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Vol. 76 Tuesday, No. 35 February 22, 2011 Part II Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for Nine Bexar County, Texas, Invertebrates; Proposed Rule VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:30 Feb 18, 2011 Jkt 223001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4717 Sfmt 4717 E:\FR\FM\22FEP2.SGM 22FEP2 mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS2 9872 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 35 / Tuesday, February 22, 2011 / Proposed Rules DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR means that we will post any personal species should be included in the information you provide us (see the designation and why; Fish and Wildlife Service Public Comments section below for • Special management considerations more information). or protections that the features essential 50 CFR Part 17 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: to the conservation of the nine Bexar [Docket No. FWS–R2–ES–2010–0091; MO Adam Zerrenner, Field Supervisor, U.S. County invertebrates identified in this 92210–0–009] Fish and Wildlife Service, Austin proposal may require, including Ecological Services Field Office, 10711 managing for the potential effects of RIN 1018–AX11 climate change; Burnet Road, Suite 200, Austin, TX • 78758; by telephone at 512–490–0057 What areas not occupied at the time Endangered and Threatened Wildlife of listing are essential for the and Plants; Designation of Critical x248; or by facsimile at 512–490–0974. If you use a telecommunications device conservation of the species and why; Habitat for Nine Bexar County, Texas, and Invertebrates for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal • Information Relay Service (FIRS) at Site-specific information on AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 800–877–8339. subsurface geologic barriers to Interior. movement of the species or lack thereof. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: • The taxonomy and status of the ACTION: Proposed rule. Public Comments ground beetle previously identified as SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Rhadine exilis in Black Cat Cave This document consists of: (1) A (proposed Unit 13) and the value of the Wildlife Service (Service), propose to proposed rule to revise designated revise critical habitat designation for the cave and unit for conservation of the critical habitat for the Rhadine exilis species. Rhadine exilis (ground beetle, no (ground beetle, no common name); common name); Rhadine infernalis (3) Land use designations and current Rhadine infernalis (ground beetle, no or planned activities in the subject areas (ground beetle, no common name); common name); Helotes mold beetle Helotes mold beetle (Batrisodes and their possible impacts on proposed (Batrisodes venyivi); Cokendolpher Cave critical habitat. venyivi); Cokendolpher Cave harvestman (Texella cokendolpheri); harvestman (Texella cokendolpheri); (4) Any probable economic, national Robber Baron Cave meshweaver security, or other relevant impacts of Robber Baron Cave meshweaver (Cicurina baronia); Madla Cave (Cicurina baronia); Madla Cave designating any area that may be meshweaver (Cicurina madla); and included in the final designation. We meshweaver (Cicurina madla); and Braken Bat Cave meshweaver (Cicurina Braken Bat Cave meshweaver (Cicurina are particularly interested in any venii); and (2) A proposed rule to impacts on small entities or families, venii) under the Endangered Species designate critical habitat for Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We also and the benefits of including or Government Canyon Bat Cave excluding areas that exhibit these propose to designate critical habitat for meshweaver (Cicurina vespera) and the Government Canyon Bat Cave impacts. Government Canyon Bat Cave spider (5) Information on whether the benefit meshweaver (Cicurina vespera) and (Neoleptoneta microps). Government Canyon Bat Cave spider of an exclusion of any particular area We intend that any final action outweighs the benefit of inclusion under (Neoleptoneta microps). These species resulting from this proposed rule will be are collectively known as the nine Bexar section 4(b)(2) of the Act, in particular based on the best scientific and for those management plans covering County invertebrates. In total, we are commercial data available and be as proposing approximately 6,906 acres specified lands used as mitigation under accurate and as effective as possible. the La Cantera Habitat Conservation (ac) (2,795 hectares (ha)) as critical Therefore, we request comments or habitat for these invertebrates. The Plan (HCP) and lands on which impacts information from other concerned to the species have been authorized proposed critical habitat is located in government agencies, the scientific Bexar County, Texas. under that HCP. Copies of the La community, industry, or other Cantera HCP are available from the DATES: We will consider comments interested parties concerning this Austin Ecological Services Field Office received or postmarked on or before proposed rule. We particularly seek (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). April 25, 2011. We must receive comments concerning: (6) Information on the projected and requests for public hearings, in writing, (1) The reasons why we should or reasonably likely impacts of climate at the address shown in the FOR FURTHER should not designate habitat as ‘‘critical change on any of the nine Bexar County INFORMATION CONTACT section by April 8, habitat’’ under section 4 of the invertebrates and the critical habitat 2011. Endangered Species Act of 1973, as areas we are proposing. