Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public Hearing and Extension of Public Comment Periods on Proposed Critical Habitat Designation and Draft Economic Analysis for the Pacific Coast Population of the Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus)

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public

Hearing and Extension of Public Comment Periods on Proposed Critical

Habitat Designation and Draft Economic Analysis for the Pacific Coast

Population of the Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus

nivosus)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service Interior.

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

comment periods.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), under the

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), gives notice that

public hearings will be held on the proposed designation of critical

habitat for the Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover

(Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus). The hearings will allow all

interested parties to submit oral or written comments on the proposal.

In addition, the Service extends the public comment period on all

aspects of this proposed critical habitat designation including the

draft economic analysis.

DATES: The public hearings will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on

Wednesday, June 7, 1995, in Florence, Oregon; from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on

Tuesday, June 13, 1995, in Monterey, California; and from 2 p.m to 4

p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 15, 1995, in Eureka,

California. The public comment period now closes on June 30, 1995. Any

comments received by the closing date will be considered in the final

decision on this proposal.

ADDRESSES: Public hearings will be held in Florence, Oregon, at the

Driftwood Shores Conference Center, 88416 First Avenue; in Monterey,

California, at the Hyatt Regency, 1 Old Golf Course Road; and in

Eureka, California, at the Eureka Inn, 518 7th Street. Written comments

and materials may be submitted at the hearings or sent directly to Mr.

Joel A. Medlin, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

Sacramento Field Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room E-1803, Sacramento,

California 95825-1846. Comments and materials received will be

available for public inspection during normal business hours, by

appointment, at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Karen J. Miller, Sacramento Field Office, at the above address

(telephone (916) 979-2725).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover breeds

primarily on coastal beaches from southern Washington to southern Baja

California. Other less common nesting habitat includes salt pans,

coastal dredge disposal sites, dry salt ponds and salt pond levees.

Historically, the Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover

nested at over 80 locations on the coast of California, Oregon, and

Washington. Today only 28 major nesting areas remain. In addition to

loss of nesting areas, the size of the coastal population also has

decline. Human activity on beaches (walking, jogging, walking pets,

off-road vehicle use, horseback riding, etc.) during the plover

breeding season, and encroachment of exotic European beachgrass

(Ammophilia arenaria) are primary factors in the observed decline of

the western snowy plover on the Pacific coast. The Service expects that

only small portions (5 to 15 percent) of these beaches would be

affected by this designation, if made final. The Pacific coast

population of the western snowy plover was listed as a threatened

species without critical habitat on march 5, 1993.

A proposal was published in the Federal Register (60 FR 11763) on

March 2, 1995, to designate 28 critical habitat areas for the coastal

population of the western snowy plover. These 28 areas total

approximately 20,000 acres and about 210 miles of coastline, or about

10 percent of the coastline in California, Oregon, and Washington. Two

of the proposed critical habitat areas are in Washington, seven are in

Oregon, and 19 are in California. The areas range in size form less

than 10 acres to over 2,000 acres.

Subsection 4(b)(5)(E) of the Act, requires that a public hearing be

held if it is requested within 45 days of the publication of a proposed

rule. The Service received several written requests for public hearings

from private citizens and organizations. As a result, the Service has

scheduled three public hearings to be held on Wednesday, June 7, 1995,

from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Florence Oregon at the Driftwood Shores

Conference Center, 88416 First Avenue; Tuesday, June 13, 1995, from 6

p.m. to 8 p.m. in Monterey, California, at the Hyatt Regency, 1 Old

Golf Course Road; and Thursday, June 15, 1995, [[Page 25883]] from 2

p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Eureka, California at the Eureka

Inn, 518 7th Street.

Parties wishing to make statements for the record should bring a

copy of their statements to the hearing. Oral statements may be limited

in length, if the number of parties present at the hearing necessitates

such a limitation. There are, however, no limits to the length of

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

Service. The comment period closes on June 30, 1995. Written comments

should be submitted to the Service in the ADDRESSES section.

Author

The primary author of this notice is Ms. Karen J. Miller,

Sacramento Field Office, at the above address.

Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered

Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Dated: May 9, 1995.

Thomas Dwyer,

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

[FR Doc. 95-11886 Filed 5-12-95; 8:45 am]

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