United States Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arizona Ecological Services Office 2321 West Royal Palm Road, Suite 103 Phoenix, Arizona 85021-4951 Telephone: (602) 242-0210 FAX: (602) 242-2513 In Reply Refer To: December 20, 2011 AESO/SE 22410-2011-F-0290 Memorandum To: Chief, Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque, New Mexico (Attn: Nicole Jimenez) From: Field Supervisor Subject: Biological and Conference Opinion for Federal Funding of Aquatic Inventory, Survey, and Monitoring Activities, and Conservation Activities for Aquatic Species by Arizona Game and Fish Department, 2011-2020 Thank you for your request for formal consultation and conference with the Arizona Ecological Services Office (AESO) pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544), as amended (Act). Your request was dated June 26, 2011, and received by us on June 27, 2011. At issue are impacts that may result from the proposed Federal funding by Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration (WSFR) of a suite of activities related to aquatic species management by Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) under the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) and Sport Fish Restoration (SFR) Grant for a period of 10-years beginning on July 1, 2011. The project area covers all aquatic habitats in Arizona where the activities included in the proposed action would be undertaken by AGFD in the 10-year period covered by this consultation. The proposed action may directly or indirectly affect listed, proposed, and candidate species and designated or proposed critical habitats in Arizona. In your request for consultation, you indicated that 34 listed, proposed, or candidate species would not be affected by the proposed action. Those species are not aquatic or riparian dependent and would not come into contact with AGFD personnel conducting covered activities in and adjacent to aquatic habitat. Forty nine species provided to us were considered to have a “may affect” determination; however, these were not differentiated into likely or not likely to be adversely affected. Direct and indirect effects are anticipated to all aquatic animal species, and indirect effects are anticipated to marsh- dwelling or riparian-dwelling animal species and plant species. Appendix A contains these tables with the determination made for that species as provided in your request and as determined through our evaluations. Concurrences for species with findings of “may affect, not likely to adversely affect” for aquatic, marsh, or riparian animal and plant species are provided in Appendix B. 2 This biological and conference opinion (BCO) is based on information provided in the project description and supporting information provided with your request for consultation, other materials provided subsequent to June 27, 2011, by WSFR or AGFD, additional information from capture and handling protocols for aquatic animal species, and other sources of information. Literature cited in this BCO is not a complete bibliography of all literature available on the species of concern, survey and monitoring protocols, effects of such activities on aquatic species, or on other subjects considered in this opinion. A complete administrative record of this consultation is on file at this office. Because this BCO is lengthy and complex, we have provided a Table of Contents to assist in your examination of the document. Contents CONSULTATION HISTORY ....................................................................................................... 5 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ACTION .......................................................................... 9 ORGANIZATION OF THE BCO ................................................................................................ 11 STATUS OF THE SPECIES/ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE ................................................ 11 Huachuca springsnail ................................................................................................................ 11 Page springsnail ........................................................................................................................ 14 San Bernardino springsnail ....................................................................................................... 17 Three Forks springsnail............................................................................................................. 20 Kanab ambersnail ...................................................................................................................... 23 Stephan’s riffle beetle ............................................................................................................... 25 Apache trout .............................................................................................................................. 28 Beautiful shiner ......................................................................................................................... 30 Bonytail ..................................................................................................................................... 33 Colorado pikeminnow ............................................................................................................... 36 Desert and Quitobaquito pupfishes ........................................................................................... 39 Gila chub ................................................................................................................................... 41 Gila topminnow ........................................................................................................................ 44 Gila trout ................................................................................................................................... 46 Headwater chub ........................................................................................................................ 48 Humpback chub ........................................................................................................................ 50 Little Colorado spinedace ......................................................................................................... 53 Loach minnow .......................................................................................................................... 56 Razorback sucker ...................................................................................................................... 60 Roundtail chub .......................................................................................................................... 63 3 Sonora chub .............................................................................................................................. 66 Spikedace .................................................................................................................................. 68 Virgin River chub ..................................................................................................................... 71 Virgin spinedace ....................................................................................................................... 74 Woundfin .................................................................................................................................. 76 Yaqui catfish ............................................................................................................................. 80 Yaqui chub ................................................................................................................................ 82 Yaqui topminnow ...................................................................................................................... 84 Zuni bluehead sucker ................................................................................................................ 86 Arizona treefrog Huachuca DPS ............................................................................................... 88 Chiricahua leopard frog ............................................................................................................ 90 Northern leopard frog ............................................................................................................... 94 Relict leopard frog .................................................................................................................... 96 Sonoran tiger salamander .......................................................................................................... 97 Narrow-headed gartersnake .................................................................................................... 101 Northern Mexican gartersnake ................................................................................................ 103 Sonoyta mud turtle .................................................................................................................. 106 New Mexico meadow jumping mouse ................................................................................... 109 EFFECTS OF THE ACTION ..................................................................................................... 111 Invertebrates ............................................................................................................................ 112 Fish .......................................................................................................................................... 114