The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended the public comment period until November 20, 2000, on its draft proposal to designate critical habitat for the Great Lakes breeding population of an imperiled shorebird, the piping plover. The extension gives people time to examine and respond to a recently released draft economic analysis that provides an initial description of potential economic impacts associated with designation of critical habitat for this species.
Critical habitat refers to specific geographic areas that are essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and may require special management considerations. These areas do not necessarily have to be occupied by the species at the time of designation. A critical habitat designation does not establish a refuge or preserve and applies only to situations where Federal funding, Federal authorization or a Federal permit is involved. Even in cases where private lands are designated, the designation does not affect private landowners taking actions on their land that do not involve Federal funding, authorization, or permits.
An economic analysis is prepared for any proposed critical habitat designation. The Service must take into account the economic and other relevant impacts of specifying any particular area as critical habitat. An area may be excluded form critical habitat if is determined that the benefits of such exclusion outweigh the benefits of specifying the area as critical habitat unless the failure to designate the area as critical habitat will result in the extinction of the species.
Copies of the draft economic analysis are available on the internet at http:\midwest.fws.govor by contacting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bishop Henry Whipple Building, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111. Comments on the economic analysis and the proposed critical habitat designation may be sent to this same address, electronically to pipingplovercomments@fws.gov, or by facsimile to (612)713-5292.
A complete description of the proposed critical habitat designation for the Great Lakes breeding population of piping plovers was published in the Federal Register on July 6, and the notice of extension of the public comment period was published on September 19, 2000. Comments previously submitted during the comment period need not be resubmitted. They will be incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in the final determination on the proposal.
The piping plover ( Charadrius melodus) is named for its melodic mating call. It is a small, pale-colored North American shorebird. The birds light sand-colored plumage blends in with sandy beaches and shorelines. There are three populations of piping plovers in the United States. The most endangered is the Great Lakes breeding population, which encompasses only 32 breeding pairs. The Northern Great Plains and Atlantic Coast populations are classified as threatened and include 1,398 and 1,372 breeding pairs respectively. All piping plovers winter along the southeast and Gulf coasts and are classified as threatened in their wintering habitat.
In recent decades, piping plover populations have drastically declined, especially in the Great Lakes region. Breeding habitat has been replaced by shoreline development and recreational uses, causing plover numbers to plummet. Similar threats face the species on its wintering grounds where loss of habitat threatens the ability of these birds to survive to the next breeding season.
