[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 61 (Thursday, March 30, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 16090-16091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4572]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of
Availability of Genetics Data and Extension of Comment Period for the
Proposed Delisting of the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus
hudsonius preblei)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; extension of comment period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of two recently published reports and the underlying data
which present additional analysis data regarding the Preble's meadow
jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei). In order to ensure the public
has full access to and an opportunity to comment on all available
information on the proposed rule to delist the Preble's meadow jumping
mouse, we are extending the public comment period until May 18, 2006.
Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted as they have
already been incorporated into the public record and will be fully
considered in the final decision and rule.
DATES: The public comment period that was reopened until April 18, 2006
(71 FR 8556) is extended until May 18, 2006. Any comments that are
received after the closing date may not be considered in the final
decision on the proposal.
ADDRESSES: Documents and data relative to this proposed rule are
available at http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/preble/ or http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/preble/PEER/PEERindex.htm. If you wish to
comment, you may submit your comments and materials concerning the
proposal by one of several methods:
1. You may submit written comments to Field Supervisor, Colorado
Field Office, Ecological Services, P.O. Box 25486, Denver Federal
Center, Denver, Colorado 80225.
2. You may hand deliver comments to our Colorado Field Office at
134 Union Blvd., Suite 670, Lake Plaza North, Lakewood, Colorado 80228,
or send via facsimile (fax 303-236-4005).
3. You may send comments via electronic mail (e-mail) to [email protected]. See the Public Comments Solicited section below for file
format and other information about electronic filing.
The complete file for the finding and proposed rule is available
for inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours, at the
above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Linner, Field Supervisor, at the
Colorado Field Office (see ADDRESSES section) or telephone (303) 236-
4774. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-
8339, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
[[Page 16091]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Comments Solicited
We intend that any final action resulting from the proposed rule
will be as accurate and as effective as possible. Therefore, we solicit
comments or suggestions from the public, concerned governmental
agencies, the scientific community, industry, or any other interested
party concerning the proposed rule in light of the additional
information. Generally, we seek information, data, and comments
concerning:
(1) The taxonomic status of Z.h. preblei, Z.h. campestris, Z.h.
intermedius, and other Z. hudsonius subspecies with a particular focus
on Ramey et al. (2003, 2004a, 2004b, 2005), King et al. (2006), and the
recently released genetics data;
(2) The taxonomy, biology, ecology, distribution, status, and
factors affecting Z.h. preblei, Z.h. campestris, Z.h. intermedius, and
other Z. hudsonius subspecies;
(3) Data from any systematic surveys for Z.h. preblei, Z.h.
campestris, Z.h. intermedius, and other Z. hudsonius subspecies, as
well as any studies that may show population size or trends;
(4) Quantitative information regarding the life history, ecology,
and habitat use of Z.h. preblei, Z.h. campestris, Z.h. intermedius, and
other Z. hudsonius subspecies, as well as information regarding the
applicability of information relevant to other subspecies;
(5) Information on the threats faced by the Z.h. preblei, Z.h.
campestris, Z.h. intermedius, and other Z. hudsonius subspecies in
relation to the five listing factors (as defined in section 4(a)(1) of
the Endangered Species Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.));
(6) Information regarding the effects of current land management on
population distribution and abundance of Z.h. preblei, Z.h. campestris,
Z.h. intermedius, and other Z. hudsonius subspecies; and
(7) Information regarding the possibility of contact and
interaction within or between Z.h. preblei, Z.h. campestris, and
adjacent subspecies of meadow jumping mouse (i.e., Z.h. intermedius and
Z.h. pallidus) or other information relevant to a determination of the
taxonomic classification of the species.
You may submit comments as indicated under ADDRESSES. If you wish
to submit comments by e-mail, please avoid the use of special
characters and any form of encryption. Please also include your name
and return address in your e-mail message.
Our practice is to make comments, including names and home
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular
business hours. Due to the high level of interest in this rulemaking
process, we also may post comments on our Web site. Individual
respondents may request that we withhold their home address from the
rulemaking record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law.
There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the
rulemaking record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you
wish us to withhold your name or address, you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we will not
consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. Comments
and other information received, as well as supporting information used
to write the proposed rule, will be available for public inspection, by
appointment, during normal business hours at the Colorado Field Office
(see ADDRESSES section). In making a final decision on the proposal, we
will take into consideration the comments and any additional
information we receive. Such communications may lead to a final
regulation that differs from the proposal.
Background
The Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) was
listed as a threatened species on May 13, 1998 (63 FR 26517). At the
time of listing, we recognized Krutzsch (1954) as the ``most recent
revision of Z. hudsonius'' and ``the authority for (the `subspecies')
taxonomy'' (63 FR 26517, May 13, 1998). In our February 2, 2005,
Federal Register document (70 FR 5404), we determined that Ramey et al.
(2004a) represented the best scientific and commercial information
available regarding the taxonomy of Z.h. preblei and Z.h. campestris.
Based on the lack of distinct genetic and morphologic differences
between the two subspecies presented in Ramey et al. (2004a), we
concluded that Z.h. preblei was likely not a valid subspecies and
proposed removing the subspecies from the list of threatened and
endangered species.
Since then, substantial additional information has become available
including two recently available reports: ``Comprehensive analysis of
molecular phylogeographic structure among meadow jumping mice (Zapus
hudsonius) reveals evolutionarily distinct subspecies'' (King et al.
2006) and ``Genetic relatedness of the Preble's meadow jumping mouse
(Zapus hudsonius preblei) to nearby subspecies of Z. hudsonius as
inferred from variation in cranial morphology, mitochondrial DNA, and
microsatellite DNA: Implications for taxonomy and conservation'' (Ramey
et al. 2005). The Service intends to fully consider all of the
available information in any delisting decision based on taxonomy.
In order to ensure all relevant information is considered, we have
recently made available on our Web site (http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/preble/PEER/PEERindex.htm) all of the morphological,
mtDNA and microsatellite nuclear DNA data from Ramey et al. (2005) and
King et al. (2006). We are extending the public comment period on the
delisting proposal to allow the public to consider and comment on the
above data.
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 1973
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: March 20, 2006.
H. Dale Hall,
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E6-4572 Filed 3-29-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P