Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 191 / Tuesday, October 4, 2005 / Proposed Rules 57851 

Source of flooding and location of referenced elevation 

♦Elevation in feet 

(NAVD) Communities affected 

Existing Modified 

Approximately 1,000 feet upstream of the confluence with 

Big Cotton Indian Creek.

♦ 654 ♦ 655 

Unincorporated Areas of Henry County, Georgia: 

Maps are available for inspection at the Community Map Repository, 140 Henry Parkway, McDonough, Georgia. 

Send comments to Mr. Rob Magnaghi, Henry County Manager, 140 Henry Parkway, McDonough, Georgia 30253. 

♦ North American Vertical Datum. 

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance No. 

83.100, ‘‘Flood Insurance.’’) 

Dated: September 26, 2005. 

David I. Maurstad, 

Acting Director, Mitigation Division, 

Emergency Preparedness and Response 

Directorate. 

[FR Doc. 05–19818 Filed 10–3–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9110–12–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

50 CFR Part 17 

RIN 1018–AG23 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; Proposed Endangered 

Status for 12 Species of Hawaiian 

Picture-Wings 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of 

comment period. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), pursuant to 

the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (Act), announce the reopening 

of the comment period on the proposal 

to list 12 species of Hawaiian picturewings as endangered to allow peer 

reviewers and all interested parties 

another opportunity to submit 

comments on the rule. 

DATES: Comments from all interested 

parties must be received by November 3, 

2005. 

ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, 

you may submit your comments and 

materials concerning the proposal by 

any one of the following methods: 

1. You may submit comments and 

information to Patrick Leonard, Field 

Supervisor, Pacific Islands Fish and 

Wildlife Office (PIFWO), U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, 300 Ala Moana 

Boulevard, Room 3–122, P.O. Box 

50088, Honolulu, HI 96850; 

2. You may hand-deliver written 

comments and information to our 

PIFWO at the above address given 

above; 

3. You may also send comments by 

electronic mail (e-mail) to 

12pic_species_listing@fws.gov. For 

directions on how to submit electronic 

filing of comments, see the ‘‘Public 

Comments Solicited’’ section; or 

4. You may fax your comments to 

808/792–9581. 

All comments and materials received, 

as well as supporting documentation 

used in preparation of the proposed 

rule, will be available for public 

inspection, by appointment during 

normal business hours at our PIFWO at 

the above address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Patrick Leonard, Field Supervisor, at the 

above address (telephone 808/792–9400; 

facsimile 808/792–9581). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On January 17, 2001, we published a 

proposed rule to list as endangered 12 

species of Hawaiian picture-wings: 

Drosophila aglaia, D. differens, D. 

hemipeza, D. heteroneura, D. 

montgomeryi, D. mulli, D. musaphilia, 

D. neoclavisetae, D. obatai, D. 

ochrobasis, D. substenoptera, and D. 

tarphytrichia (66 FR 3964). 

These insect species, known as 

Hawaiian picture-wings, are part of the 

intensely studied family, Drosophilidae, 

found throughout the main islands of 

the Hawaiian archipelago. Hawaiian 

picture-wings are known for their 

elaborate markings on otherwise clear 

wings. They also have been called the 

‘‘birds of paradise’’ of the insect world 

because of their spectacular courtship 

displays and defense of their territories. 

As many as 1,000 species of Hawaiian 

picture-wing may exist, each one 

adapted not only to a particular island, 

but to a specific habitat type. Individual 

species have adapted to a wide diversity 

of ecosystems ranging from desert-like 

habitats to rain forests and swamplands. 

In many cases, a species requires a 

specific native plant host during 

portions of its breeding cycle. 

Each of the 12 Hawaiian picture-wing 

species in the proposed listing rule is 

found only on a single island, and each 

breeds only on a single or a few related 

species of plants, some of which are also 

listed as threatened or endangered 

species. Six of the picture-wing species 

are found on Oahu, three species on the 

island of Hawaii (Big Island), and one 

species on each of the islands of Kauai, 

Molokai, and Maui. One of the Big 

Island species was thought to be extinct 

until an extremely small population was 

rediscovered in 1993. 

