Proposed Rule to List the Short-Tailed
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58692 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 211 / Monday, November 2, 1998 / Proposed Rules TABLE C.ÐREQUIRED SEPARATION IN KILOMETERS (MILES) OF BASE STATION FROM PUBLIC COAST STATIONSÐ Continued Base Station Characteristics HAAT ERP (watts) Meters (feet) 400 300 200 100 50 30 (100) ................................................................................ 154 (96) 151 (94) 145 (90) 137 (85) 130 (81) 61 (200) ................................................................................ 166 (103) 167 (104) 161 (100) 153 (95) 145 (90) 122 (400) .............................................................................. 187 (116) 177 (110) 183 (114) 169 (105) 159 (99) (v) In the event of interference, the effective radiated power of the carrier in the U.S., but several individuals have Commission may require, without a and handhelds and portable units must been regularly observed during the hearing, licensees of base stations meet a minimum second harmonic breeding season on Midway Atoll in the authorized under this section that are suppression standard in the frequency Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Current located within 241 kilometers (150 range of 1559±1605 MHz of 80 dB down threats to the species include miles) of a co-channel public coast, I/ from the maximum effective radiated destruction of habitat by volcanic LT, or grandfathered public safety power of the carrier. This standard eruption or mud or land slides caused station licensed prior to July 6, 1998, or applies only to equipment operating in by monsoon rains, and demographic or an international border, to reduce the frequency range of 779.5±802.5 genetic vulnerability due to low power, decrease antenna height, and/or MHz. population size and limited breeding install directional antennas. Mobile [FR Doc. 98±28976 Filed 10±30±98; 8:45 am] distribution. Longline fisheries, plastics stations must be operated only within ingestion, contaminants, and airplane BILLING CODE 6712±01±P radio range of their associated base strikes may also be factors affecting the station. species' conservation. This proposal, if (vi) Applicants seeking to be licensed made final, would implement the for stations exceeding the power/ DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Federal protection and recovery antenna height limits of the table in Fish and Wildlife Service provisions provided by the Act for paragraph (iv) of this section must individuals when they occur in the U.S. request a waiver of that paragraph and 50 CFR Part 17 DATES: Comments from all interested must submit with their application an parties must be received by March 2, interference analysis, based upon an RIN 1018±AE91 1999. Public hearing requests must be appropriate, generally-accepted terrain- received by December 17, 1998. based propagation model, that shows Endangered and Threatened Wildlife that co-channel protected entities, and Plants; Proposed Rule To List the ADDRESSES: Comments and materials described in paragraph (iii) of this Short-Tailed Albatross as Endangered concerning this proposal should be sent section, would receive the same or in the United States to the Field Supervisor, Anchorage greater interference protection than the Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, relevant criteria outlined in paragraph Service, 605 West 4th Avenue, Room G± Interior. (iii) of this section. 62, Anchorage, AK 99501 (telephone 4. Section 90.179 is amended by ACTION: Proposed rule. 907/271±2787). Comments and revising paragraph (a) to read as follows: materials received will be available for SUMMARY: Under the authority of the public inspection, by appointment, § 90.179 Shared use of radio stations. Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, during normal business hours at the * * * * * as amended, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife above address. Service (Service) proposes to extend (a) Persons may share a radio station FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg endangered status for the short-tailed only on frequencies for which they Balogh, Endangered Species Biologist albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) to would be eligible for a separate (telephone 907/271±2778). authorization. Licensees under Subpart include the species' range within the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: R may share the use of their systems United States. As a result of an with any entity that would be eligible administrative error in the original Background listing, the short-tailed albatross is for licensing under § 90.523 and Federal Taxonomy government entities. currently listed as endangered * * * * * throughout its range except in the U.S. George Steller made the first record of 5. A new section 90.553 is added to Short-tailed