Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public Hearings and Reopening of Comment Period on Proposed Rule to List the Flatwoods Salamander as Threatened

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AE38

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Public

Hearings and Reopening of Comment Period on Proposed Rule to List the

Flatwoods Salamander as Threatened

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

comment period.

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

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

public hearings will be held on its proposal to list the flatwoods

salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum) as a threatened species. The Service

also announces the reopening of the comment period for this action. The

public hearings and the reopening of the comment period will allow

additional comments on this proposal to be submitted from all

interested parties.

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

14, 1998, in Savannah, Georgia. The second public hearing will be held

on the evening of April 15, 1998, from 7 to 10 p.m. in Tallahassee,

Florida. The comment period on the proposal, which originally closed on

February 17, 1998, is now reopened until June 1, 1998. Any comments

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

on this proposal.

ADDRESSES: The April 14 public hearing will be held in the Auditorium

at the Savannah Technical Institute, 5717 White Bluff Road, Savannah,

Georgia. The April 15 public hearing will be at the Hermitage Centre,

Hermitage Room, 1801 Hermitage Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida. 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: Cary Norquist at the above address

(601/965-4900, ext. 28; facsimile 601/965-4340).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The flatwoods salamander occurs in isolated populations in open,

moist, longleaf/slash pine flatwoods across the lower southeastern

Coastal Plain in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Habitat loss and

degradation from agriculture, urbanization, and certain silvicultural

practices are the primary threats to the species. On December 16, 1997,

the Service published a rule proposing threatened status for the

flatwoods salamander in the Federal Register (62 FR 65787-65794).

Section 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 the proposed rule.

Public hearing requests were received within the allotted time period

from Rayonier (Southeast Forest Resources) and the Florida Forestry

Association in Florida; Georgia-Pacific and Gilman Paper Company in

Georgia; and the American Forest & Paper Association in Washington, DC.

The Service has scheduled these hearings for 7 to 10 p.m. on April

14, 1998, in Savannah, Georgia, and 7 to 10 p.m. on April 15, 1998, in

Tallahassee, Florida. Anyone expecting to make an oral presentation at

these hearings is encouraged to provide a written copy of their

statement to the hearing officer prior to the start of the hearing. In

the event there is a large attendance, the time allotted for oral

statements may have to be limited. Oral and written statements receive

equal consideration.

[[Page 14415]]

There are no limits to the length of written comments presented at

these hearings or mailed to the Service. Legal notices announcing the

date, time, and location of the hearings are being published in

newspapers concurrently with this Federal Register notice.

The comment period on the proposal initially closed on February 17,

1998. To accommodate the hearing, the public comment period is now

reopened. Written comments may be submitted until June 1, 1998, to the

Field Supervisor (see ADDRESSES section).

Author: The primary author of this document is Cary Norquist (see

ADDRESSES section).

Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered

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

Dated: March 18, 1998.

Judy L. Jones,

Acting Regional Director, Region 4, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 98-7695 Filed 3-24-98; 8:45 am]

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