Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public Hearing and Reopening of Public Comment Period on Proposed Threatened Status for the Flat-Tailed Horned Lizard

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AC10

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public

Hearing and Reopening of Public Comment Period on Proposed Threatened

Status for the Flat-Tailed Horned Lizard

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 Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), under the Endangered

Species Act of 1973, as amended, gives notice that a public hearing

will be held on the proposed threatened status for the flat-tailed

horned lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii). At the hearing, the Service will

allow all interested parties to submit oral or written comments on the

proposal. The public comment period is extended to provide the public

with more time to comment.

DATES: A public hearing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March

22, 1994, in Imperial, California. The public comment period, which

closed on January 28, 1994, will be reopened from February 22, 1994

until April 22, 1994. Any comments received after the closing date may

not be considered in the final decision on this proposal.

ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 22, 1994, at

Imperial Valley College, 380 Ira Aten Road, Health Sciences Building

Assembly Room 2131, Imperial, California.

Written comments and materials may be submitted at the hearing or

sent directly to the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

2730 Loker Avenue West, Carlsbad, California 92008. Comments and

materials received will be available for public inspection during

business hours by appointment, at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Gail Kobetich, Field Supervisor, at the address listed above (telephone

619/431-9440).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The flat-tailed horned lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) is a small

iguanid lizard restricted to flats and valleys of the western Sonoran

desert. Its maximum length, excluding the tail, is about 8 centimeters

(3 inches) (Stebbins 1985). The range of the flat-tailed horned lizard

includes portions of Riverside, Imperial and extreme eastern San Diego

Counties, California; northeastern Baja California, Mexico; Yuma

County, Arizona; and northwestern Sonora, Mexico. An estimated 34

percent of historically occupied flat-tailed horned lizard habitat has

been lost. About 95 percent of remaining optimal habitat in California

is threatened by one or more factors. Various human activities threaten

36 percent of the remaining habitat in Arizona. The flat-tailed horned

lizard and its habitat are also being adversely affected in Mexico, but

to a lesser degree. The Service published the proposed rule detailing

these factors in the Federal Register on November 29, 1993 (58 FR

62629).

The Service has scheduled a public hearing on Tuesday, March 22,

1994, in response to formal requests from the public. Those parties

wishing to make a statement for the record should bring a copy of their

statement to present to the Service at the start of the hearing. Oral

statements may be limited in length, if the number of parties present

at the hearing necessitates such a limitation. However, the length of

written comments or materials presented at the hearing or mailed to the

Service are not limited. Written comments will be given the same weight

as oral comments. Written comments may be submitted at the hearing or

mailed to the address given in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

The comment period closes on April 22, 1994.

Author

The primary author of this notice is Larry Salata, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Field, Office, 2730 Loker Avenue West,

Carlsbad, California, 92008.

Authority

The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of

1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361-1407; 16 U.S.C. 1531-1544; 16 U.S.C.

4201-4245; Pub. L. 99-625, 100 Stat. 3500; unless otherwise noted).

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 17

Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements, and Transportation.

Dated: February 14, 1994.

Marvin L. Plenert,

Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 94-3837 Filed 2-18-94; 8:45 am]

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