FWS proposed new regulations to support conservation in the National Wildlife Refuge System by providing refuge managers with a consistent approach for evaluating and implementing management actions to ensure biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health, in accordance with the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997. 

FWS initiated five-year status reviews under the ESA of 22 animal and plant species. 

FWS announced 90-day findings on petitions to list Betta hendra, Betta rutilans, Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander, pygmy rabbit, Railroad Valley toad, Southern Plains bumble bee, Southwest spring firefly, white-margined penstemon, and yellow-spotted woodland salamander, finding that listing may be warranted under the ESA. 

FWS initiated five-year status reviews under the ESA for the Aleutian shield fern and the Alaska breeding population of Steller’s eider.