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[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 22, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 25618-25619]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-12816]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed 
Establishment of a Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican 
Gray Wolf in Arizona and New Mexico

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings and hearings.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces its 
intention to hold public open house meetings and hearings on the 
Proposed Rule for the Proposed Establishment of a Nonessential 
Experimental Population of the Mexican Gray Wolf in Arizona and New 
Mexico. The meetings and hearings will be held in El Paso, Texas; 
Alamogordo and Silver City, New Mexico; and Springerville, Arizona.

DATES: The meetings/hearings will be held in El Paso, Texas, on June 10 
from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m.; in Alamogordo, New Mexico, on June 11 from 
6:00 to 10:00 p.m.; in Silver City, New Mexico, on June 13 from 6:00 to 
10:00 p.m.; and in Springerville, Arizona, on June 15 from 2:00 to 6:00 
p.m. Times and places of these meetings will also be announced in the 
local media and in mailings to the interested public. The comment 
period on the Proposed Rule closes on July 1, 1996, and comments must 
be

[[Page 25619]]

postmarked by the closing date to be considered.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting/hearing location in El Paso, Texas, is 
the Ysleta Unified School District, Christo Rey and Chamizal Rooms, at 
9600 Sims Drive; the location in Alamogordo, New Mexico, is the Civic 
Center Conference Room and Auditorium at 800 First Street; the location 
in Silver City, New Mexico, is the Lighthall Classroom 202 and 
Lighthall Auditorium on the Western New Mexico University campus; and 
the location in Springerville, Arizona, is the Round Valley Unified 
School District Auditorium at 450 South Butler Street. Questions and 
comments on the Proposed Rule should be sent to David R. Parsons, 
Mexican Wolf Recovery Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. 
Box 1306, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103-1306. Copies of the Proposed 
Rule, a fact sheet that summarizes the rule, the draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for Proposed Reintroduction of the Mexican Wolf 
to its Historic Range in the Southwestern United States, and the draft 
EIS summary can be obtained at this address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David R. Parsons (see ADDRESSES 
section), or phone at (505) 248-6920; or facsimile at (505)248-6922.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In the June 27, 1995, Federal Register (60 FR 33224-33225) the 
Service announced the availability of a draft EIS for a proposal to 
reintroduce Mexican wolves to portions of their historic range in the 
southwestern United States. Alternatives A (the Proposed Action) and B 
of the draft EIS propose the reintroduction of Mexican wolves 
classified as a nonessential experimental population as allowed under 
section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended 
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
    In the May 1, 1996, Federal Register (61 FR 19237-19248), the 
Service issued the Proposed Rule for establishing a nonessential 
experimental population of the Mexican gray wolf in Arizona and New 
Mexico. A nearly identical Draft Proposed Mexican Wolf Experimental 
Population Rule was included as Appendix C in the draft EIS. The 
Proposed Rule is an integral part of Alternatives A and B in the draft 
EIS, both of which propose the establishment of a nonessential 
experimental population of Mexican wolves. It provides needed 
management flexibility for addressing potential wolf- human conflicts 
associated with wolf reintroduction, such as livestock depredation by 
wolves. This Proposed Rule differs from Appendix C of the draft EIS 
only by the inclusions of an updated status of the National 
Environmental Policy Act process and some ``plain language'' revisions 
to make the rule more readable. No substantive provisions of Appendix C 
of the draft EIS have changed.
    If you submitted a written comment or formal oral testimony during 
the draft EIS comment period on the Draft Proposed Rule, as set forth 
in Appendix C, or as summarized in the draft EIS text or the draft EIS 
Summary, it is not necessary to resubmit that comment for it to be 
considered in this comment period on the Proposed Rule.
    Four public open house meetings/hearings will be held (see DATES 
and ADDRESSES sections). Agency representatives will be available at 
these meetings to provide information about the Proposed Rule; consult 
with you regarding provisions of the rule; answer your questions; and 
receive your written comments. Carter Niemeyer, the Animal Damage 
Control Wolf Specialist for the northern Rocky Mountain region, will 
give a formal presentation on wolf-livestock interactions following 
wolf reestablishment in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. We will conclude 
with a formal public hearing where oral testimony on the Proposed Rule 
will be recorded. Anyone wishing to make an oral statement for the 
record is encouraged to provide a copy of his or her statement at the 
start of the hearing. If attendance at the hearing is large, the time 
allotted for oral statements may be limited. Written comments and oral 
testimony receive equal consideration.
    The Proposed Rule will be revised after the close of the comment 
period and, depending on future decisions with respect to Mexican wolf 
recovery, may then be issued as a Final Rule. The Service's goal is 
that the Final Rule, if issued, would, to the maximum extent 
practicable, represent an agreement between the Service and the 
agencies, local governments, tribes, private landowners, and other 
potentially affected parties regarding how to manage reintroduced 
Mexican wolves with minimal adverse impacts while promoting their 
conservation and recovery. This goal is consistent with ESA regulations 
on experimental populations (50 CFR sec. 17.81(d)).
    Comments on the Proposed Rule must be received or postmarked by 
July 1, 1996, and sent to the Service office in the ADDRESSES section.

    Dated: May 16, 1996.
Nancy M. Kaufman,
Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 96-12816 Filed 5-21-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
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