[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 218 (Wednesday, November 12, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 60676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-29439]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AE 27


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public 
Hearing and Reopening of Comment Period on Proposed Threatened Status 
for Newcomb's Snail From the Island of Kauai, Hawaii

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public hearing and reopening of 
comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), pursuant to the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), provides notice of a 
public hearing on the proposed threatened status for Newcomb's snail 
(Erinna newcombi). In addition, the Service has reopened the comment 
period. All parties are invited to submit comments on this proposal.

DATES: The public comment period now closes on December 15, 1997. Any 
comments received by the closing date will be considered in the final 
decision on this proposal. The public hearing will be held from 2:00 
p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 
December 3, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held at the Outrigger Kauai Beach 
Hotel, 4331 Kauai Beach Drive, Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii. Written comments 
and materials concerning this proposal may be submitted at the hearing 
or sent directly to Mr. Brooks Harper, Field Supervisor, Ecological 
Services, Pacific Islands Ecoregion, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
300 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 3108, P.O. Box 50088, Honolulu, HI 96850. 
Comments and materials will be available for public inspection, by 
appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Willis (see ADDRESSES 
section) or at 808/541-3441.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Newcomb's snail (Erinna newcombi) is a freshwater snail restricted 
to the island of Kauai, Hawaii. The distribution of this snail has 
greatly decreased from the known historic distribution and extant 
populations are presently limited to restricted habitats within five 
perennial streams on State land. The five known populations of this 
snail and its habitat are currently threatened by predation by a 
species of non-native predatory snail and two species of non-native 
marsh flies. These populations are also subject to an increased 
likelihood of extirpation from water development projects and naturally 
occurring events, including natural disasters such as hurricanes and 
landslides.
    On July 21, 1997, the Service published a rule proposing threatened 
status for Newcomb's snail in the Federal Register (62 FR 38953-38958). 
Section 4(b)(5)(E) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires that a 
public hearing be held if it is requested within 45 days of the 
publication of the proposed rule. A public hearing request by the State 
of Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural Resources, was received 
within the allotted time period. The Service has scheduled a public 
hearing on Lihue, Kauai on Wednesday, December 3, 1997, at the 
Outrigger Kauai Beach Hotel from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and from 6:00 to 
8:00 p.m.
    Oral and written comments will be accepted and treated equally. 
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 no limits to the length of written 
comments or materials presented at the hearing or mailed to the 
Service. Written comments carry the same weight as oral comments. Legal 
notices announcing the date, time, and location of the hearing are 
being published in newspapers concurrently with this Federal Register 
notice.
    The comment period on the proposal was initially closed on 
September 19, 1997. To accommodate the hearing, the public comment 
period is reopened upon publication of this notice. Written comments 
may now be submitted until December 15, 1997, to the Service office in 
the ADDRESSES section.
    Author: The primary author of this notice is Christine Willis (see 
ADDRESSES section).

Authority

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

    Dated: November 3, 1997.
Cynthia U. Barry,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 97-29439 Filed 11-10-97; 8:45 am]
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