Comment on FR Doc # 2012-02135

I have lived in the Fox Farm neighborhood of Big Bear Lake for over 11 years. This neighborhood consists of single family homes with paved streets and is several blocks from the nearest forest boundary. Over the years and to this day, my bird feeder gets regular night visits from flying squirrels, usually 2 to 5 at a time. I don't see them every night, but I would say not a week goes by when I don't see or hear them. They are extremely shy and scamper away if they suspect they are being observed, but they are there, with regularity. While I've seen tree squirrels mysteriously disappear in the last couple of years, I've seen no unusual decrease in rate these tree squirrel visits. Based on my own first-hand observations, flying squirrels seem to have adjusted just fine to our suburban landscape, just like other squirrels and chipmunks have done. Several others in our community also report, and have photographed, regular night visits by flying squirrels. These are well documented in message threads on the www.SoCalMountains.com message board. Just search for "flying squirrel" to obtain examples and photos. Due to the fact that I, and several others, observed more flying squirrels in the past year than the supposedly common tree squirrel, leads me to conclude that placing this creature on the Endangered and Threatened List is absolutely unmerited. While not a common species, they are readily observable with patience, interact well in our developed landscape, and don't seem to be dwindling, like the tree squirrel. They are simply not endangered or threatened to the point of special protection. Thank you.