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Tuesday, August 26, 2008 Part IV Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Peninsular Ranges Population of Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni); Proposed Rule VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:18 Aug 25, 2008 Jkt 214001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4717 Sfmt 4717 C:\FR\FM\26AUP2.SGM 26AUP2 sroberts on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALS 50498 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 166 / Tuesday, August 26, 2008 / Proposed Rules DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (3) Specific information on dispersal by one of the following methods: areas important for habitat connectivity, Fish and Wildlife Service • Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// the role of such areas in the www.regulations.gov. Follow the conservation and recovery of the 50 CFR Part 17 instructions for submitting comments. Peninsular bighorn sheep, and why • U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public such areas should or should not be [FWS–R8–ES–2008–0005; 92210–1117– Comments Processing, Attn: RIN 1018– included in the critical habitat 0000–B4] AV07, Division of Policy and Directives designation. Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife (4) Our proposed revision of criteria RIN 1018–AV09 Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite used to identify critical habitat, our 222, Arlington, VA 22203. addition of 36,240 ac (14,667 ha) to Endangered and Threatened Wildlife We will not accept e-mail or faxes. We proposed critical habitat, and removal of and Plants; Designation of Critical will post all comments on http:// 163 ac (66 ha) from proposed critical Habitat for the Peninsular Ranges www.regulations.gov. This generally habitat as described in this notice (see Population of Desert Bighorn Sheep means that we will post any personal Changes to Proposed Critical Habitat (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) information you provide us (see the section below). Public Comments section below for AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, (5) Our proposed exclusion of more information). Interior. approximately 4,790 ac (1,938 ha) of FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Peninsular bighorn sheep habitat ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of Bartel, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and located on the Agua Caliente Band of comment period, revised proposed Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Fish and Cahuilla Indian’s tribal lands in critical habitat, notice of availability of Wildlife Office, 6010 Hidden Valley consideration of Secretarial Order 3206, draft economic analysis, notice of public Road, Carlsbad, CA 92011; telephone ‘‘American Indian Tribal Rights, Federal hearings, and amended required 760/431–9440; facsimile 760/431–5901. Tribal Trust Responsibilities, and the determinations. If you use a telecommunications device Endangered Species Act’’ (June 5, 1997); SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal the President’s memorandum of April Wildlife Service (Service), announce the Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 29, 1994, ‘‘Government-to-Government reopening of the comment period and 800–877–8339. Relations with Native American Tribal the scheduling of public hearings on our SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Governments’’ (59 FR 22951); Executive Order 13175; and the relevant provision October 10, 2007, proposed revision to Public Comments critical habitat for the Peninsular of the Departmental Manual of the Department of the Interior (512 DM 2), bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) We will accept written comments and which are also covered under the under the Endangered Species Act of information during this reopened Tribe’s draft Habitat Conservation Plan 1973, as amended (Act). In this comment period on our proposed (Tribal HCP). Additionally, we are document, we propose to add revision to critical habitat for the interested in comments related to approximately 36,240 acres (ac) (14,667 Peninsular Ranges population of desert whether the benefits of excluding these hectares (ha)) to our proposed revision bighorn sheep published in the Federal areas would outweigh the benefits of of critical habitat. We also announce the Register on October 10, 2007 (72 FR including these areas under section availability of the draft economic 57740), the proposed revisions to the 4(b)(2) of the Act (see the Areas analysis (DEA) of the proposed revision October 2007 proposed rule outlined in this notice, the DEA of the proposed Considered for Exclusion Under Section to critical habitat and amended required 4(b)(2) of the Act section of the October determinations. We are reopening the revised designation, and the amended required determinations provided in 10, 2007, proposed rule (72 FR 57740) comment period to allow all interested and the Changes to Areas Considered for parties an opportunity to comment this document. We will consider information and recommendations from Exclusion section of this document for simultaneously on the proposed a detailed discussion). revisions to critical