[CPEO-MEF] Critical habitat deadline looms

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Guam
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS
Critical habitat deadline looms
By Katie Worth
kworth@guampdn.com
Wednesday, June 11, 2003

The government of Guam has four more months to come up with an
alternative to avoid the designation of almost 25,000 acres, or about 19
percent of the island, as critical habitat for Guam's birds and bats.

In that time, the Guam Department of Agriculture will have to come up
with an alternative proposal to satisfy the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service that the endangered species' habitat will be adequately
protected.

The intent of critical habitat designation is to protect the habitat of
the Guam Micronesian kingfisher, the Mariana crow and the Mariana fruit
bat, which the invasive brown tree snake has pushed to the edge of
extinction.

If imposed, the designation will not affect ownership of the land,
mostly located on Andersen Air Force Base and in Naval Magazine areas
around Fena Lake in southern Guam.

The federal government controls 19,800 acres of the land area proposed,
under the jurisdiction of the Air Force, Navy and Fish and Wildlife. The
government of Guam holds 2,800 acres, and 2,100 acres are privately
owned, according to the proposal.

This article can be viewed at:
http://www.guampdn.com/news/stories/20030611/localnews/455905.html

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