Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Nine Species Not Warranted for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species
- Published
- Sep 4, 2026
- Citation
- 91 FR 56783
- Docket
- FXES1111090FEDR-267-FF09E21000
- Agencies
- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Fish and Wildlife Service
Notification of findings.
Summary
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced that, after reviewing the best available scientific and commercial data, nine wildlife and plant species do **not** meet the criteria for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service concluded that the Big Bar hesperian snail, Chesapeake logperch, Kirtland’s snake, orangefin madtom, Shasta chaparral, Shasta hesperian snail, Shasta sideband snail, tall western penstemon, and Wintu sideband snail are currently stable enough that listing them as “endangered” or “threatened” is not warranted. The decision is meant to focus limited conservation resources on species that face a higher risk of extinction while still keeping these nine species under observation. The rule was issued by the Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service and applies to the nine listed species and their habitats across the United States. It became effective on the date of publication, **September 4, 2026**, and because it is a final finding rather than a proposed rule, there is no formal comment deadline. However, the Service invites anyone with new scientific information or observations about the status of these species or their environments to submit that data at any time, which could prompt a future reassessment. Going forward, the USFWS will continue its routine monitoring of the nine species. If credible, new information emerges that indicates a change in their condition, the Service may revisit the decision and could initiate a listing process later. In the meantime, the species remain unlisted, meaning they are not subject to the specific protections and recovery planning that the ESA provides for listed taxa.
AI-generated summary — verify against the Federal Register text.
Official abstract
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce findings that nine species are not warranted for listing as endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA or Act). After a thorough review of the best scientific and commercial data available, we find that it is not warranted at this time to list the Big Bar hesperian (Vespericola pressleyi), Chesapeake logperch (Percina bimaculate), Kirtland's snake (Clonophis kirtlandii), orangefin madtom (Noturus gilberti), Shasta chaparral (Trilobopsis roperi), Shasta hesperian (Vespericola shasta), Shasta sideband (Monadenia troglodytes troglodytes), tall western penstemon (Penstemon hesperius), and Wintu sideband (Monadenia troglodytes wintu). However, we ask the public to submit to us at any time any new information relevant to the status of any of the species mentioned above or their habitats.
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