[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 223 (Friday, November 19, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70946-70947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-29257]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R5-ES-2010-N249; 50120-1113-0000-C2]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Assisting States, 
Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats; 
Draft National Plan; Extension of Public Comment Period

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), are extending 
the public comment period for the draft national plan to assist States, 
Federal agencies, and Tribes in managing white-nose syndrome (WNS) in 
bats. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for details. If you have already 
submitted comments, please do not resubmit them; we have already 
incorporated them in the public record and will fully consider them in 
our final decision.

DATES: Submit comments on this document on or before December 26, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Send your written comments on the draft plan, by U.S. mail 
to Dr. Jeremy Coleman, National WNS Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, New York Field Office, 3817 Luker Road, Cortland, New York 
13045; or by electronic mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Jeremy Coleman, National WNS 
Coordinator, at the New York Field Office (see ADDRESSES) or by phone 
at 607-753-9334.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On October 28, 2010, we published a Federal 
Register notice (75 FR 66387) announcing availability for public review 
of a draft national plan to assist States, Federal agencies, and Tribes 
in managing WNS in bats. That notice mistakenly announced a 33-day 
public comment period instead of a 60-day public comment period. We are 
extending the public comment period on the draft plan to the originally 
planned 60 days.
    WNS is a fungal disease responsible for unprecedented mortality in 
hibernating bats in the northeastern United States. It has spread 
rapidly since its discovery in January 2007, and poses a potentially 
catastrophic threat to hibernating bats throughout North America, 
including several species listed as endangered or threatened under the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA). Listed bats include the Indiana bat 
(Myotis sodalis), Virginia big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii 
virginianus), Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens), and 
gray bat (Myotis grisescens).
    The draft plan was prepared by representatives of the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
and Forest Service; U.S. Department of Defense's Army Corps of 
Engineers; U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management, 
National Park Service, and FWS; St. Regis Mohawk Tribe; Kentucky 
Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources; Missouri Department of 
Conservation; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; 
Pennsylvania Game Commission; Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife; 
and Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Document Availability

    An electronic copy of the draft plan is available online at 
http:[sol][sol]www.fws.gov/WhiteNoseSyndrome/. The document is also 
available from the FWS's New York Field Office (see ADDRESSES).

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, electronic 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 may 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.

[[Page 70947]]

Authority

    As a number of federally listed bat species are threatened by WNS, 
the FWS is issuing this notice primarily under the authority of the ESA 
of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531). This plan is intended to guide recovery of 
listed bats. It was developed so that it can be easily adopted or 
incorporated into existing or future recovery plans.

    Dated: November 3, 2010.
Wendi Weber,
Deputy Regional Director, Region 5, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-29257 Filed 11-18-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-55-P