67334 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 218 / Thursday, November 9, 2000 / Proposed Rules

file. We also seek comment on whether

broadcasters should be required to

maintain the reports on the website

until final action has been taken on the

station’s next renewal license. We seek

comment on whether there is a

significant economic impact on any

class of small licensees as a result of any

of these proposals. Any significant

alternatives presented in the comments

will be considered.

Ordering Clauses

12. The Commission’s Consumer

Information Bureau, Reference

Information Center, shall send a copy of

this FNPRM, including the Initial and

Final Regulatory Flexibility Act

Analyses, to the Chief Counsel for the

Small Business Administration.

List of Subjects in 47 CFR Part 73

Television broadcasting.

Federal Communications Commission.

Magalie Roman Salas,

Secretary.

Rules

Part 73 of title 47 of the U.S. Code of

Federal Regulations is proposed to be

amended to read as follows:

PART 73—RADIO BROADCAST

SERVICES

1. The authority citation for part 73

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 47 U.S.C. 154, 303, 334 and 336.

2. Section 73.3526 is amended by

revising paragraph (e)(11)(iii) to read as

follows:

§ 73.3526 Local public inspection file of

commercial stations.

* * * * *

(e) * * *

(11) * * *

(iii) Children’s television

programming reports. For commercial

TV broadcast stations, on a quarterly

basis, a completed Children’s Television

Programming Report (‘‘Report’’), on FCC

Form 398, reflecting efforts made by the

licensee during the preceding quarter,

and efforts planned for the next quarter,

to serve the educational and

informational needs of children. The

Report for each quarter is to be placed

in the public inspection file by the tenth

day of the succeeding calendar quarter.

By this date, a copy of the Report for

each quarter is also to be filed

electronically with the FCC. The Report

shall identify the licensee’s educational

and informational programming efforts,

including programs aired by the station

that are specifically designed to serve

the educational and informational needs

of children, and it shall explain how

programs identified as Core

Programming meet the definition set

forth in § 73.671(c). The Report shall

include the name of the individual at

the station responsible for collecting

comments on the station’s compliance

with the Children’s Television Act, and

it shall be separated from other

materials in the public inspection file.

The Report shall also identify the

program guide publishers to which

information regarding the licensee’s

educational and informational

programming was provided as required

in § 73.673(b), as well as the station’s

license renewal date. These Reports

shall be retained in the public

inspection file until final action has

been taken on the station’s next license

renewal application. Licensees shall

publicize in an appropriate manner the

existence and location of these Reports.

* * * * *

[FR Doc. 00–28611 Filed 11–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6712–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018–AG15

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

and Plants; Reopening of Comment

Period and Notice of Availability of

Draft Economic Analysis for Proposed

Critical Habitat Determination for the

Arroyo Southwestern Toad

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of

comment period and notice of

availability of draft economic analysis.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service) announces the

availability of a draft economic analysis

for the proposed designation of critical

habitat for the arroyo southwestern toad

(Bufo microscaphus californicus). We

are also providing notice of the

reopening of the comment period for the

proposal to designate critical habitat for

the arroyo southwestern toad to allow

all interested parties to submit written

comments on the proposal and on the

draft economic analysis. Comments

previously submitted need not be

resubmitted as they will be incorporated

into the public record as a part of this

reopened comment period and will be

fully considered in the final rule.

DATES: The original comment period on

the critical habitat proposal closed on

August 7, 2000. The comment period is

again reopened and we will accept

comments until December 11, 2000.

Comments must be received by 5:00

p.m. on the closing date. Any comments

that are received after the closing date

may not be considered in the final

decision on this proposal.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft

economic analysis are available on the

Internet at ‘‘www.r1.fws.gov’’ or by

writing to the Field Supervisor, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura Fish

and Wildlife Office, 2394 Portola Road,

Suite B, Ventura, California 93003. All

written comments should be sent to the

Field Supervisor at the above address.

You may also send comments by

electronic mail (e-mail) to

‘‘fw1artoch@r1.fws.gov.’’ Please submit

electronic comments in ASCII file

format and avoid the use of special

characters and encryption. Please

include ‘‘Attn: RIN 1018–AG15’’ and

your name and return address in your

e-mail message. If you do not receive a

confirmation from the system that we

have received your e-mail message,

contact us directly by calling our

Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office at

phone number 805–644–1766.

Comments and materials received will

be available for public inspection, by

appointment, during normal business

hours at the above Service address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Field Supervisor, Ventura Fish and

Wildlife Office, at the above address

(telephone 805–644–1766; facsimile

805–644–3958).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The arroyo southwestern toad (Bufo

microscaphus californicus) is one of

three members of the southwestern toad

(B. microscaphus) complex, in the

family of true toads, Bufonidae. The

arroyo toad is a small (adult length 55–

82 millimeters (2–3 inches), darkspotted toad, with females larger than

males. The arroyo toad is found in

coastal and desert drainages from

Monterey County, California, south into

northwestern Baja California, Mexico.

These systems are inherently quite

dynamic, with marked seasonal and

annual fluctuations in climatic regimes,

particularly rainfall. Natural climatic

variations as well as other random

events, such as fires and floods, coupled

with the species’ specialized habitat

requirements, lead to annual

fluctuations in arroyo toad populations.

