New Mexico and Arizona – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service extended the public comment period until October 28 on two proposed rules to remove the gray wolf (Canis lupus) from the List of Threatened and Endangered Species, while maintaining protection and expanding recovery efforts for the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) in the Southwest, where it remains endangered. The Service also announced a series of public hearings to ensure all stakeholders have an opportunity to comment.
The first public hearing will be held in Washington, DC, on September 30, followed closely by hearings in Sacramento, CA, on October 2, and Albuquerque, NM, on October 4. Each public hearing will include a short informational presentation.
The Albuquerque hearing will be a combined hearing on the gray wolf delisting proposal and the proposal to revise the existing nonessential experimental population designation of the Mexican wolf. The hearings are part of the Service’s continuing efforts to provide an open and comprehensive public process for the two wolf rules and will afford members of the public a forum by which to register their views.
Details on the hearing taking place in the Southwest:
When: October 4, 2013, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: Embassy Suites, Sandia Room
1000 Woodward Place NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
To learn more about the proposed rules and for links to submit comments to the public record, visit www.fws.gov/graywolfrecovery062013.html.
