[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 174 (Friday, September 6, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 47105-47106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-22765]
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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 Two San Fransciso Bay California Tidal Marsh Plants
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public hearing and reopening of public
comment period.
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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 Cirsium hydrophilum var. hydrophilum (Suisun
thistle) and Cordylanthus mollis ssp. mollis (soft bird's-beak). All
parties are invited to comment on this proposal.
DATES: The public hearing will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on
Wednesday, October 2, 1996, in Fairfield, California. The public
comment period now closes 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 Holiday Inn, 1350
Holiday Lane, Fairfield, 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: Kirsten Tarp, Sacramento Field Office
(see ADDRESSES section) at (916) 979-2710; facsimile (916) 979-2723.
[[Page 47106]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Cirsium hydrophilum var. hydrophilum (Suisun thistle) and
Cordylanthus mollis ssp. mollis (soft bird's beak) are restricted to
salt or brackish tidal marshes within the San Francisco Bay area in
northern California. Habitat conversion, changes in salinity of tidal
marshes, water pollution, indirect effects of urbanization, habitat
fragmentation, mosquito abatement activities such as off-road vehicle
use and dredging, competition with non-native plants, insect predation,
chance environmental events, inadequacy of existing laws, erosion, and
other human-caused activities variously threaten these plants.
Activities such as waterfowl hunting, bird watching, and fishing do not
adversely affect the plants. A proposal to list these two plants was
published in the Federal Register on June 12, 1995 (60 FR 31000).
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 was received
within the allotted time period from Paul Campos, General Council for
the Building Industry Association. 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
Wednesday, October, 2, 1996, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Holiday
Inn, 1350 Holiday Lane, Fairfield, California.
Anyone wishing to make statements for the record should bring a
written copy of their statement 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 to close on August 21, 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 in the ADDRESSES section.
The primary author of this notice is Kirsten Tarp (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: August 30, 1996.
Thomas Dwyer,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 96-22765 Filed 9-5-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
