[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 133 (Wednesday, July 10, 1996)] [Proposed Rules] [Pages 36346-36347] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-17523] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Rescheduled Public Hearing on Proposed Threatened and Endangered Status for Five Plants and a Lizard From Monterey County, California
Agency
Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
Action
Proposed rule, notice of rescheduled public hearing.
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Summary
The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), provides notice of rescheduling of a public hearing on the proposed endangered status for coastal dunes milkvetch (Astragalus tener var. titi), Yadon's piperia (Piperia yadonii), Hickman's potentilla (Potentilla hickmanii), Monterey clover (Trifolium trichocalyx) and the black legless lizard (Anniella pulchra nigra); and threatened status for Gowen cypress (Cupressus goveniana ssp. goveniana). All parties are invited to submit comments on this proposal.
Dates
A public hearing was originally scheduled for Wednesday, July 17, 1996, in Monterey, California. The hearing has been rescheduled to be held on Tuesday, August 20, 1996, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in Monterey, California. Any comments received by August 30, 1996, will be considered in the final decision on this proposal.
Addresses
The public hearing will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, One Golf Course Road, Monterey, California. Written comments and materials concerning this proposal may be submitted at the hearing or sent directly to the Field Supervisor, Ventura Field Office, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, California 93003. Comments and materials will be available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.
For Further Information Contact
Connie Rutherford (see ADDRESSES section) or at 805/644-1766.
Supplementary Information
Background
Most of the habitat for the plants and lizard is found in coastal habitats in northern Monterey County. Coastal dunes milk-vetch and Monterey clover are restricted to private lands on the Monterey Peninsula. Hickman's potentilla is restricted to two populations: one on the Monterey Peninsula, and one recently discovered near Devil's Slide in San Mateo County. Gowen cypress stands occur on the Monterey Peninsula, and at Point Lobos State Reserve five miles to the south. Yadon's piperia occurs primarily on private lands on the Monterey Peninsula, with other populations extending as far south as Palo Colorado Canyon, and as far north as Blohm
Ranch north of Prunedale. The black legless lizard occurs on private and State Park lands between the Salinas and Carmel Rivers, on the Monterey Peninsula, and along Monterey Bay. A few populations of Yadon's piperia and the black legless lizard occur on Federal lands at Fort Ord. The five plant taxa and the lizard are threatened by one or more of the following: alteration, destruction, and fragmentation of habitat resulting from urban and golf course development; recreational activities; highway widening; military activities; competition with non-native species; and alteration of natural fire cycles. All taxa are also threatened with stochastic extinction due to the small numbers of populations or individuals. On August 2, 1995, the Service published a proposed rule on proposed endangered status for Astragalus tener var. titi, Piperia yadonii, Potentilla hickmanii, Trifolium trichocalyx, and the black legless lizard (Anniella pulchra nigra); and threatened status for Gowen cypress (Cupressus goveniana ssp. goveniana (60 FR 39326). Section 4(b)(5)(E) of the Act requires that a public hearing be held if one is requested within 45 days of the publication of the proposed rule in the Federal Register. A public hearing request was received within the allotted time period from Robert D. Thornton of Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliott in Irvine, California. On June 26, 1996, the Service announced that a public hearing was scheduled to be held on July 17, 1996 (61 FR 33082). The hearing has been rescheduled to be held on August 20, 1996, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, One Golf Course Road, Monterey, California. Anyone wishing to make statements for the record should bring a written copy of their statements to the hearing. Oral statements may be limited in length if the number of parties present at the hearing necessitates such a limitation. Oral and written comments receive equal consideration. The Service places no limits to the length of written comments or materials presented at the hearing or mailed to the Service. Legal notices announcing the date, time, and location of the hearing are being published in local newspapers. Written comments may be submitted until August 30, 1996, to the Service office in the ADDRESSES section.
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
Dated: July 3, 1996. Don Weathers, Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. [FR Doc. 96-17523 Filed 7-9-96; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-M