Fish and Wildlife Service April 22, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Tehachapi slender salamander (Batrachoseps stebbinsi) as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the Tehachapi slender salamander may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a status review to determine if listing this species is warranted. To ensure that the status review is comprehensive, we are soliciting information and data regarding this species. We will initiate a determination on critical habitat for this species, if and when we initiate a listing action.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the public comment period on our July 26, 2006, proposed rule on the designation of critical habitat for the Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). At this time the Service is reconsidering designating critical habitat on the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri as identified in the July 26, 2006, proposal. During the process of reconsidering the exclusion of these Federal lands, critical habitat designated by the September 5, 2007, final rule remains in place, while the Federal lands as described in the July 2006 proposed rule are considered as proposed critical habitat. Through this notice, the Service is also taking the opportunity pursuant to section 4(a)(3)(B) of the Act to propose a new unit on the Mark Twain National Forest that was not known to be occupied by the Hine's emerald dragonfly at the time of the September 5, 2007, final rule but has since been discovered. The reopened comment period will provide all interested parties with an additional opportunity to submit written comments on the proposed rule, specifically regarding the new proposed unit and the exclusion of U.S. Forest Service lands from the 2007 final designation. Comments previously submitted on the proposed critical habitat designation need not be resubmitted; they have already been incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in the final decision.