U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Critical Habitat for the Louisiana Black Bear

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today published a proposed rule to designate approximately 1,330,000 acres of land in 15 Louisiana Parishes (Avoyelles, East Carroll, Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, Iberia, Iberville, Madison, Pointe Coupee, Richland, St. Martin, St. Mary, Tensas, West Carroll, and West Feliciana) as critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the threatened

Areas proposed as critical habitat for the Louisiana black bear include bottomland and upland hardwood forests and adjacent vegetated areas having a diversity of plant species and age-classes of sufficient area, quality and configuration to meet the home range needs of reproductive female Louisiana black bears throughout the year or that provide areas for Louisiana black bear dispersal between populations. Those areas are contained within three critical habitat units located in the Tensas River and Upper and Lower Atchafalaya River Basins of the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Valley in Louisiana.

Critical habitat is a term defined in the ESA that identifies geographic areas containing features that are essential to the conservation of a threatened or endangered species, and which may require special management considerations or protection. Designation of critical habitat does not affect land ownership or establish a refuge or preserve, and only applies to situations where federal funding or a federal permit is involved.

Normal forest management activities as currently conducted will not be affected by a Louisiana black bear critical habitat designation. The habitat needs of the Louisiana black bear are compatible with normal forest management activities and were exempted from the ?take? provisions under the ESA when the species was listed in 1992 and included a provision protecting den and candidate den trees. There is no evidence to support changing that rule.

This proposed rule was prepared pursuant to a court order resulting from a lawsuit filed against the Service by Harold Schoeffler and Louisiana Crawfish Producers-West.

The Service is evaluating and requesting public comment on whether privately-owned lands enrolled under USDA Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) permanent easements provide sufficient protection and management to satisfy the criteria necessary for exclusion from critical habitat. Currently, about approximately 53,487 acres of marginal agricultural land are known to be under a WRP permanent easement.

Written comments on this proposed rule will be accepted for the next 60 days and must be received or postmarked on or before July 7, 2008. A copy of this proposed rule is available at &linkname=Regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov or http://www.fws.gov/policy/frsystem/default.cfm.

Written comments on the proposal should be submitted by one of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: &linkname=Regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
• U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: #1018-AV52; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; Arlington, VA 22203.

E-mails or faxes will not be accepted. All comments will be posted on &linkname=Regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov">. This generally means that any personal information provided will be posted. Written requests for a public hearing will be accepted for 45 days after publication in the Federal Register until June 20, 2008. To request a public hearing, please use the Federal eRulemaking portal or write to the address listed above

The Service is preparing a draft economic analysis of the proposed critical habitat that will be released for public review and comment at a later date.

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. For more information, visit: http://www.fws.gov/southeast.

Frequently Asked Questions -- Proposed Designation of Critical Habitat for the Louisiana Black Bear

Louisiana Black Bear ? Designation of Critical Habitat Talking Points, Proposed Rule