[Federal Register: July 9, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 130)]
[Notices]
[Page 37373-37374]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09jy07-140]
[[Page 37373]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Post-
Delisting Monitoring Plan for the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
and Proposed Information Collection
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of draft post-delisting monitoring plan;
request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of the draft post-delisting monitoring plan (draft PDM
Plan) for the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). The Endangered
Species Act (ESA) requires that the Service implement a system, in
cooperation with the States, to monitor effectively for at least 5
years, the status of all species that have been recovered and no longer
need protection of the ESA. The bald eagle in the contiguous 48 states
will be removed from the Federal List of Threatened and Endangered
Wildlife and Plants (delisted) due to recovery. We are publishing the
final rule for the delisting simultaneously with this notice elsewhere
in today's Federal Register. We will also ask the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) for the
draft PDM Plan described below.
DATES: Comments from all interested parties on the draft bald eagle
post-delisting monitoring plan must be received on or before October 9,
2007.
You must submit comments regarding the information collection
aspects of the draft bald eagle post-delisting monitoring plan on or
before October 9, 2007.
ADDRESSES: The draft PDM Plan may be downloaded from our Web site at
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered. To request a copy of the draft
PDM Plan, write to our Rock Island Field Office: U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1511 47th Avenue, Moline, Illinois 61265; or call 309-757-5800
to receive a copy. You may also send an e-mail request to
baldeaglePDM@fws.gov. Specify whether you want to receive a hard copy
by U.S. mail or an electronic copy by e-mail.
Send your comments by any of the following methods. See ``Viewing
Documents'' and ``Public Comments Solicited'' under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION for important information.
Mail: Bald Eagle Draft PDM Plan Comments, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Rock Island Field Office, 1511 47th Avenue, Moline,
Illinois 61265.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Same address as above.
E-mail: baldeaglePDM@fws.gov. Include ``Bald Eagle Draft
PDM Plan Comments'' in the subject line of the message.
Fax: 309-757-5807. Include ``Bald Eagle Draft PDM Plan
Comments'' in the subject line.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Send your comments on the information collection to Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS
222-ARLSQ, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail);
hope_grey@fws.gov (e-mail); or (703) 358-2269 (fax).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct all questions or requests for
additional information about the draft PDM Plan to Jody Millar (see
ADDRESSES). To request additional information about this information
collection, contact Hope Grey (see ADDRESSES). Individuals who are
hearing-impaired or speech-impaired may call the Federal Relay Service
at 1-800-877-8337 for TTY assistance, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
We are publishing the final rule to remove the bald eagle from the
Federal List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife and Plants
simultaneously with this notice elsewhere in today's Federal Register.
Available data indicate that this species has recovered due to the
Environmental Protection Agency's restrictions on organochlorine
pesticides in the United States, and also due to implementation of
successful management activities and protection of habitat under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
(ESA).
Section 4(g)(1) of the ESA requires that we implement a system, in
cooperation with the States, to effectively monitor for not less than 5
years, the status of all species that have been recovered and delisted.
In order to meet the ESA's monitoring requirement, and to facilitate
the efficient collection of data, we have designed a sampling method to
be implemented by various States, capable of detecting substantial
changes in the bald eagle population in the lower 48 states.
The draft bald eagle post-delisting monitoring plan was developed
in cooperation with State resource agencies and interested scientists,
and will be carried out by the Service's Monitoring Team in
collaboration with Federal, State, Tribal, and private cooperators. The
monitoring plan proposes to start in the winter of 2008 and spring of
2009. We will conduct surveys every 5 years over the next 20 years.
Monitoring will consist of the collection of information on numbers
of nesting bald eagles in selected locations based on State
participation and density of identified bald eagle nest sites. At the
end of each 5-year monitoring event we will review all available
information to determine the status of the bald eagle.
Information Collection
OMB Control Number: New.
Title: Bald Eagle Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan.
Service Form Number(s): 3-2343, 3-2344.
Type of Request: New.
Affected Public: State agencies, Federal, Tribal, private land
managers, wildlife rehabilitators, and cooperators.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: Once every 5 years for the Eagle and Nest
Observation Checklist; on occasion for the Bald Eagle Mortality Report
Form.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Completion time
Activity Number of Number of per response Annual burden
respondents responses (hours) hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eagle and Nest Observation Checklist (FWS 17 357 6.2 2,213
form 3-2344)....................
Bald Eagle Mortality Report Form (FWS form 48 384 0.25 96
3-2343).........................
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Total................................. 65 741 ................. 2,309
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 37374]]
Viewing Documents
The complete file for the monitoring plan is available for
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at our Rock
Island Field Office, 1511 47th Avenue, Moline, Illinois; 309-757-5800
(phone). The comments and materials we receive on the monitoring plan
during the comment period will be available for public inspection by
appointment during normal business hours at the Rock Island Field
Office and at our Ecological Services Field Offices in Spokane,
Washington (509-893-8002), Phoenix, Arizona (602-242-0210),
Jacksonville (904-232-2580) or Vero Beach, Florida (772-562-3909),
Manhattan, Kansas (785-539-3474), and Annapolis, Maryland (772-562-
3909). Call those offices to make arrangements to view documents.
Public Comments Solicited
We request comments on the draft bald eagle post-delisting
monitoring plan. All comments received by the date specified above will
be considered during preparation of the final PDM plan. We prefer to
receive comments via e-mail, but you may submit your comments by the
alternate methods mentioned above.
Please submit Internet comments to baldeaglePDM@fws.gov in ASCII
file format and avoid the use of special characters or any form of
encryption. Please also include ``Bald Eagle Draft PDM Plan Comments''
in the subject line of the message, and your full name and return
address in the body of your message. Please note that the Internet
address baldeaglePDM@fws.gov will be closed when the public comment
period is closed.
We will take into consideration the relevant comments, suggestions,
or objections that we receive by the comment due date indicated above
in DATES. These comments, suggestions, or objections, and any
additional information received may lead us to adopt a final PDM Plan
that differs from this draft PDM Plan. Comments merely stating support
or opposition to the draft PDM Plan without providing supporting data
are not as helpful.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
We also invite comments concerning this IC on:
(1) Whether the collection of information is necessary, including
whether the information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection
of information;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
(4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
respondents.
Comments that you send about this IC are a matter of public record.
We will include and/or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to
approve this IC.
Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: June 26, 2007.
H. Dale Hall,
Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 07-4303 Filed 7-6-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
