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Environmental Law

: ESA Blawg

FWS proposes critical habitat revisions for San Barnadino kangaroo rat

By Keith Rizzardi

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73 Federal Register 20581 (Wednesday, April 16, 2008)(DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR; Fish and Wildlife Service; Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Designation of Critical Habitat for the San Bernardino Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys merriami parvus); Proposed rule; reopening of comment period, changes to the proposed critical habitat revision, notice of availability of draft economic analysis, and amended required determinations.)

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on our June 19, 2007, proposed revision to critical habitat for the San Bernardino kangaroo rat (Dipodomys merriami parvus) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In this document, we also propose to: Increase the size of proposed critical habitat Unit 1 (Santa Ana River Wash), and add two new proposed units: Unit 4 (Cable Creek Wash) and Unit 5 (Bautista Creek). In total, we are adding approximately 1,579 acres (ac) (638 hectares (ha)), which are currently designated as critical habitat for this subspecies, to our proposed revision to critical habitat. We also announce the availability of the draft economic analysis (DEA) of the proposed revision of critical habitat and an amended required determinations section of the proposal. The DEA estimates potential costs attributed to the revised critical habitat designation (incremental costs) to be approximately $71.2 million in present value terms using a 3 percent discount rate over a 23-year period in areas proposed as critical habitat. We are reopening the comment period to allow all interested parties an opportunity to comment
simultaneously on the original proposed revision of critical habitat, the additions to revised critical habitat proposed in this document, the associated DEA, and the amended required determinations section. Comments previously submitted on this rulemaking do not need to be resubmitted… DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before May 16, 2008.

Photo of Kangaroo rat from Western Riverside County, CA

WHY A “KANGAROO” RAT? Nick-named for their large feet and hopping movements, kangaroo rats are extremely well-adapted to desert conditions. They can digest desert-dry seeds to create water, they do not sweat, and they even have specially-evolved kidneys that excrete limited amounts of water.

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