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) (7) Information related to our 90-day by one of the following methods: including whether there are threats to finding on the July 8, 2010, petition to • Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// the species from human activity, the remove critical habitat Unit 13 from www.regulations.gov. Follow the degree of which can be expected to designation (see Previous Federal instructions for submitting comments increase due to the designation, and Actions below). on Docket No. FWS–R2–ES–2010–0091. whether that increase in threat (8) Whether we could improve or • U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public outweighs the benefit of designation modify our approach to designating Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. such that the designation of critical critical habitat in any way to provide for FWS–R2–ES–2010–0091; Division of habitat may not be prudent. greater public participation and Policy and Directives Management; U.S. (2) Specific information on: understanding, or to better Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. • The amount and distribution of any accommodate public concerns and Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; Arlington, VA of the nine Bexar County invertebrates’ comments. 22203. habitat; You may submit your comments and We will not accept e-mail or faxes. We • What areas occupied at the time of materials concerning this proposed rule will post all comments on http:// listing and that contain features by one of the methods listed in the www.regulations.gov. This generally essential to the conservation of the ADDRESSES section. We will not accept VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:30 Feb 18, 2011 Jkt 223001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\22FEP2.SGM 22FEP2 mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS2 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 35 / Tuesday, February 22, 2011 / Proposed Rules 9873 comments sent by e-mail or fax or to an Individuals comprising the nine Bexar invertebrates, such as cave crickets address not listed in the ADDRESSES County invertebrates are small, ranging (Mitchell 1971b, p. 250). section. We will post your entire in length from 0.04 inch (in) Subsurface Environment comment—including your personal (1 millimeter (mm)) to 0.4 in (1 identifying information—on http:// centimeter (cm)). They are eyeless, or The nine Bexar County invertebrates www.regulations.gov. You may request essentially eyeless, and most lack require stable temperatures and at the top of your document that we pigment or coloration. Adaptations to constant, high humidity (Barr 1968, withhold personal information such as cave life may include adjustments to the p. 47; Mitchell 1971b, p. 250). They your street address, phone number, or e- low quantities of food, including low have lost the adaptations needed to mail address from public review. metabolism; long legs for efficient prevent desiccation in drier habitats However, we cannot guarantee that we movement; and loss of eyes, possibly as (Howarth 1983, p. 368) and the ability will be able to do so. an energy-saving trade-off (Howarth to detect or cope with more extreme Comments and materials we receive, 1983, pp. 374–376). These invertebrates temperatures (Mitchell 1971a, pp. 300– as well as supporting documentation we may be able to survive from months to 301). Temperatures in caves are used in preparing this proposed rule, years existing on little or no food typically the average annual surface will be available for public inspection (Howarth 1983, p. 375). Average life temperature with little variation on http://www.regulations.gov, or by spans of the listed Bexar County (Howarth 1983, p. 373; Dunlap 1995, p. appointment, during normal business invertebrates in central Texas are 76). Relative humidity is typically near 100 percent in caves that support hours, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife unknown, but are likely multiple years troglobitic invertebrates (Elliott and Service, Austin Ecological Services for some species (Cicurina spp.), based Reddell 1989, p. 6; Zara 2010, pp. 9–10). FOR FURTHER on observations of juveniles kept in Field Office (see Microhabitat is an important INFORMATION CONTACT). captivity (Veni and Associates 1999, p. 165). Reproductive rates of troglobites component of features occupied by the Background (small, cave-dwelling animals that have nine Bexar County karst invertebrates adapted to their dark surroundings), and has been quantified for three of the It is our intent to discuss only those listed species that occur on Camp topics directly relevant to the such as these nine invertebrates, are typically very low (Poulson and White Bullis, R. exilis, R. infernalis, and Madla designation and revised designation of Cave meshweaver (Zara and Veni 2009, critical habitat in this proposed rule.