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**Southwest Region (Arizona ● New Mexico ● Oklahoma ●Texas)
[http://southwest.fws.gov](http://southwest.fws.gov/)**

### Oklahoma Ecological Services Office - 222 South Houston - Tulsa, Oklahoma

**For Release:** August 1, 2005

**Contacts:** Victoria Fox, (505) 248-6455, Elizabeth Slown, (505)
248-6909

> Jerry Brabander (918) 581-7458 x224 or Ken Collins (918) 581-7458 x230

**DRAFT ECONOMIC ANALYSIS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSED
CRITICAL HABITAT FOR ARKANSAS RIVER SHINER AVAILABLE**

**Schedule of Public Hearings**

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a draft economic
analysis and draft environmental assessment for the proposal to
designate certain areas as critical habitat for the Arkansas River Basin
population of the threatened Arkansas River shiner. All comments must be
received by August 31, 2005.

The draft economic analysis forecasts cost impacts from the conservation
of the shiner totaling approximately \$198 million over the next 20
years and ranging between \$9 to \$11 million annually. These costs
include both the costs arising from the listing of the shiner under the
Endangered Species Act and those from the possible designation of
critical habitat, pursuant to court orders that the Service examine all
costs associated with critical habitat designations, even if they are
co-extensive with other elements of the ESA.

Congress has directed the Service to examine the economic impact of all
proposals to designate critical habitat, and provided that the Secretary
of the Interior may exclude an area from designation if she determines
that the economic, national security or other impacts resulting from the
designation outweigh the benefits of the designation. Concentrated
animal feeding operations, oil and gas production, and water management
activities are expected to experience the greatest economic impacts
related to shiner conservation activities.

The environmental assessment, conducted under the National Environmental
Policy Act focuses on the effects to the natural and human environment
that may result from critical habitat designation.

Public information sessions are scheduled from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
followed by public hearings from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. as follows:

**August 15^th^ -** Oklahoma City Zoological Park, Conservation
Education Center Auditorium, 2101NE 50^th^ Street, Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma 73111

**August 17^th^ -** Texas A&M Experiment Station Auditorium, 6500
Amarillo Boulevard West, Amarillo, Texas 79106

**August 18^th^ -** Seward County Activity Center, 810 Stadium Road,
Liberal, Kansas 67901

-More-

Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted, as they are
already part of record. All new comments must be submitted on or before
August 31, 2005***,*** or at the public hearings. All comments will be
considered in preparation of the final rule

The proposed critical habitat rule, draft economic analysis and the
draft environmental assessment for the proposed critical habitat as
published in the *Federal Register* are available on the Service's
website at <http://ifw2es.fws.gov/Oklahoma/shiner.htm>. Copies also can
be requested by calling (918) 581-7458 or writing to Field Supervisor,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 222 South Houston, Suite A, Tulsa,
Oklahoma 74127. Written comments may be hand delivered or mailed to the
Oklahoma Ecological Services Office, sent by facsimile to 918-581-7467
or by electronic mail to <r2arshinerch@fws.gov>.

The Arkansas River Shiner has been listed as a threatened species.
Critical habitat identifies geographic areas that contain features
essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species
that may require special management considerations or protection.

In 30 years of implementing the Endangered Species Act, the Service has
found that the designation of critical habitat provides little
additional protection to most listed species, while preventing the
Service from using scarce conservation resources for activities with
greater conservation benefits.

In almost all cases, recovery of listed species will come through
voluntary cooperative partnerships, not regulatory measures such as
critical habitat. Habitat is also protected through cooperative measures
under the Endangered Species Act including Habitat Conservation Plans,
Safe Harbor Agreements, Candidate Conservation Agreements and state
programs. In addition, voluntary partnership programs such as the
Service's Private Stewardship Grants and Partners for Fish and Wildlife
program also restore habitat. Habitat for endangered species is provided
on many national wildlife refuges, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and on state wildlife management areas.

The critical habitat proposal was completed in response to a September
30, 2003, court decision in a lawsuit filed by the New Mexico Cattle
Growers Association and 16 other plaintiffs. A Final Rule is due by
September 30, 2005. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal
Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing
fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit
of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National
Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges,
thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also
operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and
81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal
wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory
bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves
and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and
Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It
also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds
of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment
to state fish and wildlife agencies. Visit the Service's website at
http://www.fws.gov.

\<http://southwest.fws.gov\>