albatrosses range the short-tailed albatross in the 1740s. read as follows: throughout the North Pacific Ocean and The type specimen for the species was north into the Bering Sea during the collected offshore of Kamchatka, Russia, § 90.553 GNSS protection. non-breeding season, and breeding and was described in 1769 by P.S. Pallas In order to provide adequate colonies were historically present on in Spicilegia Zoologica (AOU 1983). In protection to receivers of the Global islands in Taiwan. Originally the order of tube-nosed marine birds, Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) numbering in the millions, the Procellariiformes, the short-tailed which will utilize the Radionavigation- worldwide population of breeding age albatross is classified within the family Satellite Service (space-to-Earth) band, birds is currently approximately 500 Diomedeidae. Until recently, it had been mobile units must meet a minimum individuals and the worldwide total assigned to the genus Diomedea. second harmonic suppression standard population is less than 1000 Following the results of genetic studies in the frequency range of 1559±1605 individuals. There are no breeding by Nunn et al. (1996), the family MHz of 90 dB down from the maximum populations of short-tailed albatrosses Diomedeidae was arranged in four Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 211 / Monday, November 2, 1998 / Proposed Rules 58693 genera. The genus Phoebastria, North believed that short-tailed albatrosses did except for a few years following the Pacific albatrosses, now includes the not breed in the Aleutians but were 1903 volcanic eruption. One of the short-tailed albatross, the Laysan harvested offshore during the summer, residents on the island (a schoolteacher) albatross (P. immutabilis), the black- non-breeding season. Given the reported 3,000 albatrosses killed in footed albatross (P. nigripes), and the midwinter constraints on breeding at December 1932 and January 1933. waved albatross (P. irrorata)(AOU high latitudes and the known southerly Yamashina (in Austin) stated that ``This 1997). location of winter breeding, it is highly last great slaughter was undoubtedly unlikely that these birds ever bred in perpetrated by the inhabitants in Description Alaska (Sherburne 1993). anticipation of the island's soon The short-tailed albatross is a large Additional historical information on becoming a bird sanctuary.'' By 1949, pelagic bird with long narrow wings the species' range away from known there were no short-tailed albatrosses adapted for soaring just above the water breeding areas is scant. Evidence from breeding at any of the historically surface. The bill is disproportionately archeological studies in middens known breeding sites, including large compared to other northern suggests that hunters in kayaks had Torishima, and the species was thought hemisphere albatrosses and is pink and access to an abundant nearshore supply to be extinct (Austin 1949). hooked with a bluish tip, has external of short-tailed albatrosses from The species persisted, however, and tubular nostrils, and a thin but California north to St. Lawrence Island in 1950, the chief of the weather station conspicuous black line extending as early as 4000 years ago (Howard and at Torishima, Mr. M. Yamamoto, around the base. Adult short-tailed Dodson 1933, Yesner and Aigner 1976, reported nesting of the short-tailed albatrosses are the only North Pacific Murie 1959). In the 1880s and 1890s, albatross (Tickell 1973, 1975). By 1954 albatross with an entirely white back. short-tailed albatross abundance and there were 25 birds and at least 6 pairs The white head develops a yellow-gold distribution during the non-breeding (Ono 1955). These were presumably crown and nape over several years. season was generalized by statements juvenile birds that had been wandering Fledged juveniles are dark brown-black, such as ``more or less numerous'' in the the North Pacific during the final but soon obtain pale bills and legs that vicinity of the Aleutian Islands (Yesner several years of slaughter. Since then, as distinguish them from black-footed and 1976). They were reported as highly a result of habitat management projects, Laysan albatrosses (Tuck 1978, abundant around Cape Newenham, in stringent protection, and the absence of Roberson 1980). western Alaska, and Ventaiminov any significant volcanic eruption events, Historical Distribution regarded them as abundant near the the population has gradually increased. Pribilof Islands (DeGange 1981). In The average growth of the Torishima, The short-tailed albatross once ranged 1904, they were considered ``tolerably Tsubamesaki colony, between 1950 and throughout most of the North Pacific common on both coasts of Vancouver 1977 was 2.5 adults per year; between Ocean and Bering Sea, with known Island, but more abundant on the west 1978 and 1991 the average population nesting colonies