CONSERVATION AGREEMENT AND STRATEGY FOR GRAHAM’S BEARDTONGUE (PENSTEMON GRAHAMII) ANDConservation Agreement • July 14th, 2014
Contract Type FiledJuly 14th, 2014In August 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed to list Penstemon grahamii (Graham’s beardtongue) and Penstemon scariosus var. albifluvis (White River beardtongue) as threatened (78 FR 47590) (the Proposed Rule), and to designate approximately 82,873 acres as critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 (as amended) (78 FR 47832). The Proposed Rule describes potential threats that based on best available information in the opinion of USFWS could impact 91% and 100%, respectively, of the total known populations of Graham’s and White River beardtongues. Many of the potential threats described in the Proposed Rule are related to energy development, particularly conventional oil and gas development and oil shale and tar sands development. Because a significant proportion of the species’ known distributions occurrences are on state and privately owned lands, Uintah County, the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) and several
CONSERVATION AGREEMENT AND STRATEGY FOR GRAHAM’S BEARDTONGUE (PENSTEMON GRAHAMII) ANDConservation Agreement • July 14th, 2014
Contract Type FiledJuly 14th, 2014In August 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed to list Penstemon grahamii (Graham’s beardtongue) and Penstemon scariosus var. albifluvis (White River beardtongue) as threatened (78 FR 47590) (the Proposed Rule), and to designate approximately 82,873 acres as critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 (as amended) (78 FR 47832). The Proposed Rule describes potential threats that based on best available information in the opinion of USFWS could impact 91% and 100%, respectively, of the total known populations of Graham’s and White River beardtongues. Many of the potential threats described in the Proposed Rule are related to energy development, particularly conventional oil and gas development and oil shale and tar sands development. Because a significant proportion of the species’ known distributions occurrences are on state and privately owned lands, Uintah County, the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) and several