Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public Hearing and Reopening of Comment Period on Proposed Endangered Status for Three Aquatic Snails, and Proposed Threatened Status for Three Aquatic Snails in the Mobile River Basin of Alabama

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AE36

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public

Hearing and Reopening of Comment Period on Proposed Endangered Status

for Three Aquatic Snails, and Proposed Threatened Status for Three

Aquatic Snails in the Mobile River Basin of Alabama

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

comment period.

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

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

public hearing on the proposed endangered status for the cylindrical

lioplax (Lioplax cyclostomaformis), flat pebblesnail (Lepyrium

showalteri), and plicate rocksnail (Leptoxis plicata); and the proposed

threatened status for the painted rocksnail (Leptoxis taeniata), round

rocksnail (Leptoxis ampla), and lacy elimia (Elimia crenatella). The

Service also announces the reopening of the comment period for these

actions. The public hearing and the reopening of the comment period

will allow additional comments on this proposal to be submitted from

all interested parties.

DATES: The public hearing will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. on Tuesday,

January 13, 1998, in Birmingham, Alabama. The comment period now closes

on January 23, 1998. 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 Dwight Beeson Hall

Auditorium on the campus of Samford University, 800 Lakeshore Drive,

Birmingham, Alabama 35229. Written comments and materials concerning

the proposal may be submitted at the hearing or sent directly to the

Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6578 Dogwood View

Parkway, Jackson, Mississippi 39213. Comments and materials received

will be available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal

business hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Hartfield (see ADDRESSES

section), 601/965-4900, extension 25.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The six aquatic snail species are endemic to portions of the Mobile

River Basin, Alabama. The cylindrical lioplax, flat pebblesnail, and

round rocksnail are found in the Cahaba River drainage; the lacy elimia

and painted rocksnail are in the Coosa River drainage; and the plicate

rocksnail is in the Black Warrior River drainage. All six species have

disappeared from 90 percent or more of their historic range. Known

populations are restricted to small portions of stream drainages. The

past decline of the snails is attributed to impoundment, habitat

fragmentation, and water quality degradation. Current threats include

the gradual and cumulative effects of sedimentation and nutrification

originating from nonpoint sources on the snails' localized and isolated

stream refugia.

On October 17, 1997, the Service published a rule proposing

endangered status for the cylindrical lioplax, flat pebblesnail, and

plicate rocksnail; and threatened status for the painted rocksnail,

round rocksnail, and lacy elimia in the Federal Register (62 FR 54020-

54028. 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 by Gorham &

Waldrep, P.C., was received within the allotted time period. The

Service has scheduled a public hearing in Birmingham, Alabama on

Tuesday, January 13, 1998, at Samford University's Dwight Beeson Hall

Auditorium from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Oral and written comments will be accepted and treated equally.

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 no limits to the length of written

comments or materials submitted at the hearing or mailed to the

Service. Legal notices announcing the date, time, and location of the

hearing are being published in newspapers concurrently with this

Federal Register notice. The comment period on the proposal was

initially closed on December 16, 1997. To accommodate the hearing, the

public comment period is reopened upon publication of this notice.

Written comments may now be submitted until January 23, 1998, to the

Service office in the ADDRESSES section.

[[Page 66584]]

Author: The primary author of this notice is Paul Hartfield (see

ADDRESSES section).

Authority

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

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

Dated: December 11, 1997.

H. Dale Hall,

Acting Regional Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 97-33140 Filed 12-18-97; 8:45 am]

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