[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 93 (Monday, May 15, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 25882-25883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-11886]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public 
Hearing and Extension of Public Comment Periods on Proposed Critical 
Habitat Designation and Draft Economic Analysis for the Pacific Coast 
Population of the Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus 
nivosus)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public hearing and extension of public 
comment periods.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), under the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), gives notice that 
public hearings will be held on the proposed designation of critical 
habitat for the Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover 
(Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus). The hearings will allow all 
interested parties to submit oral or written comments on the proposal. 
In addition, the Service extends the public comment period on all 
aspects of this proposed critical habitat designation including the 
draft economic analysis.

DATES: The public hearings will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on 
Wednesday, June 7, 1995, in Florence, Oregon; from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on 
Tuesday, June 13, 1995, in Monterey, California; and from 2 p.m to 4 
p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 15, 1995, in Eureka, 
California. The public comment period now closes on June 30, 1995. Any 
comments received by the closing date will be considered in the final 
decision on this proposal.

ADDRESSES: Public hearings will be held in Florence, Oregon, at the 
Driftwood Shores Conference Center, 88416 First Avenue; in Monterey, 
California, at the Hyatt Regency, 1 Old Golf Course Road; and in 
Eureka, California, at the Eureka Inn, 518 7th Street. Written comments 
and materials may be submitted at the hearings or sent directly to Mr. 
Joel A. Medlin, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Sacramento Field Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room E-1803, Sacramento, 
California 95825-1846. Comments and materials received will be 
available for public inspection during normal business hours, by 
appointment, at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Karen J. Miller, Sacramento Field Office, at the above address 
(telephone (916) 979-2725).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover breeds 
primarily on coastal beaches from southern Washington to southern Baja 
California. Other less common nesting habitat includes salt pans, 
coastal dredge disposal sites, dry salt ponds and salt pond levees. 
Historically, the Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover 
nested at over 80 locations on the coast of California, Oregon, and 
Washington. Today only 28 major nesting areas remain. In addition to 
loss of nesting areas, the size of the coastal population also has 
decline. Human activity on beaches (walking, jogging, walking pets, 
off-road vehicle use, horseback riding, etc.) during the plover 
breeding season, and encroachment of exotic European beachgrass 
(Ammophilia arenaria) are primary factors in the observed decline of 
the western snowy plover on the Pacific coast. The Service expects that 
only small portions (5 to 15 percent) of these beaches would be 
affected by this designation, if made final. The Pacific coast 
population of the western snowy plover was listed as a threatened 
species without critical habitat on march 5, 1993.
    A proposal was published in the Federal Register (60 FR 11763) on 
March 2, 1995, to designate 28 critical habitat areas for the coastal 
population of the western snowy plover. These 28 areas total 
approximately 20,000 acres and about 210 miles of coastline, or about 
10 percent of the coastline in California, Oregon, and Washington. Two 
of the proposed critical habitat areas are in Washington, seven are in 
Oregon, and 19 are in California. The areas range in size form less 
than 10 acres to over 2,000 acres.
    Subsection 4(b)(5)(E) of the Act, requires that a public hearing be 
held if it is requested within 45 days of the publication of a proposed 
rule. The Service received several written requests for public hearings 
from private citizens and organizations. As a result, the Service has 
scheduled three public hearings to be held on Wednesday, June 7, 1995, 
from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Florence Oregon at the Driftwood Shores 
Conference Center, 88416 First Avenue; Tuesday, June 13, 1995, from 6 
p.m. to 8 p.m. in Monterey, California, at the Hyatt Regency, 1 Old 
Golf Course Road; and Thursday, June 15, 1995, [[Page 25883]] from 2 
p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Eureka, California at the Eureka 
Inn, 518 7th Street.
    Parties wishing to make statements for the record should bring a 
copy of their statements to the hearing. Oral statements may be limited 
in length, if the number of parties present at the hearing necessitates 
such a limitation. There are, however, no limits to the length of 
written comments or materials presented at the hearing or mailed to the 
Service. The comment period closes on June 30, 1995. Written comments 
should be submitted to the Service in the ADDRESSES section.

Author

    The primary author of this notice is Ms. Karen J. Miller, 
Sacramento Field Office, at the above address.

    Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

    Dated: May 9, 1995.
Thomas Dwyer,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 95-11886 Filed 5-12-95; 8:45 am]
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