habitat, the all interested parties. We are particularly interested in comments (6) Our consideration of excluding associated DEA, and the amended approximately 18,801 ac (7,609 ha) of required determinations section. Please concerning: (1) The reasons why habitat should or private land and permittee-owned land do not resend comments that you should not be designated as critical in Peninsular bighorn sheep habitat submitted on the October 10, 2007, habitat under section 4 of the Act (16 covered under the draft Coachella proposed rule. We considered those U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), specifically the Valley Multiple Species Habitat comments in our revisions to the benefits of excluding or the benefits of Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP) and proposed critical habitat that are set including any particular area as critical whether the benefits of excluding these forth in this supplemental proposed habitat. areas would outweigh the benefits of rule. Comments previously submitted (2) Specific information on: including these areas as critical habitat are included in the public record for • The amount and distribution of under section 4(b)(2) of the Act (see the this rulemaking. habitat for Peninsular bighorn sheep, Areas Considered for Exclusion Under DATES: Written Comments: We will • What areas occupied by the Section 4(b)(2) of the Act section of the accept comments received or Peninsular bighorn sheep at the time of October 10, 2007, proposed rule (72 FR postmarked on or before October 27, listing that contain features essential for 57740) and the Changes to Areas 2008. Any comments received after the the conservation of the Peninsular Considered for Exclusion section of this closing date may not be considered in bighorn sheep we should include in the document for a detailed discussion). the final designation of critical habitat. designation and why, and (7) Any areas included in the Public Hearings: The public hearings • What areas not occupied by the proposed revision of critical habitat that will take place on September 10, 2008 Peninsular bighorn sheep at the time of are covered by existing or proposed from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. listing are essential to the conservation conservation or management plans that to 8 p.m. at The Living Desert, 47–900 of the Peninsular bighorn sheep and we should consider for exclusion from Portola Ave., Palm Desert, California. why. the revised final designation under VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:18 Aug 25, 2008 Jkt 214001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4702 C:\FR\FM\26AUP2.SGM 26AUP2 sroberts on PROD1PC76 with PROPOSALS Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 166 / Tuesday, August 26, 2008 / Proposed Rules 50499 section 4(b)(2) of the Act. We (20) Economic data on the You may obtain copies of the specifically request information on any incremental costs of designating any proposed rule to revise critical habitat operative or draft Habitat Conservation particular area as revised critical and the DEA on the Internet at http:// Plans (HCP) for the Peninsular bighorn habitat. www.regulations.gov, or by mail from sheep that have been prepared under (21) Whether our approach to the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act, as well as designating critical habitat could be (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). any other management plan, improved or modified in any way to Background conservation plan, or agreement that provide for greater public participation benefits the Peninsular bighorn sheep or and understanding, or to assist us in On February 1, 2001, we designated the essential physical and biological accommodating public concerns and approximately 844,897 ac (341,919 ha) features of its habitat. comments. of land in Riverside, San Diego, and (8) Specific information regarding the If you submitted comments or Imperial counties, California, as critical current status of plan implementation information on the October 10, 2007, habitat for the Peninsular Ranges for the draft Tribal HCP and the draft proposed rule (72 FR 57740) during the Population of bighorn sheep (66 FR CVMSHCP. initial comment period from October 10 8649; February 1, 2001). On March 7, (9) Land use designations and current to December 10, 2007, please do not 2005, the Agua Caliente Band of or planned activities in the subject resubmit them. Comments previously Cahuilla Indians filed a complaint areas, and their possible impacts on submitted are included in the public against the Service alleging that the proposed revised critical habitat. record and we will fully consider them economic analysis developed for our (10) Information on the extent to in preparation of our final 2001 designation used a methodology which any Federal, State, and local determination. Our final determination similar to that ruled to be insufficient by the Tenth Circuit Court in New Mexico environmental protection measures we concerning revised critical habitat for Cattle Growers Association v. U.S. Fish reference in the DEA may have been the Peninsular bighorn sheep will take and Wildlife Service, 248 F.3d 1277 adopted largely as a result of listing the into consideration all written comments (10th Cir.