Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Rule Removing the Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus) From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), hereby remove the Virginia northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus), now more commonly known as the West Virginia northern flying squirrel (WVNFS), from the List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife due to recovery. This action is based on a review of the best available scientific and commercial data, which indicate that the subspecies is no longer endangered or threatened with extinction, or likely to become so within the foreseeable future. Habitat regeneration and recovery actions have resulted in a reduction in the threats, which has led to: (1) A significant increase in the number of known WVNFS captures and distinct capture locations; (2) verification of multiple-generation reproduction and persistence throughout the range; (3) proven WVNFS resiliency; and (4) substantial improvement and continued expansion of suitable habitat rangewide.