58982 Federal Register / Vol. 59, No. 219 / Tuesday, November 15, 1994 / Proposed Rules DEPARTMENT OFTHE INTERIOR ADDRESSES: Interested persons or Street, Anchorage. Alaska 99501 (907— organizations should submit comments 786—3605). Fish and Wildlife Service regarding particular taxa to the Regional FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Director of the Region specified with Jamie Rappaport Clark, Chief, Division 5OCFRPartI7 each taxon as having the lead of Endangered Species (703—358—2171) Endangered and Threatened Wildlife responsibility for that taxon. Comments or Endangered Species Coordinator(s) in and Plants; Animal Candidate Review of a more general nature maybe the appropriate Regional Office(s) listed for Listing as Endangered or submitted to: Chief—Division of above. Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and Threatened Species SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Wildlife Service, Mail Stop 452 ARLSQ AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington. D.C. 20240. Written Background Interior. comments and materials received in The Endangered Species Act (16 ACTION: Notice of review. response to this notice will be available U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires the for public inspection by appointment in Secretary of the Interior (or Commerce SL.YMARY: In this notice the U.S. Fish the Regional Offices listed below. according to vested program and Wildlife Service (Service) presents Region 1.—California, Hawaii, Idaho, responsibilities) to determine whether an updated compilation of vertebrate Nevada, Oregon, Washington, wildlife and plant species are and iA~vertebrateanimal taxa native to Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana endangered or threatened, based on the the United States that are being Islands, and Pacific Territories of the best available scientific and commercial reviewed for possible addition to the United States. data, after conducting a review of their List of Endangered and Threatened Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and status. In regulations found at 50 CFR ~Vildlife under the Endangered Species Wildlife Service, Eastside Federal 424.15 the Service advises that it may Ac~of 1973, as amended (Act). Such Complex. 911 N.E. 11th Avenue. publish comprehensive notices of such taxa are generally referred to as listing Portland, Oregon 97232-4181 (503— review. These notices contain the names car.didates (candidates). The changes in 231—6241). of the species considered to be this document from previous animal Region 2.—Arizona. New Mexico, candidates for listing under the Act and notices of review primarily involve: (1) Oklahoma. and Texas. indicate whether sufficient scientific or the addition of new candidate taxa; (2) Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and commercial information is available to changes in category fcx some Wildlife Service. P.O. Box 1306, warrant proposing to list them. They ca~cd~dates;(3j additions and deletions Albuquerque. NewMexico 87103 (505— also solicit additional information in State historic distributions; and (4) 766—3972). regarding any of the species mentioned. changes in stamus trend for some Region 3—Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, The Service has for many years been cand.date taxa. Procedures initiated in Michigan. Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, gathering data on taxa of animals native the orevious animal notice of revie* and Wisconsin. to the United States that appeared. at (November 21, 1991, 56 FR 58804) that Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and least at times, to merit consideration for are being continued include: (1) a Wildlife Service. Federal Building, Fort addition to the List of Endangered and category (PE or PT) for species that are Snelling. Twin Cities. Minnesota 55111 Threatened Wildlife. The accompanying currently proposed for listing under the (612—725—3276). table identifies many of these taxa Act; (2) alphabetical organization by Region 4.—Alabama. Arkansas, (including, by definition, biological sc:er.ific name of taxa under each ma)or subspecies and certain distinct gro~:pheading (class or order) identified Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi. North Carolina, South population segments of vertebrate in previous nc~ices:(3) the omission of animals) and assigns each taxon to one taxa that have been identified as non- Carolina. Tennessee, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. of the categories described below. In candidates in previous notices; and (4) revising this compilation the Service identification of a Fish and Wildlife Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1875 Century relies on information from status Service Region with lead responsibility surveys conducted for candidate for each taxon. While it is prudent to Boulevard. Atlanta. Georgia 30303 (404— 679—7103). assessment and on other information