Comment on FR Doc # 2012-19950

As one of the options open to the USFWS concerning the designation of “critical habitat for jaguars” within the United States, my hope is that the agency will do nothing. The wording within your proposal insists that such a designation within our boundaries are “essential” to the continued existence of the northern fringe populations of this large cat, as well as its continued existence throughout its range. This is a nonsensical approach to the sticky situation the agency currently finds itself in. The FWS had already publicly stated that these border lands were not critical at all and had been correct in doing so. Caving in to legal pressures from a judge in Tucson and the Center for Biological Diversity for less than good biological reasoning causes a loss of integrity and credibility to the agency, a weakening of the Endangered Species Act, and does absolutely nothing to protecting the jaguar as a species. The jaguar is already protected in the United States by both federal and state laws and its main range is in Central and South America. The preferred pathways for wandering male jaguars from Mexico are already protected federal and state properties, perhaps augmented by what remains of large ranches in the area. The designation of “critical habitat for jaguars” will open the floodgates for both federal and state curtailments of human activity, possibly including law enforcements’ ability to adequately protect our southern border. Such curtailments would likely include hunting with hounds; trapping furbearers; animal damage control at federal, state, and private levels; possible reduction in deer and javelina hunting should the State Game and Fish Department decide it prefers to have these game animals saved as possible prey for jaguars; mineral exploration and extraction, various forms of outdoor recreation, etc. Since there is no biological imperative to save the species by this land designation, it should not be done.