Will getting an extension past Feb 2014 to debate the proposed 800,000 Critical Jaguar acre habitat Plan help the USFW Service make this great idea a reality?...........Of course Ranchers are fighting the idea with military force but such a designation would assist in the recovery of Wolves, Pumas, Jaguars and all other living organisms in Arizona and New Mexico, a critical land area to bridge the Jaguar habitat exisiting in Mexico and regions south

http://www.eacourier.com/news/deadline-extends-for-jaguar-habitat-determination/article_dc48c9ea-77e2-11e3-b6a9-0019bb2963f4.html#.UtFoFI2J_aQ.email

Deadline extends for jaguar habitat determination

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Posted: Saturday, January 11, 2014 12:00 am

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requested and recently received an extension of the deadline to reach a final determination on critical habitat for the jaguar.

The previous settlement agreement date for publishing a final decision was Dec. 16; the new publication date is Feb. 14, 2014. 
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requested the extension due to the unavailability of required personnel and related contractors during the recent lapse of appropriations due to the furlough as a result of sequester, as well as the rescheduling of court-ordered deadlines and other commitments for unrelated matters involving the same personnel since the restoration of appropriations. WildEarth Guardians, which has sued the federal government to protect the jaguar, did not oppose the extension request, which was signed by D.C. Circuit Judge Emmet G. Sullivan on Dec. 3, 2013.


The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to designate 858,137 acres in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico as critical habitat for the jaguar (Panthera onca) under the Endangered Species Act. The proposal was informed by information compiled by, and modeling conducted by, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-assembled binational scientific Jaguar Recovery Team.

A comment period on the proposal will not be reopened.

Critical habitat is a term in the act that identifies geographic areas containing features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species, and that may require special management considerations or protection. Federal agencies that undertake, fund or permit activities that may affect critical habitat are required to consult with the service to ensure such actions do not adversely modify or destroy designated critical habitat.

Designation of critical habitat does not affect land ownership, or establish a refuge or preserve, and has no impact on private landowners taking actions on their land that do not require federal funding or permits.

More information on the proposed rule, maps, supporting analyses and other details about the jaguar is available online at: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/Jaguar.htm.