Marbled Murrelet Proposed Designation of Critical Habitat –Narrow revision
Type of review: Influential
Estimated Peer Review Timeline:
Estimated dissemination date: October 2008
Peer review initiated: October 2008
Peer review to be completed by: December 2008
Estimated Dissemination Date of the Final Review Document: May 2009.
About the Peer Review Process:
The Service originally designated critical habitat for the marbled murrelet in Washington, Oregon, and California on May 24, 1996 (73 FR 44678). In 1997, we completed a recovery plan for the species, and in 2004, we completed a 5-Year Status Review of the species. The Service is proposing to revise its 1996 designation of critical habitat for the marbled murrelet, a threatened species protected under the Endangered Species Act. This proposal is based on new information and improved mapping techniques. The Service believes that if this information had been available in 1996 these areas probably would not have been included in the critical habitat designation. The proposed revision would remove approximately 254,000 acres of forest land in northern California and southwestern Oregon from the current 3,887,800-acre designation, leaving 3,633,800 acres designated as critical habitat.
In one area, encompassing about 191,370 acres in northern California and southern Oregon, extensive, multiple-year surveys have indicated that marbled murrelets are very unlikely to be using the area. Another area proposed for removal, approximately 62,700 acres in Lane and Douglas counties in Oregon, is further than 35 miles from the Pacific Ocean shoreline. Because of the distance from the coast and new mapping efforts, we now believe this area does not meet the criteria used to determine critical habitat in the 1996 designation. Furthermore, the marbled murrelet recovery plan, completed in 1997, recommended limiting critical habitat to areas less than 35 miles from the coast, where the majority of known occupied murrelet sites are found. The proposed rule contains descriptions of the life history, threats, primary constituent elements, and areas proposed for revision in the critical habitat designation.
In accordance with the peer review requirements of the Office of Management and Budget's Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review, in October 2008, we will initiate peer review of the scientific information influential to our proposed rule.
Process: The Service will conduct external peer review of this document through electronic letters sent to three or more independent scientific reviewers with expertise in marbled murrelet or similar species biology; conservation biology; population dynamics and extinction risk analysis; land development and use, invasive species, and other environmental pressures within the range of these species; land planning and management; modeling; and/or evaluation of biological plausibility.
The following criteria will be considered for any potential nomination.
· Expertise: The reviewer should have knowledge, experience, and skills in one or more of the following areas: marbled murrelet or similar species biology; conservation biology; population dynamics and extinction risk analysis; land development and use, invasive species, and other environmental pressures within the range of these species; land planning and management; modeling; and/or evaluation of biological plausibility.
· Independence: The reviewer should not be employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Academic and consulting scientists should have sufficient independence from the Service or Department if the government supports their work.
· Objectivity: The reviewer should be recognized by his or her peers as being objective, open‑minded, and thoughtful. In addition, the reviewer should be comfortable sharing his or her knowledge and perspectives and openly identifying his or her knowledge gaps.
· Advocacy: The reviewer should not be known or recognized for an affiliation with an advocacy position regarding the protection of this species under the Endangered Species Act.
· Conflict of Interest: The reviewer should not have any financial or other interest that conflicts or that could impair his or her objectivity or create an unfair competitive advantage.
Peer review of the scientific information used in our proposed rule for the marbled murrelet critical habitat and validity of the data will be requested, but peer reviewers will not be asked to provide recommendations on the legal status of the species.
The Service will use the information received from the peer review, as appropriate, in the conclusions and recommendations for the Final proposal for Marbled Murrelet Critical Habitat-Narrow Revision.
About Public Participation
Public comments on the Proposed Rule for Critical Habitat for the Marbled Murrelet were sought with a Federal Register announcement on July 29, 2008, and the distribution by mail and press release of that announcement to interested parties.
This peer review plan is made available on this website to allow the public to monitor our compliance with the Office of Management and Budget’s Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review.
Contact: Jodi Bush, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Western Washington Fish and Wildlife Services Office, 360-753-6046.
