Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public Hearing and Reopening of Public Comment Period on Proposed Endangered Status for Nine Plants From the Grasslands or Mesic Areas of the Central Coast of California

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public

Hearing and Reopening of Public Comment Period on Proposed Endangered

Status for Nine Plants From the Grasslands or Mesic Areas of the

Central Coast of California

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

comment period.

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[[Page 47857]]

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

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), provides notice of a

public hearing and reopening of the comment period on the proposed

endangered status for Alopecurus aequalis var. sonomensis (Sonoma

alopecurus), Astragalus clarianus (Clara Hunt's milkvetch), Carex

albida (white sedge), Clarkia imbricata (Vine Hill clarkia), Lilium

pardalinum ssp. pitkinense (Pitkin Marsh lily), Plagiobothrys strictus

(Calistoga allocarya), Poa napensis (Napa bluegrass), Sidalcea oregana

ssp. valida (Kenwood Marsh checkermallow), and Trifolium amoenum (showy

Indian clover). All parties are invited to comment on this proposal.

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

Thursday, October 3, 1996, in Novato, California. The public comment

period, which closed on October 9, 1995, is now reopened upon

publication of this document, and will close on October 15, 1996. Any

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

decision on this proposal.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be held at the Novato Oaks Inn, 215

Alameda del Prado, Novato, California. Written comments and materials

concerning this proposal should be sent to the Field Supervisor,

Sacramento Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 3310 El Camino

Avenue, Suite 130, Sacramento, California 95821-6340. Comments and

materials received, as well as the supporting documentation used in

preparing the rule, will be available for public inspection, by

appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Fuller, Sacramento Field Office

(see ADDRESSES section) at (916) 979-2120; facsimile (916) 979-2128.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Alopecurus aequalis var. sonomensis, Astragalus clarianus, Carex

albida, Clarkia imbricata, Lilium pardalinum ssp. pitkinense,

Plagiobothrys strictus, Poa napensis, Sidalcea oregana ssp. valida, and

Trifolium amoenum are plant species in a variety of habitats, including

valley grasslands, meadows, freshwater marshes, seeps, and broad-leaf

upland forests in Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties on the central coast

of California. Habitat loss and degradation, competition from

aggressive plant species, elimination through plant community

succession, grazing, collection for horticultural use, and hydrological

modifications to wetland areas threaten the continued existence of

these plants.

On August 2, 1995, the Service published a proposed rule to list

Alopecurus aequalis var. sonomensis (Sonoma alopecurus), Astragalus

clarianus (Clara Hunt's milkvetch), Carex albida (white sedge), Clarkia

imbricata (Vine Hill clarkia), Lilium pardalinum ssp. pitkinense

(Pitkin Marsh lily), Plagiobothrys strictus (Calistoga allocarya), Poa

napensis (Napa bluegrass), Sidalcea oregana ssp. valida (Kenwood Marsh

checkermallow), and Trifolium amoenum (showy Indian clover). Section

4(b)(5)(E) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires that a public

hearing be held if it is requested within 45 days of the publication of

the proposed rule. A public hearing request dated August 28, 1995, was

received from John Bucher, President of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau,

Sonoma, California. Because a Congressional moratorium on the Service's

activities associated with final listing actions was in effect from

April 1995 to April 1996, scheduling of the hearing was delayed. The

Service has now scheduled a public hearing to be held on Thursday,

October 3, 1996, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Novato Oaks Inn, 215

Alameda del Prado, Novato, California.

Anyone wishing to make statements for the record should bring a

written 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. Oral and written comments receive equal

consideration. The Service places no limits on the length of written

comments or materials presented at the hearing or mailed to the

Service.

The comment period on the proposal was initially closed on October

9, 1995. To accommodate the hearing, the public comment period is

reopened upon publication of this notice. Written comments may now be

submitted until October 15, 1996, to the Service office in the

ADDRESSES section.

Author

The primary authors of this notice are Elizabeth Warne and Ken

Fuller (see ADDRESSES section).

Authority

The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of

1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Dated: September 3, 1996.

Thomas Dwyer,

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

[FR Doc. 96-23027 Filed 9-10-96; 8:45 am]

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