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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 119 / Thursday, June 24, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
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we did not designate critical habitat because we found that designation would be not prudent due to a danger of over-collection or purposeful harm or killing of snails if the locations of the snails were made public on critical habitat maps. On October 12, 1995, we finalized the Kanab ambersnail recovery plan Service 1995, entire.
We completed a 5-year review of the species status in July 2011 Service 2011, entire. As of the time of the 2011
5-year review, several genetic studies indicated that at least one of the three populations identified as the Kanab ambersnail was potentially part of a different species or subspecies, but we did not consider those studies alone to be certain enough to recommend delisting at that time Miller et al. 2000, p. 8; Stevens et al. 2000, p. 7; Culver et al. 2007, p. 3; Service 2011, pp. 89.
The subsequent publication of a larger, more comprehensive study on the genetics of the Kanab ambersnail and the Oxyloma genus Culver et al. 2013, entire resulted in our proposed rule to delist Kanab ambersnail based on new taxonomic information indicating that it was not a valid taxon, published in the Federal Register on January 6, 2020 85
FR 487. Please refer to that proposed rule for a more detailed description of the Federal actions concerning this species that occurred prior to November 26, 2019.
Species Description and Habitat Information It is our intent to discuss only those topics directly related to delisting the Kanab ambersnail in this rule. For more information on the description, biology, ecology, and habitat of the Kanab ambersnail, please refer to the final listing rule published in the Federal Register on April 17, 1992 57 FR
13657; the Kanab ambersnail recovery plan Service 1995; the most recent 5year review for the Kanab ambersnail completed in July 2011 Service 2011;
or any of the documents referenced by this rule. The Service documents, personal communications, and a list of cited literature are available as supporting materials on http
www.regulations.gov under Docket No.
FWSR6ES20190055.
The Kanab ambersnail Oxyloma haydeni kanabensis was taxonomically identified as a terrestrial snail in the family Succineidae. Succineids are usually referred to as ambersnails due to their mottled grayish-amber to yellowish-amber colored shells Sorensen and Nelson 2002, p. 5.
The Kanab ambersnail typically inhabits marshes and other wetlands watered by springs and seeps at the base
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of sandstone or limestone cliffs Clarke 1991, pp. 2829; Spamer and Bogan 1993, p. 296; Meretsky et al. 2002, p.
309. Habitat vegetation can consist of cattail Typha domingensis, sedge Juncus spp., native crimson monkeyflower Mimulus cardinalis, watercress Nasturtium officinale, native water sedge Carex aquatilis, and maidenhair fern Adiantum capillusveneris 57 FR 13657, April 17, 1992;
Stevens et al. 1997, p. 6; Sorensen 2005, p. 3. The Kanab ambersnail often inhabits dead and decaying litter and live stems of plants Service 2011, p.
11.
When the Kanab ambersnail was listed, we knew of two populations in Utah Three Lakes and Kanab Creek Canyon and one population in Arizona Vaseys Paradise 57 FR 13657, April 17, 1992. The Kanab Creek Canyon population in Utah was extirpated by 1991, after dewatering of the seep for livestock use severely reduced the available habitat. Kanab ambersnails were last found there in 1990, when three individuals were identified Service 2011, p. 12. Currently, there are two naturally occurring populations of Kanab ambersnails Vaseys Paradise in Arizona, and Three Lakes in Utah and one introduced population Upper Elves Canyon in Arizona established with individuals translocated from Vaseys Paradise Service 2011, p. 6.
The Vaseys Paradise population was discovered in 1991 Spamer and Bogan 1993, p. 47. Vaseys Paradise is a riverside spring located approximately 33 miles mi 53 kilometers km downstream of Lees Ferry on the Colorado River, in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona Spamer and Bogan 1993, p. 37. Occupied and potential habitat at Vaseys Paradise is 9,041 square feet ft2 840 square meters m2 Service 1995, p. ii. The population is protected by National Park Service regulations and the presence of poison ivy, which deters visitors Stevens et al. 1997, p. 12; Sorensen 2016, pers. comm..
Monitoring of the Vaseys Paradise population from 2007 to present has relied on timed counts of live snails observed among the traditionally sampled vegetation patches. The timed count sampling provides a catch-perunit-effort CPUE estimate of relative abundance of the snails in each survey.
Over the past decade, there have been seasonal and annual variations in CPUE
estimates of the Vaseys Paradise population. Overall the relative abundance of this Kanab ambersnail population has declined substantially from the levels observed in the late 1990s and prior to 2002, when drought
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conditions and reduced spring flow became particularly severe Sorensen 2015, p. 10; Sorensen 2020, p. 1. This decline has continued since 2011
Sorensen 2015, p. 10; Sorensen 2020, p.
1.
The most recent population estimate is from 2002, which estimated 3,124
individuals and noted that population numbers could be highly variable from year to year Gloss et al. 2005, p. 3.
Fourteen individuals were collected in 2008, for genetic analysis Culver et al.
2013, p. 7. A survey in 2016 found only one snail, but search conditions were difficult and time was limited Sorensen 2016, pers. comm..
The Three Lakes population is a series of small ponds on private land approximately 6 mi 10 km northwest of Kanab, Utah Clarke 1991, p. 28;
Service 1995, p. 3. Occupied and potential habitat is approximately 4.94
acres ac 2 hectares ha Service 1995, p. 3. Available habitat is wet meadow and marsh. The habitat was greatly reduced in size and the population declined beginning in 1991, due to preparations for anticipated development, which resulted in the original emergency listing 57 FR 13657, April 17, 1992. The development anticipated at the time of listing has not occurred, and Kanab ambersnails were found there in 2008 Culver et al. 2013, p. 6 and 2016 Sorensen 2016, pers.
comm..
A timed count survey of the Three Lakes population was conducted in early October 2011 by Service, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and Arizona Fish and Game Department biologists. The Three Lakes Kanab ambersnail population was robust with a CPUE estimate of 10.47 snails per 10
minutes searched Sorensen 2011, p.
14. In 2016, the land was sold to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, which has expressed a willingness to preserve the habitat. A followup survey of the Three Lakes Kanab ambersnail population was conducted by the same partners in early May 2017, with an estimated CPUE of 158.75 snails per 10 minutes searched Sorensen 2017, pers. comm..
Upper Elves Canyon is located approximately 83 mi 134 km downstream of Vaseys Paradise on the Colorado River, in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona Sorensen 2016, p. 1. Occupied and potential habitat is adjacent to a perennial seep and is 1,068
ft2 99.2 m2 Sorensen 2005, p. 3. This population is protected by National Park Service regulations, as well as by its inaccessibility Service 2011, p. 7. This population was established by the Arizona Fish and Game Department between 1998 and 2002, by
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