The &linkname=Regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
We will post all information received on http://www.regulations.gov">. This generally means that we will post any personal information you provide us.
Please note that submissions merely stating support for or opposition to the action under consideration without providing supporting information, although noted, will not be considered in making a determination, as section 4(b)(1)(A) of the Act directs that determinations as to whether any species is a threatened or endangered species must be made “solely on the basis of the best scientific and commercial data available.”
Information must be received by November 9, 2009.
The gopher tortoise typically inhabits relatively well-drained, sandy soils and is generally associated with longleaf pine-xeric oak sandhills, but also occurs in scrub, xeric hammock, pine flatwoods, dry prairie, coastal grasslands and dunes, mixed hardwood-pine communities, and a variety of disturbed habitats. Gopher tortoises excavate burrows that average 3 to 52 feet in length and 9 to 23 feet in depth. These burrows, which provide protection from temperature extremes, desiccation, and predators, serve as refuges for approximately 360 other species throughout its range.
The western population of the gopher tortoise, west of the Tombigbee and Mobile Rivers in Alabama then across south Mississippi and extreme southeastern Louisiana, was federally-listed as threatened on July 7, 1987. At the state level, the gopher tortoise is listed as threatened throughout Florida and as Endangered in South Carolina in the following counties: Aiken, Allendale, Colleton, Dorchester, Hampton, and Jasper.
For more information about the gopher tortoise and this finding, please visit the Service’s web site at http://www.fws.gov/northflorida.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Visit us online at http://www.fws.gov.
