[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 130 (Monday, July 9, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37373-37374]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-4303]



  Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 130 / Monday, July 9, 2007 / 
Notices  

[[Page 37373]]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Post-
Delisting Monitoring Plan for the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 
and Proposed Information Collection

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of draft post-delisting monitoring plan; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of the draft post-delisting monitoring plan (draft PDM 
Plan) for the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). The Endangered 
Species Act (ESA) requires that the Service implement a system, in 
cooperation with the States, to monitor effectively for at least 5 
years, the status of all species that have been recovered and no longer 
need protection of the ESA. The bald eagle in the contiguous 48 states 
will be removed from the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered 
Wildlife and Plants (delisted) due to recovery. We are publishing the 
final rule for the delisting simultaneously with this notice elsewhere 
in today's Federal Register. We will also ask the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) for the 
draft PDM Plan described below.

DATES: Comments from all interested parties on the draft bald eagle 
post-delisting monitoring plan must be received on or before October 9, 
2007.
    You must submit comments regarding the information collection 
aspects of the draft bald eagle post-delisting monitoring plan on or 
before October 9, 2007.

ADDRESSES: The draft PDM Plan may be downloaded from our Web site at 
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered. To request a copy of the draft 
PDM Plan, write to our Rock Island Field Office: U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 1511 47th Avenue, Moline, Illinois 61265; or call 309-757-5800 
to receive a copy. You may also send an e-mail request to 
[email protected]. Specify whether you want to receive a hard copy 
by U.S. mail or an electronic copy by e-mail.
    Send your comments by any of the following methods. See ``Viewing 
Documents'' and ``Public Comments Solicited'' under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION for important information.
     Mail: Bald Eagle Draft PDM Plan Comments, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Rock Island Field Office, 1511 47th Avenue, Moline, 
Illinois 61265.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: Same address as above.
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include ``Bald Eagle Draft 
PDM Plan Comments'' in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: 309-757-5807. Include ``Bald Eagle Draft PDM Plan 
Comments'' in the subject line.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    Send your comments on the information collection to Hope Grey, 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 
222-ARLSQ, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); [email protected] (e-mail); or (703) 358-2269 (fax).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct all questions or requests for 
additional information about the draft PDM Plan to Jody Millar (see 
ADDRESSES). To request additional information about this information 
collection, contact Hope Grey (see ADDRESSES). Individuals who are 
hearing-impaired or speech-impaired may call the Federal Relay Service 
at 1-800-877-8337 for TTY assistance, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    We are publishing the final rule to remove the bald eagle from the 
Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife and Plants 
simultaneously with this notice elsewhere in today's Federal Register. 
Available data indicate that this species has recovered due to the 
Environmental Protection Agency's restrictions on organochlorine 
pesticides in the United States, and also due to implementation of 
successful management activities and protection of habitat under the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) 
(ESA).
    Section 4(g)(1) of the ESA requires that we implement a system, in 
cooperation with the States, to effectively monitor for not less than 5 
years, the status of all species that have been recovered and delisted. 
In order to meet the ESA's monitoring requirement, and to facilitate 
the efficient collection of data, we have designed a sampling method to 
be implemented by various States, capable of detecting substantial 
changes in the bald eagle population in the lower 48 states.
    The draft bald eagle post-delisting monitoring plan was developed 
in cooperation with State resource agencies and interested scientists, 
and will be carried out by the Service's Monitoring Team in 
collaboration with Federal, State, Tribal, and private cooperators. The 
monitoring plan proposes to start in the winter of 2008 and spring of 
2009. We will conduct surveys every 5 years over the next 20 years.
    Monitoring will consist of the collection of information on numbers 
of nesting bald eagles in selected locations based on State 
participation and density of identified bald eagle nest sites. At the 
end of each 5-year monitoring event we will review all available 
information to determine the status of the bald eagle.

Information Collection

    OMB Control Number: New.
    Title: Bald Eagle Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan.
    Service Form Number(s): 3-2343, 3-2344.
    Type of Request: New.
    Affected Public: State agencies, Federal, Tribal, private land 
managers, wildlife rehabilitators, and cooperators.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: Once every 5 years for the Eagle and Nest 
Observation Checklist; on occasion for the Bald Eagle Mortality Report 
Form.

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                                                                             Completion time
                 Activity                      Number of       Number of       per response      Annual burden
                                              respondents      responses         (hours)             hours
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Eagle and Nest Observation Checklist (FWS               17             357                6.2              2,213
 form 3-2344)....................
Bald Eagle Mortality Report Form (FWS form              48             384               0.25                 96
 3-2343).........................
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    Total.................................              65             741  .................              2,309
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[[Page 37374]]

Viewing Documents

    The complete file for the monitoring plan is available for 
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at our Rock 
Island Field Office, 1511 47th Avenue, Moline, Illinois; 309-757-5800 
(phone). The comments and materials we receive on the monitoring plan 
during the comment period will be available for public inspection by 
appointment during normal business hours at the Rock Island Field 
Office and at our Ecological Services Field Offices in Spokane, 
Washington (509-893-8002), Phoenix, Arizona (602-242-0210), 
Jacksonville (904-232-2580) or Vero Beach, Florida (772-562-3909), 
Manhattan, Kansas (785-539-3474), and Annapolis, Maryland (772-562-
3909). Call those offices to make arrangements to view documents.

Public Comments Solicited

    We request comments on the draft bald eagle post-delisting 
monitoring plan. All comments received by the date specified above will 
be considered during preparation of the final PDM plan. We prefer to 
receive comments via e-mail, but you may submit your comments by the 
alternate methods mentioned above.
    Please submit Internet comments to [email protected] in ASCII 
file format and avoid the use of special characters or any form of 
encryption. Please also include ``Bald Eagle Draft PDM Plan Comments'' 
in the subject line of the message, and your full name and return 
address in the body of your message. Please note that the Internet 
address [email protected] will be closed when the public comment 
period is closed.
    We will take into consideration the relevant comments, suggestions, 
or objections that we receive by the comment due date indicated above 
in DATES. These comments, suggestions, or objections, and any 
additional information received may lead us to adopt a final PDM Plan 
that differs from this draft PDM Plan. Comments merely stating support 
or opposition to the draft PDM Plan without providing supporting data 
are not as helpful.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    We also invite comments concerning this IC on:
    (1) Whether the collection of information is necessary, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents.
    Comments that you send about this IC are a matter of public record. 
We will include and/or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to 
approve this IC.

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

    Dated: June 26, 2007.
H. Dale Hall,
Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 07-4303 Filed 7-6-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P