Threats to the continued existence of 

these species include habitat 

degradation caused by feral animals and 

nonnative weeds, habitat loss from fire, 

biological pest control, and predation 

from alien ants and wasps. Three of the 

picture-wing species exist in such a 

small number of populations that 

naturally occurring events such as 

hurricanes and landslides could 

eliminate them. 

In our January 17, 2001, proposed rule 

and associated notifications, we 

requested that all interested parties 

submit comments, data, or other 

information that might contribute to the 

development of a final rule. A 60-day 

comment period closed on March 19, 

2001. Pursuant to a settlement 

agreement approved by the United 

States District Court for the District of 

Hawaii on August 31, 2005, the Service 

must make a final listing decision for 

these 12 Hawaiian picture-wing species 

by April 17, 2006. If the final listing 

determination results in the listing of 

one or more of the 12 species and a 

critical habitat designation is found to 

be prudent, the Service must submit to 

the Federal Register a proposed critical 

habitat determination by September 15, 

2006, and final critical habitat 

determination by April 16, 2007 (Center 

for Biological Diversity v. Allen, CV–05–

27400326 JE). 

Public Comments Solicited 

We intend that any final action 

resulting from the proposal be as 

accurate and as effective as possible. 

Therefore, we are reopening the 

57852 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 191 / Tuesday, October 4, 2005 / Proposed Rules 

comment period for 30 days (see DATES

above), which gives additional time for 

all interested parties to consider the 

information provided in the proposed 

rule and submit comments on the 

proposed listing. Comments from the 

public regarding the proposed rule are 

sought, especially concerning: 

(1) Biological, commercial trade, or 

other relevant data concerning any 

threats (or lack thereof) to the 12 

Hawaiian picture-wing species; 

(2) The location of any additional 

populations of the 12 Hawaiian picturewing species; 

(3) Additional information on the 

range, distribution, and population sizes 

of these species; 

(4) Current or planned activities in the 

areas inhabited by the 12 Hawaiian 

picture-wing species and the possible 

impacts of these activities on these 

species; and 

(5) The reasons why critical habitat is 

or is not prudent as provided by section 

4 of the Act. 

If you wish to comment, you may 

submit your comments and materials 

concerning this proposal by any one of 

several methods (see ADDRESSES

section). Please submit Internet 

comments to 

12pic_species_listing@fws.gov in ASCII 

file format and avoid the use of special 

characters or any form of encryption. 

Please also include ‘‘Attn: RIN 1018–

AH55’’ in your e-mail subject header 

and your name and return address in 

the body of your message. If you do not 

receive a confirmation from the system 

that we have received your Internet 

message, contact us directly by calling 

our PIFWO at 808/792–9400. Please 

note that the Internet address, 

12pic_species_listing@fws.gov, will be 

closed at the termination of the public 

comment period. 

Our practice is to make comments, 

including names and home addresses of 

respondents, available for public review 

during regular business hours. 

Individual respondents may request that 

we withhold their home addresses from 

the rulemaking record, which we will 

honor to the extent allowable by law. 

There also may be circumstances in 

which we would withhold from the 

rulemaking record a respondent’s 

identity, as allowable by law. If you 

wish us to withhold your name and/or 

address, you must state this 

prominently at the beginning of your 

comment. However, we will not 

consider anonymous comments. We 

will make all submissions from 

organizations or businesses, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, available 

for public inspection in their entirety. 

Comments and materials received, as 

well as supporting documentation used 

in preparation of the January 17, 2001, 

proposal to list the 12 Hawaiian picturewings as endangered, will be available 

for inspection, by appointment, during 

normal business hours at our PIFWO at 

the address given above. 

Author 

The primary author of this notice is 

Michael Richardson (see ADDRESSES

section above). 

Authority 

The authority for this action is the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 

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

Dated: September 21, 2005. 

Marshall P. Jones Jr., 

Acting Director, Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 05–19594 Filed 10–3–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P