Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
Proposed rule; revision and reopening of comment period.
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
We will consider public comments received on or before July 5, 2011. Comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Any comments that we receive after the closing date may not be considered in the final decision on this action.
You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
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We will post all comments on
Susan Moore, Field Supervisor, or Karen Leyse, Listing Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W–2605, Sacramento, CA 95825; telephone 916–414–6600; facsimile 916–414–6713. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800–877–8339.
We intend that any final action resulting from this revised proposed rule will be based on the best scientific data available and will be as accurate and as effective as possible. We will accept written comments and information during this reopened comment period on our amended proposed designation of critical habitat for the Sonoma County Distinct Population Segment (Sonoma DPS) of the California tiger salamander that was published in the
If you submitted comments or information on the proposed rule or revised proposed rule (74 FR 41662; August 18, 2009, or 76 FR 2863; January 18, 2011) during any of the previous comment periods, please do not resubmit them. These comments are included in the public record for this rulemaking, and we will fully consider them in the preparation of our final determination. You may submit your comments and materials concerning this revised proposed rule, the DEA associated with the revised proposed critical habitat designation, and the amended required determinations by one of the methods listed in
If you submit a comment via
Comments and materials we receive, as well as supporting documentation used to prepare this notice, will be available for public inspection at
It is our intent to discuss only those topics directly relevant to the designation of critical habitat in this revised proposed rule. Additional background information can be found in the previously proposed revised critical habitat notice (76 FR 2863; January 18, 2011). Based on peer review information, we now propose a revision to the proposed critical habitat unit for the Sonoma County DPS of the California tiger salamander; accordingly, approximately 55,800 acres (ac) (22,580 hectares (ha)) in Sonoma County, California, meet the definition of critical habitat. The proposed revision adds approximately 4,945 ac (2,001 ha) to the proposed designation.
In this notice, we are revising the proposed unit (Santa Rosa Plain Unit), as described in the January 18, 2011 (76 FR 2863), proposed rule based on peer review and other information submitted in the previous public comment period. The information noted that there are three known breeding sites for the Sonoma County DPS of the California tiger salamander in the Roblar Road area. The peer reviewer stated that aerial photographs were reviewed and reconnaissance visits to the area were performed. The peer reviewer commented that the Roblar Road area likely consists of a California tiger salamander metapopulation with multiple known breeding sites. The peer reviewer recommended that we include the area within a minimum of 1.3 miles (mi) (2 kilometers (km)) from each of the three Roblar breeding sites as critical habitat. The 1.3-mi (2-km) distance is based on observations of California tiger salamanders from the nearest breeding ponds (Sweet 1998).
The Roblar Road area contains the physical and biological features essential to the conservation of the species, and these features may require special management considerations or
The proposed addition totals approximately 4,945 ac (2,001 ha). Table 1 below shows the approximate area and landownership within the unit. We are revising the final economic analysis (FEA) to include this additional area in the analysis, utilizing the same methodology to estimate economic impacts employed in the DEA. The FEA will contain an addendum explaining these anticipated economic costs and impacts.
In summary, the purpose of this revision to the proposed critical habitat is to better delineate the areas that contain the physical or biological features essential to the conservation of the species and that meet the definition of critical habitat for the California tiger salamander in Sonoma County. This revision is based on recent documentation of adult California tiger salamanders and known breeding ponds in the vicinity of Roblar Road.
The primary authors of this notice are the staff members of the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office (see
Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Transportation.
Accordingly, we propose to further amend part 17, subchapter B of chapter I, title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as proposed to be amended at 74 FR 41662, August 18, 2009, as follows:
1. The authority citation for part 17 continues to read as follows:
16 U.S.C. 1361–1407; 16 U.S.C. 1531–1544; 16 U.S.C. 4201–4245; Pub. L. 99–625, 100 Stat. 3500; unless otherwise noted.
2. Critical habitat for the California tiger salamander
(d)
(53) * * *
(i) Standing bodies of fresh water (including natural and manmade (e.g., stock) ponds, vernal pools, and other ephemeral or permanent water bodies) that typically support inundation during winter and early spring and hold water for a minimum of 12 consecutive weeks in a year of average rainfall.
(56) Santa Rosa Plain Unit, Sonoma County, California.
(i) [Reserved for textual description of the Santa Rosa Plain Unit, Sonoma County, California.]
(ii)