96-23027. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public Hearing and Reopening of Public Comment Period on Proposed Endangered Status for Nine Plants From the Grasslands or Mesic Areas of the Central Coast of California

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 177 (Wednesday, September 11, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 47856-47857]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-23027]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public 
Hearing and Reopening of Public Comment Period on Proposed Endangered 
Status for Nine Plants From the Grasslands or Mesic Areas of the 
Central Coast of California

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public hearing and reopening of public 
comment period.

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[[Page 47857]]

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), pursuant to the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), provides notice of a 
public hearing and reopening of the comment period on the proposed 
endangered status for Alopecurus aequalis var. sonomensis (Sonoma 
alopecurus), Astragalus clarianus (Clara Hunt's milkvetch), Carex 
albida (white sedge), Clarkia imbricata (Vine Hill clarkia), Lilium 
pardalinum ssp. pitkinense (Pitkin Marsh lily), Plagiobothrys strictus 
(Calistoga allocarya), Poa napensis (Napa bluegrass), Sidalcea oregana 
ssp. valida (Kenwood Marsh checkermallow), and Trifolium amoenum (showy 
Indian clover). All parties are invited to comment on this proposal.

DATES: The public hearing will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on 
Thursday, October 3, 1996, in Novato, California. The public comment 
period, which closed on October 9, 1995, is now reopened upon 
publication of this document, and will close on October 15, 1996. Any 
comments received by the closing date will be considered in the final 
decision on this proposal.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held at the Novato Oaks Inn, 215 
Alameda del Prado, Novato, California. Written comments and materials 
concerning this proposal should be sent to the Field Supervisor, 
Sacramento Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 3310 El Camino 
Avenue, Suite 130, Sacramento, California 95821-6340. Comments and 
materials received, as well as the supporting documentation used in 
preparing the rule, will be available for public inspection, by 
appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Fuller, Sacramento Field Office 
(see ADDRESSES section) at [phone]; facsimile [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Alopecurus aequalis var. sonomensis, Astragalus clarianus, Carex 
albida, Clarkia imbricata, Lilium pardalinum ssp. pitkinense, 
Plagiobothrys strictus, Poa napensis, Sidalcea oregana ssp. valida, and 
Trifolium amoenum are plant species in a variety of habitats, including 
valley grasslands, meadows, freshwater marshes, seeps, and broad-leaf 
upland forests in Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties on the central coast 
of California. Habitat loss and degradation, competition from 
aggressive plant species, elimination through plant community 
succession, grazing, collection for horticultural use, and hydrological 
modifications to wetland areas threaten the continued existence of 
these plants.
    On August 2, 1995, the Service published a proposed rule to list 
Alopecurus aequalis var. sonomensis (Sonoma alopecurus), Astragalus 
clarianus (Clara Hunt's milkvetch), Carex albida (white sedge), Clarkia 
imbricata (Vine Hill clarkia), Lilium pardalinum ssp. pitkinense 
(Pitkin Marsh lily), Plagiobothrys strictus (Calistoga allocarya), Poa 
napensis (Napa bluegrass), Sidalcea oregana ssp. valida (Kenwood Marsh 
checkermallow), and Trifolium amoenum (showy Indian clover). Section 
4(b)(5)(E) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires that a public 
hearing be held if it is requested within 45 days of the publication of 
the proposed rule. A public hearing request dated August 28, 1995, was 
received from John Bucher, President of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, 
Sonoma, California. Because a Congressional moratorium on the Service's 
activities associated with final listing actions was in effect from 
April 1995 to April 1996, scheduling of the hearing was delayed. The 
Service has now scheduled a public hearing to be held on Thursday, 
October 3, 1996, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Novato Oaks Inn, 215 
Alameda del Prado, Novato, California.
    Anyone wishing to make statements for the record should bring a 
written copy of their statements to the hearing. Oral statements may be 
limited in length if the number of parties present at the hearing 
necessitates such a limitation. Oral and written comments receive equal 
consideration. The Service places no limits on the length of written 
comments or materials presented at the hearing or mailed to the 
Service.
    The comment period on the proposal was initially closed on October 
9, 1995. To accommodate the hearing, the public comment period is 
reopened upon publication of this notice. Written comments may now be 
submitted until October 15, 1996, to the Service office in the 
ADDRESSES section.

Author

    The primary authors of this notice are Elizabeth Warne and Ken 
Fuller (see ADDRESSES section).

Authority

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

    Dated: September 3, 1996.
Thomas Dwyer,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 96-23027 Filed 9-10-96; 8:45 am]
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