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Fish proposal irks locals Both hearings on listing steelhead will be on coast By Mark Freeman A federal judge�s denial for extra time and a change in administration forced federal fish managers to fast-track proposed threatened species status for wild steelhead in Southern Oregon and Northern California, a biologist said Tuesday. These changes squeezed the National Marine Fisheries Service into a 20-day public comment period for its proposal to list wild steelhead here under the federal Endangered Species Act. The agency hastily arranged two Thursday public meetings set simultaneously in Gold Beach and Eureka, Calif. In doing so, the agency did not intend to bypass the Rogue Valley � the main population center for the Rogue Basin and home to steelhead spawning habitat, said Steve Stone, a biologist and NMFS spokesman. "We had hoped we�d have a little more time, but we�re trying to do what we can in the time constraints we have," Stone said. "We had to pick some sites to do this, so we went to our usual and consistent sites � Gold Beach and Eureka." That attitude infuriates Jackson County Commissioner Ric Holt, who said this gives him and others ammunition in seeking a new law forcing agencies like NMFS to hold hearings in areas where residents are directly affected by such decisions. "What good is a public meeting if you don�t get the comment from the public affected?" Holt said. "We, as locals, have to go into any area involved in a decision they make," Holt said. "They should have to play by the same rules." But not holding a hearing in the Rogue Valley doesn�t mean no chance to comment, Stone said. In fact, agency biologists prefer written comments and often ask those testifying in a hearing to offer written comments as well. "Written comments are a key piece to this," Stone said. "They go in our administrative record, whether we have a hearing or not." NMFS biologists last week proposed threatened status for all wild steelhead from Port Orford south through the Klamath River basin, including the native summer and winter steelhead in the Rogue. The agency in 1998 had declared that the native steelhead in the region, which NMFS calls the "Klamath Mountains Province," did not warrant listing because Oregon�s new salmon-recovery plan was helping reduce threats to wild steelhead and their habitat. Some conservation and sport-fishing groups sued, and a judge in October ruled that the fisheries service had until March 31 to revisit the listing proposal. NMFS sought, and failed, to get an extension last December and January, Stone said. And the transition from the Clinton to the Bush administration caused delays in getting proposed actions printed in the Federal Register, effectively shortening the public-comment period from the typical 60 or 90 days to 20 days, Stone said. The comment period ends at 5 p.m. March 5. Agency biologists likely will then take about two weeks to review public comments, including any new data that surfaces about native steelhead, before recommending a final decision to NMFS leaders, Stone said. The listing issue is being handled separately from any possible rule changes affecting actions that impact native steelhead, including the sport-fishing seasons on the Rogue. If wild steelhead are listed, potential changes to sport-fishing would be addressed separately and likely not done until fall, Stone said. Written comments should be mailed to Chief, Protected Resources Division, NMFS, Northwest Region, 525 N.E. Oregon St., Suite 500, Portland, OR, 97232-2737. They can also be faxed to (503) 230-5435. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.