also suggests the Franklins bumble bee may use a variety of nesting substrates given that a colony was found in a residential garage in Medford, Oregon Thorp 2017, pers.
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