Extensive habitat loss as a result of

agriculture and urbanization, and the

construction, operation, and

maintenance of water storage reservoirs,

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 218 / Thursday, November 9, 2000 / Proposed Rules 67335

flood control structures, roads, and

recreational facilities such as

campgrounds and off-highway vehicle

parks, have caused many arroyo toad

populations to be reduced in size or

extirpated (eliminated). Threats to the

species survival include loss of habitat,

coupled with habitat modifications due

to the manipulation of water levels in

many central and southern California

streams and rivers, as well as predation

from introduced aquatic species, and

habitat degradation from introduced

plant species. Such threats have caused

arroyo toads to be extirpated from about

75 percent of the previously occupied

habitat in California. Pursuant to the

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as

amended (Act), the species was

federally listed as endangered on

December 16, 1994, due to habitat

degradation, small population sizes, and

predation (59 FR 64859). On June 8,

2000, we published in the Federal

Register (65 FR 36512) a determination

proposing critical habitat for the arroyo

southwestern toad. Approximately

193,600 hectares (478,400 acres) fall

within the boundaries of the proposed

critical habitat designation. Proposed

critical habitat is located in Los Angeles,

Monterey, Orange, Riverside, Santa

Barbara, San Bernardino, and San Diego,

San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties,

California, as described in the proposed

determination.

Section 4(b)(2) of the Act requires that

the Secretary shall designate or revise

critical habitat based upon the best

scientific and commercial data available

and after taking into consideration the

economic impact of specifying any

particular area as critical habitat. Based

upon the previously published proposal

to designate critical habitat for the

arroyo southwestern toad and comments

received during the previous comment

period, we have prepared a draft

economic analysis of the proposed

critical habitat designation. The draft

economic analysis is available at the

above Internet and mailing address. We

have reopened the comment period at

this time in order to accept the best and

most current scientific and commercial

data available regarding the proposed

critical habitat and the draft economic

analysis. We will accept written

comments during this reopened

comment period. Previously submitted

oral or written comments on this critical

habitat proposal need not be

resubmitted. The current comment

period on this proposal closes on

December 11, 2000. Written comments

may be submitted to the Ventura Fish

and Wildlife Office in the ADDRESSES

section.

Author

The primary author of this notice is

John Nuss, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, Regional Office, 911 N.E. 11th

Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232–4181

(see ADDRESSES section).

Authority: The authority for this action is

the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Dated: November 2, 2000.

Donald W. Steffeck,

Acting Manager, California/Nevada

Operations Office.

[FR Doc. 00–28699 Filed 11–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018–AH70

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

and Plants; Proposed Endangered

Status for Polygonum hickmanii

(Scotts Valley polygonum)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service (Service), propose

endangered status pursuant to the

Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973,

as amended, for Polygonum hickmanii

(Scotts Valley polygonum). Polygonum

hickmanii is restricted to two sites in

northern Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz

County, California. The plant is

threatened by alteration of habitat due

to urban development and associated

disturbances, displacement by

nonnative grasses, and the increased

chance of extinction due to the small

numbers of individuals and limited

amount of habitat occupied by this

species. The effects of these threats are

exacerbated by the inadequate design of

preserves meant to protect the species.

This proposed rule, if made final, would

extend the Act’s protection to this plant.

DATES: All comments, including written

and email from all interested parties

must be received by January 8, 2001.

Public hearing requests must be

received by December 26, 2000.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment,

you may submit your comments and

materials concerning this proposal by

any one of several methods:

1. You may submit written comments

to the Field Supervisor, Ventura Fish

and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road,

Suite B, Ventura, California 93003.

2. You may send comments by e-mail

to svpolygonum@r1.fws.gov. See the

Public Comments Solicited section

below for file format and other

information about electronic filing.

3. You may hand-deliver comments to

our Ventura Fish and Wildlife office at

2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura,

California.

Comments and materials received, as

well as supporting documentation used

in the preparation of this proposed rule,

will be available for public inspection,

by appointment, during normal business

hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl

Benz, Assistant Field Supervisor,

Listing and Recovery, Ventura Fish and

Wildlife Office at the above address or

telephone number 805/644–1766 or

facsimile 805/644–3958.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Polygonum hickmanii (Scotts Valley

polygonum) is a recently described

endemic species from Scotts Valley,

Santa Cruz County, California (Hinds

and Morgan 1995). The species was

named after James C. Hickman, editor of

the Jepson Manual (1993) and author of

the chapter on the genus Polygonum in

the same reference. He concurred with

Morgan’s assessment that the taxon was

distinct (J.C. Hickman, in litt. 1991), but

died before coauthoring the publication

of a name. Randy Morgan made the type

collection in 1993 from a ‘‘grassland N

of Navarra Drive, W of Carbonero

Creek’’ (Hinds and Morgan 1995). The

plant is a small, erect, taprooted annual

in the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae).

It grows from 2 to 5 centimeters (cm) (1

to 2 inches (in.)) tall, and can be either

single stemmed or profusely branching

near the base in more mature plants.

The linear-shaped leaves are 0.5 to 3.5

cm (0.2 to 1.4 in.) long and 1 to 1.5 cm

(0.4 to 0.6 in.) wide and tipped with a

sharp point. The single white flowers

consist of two outer tepals (petal-like

structure) and three inner tepals and are

found in the axils of the bracteal leaves

(modified leaves near the flower). The

plant flowers from late May to August.

Seed production ranges from a few

dozen seeds in a typical individual to as

many as two hundred in a particularly

robust individual (Randy Morgan,

biological consultant, pers. comm.

1998). The nearest known location of a

closely related species, P. parryi, is at

Mount Hamilton, about 48 kilometers

(km) (30 miles (mi)) inland. Polygonum

hickmanii differs from P. parryi in its

larger white flowers, longer leaves,

larger anthers and achenes, and longer,

straight stem sheath (Hinds and Morgan