take candidate taxa into account during from State Heritage Programs, from Region 5—Connecticut, Delaware, environmental plannirg, neither the other State and Federal Agencies (such substantive nor procedural provisions of District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, as the Forest Service and the Bureau of the Act apply to ataxon that is Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Land Management), from designated as a candidate. (Species that Jersey. New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode knowledgeable scientists, and from have been proposed for listing are Island. Vermont, Virginia. and West comments received in response to covered b~’the conference procedure of Virginia. previous notices of review. Seclon 7(a)(4) of the Act). Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and Unless it is the subject of a current Through the publication of this Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center published proposed rule to determine nutice, the Service also requests any Drive, Hadley, Massachusetts 01035— endangered or threatened status, none of additional status information that may 9589 (413—253—8615). these taxa receives substantive or be available. This information will be Region 6.—Colorado, Kansas, procedural protection pursuant to the considered in preparing listing Montana. Nebraska, North Dakota, Act (species that are the subject of a dcx urnents and future revisions and/or South Dakota, Utah. and Wyoming. final listing rule are removed from this supplements to the notice of review. It Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and table at each periodic updating). The ~viIIalso assist the Service in Wildlife Service. P.O. Box 25486. Act requires, however, monitoring the monitoring changes in the status of Denver Federal Center, Denver, status of certain candidate taxa to listing candidates. Colorado 80225 (303—236—7398). prevent their extinction while awaiting DATE: Comments are requested until the Region 7.—Alaska. listing decisions. The Service intends to publication of an update of this notice, Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and monitor the status of all listing anticipated in 1996. ~Vi1dlifeService, lOll East Tudor candidates to the fullest extent possible. Federal Register / Vol. 59, No. 219 / Tuesday, November 15, 1994 1 Proposed Rules 58983 emphasizing monitoTing of species for Codes for the maiorstatus categories 3A—Taxa for which the Service has which available scientific and of taxa in the first column of the table persuasive evidence of extinction. If commercial information indicates areexplained below: rediscovered, such taxa might acquire imminent threat (see the listing priority PE—Taxa already proposed to be high priority for listing. At this time, guidelines published September 21, listed as endangered. however, thebest available information 1983, 48 FR 43098). PT—Taxa already proposed to be indicates that the taxa in this listed as threatened. subcategory, or the habitats from which Many of the taxa in the accompanying 1—Taxa for which the Service has on table were covered in the Service’s they were known, have been lost. file stifficient information on biological previous animal notices of review. The 3B—Nanies that, on the basis of vulnerability and threat(s) to support current ta.xonornic understanding preceding animal notice of review was proposals to list them as endangered or (usually as represented in published published in the FEDERAL REGISTER of threatened species. Proposed rules have revisions and monographs), do not November 21, 1991 (56 FR 58804— not yet been issued because this action represent distinct taxa meeting the Act’s 58836). Previous to that a is precluded at present by other listing comprehensive animal notice was definition of “species”; it also includes activity. In accordance with the policy vertebrate populations that do not meet published January 6, 1989 (54 FR 554— announced in a statement published 579), with minor corrections on August this definition. Such supposed entities May 12, 1993 (58 FR 28034—28035), all could be reevaluated in the future on 10. 1989 154 FR 32.833). Earlier species that have been the subject of a thebasis ofnew information. comprehensive reviews for vertebrate petition determination of “warranted 3C—Taxa that have proven to be inure animals were published on September but precluded” for listing are abundant or wide~preadthan previously 18, 1985 (50 FR 37958—37967), and on automatically assigned to Category 1 of believed andJor those that are not December 30, 1982 (47 FR 58454— the nex’t comprehensive notice of review subject to any identifiable threat. lf 58460). An initial comprehensive unless they areproposed or determined further research or changes in habitat review for invertebrate animals was to be “not warranted” in the interim. conditions indicate a significant de.clim published May 22, 1984 (49FR 21664— Development and publication