Critical Habitat for the Devils River MinnowAbout the Document Title: Proposed Rule to Designate Critical Habitat for the Devils River Minnow (Dionda diaboli) |
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Purpose: The document describes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) proposal to designate critical habitat for the threatened Devils River minnow (Dionda diaboli) under section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act). The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register for public review and is an assessment of the best scientific data available at this time and will be the basis, in addition to any comments received, for a finding by the Service on whether or not to finalize the rule to designate critical habitat for the Devils River minnow. About the Peer Review Process Type of Review: Influential Estimated Peer Review Timeline: August – September 2007 Estimated dissemination date of the proposed rule: July 31, 2007 Process: The Service will conduct peer review of the portion of the proposed rule for designation of critical habitat that includes a discussion of the scientific information reviewed and our analysis. The Service will solicit peer review through letters to 3 or more independent scientific reviewers with input from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, members of the Rio Grande Fishes Recovery Team, and other local parties involved in the study and conservation of the Devils River minnow.Peer reviewers will be selected based on the following criteria:
About Public Participation Public comments on the proposed critical habitat will be sought concurrently with the peer review by a Federal Register announcement and the distribution by mail and press release of this announcement to interested parties. We will publish a final rule for critical habitat of the Devils River minnow on or about July 31, 2008, and publish the finding in a Federal Register announcement, including a summary of the results of the peer review process. Both the proposed and final rules will be published on the Service’s website at http://ecos.fws.gov/speciesProfile/SpeciesReport.do?spcode=E03V.Contact: Nathan Allan, Austin Ecological Services Office, at nathan_allan@fws.gov or 512-490-0057, ext. 237.
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