Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 29, 2004 / Proposed Rules 58119

based on insufficient information to: (1) 

Determine if the species or any 

subspecies is declining throughout all of 

a significant portion of its range; (2) 

identify threats to the species, or the 

individual subspecies, that suggest a 

threatened or endangered status is 

appropriate; or (3) determine whether 

there are any DPSs of the western gray 

squirrel. Also, we do not have 

substantial information either from the 

petition or in our files to list either the 

Washington population, as reflected by 

our recent 12-month petition finding (68 

FR 34628), or any other populations, 

particularly the California-Nevada 

population isolate, as a DPS. Also, we 

do not have substantial information 

either from the petition or in our files 

to emergency list the Sciurus griseus

rangewide or any of the three 

subspecies. 

References Cited 

A complete list of all references cited 

is available on request from the Western 

Washington Fish and Wildlife Office 

(see ADDRESSES above). 

Author 

The primary author of this document 

is Dr. L. Karolee Owens (see ADDRESSES

above).

Authority: The authority for this action is 

the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Dated: September 21, 2004. 

Marshall Jones, 

Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 04–21800 Filed 9–28–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service 

50 CFR Part 17 

RIN 1018–AJ03 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants: Removing the Eastern 

Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of 

the Gray Wolf From the List of 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

AGENCY: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service) announces that we 

will hold one additional public hearing 

on the proposed rule to remove the 

Eastern Distinct Population Segment of 

the gray wolf (Canis lupus) from the List 

of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

established under the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973, as amended. In a 

notice made in the Federal Register on 

August 13, 2004 (69 FR 50147), we 

announced the locations for nine other 

public hearing previously scheduled.

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

for hearing date.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION for hearing addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct all questions or requests for 

additional information to the Service 

using the Gray Wolf Phone Line: 612–

713–7337, facsimile: 612–713–5292, the 

general gray wolf electronic mail 

address: GRAYWOLFMAIL@FWS.GOV,

or write to: Gray Wolf Questions, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal 

Building, 1 Federal Drive, Ft. Snelling, 

Minnesota 55111–4056. Additional 

information is also available on our 

World Wide Web site at http://

midwest.fws.gov/wolf. In the event that 

our internet connection is not 

functional, please contact the Service by 

the alternative methods mentioned 

above. Individuals who are hearingimpaired or speech-impaired may call 

the Federal Relay Service at 1–800–877–

8337 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background—On July 21, 2004, we 

published a proposed rule (69 FR 

43664) to remove the Eastern Distinct 

Population Segment (DPS) of the gray 

wolf (Canis lupus) from the List of 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

established under the Endangered 

Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended 

(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). We proposed 

this action because available data 

indicate that this DPS no longer meets 

the definition of threatened or 

endangered under the Act. The gray 

wolf population is stable or increasing 

in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, 

and exceeds its numerical recovery 

criteria. Completed State wolf 

management plans will provide 

adequate protection and management to 

the species in these three States if the 

gray wolf is delisted in the Eastern DPS. 

The proposed rule would remove this 

DPS from the protections of the Act by 

ending its threatened classification. This 

proposed rule would also remove the 

currently designated critical habitat for 

the gray wolf in Minnesota and 

Michigan, and remove the current 

special regulations for gray wolves in 

Minnesota and other Midwestern States. 

This proposal would not change the 

status or special regulations currently in 

place for the Western or Southwestern 

DPS of the gray wolf or for the red wolf 

(C. rufus). 

In our July 21, 2004, proposed rule, 

we stated that we would hold public 

hearings. Consistent with that 

document, we announced the dates and 

locations of nine hearings (69 FR 

50147). In response to several requests, 

we are now announcing the date and 

location for one additional public 

hearing. 

Hearing Information: We will hold 

only one public hearing on October 20, 

2004, at the Black Bear Inn and 

Conference Center, 4 Godfrey Drive, 

Orono, Maine. 

The hearing will consist of a 1-hour 

informational meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 

p.m., and the official public hearing 

from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Dated: August 30, 2004. 

Marvin E. Moriarty, 

Regional Director, Region 5.

[FR Doc. 04–21810 Filed 9–28–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P