U.S. EPA restricts rozol ues for wildlife protection

To address the potential effects from Rozol Prairie Dog Bait to wildlife listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, the EPA is publishing Endangered Species Protection Bulletins for Rozol Prairie Dog Bait on website.

These Bulletins reflect agreements made between the registrant for Rozol Prairie Dog Bait (LiphaTech), the EPA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) to implement the Conservation Measures described in FWS’s final and draft Biological Opinions addressing the potential effects from Rozol Prairie Dog Bait to wildlife listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The EPA sought comments on FWS’s draft Biological Opinion in January 2012.

Based on these conservation measures, we anticipate that the use of Rozol Prairie Dog Bait is not likely to result in jeopardy of any listed threatened or endangered species. The Conservation Measures include:

• Prohibiting application of Rozol Prairie Dog Bait within current and future black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) reintroduction areas to reduce the level of impact on the black-footed ferret;

• Prohibiting application of Rozol Prairie Dog Bait within five southwestern New Mexico counties to avoid impacts on listed species including the Chiricahua leopard frog (Lithobates [Rana] chiricahuensis), jaguar (Panthera onca), New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi obscures), Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus), and the Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida);

• Shortening the application season where the range of the black-tailed prairie dog overlaps with listed species including the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) and Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei); and

• Amending the Rozol product label to require enhanced searches to remove poisoned prairie dogs.

These Bulletins will put into place geographic restrictions on the use of Rozol Prairie Dog Bait in six states (Colorado, Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Wyoming) in order to minimize potential adverse impacts to eight federally listed species. The Bulletins will become enforceable on October 1, 2012, which is the start of the Rozol Prairie Dog Bait use season.