Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed Establishment of a Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican Gray Wolf in Arizona and New Mexico

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed

Establishment of a Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican

Gray Wolf in Arizona and New Mexico

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings and hearings.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces its

intention to hold public open house meetings and hearings on the

Proposed Rule for the Proposed Establishment of a Nonessential

Experimental Population of the Mexican Gray Wolf in Arizona and New

Mexico. The meetings and hearings will be held in El Paso, Texas;

Alamogordo and Silver City, New Mexico; and Springerville, Arizona.

DATES: The meetings/hearings will be held in El Paso, Texas, on June 10

from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.; in Alamogordo, New Mexico, on June 11 from

6:00 to 10:00 p.m.; in Silver City, New Mexico, on June 13 from 6:00 to

10:00 p.m.; and in Springerville, Arizona, on June 15 from 2:00 to 6:00

p.m. Times and places of these meetings will also be announced in the

local media and in mailings to the interested public. The comment

period on the Proposed Rule closes on July 1, 1996, and comments must

be

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postmarked by the closing date to be considered.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting/hearing location in El Paso, Texas, is

the Ysleta Unified School District, Christo Rey and Chamizal Rooms, at

9600 Sims Drive; the location in Alamogordo, New Mexico, is the Civic

Center Conference Room and Auditorium at 800 First Street; the location

in Silver City, New Mexico, is the Lighthall Classroom 202 and

Lighthall Auditorium on the Western New Mexico University campus; and

the location in Springerville, Arizona, is the Round Valley Unified

School District Auditorium at 450 South Butler Street. Questions and

comments on the Proposed Rule should be sent to David R. Parsons,

Mexican Wolf Recovery Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O.

Box 1306, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103-1306. Copies of the Proposed

Rule, a fact sheet that summarizes the rule, the draft Environmental

Impact Statement (EIS) for Proposed Reintroduction of the Mexican Wolf

to its Historic Range in the Southwestern United States, and the draft

EIS summary can be obtained at this address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David R. Parsons (see ADDRESSES

section), or phone at (505) 248-6920; or facsimile at (505)248-6922.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

In the June 27, 1995, Federal Register (60 FR 33224-33225) the

Service announced the availability of a draft EIS for a proposal to

reintroduce Mexican wolves to portions of their historic range in the

southwestern United States. Alternatives A (the Proposed Action) and B

of the draft EIS propose the reintroduction of Mexican wolves

classified as a nonessential experimental population as allowed under

section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended

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

In the May 1, 1996, Federal Register (61 FR 19237-19248), the

Service issued the Proposed Rule for establishing a nonessential

experimental population of the Mexican gray wolf in Arizona and New

Mexico. A nearly identical Draft Proposed Mexican Wolf Experimental

Population Rule was included as Appendix C in the draft EIS. The

Proposed Rule is an integral part of Alternatives A and B in the draft

EIS, both of which propose the establishment of a nonessential

experimental population of Mexican wolves. It provides needed

management flexibility for addressing potential wolf- human conflicts

associated with wolf reintroduction, such as livestock depredation by

wolves. This Proposed Rule differs from Appendix C of the draft EIS

only by the inclusions of an updated status of the National

Environmental Policy Act process and some ``plain language'' revisions

to make the rule more readable. No substantive provisions of Appendix C

of the draft EIS have changed.

If you submitted a written comment or formal oral testimony during

the draft EIS comment period on the Draft Proposed Rule, as set forth

in Appendix C, or as summarized in the draft EIS text or the draft EIS

Summary, it is not necessary to resubmit that comment for it to be

considered in this comment period on the Proposed Rule.

Four public open house meetings/hearings will be held (see DATES

and ADDRESSES sections). Agency representatives will be available at

these meetings to provide information about the Proposed Rule; consult

with you regarding provisions of the rule; answer your questions; and

receive your written comments. Carter Niemeyer, the Animal Damage

Control Wolf Specialist for the northern Rocky Mountain region, will

give a formal presentation on wolf-livestock interactions following

wolf reestablishment in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. We will conclude

with a formal public hearing where oral testimony on the Proposed Rule

will be recorded. Anyone wishing to make an oral statement for the

record is encouraged to provide a copy of his or her statement at the

start of the hearing. If attendance at the hearing is large, the time

allotted for oral statements may be limited. Written comments and oral

testimony receive equal consideration.

The Proposed Rule will be revised after the close of the comment

period and, depending on future decisions with respect to Mexican wolf

recovery, may then be issued as a Final Rule. The Service's goal is

that the Final Rule, if issued, would, to the maximum extent

practicable, represent an agreement between the Service and the

agencies, local governments, tribes, private landowners, and other

potentially affected parties regarding how to manage reintroduced

Mexican wolves with minimal adverse impacts while promoting their

conservation and recovery. This goal is consistent with ESA regulations

on experimental populations (50 CFR sec. 17.81(d)).

Comments on the Proposed Rule must be received or postmarked by

July 1, 1996, and sent to the Service office in the ADDRESSES section.

Dated: May 16, 1996.

Nancy M. Kaufman,

Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 96-12816 Filed 5-21-96; 8:45 am]

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