Wolverine comment extended

USFWS reopens comment period for wolverine listing

DENVER — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reopening the comment period for the proposed listing of the North American wolverine to broaden the discussion to the entire public and to ensure that all available information is adequately considered in the process.

The comment period will close on Dec. 2.

On Feb. 4, 2013, the Service published in the Federal Register a proposed rule to list the North American wolverine as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.

With that rule, the Service also proposed a special rule that tailored the prohibitions of the ESA that would apply to the wolverine if the listing were finalized.

The proposed rule had a 90-day comment period that ended May 6, 2013. During the peer review process, the Service received comments indicating that there exists a variety of opinions among the scientific community concerning the information we used to support the proposed rules.

Specifically, some peer reviewers questioned the information we used to describe wolverine habitat, and that was used to estimate potential impacts to wolverine habitat from future climate change. They also received several requests from states and the public to extend the comment period for these proposals. As a result, we have extended the public comment period.

Details on the kinds of information the Service is seeking are available in the comment period reopening notice published in the Federal Register on Oct. 31, 2013.

You may obtain copies of the notice and proposed rules on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS–R6–ES–2012–107 for the proposed threatened status for North American wolverine. Copies of the proposed rules are also available at http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/wolverine/