Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Public Hearing and Reopening of Comment Period on Proposed Endangered Status for the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana)

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-ACO9

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Public Hearing and

Reopening of Comment Period on Proposed Endangered Status for the

Hine's Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public hearing and reopening of

comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) gives notice that

a public hearing will be held on the proposed determination of

endangered status for the Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora

hineana) and that the comment period on the proposal will be reopened.

The Hine's emerald dragonfly now persists in populations in Cook,

DuPage, and Will Counties in Illinois, and in Door County, Wisconsin.

It occupies calcareous, marshy streams associated with cattail marshes

on dolomite bedrock. The public hearing and reopened comment period

will allow comments on this proposal to be submitted from all

interested parties.

DATES: The public hearing will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday,

May 25, 1994, in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The comment period on the

proposal originally closed on December 3, 1993, was extended to January

3, 1994, and now closes June 6, 1994.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held at the Door County

Courthouse, General Meeting Room (A150), 421 Nebraska Street, Sturgeon

Bay, Wisconsin. Written comments and materials should be sent to the

Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bishop Henry Whipple

Federal Building, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111-4056.

Comments and materials received will be available for public inspection

during normal business hours, by appointment, at the above Regional

Office address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the public hearing

contact Janet Smith, Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Ecological Services Field Office, 1015 Challenger Court, Green Bay,

Wisconsin 54311 (phone 414/433-3803; fax 414/433-3882).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Hine's emerald dragonfly is known to occur in three counties in

the Chicago, Illinois, metropolitan area and in Door County, Wisconsin.

It was proposed for listing as an endangered species on the basis of

evidence that its range and numbers have declined dramatically,

primarily as a result of the destruction of its habitat, and that the

threats to the habitat are continuing.

On October 4, 1993, the Service published a proposed rule to list

the Hine's emerald dragonfly as endangered under the Endangered Species

Act, as amended. The original comment period ended on December 3, and

the deadline for receipt of public hearing requests was November 18. On

December 10, 1993, a notice was published reopening the comment period

until January 3, 1994. The Service believes a number of parties

interested in the proposed listing did not receive notice of the

proposal in sufficient time to submit comments or request a public

hearing during the original comment period.

On December 20, 1993, the Service received requests for public

hearings on this proposal from Mr. Jerome M. Viste, representing the

Door County Environmental Council, Inc., Fish Creek, Wisconsin, and Mr.

George M. Reynolds, representing Reynolds & Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Service has scheduled a hearing on May 25, 1994, from 7:00 to 9:00

p.m. C.S.T., at the Door County Courthouse, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.

Those parties wishing to make statements for the record should have

available a copy of their statements to be presented to the Service at

the start of the hearing. Oral statements may be limited to 5 or 10

minutes if the number of parties present that evening necessitates some

limitation. Oral and written statements receive equal consideration.

There are no limits to the length of written comments presented at this

hearing or mailed to the Service.

In order to accommodate the hearing, the Service also reopens the

public comment period. Written comments may be submitted until June 6,

1994, to the Service office in the ADDRESSES section or at the public

hearing.

Author

The primary author of this notice is Carlita Shumate, Division of

Endangered Species, Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, 1 Federal

Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111-4056 (phone 612/725-3276; fax

612/725-3526).

Authority

The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 1973

(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Dated: May 9, 1994.

Richard N. Smith,

Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 94-11659 Filed 5-10-94; 11:58 am]

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