[Federal Register: July 6, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 130)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 35580-35581]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06jy01-23]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
RIN 1018-AH96
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Availability of
Draft Environmental Assessment on Proposed Designation of Critical
Habitat for the Northern Great Plains Breeding Population of the Piping
Plover
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announce the
availability of the draft Environmental Assessment for the proposal to
designate critical habitat for the northern Great Plains breeding
population of the piping plover (Charadrius melodus), under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. We invite all interested
parties to comment on the draft Environmental Assessment and any other
aspect of the proposed designation.
DATES: The comment period for the draft Environmental Assessment will
close on August 13, 2001. Any comments that are received after the
closing date may not be considered in the final decision on this
proposal.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments and information to Piping
Plover Comments, South Dakota Ecological Services Field Office, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, 420 South Garfield Avenue, Suite 400,
Pierre, South Dakota 57501 or by facsimile to 605-224-9974.
You may hand-deliver written comments to our South Dakota Field
Office at the address given above.
You may send comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to
FW6_PipingPlover@fws.gov. See the Public Comments Solicited section
below for file format and other information on electronic filing.
Copies of the draft Environmental Assessment for the northern Great
Plains breeding population of the piping plover are available from the
aforementioned address or on the Internet at http://mountain-
prairie.fws.gov/pipingplover/ch.
You may view comments and materials received, as well as supporting
documentation used in the preparation of this proposed rule, by
appointment,
[[Page 35581]]
during normal business hours at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nell McPhillips, Fish and Wildlife
Biologist, at the above address or at (605) 224-8693, extension 32.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
We published a proposed rule to designate critical habitat for the
northern Great Plains breeding population of the piping plover in the
Federal Register (66 FR 31760). Section 4(b)(2) of the Endangered
Species Act (Act) requires that we designate or revise critical habitat
based upon the best scientific and commercial data available and after
taking into consideration the economic impacts, and any other relevant
impact, of specifying any particular area as critical habitat. We may
exclude an area from critical habitat if we determine that the benefits
of excluding the area outweigh the benefits of including the area as
critical habitat, provided such exclusion will not result in the
extinction of the species.
The proposed designation includes 11 areas of prairie alkali
wetlands and reservoir lakes in 5 counties in Montana, 18 counties in
North Dakota, and 1 county at Lake-of-the-Woods, Minnesota, totaling
approximately 196,576.5 acres (ac) [79,553.1 hectares (ha)]. It also
includes five areas of portions of four rivers in the States of
Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, totaling
approximately 1,338 miles (mi) [2,152.9 kilometers (km)] of river. If
this proposal is made final, section 7 of the Act would prohibit
destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat by any activity
funded, authorized, or carried out by any Federal agency.
Public Comments Solicited
We will accept written comments and information during this comment
period. If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments and
materials concerning this proposal by any one of several methods (see
ADDRESSES). If you would like to submit comments by electronic format,
please submit them in ASCII file format and avoid the use of special
characters and encryption. Please include your name and return e-mail
address in your e-mail message. Please note that the e-mail address
will be closed out at the termination of the public comment period. If
you do not receive confirmation from the system that we have received
your message, contact us directly by calling our South Dakota Field
Office at (605) 224-8693.
Comments and materials received, as well as supporting
documentation used in preparation of the proposal to designate critical
habitat, will be available for public inspection, by appointment,
during normal business hours at the above address. Copies of the draft
Environmental Assessment are available on the Internet at http://
mountain-prairie.fws.gov/pipingplover/ch or by writing to Pete Gober,
Field Supervisor (see ADDRESSES).
Public Meetings
We have scheduled five informal public meetings at the following
addresses on the dates indicated. Public meetings will run from 6-9
p.m., except for Yankton which will run from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
1. Cottonwood Inn Convention Center, U.S. Highway 2E, Glasgow,
Montana, July 10, 2000
2. Doublewood Inn, I-94 and Exit 159, Bismarck, North Dakota, July
12, 2001
3. Pierre Chamber of Commerce, Community Room, 800 W. Dakota
Avenue, Pierre, South Dakota, July 16, 2001
4. Summit Activities Center, 1801 Summit Street, Yankton, South
Dakota, July 17, 2000
5. Central Community College, Main Building, Room 210, 3134 W.
Highway 34, Grand Island, Nebraska, July 18, 2001
Author
The primary authors of this notice are the South Dakota Field
Office staff (see ADDRESSES section).
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 1973
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: June 29, 2001.
John A. Blankenship,
Acting Regional Director, Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. 01-16924 Filed 7-5-01; 8:45 am]
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