U S Fish and Wildlife - Informal Information Meeting and Public Hearing - Designation of 7,015 acres in Mississippi and Louisiana as Critical Habitat for Mississippi Gopher Frog
(We are opposed to this...see below)

WATCH THIS 3 MINUTE VIDEO PUT TOGETHER BY ONE OF OUR VERY TALENTED AND VERY WELL INFORMED MEMBERS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4wGw77HMuw&feature=youtu.be

Public informational session and public hearing:

The informal informational meeting - from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. - is the time for the public to ask questions and get answers. The appropriate process for getting your questions answered is during the informal informational meeting.

The formal hearing - from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. - is a time for the public to:

1). gain insight or knowledge on our proposed action as the public listens to our lead biologist present a Powerpoint presentation on the proposed action, which in this case is designation of critical habitat for the endangered Mississippi gopher frog, and

2). submit their comments on the proposed action. __________________________________________________________________________

The U S Fish and Wildlife Service is working to designate 7,015 acres of land in Mississippi and Louisiana as Critical Habitat for the Mississippi Gopher Frog. This includes nearly 3,000 acres of privately held land and over 4,000 acres of federal and state lands, including land in the DeSoto National Forrest which Camp Shelby has used for critical training for many years under an agreement with the federal government.

The Mississippi Army National Guard, The National Guard Bureau, the Mississippi Tea Party, the Forrest County Board of Supervisors, landowners in St. Tamany Parrish, Louisiana and many other interested parties have filed opposing comments at the government website.

The Obama administration has placed over 700 plant and animal species on the fast track to bring them under federal protection in addition to 500 species that are already under review. If the gopher frog is awarded over 7,000 acres, how much more land will the additional 1,200 species need?

THIS THREATENS OUR RIGHT TO OWN AND CONTROL PRIVATE PROPERTY IN THIS COUNTRY. EVERY VOICE MUST RISE UP TO OPPOSE THIS LAND GRAB!

How does a designation of critical habitat affect your rights as a landowner? If the landowner receives any federal monies at any time, he will have to abide by the rules to protect the gopher frog. These rules include not being able to run gas, water, sewer and power lines and restrictions on driving in the designated area to name a few. In addition, controlled burns would have to be supervised on the area to create the proper habitat for the frog. In other words, you would lose control of your land, but would still have to pay for it.

Here's a summary of what puts the gopher frogs at risk (namely human activity if you read between the lines): "The features essential to the conservation of this species may require special management considerations or protection to reduce threats posed by:

• Land use conversions
• primarily urban development and
• conversion to agriculture and pine plantations
• stump removal and other soil-disturbing activities that destroy the belowground structure within forest soils
• fire suppression and low fire frequencies
• wetland destruction and degradation
• random effects of drought or floods
• off-road vehicle use
• use of gas, water, electrical power, and sewer easements; and
• activities that disturb underground refugia used by Mississippi gopher frogs for foraging, protection from predators, and shelter from the elements."

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Please try to attend the hearing. However, if you are unable to attend, please take time to submit a comment. You may want to first read some of the comments posted, which are visible at the link below.

Comments may be posted at the address shown in the ADDRESSES section by March 2, 2012

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by one of the following methods:

(1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.

In the Keyword box, enter Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2010-0024, which is the docket number for this rulemaking.

Then, in the Search panel on the left side of the screen, under the Document Type heading, click on the Proposed Rules link to locate this document. You may submit a comment by clicking on ``Send a Comment or Submission.''

(2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R4-ES-2010-0024; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042-PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.

We will not accept e-mail or faxes. We will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any personal information you provide us (see Public Comments section below for more information).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen Ricks, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Office, 6578 Dogwood View Parkway, Jackson, MS 39213; telephone: [masked]; facsimile: [masked].

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at [masked]. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public Comments  
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