The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a draft analysis estimating costs related to the conservation of the endangered abmcriticalhabitat@fws.gov. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted as they will be incorporated into the public record as part of this comment period and will be fully considered in preparation of the final rule.
The Service has scheduled an information session on August 24, from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m, and a public hearing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., on the proposed critical habitat revision. It will be held at the Gulf Shores Adult Activity Center, 260 Clubhouse Drive, in Gulf Shores, Alabama, 36542.
A complete description of the proposed revision to critical habitat has been published in the Federal Register. Copies of the proposal and maps are available on the Service Internet site at: http://www.fws.gov/daphne, or by contacting Rob Tawes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1208-B Main Street, Daphne, Alabama 36526, telephone: 251-441-5181.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 Ecological Services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
