[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 26, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 3923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1692]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
RIN 1018-AF36
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public
Hearings on Proposed Critical Habitat Determinations for the Cactus
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl and the Plant Lilaeopsis schaffneriana ssp.
recurva, (Huachuca Water Umbel)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public hearings.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) gives notice that
public hearings will be held on the proposed determination of critical
habitat for the plant Lilaeopsis schaffneriana ssp. recurva, (Huachuca
water umbel), and the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl (Glaucidium
brasilianum cactorum). The hearings will allow all interested parties
to submit oral comments on the proposals.
DATES: Each public hearing will be for the purpose accepting public
comment on either or both proposals. These hearings will be held from 7
p.m. to 9 p.m. on February 10, 1999 in Coolidge, Arizona; on February
11, 1999 in Sierra Vista, Arizona; and on February 12, 1999 in Tucson,
Arizona. The comment period for these proposals will remain open until
March 1, 1999. Comments must be received by the closing date. Any
comments that are received after the closing date may not be considered
in the final decision on these proposals.
ADDRESSES: The public hearings will be held at the Coolidge Unified
School District Auditorium, 800 West Northern Avenue, Coolidge,
Arizona; Buena Performing Arts Center (Buena High School), 5225 Buena
School Boulevard, Sierra Vista, Arizona; and Leo Rich Theatre (Tucson
Convention Center), 260 South Church Avenue, Tucson, Arizona. Oral and
written comments will be accepted at the hearings. Additionally,
written comments can be sent to the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 2321 W. Royal Palm Road, Suite 103, Phoenix, Arizona
85021. Comments and materials received will be available for public
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above
Service address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Gatz, Endangered Species
Coordinator, at the above address (telephone 602/640-2720 ext. 240;
facsimile 602/640-2730).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl is one of four subspecies of the
ferruginous pygmy-owl. It occurs from lowland central Arizona south
through western Mexico to the States of Colima and Michoacan, and from
southern Texas south through the Mexican States of Tamaulipas and Nuevo
Leon. Only the Arizona population of Glaucidium brasilianum cactorum is
listed as an endangered species. The Service proposed designation of
approximately 730,565 acres of riverine riparian habitat and upland
habitat as critical habitat for the cactus ferruginous pygmy-owl
pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).
Proposed critical habitat is in Pima, Cochise, Pinal, and Maricopa
counties, Arizona as described in the Federal Register (63 FR 71820;
December 30, 1999).
The Huachuca water umbel is a plant found in cienegas (desert
marshes), streams and springs in southern Arizona and northern Sonora,
Mexico, typically in mid-elevation wetland communities often surrounded
by relatively arid environments. These communities are usually
associated with perennial springs and stream headwaters, have
permanently or seasonally saturated highly organic soils, and have a
low probability of flooding or scouring. The Service proposed critical
habitat including a total of 83.9 kilometers (52.1 miles) of streams or
rivers in Cochise and Santa Cruz counties, Arizona (63 FR 71838;
December 30, 1999).
Section 4(b)(5)(E) of the Act, as amended (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 a proposed rule. However, due to the
expeditious treatment of these proposed critical habitat determinations
under Federal District Court order as described in the proposed rules,
the Service has arranged for three public hearings to be held in
proximity to the areas proposed for critical habitat designation. Each
hearing will be held to accept information for both the pygmy-owl and
the water umbel critical habitat proposals on the dates and at the
addresses described above.
Anyone wishing to make an oral statement for the record is
encouraged to provide a written copy of their statement and present it
to the Service at the start of the hearing. In the event there is a
large attendance, the time allotted for oral statements may have to be
limited. Oral and written statements receive equal consideration. There
are no limits to the length of written comments presented at the
hearings or mailed to the Service.
Legal notices announcing the dates, times, and locations of the
hearings will be published in newspapers concurrently with this Federal
Register notice. The current comment period on this proposal closes on
March 1, 1999. Written comments may be submitted to the Service office
in the ADDRESSES section.
Author: The primary author of this notice is Jeffrey A. Humphrey
(see ADDRESSES).
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 1973
(16 U.S.C. 1531-1544).
Dated: January 20, 1999.
Geoffrey L. Haskett,
Acting Regional Director, Region 2, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 99-1692 Filed 1-25-99; 8:45 am]
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