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| The Mountain-Prairie Region |
NEWS RELEASE
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
134 Union Boulevard
Lakewood, Colorado 80228
April 29, 1997
Sharon Rose 303-236-7917
Bob Leachman 970-243-2778
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has scheduled public hearings
in Colorado and Utah for a proposal to reintroduce black-footed
ferrets under a nonessential experimental population designation
in both states it was announced today.
The Service proposes to reintroduce black-footed ferrets in Moffat
County, Colorado, and Uintah County, Utah. The proposed release
site in Colorado is within the Bureau of Land Management=s
Little Snake Resource Area, in the vicinity of the communities
of Powder Wash and Maybell. In Utah, the proposed release site
is located within the BLM=s
Book Cliffs Resource Area, Coyote Basin, about 30 miles southeast
of Vernal, straddling the Utah-Colorado border. Management plans
to guide the reintroductions were developed by local work groups
that included representatives from State and Federal agencies;
local governments; oil, gas, and mining industries; outdoor recreation;
ranching; and the Ute tribe.
AThe nonessential experimental
population designation will allow us the opportunity to meet established
black-footed ferret recovery objectives and still allow ongoing
land uses,@ Ralph Morgenweck,
Director of the Service=s
Mountain-Prairie Region, said. The Service=s
proposal, which was published in the Federal Register today,
summarizes how and where the reintroduced population would occur
and be managed. Comments on the proposed reintroduction or additional
information from the public must be received no later than June
30, 1997. Public hearings will be held at the following locations:
Denver, CO: June 2, 6-9 pm, Bureau of Land Management, 2850 Youngfield Street,
4th floor conference room.
Craig, CO: June 3, 6-9 pm, Center of Craig, 601 Yampa Ave..
Rangely, CO: June 4, 6-9 pm, Chevron Operations Maintenance Building.
Rock Springs, WY: June 5, 6-9 pm, Western Wyoming College, Room 1005.
Salt Lake City, UT: June 9, 6-9 pm, Utah Div. of Wildlife Resources, auditorium,
1594 West North Temple St.
Vernal, UT: June 10, 6-9 pm, Western Park Conference Center, Room 2,
300
East 200 South St.
The black-footed ferret is an endangered species and there are
no known wild populations remaining. Reintroductions of other
nonessential experimental populations of black-footed ferrets
have occurred in Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, and Arizona.
Captive breeding efforts underway have resulted in a current
total of 400 black-footed ferrets in captivity in seven facilities
in the United States and Canada.
The Service will publish a final determination on whether to reintroduce
the black-footed ferret as a nonessential experimental population
after reviewing public comments.
For activities in Colorado contact Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 25486, Denver, CO 80225. For activities
in Utah contact Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
145 East 1300 South, Suite 404, Salt Lake City, UT 84115.
Email Us: MountainPrairie@fws.gov
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