[Federal Register: July 29, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 145)]
[Notices]               
[Page 41128-41129]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29jy99-80]                         

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[MT-070-99-1990-00)]

 
Immediate Closure of Area to the Discharge of all Weapons, 
Including Firearms and Bow and Arrow, In and Around Prairie Dog Towns 
Along the East Side of Beartooth Road Which Parallels the East Side of 
Holter Lake, Located 31 Miles Northeast of Helena, MT

AGENCY: Butte Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, DOI.

ACTION: Notice of closure.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that effective immediately all public 
lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that contain 
populations of prairie dogs along the Beartooth Road on the east side 
of Holter Lake are closed to the discharge of weapons in portions of:

Principal Meridian, Montana

T. 14 N., R. 3 W.,
    Sec. 15, NW\1/4\.


[[Page 41129]]


    This closure is yearlong and will remain in effect until further 
notice.
    The reason for the closure is to provide protection for the black-
tailed prairie dog, a BLM-sensitive species. Shooting prairie dogs is a 
popular recreational activity and probably contributes to the species' 
sensitive status. People with firearms have been observed in the 
vicinity of the Beartooth Road prairie dog town.
    This action is taken under the authority of 43 CFR part 8364 and is 
in support of BLM Manual Policy (6840.02B) to ensure that actions 
authorized on BLM-administered lands do not contribute to the need to 
list any other Special Status Species under the provisions of the 
Endangered Species Act. On March 25, 1999, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (USFWS) published a 90-day notice finding that substantial 
information indicates that listing the black-tailed prairie dog may be 
warranted (64 FR 144424). The USFWS is currently reviewing the status 
of the black-tailed prairie dog to determine if it should be listed as 
a threatened species.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wildlife Biologist Bill Dean at the 
BLM Butte Field Office, 106 North Parkmont, Butte, Montana 59701, or 
telephone 406-494-5059.

    Dated: July 20, 1999.
Merle Good,
Butte Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 99-19402 Filed 7-28-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P